Musical Chairs

I will not pretend to know how the markets work, but from my viewpoint it sure looks like musical chairs. The smart guys all get out leaving everyone else to fall to the floor. Am I not seeing this right?

In some states there is such a shortage of labor companies are hiring people in jail to work, and at premium wages, in the trucking world the shortage of drivers has become nasty, heck who wants these jobs anyways. Drivers I know who use to run south of the border don’t want to anymore because of the new electronic log books. Can’t get anything done and their wages have fallen. Heck I’ve been recruited by people I barley know to go drive for someone else. 

My point is the fed is raising interest rates to try and stop inflation, yet inflation is going to happen because there is not enough people to do the shit jobs out there and the wages and prices will increase. Yep, just a great big merry go round!

I’m a Headline Junkie

Are you like me, skimming the news only looking at the headlines? Maybe it’s my age and experience but I can picture the article with just the headline. In fact I find reading the piece to be boring as hell. I think it comes from school where you are not only encouraged to write 1000 word essays. So what do you do? You rehash everything that has been already said in order to get the content needed.
Starting today I’m going to keep my blog down to one paragraph with a great headline that says what I feel. No need to bore you all with rehashed content!
One of seven billion and counting

Uber

I need help with this, why does this company continue to reject any and almost all pre clearance of its drivers? They left the largest city in the US because they refused to do a criminal check on their drivers. It’s almost like they want to have criminals behind the wheel!
Today one driver was arrested in California after raping four different women. He wasn’t even a US citizen! https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/jan/23/uber-driver-charged-with-four-rapes-california?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
This company could have owned the taxi business but chose to be some kind of outlaw you can’t tell me what to do company. I may be a big male and not afraid of much but man, who is it that’s picking me up? Or my daughters? You just don’t know.
Then they attack these drivers with a shrinking percentage of revenue to the point of starvation. Was everyone involved at the start Trump followers? To be a big company like this and not care at all for your customers or the people who make you your money is hard to understand. It feels like a very criminal behaviour to me, heck I’d have more faith in a rickshaw driver in Vietnam then an Uber driver anywhere in the world.
They are currently trying to crack the Vancouver market, and even though this market needs a shakeup in the worst way I’m afraid of what will come with it.
Seven billion, looking for a lift, and counting

Hard Work

It’s been said many times that in the future we will have more leisure time, that robots and such will free us to an easier life, yet no sooner is this said we all seem to be busier and work longer and harder lives. I have a theory on this, I think we are afraid to be idle. That we will get into more trouble and spend past our means. Is happiness being busy as we can be? Working till we can’t?
No we need to work, we want to work, and a future that may eliminate all these jobs is not something most want to see. There is a guilt to sitting around that’s hard to take. Yet a lot of what we do is really quite meaningless. That can be very frustrating, and I think explains the Trump movement. It’s a last grasp at a life that has past us by. Drill for more oil, dig for more coal. Ignore climate change. It’s a plea for a past life, one that is done done done!!!
I’m looking forward to the new economy, whatever that’s turns out to be. But one thing is for certain, we need to be busy and lead a life that has some meaning.
Seven billion, wondering what’s next and counting.

Buying and selling

I used to sell cars, for dealers and privately. It could be a long and painful journey from start to finish. First you place an add, that took a week and sometimes longer. Then it would get to print but there were mistakes, or you sold it, or the price needed to be adjusted for work done. Then came the internet.
Thursday night at 4 pm I went to see a car, liked it and bought it. Got it home, plated and insured by 7:30. Then I needed to sell the one I was driving. Friday at 2:00 pm I posted an add to Craig’s List, got an email at 2:10, by 3:30 car was sold. It to was plated and insured and driven to the buyers home. I was dropped off at my home by 7:30 pm. 24 hours to do 2 deals completed privately is in my mind just crazy.
Why oh why do we need dealers?? Values are there for everyone to see, specs and problems are just a google search away. I think Tesla has it right, order on line and get it delivered to you. We don’t need to be paying all these middle men (and women) to do what we can do ourselves in relative ease. Kind of like Sears and other stores like them, just a big waste of time and added expense.
We are entering the speed warp of commerce now and it’s going to get even faster then my example.
Seven billion, getting what they want and counting.

A quiet summer

As of today our federallies have decided that building a pipeline through my new adopted province is good to go. Apparently our Prime Minister only eats meat as ripping up wilderness to transport oil is just fine with him. Yep, no "roasted veggies" on his plate, just meat.
Not sure how one man and one party can do such things as tear up environmental protections and still get elected. One thing is for sure, it won't be a quiet summer. The natives will be in full dress come any developer or pipeline exec. Ha, Harper may know Albertans but BC is another thing altogether. Wonder if Neil Young is available for a summer concert?
Roasted Veggies, the key to long life.

A New Title

Being "ironic" was in the end something that everyone was. It was of coarse the basis for most humour and in the end I ran out of ideas to further that coarse of thought. So now we are the "Roasted Veggie". This name came to me as something I'm very fond of, roasted veggies, and of how I see the world, a bunch of roasted veggies! I really needed to lighten up some so this will be my first post under this new name.
I've recently moved to Vancouver, a place with many different nationals in its living area. And for the first time I find myself working for an East Indian. What I have noticed about these people is how polite they are, and they are always smiling. Now this is not to say they won't screw you if given an opportunity, but they just seem to always have a smile and say thank you my good friend. They may have just met you but you are their good friend. As opposed to Chinese people who hardly ever smile. Must be tough being a comedian in China, they just don't show emotion, not enough roasted veggies is what I'm thinking. But for me, I've been around East Indians for many years and never knew any of them. I'm a bit ashamed of this as I've now come to like them very much. They wear their hearts on their sleeves and seem to truly enjoy life. They also love veggies, not sure if roasting them is the norm but they have always eaten a fairly vegetable based diet and to that I say good deal.
Seven billion, opening their eyes and counting