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Thursday, November 15, 2012
Zellers/ missing girl/ homeless man saves baby
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Don't blow it (Amnesty International)
Dear Tracy,
"Don't blow it." That's what I want to say to President Obama.
This is the moment that will define the future of the United States' commitment on human rights. President Obama's second term will determine whether the post 9/11 stains on the United States' human rights record are an anomaly or the "new normal."
President Obama promised to support and advance human rights. Let's hold him to it.
When he was first elected in 2008, President Obama promised a new dawn of American leadership. As a new president, he acknowledged that the protection of human rights cannot rest on exhortation alone.
He offered the promise of an administration that would respect human rights -- closing the Guantánamo prison, bringing detention practices in line with international law, repudiating secrecy and ensuring that human rights weren't traded away in the name of national security.
It really isn't a choice for the President to make. Under international law, the U.S. government is obligated to respect, protect and fulfill human rights, and ensure accountability for violations of those rights.
Tell President Obama to live up to his promises and uphold human rights.
The prison at Guantánamo, indefinite detention, unfair trials, unlawful killings with drones and other human rights violations committed by the U.S government undermine the rule of law in the U.S. and around the world. These abuses also create a climate in which other countries can point to a double-standard to justify their own human rights abuses with the refrain, 'if the U.S. government does that, why shouldn't we?'
By taking bold steps to restore respect for human rights President Obama can help ensure justice, security and accountability here in the U.S. and around the world. That's why he must take three bold actions immediately:
"Don't blow it." That's what I want to say to President Obama.
This is the moment that will define the future of the United States' commitment on human rights. President Obama's second term will determine whether the post 9/11 stains on the United States' human rights record are an anomaly or the "new normal."
President Obama promised to support and advance human rights. Let's hold him to it.
When he was first elected in 2008, President Obama promised a new dawn of American leadership. As a new president, he acknowledged that the protection of human rights cannot rest on exhortation alone.
He offered the promise of an administration that would respect human rights -- closing the Guantánamo prison, bringing detention practices in line with international law, repudiating secrecy and ensuring that human rights weren't traded away in the name of national security.
It really isn't a choice for the President to make. Under international law, the U.S. government is obligated to respect, protect and fulfill human rights, and ensure accountability for violations of those rights.
Tell President Obama to live up to his promises and uphold human rights.
The prison at Guantánamo, indefinite detention, unfair trials, unlawful killings with drones and other human rights violations committed by the U.S government undermine the rule of law in the U.S. and around the world. These abuses also create a climate in which other countries can point to a double-standard to justify their own human rights abuses with the refrain, 'if the U.S. government does that, why shouldn't we?'
By taking bold steps to restore respect for human rights President Obama can help ensure justice, security and accountability here in the U.S. and around the world. That's why he must take three bold actions immediately:
- Close the prison at Guantánamo
- Stop unlawful killing with drones
- Ensure the UN adopts a strong Arms Trade Treaty
President Obama has been given a second chance to keep his promises on human rights. Please stand with us today and call on the president to live up to those promises.
Thank you for everything you do to protect and advance human rights.
Sincerely,
Thank you for everything you do to protect and advance human rights.
Sincerely,
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Suzanne Nossel Executive Director Amnesty International USA |
Don't be a turkey - buy fair trade gifts!
I got this from Amnesty International:
http://shop.amnestyusa.org/?utm_source=aiusa&utm_medium=email&utm_content=grid&utm_campaign=merch_nov12a_test2
http://shop.amnestyusa.org/?utm_source=aiusa&utm_medium=email&utm_content=grid&utm_campaign=merch_nov12a_test2
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Dear Tracy,
SHOP FOR HUMANITY. SHOP WITH A PURPOSE. Light the way for human rights this holiday season! Shop Amnesty for Fair Trade gifts made by artisans around the world while supporting our life-saving human rights work. Order before November 15th for guaranteed standard delivery for Thanksgiving! Don't forget, FREE SHIPPING for purchases over $25 -- SHOP NOW.
