There’s No ‘A’ in Experience

The other day, in my Astronomy class, I watched the guy in front of me typing something for a different course altogether. It’s far from the worst offense using a laptop in class – I’ve seen Tetris, Wheel of Fortune (she couldn’t solve a super easy puzzle, making it more embarassing), Facebook, and IM programs – but I couldn’t help but glance at his screen. Being a writer, and a pretty decent one I’d like to think, I noticed a plethora of spelling mistakes. It was very telling that he misspelled (itself a common word to spell incorrectly) the word ‘experience’. I had already decided that I wanted to write a piece about the difference in being a 28-year-old student versus being a 20-year-old, but watching this guy not pay attention to the prof - whom I consider one of the most intelligent I’ve ever had - really convinced me to write this entry.

DISCLAIMER: In no way do I intend to sound ageist or assume that I have all the answers, while 20-year-olds know nothing. In fact, I aim to defend all students. Just wait for it.

I wanted to (and still will) address the way in which many newspapers and magazines paint all students with the same brush, assuming we all think the same and possess the same level of experience and maturity. I have to say, however, that looking around at some of the behaviour and actions of many students (most of whom are in the 18-24 range) I can see why adults (am I an adult yet?) would create this broad stereotype of the irresponsible, inexperienced and unknowledgeable student.

Condescending Tone and False Assumptions?

Have you ever read something that was discussing students and thought to yourself that the author was really assuming the worst of students? Right now, perhaps? I’m actually on YOUR side, believe it or not. I find it quite irksome when a writer adopts a condescending tone towards students, and believes that ALL students are experiencing independence and jobs for the first time. We aren’t as naïve and inexperienced as these writers claim we are. Well, some of us are, but is anyone writing to/about the rest of us? I’m not seeing it.

Age isn’t necessarily the best determinant of maturity and life experience, but it’s a pretty good one. Yet, I know mature 20-year-olds with plenty of experience, while plenty my age could learn a lot from their younger counterparts. Like I said, it’s not all about age. I just feel that few news organizations represent those who are serious about their eductaion, have lived on their own for many years, possess tons of job/life experience and who can identify condescending and presumptive writing when they see it. Maybe that’s the problem. In general, do we fit that apathetic and irresponsible stereotype that has been placed upon us? Or is it simply that those students stand out more than the ones who know themselves, what they want and how to achieve it. We’re not all lost souls, trying desperately to find our way amidst drunken debauchery and late nights partying.

What’s The Next Step?

I don’t know if I’ve made a point, exactly. My concern, as an older-than-typical student, is that I seldom read anything that’s speaking to my situation. Maybe some of you feel the same. Or, perhaps I’ve touched a nerve in calling you out on some of the nonsense you pull during class. Maybe you’ve seen people blatantly wasting their time during class, and thought the same as I did. Either way, we all have choices to make throughout our post-secondary experiences. Will you fall right into the stereotypes that have been created about the student, or will you call people on their false assumptions? Write to newspapers and magazines and tell YOUR story. Respond to articles that don’t address your questions and concerns. Will you start with commenting HERE, or just be on your way? It’s up to you.

I was watching “The Jamie Kennedy Experience”, trying to understand if I had dropped my funny bone in some gutter or whether it had been anaesthetized by the show’s patently laborious humor. I found myself wishing instead that “Kids in the Hall” was still on the air when my friend turned to me and asked:

“So, got any plans for Halloween?”

Suddenly, I felt a resistance much like I used to feel when my mother would suggest we go down to Angelo the Barber and get that ‘mop’ of a haircut down to a more respectable buzz-cut size. Now, last year I went to the Mod Club’s Halloween bash and I must admit it was a pretty amazing experience. People were decked out in just about any costume you could imagine-- from historical figures like Stalin and Lenin to a costume that looked as if Sauron from Lord of the Rings had made his suit of armor entirely out of glow-sticks. Yes, glow-sticks. It was truly, truly amazing.

Yet, the thought of dishing out twenty bucks for some club and then more money for a costume just was not doing it for me. It’s not that making one wasn’t an option. I just didn’t want to DO it this year. So I as tried justifying this to my friend, who looked at me as if I was dead inside, I thought, (putting my glass of Omega-3-rich Soy milk down) am I too old for Halloween?

So I made a list of:

1. You would rather call it an early night instead of staying out late trick-or-treating… and it’s a Friday.
2. You insist on washing the pumpkin and all the tools used to carve it outside with a bleach solution just to make sure you don’t catch ‘the E.Coli’
3. You argue that All-Hallows-Eve could be better-spent indoors trying out those new Martha Stewart scary-cookie recipes.
4. You prefer to watch Mike Myers in ‘Austin Powers’ on Halloween night, rather than the more appropriate masked killer Mike Myers in ‘Halloween’
5. People compliment you on your wart-nosed witch mask when you don’t have the heart to tell them-- it’s not a mask.
6. Trying to put on the too-tight leather pants of your ‘Crow’/Eric Draven costume from your high-school days causes you to pass out from the lack of circulation (which, incidentally causes you to rule out that leather dominatrix corset).
7. You figure that a costume made entirely of reflective tape is a ‘cool and safe alternative’
8. You still think going out as Luke Skywalker or Darth Vader is remotely interesting to anybody
9. After running up the stairs to your first house, instead of yelling “trick-or-treat!” you ask breathlessly, “do you have a home defibrillator?!”
10. While stealing a nap on your front porch, you wake up to costumed children saying, “Cool dead-guy decoration!” as they poke you with a stick.

