Pushing back Retirement

Photo provided by medser, retrieved
from fotocommunity.com

A study released today by Statistics Canada suggests that most Canadians are retiring later in life. There are several contributing factors, which can be credited for causing this trend.  Some of which are more evident than others.

The most obvious and quite possibly biggest contributing factor to individuals retiring later stems around money. To begin with, after the recent recession many individuals are forced to work longer as they have suffered losses. Not to mention the lifestyles desired by many individuals for retirement requires a little extra cash. The idea of retiring to a warm destination rather than staying in your community is relatively new. This type of lifestyle requires sufficient savings to live on and is part of the reason many people are having to work longer.

Another factor is our increased life expectancy. With advancements in the medical field humans are living longer. Logically when individuals live longer they require more money saved to sustain them until the pass away. Although many of the factors around the later retirements seem unavoidable, I have learned through personal experience working longer is sometimes a choice.

I have been hearing from my father that he is going to retire since I was in grade 10. Every couple of months he tells our family he is going to take a severance and retire. Only to tell us later that he signed a contract extension. The money he would receive from a severance package would certainly maintain him through his retirement. I think he just fears boredom, keeping busy is a staple in his life and he wouldn't know what to do with himself without work.

Photo provided by muckster
Retrieved from fotopedia.com

Personally the thought of not working brings joy to my heart. Spending my days golfing or lounging around a pool sounds pretty sweet to me. Perhaps however this new trend of working late can serve as a warning to all individuals. Ensure you find a job you love doing because you never know how long you may be stuck doing it, until you can sit back and enjoy the good life.

The High Cost of Pharmaceuticals

As a society, there is nothing more important to us than our health.  Advancements in technology have given us the ability to produce highly effective drugs. This has never been truer in the pharmaceutical industry, where new discoveries literally translate into increased life spans and lives saved. For example, Aids drugs in South Africa have increased life spans in the region by five years.

The Two Sides

The pharmaceutical industry has the immense challenge of maintaining public interests at heart while balancing stakeholders’ interests within the company. With lengthy approval periods for new drugs and the high costs associated with research and development, the industry is burdened with a great deal of risk. For this reason drug companies need to charge enough to make a healthy profit. Without a healthy profit, investment would go elsewhere.

MedicineNet.com has an article outlining the reasons drugs cost so much in the article "Why Drugs Cost So Much". Omudhome Ogbru writes "only 3 out of 20 approved drugs bring in sufficient revenue to cover their developmental costs". Therefore companies need to bring in enough profit to cover these initial costs. 

One way they does this is through exclusive rights patents. These patents allow the company to sell the drug without any competition from other companies until the patent expires. This is the reason they can charge extremely high prices and get away with it.

An article published in the The Wall Street Journal named "Should Patents on Pharmaceuticals Be Extended" Els Torreele fights against the idea of longer patents. She says the problem with these patents is that companies are finding it more profitable to repackage drugs than to create new ones. If a company can repackage a drug and renew their patent they will be able to receive years of overinflated profits.

Personally I believe that drug innovation is important but it seems like drug companies are becoming more about the business than about the science. This is making it more and more difficult for people to purchase the drugs they need. The situation is much worse in the US where some actually drive to Canada to get the drugs they need. In Canada, our government puts a price ceiling on how much drug companies can charge for a particular drug, making them cheaper.

Conservative Conspiracy

Alberta's political lanscape is shifting, for so long the Conservative party was so dominant it seemed there was no opposition. However, now with Wildrose party posing as big of a threat to the Conservatives as any one ever has, at least that I can remember in my short lifetime. The political scene appears to be more like a boxing ring then a functioning part of government, with the Wildrose providing most of the offence as late. They have once again jumped all over the opportunity to attack premier Alison Redford at what they are claiming to be the next big scandal.

For those who haven't herd all the attention this story is getting there is a brief article detailing the events. The issue being presented by the Wildrose party surrounds a multi-billion dollar government lawsuit which was granted to the firm at which Alison Redford's ex-husband was employed. This news fell shortly on the heels of the word that Redfords sister had used taxpayers money to host conservative events. Now I can't blame the opposition Wildrose for going on the attack, nor can I pretend as though the actions of the premier and the Conservative party as a whole are not in the wrong. I must however admit, I find myself a little apathetic to these cases.

