Yakov's Blog

How to send Free Text Messages to Rogers, Fido, Telus, Bell & Virgin Canada Cell Phones

2011-04-14T21:12:00.000-04:00

source: "SmartCanuck"

There are a couple ways of sending your friends free SMS Text Messages to their cell phones. Some providers charge the receiver while others don't.

Method 1: From the wireless carrier's website

Each wireless company has a website from which you can send free Text Messages

Method 2: By email

you can send emails to your friends' cell phones directly from your email. You just need to know the number and the carrier of the recipient to start emailing them to their cell phone. Here is a list of the emails of different carriers. You need to replace the part before the "@" with your friend's number.

Rogers Wireless: [10-digit phone number]@pcs.rogers.com
Fido: [10-digit phone number]@fido.ca
Telus: [10-digit phone number]@msg.telus.com
Bell Mobility: [10-digit phone number]@txt.bell.ca
Kudo Mobile: [10-digit phone number]@msg.koodomobile.com
MTS: [10-digit phone number]@text.mtsmobility.com
President's Choice: [10-digit phone number]@txt.bell.ca
Sasktel: [10-digit phone number]@sms.sasktel.com
Solo: [10-digit phone number]@txt.bell.ca
Virgin: [10-digit phone number]@vmobile.ca

You need to replace the [10-digit phone number] with your friend's number. For example, If your friend's number was 647-210-2997 and their carrier was Bell, you'd send an email to 6131234567@txt.bell.ca

extra 3,000$ to pay off the variable rate mortgage or to get rrsps?

2011-03-02T12:42:00.000-05:00

Q: Feb 2011: can you do a piece on whether to spend my extra 3,000$ to pay off the variable rate mortgage or to get rrsps?

A: Thanks for the suggestion , It’s in our option to maximize your RRSP’s

since the stock prices are on the lower end and to use the $3,000 to maximize paying less income taxes and debts would be ideal.

This is the best way to look at using a much lower interest rate mortgage to do the following :

1) paying off your highest interest debts first.

2) If you have no debts , than try to maximize your RRSP’s to lower your income tax brackets, if you need a good financial advisor , we have one in house

3) On a typical Variable rate of say 2.25% we would like to see you get a conservative return of say 5%-7% on your investments and pay less in taxes.

Good luck and if you need to look at refinancing to pay down debts and say catch up on some RRSP’s let me know.

But thank for the great question J

Peter Majthenyi & Andre Semeniuk.

Mortgage Planners, B.Econ AMP.

Mortgage Architects - Mortgage Planner

Agent # M08003768

1026 The Queensway at Islington

Toronto, ON. M8Z 1P7

X Country Skiing in the Area

2010-09-23T10:21:00.002-04:00

Mansfield	http://www.mansfieldoutdoorcentre.ca
Wye Marsh	http://www.wyemarsh.com/index.html (for beginners)
Scenic Caves	http://www.sceniccaves.com/cms/winter.cfm?dsp=Main&IssueID=5
Hardwood Hills	http://www.hardwoodhills.ca/ (advanced)
Duntroon	http://www.highlandsnordic.on.ca/ (nice)
Ganaraska	http://www.grca.on.ca/forest-recreation.html (havent been there yet)
Horse Shoe Valley	http://www.horseshoevalleyresort.com/ski/snow_report.asp http://horseshoeresort.com/112p_nordic-skiing.htm
Wasaga Beach / Arrowhead	http://www.ontarioparks.com/ENGLISH/wasa-winter.html
Dagmar	http://www.skidagmar.com/
Albion Hills	http://thehillsofheadwaters.com/albionhills/
Kawartha	http://www.kawarthanordic.ca/

2010-08-10T14:28:00.001-04:00

2010-08-10T14:25:00.000-04:00

Proposed Camping trip - Algonquin

2010-08-10T14:20:00.002-04:00

The Star’s Best 50 GTA Employers

2010-06-30T23:30:00.001-04:00

The Star’s Best 50 GTA Employers

Published On Fri Jun 18 2010

1. Booty Camp Fitness Inc.

2. PCL Constructors Inc.

3. EllisDon Corp.

4. Cisco Systems Canada Co.

5. Bennett Jones LLP

6. RL Solutions

7. WestJet Airlines

8. JTI-Macdonald Corp.

9. Gibraltar Solutions Inc.

10. Edward Jones

11. PEOPLEsource Staffing Solutions

12. Wellington West Holdings Inc.

13. Stikeman Elliott LLP

14. Aecon Group Inc.

15. Miele Ltd.

16. Marriott Hotels of Canada Ltd.

17. GlaxoSmithKline Inc.

18. Chubb Insurance Company of Canada

19. McDonald’s Restaurants of Canada Ltd

20. Accubid Systems

21. Solutions 2 GO

22. The Co.operators

23. Flight Centre Canada

24. Delta Hotels

25. LoyaltyOne

26. Peel Senior Link

27. G&K Services Canada Inc.

28. OMERS

29. Scotiabank Group

30. AstraZeneca Canada Inc.

31. TD Bank Financial Group

32. Klick

33. Lakeside Process Controls Ltd.

34. Novartis Pharma Canada Inc.

35. Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide (Canada)

36. Ivanhoe Cambridge Inc

37. The CWB Group

38. Maple Reinders Constructors Ltd.

39. Bentall LP

40. Cole Engineering Group Ltd.

41. Ericsson Canada Inc.

42. Allergan Inc.

43. Keg Restaurants Ltd

44. Globalive Communications Corp.

45. Federal Express

46. TIC Travel Insurance Coordinators Ltd.

47. Ceridian Canada Ltd.

48. Cintas Canada Limited

49. Procter and Gamble

50. Ozery’s Pita Break

Updates via email - test

2010-06-11T23:22:00.001-04:00

This is a quick test ....
Sent on the TELUS Mobility network with BlackBerry

2010-03-07T10:02:00.001-05:00

Instructions on how to watch theDailyshow.com videos in Canada

Cross Country Skiing - things to bring

2010-02-27T20:02:00.002-05:00

Choosing the proper clothing

Nordic skiing is a great winter workout and skiers warm up fast so it is important not to overdress for the trails.
It is best to wear layers: a light, breathable top that will wick away moisture, a fleecy layer for warmth, and a thin, water resistant shell.
On mild days, the fleecy layer may not be necessary. To keep your feet dry and warm, use polypropylene socks. (Cotton socks absorb moisture so your feet will feel cold and damp.)
Add a hat and gloves and you're ready to go!

I personally prefer to carry with me on a trail a light backpack (though some folks like to put all stuff into their funny pack) with:

a small water bottle (350 ml)
head band
extra xcountry gloves or mitts
sunglasses
knife, whistle, a tiny first aid kit, matches, paper, pen, camera

The second backpack we leave behind at lodge or bus or car. It has our lunches, water, snacks, extra dry socks & under short with long sleeves (to change before you go home), books, reading glasses, (goggles & gaiters we take for bad whether), etc...

-source: Boris Cherkassky

Oasis

2010-02-09T16:38:00.003-05:00

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|A              K| |p                w|
                L| |o
  Q     P   O N M| |nm   l   k    j
|================| |==================|
|R                                    |
|=====================================|
  S  T  U         V   W   X   Y

                |                    i|
                |Z                    |
                |ab c  d e   f    g  h|
                |=====================|

bpa in sigg?

2009-08-24T12:21:00.001-04:00

http://mysigg.com/bulletin/
http://mysigg.com/liner/

A Letter From Our CEO

August 2009

Dear SIGG Customer,

(STAMFORD CT) – Within the scientific community, the safety of the packaging ingredient bisphenol A (BPA) remains the subject of considerable debate and controversy as evidenced by the FDA meetings on the topic this month. For decades, BPA has been the industry standard for protective coatings – approved by food and health regulators around the world. One year ago, Andrew von Eschenbach, the Commissioner of the FDA, announced that, “The science we have reviewed does not justify recommending that anyone discontinue using products containing BPA.” At that time, SIGG Switzerland, the world leader in premium reusable bottles, had already made the transition into bottles that are BPA free.

Within the reusable bottle water category, polycarbonate plastic bottles (#7) came under scrutiny in early 2008 because they were found to leach BPA. As a result, many consumers turned to metal bottles (aluminum and stainless steel) because these bottles had no issues with BPA migration. Prior to its transition, SIGG utilized a water-based epoxy liner which contained a trace amount of BPA. The bottles were thoroughly and regularly tested in both the USA and Switzerland and all tests revealed absolutely no migration or leaching of BPA or any other substance from the protective inner liner. These tests have been public information on the SIGG website for several years and remain there today.

Despite the fact that these bottles were manufactured well within strict international regulations and posed no health risk, my team and I initiated a project in June 2006 to develop a new liner which would be both BPA free and produced in a more environmentally friendly manner. We recognized early that there were questions surrounding BPA and we wanted to be sure that we had a bottle liner that you, our customers, could have absolute confidence in.