Another great show from the nation's favourite broadcaster is back at it for another season; Dragons' Den is back on the air and chock full of great startups, negotiations and some good laughs.

I highly recommend checking out the Dragons' Den website! You can watch past and current episodes (CBC is on the ball), read some of the blogs on there and check out the audition videos for these really innovative ideas.

From an entrepreneur's perspective, I think this is an amazing resource and totally worth checking out. It may give you some insights into your own business ideas and some reoccurring themes, angel and venture investor insights and business negotiations.

Watch Episode one here; what's the red thread that seems to run through these deals, good and bad?

Proper valuations - don't ask for too much; investors will laugh you out the door if you do (and you won't be able to negotiate your way back)

Sunk costs - if your business idea sucks, then concede to it and move on. You aren't doing yourself or anyone else a favour by relentlessly pursuing a bad idea

Substantiating advice - there's more value in the advice and experience of the Dragons than any amount of money could ever buy. The Kickspike founders saw this, but many don't. I think this goes to substantiate the need for many startups to have mentors.

Check it out now. And if you think you're at the point where you're ready to strike a deal, then watch some episodes of Deal or No Deal and taking considerable note of the psychology of dealmaking.

I know what you’re thinking. You really DON’T make enough money to live, once you factor in all the expenses that seem increasingly necessary. It’s true, to an extent. This all depends on SO many variables, but let’s look at something called the Low Income Cut Off, or LICO. From Statistics Canada:

The low income cut-offs (LICOs) are by far Statistics Canada’s most established and widely recognized approach to estimating low income cut-offs. In short, a LICO is an income threshold below which a family will likely devote a larger share of its income on the necessities of food, shelter and clothing than the average family.

The amount for one adult living in a Halifax-sized city (before taxes) is $18,260.

Divide by 52 weeks per year, and then 40 hours per week and we get an hourly wage of: $8.78. Hmmm…minimum wage here is $8.10/hr. So it appears that someone working full-time at minimum wage ends up being $1414.40 short of the LICO. Ouch.

“Oh, I’m so poor this week”.
“I can’t go out. I’m totally broke”.
“There’s no way I’ll be able to afford that”.

How many times have you uttered sentences like these, or heard others around you bemoaning their financial situations? Quite a few times, I’d be willing to bet. Most of us have been there, right? Feeling so poor and depressed that it feels like the weight of debt and poverty will never lift? Well, guess what. You’re richer than you think you are. Stephanie over at PoorerThanYou has written a blog entry that includes (among some other very useful information) a link to a website that I recommend you check out.

If you want to see just how poor you are, this is the site for you! In fact, what you’ll find is quite the opposite, I bet: that you are really quite rich compared to SO many other people in the world. Intuitively we all know that, don’t we? That millions of people across the world have far less than we do in the way of money, food, shelter, etc. It’s pretty pathetic how much money we waste, and the completely nonsensical ways in which we do so. We’ve developed such terrible savings (and consequently spending) habits that despite making enough money to live quite comfortably, we end up feeling like we’re the symbol of abject poverty.

The truth is, that many people across this planet of ours are, in fact, living in excruciating poverty. I know it’s not easy to choose an organization to donate to, and we like to say we can’t afford it, but it’s better to give to ONE charity than NONE. Isn’t it? If I took $30 from you every month without telling you, would you notice? I don’t know that you would. A dollar a day can make a HUGE difference in the life of someone who doesn’t have the necessities of life – and I’m not talking about a PSP, those new boots, or that new DVD coming out on Tuesday. Always make sure to research any organization you may consider donating to, but if you don’t have time to search the Internet for charities or information related to poverty, just click one link. Just one. Consider this message from that one website:

At the start of the 21st century 1.2 billion people live in abject poverty, most of them women. More than 800 million people go to bed hungry and 50,000 people die every day from poverty-related causes. It doesn't have to be this way. If we choose - if we have the will to act - we can make poverty history.

Someone fell twenty storeys from a balcony in my old apartment building.

I know, not the happiest way to open a blog, but this is the news I recently received from my former roommate.

I felt as shocked as you probably did reading that opening sentence.

This horribly unfortunate news got me thinking about how I would have dealt with this situation last year. Or worse, if I had known the individual personally.

What services are out there for students who are faced with grief? Is there anywhere to turn?

The answer is yes.

Counseling at School

Students should take advantage of the counseling services available at their school. The services are there for a reason, free and, most importantly, confidential.

All Canadian universities and colleges have some sort of counseling available for their students--you pay for it in your tuition! I have had many friends from a number of universities tell me about all the positive experiences they've had while visiting their school's support centre.

I explored a couple of school websites and one of the best counseling sites I found was Carleton University's. It outlines many of the different services available for students.

If you head over to your school's website, I'm sure you'll be able to find out how to make your way over to the support centre on your campus.

On the Internet

For someone grieving, the Canadian Mental Health Association's website gives insight on just what you're going through while grieving. Apparently, there are three steps: Shock, Disorganization and Reorganization. All steps are completely normal and the website outlines different tactics you can take to help yourself along the way. For example:

Take enough time. Everyone reacts differently to a loss. It is hard to estimate a "normal" grieving period; it will probably take longer than you expect.

I also ended up on the website for National Students of Ailing Mothers and Fathers Support Network. While the organization is American based, I think that the advice offered is universal and worth a visit.

You will likely feel as though you are the only person on your campus, who is coping with illness or death. While few share their experiences with others, you are not alone. 35-48% of college students have lost a family member or close friend within the last 2 years.

