me-blogging-the-dog

REAL VOTING...

Mon, 27 Jan 2014 07:40:31 +0100

     I was talking to the mothership crew the other day and before long they got into another one of their long winded spiels. This time it was about voting. Now apparently according to them, who you vote for in the elections has no bearing what so ever on the real world. The reason for this is all the candidates work for the same "company" so to speak. They are all on the same side. All you are doing is voting for the "companies" figure head or CEO in a sense. This all seemed dumb to me but they like to blather on so I let them. Apparently politics are set up to keep everyone's eye on the "bouncing ball" and not their wallet or bank accounts. This is how they get away with stealing from people using tricks like inflation etc.
     They then went on to say that most people don't know it but "real world change" is done with dollar votes not protests. Every person, at least in North America anyway votes every time they spend a dime. What they buy is where their vote goes. When people buy cheap chemical laden and GMO food for their kids they are voting in favor of those foods. Thus the companies making those foods get richer… pennies at a time. This they said is not that big a deal it is just the way it is. It is actually win/win. You get cheap food and the companies making the food get to experiment on you and your kids with that food. This is a small price to pay especially if you are saving up for a big screen TV or something.
     According to the mothership dollar votes are the ultimate democratic system where the majority always wins. If someone does not like landfills then all they have to do is quit buying cheap junk that breaks. They stressed to me that the power of dollar voting is incredible. So much so that even the government does not want you to know about it. They don't want you to know that you hold ALL the power. This is why they strive to keep you distracted with politics. They actually want people to get all caught up in the "political" issues that they “stage”.
     They told me that dollar voting is really easy. All you have to do is remember that every dollar you spend is a vote in favor of where you are spending it. Thus before you spend your hard earned cash think about your purchase, whatever it is. Ask yourself if it is really what you believe in. If not stash your cash and walk away. Doing this is real voting. You have the power!
      They told me that people have often disowned their friends over political arguments. Arguments that were based on politicians saying things they never intended to do I the first place. Election promises are just lies made up to get votes. This happens over and over and yet most don't see it. Then they asked me if I seriously thought those low paid politicians are going to stop huge mega billion dollar companies from giving people what the people want at any expense? Not likely. They also asked me about the drug war… how are they doing with that one? I had to agree as I had read that since the drug war started drug consumption is up 900%. That is a big enough increase to make Coca Cola bribe the government into banning their products also!
     They said that real election campaigns apparently take place when we shop. The battle is not between politicians but companies that sell products. Nonsanto verses Natures Hay… They were also quick to point out that all my clothing "votes" went to China. It was actually true but that is all you can find in stores these days. They told me the reason for that is because everyone votes for "cheaper" and cheaper now comes from China. They also told me that when I did that I was actually voting for higher unemployment here in Canada and lower in China. Once the majority of the clothing votes went to China so did the jobs making those clothes. This really sucks because it dumps the problem back on my shoulders. Hell I thought I was innocent and had nothing to do with unemployment in this country!
     When I thought about what they said it started to make sense. Another area they noticed is the food we have been buying. A lot of what we have been buying lately is organic or non GMO. We did this not because we are worried about our health as much as we just wanted to look cool and trendy in the stores line up. It was also not our intention to be "voting" as they say. Just the same voting we were if I listen to them.
          Just when I thought they were finally done they pointed out some more interesting stuff. They said that if even half the people who wasted time and money protesting oil pipe lines got a job and spent the money on a bicycle or electric car they would really be doing something. According to them though, it is easier for most people to just be protesters demanding other people to change when they themselves won't. Actually government and big companies want this. Just like famous actors they know that any exposure is good exposure. The trouble with protesting though, is to do it you give away your power to someone else's actions. This is because the change you desire depends on the other person. A lot of people try this though which is why there is so much strife and fighting in the world. No human likes to be told what to do and often does the opposite of what they are told. Governments and drug dealers know this which is why the drug war was started in the first place. They had a point… after all I have wanted an electric car for years… My accountant told me that if I stopped buying all those double shot caramel chocolate and whipped cream latte's, saved that money in a bank, after so many years...I fell asleep at that point so not sure what he was getting at. Just the same I have not been able to afford to buy an electric car mostly because I can't figure out where to get the money from.
     I was surprised though that they were kind enough to point out some other interesting stuff. They said most people buying cheap imported clothes did not realize at the time they were voting for higher unemployment here in this country. It is just how it works. They saved big money buying those clothes and by doing that shipped all those jobs overseas. Now only a few years later they are spending all that saved money on food and housing for their 30 year old son who can't find a job. They finally get fed up and demand that the government creates more jobs. The trouble is they told me is that the government cannot create jobs by building wagon wheel factories! The "voters" don't want wagon wheels or expensive iPhones either. The power all goes back to the dollar voter! This is why more money gets spent on high tech advertising telling you what to should want than ever gets spent on elections. They reminded me that big money can only get big when a lot of small money is willing to give big money their cash!! That, they said, is a point that even "big money" forgets. Rock stars never forget this though. To them every buying fan is their hero and they often treat them that way.
     The best part about all this is it puts the power back into your hands. If you don't like the choices you just don't "vote" so to speak. They said if most people stopped for a bit to think about what they were buying they would not buy it. You can't do that in normal elections. They may all be bums but you have to pick one! They also pointed out that most people who "dollar vote" spend a lot less money stupidly and thus are not as likely to end up slaves to banks and credit card companies. After all do you really need that iskia shelf that will probably break during assembly, if not on the way home from the store?
     They then reminded me of another situation in my life. A few of the chocolate bar companies shaved a few grams off each of their chocolate bars recently… same great price but smaller size! Being an avid sugar fan it made me mad as hell. This was partially because it was plain outright theft from their customers. The trouble is I never said anything and just kept buying them. Every time I did I never realized that I was voting in favor of the smaller size and same great price. They told me that I was just being lazy and complacent and going with the easy flow like everyone else. Not any longer though…. I bought a sack of sugar and am now going to make my own dam chocolate bars!! Which, finally gets to my main point, I am trying to get at here with this post…. Does anyone know any good chocolate bar recipes!! Especially ones with peanut butter! If so let me know ASAP. I am never picking up the soap… I mean “voting” for Cadbury or Nielson’s again!!!