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Litfest/ Eli Roth/ fun business books
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Sunday, November 11, 2012
flashback/ Values in Action/ community college
Oct. 13 Flashback: I found this sheet of paper I got way back in
2006. It was when I was laid off from Call Centre #1 and they threw this
job fair. I got a flashback. I had forgotten to attend it because
my dvd Red Eye came in the mail and then I watched it. After I saw
it, I looked at my agenda and see that there was a job fair I could have
attended.
No big deal, because I got a job at an office supply store about a week later. A month later I got a job at Call Centre #2, which is also at the job fair.
Some of them were staffing agencies. If only I had attended, I would have learned my lesson about how staffing agencies are bad sooner. I learned it in 2008.
Website: On the sheet it said edmontonjobs.ca. I typed it in and then turned automatically to http://www.oilpatchjobs.ca/
Self-assessment tests: Sophia Coppolla sent me this really useful article "12 Assessment tests to Enhance your Career."
http://www.onlinecollege.org/2012/08/26/12-eye-opening-self-assessment-tests-enhance-your-career/
Physical: Some of them were like physical tests like #1 "Computer work station ergonomics test", #3 "Physical Activity Score" and "#10 "Ardell Wellness self-assessment stress test."
Personality: Some of them were personality tests that cost money to get your review like #2 "MBTI for Career Planning" that's $49. #9 is "Birkam Method" about interpersonal and conflict resolution that's $475. #12 "Career Anchors" is $40.
#4 is Personalysis. It does have a good quote: "Success starts with knowing yourself." The packages are a couple hundred dollars.
Here are the free ones like #5 is the "Job Satisfaction test" with probing questions like: "Think of your top 3 talents. Does your job utilize those skills?" The answers could be all the skills, 1 or 2, or none.
#11 is "Motivated Skills" test. I thought it was an average test. It doesn't really go in depth.
Values in Action: The best test was this one #7 "Values in Action." It had 240 questions about character strengths. There are statements and you either answer: "Very much like me, like me, neutral, not like me, very much not like me." Here are some statements I agree with:
"I am a true life- long learner."
"I never want things that are bad for me in the long run, even if they make me feel good in the short run." (That's like getting drunk one night, and paying for it the next day with a hangover. lol.)
There are some about spirituality like: "My faith makes me who I am."
It's free, it gives you the top 5 strengths and then lists all 24. There is the Option 1 that's $20 that's more in depth. There's Option 2 and that's $40, even more in depth.
My top strengths were: Judgement, prudence, perseverance, love of learning, and self- regulation.
Some are optimistic like: "I believe life is more of playground than a battlefield."
I'm going to collect that in my quotes. I was neutral on that.
There are statements about appreciating beauty in life and seeing beauty in normal everyday things. I'm neutral on that. I go shopping and I like looking at things like clothes, cards, and you can see it as art.
https://www.viame.org/survey/Account/Login?ReturnUrl=%2fsurvey%2fSurveys%2fShowResults%2f1400688
Entrepreneur: #8 is "The E-Type Test" that asks: "What kind of entrepreneur are you?" There are 54 questions and are more like what would you prefer?
"Would you rather: help someone understand a subject or understand their feelings?"
My E-type is a communicator/ trainer. There were some writer jobs like book editor and freelance writer. There is instructing jobs like tutor and speech coach.
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/money/smallbusiness/startup/week2-etype-test.htm
Retirement: #6 is bankrate.com that is a retirement planner and calculator and it's useful.
Job blog: I found this in my Freelance Writer's group emails. It's called Lights Out Telecommunications. Here's a blog post with celebrity quotes. There are posts about Linked In like "4 Profile Phrases that will devastate your career." They're: "results-oriented, driven, team player, and competent."
http://lightsouttelecommunications.wordpress.com/2012/01/31/linkedin-4-profile-phrases-that-will-devastate-your-career/
http://lightsouttelecommunications.wordpress.com/2012/03/13/4-celebrity-quotes-to-balance-your-career/
Oct. 22 Department stores: I was thinking about how Zellers is closing down, because they didn't change to compete. Even if you hate Wal-Mart, they did change to compete when they started expanding into the grocery store business. I overheard one of my co-workers at the Call Centre say that Wal-Mart sells their food more expensive and less variety than Safeway, but at least Wal-Mart is is changing.