I also stumbled upon Lucy MacDonald's blog. She's a Canadian Certified Councilor based in Montreal. Again, her blog goes beyond dealing with grief, but she makes many posts about coping with loss. Interestingly, Lucy defines grief beyond just the death of a loved one:

...there might be a breakup of a relationship, a project which failed or which disappointed us, the retirement or firing from a job, the loss of a hope for a particular thing, the ending of a pleasant experience...

The great thing about her post is that she provides a list of Canadian resources that students can utilize if they don't know where to turn to. It's probably still best to talk to a specialist at school, but if you don't feel comfortable on campus, you should pick up the phone.

Reaching Out

Most of the sites that I visited said that the best thing that someone can do while grieving is talk about it. While it may be difficult to do, it will make things easier if you create an outlet. There are meetings that you can attend if you would rather speak with people who are going through similar circumstances.

Again, Lucy MacDonald's blog has a list of organizations that can help you find the right group. Most websites said that a good friend with an open ear is the best form of "therapy" for a grieving friend/student.

Spain has always been known for thinking “outside the box” and ever since I spent my summer there I have thought about how fascinating the Spanish way of doing business is. For one thing in Spain most of the time your job has to fit your life and not the other way around. With most businesses still practicing siesta the work hard play hard attitude is likely to stick around in the Iberian peninsula. Since I have been back to Canada I started working for ZARA and its been interesting how the ideologies of this massive Spanish company have made it competitive, unique and successful.

Inditex, which is the mother company of ZARA and its other retail subunits overtook Gap this last year to become the worlds largest clothing retailer. Inditex prides itself and a unique business model in the clothing retail sector and has been copied by rivals ever since. Inditex’s business model has proven to be successful as it “has nearly quadrupled sales, profits, and locations since 2000”. So how has Inditex continued to succeed in the eye of difficulties that are facing the economy, especially the retail sector? According to Business Weekly, it does by “breaking all the rules”.

There are a few key things that Inditex is doing differently:

Design

The old way: Traditionally designers will design a line of clothing a year ahead and then it will be produced and distributed in its season.

The ZARA way: Designers do research on the hottest trends and are designing the clothing constantly and not just fitting into the timeline of “lines”. ZARA clothing can be designed and distributed within two weeks. Thats really fast.

Production

The old way: Companies will produce their products in labor cheap countries and produce masses of them so that they will save on placing extra orders later. This results in many overstocked items if they don’t sell well which forces the retailer to have sales.

The ZARA way: Higher quality, more complex products are produced close to home (Spain, Portugal, Morocco) which guarantees they are done properly and saves on transport and more importantly time.

Transport

The old way: Companies send very large shipments of product by boat which take a long time and new product arrives in the store infrequently.

The ZARA way: Most shipments are much smaller (making them more exclusive and sell faster) and are sent by air which means that new shipments are coming to the store constantly providing customers with fresh clothing twice a week.

Style

The old way: Designers decide what is in style for the season and then the consumers control whether or not they make profit by buying it or not.

The ZARA way: Managers of stores are given commission and send style and clothing requests to designers in Spain who design, produce and ship fast. This allows the consumer to get more of the type of product they bought available at the store. Essentially it makes room for the fact that in every store different things will be popular. Also as a customer this system means that the more you shop at ZARA the more clothes that you like will appear in their stores.

The ZARA business model has made it successful and helped it stand out. Even as a sales associate there you see how the attitude of supply and demand are key in the company. Thinking outside of the box and challenging the established ways of learning, teaching or selling clothes has been the foundation that Inditex has built its name on. Thinking outside of the box is essential when pursuing a goal in entrepreneurship or business as it will often be the aspect of your company that will make it stand out and change the established ways of doing things

I'm producing a series of videos on the making of a short film for students. This one is about breaking down your script for production.

Opportunities abound, all of them nestled neatly around you. Your very own campus, for example. Take for example, the very recent startup www.UniGo.com, riding the wave of online user generated content and the owner's recognition of a the lack of useful information and copious amounts of bias information, as provided by the University, for incoming and prospective students.

UniGo.com, only covering universities in the states (but hey, maybe you can start reviewing your own University) is not a completely unique idea. www.uTours.ca, currently under construction, but was live not too long ago, was very similar. Comparatively speaking, the content of uTours is slightly less user generated, although there are some ranking services, but their business model is also slight different from UniGo.com.

uTours implemented a pretty diversified strategy that went beyond just the internet. The forged some alliances with big name companies in Canada because they offered value to students, a really lucrative market. Further, they had a variety of revenue streams in different places, notably a "uTours DVD" that contained lengthy videos about your favourite university.

I don't have their financials, so I can't comment on whether or not their products were successful. But there's always a lesson to be had: for any given business idea, there can be six or seven revenue streams. Don't limit yourself to any one in particular. In many cases, chances are you won't end up being dependent on the revenue stream you first came up with.

It's also worth noting that you don't want to diversify your efforts too much. If making DVDs and pursuing that distribution channel isn't performing or growing at the rate you need it to, it may have a negative effect on the rest of your business. There's a lot to be said about a niche (or specialization strategy); your efforts are focussed and your customers are happy.

Recently, while I was on a 2 week trip in Europe, I captured some video of the Vespa lifestyle.

RBC is currently holding a contest for clients where they can win a Vespa S scooter or 1 of 3 Sony 32" LCD/PS3 combos per day

http://www.rbcp2p.com/freetoplay

Living at home has some CLEAR advantages. Check out some of my info about moving back home once you're done school.

Day three ended on a great note with a very exciting rally at Queens University where we were thrilled to see the most attendance of any rally so far!