WHO CUT THE CHEESE???

Thu, 30 May 2013 23:16:11 +0100

     You know mankind is pretty strange overall for a lot of reasons. One of the reasons I find particularly interesting is our ability to cut things. It is incredible. We can cut anything. You name it and we can cut it. We have lasers that can cut the wings off a fly or thick plate steel, scissors for paper, knives for butter, knives for meat, knives for bread, hand saws for wood, hand saws for steel, hand saws for glass, electric saws for wood, electric saws for steel, electric saws for glass, power saws for cutting trees down, power saws for trimming tree branches, grinders for cutting steel or wood, plasma cutters for cutting every kind of steel, we can even use water to cut hard things like glass and steel. It is incredible how far we have come from the days of sharpened stones tied to sticks. Hell we even have tools that can cut part way through the surface of our bloody eyes for Pete's sake!! The list of what we can cut Is unreal. In fact we often have a lot of different ways we can cut the same material. New ways to cut things are always coming on the market, New, improved and far better ways to cut stuff. When it comes to cutting we seemed to have reached the pinnacle of greatness. Sure as of yet we cannot cut our enemy's in half from a distance but even that is not far off.

     Yet in the midst of all this cutting greatness we still can't "cut the cheese" Now I am not talking about the normal use of this term but the actual literal meaning instead. Why the hell is it that we still can't cut cheese in varying thin slices like we want in the comfort of our own home all for only $19.95? We all seem to eat a lot of cheese and thus everyone one in North America could use one. Yet still after all these years of perfecting the art of cutting no one has invented one decent, easy to use, easy to clean way to cut the cheese!!! WTF???

     Why can't NASA take a little breather from their big shot Mars mission and come up with something that will really benefit mankind, A decent and easy way to cut cheese? With their budgets how hard could that be? Now if you remember there used to be, and likely still is, those landfill-fillers made out of marble that were about as useless as using a chainsaw. Sure they cut a few times but before long the little wire broke and off it trotted to the landfill. Hardly anyone I know has not thrown at least one of them out during their lifetime. Yes we can cut diamonds as easy as we cut bread yet still can't come up with something to cut a little piece of cheese into thin slices.

     Think of the advantages to being able to cut cheese. First and most obvious is the fact you could likely get more mileage out of your block of cheese. Second you could save your counter top after all who drags out the cutting board every time. Then best of all you could save time. Think of it… plop the block of cheese on the gizmo, close the lid, push the button and then lift the lid up. Viola cheese all cut in slices neat and tidy. Not to mention saving your fingers… ever cut yourself cutting cheese? I have seen it happen more than once myself. Plus think of the ease of prepping a meal. Pop a slice of bread on the plate, swipe on some butter, mayo, a thin slice of cheese, some honey and garlic and viola sandwich done!!

     Now who knows maybe decent cheese slicers has been invented already and the inventors are rotting away in some shallow grave out back of some dairy farm or something. I guess it's possible and a great story if you are into conspiracies. If not what other excuse could there be? I tell you one thing if you could invent one and get it onto the market before anyone found out you could be rich enough to afford the security you might need. Not only that but millions of people would be thankful for what you had done. Mother Teresa statues across the world would be replaced with statues of you. People would start switching off the NASA channel and moving over to your infomercials!! People would form groups to worship you for all you had selflessly done for mankind. You would be every grilled cheese sandwich kid's idol. The fame and glory would be incredible. Good luck though as it seems flying to Marz is a hell of a lot easier. Anyway if you do invent one let me know and I would buy one for sure…. If I won the lottery or not!!!

     Oh and if for some strange reason you know about one that is built to last at least fifty years or more I would love to hear about it. It has to be built to last as I am no longer the avid supporter of landfills like I used to be. Sure Iskea may hate me but my bank account sure doesn't!!

