Vacation rentals – made difficult

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I like to spend the winters in a warmer climate. Winter meaning from November until and including the end of April. This would be six months out of country. For the past (almost fifty years) I try to find some vacation rental using the Internet – for one person. Not for one dozen people, or like most of them “sleeps 12 or 14”, or at least “sleeps 4”. What do I do with some strangers sleeping in the same room with me if I like to actually travel alone by myself ?
Mostly I try to find something like a “studio for one person” – which in itself implies something small. What do I get instead ? “sleeps 5-6, or more”. Silly !
If, however, you Google “vacation rental wanted for one single person”.
You guessed it ! You get “singles, mingles, bimbo stuff”.  Stereotype BS !

I know, I can also go via other web sites which offer exclusively vacation rentals for single persons. But again, the connotation is not “like to rent a small little apartment or studio, for myself”. No, the connotation again gives me the other kind of people that I try to avoid. Mostly I ended up finding something – expensive, but it is difficult. Why ? Because the entire commercial business end of the Internet is stereotyped.

NSA, KGB, Stasi – in Germany

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Spy activities in Germany. By the NSA. Well, in fact the NSA [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Security_Agency ] is collecting and monitoring all sorts of intelligence from private and corporate sectors, or from governments – home and foreign – for all sorts of purposes. For cross-purposes there are also the KGB (Komitet gosudarstvennoy bezopasnosti (Russian: Комитет государственной безопасности (КГБ)) and Stasi (German’s Staatssicherheit), both old (after WWII and operating during the cold war) entities of which the Stasi is not operational any more. During the 1980s the NSA also uncovered American spy activity perpetrated by their own, for the KGB and the Stasi, in Germany.

[Unter anderem, der Schatz vom Teufelsberg; in der Spiegel Januar 2014.] Teufelsberg, Berlin. [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teufelsberg ] where the NSA had been operational during the 1980s and employed a military analyst who then turned coat and spied for the KGB and for the Stasi.

Was haben wir hier ? eine grosse Aufregung unter den Deutschen ? That among others the NSA operates in Germany, where most Germans – and in particular the government – live under the perception that the United States are a friend of Germany. Looking at it from the other side of the coin, Germany likes to be a friend of the United States of America, after the war – that is WWII. Sounds to me like the story about the dog that gets kicked and then licks his master’s hands.

Mr. ‘Highlightly’ mal-adware

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“The Highlightly adware infection is designed specifically to make money. It generates web traffic, collects sales leads for other dubious sites, and will display advertisements and sponsored links within your web browser.
Highlightly it’s technically not a virus, but it does exhibit plenty of malicious traits, such as rootkit capabilities to hook deep into the operating system, browser hijacking, and in general just interfering with the user experience. The industry generally refers to it as a “PUP,” or potentially unwanted program.”

Basically stuff like this does not bother me a lot, nor do I pay any attention to it. But paying attention to it is just the point for whoever comes up with that type of dumb advertising strategy. Like “Ow, I cannot sell anything, my business is going broke, unless I dig deep into all those other Internet users’ systems to stick some virus into their operating system.” Did they order anything ? I do not think so. People order and buy what they want, but not what somebody tells them they want.

Retail business and restaurant business are the worst businesses to be in, unless an owner/operator of such type of business is very good and gets their business going and flourishing based on actually coming up with something new and special. But not some dumb stuff like that ‘highlightly virus’ thing which infects the entire Internet experience. Like for example some real dumb ass walking in the street with a big baton and hitting pedestrians on their head with the slogan: “Buy my stuff.” Who cares about your stuff, stuff it up yours.

TransCanada and Keystone XL

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[ http://www.ec.ca/news/politics/keystone-xl-letter-from-canada-vows-ghg-emissions-cuts-1.2559585 ] – Globe & Mail Wed, March 5, 2014 on CANADA WRITES U.S. TO PUSH KEYSTONE.

Emissions cuts. Good one. What does a company like TransCanada knows about cuts to any pollution, or control and regulation of any dangerous pollution to humans ? or, in fact, how to treat their own employees humanely ?

Turn back the clock to the 1980s when this company still operated under the name TransCanada Pipelines/TCPL. The way I know this company is as a former employee, working as IT professional in their computer systems department. How else I know this company ? Through their irregular, asocial and inhumane tactics of treating their employees. Sending down from their Toronto Headquarters an ‘Enforcer’. To deal with most of us professionals following TCPL’s takeover of Maligne Resources, Calgary.

You think, this is so long ago that nobody should care about this anymore ? I do not think so. As the unprofessional way that employees got laid off has had resounding effects to their future lives. Financially and health wise. Because — during the 1980s TransCanada’s policy also included the permission of chain smoking inside the work place. And now with their fancy pipeline project, they dare to even mention the word emissions control.

What would interest me is, if there is anybody still alive who during that time was my co-worker, also exposed to 24/7 cigarette smoking by others close-by in those big open cubicle type work places ?

NOTE. On May 15, 2003, TransCanada Corporation received regulatory approvals to establish it as the parent company of TransCanada PipeLines Limited. Shareholders voted in favour of the change to the corporate structure of the company at the Annual and Special Meeting on April 25. For background on this issue, please see the letter to shareholders and Q&As from Board of Directors’ chairman, Dick Haskayne and chief executive officer, Hal Kvisle, as well as information included in the Management Proxy Circular.