To begin with Redford admits that she did suggest her husbands firm be considered for the job. But who wouldn't? If you honestly believe you would not use your position or connections to help benefit the people you care most about, you're only fooling yourself. We all do it, knowing the right people and building a network are vital in achieving success. Personally I can't see anything wrong with it. I have no justification for the actions of her sister but, would suggest that perhaps this is an isolated incident and should be dealt with as such. Rather than having it become the focal point of our government. The conservative party has certainly made some mistakes as of late, but how is this different from any politics.

Without turning this into an issue of my personal political preferences I want to focus on the matter of my apathy. I just don't really care whether or not Alison Redford helped her ex-husband get a contract. I wish the media and the opposition parties would spend less time focusing on side scandals that affect few Albertans and get back to doing something productive for the province.

No more Trust

Well once again my procrastinating has bit me in the butt this morning. Like many university students I let my busy schedule provide me an excuse to push paying my student fees until the last possible moment. As I stood in the line which progressed from Kirby Hall till it was nearly merging with the Starbucks line, I had some time to think. As one of the ladies from the registries office was reminding all those in line of the changes made to payment options, it got me thinking how our new instant culture is causing trust issues.

Photo provided by Andres Rueda retrieved from fotopedia.com

As individuals today constantly seek to have goods and services received instantly, a trend has begun to develop. The trend is individuals are purchasing goods before they have the money to pay for them. Through the use of credit cards, loans, lines of credit among others. Although these options can be helpful and as a student I see the importance a loan can have in presenting the opportunity for education,  they also present great liabilities. These financing and payments options are built on the word of individuals, who make a promise to follow through with their commitments. When people don't follow through trust is broken. Although taking people at their word and then having them fall through on their commitment can result in severe consequences, as we know all too well from the role it played in our most recent recession. I find it sad that institutions can no longer except the word of a personal cheque.

I understand all too well that there exists many individuals in our society who out stretch their financial means. I also understand the implications that come with the failure to back loans or credit. Perhaps I am just naive in thinking that people should be taken at their word until they give you reason to think otherwise. I suppose our society has given enough reason for the rest of us to feel the consequences. But I just find it a little discouraging the lack of trust our society is starting to develop, when a persons word no longer carries any weight.   

Maritime Merger

Photo Provided by David Rumsey Map Collection (davidrumsey.com)

Living out west it can be easy to forget  about the Maritimes, way off to the east.  The Maritimes are the smallest of the provinces and territories in Canada, and because of this they have their struggles.  Currently the Maritimes are struggling economically as a result of the most recent recession. To make matters worse the Maritimes are suffering from an aging population. Due largely to the fact many of the younger generation are forced to leave their homes and head to a stronger economie,with more opportunities. These circumstances have brought the idea of a merger between Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia to parliament.

Photo retrieved from hmcnews.org

Three members of parliament proposed the idea last week. The idea itself has been proposed previously but due to the current state of the maritimes, have made it relevant once again. The main reasoning behind this idea is to combine the ressources of the three provinces and increase their economic strength. Creating a union between the three provinces would increase their purchasing power, it would also eliminate the competition for workers between the provinces. As well as help the provinces provide better public services. Although the idea of the union would promote more efficient economic growth, there is a strong distaste for the idea amongst the provinces.


The maritimes maintain that the provinces cooperate well enough together that a union is not justified. The main points in resistance to the idea of a union is the time and money it would take to make the merger work. The merger would cost a fair amount of money to be an efficient union, the amount of resources that need to be combined into single plans and ideas would not take place instantly.

I personally welcome the idea of a a merger, although I can understand the initial discomfort with the idea. The maritime provinces have deep cultures and don't like the idea of giving that up to become one. However, living in Alberta I have met a number of individuals from the maritimes who have either had to uproot their families and move out west or spend months at a time away from their loved ones in order to make a living. Although a merger would take years to complete I believe the government should truly consider the idea of boosting the economie in the Maritimes through a union.

Austerity Ostracizing

The intensification of the financial crisis in Spain, and across Europe, is having very real effects on the lives of people. 

Photo Credit: Anarcho Queer

Beyond the rise in the unemployment rate, widespread foreclosures across Spain have caused at least two suicides over the past few weeks, along with one unsuccessful attempt in the city of Valencia. Feeling ostracized and completely hopeless about the current austerity measures and mortgage horrors, these people were left feeling they had no other choice but to end their lives. The latest case, reported on Friday, involved a 53-year-old woman who jumped from her sixth-story balcony in the Basque city of Barakaldo as foreclosure agents forced open her door.