Christmas... Red Velvet Bug Gut Cake

Thu, 27 Dec 2012 02:21:28 +0100

     Yes good ole Red Velvet Cake made with fresh bug guts. Who woulda thunk. Which is why I wished the food companies did not have to list the ingredients on stuff they sell us. Someone has to fight that ruling. You see it all would have been fine had not Marta been so dang persistent to find out what this one mystery ingredient was on the list…. COCHINEAL. I told her who cares what it is after all it says it's natural so it must be OK. If the President chose it then it is fine for me. Well Marta being as stubborn as she is hits the beast and before long has found out what it is…. Bug guts… OK maybe not just the guts as they are kind small and would be hard to separate. No just 100% pure ground bug... or insects, if you prefer that term instead. Fascinating little critters I might add but insects just the same. Apparently they make the coolest blood red dye and even though it takes a bazillion of them what the hell.

     Now I realize that we should all just shut up and eat whats put in front of us after all there are starving people in Biafra, if I am remembering correctly what my Dad used to always say. At the same time though if I also remember, listing ingredients on food boxes was so we could make choices ourselves about what foods we want to eat. Now at least they did list this strange name on the box and called it natural. I am sure if they would have called it "little insects" it would not have looked near as good. Not to mention they would have lost a lot of sales to vegans and other picky eater types.

     I have since wondered was it really the presidents choice to eat bugs? Maybe so but I am not sure I am comfortable with that myself. Not that eating bugs is bad. Hell lots of people eat bugs in different parts of the world. Apparently nothing beats a plate of fresh picked grubs hot off the rotting log. Who cares if they ate all or just part of the bug, it's still a bug. If they like it then great. It is kind of like the ole 100% beef gig… I would often ask people what part of the hundred percent beef are you eating? I have always found that kind of strange. What makes one part of anything more gross than another? Excluding a few obvious areas like hair and hide etc. After all shez all pretty well meat, 100% dead animal.

     Now even though I am vegetarian and have been for nearly thirty years I am aware that some people don't do well on that kind of diet. I was just one of the ones that did hugely better, thus it stuck with me. My staple in life was double patty cheese burgers. I loved them and ate them every day at least once. That was up until I quit them and found my energy skyrocketed two weeks later! They may have been good but not near as good as all that extra energy tasted and felt!! I have to admit it was fun finding that out myself and not having the government stuffing it down my throat. After all I like to make my choices myself which I agree does not go well with the government whom loves everyone to be and do what they say. For now though and until they pass a law stating otherwise I think I will pass on the bug gut… I mean Red Velvet Cake. No matter how sexy that "red velvet" sounds…

     I recently found another example of this in some juice I used to buy. Not sure what it was but it had some kind of Omega 3 or 9 or something in it… Code word for "oil of fish guts" No one would even think of drinking fresh grape juice that was steeped in 'oil of fish guts" thus the cleaner sounding name…. Omega 3 or whatever. Now I realize fish plants got a lot of guts to dispose of and if there is a way they can turn all that waste into money then good for them and the share holders. Just hire some unemployed scientist to come up with a nicer name and some quick research and we are talking good money. Plus on top of making good cents it sure saves the landfills. Apparently a lot of big companies seem to think human mouths are as good as landfills. Which in truth they may just have a point there. After all humans are kind of like high speed composters in a sense. If we started taking stuff that was hard to dispose of and ground it up fine, gave it a nice sounding name, called it nutritious and then put it in our food the disposal problem would be solved.

     Well for me though I think I will pass, while I can, on the fresh picked fishy grape juice, sexy velvet bug cake and pig gene tomatoes. Instead a tastier idea might just be to buy some shares in those companies... after all apparently there's a sucker born every minute...

The Lost and The Locked are now...

Sat, 01 Dec 2012 06:34:24 +0100

     Hey if you like cool vintage finds with an industrial twist here is a real score. The Found & The Freed. They are in the old Hamilton building on the corner of Powell and Victoria drive. We just stumbled across them awhile back. In fact they are just down the street from us. Marta and I were out one day just going for a walk to get some candy bars for breakfast the next day when we spotted the place. She said we should go in but I took one look and noticed they had a lot of junk similar to what I have in my studio. "Weirdo's" I thought after all my Dad always told me to never trust anyone who did what I did. Just the same she conned me into going in. Now I admit I did make sure I kept my back to the exit door just in case. After all you can never be too careful with people selling this kind of stuff. Before long though I was drooling over all the cool scores they had in there! What a cool place.

     On top of being a really cool place the two owners, Ainsley and Lindsay, seemed very nice and friendly. A couple of real dynamo's in fact and with incredibly good taste and style. Now I am not talking here about Wally's Mart or Iskea tastes that have made Vancouver design what it is today but real taste. We are talking about classic vintage pieces covered in a patina that only time and use can reproduce. Pieces that will outlast you and are as much an investment as anything.

     Now I admit if you are rich and can afford to shop at Wally's Mart or Iskea then fine you may want to stick to them. After all it is only the rich that can truly afford to buy that cheap junk. Mostly because six months later you will be throwing it in the landfill and having to buy it again. Unfortunately most lower income people don't realize the folly and expense of buying that cheap stuff. Not that big a deal though as I guess landfills gotta eat too.