After two years of comprehensive testing and development and a one million dollar investment in new equipment for our Swiss factory, SIGG began producing bottles with our new, next generation “EcoCare” liner in August 2008. Providing the same quality and protection afforded by the previous liner, this new powder-based, co-polyester coating has been thoroughly tested and is certified to be 100% free of BPA, phthalates, BADGE, BFDGE, and NOGE. It is also environmentally friendly as its application generates virtually no waste and utilizes no organic solvents or VOCs. Our new bottle liner is not only a technological advance; it’s a major step forward in SIGG’s journey towards sustainability.

To be clear, all SIGG bottles made since August 2008 contain our new BPA free EcoCare liner. SIGG bottles manufactured prior to August 2008 have the former water-based epoxy liner which contains trace amounts of BPA. These bottles have been thoroughly tested and showed 0% leaching of BPA. It is easy to determine which liner you have, as they are of 2 distinctly different colors. Visit www.MySIGG.com/liner to see photos comparing the two.

The primary reason that I am writing this letter today is because I believe that the BPA conversation has changed dramatically in the last 12 months. Last year, the primary concern was that of BPA leaching from bottles. Since that time the dialogue has evolved such that now some people are concerned about the mere presence of BPA and some states are considering legislation.

I am proud to say that SIGG took action quickly back in 2006 to begin the development of a high performance bottle liner that is BPA free. In addition, we have developed this special section on our website that we will be updating regularly where you can find independent laboratory testing on SIGG and other bottle brands as well as an update on the BPA situation as it continues to develop. We want our current and potential customers to have the facts.

SIGG is a Swiss company that has earned a reputation for quality over the last 100 years. Our success has been a result of ensuring that SIGG customers are always and completely satisfied with our products and our service. If you have further questions or comments please feel free to email me directly at:

Sincerely,

Steve

Steve Wasik
CEO, SIGG Switzerland

New SIGG EcoCare Liner
* Dull pale yellow coating
*Special powder-based co-polyester liner certified to be 100% BPA and Phthalate Free
*Utilized in the manufacturing of SIGG bottles since August 2008

Former SIGG Liner
*Shiny copper bronze finish
*Proprietary water-based epoxy liner thoroughly tested and showed absolutely no leaching of BPA
*Found in SIGG bottles manufactured prior to August 2008

Camping Aug

2009-08-17T10:14:00.002-04:00

CarCostCanada

2009-07-15T13:46:00.002-04:00

CarCostCanada.com, which supplies dealer cost invoices for $39.95

Facebook group - Hacked!

2009-07-13T10:37:00.001-04:00

Just got this the other day:

from Facebook
reply-to noreply
to Yakov
date Fri, Jul 10, 2009 at 3:51 PM
subject "The Rock Oasis Inc" is now "(HACKED)Hooray East Turkestan! China death!WE ARE OTTOMANS"...
signed-by facebookmail.com
hide details Jul 10 (3 days ago)
Milli Görüş changed the name of the group "The Rock Oasis Inc" to "(HACKED)Hooray East Turkestan! China death!WE ARE OTTOMANS".

To see the group, follow the link below:
http://www.facebook.com/n/?group.php&gid=2247893117&mid=c198dfG31f2a73dG2e826eaG40

Thanks,
The Facebook Team

___
This message was intended for Yakov. Want to control which emails you receive from Facebook? Go to:
http://www.facebook.com/editaccount.php?notifications&md=Z3JvdXBfbmFtZV9jaGFuZ2U7ZnJvbT03Mjg2NzE4OTg7Z2lkPTIyNDc4OTMxMTc7dG89ODM3OTg2MTA5
Facebook's offices are located at 1601 S. California Ave., Palo Alto, CA 94304.

5 K

2009-06-30T20:33:00.000-04:00

5 K in 25.395 min

Puzzle of the day

2009-06-24T14:27:00.000-04:00

Two small boys went to a corner store to buy themselves a candy.

One boy was short of 7 cents. The second boy was short of 1 cent.
After they added their money, they didn't have enough to buy just one candy.
What was the price of the candy?
P.S. The problem goes years back when prices were quite different from current ones...

Kentucky Trip 2007

2009-06-04T11:54:00.002-04:00

Key Words:
Schema - Trickery/cheating to get up the route
Headspace - with fear of falling

niii

2009-02-16T23:05:00.000-05:00

Like "cheese" in the U.S., and "whiskey" in parts of Latin America, the Japanese word for two "ni" forces the mouth into a smile when spoken in an elongated way.

When taking a picture in Japan, the person with the camera often says "ichi to ichi... nan des ka?" ("one plus one... what is it?").

The answer: "Niiiiii," often combined with the two fingers.

Russian Baby Exercises

2008-12-29T16:13:00.002-05:00

Facebook settings lost

2008-11-30T21:03:00.002-05:00

I received the following email the other day from Facebook. Will privacy settings be next?

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Facebook
Date: Sat, Nov 29, 2008 at 2:48 AM
Subject: Please reset your email notification settings.
To: [edit]

Unfortunately, the settings that control which email notifications get sent to you were lost. We're sorry for the inconvenience.

To reset your email notification settings, go to:

http://www.facebook.com/editaccount.php?notifications

Thanks,
The Facebook Team

Comedy Network Fights Back

2008-11-17T20:19:00.005-05:00

I went to the Comedy Network to get my latest dose of Jon Stewart. However, I received the following messages:

Alas, I'm unable to go to Comedy Central's website because I am in Canada and keep getting redirected to the Canadian Comedy Network - which in turn is blocking my IP...

I'm not sure why, but if you have any suggestions, do let me know!

Parks help narrow health gap between rich, poor: study

2008-11-07T14:45:00.000-05:00

Source - CBC

Green spaces like parks and forests help narrow health gaps between the rich and poor living in cities, say researchers who are urging urban planners to invest in greenery.

In Saturday's issue of the Lancet, Richard Mitchell of the University of Glasgow and his colleagues looked at mortality records, income data and the amount of green areas for more than 366,000 people in England who were below retirement age in 2001 to 2005.

In general, studies show that people living in poorer areas tend to be more unhealthy and die earlier because of differences in diet, lifestyle and access to medical care.

Living near open, undeveloped land such as parks, forests, playing fields and river corridors seemed to help reduce this gap, according to the latest study.

The difference in the rate of deaths between the richest and poorest was roughly halved for those living with the most greenery around them, compared with those with the fewest green spaces, the researchers found.

"The size of the difference in the health gap is surprising and represented a much bigger effect than I had been expecting," said Mitchell.

"So the key message is green spaces are another tool for governments to combat this health gap between rich and poor."

Green space `more than pretty'
The difference more than doubled for deaths from circulatory disease such as heart disease and stroke, but there was no effect on suicides, the researchers said.

Green spaces may encourage people to be more physically active, and previous studies have suggested that parks and open space help people reduce blood pressure and stress levels, and perhaps even heal more quickly after surgery.

"The implications of this study are clear: environments that promote good health might be crucial in the fight to reduce health inequalities," the study's authors concluded.

In a commentary accompanying the study, Terry Hartig of the Institute for Housing and Urban Research at Uppsala University in Sweden agreed: "This study offers valuable evidence that green space does more than pretty up the neighbourhood. It appears to have real effects on health inequality, of a kind that politicians and health authorities should take seriously."

The final report of the World Health Organization's Commission on the Social Determinants of Health also called for wide-ranging improvements in daily living conditions.

Restoring environmental supports to mitigate health inequities could help achieve these goals, Hartig said.

WHAT’S IN AN EGG?

2008-09-18T08:52:00.000-04:00

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/17/dining/17eggs.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=eggs&st=cse&oref=slogin

IT used to be, an egg was an egg.

WHAT’S IN AN EGG? The array of labels on egg cartons can be bewildering. Some provide reliable information about audited claims (like “U.S.D.A. organic” and “certified humane raised and handled”). Others are unregulated and unverified.
Related

Now they can be cage free and free range, vegetarian and omega-3 fortified, organic, “certified humane” or “American humane certified.” The incredible, edible egg is becoming unintelligible.

Some claims on egg cartons are regulated by the federal government, some by the states and some not at all. Some affect consumers’ health, some touch upon ethics and some are meaningless.

All purport to describe how the hens were raised, or what they were fed, or what extra benefits their eggs might provide.

So, what do these terms mean?

First, the basics: egg grades — given by the United States Department of Agriculture or other agencies — depend mainly on the firmness of the whites. AA eggs hold their shape in the pan a bit better than Grade A eggs. (Grade B eggs, for processed foods, are rarely sold in stores.) Egg sizes, like large or jumbo, are based on the weight of a dozen eggs. Then things get confusing.

