Earth Hour 2009

Join WWF for Earth Hour 2009, by turning out your lights for one hour on Saturday, March 28 from 8:30-9:30pm!

Earth Hour is a global lights-out phenomenon that will bring together millions of people from around the world to show support for action on climate change. This symbolic event will demonstrate to governments around the world that we want action on climate change now.

Toronto was the first Canadian city to join Earth Hour as a partner city.

And this year Toronto was the first Canadian cities to officially announce that it will be participating in Earth Hour again.

Yeah us!

They make it difficult …

Two weeks ago, an acquaintance of mine, a teaching assistant at York and a loyal NDP follower wrote on her Facebook account, that there was going to be a vote the following week on the contract and that she would be voting “no”.

Today I read that NDP Leader Jack Layton said Monday he's prepared to vote against the upcoming Federal budget, because he believes a coalition government would better serve Canadians.

"I can simply say a budget vote is a vote of confidence and we don't have confidence in Mr. Harper," said Layton.

More and more when I hear the chants of the NDP mantra about government doing more for working men and women I just cannot buy into it.

It seems to me, that their minds are made up before they ever hear the details on what they will be voting on.

In my opinion, this is very short sighted thinking.

RSP Season

Yesterday I went to the bank to discuss my RSP savings. I wanted to talk about a loan, the bank shared with me my Equifax report; they did not have my Jeep listed on the report.

They advised me to call Equifax to get my records updated.

Not having the Jeep listed affects my score. And we all know how important our “score” is.

This morning I did just that, I also decide to order my score while I was there, normally I use Transunion, (they have my Jeep on record).

I try to sign up for my score, and after a frustrating half hour I end up phoning, after waiting for over 20 minutes I was disconnected, frustrated I call back, wait another 20 minutes only to be told they cannot give me my score. Why you ask?

I only have one credit card under my name.

What?

Yes, he informs me, this is their policy, he even told me that “I was not score able”.

I tell him that is interesting, I have a score with Transunion, and how can someone be not score able?

Everyone has a score, even if the score is 200.

Yesterday at the bank I had a score.

I am sure if I went to the Brick to take advantage of their do not pay until 2025 event I would have a score.

So I ask again, let me get this right, the business’s that pays Equifax for my score get to know it, but because I only have one credit card I cannot know my own score?

“That is right Ma’am, you need to go out and get another credit card, get a major department store card he tells me, and then we can give you your score.”

I am floored. This “score” is how we are judged in today’s society. A good score entitles you to better interest rates on a loan.

A bad credit score can mean high interest rates on loans.

The credit score shows someone how desirable they are to a lender, so the higher your credit score is, the better rate you get.

When you buy a home or car, with a higher credit score you are going to get a better rate than the person that has a lower credit score, so it is extremely important to monitor and manage your score.

That is what they are always telling us, being a good citizen I buy into it.

But unless you have two credit cards Equifax is not going to give you your score. And, it seems it is company policy to even recommend you get a department store credit card.

I am not really a conspiracy believer, but … department store credit cards … are you kidding me.

I feel like someone is playing us for fools with this entire “score” concept and we are just stupid sheep.

The entire concept that a company is allowed to collect and disseminate information about me should be illegal.

When my credit relies on a company, they should share that information with me, free of charge and not be able to force me to go out and get additional credit cards to obtain information that I have a right to know.

Who governs these people, I am not ever sure where I start to complain about this, but I will find out.

I am a determined sheep.

The better way you say ….

I started out with the best of intentions; I was on my way to the gym.

Normally I walk to meet up with my gym buddy and I get a ride, but it was cold and the 20 minute walk to her work had me calling her to say

“how about I meet you there, I will take the TTC (Toronto Transit Commission), it is fast and easy”.

I left work, gym bag in hand.

When I got to St. George Station it was about 4:45, an announcement came on the loud speaker, which is never good when you are on the TTC.

There is a problem at the … Main … or Bay station, everyone looks at each other, what did it say? None of us heard over the roar of the trains that are running just fine upstairs.

Oh well, I am a patient person and this stuff happens, I have a book in my gym bag. I even got lucky and got a seat on one of the two benches that exist on the entire platform.

At this point I am even grateful because the night before there was a power outage on the University line and we had to go outside into the cold, to find a way to get to the Young line. So me what seemed like about 100,000 other people did that and all tried to fit on the same Bay bus.

At least tonight we were warm, while we were trapped.

But the thing about the subway during rush hour is that the people keep coming.



And coming …



It has now been about a half hour that we are all sitting there, I can no longer read my book, there is no room to even hold a book up without it being knocked out of my hands.