We're now in Ottawa, preparing for what should be the most exciting rally so far. We're joined by Dr. David Suzuki. I can't really add anything to that statement. David boarded the train to Ottawa and spoke with students who won the RBC FLICK OFF Campus Challenge, where he challenged them to become active (or more active) on the issues surrounding the environment.

Dr. Suzuki was intense, to say the least. His every word, quick to leave his mouth, with a certain sharp note that pierces through one's psyche and filled everyone with passion. And while his every enunciation was speedy and intense in delivery, I felt the passion, conviction, and years of experience that backed every sentence and word.

I'm very much looking forward to seeing David speak to a large audience here in Ottawa at 2:30pm on this wonderful sunny autumnal afternoon, because it will innevitably fill me with greater passion for the cause that is the environment.

Dr. Suzuki's message is much more about collective group action, much like FLICK OFF, and while he does advocate that individuals should give their all, he insists that the collective will create changes at all levels of leadership within our country.

The time to act is NOW, he insists, not in some distant future. Act now! FLICK OFF!

Join the rally today at Confederation park in Ottawa at 2:30pm!

Day 2 of the FLICK OFF Express tour was a great one! Jian Ghomeshi took the stage with power and passion and drew in a pretty significant crowd. The weather was cold and windy, but it did not dampen the spirits of anyone in attendance.

The RBC Blue Water Project street team exchanged another really significant amount of plastic water bottles for our fantastic aluminum ones, saving hundreds of thousands of probably plastic water bottles from every hitting their hands.

We're now on location at Queen's University getting ready for the Kingston Ontario version of the rally. On the train ride over to Kingston, we were joined by 6 students from York University who got the opportunity to be on the train because of their involvement in environmental and sustainability activities on their campus! They got involved, and it paid off, as does any involvement in environmental issues.

We'll be staying in Kingston tonight and hanging out with all of the band members from the Constantines and Spiral Beach, as well as our Emcee Gill Deacon, and a whole group of amazing people from the David Suzuki Foundation! Tomorrow morning, we'll be on our way to Ottawa for our final stop on the FLICK OFF Express at Confederation Park near the University of Ottawa.

The show starts at 2:30pm and runs for about an hour and a half! The shows have been amazing thus far, and you'd be crazy to miss all the action! Come out and see us, or join our Facebook event!

Here's the video from the first day of the FLICK OFF Express tour!!

We're on site at UWO getting ready for the big rally at 2pm in front of the University Community Centre (on the concrete beach!) I was just outside speaking to students about bottled water and participating in a bottle exchange where students trade in their plastic water bottles for some really sweet RBC Blue Water Project stainless steel bottles!

While we wait for the rally to begin, I've been hanging out with some of the awesome people who are on the tour with us... Gill Deacon, Sara Harmer, and most recently .

José is an expert in renewable energy and was extremely passionate in speaking to me about the importance of obtaining our leaders' support to implement a renewable energy solution NOW!

If you can make it out to the rally at any one of our four campuses, this is a great way to do just that! We'll be calling on our nation's leadership to make those changes now, while spreading the message that we can do our part too!

FLICK OFF!

It's shortly before 7am on this (hopefully) marvelous Wednesday morning, and I will be leaving soon to board the FLICK OFF Express to London, Ontario. I have my camera ready, and my laptop batteries fully charged and I'm ready to get out onto the train and join the tour!

I'll be posting videos of the trip, rallies, and various awesome campus activities as they take place so that you can see them here if you can't make it out to one of our four Ontario campus stops!

While you're waiting for the action to begin, be sure to check out this really sweet vid of David Suzuki telling you why you and your friends should FLICK OFF! as posted by Andrea, our FLICK OFF Express blogger!

Keep checking back often, and be sure to comment on all our blog entries! (We love the comment love!)

The other day I received a mass Facebook message and usually I would just delete them instantly but I decided to give this one a chance. It actually ended up being a sort of Facebook survey about the importance of learning about finances. In the message it was asked what you had wished your parents had taught you about finances and what you plan on teaching your children. I found the question intriguing and was surprised to find that people responded to the message and how they responded.

The first response was this: “I wish I had been taught how credit cards work, especially regarding how interest builds, and how to build interest for one day when you want to get the bank to approve your credit card, or approve you for a car or a mortgage”. Credit cards seem to always be a hot topic as far as financial education is concerned. I think its probably because of how much of our society revolves around the use of those cards. Kids grow up and they see credit cards in the movies and they see their parents using them, they may even have one of their own attached to their parents name but they still don’t understand them. The two main things that parents need to educate their children on credit cards is the dangers of them and also the benefits of them. Namely that credit card use can benefit your credit rating and help you with future bank relations and that misusing them can limit your financial freedom in the future.

Another comment focused on the broader issues of how the financial system works and how that influences our lives.

“I would have liked to learn the basics about how banks work and how the stock market works, both theoretically and practically. Big things, I guess, like, how money moves, why money moves, what governments do with money, what people do with money, how the interest rate is determined, how currency value is determined, and basic information on different economic models.”

This comment touches on some very important financial issues that younger people are hardly aware of. There are many facets to the financial world and when I was younger I simply saw money but economics and the functions of the financial system that is behind the scenes is even more important. For example, as the central banks adjust interest rates the private financial institutions will adjust theirs and so when we as consumers see those numbers changing it is important that we see the deeper issue that effects the value and use of our money.

For another person the confusion of financial language is something that she had wished was cleared up for her a long time ago.