The easiest way to ensure truth in labeling is to look for cartons bearing the National Organic Program emblem (a circular seal with “U.S.D.A.” over what looks like a field), any of the animal-welfare-related labels described below, or the U.S.D.A. shield (which looks like an interstate highway sign and which indicates the eggs’ grade). The organic and animal welfare programs require that producers be audited by third-party certifiers. The U.S.D.A. shield, which can be found on about 35 percent of eggs in the market, means that the agriculture department is auditing the eggs’ producers at least once a year to verify that their claims are true.

Definitions for some other common terms on egg cartons are below. Keep in mind that the agriculture department’s rules apply only to eggs with the department’s shield. For eggs that are not a part of its grading program, either state rules apply or the use of the phrase is unregulated.

How Birds Are Raised

CAGE FREE The agriculture department says this means that the chickens were kept out of cages and had continuous access to food and water, but did not necessarily have access to the outdoors.

FREE RANGE The agriculture department says that in addition to meeting the cage-free standards, free-range birds must have continuous access to the outdoors, unless there’s a health risk present. There are no standards, though, for what that outdoor area must be like. (A concrete lot could do.)

PASTURE-RAISED There is no regulation of this term, which implies hens got at least part of their food from foraging on greens and bugs, which adherents say can improve flavor. Some studies have found that pasture-raised eggs have more nutrients like omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin A, vitamin E and beta carotene, and less saturated fat and cholesterol.

ANIMAL CARE LABELS Four main terms indicate the level of care hens received.

For eggs from chickens that live in the sort of utopia conveyed by the images on most egg cartons, look for “animal welfare approved.” Available in limited markets, it is a new label by the Animal Welfare Institute that is given only to independent family farmers. Flocks can have no more than 500 birds, and chickens over 4 weeks old must be able to spend all their time outside on pesticide-free pasture with a variety of vegetation. They must have access to dust baths and cannot have their beaks trimmed (a practice on crowded egg farms) or be fed animal byproducts.

“Certified humane raised and handled” hens and “American humane certified” hens are kept cage free, though not necessarily outdoors.

“Certified humane raised and handled” is administered by Humane Farm Animal Care, the only animal welfare program audited each year for reliability by the Department of Agriculture. It is endorsed by many animal welfare organizations. It has requirements for, among other things, ventilation, density and the number of perches and nesting boxes that must be provided. It requires that each hen have at least 1.5 square feet of space (324 square inches).

The “American humane certified” label was created by the American Humane Association. Its standards, similar to those of “certified humane raised and handled,” prohibit forced molting (reducing feed to increase egg production) and require that hens have at least 1.25 square feet of space (225 square inches).

“United Egg Producers Certified,” formerly “Animal care certified,” is presented by the United Egg Producers, America’s leading trade association for egg farmers, which has standards for caged and cage-free layers. The group adopted the new name under pressure from the Federal Trade Commission and the Better Business Bureau, which agreed with complaints they had received that “Animal care certified” misled consumers by implying more humane treatment than the hens were getting. Even with the new title, many animal welfare advocates say those standards are too low. The standards permit hens to have as little as 67 square inches of space, less than a letter-size sheet of paper, which is 93.5 square inches.

What Birds Are Fed

ORGANIC Any product with the “U.S.D.A. organic” emblem must meet the standards of the agriculture department’s National Organic Program. Among the program’s requirements: birds must be kept cage free with outdoor access (though the time and the type of access are not defined), they cannot be given antibiotics (even if ill) and their food must be free from animal byproducts and made from crops grown without chemical pesticides, fertilizers, irradiation, genetic engineering or sewage sludge. If organic eggs do not have the program’s emblem, they may be part of an independent or state-run program, and it may take some research to determine the program’s standards.

VEGETARIAN-FED For eggs that bear a U.S.D.A. grade shield, “vegetarian-fed” means the eggs came from hens raised on all-vegetarian feed. Hens are not naturally vegetarian, though; they enjoy eating grubs, bugs and worms. While there’s not a substantial nutritional difference between these eggs and conventional eggs, vegetarian eggs appeal to consumers who are turned off by some of the animal byproducts that can be included in conventional chicken feed, like feather meal, chicken litter, pork and cattle byproducts and “spent hen meal” (ground up dead hens).

NO HORMONES The Food and Drug Administration has not approved any hormone products for egg production, so this term is meaningless.

NO ANTIBIOTICS The Food and Drug Administration, which is responsible for food safety and oversees antibiotic use in poultry, does not allow routine use of antibiotics but does not define or regulate the term “no antibiotics.” The only way this claim is verified is if the eggs are U.S.D.A. graded (which means that hens did not receive therapeutic antibiotics but may still have been treated with antibiotics, if ill) or if the eggs are a part of the National Organic Program (which bans antibiotics entirely after chicks are 3 days old, even if ill). NATURAL, NATURALLY RAISED It means whatever the producers want it to mean because eggs in the shell are not a processed food.

FERTILE The term is unregulated but implies that the eggs came from hens that were likely to have been fertilized because they were uncaged and raised near a rooster. Some consumers like the idea of these more natural living conditions; others adhere to unproven beliefs that fertile eggs are more nutritious. Fertile eggs are stored at temperatures too cold for chicks to develop.

What’s in the Eggs

OMEGA-3 Eggs claiming to have extra omega-3 fatty acids, which are believed to improve heart health and mental acuity, come from hens whose diets include good sources of omega-3s, like flaxseed or algae. Producers in the U.S.D.A. grading program are audited to make sure the layers’ diets have been fortified and that omega-enriched eggs do not get swapped out for cheaper ones. The F.D.A. can audit producers’ claims about omega-3s but typically does so only if there has been a complaint. Unless the eggs claim to contain higher levels of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) omega-3s, a form that is thought to be more important for cardiovascular health, the omega-3s are probably primarily in the alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) form.

PASTEURIZED This term is regulated by the F.D.A. and refers to eggs heated to temperatures just below the coagulation point to destroy pathogens. These eggs are recommended for recipes that call for raw eggs or for people susceptible to illness who prefer runny eggs.

Bosses screening applicants' Web lives

2008-09-14T20:09:00.000-04:00

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080911.wgtbosses0911/BNStory/Technology/home

Reuters

September 11, 2008 at 3:36 PM EDT

NEW YORK — Written references could become old hat for hiring managers with one in five saying they use social networking sites to research job candidates — and a third of them dismissing the candidate after what they discover.

A survey by online job site CareerBuilder.com of 3,169 hiring managers found 22 per cent of them screened potential staff via social networking profiles, up from 11 per cent in 2006.

An additional 9 per cent said they don't currently use social networking sites like Facebook or MySpace to screen potential employees but they do plan to start.

The survey found that 34 per cent of the managers who do screen candidates on the Internet found content that made them drop the candidate from any short list.

The top area for concern among the hiring managers with 41 per cent citing this as a downfall were candidates posting information about drinking or using drugs.

The second area with 40 per cent of concern were candidates posting provocative or inappropriate photographs or information.

Other areas of concern to arise from social network sites were poor communication skills, lying about qualifications, candidates using discriminatory remarks related to race, gender or religion, and an unprofessional screen name.

But the survey found hiring managers scouring social network pages was not all bad with 24 per cent of these managers saying they found content to help them solidify their decision to hire that candidate.

Top factors that influenced their hiring decision included candidate's backgrounds supporting their qualifications for the job, proving they had good communications skills, and having a site that conveyed a professional image with a wide range of interests.

“Hiring managers are using the Internet to get a more well-rounded view of job candidates in terms of their skills, accomplishments and overall fit within the company,” said CareerBuilder.com spokeswoman Rosemary Haefner in a statement.

“As a result, more job seekers are taking action to make their social networking profiles employer-friendly. Sixteen per cent of workers who have social networking pages said they modified the content on their profile to convey a more professional image to potential employers.”

Quebec man changes name to dodge relentless airport screening

2008-09-14T18:51:00.000-04:00

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/montreal/story/2008/09/11/nofly-name.html?ref=rss

A Quebec businessman whose name is one of the many that have erroneously landed on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's flight passenger watch list has decided to change his name to avoid lengthy security hassles at the airport.

Mario Labbé, an executive with a Montreal-based record company, says his Canadian passport triggers a red alert on the computers of U.S. customs agents every time he tries to board a flight to the U.S. — which is about once a month for the past seven years.

"I was pulled aside in a room ... and you have to wait your turn to finally be released," Labbé said. "An hour, an hour and a half, two hours, whatever it is after. Once I was caught in Miami like that for six hours.

"It's always the same questions, about if I've lost my passport, if I've been to Japan — I don't know why Japan, but in their file it was something to do with Japan."

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security wrote a letter to Labbé in 2004, saying he had been placed on their watch list after falling victim to identity theft. At the time, the department said there was no way for his name to be removed.