     Well after weeks of "window stalking" their joint I finally spotted some cool cabinets they had... in fact exactly like the ones I had been looking for. Eventually I started even dreaming about those cabinets but on my "feast or famine" artist lifestyle it was obvious that I could probably not afford them. One day when walking by I noticed they were open so dashed in to check them out in further detail. Well after after a little haggling, hair pulling, eye scratching and lying we managed to work out a deal on them. In a flash I went from looking to longing to lugging them home.

     They are likely sixty years old or more and still work like day one. This in incredible considering if you are not careful with most new ones today will get damaged or broken on the way home from the store. Not a big deal if you buy the extended warranty or are rich like I said earlier but of course I ain't... at least this week anyway..

     Here are the three gems I scored. Maybe not that much good for some people but absolutely perfect for what I need. I have similar ones here already that are incredible. They have each drawer loaded with well over a hundred pounds of steel bits and yet open and close like butter. It is almost hard to believe. Modern marketing has learned that if you call cheap junk good quality enough times people will start to believe it is true even if it is not the case. Eventually though people figure out that junk is junk no matter what the add says.

     Buying vintage is truly "going green" at the same time being a great investment. A lot of modern stuff is designed to be "green" by making it smaller and more compact to ship. This saves fuel costs when shipping the item which seems like a good thing. The bigger question is how long will the item last. Often not that long. In fact nothing is more common in Vancouver dumpsters than a broken Iskea wood "by-product" also known as the "urkzya" coffee table or the "kilzya" chair. Stuff that lasts only six months to a year or so does not make it green no matter how cheap it was to ship. Black is black no matter what. I don't care what some slick marketer prints on the bag it ain't "green"

     Now I realize that we have made landfills a big part of our life and in fact even more so as we get suckered into buying junk designed to fail sooner than later. Eventually though as more people start to see through this and start buying stuff that lasts over stuff that is trendy things will change. Sure it is a crime and if manufacturer's were held responsible then maybe they would be a little more conscious but don't hold your breath on that one. Besides we humans do get bored easily and need to be kept busy making things or we end up wanting to kill each other out of boredom. Just the same that does not mean you have to follow the herd when you can be having a riot hunting down cool and rare originals for you private use, collection and investment!!!. .

     The nice thing about buying classic vintage stuff like they sell is the fact that it will very likely never see the landfill. Not only that but after you step beyond the great divide your kids will be thanking you for leaving them these valuable historic gems. Which will be far better than cursing you for buying so much disposable landfill junk that they have to deal with. After all most used cheap furniture is like old half used cans of paint... everyone's disposal nightmare. Especially since dumping them over some bank on government land is no longer politically correct or socially acceptable.

     There are a few reasons to be shopping there... first it is win/win. You win by showing you have good taste that goes beyond the herd at the same time making an investment in North American history that you could profit from. Then later on your descendants win by having vintage junk they could sell for a fortune not to mention having a little less landfill to deal with. On top of that and in case you have not heard vintage industrial is one of the hottest trends in New York city right now... at least according to the mothership who have telling me for ages to buy up all the vintage industrial I can. That being the case it will be a long time before this, hard to find junk, will go down in price. When buying vintage stuff you have to be a little careful. Often we look at the price and compare it to off the shelf imported junk which is not really fair. You see if you matched prices on vintage stuff to something of the same quality today (and it can be found if you look hard enough just not at the big box stores) then you can get a real perspective. Just like you cannot compare a used Rolls Royce to a bottom of the line Toyolet.

     Anyway if you are in the hood chekem out... I am telling you these two got an eye for cool stuff. Especially if you like vintage with a bit of an industrial twist, you will be glad you did. I believe they are presently open by appointment only right now but you can do a little window shopping if you do wing by the area. Or if nothing else click on the underlined link below and check out their site for a taste of vintage industrial Zen...

The Found & The Freed

You Missed the Tax Deadline... Dec 1rst....

Sun, 22 Jan 2012 07:03:54 +0100

     You know I am amazed at how many people in business miss the deadline for getting their taxes DONE. I have asked, god knows how many people, and so far have not met one that was aware that the real deadline to get your taxes DONE is December first!!! Everyone I meet says it is not until April or May sometime. What they are missing is the fact April or so is the deadline for when you have to FILE your taxes… not get them DONE.

     You see by having them done in December you are able to assess how much you are going to owe in taxes a few months later. Thus if it is a lot then still have time to rack up some legitimate write offs. A few years ago I did mine and quickly realized that I was going to have to pay a huge chunk in taxes. Too many art sales and not enough right offs.

     So because it was only December I still had time to rack up some tax deductible assets. Thus I dashed out and bought a new computer, camera and all sorts of other junk I could use as legitimate write-offs for my business. At the time computers were only a fifty percent write off the first year but still. Since I did buy it, that meant I had half that purchase price to deduct off what I was going to have to pay in taxes just a few months later. That is like getting that "already on sale" computer for fifty percent off the sale price!!! How good is that?!!! If I followed the herd and not done my taxes until April or whenever it would have been too late to change anything then. Thus I would have been stuck with paying an lot more in taxes.

