What's Not Good for Us This Week?

Listening to the radio it was said researchers say chewing gum is not good for you because lots of chewing causes wrinkles around the jaw area.

In this story that I link to Dr. Joel Schlessinger(cosmetician, dermatologist)says that he thinks some of his patients who chew gum regularly have wrinkles due to the gum-chewing. How about those who get older and don't chew gum and have wrinkles? I think it's called old age Dr. Schlessinger.

Gum-chewing causes us to get wrinkles? I beg to differ. What causes us to get wrinkles is worry. That is if you believe the stories by "experts" who say worrying gives you wrinkles. Then there are the "experts" who say that worrying won't give you wrinkles.

Everyone's an "expert" yet not one of these "experts" knows what they're talking about. If they did then they'd all agree it either does or it doesn't but when you have some "expert" say one thing while another "expert" says the opposite that tells you more about the "experts" than about what they're talking about.

All it proves is the "experts" as usual don't have the slightest clue about anything and just like to pretend they're smart by announcing whatever THEY don't like isn't good for the rest of the world.

And that's why whenever I hear or read a story about what's not good for us I just don't believe them anymore.

Precious He's Certainly Not

Yes I know Howard Stern is a shit disturber and for her sake, I hope actress Gabourey Sidibe has a very successful career for many many years to come. He says after the movie Precious that Gabourey is being lied to and will never be in another movie again. I would love to see him proven wrong! Here's the YouTube video of what he said.

Talking on the Phone is a Distraction

Toronto Sun columnist Joe Warmington wrote about three sisters who were upset with a police officer for missing a funeral though explained where they were headed.

One of the sisters, the driver, was talking on the phone while the car was in motion and the policewoman wouldn't let the driver off the hook due to Ontario's new law banning talking on the phone while you're driving. Plenty of time has passed since the law was implemented that the sisters should have been aware of the law by now to know they have to pull over, stop the car and then chat on the phone.

What if an accident was caused while talking on the phone? It has happened. That's the reason the law is in place. People get distracted. Don't believe me? Forget driving for a moment. The next time you're at any store standing behind a person at the cash register, if they're talking on the phone, observe how distracted he or she is while the cashier is ringing in their order and trying to get that person's attention. See? Talking on the phone is a distraction and people don't pay attention to whatever else is going on around them.

While I agree with Mr. Warmington that it's not right that other criminals are let off the hook, don't blame the police for that. Blame our very lenient judges and a judicial system which lets murderers and rapists off the hook way too many times.

As for the policewoman not being sympathetic I side with her. Anyone working with the public, no matter which job they do, can tell you many stories of the B.S. they hear from people that you get so desensitized to anything said and don't believe a word they say because everything sounds like an excuse.

Who's He Kidding?

So Mayor David Miller had some major announcement which he refused to disclose to the media until the press conference couple days ago. People were speculating he'd say he's stepping down. That wasn't the case. It was a budget announcement where all of a sudden he found $100 million.
I say he wants people to remember that so when he leaves office people will think of him as the good guy. People aren't as stupid as he thinks. You're only fooling yourself Mayor Miller.

"We Don't Care if the Pilot's on a Schedule. He's Gonna Have to Wait For Us"

This story makes me laugh. Air Canada, during the Olympics had to delay a flight. There was nothing wrong with the plane. People were not paying attention to the boarding calls. Why? They were watching the gold-medal hockey game between Canada and the U.S. so the plane sat there until the game was over. Only in Canada!

Long Time No Blog

Long time no blog folks. This is one of the rare times I'm actually awake enough to know what I'm typing.

For the last couple weeks I've been at the computer. More often than not fell asleep on the keyboard due to being extremely tired...very exhausted from this midnight shift so gave up trying to post anything other than what you're reading now. Besides, my comments are on Twitter where it's been very good practice for someone like me who loves to ramble on to try to say stuff in 140 characters or less. Yep as difficult as it sounds.