Safeway is changing too when they put a Starbucks in their store.
Oct. 23 Information technology: Maybe get a career in this industry.
Computer service technician: This is fixing computers. It's a useful career because you can fix your own and everybody has computers so there's good job security. I'm not really interested.
http://www.ehow.com/how_2069015_become-computer-service-technician.html
Computer security coordinator: The position is that you plan and monitor computer networks and information. This is an important job to protect info from hackers.
http://www.mymajors.com/careers-and-jobs/Computer-Security-Coordinator
These computer jobs aren't really for me, I can't be creative in it.
Community college: Emma Taylor sent me this article through my blog called "The New Face of Community College." It mentioned the sitcom Community about how community college is sub-par education.
However, these days more people are attending it because it's cheaper than a 4 yr university. They also teach specialized jobs that are needed. There are lots of students who attend it for 2 yrs, and then transfer to university. Kind of Grant MacEwan University's transfer program.
Years ago, MacEwan used to be called "Community College" and then dropped "community" and then became "college." I had two friends attend CDI College and one took massage therapy and the other an office assistant program. They both got careers in their fields. I had one friend go to Norquest College and she got a career in her field too.
I did learn in the article: "Student retention is low at many schools (only 35 to 40% of students graduate within six years), nationally only a fifth of students at community colleges graduate on time, and because of open admission policies, students often aren’t prepared for college-level courses."
This article is set in the US.
http://www.accreditedonlinecolleges.com/blog/2012/the-new-face-of-community-college/
No big deal, because I got a job at an office supply store about a week later. A month later I got a job at Call Centre #2, which is also at the job fair.
Some of them were staffing agencies. If only I had attended, I would have learned my lesson about how staffing agencies are bad sooner. I learned it in 2008.
Website: On the sheet it said edmontonjobs.ca. I typed it in and then turned automatically to http://www.oilpatchjobs.ca/
Self-assessment tests: Sophia Coppolla sent me this really useful article "12 Assessment tests to Enhance your Career."
http://www.onlinecollege.org/2012/08/26/12-eye-opening-self-assessment-tests-enhance-your-career/
Physical: Some of them were like physical tests like #1 "Computer work station ergonomics test", #3 "Physical Activity Score" and "#10 "Ardell Wellness self-assessment stress test."
Personality: Some of them were personality tests that cost money to get your review like #2 "MBTI for Career Planning" that's $49. #9 is "Birkam Method" about interpersonal and conflict resolution that's $475. #12 "Career Anchors" is $40.
#4 is Personalysis. It does have a good quote: "Success starts with knowing yourself." The packages are a couple hundred dollars.
Here are the free ones like #5 is the "Job Satisfaction test" with probing questions like: "Think of your top 3 talents. Does your job utilize those skills?" The answers could be all the skills, 1 or 2, or none.
#11 is "Motivated Skills" test. I thought it was an average test. It doesn't really go in depth.
Values in Action: The best test was this one #7 "Values in Action." It had 240 questions about character strengths. There are statements and you either answer: "Very much like me, like me, neutral, not like me, very much not like me." Here are some statements I agree with:
"I am a true life- long learner."
"I never want things that are bad for me in the long run, even if they make me feel good in the short run." (That's like getting drunk one night, and paying for it the next day with a hangover. lol.)
There are some about spirituality like: "My faith makes me who I am."
It's free, it gives you the top 5 strengths and then lists all 24. There is the Option 1 that's $20 that's more in depth. There's Option 2 and that's $40, even more in depth.
My top strengths were: Judgement, prudence, perseverance, love of learning, and self- regulation.
Some are optimistic like: "I believe life is more of playground than a battlefield."
I'm going to collect that in my quotes. I was neutral on that.
There are statements about appreciating beauty in life and seeing beauty in normal everyday things. I'm neutral on that. I go shopping and I like looking at things like clothes, cards, and you can see it as art.
https://www.viame.org/survey/Account/Login?ReturnUrl=%2fsurvey%2fSurveys%2fShowResults%2f1400688
Entrepreneur: #8 is "The E-Type Test" that asks: "What kind of entrepreneur are you?" There are 54 questions and are more like what would you prefer?