Bla… bla… bla...

     Now if you think about it a bit this is why I love income taxes so much. They force everyone who wants to live in this country under the present regime to stimulate the economy. If they don't want to do it themselves by starting up a business and buying junk to build that business then they have to pay more in taxes. Any free loaders out there who think they can just get a high paying job and then just selfishly pile up all their money in a vault somewhere are out of luck. You either play the game or pay for the game.

     A lot of times this causes intense discomfort in those who work normal jobs. First off is they hate to see all that money being taken from them. This is unfortunate since that’s what builds the economy… which is why they have the job they have. Just the same they hate the thought of having to part with all that beer money for nothing. After all the government takes that money piles it up and then gives big chunks of it to people to study house flies having sex. The reason the government does this is they know that the people doing the study will take this easy come money and blow it on other stuff. This spending of course creates more jobs and prosperity for everyone. It filters down the chain stimulating the economy every time it changes hands. After all every time money is spent it does not dissolve into thin air. It just changes hands.

     You see the guy who got money for the fly study is rich over night. Thus being a new found big shot he rushes over to me and orders a custom sculpture. I build him the sculpture and he gives me the money. Now our "economy" has a fifty thousand dollar sculpture and the money is still floating around. Of course since I am all of a sudden Mr. Big Shot myself I head right out to McDonalds every night for dinner. That means the owner of McDonalds has more business and thus hires some poor ex-realtor who can now feed his family… which means places like safewaste can hire more staff. Thus each time money changes hands we all win.

     Now if they had given it to my friends penny pinching Scottish grandfather that would have been a real disaster. He would have stuffed it under his pillow and sparingly doled it out only when needed and often penny at a time. Not much economic stimulus there.

     If you don't know this fact about money then it is likely you find government spending to be a totally frustrating subject. By them throwing the money at the top and letting it work it's way down… and believe me it always does, it benefits everyone more than if they just piled it up at the bottom. It is a common known fact by bankers everywhere that almost everyone alive spends slightly more than they make no matter how much that is. There is an old saying "buy a man some beer and he can get drunk for a day…. Teach him how to get a job and he can get drunk for the rest of his life" Thus giving someone a handout is fine but unless you can get them a job their life is not going to get much better. With the coming highly competitive world markets now having jobs is going to get... I mean already... is real vital.

     The one problem with the government is they know that the ever increasing majority are on the lower end of the money chain. Thus to get voted in the need to appease them which is often by handing out more government benefits to the poor. Sure enough it gets them re-elected but does not help the poor much. After all like I said unless they can get a chance at a job their life is not going to get better. Plus with less and less money floating through the upper and middle part of the chain it only means less chance of more jobs.

     You see people on the bottom of the money chain often can only afford to spend that money on simple basics. Those like food, booze, rent etc. Often those services are provided by the rich and thus the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. Unless you don't have a tv and live in a cave you can see that the middle class in North America is shrinking rapidly or maybe I should say almost gone. That's what vote buying does. It kills the job creating middle class, makes the rich richer and creates more poor and unemployed. Before long it is snowball out of control rolling into hell. Wait… that sounds like the economy now.

     Now I have met a lot of people who have nine to fivers and think it is unfair that business people get to write off stuff. Short sighted thinking on their part as anyone who has a business knows. Self employment is often more like self abuse. You usually work way longer hours at far less pay for years until you, if you are extremely lucky, hit the big time. The odds of a small business surviving past the first year is just short of a miracle. About eighty percent fail the first year. Another eighty percent of those that survive the first year die within the next two years. It's a tough gig. In fact I read somewhere that almost all of the Fortune Five hundred companies from a just a few years ago are now long gondi!!! No it is not an easy path. But thanks to the American dream and the hope of treasure at the end of the tunnel there are those willing to chase it. Those that do and make it create jobs for all of those that don't walk that path and would just rather work as an employee. Nothing against them at all as they are as important as any. They are also the people the government likes since they pay taxes and rightfully should! After all they are not taking the risk the business owner is. It is the ultimate in fairness.

The Art of Stealing...

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 00:33:36 +0100

     You know I am amazed these days at how many companies out there are desperate to regain profits from the glory years gone by and turn to stealing from their loyal customers. A trend that I have noticed is really starting to take off this last while. I am guessing this is mostly because of the economy but not sure. The worst part about it all is often these companies are ones you have likely dealt with and trusted for years.

     The most common rip off is the "New Convenient Size" (which of course is smaller) and "Same Great Price" trick. A prime example of this is the candy bars in my "The Art of Stealing" section on this site. The real strange part is even though they may have had great and honorable reasons behind this move they chose not to use it in their marketing? Can you really imagine that? The new iPhone now has a built in printer… but they never said anything to anyone before it was launched?? Not likely.