Although Labbé wrote letters to the U.S. department, his efforts were in vain, prompting him to legally change his name.

"So now, my official name is François Mario Labbé," he said.

"Then you have to change everything: driver's license, social insurance, medicare, credit card — everything."

Although it's not a big change from Mario Labbé, he said it's been enough to foil the U.S. customs computers.

The U.S. Transportation Security Administration has said it submits three updated lists to the airlines daily: a "no-fly" list identifying people not allowed to board planes, a "selectee" list of passengers requiring extra screening and another "cleared" list of passengers who have been certified as safe after experiencing problems.

The lists — compiled by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the U.S. using information submitted by 17 different government departments and law enforcement agencies — are designed to keep terrorism suspects off commercial airline flights.

More than a million people are now on the lists, according to Roch Tassé of the International Civil Liberties Monitoring Group, and another 25,000 are added each month.

He said there is no way of knowing how many Canadians have been flagged.

Liberal Senator Colin Kenny says his son, a lawyer, has the same problem and that Transport Canada is powerless to help.

Officials at the agency said "'it's not my problem, go and talk to the Americans,'" Kenny told CBC News.

U.S. security expert Daniel Steinbock said many people who have no connection to terrorism can end up on the lists. An even bigger problem, he said, is the so-called false positives that turn up if someone has the name of another person already on a list.

"The most notable one in the United States is Sen. Edward Kennedy, who for quite some time was prevented from getting on airplanes. Apparently, there was some other Edward Kennedy who was on the no-fly list," Steinbock said.

The U.S. Transportation Security Administration has introduced a process for people to follow to have their names removed from a list. But because the backlog of requests is so large, it's very difficult to get off, Steinbock said.

NY Tap Water

2008-09-14T18:39:00.001-04:00

http://tapdny.com/

Heinlein Feedback from

2008-09-09T19:24:00.001-04:00

http://kk.org/ct2/heinlein.php

courtesy www.boingboing.net

Spider

2008-09-08T18:32:00.001-04:00

http://www.onemotion.com/flash/spider/

Yahoo! Music Unlimited Service - Not so Unlimited

2008-08-31T16:16:00.001-04:00

Yahoo! Music Jukebox - Today's Message:

Important Notice: Yahoo! Music Unlimited Service Termination
This is a notice to inform you that Yahoo! Music Unlimited and Yahoo! Music Unlimited To Go will no longer be available in Canada as of September 30, 2008.

What does this mean for annual subscribers?
Annual subscribers with anniversary dates after May 1 will not be renewed for service. Any annual subscribers that have a term that extends beyond October 1 will receive a pro-rata refund on their credit card. All users make should verify their billing information is current in their Yahoo! Wallet

What does this mean for monthly subscribers?
Monthly subscribers will continue to be renewed through August 30, with their service stopping on their anniversary date through September 30.

If you have purchased tracks from the Yahoo! Music Unlimited store, we recommend that you back them up to an audio CD before the closing of the store September 30, 2008.

For more information about the termination of Yahoo! Music Unlimited, or the closure of the music store, please refer to our Frequently Asked Questions.

Interactive map of "history's greatest journeys"

2008-08-23T09:04:00.000-04:00

http://awesome.goodmagazine.com/features/011/Wanderlust/

Fluoride levels should be lowered, panel tells Health Canada

2008-07-30T08:19:00.001-04:00

Fluoride levels should be lowered, panel tells Health Canada

Last Updated: Tuesday, July 29, 2008
CBC News

A panel of experts convened by Health Canada is recommending new optimal concentrations of fluoride in drinking water and suggesting the levels of fluoride ingested from a variety of sources by children and infants be lowered and monitored.

The authors suggest Health Canada adopt a level of 0.7 mg/L as the optimal target for fluoride in drinking water, to limit exposure. This level, they say, balances the need for dental cavity protection with the risk of dental fluorosis, which leads to staining or pitting of the teeth if too much fluoride is ingested.

The report, which was released in January of last year, was posted on Health Canada's website in April.

The panel notes in the report that the overall intake of fluoride in recent years has decreased, as have the concentrations of fluoride in infant formula.

It also does not find any link between fluoride and cancer, a decrease in IQ or reproductive, immunological or developmental toxicity. Previous studies have raised concerns about the toxic effects of fluoride and made connections between excessive consumption and such diseases as bone cancer.

The panel does acknowledge that excess fluoride intake, which constitutes 10 mg/day after 10 or more years of exposure, can lead to skeletal fluorosis, which is caused by too much accumulation of fluoride in the bones and leads to brittle and deformed bones.

However, "the current maximum acceptable concentration of 1.5 mg/L of fluoride in drinking water is unlikely to cause adverse health effects," reads the report.

The report does caution however, that infants are particularly vulnerable if they ingest powdered infant formula reconstituted with fluoridated water. "The risk of excessive intake of fluoride is higher for infants consuming larger quantities of infant formulas," reads the report.

The panel subsequently calls on the manufacturers of infant formula to lower and standardize the fluoride concentration in infant formula.

http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2008/07/29/fluoride-report.html

New Online Bicycle Registry

2008-07-14T07:41:00.000-04:00

http://bikereg.torontopolice.on.ca/BicycleRegistry/Submit

Slow Motion

2008-06-17T19:38:00.001-04:00

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=35995019

Ross

2008-06-17T19:22:00.001-04:00

http://perotcharts.com/

write to your MPs about Canada's disastrous new copyright bill

2008-06-14T00:32:00.000-04:00

If you're a Canadian and you care about the future of culture, art, free speech and the Internet, you need to do something about the Canadian version of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act that Industry Minister Jim Prentice introduced yesterday. This bill was prepared without any consultation with Canadian stakeholders: there was no input from industry, libraries, education, artists' groups, Canadian record labels, technology developers or citizens' groups. Instead, the bill was written to specs handed down by the US trade rep and ambassador (who kept on telling the press about the "assurances" they'd had from the Minister on the bill's features).

The bill makes it flatly illegal to break any kind of digital lock, or to violate terms in one of those absurd end-user license agreements that make you promise to agree to let the record industry kick your teeth in and drink all your beer, just for the dubious privilege of paying for a song at iTunes or watching a video on Viacom's website. This amounts to private law: under Prentice's plan, Parliament would get out of the business of making copyright law, simply enforcing whatever copyright law the entertainment industry itself dreamed up.

This is even worse than the approach the US DMCA took ten years ago, and look where that's got them. Tens of thousands of Americans have been sued, key innovative technology companies have been destroyed, computer scientists have been jailed, and what did it get them? Certainly not an end to infringement -- file-sharing is up in every country in the world. And for all the money the record industry has harvested from tech startups and music fans, not one dime has been paid to an artist.

Here's your chance to tell your Member of Parliament what you think. Kat sez, "Copyright for Canadians ) has a handy tool that makes it easy to email your MP about bill C-61. After you send your email, print it out, address an envelope and send a physical copy, too--no stamp necessary! Here's the address:

House of Commons
Ottawa, ON
K1A0A6"

LINK

source: boingboing.net

Glass door

2008-06-12T20:12:00.001-04:00

http://www.glassdoor.com

More Pics!

2008-05-30T01:48:00.000-04:00

1/2 Marathon pictures!

2008-05-30T01:37:00.001-04:00

Results:
http://yakovcherkassky.blogspot.com/2008/05/12marathon.html

Astaire and Michael Jackson - homage

2008-05-27T23:52:00.000-04:00

http://www.boingboing.net/2008/05/27/astairejacko-mashup.html

Lion's Head - 2007

2008-05-27T07:18:00.006-04:00

Secret Garden

http://yakovcherkassky.blogspot.com/2007/07/lions-head-2007.html

1/2Marathon

2008-05-26T07:21:00.000-04:00

PLC 6636
Gun Time 2:37:41.6
Pace km 7:29
Chip Time 2:31:46.1
No 12091
Gndr PLC/TOT 247/3615
Cat PLC/TOT 492/530
Category M30-34 1:12:27

biking?

2008-05-12T21:43:00.001-04:00

http://jwz.livejournal.com/883988.html

ManBabies

2008-05-12T21:03:00.000-04:00

http://manbabies.com/

Game Game

2008-05-10T23:59:00.001-04:00

http://www.secrettechnology.com/gamegame/gamegame.html

Making NYPD accountable

2008-04-29T07:42:00.001-04:00

In March 2007, a free speech and free assembly rally was held in Union Square to protest a new NYPD rule of dubious constitutionality instituting a permit requirement for any assembly of 50+ people on foot or on bike in NYC.

While the restriction would apply to any assembly of 50 or more people, it was enacted as transparent attempt shut down, harass or frustrate the Critical Mass bicycle rides that have occured monthly in Manhattan for at least ten years.