“Oooh - tell people to stop saying "buy an RRSP" (my personal pet peeve). An RRSP is like a bank account for cash and securities... we buy stock, mutual funds, etc. to deposit therein. Sigh. Thanks for letting me get that off my chest!”

Often adults will misuse financial terms and then students and youth won't be able to understand the differences when they are discussed.

It was fascinating for me to see how others my age felt that a huge part of their financial education had been missing and to see what they would want to teach their kids. Financial independence is so important in the world. Parents want it for their kids and kids want it for themselves. That goal is impossible without being educated on the world of money. Parents and children both can access banks for financial advice and answers that would be provided liberally but until financial education becomes a priority that change probably won't happen.

Quite some time ago, Henry Gordon-Smith wrote a blog entry entitled “No Signature Required”, about not being required to give a signature when making purchases on his Visa card under 25$... Well, more changes have come along for Visa cards. Mainly…Not having to sign for any purchase!

The new technology, for which you may have received a new Visa card, is called “Chip and PIN”, and it will be rolling out to all cardholders in the next few months, regardless of which bank or financial institution you deal with. While some people have been told that they don’t have to worry about it for years to come, the future is closer than you might think.

What’s chip and PIN anyways?

Essentially, your Visa card ends up with a microchip (no, not the stuff left at the bottom of the chip bag!) and you end up with a PIN, much like you would have for your debit card. Instead of swiping the card and signing the slip, you would “dip” the card into the handheld portion of the PIN pad and leave it there as you enter your PIN… Voila! Transaction complete!

I went to a store, and there was no dipping happening.

Well, ok, so the future is not 100% right now… According to Tim McGaugh, RBC’s head of chip card payment innovation, working on the Chip and Pin project (I keep wanting to type chip’n’dip… Sure does taste better!), only about 25% of merchants have the Chip and Pin card readers. The remaining 75% still have a normal, old school card reader, where the card is swiped and a signature is still required - but that too is changing fast as more chip terminals are rolled out across this land .

For any store that doesn’t have dipping going on, carry on with the same old method.

I didn’t get a PIN, but my card has a chip

Chances are, if you have a chip in your credit card, you were sent a mail-out with info on what your PIN is. Now, if you’re like me, you probably stashed it away in the junkmail pile, or lost it, or didn’t read through the litany of documents that came with your card. (Hey, I forgive you, we all do it.)

To find out what your PIN is, go into your nearest branch, and ask them. Yep, that’s it.

Now I’ve tried dipping my chip, but waitresses/store clerks/(insert profession of choice here) get confused!

Yeah… Not everyone knows about it... But, armed with your superior chip and pin knowledge, you can educate them on the nuances of master chip usage…

1.Dip Chip into Pinpad
2.Upon being prompted for PIN, enter pin (tip: don’t pull your card out until the machine tells you to!)
3.Obtain receipt and walk away (with your awesome purchase, of course!)

Here’s the process with sweet picture goodness: Chip and Pin migration

Remember, as with any PIN technology, don’t give away your PIN!!!

Europe has been using this technology for many years, but here in North America, Chip and Pin will inevitably make credit card transactions safer, because it’s a whole lot tougher to copy information on a computer chip than it is to copy a magnetic stripe on any other sort of card… Cheers to the future of easy payments!

Keep an eye out for contactless payment in the near future too! (Where you wave your card past a reader and it automatically receives the info – no signature OR PIN required…for smaller purchases only.!) Oh wait, there’s one more -instead of waving your credit card, you wave your cellphone at the reader because your phone has been loaded with the Visa payment chip – that’s coming soon too!,

Political junkies finally have something interesting to talk about. The news reports from the past few weeks about Black Monday, the crash of multiple stock markets and the election debates have now caught even non-political enthusiasts’ attention. I have to admit, all the excitement about the election even have me on the edge of my seat.

Election news has flooded the social media scene: facebook fan pages, YouTube fan videos and blogs have come alive with political discourse. Has hell frozen over? You can’t walk down the street without hearing the chatter of election debates and party platforms. And what’s more, the news is interesting! Can it be? Are politics becoming sexy?

Well, yes… but not Canadian politics. That is, unless of course you have been taken by the latest Canadian election news: the move from a podium-style debate to a revolutionary ‘oval table’, intended to level the playing field. Sweet…

I am as patriotic as the next Canadian, its hard to ignore the dominant role that the US election is taking even here in the nation’s capital. There was no question which election debates I was watching last week. I had been anxiously anticipating Palin/Biden showdown since I had caught Tina Fey’s SNL skit . Not to mention that the current economic downtown and bailout debatably have just as much of an impact on our economy as our parties’ plans.

That being said, I actually did flip back and forth between debates on October 2nd. Only to catch the 4-on-1 squabble at an oval table, that is Canadian politics.

But maybe my judgment of the Canadian politics game has been a little harsh. What do you think? Are Canadian politics taking a backseat to the circus that is American politics? Which debates have you been watching?

Whichever election you’ve been most consumed by, don’t forget to cast your ballot in the Canadian election on Tuesday October 14th!

I don't know to what extent this marketing campaign is out in Canada, but for those in Toronto, I'm sure you've seen the Advertisements for "Colossal U". Let me preface this by saying, "I'm sorry, I know I'm playing into their little teaser campaign game by writing this blog and it's really free advertising for they-who-shall-not-be-named".

There are a series of tongue-in-cheek "Colossal U" advertisements, poking fun at Universities such as mine (50,000 strong! Go York!), depicting little cookie cutters, wait-line ticket dispensers and burnt out light bulbs attached to quips like:

"Our admin are busy, so you'll have to wait until you're good and ready"
and
"We ensure that all of our students turn out exactly the same"
and
"Our teachers will only help students during class hours - this will allow students to learn to solve problems by themselves"

You can check out the intro at www.colossalu.com, and then see the institution behind this enraging campaign.