     You know a lot of people never realize the power they have to change the world using their "dollar" vote. If you don't like companies stealing off you behind your back then you have the choice to buy elsewhere. When you do that you affect things in a bigger way than you can imagine. Sure you can vote for any politician you want but in the end they pretty well all do the same thing… lie and do what the "powers that be" say. Nothing wrong with that as I am not convinced the "powers that be" are all that bad anyway. But when you make a dollar vote you really say something loud and clear. For example if you hate landfills then stop buying stuff that ends up in the landfill six months later. It is amazing the impact that can have. If you are the "Ben Dover" type or maybe a Canadian and like being shoved around then fine keep buying the same products. But if not then it is time to switch brands whether you have customer loyalty or not. Sure some people would rather keep quiet and not say or do anything but that does not have to be you. Often when you drop one product you were loyal to and try another you find that the new product is even better anyway. The nice thing about it all is it tells companies that you may be loyal but not into letting your loyalty get you ripped off.

     Now the worse part about this all is most times you never even notice that you are getting stung. Though I have found one of the easiest ways to be warned is to watch for label changes. That tells you something is up...

     Here is my latest example above, Herbal Fiberblend from The AIM Companies. I have been using this product for sometime now and love it since it amps up my energy big time. Strangely though the previous time we bought it we noticed some ingredient was missing on the list. It was shear fluke we checked but told someone we buy this product because of this ingredient. Then when we went to show them it was not on the list yet were sure the product had that ingredient before. Since we had already thrown out the previous bottle we could not check for sure. At that point I let it drift as likely our mistake. Then the other day I got a new bottle and noticed the label change. This was of course a red flag so checked the ingredients. Luckily I still have the old bottle here to compare. Well it turns out the "new and improved" bottle is short at least three more ingredients. On top of that it has twenty percent more give or take of the cheapest ingredient… psylium??? Same great product just short a few of the…likely more expensive… ingredients. I checked the box and sure enough no flyer stating that they have now removed those other…recently discovered as carcinogenic… ingredients. No explanation on the website that I could find. Just the same old product, same great price and now less ingredients??? Now I am not sure about you but I could not help but smell rip off here. Just the same I am not the sharpest tool in the shed to decided to write the company… hmmmm no answer so far. In fact I have not even had any "men in black" knocking on my door reminding me to "shut the f up"

     This example pretty well proves to me that this company that I have been so loyal too is not that loyal to its customers. Their loyalty seems to end at the ink used in their brochures. Now this is not that big a deal after all the economy is tough and usually accountants rarely know what else to do to increase profits other than manipulate numbers… less of this expensive stuff… more of this cheap stuff…. Equals maintained profit…

     My dad used to always say that if you have a friend that would steal off his grandmother you should watch him around your own wallet... or if you friend shoots your cat don't trust him around your dog....

Who Killed the Aptera?

Mon, 02 Jan 2012 05:16:41 +0100

   Not sure if you have heard of the Aptera or not. If not it is one of the coolest and funnest looking cars ever. Ok maybe not a testosterone beast but still a very new and refreshing concept to say the least. Designed and built by visionaries obviously. It was a car of the future that was always talked about in those magazines from back in the fifties. A car that never did arrive... even today. This one coulda been it though. After all It is clean quiet, electric, cool, truly modern and fun. Looked like more like an airplane than a car. It was different and stood out like no tomorrow unlike like all the rounded boxes you see on the road today. Anyway after a long story the Aptera is dead… at least that’s what I recently read.

     What happened? Well herez my totally un-educated, biased, moronic, insultive and foolish opinion. It was killed!!!...

     By whom you ask? Was it the oil companies, or Bin Laden, (you do know he’s still alive right), or George Bush, or The New World Order, or the group of conspirators who put weird marks and drawings on the US dollar in attempts to control our minds? No, as much as I hate to say it, none of the above. No it was killed by "The American Rock Star" mentality. I know sounds strange but true. You see every up and coming company these days, American or not, wants to be like rock stars… or even better yet like Steve Jobs! (since you don't have to know how to dance or stuff foam down your pants)

     Yes, believe it or not, most new companies long to have their CEO down dressed in old jeans and black t shirts up on stage announcing the release of their latest and greatest product. The crowd is full of such notables as the Queen of England, Alice Cooper, and Albert Einstein all waiting in excited anticipation. Out the back door to the stage is Oprah and other such types clawing away hoping to get the inside scoop in order to boost their TV ratings. Mr. Cool and CEO of the company, humbly walks around on stage casually pointing out the features of their new release to the gasps, ooooh's, aaaaahs and clapping of the crowd. On the day of the release world news is reporting the sales figures of the new said product to be in the millions. Investors are busy patting themselves on the back at the wiseness of their choice. Life is good for everyone.

     This is all a fine vision and part of what the American Dream is all about. Where the trouble lies with this is in the fact that Apple like a lot of other companies had to go through a little scraping and scratching for a few years to get to that point. Of course this is the type of stuff no Rock Star CEO wants to do any more. Things like build a few cars… sell a few cars… build a few more cars… sell a few more cars… and so on. By refining as you go it makes the product better and better at the same time building your cash flow and company. Eventually, and hopefully sooner than later, sales start to go through the roof and the company takes off.

