Psychics "Help" during Recession

It’s tough finding a job in these hard times. How about trying your hand at psychiatry? I don’t mean psychology; I’m talking about predicting the future.

The psychic business is up, and the topic is money.

So it looks like now’s the perfect time to open your own business charging people $10 to tell them the economy is in a slump.

"I don't think really the economy is gonna pick up for another two years," says Sherry Starr, a psychic whose business has gone up 50% since September.

But don’t worry. Starr offers some helpful advice that you can’t get from your friends and family:

"What about a job change? A job change is in your cycle right now."

and

"I see more success for you. More changes.”

Paula Whittle, one of Starr’s customers says the reading will have a positive effect on her economic decisions: "I will probably be more cautious with my spending the rest of the year."

I see...a waste of $10.



(Image: The Love Psychic.)

CBC Cuts: "Hardly a Meltdown"

This is a repost of a Toronto Sun article:


Despite the sorry news that the CBC is cutting 799 jobs...it's still getting $1.1 billion a year. Hardly a melt-down...

Mr. Lacroix defends running U.S. game shows on grounds that they attract viewers and advertising. Now he says the Corp has to sell $125 million in assets to alleviate the shortfall...

Executive salaries have already been frozen, so maybe the 50% cut in bonuses now will be trimmed to 100%. Why are bonuses necessary when execs are already well-paid?

...Acknowledging that she had no inside knowledge about CBC layoffs or cutbacks, Ms. [Carole] Taylor [former chairman of the CBC (2001-05), and a former B.C. finance minister (2005-08)] said she opposed importing U.S. game shows and felt the CBC should 'not be going for ratings but providing a service that cannot be found anywhere else.'

...Lord knows, private broadcasting won't do it."


I just want to point out that there are Canadian-made shows on the CBC that I and other people actually do like to watch (besides Hockey Night in Canada, obviously):

• This Hour Has 22 Minutes
• The Red Green Show
• The Rick Mercer Report
• The Hour
• Marketplace

As for what to do with the other 20 or so hours of the day, here are my thoughts:

If the CBC doesn’t have the money or advertising to draw in a huge audience, that pretty much affirms its position as a public broadcaster. And what’s wrong with that?

The CBC doesn’t have the constraints of the privately-owned networks (pleasing advertisers mostly), so it can really be a place for fun and experimentation.

There are a ton of things the CBC could do, and perhaps, should have done, as a public broadcaster. Here's one: How about giving time slots to the public?

Got a garage band you want to showcase? Written a screenplay you would like to see come to life? Want to practice reporting skills by doing your own story on a Canadian person/event/issue?

It could be like YouTube for TV; public broadcasting for...public broadcasting.

This might actually get people to tune in more, if they, as the Canadian public, can make contributions to what’s considered “Canadian content.”

And Wheel of Fortune sucks anyway. What were they thinking?


Share your thoughts!

Jon Stewart Gets Serious

Last night, I saw an episode of The Daily Show that really wasn’t that funny. (I think it originally aired on the 12th, but since this is Canada, maybe it was delayed?)

Jon Stewart let 'er tip on Jim Cramer, host of CNBC’s Mad Money, calling out the host, the show, and the entire company for not doing what they’re supposed to be doing as, 1) a news network,and 2) a news network that markets itself as having trustworthy answers to people's financial worries.

The best part was that Cramer couldn’t do or say anything about it other than shrug his shoulders and act like a suck-up. So I guess it was funny in an I-don’t-believe-this-is-actually-happening kind of way.





I can see the headlines now:

“Money Matters Fails: Jon Stewart Takes Down Another Mainstream News Program”


Go here to watch the full episode: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

Want to Buy a Haunted House?

According to ABC News, people generally don’t want to live in a house someone died in, especially if somewhere in the property's history are the words "mass murder."

Well, duh.

A “stigmatized” property - what those in the real eastate biz call homes with bad karma - can lose hundreds of thousands of dollars in value. The other problem with "stigmatized" homes is that the reason it's stigmatized is more easily hidden from buyers than a leaky roof or creaky floors.