The latest victim has been Amaya Egana, a former municipal councilwoman for the Socialist Party of Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy. According to Spanish daily El Pais, Egana jumped to her death from a sixth-floor balcony on Friday as a legal team from the local court walked into her apartment to foreclose on her. Receiving no response after ringing the bell and knocking on the door, a locksmith opened the door, only to find Egana standing on a chairto jump from her balcony. Egana was found alive initially, but paramedics had no chances of saving her since she jumped immediately when they arrived.

Egana’s suicide isn't the first related to foreclosures in Spain; on October a 25, 53-year-old Jose Miguel Domingo was found dead, just hours before foreclosure agents arrived at his apartment. Domingo hung himself after not having been able to pay interest payments on a €240,000 mortgage that went sour in 2009. A day after, another man whose name hasn't been disclosed jumped from his window in the city of Valencia. The man attempted to commit suicide minutes before foreclosure agents arrived at his apartment; this time, though, paramedics managed to save his life.

The suicide of Egana has been like the straw that broke the camel’s back. A social repudiation of banks’ foreclosure practices has made its way to Madrid, where the Administration of Mariano Rajoy is working on a planto give sub prime debtors some relief. According to El Pais, Rajoy is looking to put into place a two year foreclosure moratorium for sub prime debtors. With Spain falling even deeper into the rabbit hole, as Rajoy refuses to take a bailout and borrowing costs rise, the situation could deteriorate further. Beyond economic losses, these recent events are direct evidence that financial crises have the potential to completely destroy the lives of ordinary individuals.

Transgender Day Of Remberance

The Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) was started by transgender advocate Gwendolyn Ann Smith as a vigil to honor her memory of Rita Hester, a transgender woman who was killed in 1998.

Photo Credit: Tdor

 Rita was found in her Allston apartment on Saturday dead by multiple stab wounds. The Globe reported the death of a William Hester. "He was a nightclub singer and a party thrower, a man who sported long braids and preferred women's clothes..." The Globe editor responsible for the story decreed to his reporter that only male references would be made about the victim. Nowhere in the article was acknowledgement made that Hester was living as a woman.

 The vigil commemorated all the transgender people lost to violence in 1998 and began an important memorial that has become the annual Transgender Day of Remembrance. The Transgender Day of Remembrance is held on November 20 to honor all those whose lives were lost to anti-transgender violence that year.  Vigils are typically hosted by local transgender advocates or LGBT organizations, and held at community centers, parks, places of worship and other venues. The vigil often involves reading a list of the names of those who died that year. See the TDOR website

The Trans Murder Monitoring project reports that from January 1, 2008 to December 31, 2011, there have been 816 reports of people who died from anti-transgender violence in 55 countries. It should be noted that this number is probably much lower than the actual figure, as it only represents known cases due to issues of language used in reporting the murders (different countries have different terms for being transgender or gender non-conforming) and due to the fact that not all trans people who are murdered are identified as trans.

Hester's death also launched the "Remembering Our Dead" web project in 1998 and a San Francisco candlelight vigil in 1999. Transgenderdor.org notes that her murder -- like most anti-transgender murder cases -- has yet to be solved.I think this is a heartbreaking and outrageous number, and the Transgender Day of Remembrance is a day not only to mourn those we've lost and celebrate the lives they lived, but also bring awareness to the struggle and dangers that trans and gender non-conforming people face around the world on a daily basis.

#OccupySandy

 NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg issued eviction orders for #OccupySandy community relief groups.

Photo Credit: Liberal Post

In the response to hurricane Sandy, Occupy Wall Street supporters have shown that voluntary aid is far more effective than the Red Cross or FEMA. As some Superstorm Sandy survivors enter December in their 5th week without heat and electricity, volunteers have worked tirelessly alongside them to clean up the damage and provide food, water, supplies, clothing and human services to the hardest-hit neighborhoods. Bloomberg brushed off the assembled group (OWS) that was desperate to talk to the mayor about their increasingly dire situation post-Sandy.

Photo Credit: Info Wars

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) shut downlast week “due to bad weather” (The agency will only help as long as it’s not raining, snowy or too windy.), during which time Occupy Sandy and other independent voluntary organizations continued to provide aid to hurricane victims. At one point, pictures were taken of occupy sandy volunteers feeding FEMA workers who couldn’t find supplies for themselves. The group now has over 50,000 volunteers on its mailing list and has raised almost $500,000 for relief of the communities.

Photo credit: T-shirt Tobby

Some community members still have no power, and after almost everyone in NYC has been helped, some are being told that because they ‘rent’ they aren’t eligible for federal assistance. Tenants who lived without heat, hot water, elevators and power … were hoping for a rent discount right away. They were worried that they would fall behind in December’s rent because of extra expenses incurred after Sandy. After almost a month of reluctance the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) caved, agreeing not to pursue evictions of, or default judgments against Sandy-affected tenants who don’t pay or are late with next month’s rent.