I'll be back blogging on here. Don't know when. But by the looks of it, very likely as soon as I get dayshift again. I've never been THIS tired no matter how late I stayed up when I worked dayshift. Midnight shift is honestly killing me and will be literally the early death of me. NO EXAGGERATION! I wasn't sure at first but I now truly believe what I heard long ago, that people working the midnight shift on average die 10 years before other shift workers. See? I wasn't kidding about the early death. Hope to live many many years but this shift and I just do not get along. My hat goes off to anyone who can work it. I don't know how they do it and trust me I've tried giving this shift a chance but my body clock after all this time has other plans...such as sleep.

Anyways, whenever I get days again(2 months? 2years? 5 years?), my work schedule will give me 3-days to concentrate on the citizen blogger/journalist stuff I want to do. The other 4-days I'll be working at my non-writing job...that one still pays my bills until the Good Lord lets me win big money in the lottery. I hope that(a major lotto win) or dayshift is soon("soon" being this year). Praying is the only option left for that.

In the meantime I've been tweeting on Twitter and while Twitter is good I prefer blogs like this as most things can't be said in 140 characters or less.

LINK TO MY TWITTER PAGE

So I'll be back blogging on here when I get dayshift again. Wish me luck with that one!

No Need For All These Credit Card Fees

THIS IS RIDICULOUS! All the fees credit card companies charge whether you have a regular credit card, or even if you buy a Visa gift card(available at many grocery and department stores). I'm focusing on the their gift cards in this post.

As you see by the above image:
The only thing they don't charge for is when you check your balance online. oops! I should shut-up about that otherwise they may do that too if they come across this blogpost and they'd think "we forgot one!"

On a $100 Visa Gift Card
Purchase fee: $5.95
Monthly maintenance fee:(after first 6 months of use)$2.00
Inquiries by voice-activated response: $0.50(no charge on the 1st inquiry only)
Transfer to live agents: $0.75(no charge on the 1st inquiry only)
Lost and stolen replacement fee: $20.00
Balance at enquiry: says "see note".

Their note(fine print)says:

1. Fees and limits are subject to change in accordance with the Terms and Conditions.

2. Unless prohinited by law, if after six months from activation a balance remains on the card we will deduct a maintenance fee.

3. If there is a remaining balance after the Card expires or is cancelled, you will be charged a cancellation fee equal to the remaining balance.

The Canadian federal government has refused to crack down on credit card companies and their fees. The Canadian government and the credit card companies should all be ashamed of themselves!

RELATED LINKS:

Voluntary code of conduct for debit and credit card companies is not good enough(Dan McTeague, Liberal MP for Pickering—Scarborough East)

Liberal MPs rail at credit card gougings(Toronto Star)

"THE ONLY WAY to Get a Job at a Newspaper is to take a Newspaper Journalism Course"

This is nothing personal against Ted Woloshyn. I don't know him and I hear he's a nice guy but if he never took a Newspaper Journalism course the Toronto Sun editor Rob Granatstein should not have called him(Woloshyn) asking if he wants to write a column for them.

If Mr. Woloshyn wanted to be a newspaper columnist then he should have taken a Newspaper Journalism course and after graduating from it apply to work at the Toronto Sun(or any other newspaper he so chooses).

Granatstein should have gone around to local colleges and universites and looked around at the work of the students and chosen one of the students who recently graduated from the Newspaper Journalism course(all newspaper editors should be doing that).

Doesn't matter if Mr. Woloshyn was a radio broadcaster before and took a Radio Broadcasting course.

DID HE TAKE A NEWSPAPER JOURNALISM COURSE? Yes? No?

If the answer is "no" this proves what I've been saying for many years, that you don't need to go to school to be a newspaper columnist. All you need is the right connections and a newspaper editor who doesn't care if you took the course for that job.

Any editor will always tell anybody
"THE ONLY WAY YOU CAN GET A JOB AT A NEWSPAPER IS BY TAKING A NEWSPAPER JOURNALISM COURSE."
"The ONLY way?" Hmmm?
ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS.

Pity all the students taking Newspaper Journalism classes. They're wasting their time it seems, especially if they don't have the right connections to call them asking "How'd you like to write for us?"

Coughing/Sneezing into Sleeve is Not Germ-free

Cough or sneeze into your arm and not into your hands. So when someone else shakes your hand you won't be giving them germs. That's what we're told by health department people who should know better.