After the rally proper, a Critical Mass ride (accompanied by citizen videographers from the Glass Bead Collective and other groups) set out north from Union Square, only to be subjected to outrageous and illegal treatment by NYPD officers in Times Square under the supervision and instigation of Sgt. Timothy Horhoe.

Despite the numerous video-verified complaints of unlawful arrest and the numerous provably false sworn statements in police reports documenting the incident, the Civilian Complaint Review Board said in March of this year that they cannot act to punish the officers involved for their willful perjury.

http://glassbeadcollective.blip.tv/file/784711/

Tanya

2008-04-21T07:01:00.001-04:00

http://youtube.com/watch?v=ed4SBIdTCD8

turing test

2008-04-17T21:09:00.003-04:00

Op-Ed

2008-04-17T20:58:00.001-04:00

http://www.themorningnews.org/archives/oped/two_minutes_and_42_seconds_in_heaven.php

Stats!

2008-04-13T08:15:00.000-04:00

http://www-fars.nhtsa.dot.gov/Main/index.aspx

Greatest comedy sketches

2008-04-09T23:37:00.001-04:00

http://www.nerve.com/dispatches/nerveeditors/50GreatestComedySketches/01/

Version 2.0

2008-04-09T00:02:00.001-04:00

http://www.bananaguard.com/version2/

http://www.boingboing.net/2008/03/26/companies-that-use-g.html

2008-03-26T20:01:00.000-04:00

http://www.boingboing.net/2008/03/26/companies-that-use-g.html

Google's email and collaboration tools are facing legal problems outside of the USA, thanks to the USA Patriot Act spying bill. Google offers universities, hospitals and companies Gmail, calendar and document collaboration tools, but all the material hosted on Google's servers can be legally spied upon by the US government under the loosest of controls, thanks to the USA Patriot Act.

But many countries' laws impose a duty of care upon companies to protect their customers' or stakeholders' information from interception. By using Gmail and related services, these companies arguably break their countries' privacy laws, because they can't be sure that their customers' info isn't being slurped up by the US government's Soviet-style information hoover.

At Lakehead, the deal with Google sparked a backlash. "The [university] did this on the cheap. By getting this free from Google, they gave away our rights," said Tom Puk, past president of Lakehead's faculty association, which filed a grievance against Lakehead administration that's still in arbitration.

Professors say the Google deal broke terms of their collective agreement that guarantees members the right to private communications. Mr. Puk says teachers want an in-house system that doesn't let third parties see their e-mails.

Some other organizations are banning Google's innovative tools outright to avoid the prospect of U.S. spooks combing through their data. Security experts say many firms are only just starting to realize the risks they assume by embracing Web-based collaborative tools hosted by a U.S. company, a problem even more acute in Canada where federal privacy rules are at odds with U.S. security measures.

Heathrow Terminal 5 to fingerprint domestic passengers

2008-03-08T10:47:00.001-05:00

Heathrow Terminal 5 to fingerprint domestic passengers

Subprime Primer: stick figures explain economic collapse

2008-03-01T23:29:00.000-05:00

http://docs.google.com/TeamPresent?docid=ddp4zq7n_0cdjsr4fn&skipauth=true&pli=1

Free book!

2008-03-01T23:21:00.001-05:00

http://browseinside.harpercollins.com/index.aspx?isbn13=9780060558123&WT.mc_id=author_AmerGods_FullAccess_022208

forget the film, watch the titles

2008-02-22T22:01:00.001-05:00

http://www.submarinechannel.com/titlesequences/index.jsp

Video explains timeshifting and Canadian copyright

2008-02-22T21:47:00.000-05:00

http://www.boingboing.net/2008/02/22/video-explains-times.html

sound

2008-02-22T21:42:00.001-05:00

http://www.newscientist.com/channel/being-human/dn13355-music-special-five-great-auditory-illusions-.html

Color tile optical illusion

2008-02-09T08:52:00.000-05:00

http://www.boingboing.net/2008/02/08/color-tile-optical-i.html

Fraud

2008-02-01T07:47:00.000-05:00

York Cops Bust Huge Credit Card Fraud Ring
Wednesday January 30, 2008
CityNews.ca Staff

They may not have been able to duplicate Ontario's new drivers' licences, but some alleged fraudsters busted by York Regional Police did a pretty spot-on job with just about every other piece of plastic imaginable.

The operation was staggering in size, and investigators say the alleged fraud ring produced thousands of counterfeit credit cards and other less-than-legal documents, all with a machine that can turn any plain white card into identity contraband.

Cops got a tip earlier this month that something funny was going on in an apartment at Markham Road and Dension St. in Markham. They obtained a search warrant to get into the premises and were stunned by what they allegedly found inside - a sophisticated operation that was turning out endless and realistic copies of the plastic in a method akin to a production line.

They found hundreds of completed credit cards, thousands of blank Social Insurance Cards and other important assets like fake passports, bogus health cards, phony social and unreal drivers' licenses.

The state-of-the-art equipment used to make it all was also seized. Cops say they found evidence that those behind the ring were allegedly taking requests for their products on a "made-to-order" basis.

The only one they couldn't master was the new Ontario driver's licence, which is embedded with several new safety features effective as of December. The Ministry of Transportation said those fakes were very poorly done.

It was much more difficult to determine the legitimacy of the bank cards however, which is why Interac officials insist more people need to take measures to shield prying eyes and ears from their PINs.

"Just make sure you protect your PIN and check your financial statements regularly so that you can see if there's any transactions on there that you haven't made," said Interac spokesperson Jefferey Bos.

Two men, one from Markham, the other from Scarborough, are facing a range of charges. Amazingly, one was reportedly out on bail, accused of committing the same crime just a short time earlier.

How to spot a phony credit card

How to reduce identity theft

What to do if you're an identity theft victim

How to tell if your I.D. has been compromised

Saving Private Ryan

2008-01-25T07:24:00.001-05:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRS9cpOMYv0

How To Recycle Your Old TV

2008-01-13T09:01:00.000-05:00

How To Recycle Your Old TV
Wednesday January 9, 2008
CityNews.ca Staff

So you went out and bought that giant big screen TV you've been dreaming of. But if you're like most people, you now face a new dilemma you likely hadn't thought much about - what do you do with your old set?

It's a growing problem as landfills get cluttered with the remnants of unwanted TVs and monitors of the past. Some simply don't work anymore. Others just aren't wanted. But all contain components that are bad for the environment and sending them to landfills to rot away and let those contents leach into the soil isn't a great solution.

That's where a place like Sims Recycling comes in. The Brampton firm specializes in paring down your old viewing companion's parts in about 90 seconds and making sure what's inside gets reused, helping to save the earth.

A monitor, for example, contains 6-8 pounds of lead. A cathode ray tube also has the same toxic substance. And it all adds up. "You can imagine with all the world going flat screen, all the monitors that are going to become obsolete in the coming years," explains the company's Kelly McCaig. "That's a lot of lead that we can help keep out of the landfills and out of the environment.

And there's reason to rush. For every monitor they dismantle, China turns out 58 brand new flat screens. Only one in four Canadians has an HDTV now. But that number is expected to increase substantially in the next few years.

"We have to remove four classes of hazards: batteries, bulbs, CRTs ... and toners and inks," McCaig relates.

But going green will set you back a small amount of green. It costs 45 cents a pound, or about $17-20 for a 27-inch TV. It's a small price to pay for such a major contribution to the environment. And that's not just a big screen - that's a big deal.

Here are some resources you can use to ensure your electronics don't wind up as part of Mother Nature's scrap heap.

TVs

SIMS Recycling

Computer Monitors

Accu-Shred

Other Methods

Sometimes the best option isn't to recycle, but reuse. That's where the Electronic Recycling Association comes in. They'll take your old computers and give them to schools, libraries, charities, nursing homes and other places in need for free. Find them here.

The Electronics Product Stewardship is an industry-based non-profit that tries to figure out solutions to tech waste. They'll answer most of your questions here.

How To Protect Yourself When Joining A Fitness Club

2008-01-13T08:59:00.000-05:00

How To Protect Yourself When Joining A Fitness Club
Tuesday January 8, 2008
CityNews.ca Staff

You've made the decision and it was your New Year's resolution - you're going to get in shape. And this time you mean it. To force yourself to keep that promise, you even handed money over to a gym to ensure that you won't back down.

But like many good intentions, the reality often doesn't match the dream. The place isn't what you thought and you just don't have the time to really get there. And you think you've made a big mistake. Can you get your money back from the company and what does it take to break the membership contract you signed when you handed over your credit card number or the cash?

Here's what the law in Ontario says about joining these kinds of clubs.

Buyer's Remorse

Sometimes you join a gym and find you either aren't really going to go, you don't like the atmosphere or it's simply not the right facility for you. Under the Consumer Protection Act, you have 10 days to change your mind. If you do it within that time period, you can cancel the contract and get a full refund, which must be given within 15 days.