More Jingle and Less Jesus in 2012

Christmas over the years has become increasingly 

more about jingle and less about Jesus.

Purple and Pink Christmas by Christmas Stock Images

Two surveys in 2010 found that more than nine in 10 North Americans celebrate the holiday, even if they're atheists, agnostics or believers in other non-Christian faiths. Heck, I’m sure many people reading this may have their reserves about Jesus, Christianity or even the existence of God in the first place, but according to these polls, there is a pretty good chance you celebrate Christmas.

The polls For many, Jesus isn't the reason for the season, and Do your cards star a savior or Santa? reveal what may be the first measurement of an "alarming" gap between belief  and behavior, says Ed Stetzer, president of LifeWay Research, a Nashville-based Christian research organization.

The surveys by LifeWay and USA TODAY indicate that while most call this a holy day that is primarily religious, their actions say otherwise. Many people skip church, omit Jesus and zero in on the egg nog. LifeWay's survey of 2,110 adults found 74% called Christmas "primarily" religious. And a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll of 1,000 adults found 51% say, for them, it's "strongly religious," up from 40% in 1989.

But what does "religious" mean? Not so much for a significant number of  North Americans, the data indicate. Most surveyed said they will give gifts (89%), dine with family or friends (86%), put up a Christmas tree (80%) and play holiday music (79%).

The percentages plummet when it comes to religious activities:

• 58% say they "encourage belief in Jesus Christ as savior."

• 47% attend church Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.

• 34% watch "biblical Christmas movies."

• 28% read or tell the Christmas story from the Bible.

"It's alarming to me that while nine in 10 celebrate Christmas, only six in 10 encourage any belief in the source of Christmas and only three in 10 actually read the story of Christmas," Stetzer says.

I think maybe that’s okay though, that many of us don’t view Christmas as a religious celebration, because the other values of Christmas still come through. Values like family-togetherness, helping our fellow man, generosity and charity are in the minds of many of us through the holiday season, which is a very positive thing. Maybe the lack of religious justification for doing good deeds is actually a positive thing, because it shows that we want to do good on our own, just for the sake of others, not because someone is watching. 

Microsoft Remains in Apples Shadow

Microsoft Remains in Apples Shadow

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            It appears that another company is falling victim to Apples reign. Microsoft, once the superpower of the computer and tech industry, hasn’t just taken a backseat to Apple, it appears there not even sitting in the same building. PC’s are becoming a thing of the past, even in the office where they once dominated. Microsoft has seen its PC sales drop 8% on a yearly basis worldwide. Analysts attribute this steady decline to the rise of Apples Ipad. They sold over 14 million Ipad’s in the last quarter alone.

           

            Microsoft’s newest version of Windows (Windows 8) is failing to compete with the Ipad. Even though it was only introduced a month ago there are not many positive reviews and it appears to be another failed attempt. Many consumers are complaining about its lack of accessibility and still see many of the same flaws present inWindows 7.

           

            Microsoft’s only bright spot over the past few years has been the Xbox. But Xbox alone cannot keep the company afloat and there recent failures mean there is less and less money being put into Xbox. If they can’t find a quick fix they may be heading down the same path as their fellow competitor and Apple victim, R.I.M (Blackberry).

           

                                                 copyright: google/image/fotopedia.com

            It seems that no one has a chance against Apple at the moment. Yes there may be phones and tablets out there that can do more then Apples. But the system Apple has created and its easy to use platform continually trumps all competition. They continue to force competitors to copy rather then innovate. While companies like Microsoft are coming up with a product to compete with the Iphone and Ipad, Apple is creating new products and staying ahead of the curve.

            

R.I.M is Falling Fast

R.I.M is Falling Fast

copyright: google/image/fotopedia.com

                                 

            It’s astonishing how quick the tides can change. It seems like only yesterday that everyone had to have a Blackberry. It was impossible to walk anywhere without seeing someone typing away on there R.I.M (Research in Motion) powered phone. They revolutionized the phone industry and for short period of time they were on top of the tech world.

           

            How times have changed. Smartphones such as Apples Iphone and Samsung’s Galaxy have taken over the phone market. The future seems desolate for the Blackberry and its producers R.I.M. Apple has taken over the industry and there aren’t many options left for R.I.M to save themselves from going out of business. Ed Gelblum, an analyst for Morgan Stanley, predicts that they would have to make layoffs of up to 90% of its workforce to stay afloat.

