Feb. 3, 2018 "Toronto, be careful what you wish for": Today I found this article by Claire Brownell in the Edmonton Journal. It's about Amazon being bad for a city:
In November, San Francisco’s homeless residents living near a pet adoption clinic in the Mission District got some 400-pound, beeping, whirring new neighbours courtesy of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
Frustrated by repeated break-ins and vandalism, the organization had posted robot security guards outside its building. The SPCA has denied intending to harass the homeless people camping nearby, but harass them the robots did, recording their activities on video and causing some to move their tents because of the noise and surveillance.
The robots quickly became a symbol of San Francisco’s inequality problems, which many blame on the growing number of high-paying tech giants in the city. Those companies have brought massive economic growth to the region, but also skyrocketing rents, worsening gridlock and a growing homeless population.
Those problems, experts say, may befall Toronto if it ever succeeds in becoming the location for Amazon.com Inc.’s second headquarters, a competition that in January was narrowed down to 20 possible sites, including Canada’s most populous city.
Local public officials were elated by the news and no wonder — the prize is 50,000 jobs and US$5 billion in economic investment, in addition to much-coveted international validation as a “world-class city” — but others wonder whether the negative side effects experienced by fast-growing tech enclaves such as San Francisco will be worth the win.
Those unpleasant consequences are not necessarily inevitable, but experts say avoiding them would take a combination of careful planning and quick action on the part of the city.
“There is good potential to make Amazon actually work in Toronto if the terms are negotiated early on, if it’s not a carte blanche,” said Abdullah Snobar, executive director of the DMZ at Ryerson University. “You don’t want to get caught up in this carrot they’re going to be waving in front of you that they’re going to be creating jobs.”
To be sure, the home of Amazon’s original headquarters has done a much better job of addressing the challenges posed by rapid tech-fuelled growth than San Francisco has.
San Francisco tends to fight new development proposals to preserve the character of its neighbourhoods, while Seattle’s comparatively growth-friendly policies have helped keep rents and housing prices in check.
http://business.financialpost.com/technology/careful-what-you-wish-for-how-amazon-hq2-could-make-torontos-existing-problems-worse
Jul. 14, 2018 "Making short work: what to expect from the gig economy": Today I found this article by Sarah Kessler in the Globe and Mail:
Jul. 14, 2018 "Making short work: what to expect from the gig economy": Today I found this article by Sarah Kessler in the Globe and Mail:
Sarah Kessler is the author of Gigged: The End of the Job and the Future of Work.
You probably don’t think of Sears as a “gig economy” company. But the store outsources its customer service to a specialized company, which contracts that work to a small business.
And that small business hires independent contractors – who have no direct connection to Sears – to answer phone calls about broken air conditions and heaters.
And that small business hires independent contractors – who have no direct connection to Sears – to answer phone calls about broken air conditions and heaters.
It’s technology that enables this odd nesting doll of employment:
from the unpaid, weeks-long online training courses freelance representatives are required to take,
to the digital platform where a crowd of workers claims shifts for the coming weeks,
to the online databases representatives use to look up information about appliances.
from the unpaid, weeks-long online training courses freelance representatives are required to take,
to the digital platform where a crowd of workers claims shifts for the coming weeks,
to the online databases representatives use to look up information about appliances.
There has been much debate over how big the “gig economy” really is, but this is the wrong way to look at it. The Silicon Valley mobile apps that dispatch independent workers to transport customers, walk dogs and pick up dry cleaning aren’t creating a new category of employment.
They’re creating new capabilities that are equally feasible for Sears, a small restaurant or even NASA as they are for a tech startup.
Temp work isn’t new. Freelancing isn’t new. Outsourcing isn’t new. With digital technology, all of these employment strategies are just becoming faster, more convenient, and possible in more scenarios.
They’re creating new capabilities that are equally feasible for Sears, a small restaurant or even NASA as they are for a tech startup.