What they say may sound good but I've always been convinced that's very bad advice. Because someone who shows up shortly after who isn't aware you just coughed or sneezed ends up touching your sleeve(or arm) with all the germs on it. I've seen it happen...often.

When you cough or sneeze into your hands you wash the germs off because of course there's no way you'd want that on your hands forever. So, tell me again about how much safer and germ-free sneezing/coughing into your hands is?

Cough into your sleeve? Very bad advice.

Info on How to Send Amber Alert to Your Phone Should Be Search Engine's Priority

Thank God that after Toronto police issued an Amber Alert a 3-year-old girl was found safe and sound the very same day(the mother is now charged with abduction).

That had many people wondering if they can get Amber Alerts to their phones. I know you can but who do you message first to subscribe to it? I've been searching online and that information is not as easy to find as you'd think it would be.

So that got me thinking. Why don't all these search engines have that info at the top of their pages? When it comes to the safety of the children there is absolutely no excuse whatsoever for Google, Yahoo!, Bing and other search engines to not have that info on their pages.

Who cares if it's not a sponsored ad? All search engines should put it there(at the very top of their page and never remove the information). So anyone who wants info on how to get an Amber Alert delivered to their phone can have that info immediately.

As Long as There Are No More Computer Issues I'll Be Here More Often

FINALLY! Back after so damn long! Didn't have a computer. Not even a laptop then it stopped working. Then bought a refurbished computer which worked on and off. Then the original laptop my nephew gave to me, a co-worker fixed, and as (bad) luck would have it the Rogers Internet Stick was defective after having no problem using it for most of the year. Then after Rogers Technical Support promised me a replacement mobile stick would arrive within 5-8 days, nothing came in the mail. After nearly a month of runarounds from Rogers, I finally got the internet stick.
So let's hope no more problems---EVER!...ever again!!...so I can blog at least every couple days and not be away from this for that long. WHEW!

MyMillionDollarMovie.com

I haven't mentioned this before, even to people I know. For the longest time I've always wanted to produce or direct a movie. Or be a screenwriter. Not having connections I need and not having the finances for it(making movies doesn't come cheap folks), one has to be creative. Due to my overnight shift my creativity for the most part has gone. Is in hibernation actually. No joke. I do my best writing after midnight. That is when I'm awake during the day and sleep through part of, if not the entire night, but the creative process has been on hold(not my choice)since working midnights(SERIOUSLY!). Trust me I've tried and after 2-years on this shift my creativity has come back though not to the same extent as before.

So then how can I make a movie? Or come up with an idea for a movie? Been racking my brain for a very, very long time. Have no idea how. But someone else did come up with what I believe is an excellent idea.

That someone is Casey Walker. He's a Director in Toronto who wants to make his first feature film. And that costs money as mentioned before so he came up with an idea. We, yes even YOU can have your name in the credits of a movie. If you pay $10(Canadian).

Instead of me copying practically every word click here to go to his site to see how this works or click here to go the FAQ page.

I Like This Quote

I attempted to have a Quote of the Day and since I prefer not to use the automated Quotes many sites give us the option to use. The reason for that when a person chooses which quote they want the reader knows the real you. What you like and the kind of quote you like reveals the real you to your readers. With the automated quotes, your readers won't know if the quote is one you like or just one put there for the hell of it.

Instead of Quote of the Day or week instead it'll now be called "I Like This Quote". Today,



"A word to the wise ain't necessary. It's the stupid ones that need the advice."-Bill Cosby.

She Walks Backwards After Getting Flu Shot

If this is true, my heart goes out to her but why do I keep thinking this is just a joke on all of us? What do you think?

The Best Credit Union As far As I'm Concerned

I may end up sounding like a commercial but that's not my intention. As someone who's had numerous problems with banks in the past I couldn't figure out which credit union I should open an account with. After all I've always heard that credit unions were good.

Working for a major grocery chain luckily that week I saw a brochure for the Food Family Credit Union. Thought I'd take a chance with them. That was over 5-years ago. And I am still very pleased and do highly recommend them if you're looking for a place to put your money in and don't want to deal with banks anymore.