"Would you rather: help someone understand a subject or understand their feelings?"
My E-type is a communicator/ trainer. There were some writer jobs like book editor and freelance writer. There is instructing jobs like tutor and speech coach.
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/money/smallbusiness/startup/week2-etype-test.htm
Retirement: #6 is bankrate.com that is a retirement planner and calculator and it's useful.
Job blog: I found this in my Freelance Writer's group emails. It's called Lights Out Telecommunications. Here's a blog post with celebrity quotes. There are posts about Linked In like "4 Profile Phrases that will devastate your career." They're: "results-oriented, driven, team player, and competent."
http://lightsouttelecommunications.wordpress.com/2012/01/31/linkedin-4-profile-phrases-that-will-devastate-your-career/
http://lightsouttelecommunications.wordpress.com/2012/03/13/4-celebrity-quotes-to-balance-your-career/
Oct. 22 Department stores: I was thinking about how Zellers is closing down, because they didn't change to compete. Even if you hate Wal-Mart, they did change to compete when they started expanding into the grocery store business. I overheard one of my co-workers at the Call Centre say that Wal-Mart sells their food more expensive and less variety than Safeway, but at least Wal-Mart is is changing.
Safeway is changing too when they put a Starbucks in their store.
Oct. 23 Information technology: Maybe get a career in this industry.
Computer service technician: This is fixing computers. It's a useful career because you can fix your own and everybody has computers so there's good job security. I'm not really interested.
http://www.ehow.com/how_2069015_become-computer-service-technician.html
Computer security coordinator: The position is that you plan and monitor computer networks and information. This is an important job to protect info from hackers.
http://www.mymajors.com/careers-and-jobs/Computer-Security-Coordinator
These computer jobs aren't really for me, I can't be creative in it.
Community college: Emma Taylor sent me this article through my blog called "The New Face of Community College." It mentioned the sitcom Community about how community college is sub-par education.
However, these days more people are attending it because it's cheaper than a 4 yr university. They also teach specialized jobs that are needed. There are lots of students who attend it for 2 yrs, and then transfer to university. Kind of Grant MacEwan University's transfer program.
Years ago, MacEwan used to be called "Community College" and then dropped "community" and then became "college." I had two friends attend CDI College and one took massage therapy and the other an office assistant program. They both got careers in their fields. I had one friend go to Norquest College and she got a career in her field too.
I did learn in the article: "Student retention is low at many schools (only 35 to 40% of students graduate within six years), nationally only a fifth of students at community colleges graduate on time, and because of open admission policies, students often aren’t prepared for college-level courses."
This article is set in the US.
http://www.accreditedonlinecolleges.com/blog/2012/the-new-face-of-community-college/
Thursday, November 8, 2012
literary agent/ TV production/ I got published
Oct. 2 Literary agent: I'm researching careers that I could be good at or interested in. I found how to become a literary agent. Ehow says:
1. Major in English, journalism, or business.
2. In the US, NYC, Chicago, Dallas, and San Francisco are good cities to be one in.
3. Work your way up in a publishing company. Develop contacts.
4. Join an established agency.
5. Strike out on your own by opening your own agency.
http://www.ehow.com/how_2121717_become-literary-agent.html
Oct. 3 Blog: Hannah Howard sent me this article "How to Handle Negative Feedback on your Blog." Don't apologize for what you said. In some cases you should, but mostly people who rant, it's because they just don't like a lot of things. Just say "I understand."
Don't take it personally. "One thing you have to learn when you put yourself out there for the whole online world to see is that you will not always please everyone. As much as you want to make everyone happy, it just doesn’t work all the time." Yeah, I know. It also says to stay calm.
http://www.longhornleads.com/blog/2012/how-to-handle-negative-feedback-on-your-blog/
Oct. 4 New direction: I'm going in another direction. The other week I didn't look for an office assistant job at all. Instead, I looked for an agent, and went through my Two Bits Linked In group emails. Last week I was researching careers. Now I'm going to look into all communications, publishing industry positions. CPRS send me these emails and I bookmarked some job ads from them.