I had given up my seat to a disabled man. So there I was with that gym bag getting heavier by the moment surrounded by people. You could feel everyone starting to get anxious, upset and frustrated, and more people just keep coming.

Two men start arguing, a woman and her boyfriend are screaming at each other because he thinks he knows a place to stand so they can get on the next train, she thinks he is an idiot. Two young people jump over those seated on the bench, kicking the disabled man without an apology of any kind.

This situation is bringing out the worst in all of us.

We hear someone yell to turn off the escalators, people are tripping. Now this seems like a no brainer to me that once we are in this type of a situation the TTC should come and turn escalators off.

The muffled announcer tells us the trains will start running again; it is about 5:30.

I wait for the masses to push themselves on, and after about 20 minutes I finally get on a train. Yeah, I will be home soon. I am skipping the gym I have decided.

It has taken almost an hour and a half to get to this point, and that damm bag is getting very heavy, I wonder if I will ever get back the feeling in my fingers. But we are moving.

In fact we got as far as Pape, then we heard someone start yelling for help. Everyone wonders what is going on.



About 10 minutes later there is that annoying announcer person again telling us there is a medical emergency at Pape.

The feeling of frustration and being trapped has me not knowing if I should cry or break something.

Instead I take out the blackberry and try to calm down with a mindless game.

After about 10 minutes they tell us we need to leave the train and go upstairs to take a bus to the next station, or better yet the constable says, why not walk, it will do us good. Are you kidding me ass hole I want to scream in his face.

Someone asks, if the person will be alright, and he tells them, no she will not be alright. It seems the woman had died.

The TTC special constable keeps telling us to leave. We were trying, there were so many people and everyone is confused, he starts yelling, frustrated with us, saying we need to move, there is nothing to see, that we are morbid and just want to gawk.

I wanted to take that gym bag of mine and throw it at him, how dare he judge us. We were moving as fast as we could, we were all frustrated, very few of us knew what was even going on. Even fewer knew she had died.

I cannot imagine a worst place to die, the indignity of it is horrible. But honestly I am not surprised that something like this had happened. Being through what we had just been through the past hour and a half, you can see how anyone with any health problems could be gravely affected.

I wonder what the statistics are after people are trapped like that and the trains do start running again. How many “Medical Emergencies” happen right afterwards?

Finally I make it upstairs, there are no buses, or if there were no one was there to tell us which ones they were.



It is very cold, I am tired, I need to pee and I just want to be at home. This was a nightmare.

Ambulances, fire trucks, cop cars, and people are everywhere and none of us knowing what to do; no direction is being given anywhere.




I decide to take a taxi, I go out on the Danforth to hail one and all of a sudden police cars come streaming out and block the intersections – no taxis will be getting through.

Again, I mean no disrespect, but why are they blocking the roads? They cannot get her to the hospital in time.

I finally find a cab after about 20 minutes, so freezing cold and $35.00 later, I am finally home.



I am quitting the gym, I hate that bag!

January 20, 2009 …

Today many Canadians watched the United States inaugurate their 44th President.



Personally I have never watched an inauguration before; I bet the same could be said for many non-Americans.

As I walked down the corridors at work every office had their computers on, watching, every boardroom that had a TV was full of people, all of us anxious to hear his words, to witness this historic event.

I cannot help but think that somewhere Martin Luther King is smiling.

When I returned to my office I had received this email from my daughter:

“Hey mom, how are you?

Were you able to watch the inauguration? I watched it with the other girls here; they set up a TV upstairs so that people could go watch it.

But we all huddled around a computer and watched it online, I feel better about my hopes for the future with Barack, I think he is going to do wonders for America, and for the world and especially history.”

That companies all over the country set up TV’s for staff to watch is amazing.

It is strange to sit there and feel tears well up seeing the crowds that had gathered.

There was such a sense of hope for humanity.

He cannot change the world alone, we need to help him.



To be honest, I think I am a little envious of the United States having such a noble leader. That they have someone to believe in.

I am so proud of my country, I think Canada should be the country that the world watches and believes in. We should be setting the stage for peace, the environment, and moving forward towards greatness.

I cannot help but wonder what our leaders think when they watch and listen to a man like Barack.

Are they not inspired by his words, his ideology, do they not get the same goose bumps as the rest of us.



Why did they become politicians in the first place, if it was not to bring that out in the people that believe in them?

Do they not want to be remembered for something so big that it inspired the world?

So many people are talking about Barack will not do anything for Canada, how selfish of us to not believe in him because his first priority is his own country and not ours.

He is a movement, a direction, he is hope.

I just wish his father had chosen Canada to move to instead of the States, so he would be ours.