As long as you work in the food industry you can open an account with the Food Family Credit Union. Just like me, I assure you that you won't regret it. Nope they didn't ask me to promote them. They have no idea I'm even blogging recommending them. Thank God for the Food Family Credit Union. They're very professional and always there when you need them for money-related matters.

Clcik here to go to their site

$450 a Ticket? Can You Say RIPOFF?...sorry Howie(not your fault but...)

Some people can do no wrong no matter what. Even if the individual is, believe it or not, a politician. I'm referring to Mississauga Mayor Hazel McCallion, and no, I'm not talking about the conflict-of-interest accusations aimed at McCallion(that's another blog for another time).

What I'm specifically talking about is Howie Mandel performing in Mississauga. "Huh?" you may be asking yourself, wondering what Howie Mandel has to do with the Mayor of Mississauga? Howie's Canadian(I guess Canadian-American now). From Toronto originally.

Howie Mandel is performing in Mississauga next week. I was all set to go to my local Ticketmaster to buy tickets for that evening, until I read in the Mississauga News tickets are $450 per person.

Nope it's not Howie being greedy. Ends up being the Mayor's Gala so the Mayor of Mississauga and her buddies are the greedy ones(I don't buy any excuses why they "must" charge that much...they don't have to).

As I said to someone who was just as surprised as I was(and I still am)about the price, who replied to my status on Facebook, "I was surprised at the price of a ticket. Mayor's Gala or not can you say RIPOFF! and she's the 'People's Mayor'? Yeah sure! A people's mayor would know most people can't afford that and charge a normal price so more people could attend."

Howie Mandel may leave people laughing but I'm not laughing at the price and am very disappointed in OUR Mayor(and whoever else on her team)thinking $450 is an excellent price for a ticket.

Seems to me this "people's Mayor" forgot about the rest of the people(the majority)who can NOT afford $450 but so badly wanted to go see Howie, as I did.

RELATED LINK

Judge named in Hazel McCallion conflict case(Toronto Star)

Remembrance Day

Canadians, Royals observe Remembrance Day(The Gazette)

LET'S NEVER FORGET WHAT THEY FOUGHT FOR AND THE SACRIFICES THEY MADE!

I'm Back, Wet Laptop, and more

I'm b-a-a-a-c-k! Just ramblings(what else huh?)about whatever's on my mind. For those who don't know, I had the misfortune of getting caught in the pouring rain awhile back and as (bad) luck would have it I had my Netbook with me.
To my pleasant surprise it still worked though the water got into the keyboards. But not for long. Figures!
According to the computer places I went it's beyond fixing. So when I buy a new laptop I can attempt to blog again(and no that's not my laptop in the picture. I found this pic on Google.

Due to being at my cousin's house, his grandmother in Croatia passed away so I couldn't attend the Paul Shaffer book signing. He has a new book out titled "We'll Be Here For the Rest of Our Lives."
Mr. Shaffer was at a Mississauga Chapters store this past Saturday. I had hoped to buy the book, have him sign it and if there was time to talk, I have no idea how many people attended, but if there would have been a few(I doubt it as there were probably lots more than I think), if there had been time, I had hoped to have a conversation.
The way I see it is if a famous person can associate your name with a face and has actually met you at least once there's a better chance of them granting your interview request.
But that's okay. There'll be other opportunities to meet Paul Shaffer or others. I definitely want to interview celebs for my as I always say hopefully soon Citizen Journalism website. And NO there won't be gossip. Just questions about stuff celebs want to talk about.


Are you a fan of The Suicide Girls? I am! I keep checking their tour dates and I've yet to see them schedule a performance in Canada. Why is that? Wish they'd perform in Toronto.
















I'm too exhausted after work(I hate this shift with a passion and can't wait for a much better shift where I won't be tired)so I am too tired to blog other stuff I have written in my pocket-size notepad. That's gonna have to wait for another time. Believe it or not some of the other stuff is important. I think so anyways.

My Citizen Journalism Website...Not Yet But Hopefully Soon

"It's Official!"

