Steve Jobs has passed away – May he Rest In Peace.

Apple chairman and co-founder, Steve Jobs, who pioneered the personal computer; changing the way we used and interacted with the PC, died today. He was a visionary and great innovator. He will be greatly missed by everyone. May he rest in peace! At 56 years old, he is survived by his wife, Laurene, and four children.

• Remember Steve at http://www.apple.com/stevejobs/
• TEDs Talk by Steve Jobs: How to live before you die

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10 Essential iPad Tips & Tricks

With the release of the Apple iPad I found this link, which I thought would be quite useful to everyone!

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Any idiot can use an iPad at a basic level. It’s designed that way. But even still, there are things that you’re just supposed to magically know—things no one ever necessarily tells you. So we’re here to help.

http://gizmodo.com/5508399/10-essential-ipad-tips–tricks

Enjoying the benefits! Now pay the price!

Canadian Box Stores

Canadians wake up! We are loosing jobs and manufacturing jobs. However, we have more and more box stores. We want cheaper goods and prices. How do you think that happens? We are enjoying the “fat” of life. A life of gluttony. However, there is a disconnect. Those jobs are now overseas and the goods are shipped back for our consumption. How long can that go on? During this economic crisis it is time for us to look into the mirror. Do we want a sustainable economy? Do we want to leave a country for our children? Will we look to the future or destroy it with our greed. The banks did not cause this mess, we did. We are a greedy lot in North America. We consume without thinking for tomorrow. Our aboriginal peoples are right. We MUST LIVE IN BALANCE WITH NATURE. This is not a new age philosophy. It is life! it goes beyond religious ties. If we do not take care of Canada we will lose it.

Andy MJ
a.k.a The G.T.A Patriot

What is:

Sustainable development is a pattern of resource use that aims to meet human needs while preserving the environment so that these needs can be met not only in the present, but in the indefinite future. The term was used by the Brundtland Commission which coined what has become the most often-quoted definition of sustainable development as development that “meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”^[1]

Sustainable development ties together concern for the carrying capacity of natural systems with the social challenges facing humanity. As early as the 1970s “sustainability” was employed to describe an economy “in equilibrium with basic ecological support systems” (Stivers, 1976: 187)^[2]. Ecologists have pointed to the “limits of growth” (Meadows, Meadows, Randers, & Behrens, 1971)^[3] and presented the alternative of a “steady state economy” (Daly, 1973, 1991)^[4] in order to address environmental concerns.

The field of sustainable development can be conceptually broken into three constituent parts: environmental sustainability, economic sustainability and sociopolitical sustainability.

Why you should not ignore Jack! Is it time for a new vision for Canada?

Maybe its time for change? Maybe its time for a new Prime Minister? We like to think the Tories are the best for managing deficits, however, Ronald Reagan, Brian Mulroney, Mike Harris (Ernie Eves), George Bush and now maybe Harper, will show us that maybe those ideologies just do not work? The Conservatives say that our fundamentals are sound. However, who are they fooling. They are not true Libertarians. There own platforms calls for an approx 1-2 % growth. Economist say that this is highly optimistic, if not deceptive. With the U.S slowdown it is more likely to be a 1-2 % downward turn. That amounts to, in a recent broadcast on CBC Newsworld of a 3.3 billion dollar shortfall. Hmmm! Sounds familiar? Remember Ernie Eves? Yes, Ontario was left with a large deficit, even though our “fundamentals were sound” in Ontario. Makes me wonder, what are the Conservatives going to cut in order to balance the books? Will there be some form of privatization of Healthcare or key Government corporations? Read more below from a recent National Post article on Jack Layton. It maybe time for Canadians to give the guy a chance.  By: Isaac Thomas / G.T.A Patriot Contributor

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By: John Ivison, National Post
Published: Monday, September 29, 2008

Jack Layton

Jack Layton has never really been taken seriously. Beyond the fiercely partisan types who crowded into a community centre just off Danforth Avenue yesterday, the NDP leader has always been regarded as a harmless buffoon — a man so smug, he’d drink his own bathwater. Jack — let’s call him Jack — has always said outrageous things and nobody has paid too much attention to this point.