Communications strategist: I was going through my bookmarks, and I see this job ad. I Google it, and it says that they look at how:
"...companies use language and the results they achieve, and they've sought out new ways of making language work better for their clients. That may involve introducing new forms of communication (migrating paper-based memos to email, for example) or it may mean running poetry workshops in law firms, to improve personal communication skills."
"Communication strategy always runs to the heart of a company's internal communications and, ultimately, productivity."
The education is human resources and advertising.
http://www.thewriter.co.uk/news/?id=161
Power Point: Here is a really good Power Point presentation about what a communications strategy does. This would be used in a business class.
http://www.unescap.org/stat/disability/census-ws/Session5-Media.pdf
Community relations coordinator: It says: "who works with a business, corporation, or other organization that wants to have a positive public image in the community."
The duties are: "event planning, marketing, and sponsorship of local programs." That brings me to a flashback of gr. 8 and 9, when I was on the student council. You have to plan and run dances and school events.
You prepare and deliver speeches, buy ad space, arrange public appearances, contests, etc.
http://www.mymajors.com/careers-and-jobs/Community-Relations-Coordinator
Public relations: This must be the law of attraction, because I was researching the above careers. I emailed this young woman from college a few weeks ago and asked about the PR program she took at MacEwan. She gushed about how much she loved it.
She got hired at the company she interned at and said it was practical, hands on, and what you need to learn to get the job.
Oct. 13 Ingrid Veninger: I was reading the Globe and Mail and Veninger is a film maker. She has a production company called Punk Films. She created a contest $1000 Feature Film Challenge where people make a film for $1000.
IV: You don't have to wait for permission from anyone to do your art. You can put $1000 on your credit card. You can make a feature that can play festivals and hit the big screen. And if we can keep costs low enough, we can make money on these films.
http://www.punkfilms.ca/
Freelance Writers: Today is my day off so I was reading the business section of the newspaper and job articles. Now I'm going through my Freelance Writer's emails I got from the Linked In group.
Alan Kinsberg: I went through 7 emails and found out the TV writer Alan Kinsberg has a Facebook page. I liked and subscribed to it.
Shawn MacKenzie: I found this blog post about Shawn MacKenzie. The blog is by Karen S. Elliot. Here's a good excerpt:
"....'anyone can write' mentality. And while this is true on a certain level, it leaves the field wide open for people with stories to tell but lacking the craft for the telling. A writer is first a craftsman—a wordsmith. Hone your craft if you want your work to soar. To that end, read great books and write, write, write. "
http://karenselliott.wordpress.com/2012/03/16/editor-spotlight-shawn-mackenzie/?goback=.gde_101577_member_101632075
Oct. 15 TV production: I found these notes I took at a job interview at a TV production company. It was back in May 2012. The studio was easy to get to. It was a nice office, and had like 8 staff members and some contract workers.
It doesn't produce dramas, but corporate videos. The duties were planning, shooting, editing, and delivery. The position was a jr. account executive. The job was commission- based. The shifts were weekend and evenings to see the clients.
There's a little script writing. It was mainly a sales role. The clients will call and want a video made for their company. You have to follow up leads by making phone calls. Sell $20,000 video and make commission off that. The set salary was $1000-1500 a month and a little commission. Eventually it will be 100% commission.
There was some production and post- production. I learn from people, and there's no book.
They didn't call me back. There is so much selling involved, I wasn't really looking for a sales role. I didn't think I was a fit for it, I didn't tell them that.
Oct. 16 Script doctor: I was reading a Screenwriting Goldmine newsletter about being a script doctor. I Google it and it's really a script consultant. He is a screenwriter who polishes and edits the scripts for dialogue, characterization, etc.
I did learn this:
"Under the Writers Guild of America screenwriting credit system, a screenwriter must contribute more than 50 percent of an original screenplay or 33 percent of an adaptation to receive credit.[6]"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Script_doctor
Oct. 18 Linked In: A teacher from college added me on Linked In and I accepted.