There's a couple of things that I find a little unnerving about the entire thing; first, it's absolutely not true. I have ample time to spend in discussion with my profs, in and out of class. In fact, not only are they approachable on a professional and personal level, many offer hours of their time to personally coach students for academic competitions (Choose Schulich for business!)

And the cookie cutter comment! I would like to point out that one Colossal U, such as mine, offers a smorgasbord of incredible classes that would be incredibly difficult (and in some cases, impossible) to offer in a learning institution any smaller. With a multitude of course offerings at Colossal U, it's almost difficult for students to leave after four years like uniform little cookies.

Not to mention the sheer variety of students attracted by a Colossal U such as this - so many experiences, backgrounds and walks of life contributing to discussions on such a large scale. Every class is like a handful of Bits&Bites - no two will EVER be alike. Sound like a cookie cutter to you?

And the administration -- Okay, admittedly, really slow. Really frustrating. But, the people on the other side of the desk are nice and smile often. It helps to alleviate the need to pull out your hair.

It is a bit unnerving that people all over Toronto will see these ridiculous ads, shake their heads and think, "isn't that the truth - big cold universities. Poor students". I'm here to dispel the lies! I know one little ad won't have an impact on the value of education I'm receiving from a Colossal U, but I'm proud to be a York (and Schulich) student.

4 minutes and 19 seconds that changed a lifetime

I was in the library today, looking at the books they put on display – always a different sampling of interesting titles – and I came across one about someone I originally saw on YouTube. Currently 19 years of age, his name is Jason McElwain (also known as J-Mac), a highly-functioning autistic young man whose passion for basketball led to an amazing display of focus and perseverence. You see, Jason was not a player on this basketball team, but rather a student manager. His coach gave him a uniform for the last home game of the season, and consequently of Jason’s high school career, and he entered with 4 minutes and 19 seconds left in the game. To say that this then-17 year old lit up the gym is a gross understatement.

Jason scored 20 points (his first attempt an airball, his second attempt a missed layup), hitting 7 of 13 that night – 6 of them 3-pointers. You can see his performance for yourself on YouTube by searching his full name, his nickname or even just the word basketball (on the third page of results). He was, and continues to be, an inspiration for everyone who has ever thought “I can’t do it”. As a result of his inspirational and touching demonstration, Jason has had an eventful couple of years.

Highlights

February 16, 2006: THE game that changed his life
March 14, 2006: Met the President of The United States
April 25, 2006: Appeared as a guest on Oprah’s show
April 26, 2006: Met “Magic” Johnson, one of the greatest basketball players ever
July 12, 2006: Won an ESPY Award [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ESPY_Awards] in the “Best Sports Moment” category
Earlier this year: “The Game of My Life: A True Story Of Challenge, Triumph, and Growing Up Autistic”

Now, I don’t know about you but I think those are some pretty amazing achievements for a teen who – 5 months prior – had never played in a Senior Varsity game.

Frugal Dad also has a great post with some inspirational links, over at his blog. I highly suggest reading his entry and also checking out the links he’s offered. He mentions Randy Pausch (a super motivating speaker), Matt (of “Where Is Matt” Internet fame) and Derek Redmond (a sprinter who touched viewers in his 1992 Olympic performance). Each of them manages to do something that makes you believe in the tenacity of the human spirit.

What can YOU take from this? Well, for starters it shows that at any point in someone’s life amazing things can happen, despite what others say or think. Jason considered himself a regular kid like all his classmates, and pretty much overnight his story touched people all across the country and eventually all over the world. Jason is the kind of person we all want to see succeed, and when something positive comes his way it makes us feel good. If things in your life aren’t the way you’d like them to be, refer to these stories to help uplift you. You never know when you might just walk into the 4 minutes and 19 seconds that change you forever!

Moving into residence or an apartment usually means that “avid composters” lose their motivation to put organic waste in what my family calls “the slop bucket”.

In Toronto and surrounding area, the green bin program allows residents to put their compost at the side of the street, much like garbage or recycling. The bin can even take things like used paper towels, paper plates and diapers. Since its introduction in 2005, the program has seen, on average, each participating household divert 200 kg of organics from the landfill annually.

Unfortunately, the program is not available for apartment (or college and university residence) habitants. The city doesn’t know how effective the program would be in multi-unit buildings.

Although, a friend of mine recently moved into a Toronto apartment and the landlords have set up a green bin system for residents of the building. My friend is a very active “green binner” and couldn’t be happier… I’m not too sure whether her neighbours are as eager as she is, though.

So what can students do to encourage composting in their newfound homes? Well, you can be like the students at McGill University who want to implement university-wide composting. They hope to divert almost all compost materials produced by students and staff from the landfill. They’ve started by gathering organic waste from select locations across the campus and are working towards making their project more comprehensive, including creating services for those who live off-campus. The program is offered a little or no cost to students, which is always an incentive.

Students could also consider vermicomposting. It’s composting with worms and it doesn’t take up too much room. It’s also a relatively cheap system. But with the strict pet rules that most residences have, would worms be allowed in your room?

Michel also showed me several ideas for the keen “wannabe-apartment-composter”. There are several pay-options for patio-owners including what I think is the fastest compost machine ever… Plus Edition Indoor Composter:

Compost is ready every 2 weeks, and the best thing is you can add food waste any time, any day. Waste items are processed continuously, mixed every 4 hours.