     Most people/companies today though want to get into the game, step up to the plate with the bases loaded and drive a home run first try. This is nice, and I am sure it has happened before, but realistically almost never. Even the iPhone was launched from Apple's well established base. Anyway once the company’s CEO starts to see it is not going to play out that way they turn to their accountants for confirmation. Since most North American accountants are Asian spies sent here to kill businesses and ship the remains over seas the story unfolds on target. The accountant’s show that the business will not work based on their math and calculations thus proving the CEO"s dream of pulling a "Steve Job" ooooh and aaaah presentation is not going to happen. Thus the CEO gives up. Next thing you know some over sea's company comes along and scoops up the remains of that American Dream and continues on. After all most of the bull work has been done by then and with cheap labor they can pull off some kind of cheap facsimile and sell it back to the original CEO… if he has a job by then.

     It is not like these visionaries are stupid. Not even slightly the case. It is just that their expertise lies elsewhere being the visionaries that they are. This means they just aren’t seeing the whole picture. Not to mention they are are often too focused on watching Steve Jobs doing presentations on youtube for their inspiration. That inspiration takes them away from reality and when they see their vision is not going to unfold over night they just give up. This is too bad since they were so close. Visionaries like this are extremely intelligent but often not with all things, like for example growing a business. They often just get too impatient. They forget or never noticed that all great companies started small and worked their way up the ladder. Had they only held out just a little longer? Built a little cash flow and let it grow the story would unfold differently. Instead they let the results of some dumb marketing survey sway their direction. Some marketing company who goes around asking people who have nothing better to do but dumb product surveys what they think and the CEO takes it seriously!?!?!?

     Most people don't realize this, (which is why 80% or so of all new businesses fail within the first year), but when it comes to new companies marketing does not sell products as much people sell products. Don't believe me then see what happens when someone like Marilyn Manson, the Dali Lama or Oprah Winfrey buys your "unknown" product and loves it. When you are a small company (and your product is actually good) you just need someone to buy it and then they will sell it for you. Mostly because they will rave about it to their friends. Strangely that can compound very quickly, as you already know if you have ever studied network marketing. And the best part is there is no "selling" involved, at least on your part!! In fact this is exactly how I managed to, so far, sell a thousand copies of my first self published book: A Fly in the Microwave...fun on the farm when no one's around, Only a couple percent of my total sales were actually through book stores! In fact I only ever had it in a couple of book stores to begin with. It has all been via word of mouth. People loving what they read and telling others. All which led to people knocking on my door or going to my website. www.burninggrass.com

     Once your company gets bigger then you switch money from researching and developing product improvements over to marketing.(..unless of course you want to be like Apple and get really rich) After all accountants using numbers can prove to you that it is cheaper to just tell people that your product is better than to actually try and make it better. After all isn’t that what all the phone companies were doing before Apple came along and put two and two together… (hmmm....funny accountants never came up with that idea) Now because of that we have to listen to all these scrambling, Johnny come lately, phone companies going on and on about how their "New" smart phone is going to blow the iPhone out of the water...

     Anyway just my two bits but either way for now the Aptera… one of my dream cars is DBL… dead before launch.

Lip Burner Lids from McDonalds

Fri, 02 Dec 2011 23:14:41 +0100

Me playing a little Russian Roulette

     Hey have you tried the new "lip burner" lids from McDonalds? They are pretty amazing since it is almost impossible to get a sip out of them without burning your lips. You either get none… or tip'er up a little more and its burn lip or tongue time. Usually followed by stained shirt almost immediately afterwards. One of the reasons I might add why I wear only black. Coffee stains never show up and not only that but you only have to wash your shirts every couple of weeks or so.
     Anyway back to the lip burners. You may have thought you were stupid and you could very well be right but you probably don't run a company as big as McDonalds. How do you think they feel after getting suckered on those stupid lids? After all they obviously put no thought or testing into them whatsoever. Who knows what the hell happened. Especially with a company like that. Hell they must have spent millions making just their milkshakes alone! Have you ever noticed how light they are? If you have never had a real milkshake maybe not. I am guessing they contain some weird fluff it up chemical designed by a team of accountants in a cave somewhere. If you are a little flush one day buy one and just leave it on your counter till it "reverts" back to its original form. Not much left even if it was full when you put it there. The magic of chemistry I guess.
     I would assume with these lids they just dumped the big buck lid contract onto some friend of the family's son. Who likely whipped something out on his computer one afternoon or maybe even during recess at grade school. My guess is he wanted something that looked kind of roboty. That way when he gets old enough to actually drink coffee it would be a lot more fun. Well the thought was nice but for the rest of us suckers it is not that fun. Especially when you are late for work and trying to drink your coffee, eat your eggless McMuffin with pancakes, talk to on your wireless and drive too boot!! Sure eventually you get good at steering with your leg but one slip and it's hash browns on the floor again!! One of the reasons I often get two orders of them greasy suckers. They get hard to hang onto when driving.
     Really now how hard could testing like that be? Walk into the joint, buy a coffee sit down drink it. Go home wash your shirt. Then go back into the joint, buy a coffee and walk down the street drinking it Go home and wash your shirt. Then finally drive into the joint, buy a coffee, drive down the street drinking your coffee. Go home wash your shirt and pants and then phone the autobody shop. Not that hard. After the testing was over they could have phoned me and I would have gave them a lead for great quality black t-shirts cheap. Something you may want to consider if you eat at McDonalds. In fact for every two coffee's you don't drink you can buy one new shirt!!
     Well back to what I was saying. You just can't beat black clothes. Save money on washing, never show the stains, you look more like an artist, banks won't lend you money to buy stupid consumer things, black is cheap, change your oil in the same clothes you wear to the office. Does it get any better? Not only that but if you make your coffee at home you will save enough to buy those black clothes.

