Now I Am Beyond Peeved Off - This is Ridiculous

OK, last week I was peeved at our government for outsourcing production of Canadian Passport covers to a Netherlands-based company, that purported to be a Canadian company.  And this week, it only gets worse.

Get this. The Toronto District School Board is concerned that calling “Halloween” Halloween is offensive to some.  Huh???  You boneheads. 

Nope, I’m not joking.  They’ve sent out a guide, aptly entitled “A Teaching Resource for dealing with Sensitive Issues in Toronto District School Board Classrooms.” 

And if that was not enough, they’re recommending Halloween be renamed “Black and Orange Day”.   Utter balderdash and it makes my blood boil.  Whether you’re wiccan (I understand they celebrate the holiday), or pagan, (I understand they don’t celebrate anything) or atheist (I understand they don’t believe there is a G_d), Halloween is Halloween – and if you don’t like it --- well --- you can go straight to hell.   

You know what?  I am getting offended at people who’ve got nothing better to do than be easily and permanently offended at something, anything.    

G_d forbid you wish someone “Happy Christmas”, only to find out they don’t celebrate it, or even worse, call it by a different name.  Christmas is almost a curse word now.  It’s now “the festive season” (how convenient) and if someone is not festive at the year-end – well, shame on you for not having known that. 

I am a proud, card-carrying Jew.  Always have been.  Always will.   I identify myself as such, so does my wife and kids. I love Israel and believe it belongs to the jews.   

I don’t celebrate Halloween.  I celebrate Purim, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and the like.  Halloween’s  just not a Jewish concept.  And that’s fine, I promise.  Halloween’s a fun holiday for those that choose to celebrate it.  They dress up.  They scream and shout.  And they stuff themselves full of candy.  It’s harmless fun. What’s the matter with that?  Nothing!

A long time ago, a Rabbi told me, “There are different religions, and each should be allowed to celebrate their religious beliefs in the way in which they’re accustomed.  We’re not all the same – and although Canada and every other civilized country may be a melting pot of immigrants, each should hold by their culture.”  I could not agree more.

Muslims should celebrate Ramadan.  It’s a tenet of Islam.  Jews, Passover and all the other holidays.  It’s what keeps us jewish.  Christians, Christmas – and no, it should still be called “Christmas”, despite what some lunatics say.  (Those same lunatics want to ban the nativity scene --- Pu-leeeaaase!!!)   And African-Americans, Kwanzaa.    You get the picture!

So, I want to take this moment to wish everyone a Happy Halloween.  And an especially Happy Halloween if you’re one of those idiots on the Toronto District School Board who want to call Halloween, “Black and Orange Day”

Oh – and please – don’t razor-blade my candies or egg my house after you’ve stuffed your mouths full of Halloween candies.

Shalom- if that's not too much to ask!

 

I'm Peeved Off With Canada Right Now.

I’m a proud Canadian.  I arrived in Toronto on July 1, 1988.  Became a citizen in 1991 and I love this country.  Come to my house and you’ll see the Canadian flag flying high at our door.  I doff my cap at anthem time when I see the Leafs, Jays or Raptors.  I joyfully cried when the Kid scored to win Olympic Gold in overtime.  You get the picture!

But I’m peeved off at Canada right now.  Really Peeved off.

I understand the concept of economics as well as anyone.    Comparative advantage is important too.  Very simply, it means that countries should produce according to their strengths and import goods that they can’t produce themselves.

But when it comes to Canada’s iconic passport covers - economic concepts like comparative advantage should be thrown out the window:  right out the window.

I heard today that Canadian Bank Note, an Ottawa-based company has been given the federal contract to produce Canadian passport covers.  Good, but there’s a fly in the ointment.   They’re outsourcing the job to a company in the Netherlands, forcing Ontario-based Columbia Finishing Mills, the company that produced the passport covers for the past three decades to lay off 25% of their staff.

I’m as a-political as they get – in other words I believe that all politicians, with rare exception will do whatever it takes to get the vote.   Compromise your ethics to win the vote?  Check!  Badmouth the other guy to win the vote?  Check!  Suck and blow at the same time to get the vote?  Sure!

Rick Roth, press secretary for Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird said the government had nothing to do with the decision to outsource the work and that Canadian Bank Note was chosen because "it was the only company capable of printing the documents in Canada."

Baloney!