Nov. 5 I got published: I put this on my Facebook status update. I got published in the Golden Vanguard. Here are two of movie reviews Daybreakers and The Fourth Kind. I will later put the reviews up on my blog.
http://www.thegoldenvanguard.ca/movie-reviews/daybreakers-review
http://www.thegoldenvanguard.ca/movie-reviews/the-fourth-kind
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
mental health/ consumer culture/ teen pregnancy
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Perhaps now we will have some pricing that better reflects our dollar value - these stores are coming in droves to Canada now because there's no more money left to be made in the States.
Personally, I can't wait."
"Next on the chopping block: The Hudson Bay Company..."
Rick Mercer: Here's his parody of a commercial as Zellers is closing down.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tveGfq4zeQw&feature=related
Oct. 3 Shopping: I did a little shopping after work by going to Chapters. They had these set of 5 pencils for 2 dollars. It has these fun sayings like "It's not you, it's me." Before it was on sale, it was $10 which is way too expensive for pencils. There were also these magnets that look like chewed up gum.
Oct. 8 Once Upon a Time: I was watching these season 1 bloopers of this show. One of my favorite actors David Anders is a reoccurring character and he has a few shots in there. 50 secs into it, DA is having a drink with Ginnifer Goodwin and they're laughing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TyrSjzrrjG0
Oct. 10 Job jokes: I got this from Daily Silly:
Several weeks after a young man had been hired, he was called into the personnel manager's office.
"What is the meaning of this?" the manager asked. "When you applied for the job, you told us you had 5 years' experience. Now we discover this is the first job you've ever had."
"Well," the young man said, "in your ad you said you wanted somebody with imagination."
Oct. 13: Here's another one from Daily Silly:
Employer to applicant: "In this job we need someone who is responsible."
Applicant: "I'm the one you want. On my last job, every time anything went wrong, they said I was responsible."
Saying: I was going through my Freelance emails and found this blog called "Life According to Me. Eileen Gonzalez writes it and says:' "Lying means you are not happy with yourself, means you are ashamed of something or living in regret."
I agree with that statement.
http://www.lifeaccordingtome.net/?goback=.gde_101577_member_100178558
Oct. 14 Post Secret:
A sexy picture: "I fear becoming successful because I know those pictures I took in high school are out there."
Me: That's like an unintended consequence of taking sexual pictures of yourself. Let that be a lesson, don't take sexual pictures of yourself.
"If you are male, born July 9, 1958 in Albany, NY and adopted- we might be your FULL siblings!!!"
Oct. 15 Answering machine: I work at a call centre and I got this answering machine message:
"Here are the options. Leave a message and get a call back. Don't leave a message, and try again. Or leave a message and don't get a call back. Life is exciting."
Oct. 17 Wot Went Wrong: I was reading the Edmonton Journal, and there was an article about this dating website. It's where people want dating advice and give dating advice anonymously.
Here's a good 1:37 video about it. It's the story about how a guy writes what happens in his relationship anonymously. Like what he likes about her, what he doesn't like about her, and what he should do "Text or not text?"
http://wotwentwrong.com/impressions/how_it_works
Debt: I found this in the Globe and Mail. Ohio State University said that the more educated you are, the more likely you are to take on irresponsible levels of debt. It's not student loans. It's "buying a TV with your 9th credit card."
People with lots of education believe that they can pay down debt so they spend more. People with college degrees were "more likely than the people with only high school education to pay more than 40% of their monthly income to debt."
Missing girl: I was going through my old emails and found one from 2007. My friend Dan L. sent this to me. Reanne Kathleen Vuki is a 12 yr old girl and she's missing from Airdrie. Her dad Michael Kuvic sent this letter and put it on the internet. I had forwarded it to my friends back then.
I researched it and found the letter on this site:
http://forums.beyond.ca/showthread/t-169482.html
Here are some pics of her, they were the same ones attached in the email I got.
http://highwayoftears.blogspot.ca/2007_03_01_archive.html
Oct. 18 Homeless man saves baby: I found this on Yahoo news. It talks to this young couple and they gave birth to their baby daughter in the car at a truck stop. The baby wasn't breathing, and had the umbilical cord around her neck. A homeless man named Gary Wilson was hitchhiking and helps resuscitate the baby.
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/blogs/good-news/homeless-angel-saves-newborn-life-oklahoma-truck-stop-145302134.html