Limited Membership

Call this provision of that same Act a way to protect you from yourself. It limits the membership you can sign up for to just one year. That way if you change your mind after the 10 day period or the club suddenly closes its doors and slinks off into the night, you're not stuck with a worthless lifetime deal in a place that no longer exists.

Payment Plans

The clubs may try and pressure you into signing a long term deal with them, promising a better rate. But be aware that under the law, they must also present you with the option of paying by the month. The bill may be 25 per cent more, but you have the option to leave or renew every 30 days and if the club closes or you find you can't go, you'll lose a lot less money.

Agreeing On the Agreement

If there's something in a contract or a deal you signed that either wasn't disclosed or wasn't delivered, you have the right to cancel the contract within a year of signing up for it.

Beware of Hidden Charges

It's against the law for any business to charge you hidden fees and they have to explain what they're for. Collecting a 'surcharge' for a non-existent tax is illegal. Make sure you ask what every expense listed on the deal is for.

Laying Down The Law

The clubs have to cooperate. If a person is found guilty of violating the Consumer Protection Act, they could be liable for fines up to $50,000 and two years in prison. Corporations or businesses may have to fork over $250,000 in cash for an infraction.

Source: Ministry of Government and Consumer Services

See quick tips on what to look for before you sign anything

Jona

2008-01-13T08:53:00.000-05:00

Excerpts from my friend's trip in South America

Jan 9
I am currently in el calafate, I have seen the glaciars (perrito moreno) and was not really impressed. I went hiking to fritz roy mountains yesterday. Beautiful. I am off to bs as today...but am going directly to the ferry to go to colnia, uruguay!

Jan 3
I was not complaining about the heat... i have, some how, gotten used to it. Rosario is 300km north of b.s Aires. They have a river running beside the city, which reduces the heat.

Jan 2
I arrrived in Rosario, Argentina yesterday night and am staying at a beautiful house turned hostel.

The weather got to 39 degrees yesterday...so i am dying and drinking gatorade like crazy

Hostels

2008-01-13T08:46:00.000-05:00

"Hostels around the world are likely to come under closer scrutiny after the social networking site Facebook launched a "Hostels" platform. It is aimed squarely at "Macpackers" - technologically savvy travellers who use online forums - and works on the premise that many backpackers, particularly those travelling alone, will base their choice of hostel not just on facilities, but on who is staying there and on how a friend, rather than a stranger, has rated it."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/main.jhtml?xml=/travel/2007/08/18/et-gap-facebook-118.xml

Music Elitism

2007-12-04T01:19:00.000-05:00

http://www.dieselsweeties.com/shirts/elitism/

Movies online!

2007-11-26T22:50:00.000-05:00

Unbelievable Adventures...

Games!

2007-11-18T23:40:00.001-05:00

http://www.gamedesign.jp/flash/dice/dice.html

Q West

2007-11-12T19:01:00.000-05:00

http://www.westqueenwest.ca

Israel

2007-11-06T19:32:00.001-05:00

http://www.israguide.com/panoramic.asp

Symphony

2007-11-04T23:26:00.000-05:00

Tickets!

* 2007-11-01 - Helmuth Rilling, conductor - Bach St. John Passion
* 2007-10-24 - Stephane Deneve, conductor - Dvorak Symphony 8
* 2007-03-16 - Nikolay Baskov
* 2007-01-17 - Peter Oundjian, conductor; Isabelle van Keulen, violin
* 2006-12-06 - Peter Oundjian, conductor; Yefim Bronfman, piano
* 2006-11-22 - Gianandrea Noseda, conductor; Anton Kuerti, piano
* 2006-10-14 - Leonard Slatkin, conductor; colin Currie, percussion
* 2006-09-21 - Peter Oundjian, conductor; Marie-Nicole Lemieux, contralto
* 2006-06-15 - Peter Oundjian, conductor; Ben Heppner, tenor
* 2006-06-07 - Peter Oundjian, conductor; Robert McDuffie, violin
* 2006-06-01 - Andrey Boreyko, conductor; Maxim Vengerov, violin*
* 2006-05-31 - Andrey Boreyko, conductor; Maxim Vengerov, violin
* 2006-05-13 - Jacques Israelievitch, conductor; Teng Li, viola
* 2006-04-20 - Songs of the Earth, Sir Andrew Davis, conductor
* 2006-04-19 - Songs of the Earth, Sir Andrew Davis, conductor
* 2006-04-06 - Peter Oundjian, conductor; Lucille Chung, piano
* 2006-04-01 - Frome East to West; Hugh Wolff, conductor
* 2006-03-30 - Modern Soundscapes; Peter Oundjian, conductor
* 2006-03-23 - Stefan Sanderling, conductor; Toradze & McCandless
* 2006-03-22 - Stefan Sanderling, conductor; Toradze & McCandless
* 2006-03-08 - Gunther Herbig, conductor; Jon Kimura Parker, piano
* 2006-02-22 - Charles Dutoit, conductor; Naida Cole, piano
* 2006-02-16 - Peter Oundjian, conductor; Enrico Dindo, cello
* 2006-02-15 - Peter Oundjian, conductor; Enrico Dindo, cello
* 2006-02-02 - Hans Graf, conductor; Joaquin Valdepenas, clarinet
* 2005-12-07 - Thomas Dausgaard, conductor; Leonidas Kavakos, violin
* 2005-12-01 - Strauss & Brahms; Thomas Dausgaard, conductor
* 2005-11-19 - Peter Oundjian, conductor; Boris Berezovsky
* 2005-11-02 - Pines of Rome; Gianandrea Noseda, conductor
* 2005-06-01 - Jiri Belohlavek, conductor; Bruggergosman & Braun*
* 2005-05-07 - Peter Oundjian, conductor; Solzhenitsyn & Nakariakov
* 2005-04-21 - The Kirov Orchestra
* 2005-04-13 - Peter Oundjian, conductor; Truls Mork, cello
* 2005-04-09 - Peter Ounjian, conductor; Joshua Bell, violin
* 2005-04-06 - Peter Oundjian, conductor; Joshua Bell & Barbara Hannigan
* 2005-04-02 - Oundjian & Valdepenas, conductor; St. Lawrence String Quartet
* 2005-03-30 - Oliver Knussen, conductor; Pinchas Zukerman, violin*
* 2005-02-17 - Thomas Dausgaard, conductor; Garrick Ohlsson, piano
* 2005-02-09 - Thomas Dausgaard, conductor; Pekka Juusisto, violin
* 2005-01-22 - Salvatore Licitra
* 2005-01-19 - Dazzling Mozart; Peter Oundjian, conductor
* 2005-01-12 - Mozart's Grace and Melody; Peter Oundjian, conductor
* 2004-12-08 - Sir Andrew Davis, conductor; Kyoko Takezawa, violin
* 2004-11-04 - Peter Oundjian, conductor; Richard Goode, piano
* 2004-10-02 - Peter Ounjian, conductor; Renee Fleming, soprano
* 2004-09-29 - Peter Oundjian, conductor; Emanuel Ax, piano
* 2004-06-10 - Peter Oundjian, conductor; Beethoven's Ninth
* 2004-06-09 - Peter Oundjian, conductor; Beethoven's Ninth
* 2004-06-02 - Peter Oundjian, conductor; Nikolaj Znaider, violin
* 2004-05-26 - Hugh Wolff, conductor; Jon Kimura Parker, piano
* 2004-05-05 - Michael Lankester, conductor; Christopher Plummer, narrator
* 2004-04-29 - Stephane Deneve, conductor; Jean-Yves Thibaudet, piano
* 2004-04-23 - Gianandrea Noseda, conductor; Quartetto Gelato
* 2004-04-21 - Gianandrea Noseda, conductor; Hilary Hahn, violin*
* 2004-04-07 - Peter Oundjian, conductor; Gil Shaham, violin
* 2004-03-31 - Sir Andrew Davis, conductor; Isabel Bayrakdarian, soprano
* 2004-03-25 - Sir Andrew Davis, conductor; Romeo and Juliet
* 2004-03-04 - Itzhak Perlman, conductor; Ilya Gringolts, violin
* 2004-02-21 - Victor Feldbrill, conductor; Shauna Rolston & Scott St. John
* 2004-02-11 - Richard Bradshaw, conductor; Susan Graham, mezzo-soprano
* 2004-02-04 - Jacques Lacombe, conductor; Leonidas Kavakos, violin
* 2004-01-22 - Helmuth Rilling, conductor; Choral splendour
* 2004-01-18 - Jacques Israelievitch, conductor; Violin Spectacular
* 2003-12-10 - Nicholas McGegan, conductor; Angela Hewitt, piano
* 2003-11-26 - The Fiedler Tradition; Erich Junzel, conductor
* 2003-11-12 - Thomas Dausgaard, conductor; Christian Tetzlaff, violin
* 2003-11-01 - Andrey Boreyko, conductor; Lars Vogt, piano
* 2003-04-23 - Manfred Honeck, conductor; Matthias Goerne, baritone
* 2003-04-05 -Sir Andrew Davis, conductor; TSO Soloist
* 2000-10-27 - Dmitri Hvorostovsky in Concert & Don Giovani: Leporello's Revenge
* * - Autographed!