Temp work isn’t new. Freelancing isn’t new. Outsourcing isn’t new. With digital technology, all of these employment strategies are just becoming faster, more convenient, and possible in more scenarios.
Companies such as Uber and Lyft – the ones that come to mind for most people when they hear the phrase “gig economy” – may make up only about 0.5 per cent of U.S. employment, according to a study by economists at Harvard and Princeton.
But these companies are far from the only examples of how digital apps, remote work, online freelance platforms and matching algorithms can make it easier to get work done without hiring traditional employees.
But these companies are far from the only examples of how digital apps, remote work, online freelance platforms and matching algorithms can make it easier to get work done without hiring traditional employees.
If you’re looking for an independent management consultant, a lawyer, a CPA, an interior decorator, a software developer, a security guard or an advertising creative, there’s an app for that.
These online freelance databases don’t break jobs into tasks, the way that Uber automatically hires drivers for one ride at a time. They’re not even “on-demand.” But they do lower the barrier to finding and hiring independent workers.
These online freelance databases don’t break jobs into tasks, the way that Uber automatically hires drivers for one ride at a time. They’re not even “on-demand.” But they do lower the barrier to finding and hiring independent workers.
Similarly, Wonolo, an on-demand staffing agency, uses mobile phones to route temp workers – not necessarily freelancers – to clients such as McDonalds and Marriot, filling their open jobs in four minutes.
According to the company, it took traditional temp agencies days to fill the same types of jobs. Similar apps with names such as Jobletics, Hyr and Jitjatjo provide temp workers to the restaurant industry. For hotels, there’s an app called Pared.
According to the company, it took traditional temp agencies days to fill the same types of jobs. Similar apps with names such as Jobletics, Hyr and Jitjatjo provide temp workers to the restaurant industry. For hotels, there’s an app called Pared.
In another twist of the technology-aided “gig,” NASA regularly posts challenges online that anyone can try to solve. In one example, 459 people worked on optimizing a joint for affixing solar panels to the International Space Station. But only those with the most feasible solutions shared the $30,000 reward.
I’m not sure of the going rate for a NASA engineer, but my guess is that you could not hire 459 of them for any amount of time with $30,000.
I’m not sure of the going rate for a NASA engineer, but my guess is that you could not hire 459 of them for any amount of time with $30,000.
New technology can help slot and manage freelancers – who the law insists are supposed to work independently – into service-oriented tasks by, for example,
automatically adjusting pay to incentivize them to work during certain hours (without actually scheduling them),
or by using a rating system to sort who should be given the best jobs or “deactivated” from the platform.
It is easier to rely on temp workers when they can be located and installed immediately.
And it is possible to outsource a problem to a crowd of thousands of people located all over the world.
automatically adjusting pay to incentivize them to work during certain hours (without actually scheduling them),
or by using a rating system to sort who should be given the best jobs or “deactivated” from the platform.
It is easier to rely on temp workers when they can be located and installed immediately.
And it is possible to outsource a problem to a crowd of thousands of people located all over the world.
In the nineties, we called any company with a website an “internet company.” Today, when having a website is merely table stakes, that phrase sounds silly. I expect the same will happen with the term “gig economy.”
Traditional jobs are not likely to disappear any faster than offline stores are (nearly 25 years after the launch of Amazon, e-commerce is, after all, still only 16 per cent of U.S. retail).
But the ways that technology make it easier to hire workers in alternate categories of labour are important, because these workers have fewer rights and benefits than traditional employees.
Independent workers aren’t covered under social-insurance programs, and working as a temp often comes with the burden of uncertainty. That may not be a problem for rich programmers who pursue a freelance lifestyle, but it would be a huge stressor for the 40 per cent of Americans who, according to the U.S. Federal Reserve, could not handle a US$400 unexpected expense.
But the ways that technology make it easier to hire workers in alternate categories of labour are important, because these workers have fewer rights and benefits than traditional employees.