Nut-Bars...

Thu, 14 Apr 2011 02:15:34 +0100

     You know I tell you there are a lot of real nut-bars out there. I should know I grew up in the country. In fact it is almost as bad here in the city. I am not sure what is happening in the world but it seems to be getting worse. Maybe it is just because there are getting to be so many more of us. I don't know but it is strange. I was talking to this loose nut the other day and he started telling me about his imaginary friends. He kept going on and on about all the stuff he did with them. Finally I was like… OKEE DOKEE then... looks like I gotta go now! I often wonder how people like that even get through the system without ending up in some kind of institution or something getting shock therapy. Imaginary friends??? Give me a break. Sure I got friends that are invisible but its not like they are imaginary. In fact it is where I get a lot of ideas for my stories here.

     I admit, like most people, nut-bars do drive me a little crazy. Just the same I am not the type to want to condemn anyone just because they are a few wires short. After all it's not like there is no place for people like that in our society. Actually the opposite is true since we really need people like that. If it were not for them where would we get politicians to pretend to run the country? Someone who has imaginary friends is perfect. Mostly because they would not mind the idea of following orders from those invisible people who really run the country from behind the scenes. It is kind of how things work. There is a purpose for everyone. Not only that but what about parking police? Obviously no one likes them so who would they have for friends if it were not for imaginary friends. That's one of the reasons we all need to remember there is a time and place for everyone.

     Another fine example is dumpster divers. They probably do more recycling and live greener than most consumers carrying their... BLACK... "This bag is green" bag out of Cambodia tire. Yet most people look down on them as if they are scum. I don't think so… except that one that grabbed that piece of copper pipe I was fishing out of the dumpster that time. I know I had my hands on it first!!! I would have gotten it back off of him if I could have ran faster. Unfortunately I cut my foot barefoot running awhile back which slowed me down. Needless to say he got away. Either way I realize they are not all scum and do an excellent job of recycling. We all need to be giving them more respect than we have. By the way if you do see this one guy that stole my copper pipe let me know. He is easy to spot. Unshaven, ragged clothes and was wearing odd shoes. Anyway I am not holding a grudge but I could have used that pipe in a project I did last year.

     Anyway back to my main point here. Stealing is wrong no matter how you look at it. I think it is time we brought out more laws to stop that. The sooner the better. Life is tough enough as it is let alone thieves grabbing stuff right out of your bare hands!!

FREE CANDLE HOLDERS....?

Fri, 08 Apr 2011 05:46:42 +0100

    I was talking to an accountant the other day and he had some good points to make. He told me that if he wanted to buy one of my candle holders for $75. all he would have to do is give up his five dollar, coffee and muffin he eats every day seventeen times. In fact if he were to quit this ugly habit period, he could afford to buy two candle holders a month! He went on to say that if you multiplied that by twelve months he could own 20 of these candle holders by the end of the year!! Not only that he would be healthier from eating 362 less muffins and coffee's. Less coffee would mean he would be calmer and thus more effectively productive. The best part about it all at the end of the year he would have 21 pieces of art that would only be appreciating in value.

     Another thing he pointed out was the fact that if he bought the 21 candle holders now at only $75. each instead of the $95. that they were going to be going up to in April or May he would save $25. on each holder. If he multiplied that by the 21 he was buying he would be saving $530. !!! That would be like getting eight for free!!! I guess that's one of the perks of being an accountant you really get to know your numbers and can think in ways most of us don't.

     He also said he knew where last years muffins were..., half of them were clogged up in his intestines and hanging over his belt. The other half were floating around in some sewerage treatment plant somewhere…. Not much resalable value there he said. I have to admit he kind of got me thinking and I might even give up muffins myself, after all art verses the options he presented is a no brainer. What the hell there is pretty well nothing to lose except a little weight. Not only that but it appears that steel is not going to go down. I am guessing that it won't be long now with the downfall of America that China will start building their military big time. After all someone has to rule the world and kick a little butt. Thus there will be a lot of plows getting hammered into guns for that event and of course that will surely skyrocket steel prices.

     Yes I would be thinking seriously about investing in "useable" scrap steel while these are still available!! After all if you do quit the muffins and coffee it will be like getting your candle holders for free!! How cool is that? It is like getting paid to get thinner and be more effectively productive. Can you imagine what your art collection would be like had you done this years ago!! You could probably retire off the sale of your collection!! Hey just a thought to consider