But perhaps it’s time people actually started listening.

The NDP leader unveiled his party’s platform yesterday in front of a boisterous crowd in his own riding. It was a virtuoso performance.

“Friends, I sense a real excitement out there. A sense of hope that this time, in this election, we can really make a difference,” he said.

“And maybe we can even make a little history.”

If current polling trends continue, he could do just that, by taking possession of the keys to Stornoway, the residence of the leader of the Official Opposition. The NDP started the campaign as much as 19 points behind the Liberals — some polls now put them in a statistical tie.

On the surface, much of the New Democrat platform will seem appealing to many Canadians — families would receive an enhanced child benefit payment of up to $400 a month; billions would be spent on affordable housing; students would be given a $1,000-a-year grant; more doctors would be hired and their loans forgiven if they work in family medicine; and everyone would get an extra day off work in February. Unlike in days of yore, this would not mean plunging the country into deficit. Budgets would be balanced and personal income taxes would be held steady.

In short, Jack made a convincing case that if he became prime minister, we could trust him to spend our money wisely. There he is in his campaign literature, sleeves rolled up, in the living rooms of the hard-pressed Canadian families helping them make ends meet. No wonder he’s flying high in the polls — he’s identified real problems, real issues and promised real solutions.

Read more

EU-Canada Free Trade Could Change U.S.-Canada Relations

Canada is moving toward a far-reaching free trade agreement with the European Union that advocates say will end a long-standing dependency on the U.S. market.

While the specifics of the agreement haven’t been discussed, Canadian and European officials could begin negotiating as soon as October 17, just three days after Canada’s federal election.

Canada’s Trade Minister, Michael Fortier and his staff have been in talks with EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson and European government officials for the past two months. Recently a senior EU official involved said the talks aimed at starting “deep economic integration negotiations,” reported the Globe and Mail.

If the deal goes ahead, Canada would be the first developed country outside the EU to have the kind of access to those markets normally reserved for EU members.

“Its one of the best things we could do, the best thing we could do for our country,” said Jason Langrish, executive director of the Canada Europe Roundtable, a group working to promote Canada-Europe trade.

While critics of NAFTA, the free trade agreement Canada already has with the U.S., may denounce the agreement as only furthering the interests of large corporations, Langrish said that opposition will likely be less than there was to NAFTA.

“This is a very good way for us to offset our relationship with the U.S.”

Langrish said deeper integration with the EU would give Canadian exporters running into trouble with American protectionism another option. He said Canada often comes to the trade table with the U.S. with a weak hand because American officials know Canada has nowhere else to go.

He adds that we would be dealing with an economic block that has the same social and cultural values as Canada, such as state-funded healthcare.

Langrish also said it would give Canada a technological leg-up because we would get Europe’s green technology.

That could include tidal energy and wind technology, as well as public transport.

read more | digg story

URGENT NEWS! Viva Strike is back on for York Region…

 

YRT - VIVA BRT Strike

I am listening to the news and it seems that the VIVA strike is back on for tomorrow morning @ 4AM. There has definately been a break down somewhere down the line. The news is on CFRB and 680News at the moment. The information below is from 680news. Make alternative plans now!

Note: This does not affect YRT buses, however there is no way that they can handle the load, so the contracted TTC buses and GO Transit may become good alternatives. I will try to post information about alternatives a bit later. 

Update: You can arrange a lift through Carpool Zone or to call the YRT/Viva Customer Service Centre, at 1-866-668-3978. Extra customer service agents would-be available on the phone and at the main service centres.

http://www.680news.com/more.jsp?content=20080924_194001_11804

Opinion: I am starting to wonder, is it is time for Metrolinx to take over ALL transit services in the G.T.A (the Greater Toronto Area) and make it an “essential service”? Or is this a rejection of ATU Local 113 and Bob Kinnear?

http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Politics/2008/04/26/5395786-cp.html

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20080418/transit_strike_080418/20080418?hub=TopStories

http://www.cfib.ca/legis/ontario/pdf/on0375.pdf