And over at eHow, they tell you how to make your own composter. If it’s done properly, it won’t be too messy and can be an inexpensive, green project.

Does anyone have a good cheap and effective composting idea? What do you do with all your organic waste in your residence or on campus?

Its early morning in Vancouver and as summer is now over the rain has returned. The rain makes my commute and everything else that I do seem so much more tedious. Whenever this is the case I feel my dreaded “car envy” return.

I begin to imagine what a life with a car would be like. I imagine how nice it would be to just hop in my car and head to the mountains or the beach without any worries. I imagine other poor students envying me! Once I have daydreamed enough I usually hope online and start looking for cars and estimating how much it would actually cost me to own and run a car in Vancouver. The result is a rude awakening from my dream and a quick cure to my “car envy”.

The ironic thing is that I have some money saved up so buying the car would be the easiest part. The hard part of course would be running my baby and the added monthly cost that would cripple my budget. Right now with full time school and three jobs I am living an extremely busy, but comfortable life. I can pretty much buy everything that I need and a lot of things I want. Buying a car would pretty much end all of that. Although there are plenty of sites where you can find great deals on used cars like kijiji.com and craigslist.com once again the issue of maintenance comes up as the biggest concern.

Lets imagine that I decided to buy a Mazda 3 and now I have had my Mazda 3 for a month or so and these are the costs that have now been added to my monthly budget:

Apx $260 month insurance
Apx $250 gas every month
Apx $20 month extra costs every month (air fresheners and cleaning supplies)
Apx $400 dollars a school year in parking
Apx $60 drive through fast food

Currently, I have a one hour commute to school each way and I pretty much only walk and use transit for my transportation. Currently the cost of transit for me every month comes out to:

Apx $0

Can you see now why over and over again when I think about buying a car I come to the same conclusion. If I get a car I will have maybe a 15 min shorter commute and I wont be able to do any work on my commute because I will be driving. Right now because all students at UBC get the Upass I don’t have to pay anything for transit and although it does suck walking in the rain sometimes I can use my extra money every month to look stylish when I’m drenched.

Although “car envy” is definitely something that I do suffer from and if I did win the lottery today I would surely ditch the “loser cruiser” (car drivers nickname for the sky-train) and drive some huge luxury SUV, I still think that transit works for me. Transit is cheap, fashionable, eco-friendly and is becoming more an more dependable. So if you are coveting your friends automobiles, get over it and try to realize how much sense taking the bus really makes.

And other high school reunion-related questions

As I sit in the backseat listening to some home-grown (Cheticamp, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia) country music, I can’t help but look back at the weekend that has just passed. You see, it was my 10-year high school reunion, and with this momentous event comes a mixed bag of emotions, thoughts and questions. It’s fairly safe to assume that many of you have yet to reach the age of reunion, so allow me to give you a sneak peek, as you live vicariously through my experience. Hang on. The ride may be as bumpy as the Cape Breton roads that are currently destroying my penmanship.

Some of the typical worries that accompany reunions include, but are not limited to:

• Am I successful?
• Am I where I thought I would be?
• Will I look better than my former classmates? (don’t worry, Henry, you will)
• Have any of us changed drastically?
• How many people will show up?
• Will I be the only bachelor without a house, family, car or money? (but WITH a cat)

For the purpose of this entry, I’m going to focus on the first question (as tempting as the last one is to delve into). Everyone’s definition of success varies, right? By some standards being in a position where a person would ask question #5 would mean a resounding NO to question #1. When examining whether you’re successful, it helps to know whose definition you’re using. Are you asking if OTHERS will think you’re a success or are you the one determining it? By others’ standards I might be the farthest thing from successful, and based on where I thought I’d be by now (10 years ago, when I envisioned this day) I might be inclined to agree. Something about listening to My Girl, as sung by my friend and her British rockstar boyfriend, makes a guy yearn a little. Oh universe, why’d you make me go to my reunion as a bachelor? I kid; it wasn’t the depressing situation you might think.

Success is one of those hard-to-actually-define concepts, like justice, freedom, or talent (a quick listen to the radio will prove my point about that last one). But seriously, it’s tricky to evaluate whether you’re successful, overall. Many of us have achieved our high school goals and others among us have gone off the beaten path altogether, forging ahead on our own journey of personal exploration. Make a list of some of the things you’re most proud of and see how many of them are unique to YOU. Maybe you haven’t done some of the things your former classmates have, but it’s entirely possible you’ve done plenty that they haven’t. And they might even be a little envious.

I may not have the house, car, family or money but I’ve tried spoken word, beatboxing, stand-up comedy (all on stage, including Yuk Yuk’s), received a scholarship to create a short black-and-white silent film (that was then featured on CBC Radio 3’s website) and now I blog for a national bank using words, videos and comics to reach out to all of you. The point is, we’ve all done things that contribute to our “success”. If you haven’t achieved certain goals (whether they’re yours or someone else’s) by your 10-year reunion, it in no way means you NEVER will. I never aimed to become a blogger in high school (in fact they didn’t really exist). Right place, right time. We don’t all work on the same success schedule, and new goals will present themselves. Something about the bickering of my friend and her beau in the front seats makes me perfectly happy to be single. OK, it was playful, but bickering nonetheless alright? And yes, I’m trying to justify my bachelor status. And the 50lbs I’ve gained since graduating from high school IS intentional! *gulp*

Since Michaëlle Jean dissolved parliament on September 7th, Ottawa has been gearing up for an election. On October 14th, Canadians (of age) will have the opportunity to exercise their political rights in the federal election of our 40th Canadian Parliament.