Well, not yet but I am impatiently waiting to say "it's official!" and that I'm a Citizen Journalist. Unfortunately it won't be a paid position but it'll prove to everyone I'm damn serious about wanting to hear from you(celebrity or not). And hopefully in time it'll prove to various online media I'm sincere in what I say.

Once I get off this shift(may be next month or may be next year...I have no idea when), I'll still be full-time but at least with dayshift I'll be able to attend events to write about them.

I'm still trying to figure out the best way to go about this(call it an Online Newspaper if you will) and if you have any ideas feel free to suggest something. I'll also be looking for others to contribute news, events, or just your opinion on any topic. Yes there will be Guest Bloggers as well as regular contributors.

Why don't I start it now? Would love to but my creativity has gone completely since this shift. My best creativity and inspiration comes to me when I work days and sleep nights. If I start the Citizen Journalism/Online Newspaper site now it won't be good and I don't want it to be half-assed. That's why I'm waiting. Impatiently.

Remember if you have any suggestions let me know. Email me jbgranich[at}gmail[dot]com(of course where the "at" is substitute that with the "at" symbol(@)and where it says "dot" replace it with the proper dot.(would love to write the email properly but knowing spambots have no choice but to do it like this. So remember the email to get ahold of me is jbgranich[at]gmail[dot]com.

UPDATE
P.S. It won't just be limited to Mississauga, Toronto, Brampton and Oakville. Also the goings on in New York and Los Angeles plus numerous other places. And I'll phone or email people. Getting ahold of them may be the difficult part but it's worth a shot to ask them what needs asking.

This Would've Started My Writing Career But Friendship Comes First

This would've started my writing career once and for all and I'd be known. Not necessarily a famous writer but enough of a "scoop" to get me a job at a newspaper or a magazine.

I'm on various social networking sites and on one of these sites added a friend(they accepted my friend request YAY!), who at first I thought was a poser(someone pretending to be a celebrity). After a long while I discover the person is not fake and in fact is the real deal. Needless to say I was pleasantly surprised to discover it's that person. All I'll say is I'm a huge fan of theirs. Due to their schedule they can't keep in touch often and our chats understandably are brief.

Something they said in one of our online chats I had a sneaking suspicion this is going to make headlines one day(they didn't even come close to hinting but somehow I just knew). My instinct was ask this person about it and I have no doubt whatsoever they would have told me then and there and I have my story. They know of my interest in writing. But after all these online conversations we had my conscience got the better of me("Don't start your career at a friend's expense"). This person I now consider and will always consider a very good friend.

Anyways either it's in the news, or will be in the news soon. Sorry to be so vague but when I promise a friend confidentiality I keep my word(I promised them that from DAY 1 even before any of us were aware of other stuff to happen about/to them. Someone else far away did pick up the scoop or will pick up this scoop shortly.

Do I regret it? That I didn't tell anyone and never wrote about this anywhere..other than in this blog you're reading? Nope! Because I respect this friend and they've done so much for me. The "so much" being considering their position and lack of time, they still found the time,often, even if it's once every 6 months for 10 or 15 minutes to have a personal 1-on-1 chat with me. I'm loyal to my friends for life and repay them back any way I can.(I'd be content chatting, online or in person at the coffee shop or wherever else, about whatever they want to talk about than mentioning this if they wish to keep their mind off of certain things). Because friends don't hurt friends. In the position they're in it's very hard to tell who your real friends are. I'm no angel by any means and am not perfect but a real friend to this person I will always be.

(That person hasn't had a chance to keep in touch for awhile...I miss our chats...but in case that individual is reading this, you told me once where you were secretly holidaying[that too I never told anyone to this day. Not even my family], and you told a famous friend of yours I'm "sweet"(thank you!, I'm blushing)and you gave me your friend's email address, please let me know how things are I'd love to hear from you!

I'm not worried about missing out maybe on one of the possibly only opportunities I'll ever have to get a job writing(I can sleep with a clear conscience), but I am worried about my friend and hope everything is okay.

What's the secret you may be wondering? Well, I will tell you this. I'm not the one who'll be telling you. You'll find out from other sources. In a million years you'll never hear it from me. I keep secrets to my grave.