           

            It seems that their last hope will be the introduction of their new phone the Blackberry 10. Even with this the future still looks bleak. Most industry analysts predict that another form of the Blackberry won’t do much better then their recent attempts. R.I.M’s shares are falling fast and they currently sit at only $8.23/share. This is dismal compared to Apples stock that sits at $586.19/share.

                                          copyright: google/image/blog.zona13.com

           

            No matter how hard they try it appears that R.I.M and its Blackberry are becoming a distant memory. If the launch of the Blackberry 10 is not a smashing success we may be seeing the last of them. 

Dubai: Not what it seems

Wealth, paradise, dreams, endless possibilites... These are all words that you might hear when someone is describing Dubai. With tall glamourous buildings almost everywhere you look and more being erected everyday, the good times will never stop.

Large oil reserves originally sparked the initial growth but the absolute ruler, Sheik Mohammed realized the importance of establishing Dubai as a tourism hotspot. Dubai is full of malls, hotels, pools, restaurants, everything you could ever possibly need on vacation. He built a nation fuelled by mass consumerism and self-interest.

Dubai Night Skyline

(image credit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Dubai_night_skyline.jpg)

Johann Hari, reporter for The Independent writes a compelling article called "The dark side of Dubai". During his visit to Dubai, he sits down with a 23-year-old Emirate male Ahmed al-Atar who describes his wonderful life.

"This is the best place in the world to be young! The government pays for your education up to PhD level. You get given a free house when you get married. You get free healthcare, and if it's not good enough here, they pay for you to go abroad. You don't even have to pay for your phone calls. Almost everyone has a maid, a nanny, and a driver. And we never pay any taxes. Don't you wish you were Emirati?"

Seems a little too good to be true, doesn't it?

That's because the reality is, for most of the people living in Dubai life is nothing like that.

Johann talks to a immigrant worker named Sahinal, who was promised work, money and a future full of hope... Little did he know that as soon as he arrived his passport would be stripped of him. He can't leave now, he is overworked and underpaid. He is a slave with no rights and no freedoms and he cannot ever leave. He came from Bangladesh to make money and send it to his family but this is impossible because he makes less in Dubai.

This is very common in Dubai and most people turn the other way because the very pleasures they enjoy on a daily basis are the direct result of someone else's labour. Sahinal tells Johann in his interview, "I miss my country, my family and my land. We can grow food in Bangladesh. Here, nothing grows. Just oil and buildings"

If your interested further in the issue, watch this.

Let's Make Some Green

Let’s Make Some Green

                                          copyright: google/image/fotopedia.com

            Whether you support Medical Marijuana, smoke it yourself, or disapprove of it altogether, there is no denying its investment potential. Medical Marijuana is now legal in 18 states throughout the U.S. Colorado and Washington has now legalized it for recreational use as well. Today, it is a 1.7 billion dollar a year industry with the potential to grow up to 50 billion. This growth is pending its legalization federally, not just in a select number of states.

           

            Currently Colorado is leading the charge in terms of sales of Marijuana with 181 million dollars in sales since 2010. The investment world is buzzing ever since the election and Marijuana’s recent legalization growth. Investors are now seeing the massive potential of the Marijuana industry. There hasn’t been a completely new commodity to invest in in the United States in some time. This could be just what the U.S needs to stable a staggering economy.

   copyright: google/image/suttonhoo.blogspot.com        

            

           This industry still faces a massive amount of discrimination. People morally object to the sale of Marijuana under any circumstances. In fact there are a large number of banks in U.S that refuse to deal with legitimate Marijuana businesses. But, where one door closes, another opens. Many investors are jumping on this growing industry.

            The potential of the Marijuana industry lies in three main areas: Consumers, growers, and retailers. All of these options have a vast amount of potential. For example, there are constantly new innovations in the field of Marijuana consumption. There are new vaporizers and healthier forms of consuming coming out all the time. This creates a great investment opportunity for anyone looking to be on the forefront of technological advancement. If that’s not for you, there’s always investing in the retail side. New dispensaries and shops are opening up daily and sales are increasing at a substantial rate. If neither one of those tickle your fancy, then get right to the core and invest in the production and growing of Marijuana. All of these have the potential to become major payoffs.

           

             Times are changing and ways to make money are changing with them. Consider how you feel about Marijuana and its legalization. If you don’t support it then think of all the money you could make. If you’re still not on board then you may be getting left behind.