"Murder would seem to be horrific and would garner a 50 percent reduction, whereas a landslide on the property might be more toward 30 percent."

Considering the condition the real estate market’s already in, this sounds like it might be a pretty serious problem; either too many haunted houses are on the market or too many agents are tricking people into buying them.

But what’s with the picture they put with it?

Scary!

Way to make fun of people who don't want to live in the Amityville Horror house. They must be crazy.

Make Jobs, Not War

I found this cartoon a while ago, and I just kept it bookmarked. But I think now would be a good time to use it.

Like the guy in the cartoon, I’m about to graduate. But it just so happens there’s a recession going on. And it just so happens I want a career that’s not in demand and already pays pretty crappy.

But my fear of graduating after spending $20,000 and countless hours studying and overcoming last-minute project panic attacks, oh, and not finding a job after all that, isn’t the entire point of this post. As the cartoon suggests, this has something to do with war.

I’m going to say something "daring" now. Ready?
Unemployment in the US is the highest it’s been in 25 years because of a certain $3 trillion war (for the most part).

$3 trillion?! I don’t even know what that means. That’s like 12 zeros with a 3 on the end.
Now here I go attempting to do math: $3 trillion + 1 big war – nearly 100,000 lives = 1 giant mistake.


When I showed my mom this cartoon, she thought it might be offensive to soldiers. That’s not what I’m saying here. I know people who have fought in Iraq, and people who still are, so I’m definitely not trying to insult them (or anyone else who’s risked or given their lives for that matter).

My own personal turmoil aside, and that of the thousands of unemployed Canadians (which still isn't that bad considering), wouldn’t it really suck to go to war in a foreign country, get shot at, see your friends get injured or killed, only to come home and not be able to find a job?

It’s almost like history keeps repeating itself…

business day v. Family Day

Today is Family Day, and some people are complaining (and no, it’s not just those clocking in hours). According to CTV, small business-owners aren’t happy with the new stat holiday because they stand to lose $2 billion just for keeping their doors closed.

I have two family members who fall into this “small-business owner” category; my stepmom owns a pet/wild bird food store, Creature Comfort Co., which is across the street from my aunt’s bulk/health food store, Foodstuffs, in downtown Georgetown.

Now don't get me wrong, I always enjoy a day off, but since these stores are located downtown, they have to close on Sundays too. If small businesses are losing money because they have to close one Monday in February, it seems like nothing in comparison to four or five Sundays every month. But they’re still doing well.

Since they're small, local, independent businesses, their customers are very loyal and would probably just go shopping there tomorrow if they needed something. And since my stepmom and aunt only have a few employees – well, compared to the amount of employees at say, one Tim Hortons – they usually work every day that they’re open. If you ask me, they deserve a break.

I just wonder how long it’ll take Hallmark to start making cards...

"Buy American" rule has Canadians Hatin' on Obama

Reading the hundreds of comments about the "Buy American” rule on CBC.ca, it seems many Canadians are placing all blame on Barack Obama - and on those whose political values lean more to the left.

A few commentators even felt the need to say things along the lines of: Haha! I told you! Barack Obama is just like Bush! All you lefties got fooled!

I have 3 responses to those comments:

1) It’s been less than two weeks since the man was elected; Bush had eight years.

2) There’s no need to label all lefties as suckers for believing in and wanting change after the last eight years. Can you really blame them?

3) Even if the US protectionism bill goes through, it’s less likely Canada will be significantly affected since

• we share a pretty big border with the US
• we supply most of their petroleum oil and natural gas – among other things
• as Industry Minister Tony Clement stated, the US would be in violation of its treaty obligations
• people and businesses in the US would be in more trouble than they already are

I can’t lie though. It is worrying that such a bill might get passed, and that the Canadian government might have to bully our way out of that jam with a "Buy Canadian" bill. Not that buying Canadian is a bad idea; it just seems like it would only be done out of spite.

The upside to this fiasco is that Obama hasn’t signed anything yet. But until and if he does, he’ll be hearing a lot of complaints from more than just his right-wing critics.