Shouldn't 'made in Canada' have been a stipulation in the contract?  And if the feds were unaware that Columbia Finishing Mills were outsourcing the job to a Netherlands-based company, what does that say about the concept of due diligence?  Apparently, not much!

Sadder, is that this is not the first time Canadian symbols have been made abroad. In 2009, the ministry of Canadian Heritage bought $200,000 worth of Canadian flag pins imported from China.  And more recently, lapel pins commissioned by the Harper government and distributed during the diamond jubilee celebrations were also made in China.

OK, so it may be cheaper to get the stuff in China.  But should Canadian symbols, like passports in particular, be just about dollars and cents.  These are Canadian icons – and things that should be nearest and dearest to our collective hearts.  Problem is they’re not.

Let’s show some gold old fashioned patriotism here and demand that our national symbols be made by Canadians in Canada.

  

I agree with a comment I heard yesterday, (typo included) – “Think about it. If the government is so gun ho about saving money, maybe we should outsource our government too.”

 Peace, especially to all those on Parliament Hill, soon to be located in China.  

Long-term Friendships Have Their Benefits

I’m a marketer - and like all astute marketers, I place great importance on relationships. It’s what keeps guys like me going.  Not only can relationships be good for the pocket-book, but far more importantly, they can be particularly good for the heart.  

Yesterday, I saw a story out of Florida, about a Joseph Katz and an Al Spiegal.  I’ve never heard of either guy - but their story’s really cool.  You see, just last week, not only did each celebrate their 100^th birthdays, but they celebrated 91-years of being best friends.  Remarkable.  I know!

"We've been friends since we were 10-years-old. We both went to the same elementary school and we graduated from that same elementary school. We worked together for the same company and we kept our friendship together," Katz said.  


Katz and Spiegal, both originally from Brooklyn, New York, held their joint birthday partyat Inverrary Diner near their homes in Florida. Speigal's actual birthday was on August 26th, but he waited until his best friend's centennial celebration on September 29th to celebrate.  How’s that for being a gentleman!

"We could not wait. We've been dying for this, even before my son was born my grandfather told us he couldn't wait until 2012," Katz's granddaughter, Melissa Teger, 42, said.  "I'd say, 'Why Grandpa?' And he'd say, 'Because I'm going to be 100.' That was the driving force to keep him healthy and happy the last couple of years."

Remarkable!

I’m in my mid-forties.  I enjoy awesome relationships.  I count among my closest friends today my closest junior and high-school friends from Johannesburg.  There’s Peter G, Rob S, Howard S, Barry L, Dion J, Michael R, Hilton K and Mark N.  And although we’re now all scattered across North America, there’s nothing that any of those guys wouldn’t do for me or I wouldn’t do for them.    No question, old friendships run really deep.  In fact, they’re irreplaceable.

Let’s face it - we’re all busy no matter what we do.  As we age, we all have our issues to deal with - kids, health, finances, marriages, parents - you get the picture - and if we fail to make time for our friends, they’ll fail to make time for us.  Guaranteed.

Over the years, I’ve realized that we’re generally very bad at keeping in touch - this despite the fact that it’s easier than ever before.  And had Joseph and Al never kept in touch with none another, they certainly would never have enjoyed the party they did.  Perhaps one or neither would have even lived until 100.

Katz, who has 12 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren, shared his secrets to a long life:

 "You don't reach 100 just like this. With your body, you've got to use it, not abuse it. Live the right kind of life. Take care of yourself," he said. "Eat the right kind of food. Don't smoke. Don't touch alcohol. Go ride a bike. Go ballroom dancing. Keep occupied and you'll make it."

He’s right. His last point --- "Keep occupied and you’ll make it" being "spot on!"
  
The bottom line’s clear - no-one is on this earth forever and everything good (or even bad) must and will come to an end. 

 The devil finds work for the idle. Everytime.  Bored? Nothing to do? At a loose end? Yeah, you can watch paint dry or bet on two roaches climbing the wall, or crash at the idiot box (something too many of us do) --- but that thinking’s going to kill you.
  
Do something good. Keep occupied. Keep in touch with someone.  It’s better for you (and every study’s proven that). You’ll be glad you did and maybe - just maybe - you’ll live longer. Or you can follow Katz’ last piece of advice - "Just keep breathing, that's the secret to my longevity."

Follow his ways or mine. You choose. Either way - live a long and happy life.  Just like Joseph and Al.  Now do something useful - reach out to an old friend.  Just say "Hi, how are ya"

Peace!