Independent workers aren’t covered under social-insurance programs, and working as a temp often comes with the burden of uncertainty. That may not be a problem for rich programmers who pursue a freelance lifestyle, but it would be a huge stressor for the 40 per cent of Americans who, according to the U.S. Federal Reserve, could not handle a US$400 unexpected expense.
Modern societies developed social safety nets for a reason. When people feel safe, they do things such as start businesses and buy things, both of which are good for the economy.
As it becomes easier to hire non-traditional workers, there will be fewer people covered by this sense of safety from which everyone benefits.
As it becomes easier to hire non-traditional workers, there will be fewer people covered by this sense of safety from which everyone benefits.
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-making-short-work-what-to-expect-from-the-gig-economy/
Jun. 1, 2020 My opinion: This stood out to me the most:
to the digital platform where a crowd of workers claims shifts for the coming weeks,
to the online databases representatives use to look up information about appliances."
"Traditional jobs are not likely to disappear any faster than offline stores are..."
Are we talking ALL trad. jobs or just RETAIL jobs? Two very different things.
The distinction may become moot within 20 years or so, as tech lay-offs become the every-day norm. (Another future "every-day norm" may be "No replacement job exists.").
How to beat the odds?
The same way boomers beat the odds in the late 60s and early 70s, when it felt like just about everyone in the world was beating down the doors for their first jobs. Talk about competition!
The same way many of those same boomers beat the odds in the early 2000s, when--over 50 years of age--many were downsized out of jobs and careers due to tech advances, and ageism.
How? Not by emailing resumes.
By being aggressive: walking in and shaking hands, in-your-face with potential employers. Doing a great (sometimes thankless) job cheerfully, by taking initiative and seizing opportunities.
Just...like...always.
It's called "selling." Yourself, mostly.
Jun. 1, 2020 My opinion: This stood out to me the most:
"from the unpaid, weeks-long online training courses freelance representatives are required to take,
to the digital platform where a crowd of workers claims shifts for the coming weeks,
to the online databases representatives use to look up information about appliances."
I was on my Work from Home job search. In some cases, there are unpaid, weeks- long training courses. However, at Concentrix there was a 3 week paid training.
There is a digital platform called When I Work at these 2 work from home jobs I found.
Here are a list of places;
1. Instacart
2. Delivery drivers
3. Drivers
4. Fiverr
5. Care.com
6. Shipt- shopping
This week's theme is about the gig economy:
"Jim Stanford on Uber and the future of precarious work: ‘It isn’t inevitable’"/ "Uber to reward top drivers with higher pay, perks"
"Gig workers will have their say"/ Foodora closed down
My week:
Fri. Apr. 2, 2021 Recycle at Staples: Today is Good Friday and my day off. I called to check that they're open. I checked the ETS website that the buses are running Sunday schedules.
I recycled 3 big TV cable/ satellite receivers with a handful of pens and markers. I then deposited a check.
Here's a big list of everything they recycle:
Electronics Recycling | Sustainability | Staples®
Edmonton restaurant gives out 32K free meals during COVID-19 pandemic - Edmonton | Globalnews.ca
Mar. 24, 2021 "Canadian Tire ranked most reputable company in commerce during year of upheaval": Today I found this article by Collin McClelland in the Financial Post:
Spring 2021 TV season:
Law and Order: Organized Crime: I checked out the pilot. This was a solid pilot. It was really serious and dramatic. I will watch all the episodes in a period of 2 weeks, but I don't know if I will watch after the first season.
Manifest: The season 3 premiere was average. I like to watch all the episodes of this show in one week.
Tues. Apr. 6, 2021 Debris: Yesterday I found this show. I missed the first 5 episodes. This show is on NBC at 11pm on Mon. nights. It stars Jonathan Tucker and he's a really good actor.
"Two agents from two different continents, and two different mindsets, must work together to investigate when wreckage from a destroyed alien spacecraft has mysterious effects on humankind."