Congrats!

2007-11-04T10:48:00.000-05:00

www Meaghan and Arthur

What's Everybody listening to?

2007-11-03T14:24:00.001-04:00

http://www.gracenote.com/map/

Jobs Jobs Jobs

2007-10-28T20:39:00.000-04:00

Bookmarks

Canada AECL - Atomic Energy of Canada Limited Content Canada Post - Jobs - Current Openings Canadian Dairy Commission - Commission canadienne du lait Career Opportunities - CIHR Careers - Current opportunities - Bank of Canada Careers - Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada CBC-Radio-Canada - Jobs - Current Openings Current Job Openings CMHC Defence Construction Canada - Postings HR Associates - Job Postings Immediate Career Opportunities Job Postings - Careers @ DRDC - Defence Research and Development Canada NFB - Jobs and internships NSERC - Job Openings at NSERC
Entertainment Alliance Atlantis Communications Corporate Information Careers AOL Canada Jobs Bell Globemedia CanWest Global - Employment Corus Entertainment - Homepage Famous Players Rogers.com Careers @ Rogers Job Search Welcome to EmpireTheatres.com!
Healthcare Baycrest Centre - Job Opportunities Canada Health Infoway Home Hospital for Sick Children - SR IT Human Resources - Mount Sinai Hospital St. Joseph's Health Centre Toronto - View All Jobs St. Michael's Hospital - Careers Sunnybrook and Women's College Health Sciences Centre The Bloorview MacMillan Centre Employment Opportunities UHN Human Resources Women’s College Hospital
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Games!

2007-10-01T18:40:00.001-04:00

http://www.gamesforthebrain.com/

Why is Facebook banning people?

2007-09-25T12:29:00.000-04:00

My Facebook account was disabled today. Here's the flow of events:

1) Joined Facebook a week ago
2) Updated my profile with my previous employers. But only 5 employers could be added - Max
3) emailed the customer support/help people through facebook link, and asked why only 5
4) they explained politely that right now, only 5 is the limit.
5) I email back saying "Hi, I guess that's why you don't have many users who are over 30..."
6) Then they email me back saying that they've disabled my account - reason: my date of birth was incorrect (I had something like Dec 12 1912 as my birthday)

So you be the judge: Is this social networking site acting like big brother and misusing the information you store there?

Here's the actual thread if you are interested:
---------- Forwarded message ----------

Date: Aug 14, 2007 12:00 AM
Subject: Fwd: [rt.facebook.com #5972276] Messages Help: work history
To: [Face book friends]

Wow! I can't believe they disabled my account! - I've only been on for a week!

Chris, should I forward to Cory Doctrow? Read the thread below to see why...

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Austin from Facebook comment-info-rt@facebook.com
Date: Aug 13, 2007 10:38 PM
Subject: Messages Help: work history

Hi,

Knowingly providing false information at the time of registration is a
violation of our terms of use. Your account as been disabled because
you have registered with a fake date of birth.

If you would like to use this profile again, just get back to us with
your real date of birth and we will reactivate the account for you.

Thanks for contacting Facebook,

Austin
Customer Support Representative
Facebook

[Mon Aug 13 16:44:38 2007]:

Hi, I guess that's why you don't have many users who are over 30...

Too bad

On 8/13/07, Austin from Facebook comment-info-rt@facebook.com wrote:
>
> Hi,
>
> Sorry for the inconvenience. At this time, each profile only supports
> you last five employers. Please let me know if you have any further
> questions or concerns.
>
> Thanks for contacting Facebook,
>
> Austin
> Customer Support Representative
> Facebook
>
>
>
> [Sun Aug 12 12:41:48 2007]:
>
> only 5 employers max? WTF?
>
>
>
> Browser: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.8.1.6)
> Gecko/20070725 Firefox/2.0.0.6

Update 9/2007: On a related note - "Why is Facebook banning people" http://thatkathryngirl.typepad.com/that_kathryn_girl/2007/08/why-is-facebook.html

information

2007-09-21T07:48:00.001-04:00

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2007/sep/18/informationeconomy

Books!

2007-09-18T16:51:00.001-04:00

http://www.kschroeder.com/Ventus/

Photog

2007-09-17T17:25:00.000-04:00

http://www.smithsonianmagazine.com/issues/2007/september/indelible.php?page=popup&image=2

BreastFeeding Banned from Facebook too

2007-09-16T21:54:00.001-04:00

http://www.facebookobserver.com/facebook-news/facebook-lactivists-milking-it-for-all-its-worth/

ftp

2007-09-16T01:24:00.000-04:00

yousendit.com

The Shock Doctrine

2007-09-09T10:34:00.000-04:00

http://www.naomiklein.org/shock-doctrine/short-film

Executive Email Carpet Bomb

2007-09-06T07:53:00.000-04:00

http://consumerist.com/consumer/how-to/how-to-launch-an-executive-email-carpet-bomb-259713.php

The Good The Bad

2007-08-22T05:03:00.000-04:00

And the Ugly

Reviews

2007-08-22T02:34:00.000-04:00

http://www.chickadvisor.com/

Free Peltier

2007-08-20T03:40:00.001-04:00

http://www.freepeltier.org/multimedia_room.htm

Music

2007-08-17T07:57:00.001-04:00

http://mp3sparks.com/

Facebook account has been disabled

2007-08-14T00:17:00.004-04:00

Facebook sometimes disables accounts for various reasons.

I have encountered a situation when incorrect information is used for privacy reasons - to avoid using a real name, or a real date, or avoiding giving away a mother's maiden name. Facebook disapproves of incorrect information and therefore disables such accounts.

Why Is Hollywood Making A Sequel To The Napster Wars?

2007-08-10T20:44:00.000-04:00

http://informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=201400131

shmoos

2007-08-07T00:09:00.001-04:00

http://jaykinney.com/Texts/shmoo.html

Charles in Space

2007-08-05T00:53:00.001-04:00

http://www.charlesinspace.com/

Shopping - Clothing

2007-08-04T13:05:00.001-04:00

http://www.toms-place.com/

Home Decorating

2007-08-03T03:16:00.001-04:00

http://www.tonkydesigns.com

Music

2007-07-30T18:59:00.001-04:00

http://simoniddol.freeblog.hu/archives/2007/07/25/Forgotten_Hits/

Friend's account from Chongqing

2007-07-29T07:49:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone,

This will be my last sure email.... the laptops have bugs sometimes and Alex needs it to set up a slide presentation this Friday (our last day of classes).

It's a Sunday morning and the weather is cloudy, muggy, sticky...and I'm sure that it's polluted as usual.

We're heading off to the church/House in an hour to the same place we've been going the last 2 Sundays..... since everything is in Mandarin, I'll just sit there and do some quiet reading. The service is from 9-10:30.

Yesterday, we visited a friend of the team.... I'll fill you in later about that. Then, we took the city bus for the first time to see the brand new Three Gorges Museum and the (I don't know what the name is in English) city hall that looks round and palatial with the dynasty look... Some of you have this on your postcard...

The teachers have different characteristics... generally, those who teach younger students (kindergarten-gr. 3), I call them the "sweet Valley Girls".... the majority of them wear glamorous dresses with bows on the back, glam and glitz on their shirts/jeans, high heels... some of them sit with hunched back and legs open.... not all. It seems that we need no translation when it comes to shopping! The girls all love to shop! I wore my new Chongqing dress once last week... they all commented on how nice it looked, and they remembered the colour, patten and design... the girls have a good memory when it comes to fashion....

I find that the highschool teachers are dull and boring... they're generally quieter and are not as responsive in. Maybe they don't need to be as creative as the teachers of younger children.... Primary teachers can have up to 30 children in 1 class.... the high school classes have on average 60 students per class... that's about double what teachers have in Canada.

I've noticed children and families begging on the streets. They have a chalk-written message before them and they act sad.... I've been told that this is sometimes a scam. Construction workers generally don't wear hard hats or construction boots or gloves.. some wear hard hats. They wear sandals and perhaps even a dress shirt, dress pants, belt and perhaps even dress shoes.... I'm waiting to spot the tie... I've seen them living in a shack by the roadside with their laundry hanging inside. They squat outside to have their dinner, right by the busy traffic.