Canadian Payroll Association Should Talk to People to Find Out Why Many Live Paycheque to Paycheque

In the news: the majority of Canadian employees are living paycheque to paychequeand would have trouble surviving one week if they lost their jobs.

Patrick Culhane, President and CEO of The Canadian Payroll Association(which conducted the survey)was quoted in a Canadian Press story as saying, "We were surprised that people were that close to the line."

SURPRISED? Where the hell has the Canadian Payroll Association(CPA), and Patrick Culhane been for the last 20+ years? If they were anywhere near reality, they'd know that lots of people work part-time like I used to. I worked part-time 24-hours maximum per week. Wasn't by choice. The former company refused to give me more hours and full-time work and try as I might I couldn't get a second job. Trust me nobody and I do mean NOBODY wanted to help. Nobody and I do mean NOBODY gave a damn!(I could tell you stories that would make you cry if you knew how I really lived then).

Many others are in the same situation I was in. It's hard to survive on two part-time jobs paying minimum wage let alone with one minimum-wage job or no matter the pay it's very tough to survive on part-time work. Even with small wage increases the work was still part-time so I was still behind on bills and using the extra wage money to pay those bills(meaning can't put it in the bank). I finally got full-time(recently)when the former company was sold and the new owners(THANK GOD!)gave me full-time work with lots more hours so I can live like a human being again. For the first time in 22 years I have money in my wallet from one pay to the next(I get paid weekly). And putting money away into my credit union is much easier now.

Others aren't as fortunate as I am and I do get paid well(not saying how much) though when I started in my job I was making $4.35 an hour(but that was 22 years ago).

Though I'm truly grateful for the new company giving me full-time work, I'm still catching up on bills I was behind on(due to working part-time and unable to get a second job). Money I'm paying on bills that should have been paid long ago and that money(for the previous bills) which I wish was in my savings account instead. You can't save money for a rainy day when you're paying overdue bills along with the new bills.

As I said many people are in the same situation. Yes MANY so I find it very odd that The Canadian Payroll Association never bothered asking any people why they live paycheque to paycheque. If they did they'd get very similar stories to mine. And then they wouldn't be in shock. Seems to me Mr. Culhane needs to get out more amongst the real people and ask them himself. So then he'll have a better understanding of why people can't save for retirement.

The Veronicas in Concert

Better late than never as the saying goes. These pictures were on my old phone(which I finally got fixed).

From this past July when I was at Circa when twin sisters Jessica(the blonde)and Lisa(the brunette)Origliasso were in concert. Great show! I enjoyed it! The young ladies sure have lots of energy!Jess and Lisa's band name, The Veronicas.



(all photos by me, J.B. Granich).

Neglect No Surprise to Me

Though the circumstances are different, this story(http://www.torontosun.com/news/torontoandgta/2009/09/13/10867316-sun.html) about the Toronto Humane Society(THS) neglecting animals doesn't surprise me.

In the late 1990s I briefly lived in T.O.(near Rogers & Keele)with my aunt and uncle.
There was a hurt pigeon in the backyard. Being a Saturday I had a hell of a time finding a real live person to talk to at THS. By the time I actually spoke to a human, and gave the address the woman told me someone would be there "shortly".

Shortly? 1-hour passed by. And then 2-hours. 5-hours later no one from the THS bothered to show up. In the meantime I kept trying to call them again but kept getting a recording and no more live human beings to talk to. I slept over at my aunt & uncle's and Sunday morning thinking things would be taken care of by now. Boy was I wrong!

I even informed some local media(which shall remain nameless)and they didn't believe me that the Toronto Humane Society could be that uncruel, that uncaring by not sending anyone over after I was told they(THS)would send someone over "shortly." Pity! If the media would have reported then what I told them maybe we could have put a stop to THS neglect back then.

That poor pigeon was neglected and left to die because no one from the Toronto Humane Society wanted to show up to help. I was promised, yes PROMISED someone would be sent. If that isn't neglect on the part of THS then what the hell do you call it?

Mr. Bean at Library

Mr. Bean is one of my all-time fave TV shows. Very funny. Here he's in the library.

Remembering September 11, 2001