Although you may be living away from home and might not be following the political parties’ every move (I am certainly guilty of this), I encourage students to take a look at the political platforms that the main parties are presenting so that you can make an educated decision at the voting booth this month.

But before you make your way to the booth, some of you might be wondering if, how, when or where to vote… so here’s some information I’ve collected from the Elections Canada website about your voting rights.

Am I eligible to vote?

If you’re wondering whether you’re eligible to vote in this campaign, here are the criteria that must be satisfied. You can vote in this election if:

• You are a Canadian citizen
• You are at least 18 years old on October, 14th 2008
• You can prove your identity and address

When can I vote?

The following, are dates during which you can vote in this election:

• At an advance poll established for your polling division, on October 3rd, 4th or 6th.
• Using a special ballot, by mail or at your local Elections Canada office
• On election day, October 14th.

How do I register?

• If you’re not already registered to vote, you can do so up to 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, October 7, 2008 at the local Elections Canada office, OR
• You can register in person on election day, if you prove your identity and address.

Living away from home?

Check out this link to see which documents are required in order to register to vote in your current electoral district!

What is my electoral district?

You can find out which electoral district you live in by clicking here.

Hopefully, this covers some of the basic questions you might have had about your participation in this month’s election!

For any additional questions and a list of FAQs, please consult the Elections Canada website!

Having people on both sides of the counter can help

So it's good to understand your customers; This, I agree with. Full and proper understanding of the people you're serving involves a lot more than demographics and statistics and yes/no purchase decisions. Not that those are unmistakable observations, but I think one would accept them as being fairly cornerstone.

It's all about the little nuances when it comes to properly serving people; if you've ever worked in a sales position, you know what I mean – being able calibrate people's interest in a purchase and act accordingly to those little things that go left unsaid; things like body language and tone speaks volumes.

It's tough to see what isn't said when an endless expansive space lies between you and them. I don't know why e-commerce has been made void of all human interaction, with live customers interacting with – code? (unless, and I stress from experience, it's a matter or damage control "oh, you're right that's not what you ordered")

Those little nuances are the make or break, and if you can't react properly, then your toast.

With hoards of students running businesses online, what can they do in order to better gauge those little customer nuances; when to pounce, offer a discount, put on the hard sell, back off or not approach the customer at all (not everyone is worth your time)?

There are some big leaps in helping online entrepreneurs better serve (and understand their customers) in the online space. Live salespeople is one new one, but not too extraordinary. There are some other really interesting tools, which I find a bit more impressive.

One is chat analyzers that detect that which is not said, taking into a consideration a huge variety of factors that simpletons (i.e. non-robots) like you and I just don't grasp. What's more is that these puppies actually learn over time.

If a customer arrives at your online jewelery store from an affluent area, then they'll take the live online sales-person's precedence over the window shopper from another, less-affluent geographical region.

Is it worth it? Absolutely, when you're dealing with large numbers of customers. Not to mention that I think a program like this would really compliment an entrepreneur's decision to serve a niche market. So be proactive. Hire a live salesperson! Anyone know companies that specialize in this?

What if you can't afford this, you aren't dealing with high customer traffic and it's just not reasonable to set something up like this?

...and hope to pass on to you

In 2006, the latest installment of the Rocky series came out. I made jokes about it (in addition to Sly’s newest Rambo offering) but the other day I found Rocky Balboa at the library and decided to give it a shot. I wasn’t paying for it, after all, so what did I really have to lose? This is not a review of the movie, but rather a look at one specific quote of Rocky’s. For those who’ve seen it, you’ll no doubt remember:

Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It's a very mean and nasty place and I don't care how tough you are it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't about how hard ya hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done! Now if you know what you're worth then go out and get what you're worth. But ya gotta be willing to take the hits, and not pointing fingers saying you ain't where you wanna be because of him, or her, or anybody! Cowards do that and that ain't you! You're better than that!

It may sound laughable when reading it, but Stallone is actually pretty good in this flick. He says this to his son as he has been confronted about his decision to fight again. I think these words are applicable to everyone, but they are especially relevant to students and the twenty-something crowd. I would dare say that most of you have found yourself in undesirable positions. You’re unhappy. You deserve better. You can’t get a break. Enter Rocky, stage left.

It really is amazing what a person can achieve when they apply themselves. Some superstars are born; they just have undeniable raw talent. They work at it and succeed. Others have the world handed to them, and experience privileged lives. Then there are those regular, everyday, normal people who go after their goals and capitalize on their own skills and the right opportunities.

It’s like Rocky says. Life WILL beat you down. Everyone has obstacles, problems and set-backs. What will determine your success is your desire to get back up and move forward. Things have changed drastically from when our parents were our age. You’ve probably heard people talk about the quarter-life crisis (if not, I’ll likely write about it soon) or how 30 is the new 20 (another potential blog topic). It’s not easy now, and it probably never will be. The world is undergoing immense shifts. Can you take those hits and keep moving forward, towards your goals and aspirations?

Sylvester Stallone himself (nevermind his character) was about 60 years old when he filmed Rocky Balboa. Sure, he could have left the Rocky franchise alone and accepted that his acting career was pretty much done. I mean, the guy was voted “Worst Actor of the Century” by the Razzie Awards in 2000. That’s gotta hurt a little. But he took the hits and kept moving forward. Now, a relatively unknown (albeit awesome) Canadian blogger has written about him on a bank-related website.

Hey Mr. Stallone, what does redemption taste like?