As for the flood, it was heavy in our area as well (ShaPingBa distrcit) but we 5 instructors were untouched. Some of our students knew of people affected by the floods. One student's colleague (a vet) got killed. Shally's grandmother, bedridden for years, had to be saved. She lost her home and everything in it. Her mother returned to the hometown and had to find another way to the home because the bridge had collapsed.... and there was mud everywhere. (Sometimes the students go on and on about the names of places, forgetting that I can't even figure out the map for the area around my hotel, nevermind the countryside...) Mishia came to class one day directly from the train station.... she had to return to her hometown as well due to the flood. Apparently, some students had volunteered in the flood aid, but there is no charity that we can find to donate to... maybe all the aid comes from the central government, Beijing? Who knows...

Speaking of central gov.... a few officials (apparently they're high up, 1 of them from Beijing) came to visit our classes and to shake hands with us.... maybe I should have invited them to sing and dance with us...

I'll have to go now.... breakfast is waiting!

OK, I'm back. It's 5 minutes past 3PM and we did go to another church (House) today.... this is a 5-star house... compared the one we attended the last 2 Sundays (1 star, if even...). This one is right in Jie Fang Bay downtown close to the 2 highest towers in Chongqing. It is obviously a wealthy one... marble floors and walls, a grand piano, with a pianist who can actually play properly, a choir that could sing in harmony.... stained-glass look at the front. Thanks to the student having come here before, we could try this place out... We met her friend Jenny as well. Both of them have heard of the stories before, but for Jenny, it was her first time at any House. She's a university student studying accounting. Kathy, the one from our course, has finished teaching her first year of school.

We took a 45-minute bus ride back to the hotel.... it seems that bus #181 is all we need to know. I'm sure that in 5-10 years from now, if Chongqing wants to be a key player, it will have maps of bus routes, etc. for tourists. Somehow, the locals just seem to know which bus to take and how much it costs.... People always seem to be lining the edge of the streets... it's hard to figure out where the bus stops are (no post most of the time).... A bus fare may be more if the bus has air-conditioning and/or a movie to watch on the flat screen TV's. The students keep telling me to come back in a few years.... the gov't is working hard at modernizing the city. The scope of condo development I think is massive compared to Toronto... everywhere you look, there are condos that were built within the last 5 years. Either that, or they are being constructed right now, or there are older shacks in the process of being torn down... the waterfront seems to be a hot spot for builders.

The signs of a new Chongqing are the train (I'm not sure if it's the magnetic floating train they're going to have at the Beijing Olympics next year), the high-end shopping malls and the 3 Gorges Museum... ads are prolific for the Beijing 2008 Olympics...

As for fastfood, forget about McDonald's... they love KFC! They've got lots of foreigners in their advertising.... like at McD's. I heard that there are 2 McD's and 5 KFC's.... They've got apple and tarro pie at McD's..... Alex likes the tarro....

Max had his shoe-shine this morning.... The customer before us paid 1 yuen.... when she was doing Max's shoes, shoes asked for 3 yuen.... when all of us there said NO, she said that there were seams in his shoes that needed extra attention (she was probably giving Max the foreign price because he's got a white face) . Then, she asked for 5 yuen.... Kathy and an elderly man just sitting next to Max, in their best Chongqing dialect, said that she was greedy... As we were about to leave she settled for 3 yuen, but she kept complaining. Mei said no more complaining, otherwise we'd leave.... (we were starting to attract quite the crowd for 9:10 AM on a Sunday!)

Kathy said that sometimes the people from the countryside are greedy. Speaking of countryside, the countryside men tend to come to the big city and just sit around waiting for work to do. They're the ones with the long stick (for carrying things up and down this mountainous city), the darker skin and they wear rags and sandals. They huddle in groups... sometimes they're called to courier drinks, or build the next condo, etc. They also have people sweeping the highways.... It's unbelievable....there are so many people here in Congqing, there's always a job, no matter how big or small, to be done. You could make a career out of collecting tickets on a moving bus.

The graffiti tends to be a series of numbers always starting with the number 6. Apparently, these phone numbers are spray painted on sidewalks and streets and sides of buildings for advertising. One of them was for selling fake certificates/diplomas/etc. I don't know if the others are legitimate.....

There are 3 kindergarten schools in Chongqing. We visited Mabel's school, one of the 3.... There are 600 kindergarten children at this one school, where the parents pay tuition... I believe it's a private school with some gov't funding. It's a very colourful school... very child-friendly. One of the rooms could hold up to 30 children in the bunkbeds. Other Kindergarten classes in the city are in schools with older grades as well. As we were finishing our visit of Mabel's school, we noticed on the blackboard a message for parents: "Please teach your children to use chopsticks over the summer holidays." ... Some Gr. 2-3 children at my school don't even know how to tie their shoelaces, let alone use chopsticks!

Speaking of children... the children here, I've noticed, wear jumper suits with an opening from front to back. I guess they don't wear diapers since everything is exposed.... I'm sure some wear diapers. I've also noticed that the arcades/Internet cafes are filled with young boys, in the cafes I've spotted 1 girl .... the older/elderly men/women like to play majong/cards/Chinese checkers/ go fishing in the polluted ponds. In fact, on the way to school every morning, there's a guy who's ready to challenge any passerby to a game of checkers right there.... I guess winning money is part of it.... Young men are heavy smokers and there is no minimum age requirement for buying cigarettes...

As for food... I've never eaten so many fried foods in my life. Regretfully, I've only swam once at the pool down the street.... There was a massive thunderstorm an hour ago, so Mei and I will have a peek at the pool again in 15 minutes.

There is an administrator who deals with us instructors directly at the teachers college.. we've given him the name "George", so he's made himself a nametag with "George" on it (think of a Chinese George Clooney).... but he doesn't speak English..... he said that he had poor grades in English when he was a student. He's been calling me pretty and beautiful ever since day 1, so I just told him on Friday that I don't want to be pretty or beautiful anymore. And they call Alex "handsome".... the other 3 instructors haven't received any compliments on their appearance.... hmmmm....

This is our last week in Chongqing..... Mei/Max and myself are headed for a 3 Gorges cruise on Friday night... we'll go up the Yangtze River to Yichang, then fly to Beijing. They are celebrating their 30th anniversary.... I may have a room mate.... I just hope that she's sane, whoever she is.... From Beijing, they fly to Singapore to visit their son and the girlfriend's family....

Marjorie is heading straight back to Toronto, and Alex is heading to Mongolia.... his girlfriend has been there for 3 months, and has 3 more months to go.

OK, that's it for now.... time to check if the local pool is open.. I think I'm gaining weight!

Take care.... grosses bises...

Camping

2007-07-25T17:55:00.000-04:00

Overview:

Friday night:

Car Park here:

Sat/Sun:

Lion's Head 2007

2007-07-24T07:54:00.000-04:00

2 nights
Cape Croker
Kris, Max, Omid

I think this is the E climb:
http://www.rockclimbing.com/routes/North_America/Canada/Ontario/Central_Ontario/Cape_Croker/Right_of_t...adder/Insatiable_Mandingo_48638.html

I think this is the C climb:
http://www.rockclimbing.com/routes/North_America/Canada/Ontario/Central_Ontario/Cape_Croker/Right_of_t...adder/Secret_Garden_54614.html

Anarchy in High Heels
http://www.rockclimbing.com/routes/North_America/Canada/Ontario/Central_Ontario/Lions_Head/Latvian_Ledge/Anarchy_in_high_heels_55100.html

Fleet Footed Rock Moose
http://www.rockclimbing.com/routes/North_America/Canada/Ontario/Central_Ontario/Lions_Head/Latvian_Ledge/Fleet_Footed_Rock_Moose_17035.html

And our favourite Queue de Lion:
http://www.rockclimbing.com/routes/North_America/Canada/Ontario/Central_Ontario/Lions_Head/Maneline_Wall/Queue_de_Lion_19694.html

See, we were using this knot
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klemheist_knot

However, there is also the prusik strictly speaking:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossary_of_knots_common_in_climbing#Hitches

Pictures

Festival 2007

2007-07-24T07:49:00.000-04:00

1) Linda 4 - paid
2) Saleem 10 - Paid
3) Yulia 18 - paid
4) Yulia 4
5) Dave C 2 -
6) Dave L 3 -
7) Nataly 4 - paid
8) Tammy 4 - paid (partially)
9) Susie 4 - paid
10) Rob B 2 - paid
11) Yakov 13 -
12) Arthur 2 -
13) Gregory - would like 12
----------
Total = 70
Total Cost = $1172.89
Price per ticket = 17$

So, the next key dates are:
Tuesday, August 28, 2007 Complete Film Schedule available online
Friday, August 31, 2007Advance Order Draw submission deadline - 1:00pm

212232-798724-803030

tech tips...

2007-07-20T16:01:00.001-04:00

http://www.chockstone.org/TechTips/AscendRope.htm

Yakov's Blog

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forget the film, watch the titles

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