Debris (TV Series 2021– ) - IMDb
Tracy's blog: reincarnation/ Chris Tucker/ Jonathan Tucker (badcb.blogspot.com)
I wrote about him on my blog on Apr. 2014:
reincarnation/ Chris Tucker/ Jonathan Tucker
Jonathan Tucker: Last night I saw that the TV show Hannibal was on City TV. I decided to check it out, because I have read about it in the newspaper. It’s on during 20/20, but the 20/20 episode didn’t interest me. I was watching Hannibal’s episode called “Mukuzoke.”
The show is dark. I see Laurence Fishbourne (Morpheus from The Matrix) is on. Caroline Dhavernas is in it. I didn’t recognize her, but when I looked her up on imdb.com, I see she was on the TV show Off the Map. That was a short-lived show.
I did see Jonathan Tucker play an orderly Matthew Brown. He gave a really good performance. At first I didn’t recognize him, but then I was like: “Wasn’t he on Criminal Minds?” I checked and he was on the episode “The Thirteenth Step.”
Hannibal is a good show, from this one episode I saw. I don’t know if I will continue watching it.
Thurs. Apr. 8, 2021 Kung Fu: I've been looking forward to this show since I saw the promos last month. I then lowered my expectations so I won't be disappointed. I just watched the pilot. I thought this was average. I like the fight scenes. I will record the series and watch this in a couple of weeks.
Sat. Apr. 3, 2021 Calgary trip: My parents, brother, sister, and I went to Calgary to attend my grandma's funeral (on my dad's side of the family.) We woke up at 7am and picked up my sister at 8am. We were on the highway at 8:30 am. I Google map "How long does it take to go from Edmonton to Calgary?" It says 3 hrs. It was really 3. 5 hrs.
Dad drove (as usual) and my brother P got to sit in the front because he's so big. S and mom got to sit in the windows, and I had to sit in the middle because I'm the smallest. The heater in my dad's car wouldn't turn off or lower, so it was really hot after awhile and we took off our jackets.
I was reading most of the way (38 pages in total). I also slept both ways.
S doesn't live with us, so she told us about her work, some news like how she watches the daily conferences for AB about COVID- 19.
New Horizon Mall:
P: Hey, isn't that the mall that's mostly empty?
Yeah, it was.
The mall that Christmas forgot: Retail spaces built for Calgary’s last boom now lie mostly empty - The Globe and Mail
New Horizon Mall will be 50% leased with addition of family entertainment centre | Globalnews.ca
Grandma's funeral: She died of old age of 98 years old. My grandpa on my dad's side of the family passed away in 2010. Both of the funerals were held in the same funeral home and were buried side by side. I was never really close to either of them. They lived in Calgary and my family and I went there once or twice a year when we were kids and teens.
By my 20s, I really stopped. It was mainly because my dad didn't give me much notice so I can take time off work to go there. It was mainly seeing your family, going to a Chinese restaurant, and going to their houses.
The funeral home and graveyard had a lot of Asian people buried there. There were a few visitors where they bought flowers and food to grave.
After that, we drove to a Tibetan temple and listened to some drumming and singing.
My little cousins M and A weren't there because they were attending a wedding virtually. The wedding was in NYC. My cousin's D's husband said that there were 3 weddings that he attended virtually.
We got there by 12pm and the funeral doesn't start until 1pm. We went to a McDonald's close by at a strip mall. We had these coupons of "Buy one, get one free" burgers.
We were in Calgary for 3.5 hrs. We then drove home and dropped off S. We went to a Chinese restaurant Sai Wu for dinner. S didn't live in the same household as us, and it was against the rules to dine in with someone out of the household. S didn't want to come.