Unions – Teachers – Strikes

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[ http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/bc-teachers-to-take-strike-vote-in-early-march/article17085231/ ]

They are at it again. Impending teachers’ strike actions are threats against – not only the tax-paying public at large – but mainly against the children, who are again forced to teach themselves. Bargaining for more money (coming from tax payers) and for smaller class sizes (impossible with more and more children, and less and less buildings), is a threat and should be taken seriously. 

We as data processing and IT professionals had to work 24/7, and if under contracts often did not get paid for the full number of hours we put in. Did we strike ? Not very likely, given the circumstances: “If you do not work your full shift, you are out.”

What’s the problem with the teachers ? Why did they become teachers, knowing that they are on initially fixed pay, and knowing about the class sizes ? Also knowing that as a teacher you have a union standing behind you, you can strike, lay down your work, and sit down at ‘bargaining tables’. You also know, that you get a lengthy vacation (flying anywhere in summer, most of the seats in air planes are occupied by teachers), and best of all, that you can retire early on your pension. While we have to work till after complete ‘burn out’, and mostly do not get any pension. So, as a teacher, if you do not like being a teacher, but enjoy endless rounds of unionized bargaining and even strike actions, wouldn’t it be advisable to have a different occupation ? And find out, how hard we all have to work.

Google Gmail & Adware/Malware

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[ http://www.brw.com.au/p/marketing/keeping_tabs_what_gmail_tabbed_in_4aPu7rRpPkefG3j6ad9sPI ]

Using Google e-mail (Gmail) also means to be aware of a multitude of cyber attacks within private mail server services. Of course, one can always download adware blockers (in Gmail), which sometimes means nothing. Can be overriden. These commercial ads inside my mail (either when sending a private message, or when pressing SEND button (to review what I had sent)), take up an entire page. Commercial advertising via Television, or Radio or other media is OK, as businesses pay more for using those media. But crawling around inside a personal message that I sent to my family is irritating and unprofessional. It is widely known that nobody buys any product from those ‘cyber attackers’. Such type of malware/adware attack within a mail service (even if it offered free, such as Google’s Gmail) is based on criminal organized crime syndicate behaviour. Not only this, who wants to buy anything from those ??

Should I see any of this, I take note and add that particular business or company to my own personal BLACKLIST. I am certain of this: So do other Gmail users.

Condominium ownership versus Rental

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Considerations on living options in the light of high real estate ownership. When faced with fixed income and no cash flow to speak of, nor any amassed riches. There are options to ownership: From my own experience, condominium ownership is the worst of those. Not only is an owner (in such a commercial entity) responsible for maintaining their own unit (inside walls, flooring, ceiling, doors, windows, appliances, fixed furniture, plumbing and electrical repairs), but as owner is also responsible for paying large amounts to maintain a more or less big building in which an owners’ unit is housed. The larger the building, the more expensive the repairs to the building (that is the common or shared portions of any unit holder, such as hallways, walls, outside walls, grounds, underground services and all electrical, plumbing and mechanical systems).

Throw in for measure an outside contracted property management company (who may, or may not be corrupt). And some sort of ‘consortium’ that actually runs that building. As an owner in such a condo corporation, there is no control of what is being done with a unit holders’ money. And that money must be paid as a monthly fee. Comes a big repair, an extra levy is raised.

RENTING comes to mind: The money spent on that monthly fee and on extra levied fees can be saved towards monthly rental cost. So can property taxes. On an average I would say depending on the age of building and location a monthly condo fee can amount to a minimum of $400. Rental costs in even expensive areas can vary from monthly $1,000 to over $2,000. Lets say, I can afford $1,200 a month. Deduct $500 (condo ownership and property tax), leaves me with $700. In my case I have spent $35,000 in five years for repairs to my condo and improvements. In the best case, I add an extra cost of monthly $200 for regular maintenance of my condo, that would leave me with a balance for monthly rent of only $500. Home insurance is the same for both options.

But no more nightmare, no worries, no hard construction work. Answer is clear: RENT ! Go travel, and use your money.

Banks and your money

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We all know that the Banks own our money. Else they would not reside in big ‘crystal fairy-tale’ palaces. You think – according to your statements – that you own a certain amount of money safely tugged away in some Bank. Not so.

Try this: Walk into your Bank and ask for all of your money (let’s say you have over 30,000 in your account) in cash. Big suitcase full of cash. Cannot be done. Although you paid cash (your hard earned money) to put into that Bank for safe keeping.

Of course, if funds are tied up in some fixed-term interest bearing instrument, then you cannot just ask for its return. But let’s assume, the money just sits somewhere and according to the Bank’s promises is accessible to you.

Case in point: I am on my death bed in hospital and I intend to not leave any money behind. I ask a hospital official to get the necessary papers (from my Bank) for me to sign, and others to counter sign and witness , requesting all of my funds to receive IN CASH and bring back to my hospital bed. Intent, to safely burn all that money.

I assure you, I won’t succeed. There will be a hundred thousand reasons quoted by that Bank to hold on to my money. Of course, one can always keep one’s money in cash under the mattress. Just be sure there is no break and enter event or a fire burning it all down.

But as it is, the money sits in some Bank, earns a low interest (for the Banks to use and invest at higher rates for themselves), and adding to your required income tax bills.