Apr. 4, 2021 "Edmonton restaurant gives out 32K free meals during COVID-19 pandemic": Today I found this article by Sarah Komadina on Global News. Here is a positive article about charity and helping people:
Last April, Dil-E-Punjab started to offer about 35 free meals a day for anyone who was hungry, no questions asked. Now, the restaurant hands out 100 meals daily, and over the last year it has provided a total of 32,000 meals.
The only request from Dil-E-Punjab is people wanting a free meal let the restaurant know in advance.
“It’s all simple, regular food rotated. Some kind of dahl, chana masala, naan, rice. Every day we have a different menu,” manager Sufyan Asif said.
“All of the people, they send us blessings, (they may not) have any job right now, or don’t have any food, and they have a family of four or five people.
The cost of the meals are partially covered by community donations and provincial government assistance.
Varinder Bhullar has been helping with the initiative through his non-profit organization, Green Scholars of Alberta. He recalls one woman who asked to meet him at the restaurant; he thought she needed a meal, but instead she handed him an envelope.
Christina Usborne met Bhullar while volunteering at the Old Strathcona Peace Camp last summer. After it was closed, she wanted to continue to help, so the two partnered together.
Through donations from residents and other restaurants, she now delivers over 100 meals a week to people who are experiencing homelessness.
“I had been in this situation myself with homelessness,” Usborne said.
“I just feel that everybody deserves to eat, and have a helping hand, and I can make a difference in a small way and help provide meals to a few people.
Mar. 31, 2021 "Dollarama stock perks up after discount retailer reveals plans to expand chain to 2,000 stores": I found this article by Avery Mullen in the Financial Post:
Despite lacklustre fourth-quarter earnings that failed to meet analyst expectations, budget retail giant Dollarama Inc. saw its shares rise Wednesday after it announced plans to expand its store count to 2,000 by 2031.
Dollarama’s weakness in fourth-quarter sales is part of a larger trend of slowing growth in Canadian retail, as lockdowns limited consumers’ abilities to go shopping during the crucial holiday season.
My opinion: I like Dollarama because you can buy lots of useful things like kitchenware and snacks.
Mar. 24, 2021 "Canadian Tire ranked most reputable company in commerce during year of upheaval": Today I found this article by Collin McClelland in the Financial Post:
Canadian Tire is the most reputable company in Canadian commerce, according to a report released today by Léger Marketing Inc. that offers a snapshot of how the pandemic has affected Canadians’ perceptions of certain companies and sectors.
Léger surveyed more than 32,000 Canadians on 275 companies as part of the 2021 edition of its annual Reputation study, which acts as a bellwether for the impacts of advertising and image on consumer awareness.
Canadian Tire jumped two spots to land at No. 1, while Shoppers Drug Mart, Kellogg, Sony and Campbell — which jumped seven spots — rounded out the top five.
The comments are negative and funny:
12 DAYS AGO
Be nice to see a story on the wages and benefits of a CT worker compared to a government worker doing a clerking job?
12 DAYS AGO
While the Canadian Tire's shelves are filled with copious amounts of ow-quality products from China, they at least have a decent return policy. Their stores are also well-staffed and you don't need a Geiger Counter to locate a Carbon Unit to help you find something.
12 DAYS AGO
Yea...we don't wanna pay $5 more for a toaster, even though it gives our neighbours jobs.
Apr. 8, 2021 Medical tax deductions: My parents were talking about this and I didn't know that you can deduct medical expenses:
- Public or private hospital services
- Doctor or physician expenses (this varies by province, please visit the CRA for details)
- Prescription drugs and medications, not including over-the-counter products
- Pre- and post-natal treatments and in vitro fertility treatments
- Insulin, needles and syringes and infusion pumps to treat diabetes
- Artificial limbs or eyes
- Travel expenses to receive medical care outside your community.
- Contact lenses, including equipment and materials for using contacts
- Insurance premiums for medical care coverage
- Laboratory fees
- Medical aids, including wheelchairs, hearing aids and batteries, eyeglasses, contact lenses, crutches, braces, and guide dogs (and their care)
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