If I had really set my mind to it, I could have made millions. Instead I chose to become a teacher and live a simple life with simple pleasures. As a retiree, I am now prepared to share one of my million dollar ideas with friends at no charge.
How would you like to take a year long vacation for free? All you have to do is use Ken’s Klever Share-a-Lease Plan. To begin, I suggest you assemble either four or six couples that have similar interests to yours and love to travel. The group needs to select either four or six North American destinations where they all would like to holiday for an extended period of two or three months each.
To illustrate, let us decide that six couples would all like to visit San Francisco, San Diego, Puerto Vallarta, New York, Boston, and Montreal which form a convenient circle of destinations. Each couple would be charged with leasing a condo or apartment in one of the locations for a year. After two months, the couples would move around the circle to the next condo that has been leased by one of the other couples. Over the course of the year each couple would have access to each of the six condos for a two-month period. Four couples would share four condos for three- month periods.
Since the accommodations are all in North America, couples could travel using their own automobile, so the travel expenses would be minimal. The best part of the plan however is that it can operate at no cost to any of the couples if they are willing to lease out their own home for a year. The revenue from leasing your own home should more or less pay for the cost of a condo lease. Brilliant concept don’t you think?
The question of only being out of the country for six months, like most snowbirds, is not an issue. There is a provision through Alberta Health Care that allows a person to be absent for up to two years, without forfeiting AHC coverage, for the purpose of travel. Most people do not know of this provision but we have been using it for years.
If you are a BIG thinker just imagine the possibilities. How about a year in Europe with two months in London, Paris, Vienna, Prague, Rome and Madrid? Or if you are a GIANT thinker, consider the world as your oyster – Seattle, Honolulu, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Istanbul and London? The options are endless and a round-the-world airfare can be less than $3000!
So there you have it. One year of excitement and travel, and all it will cost you is a dram of courage and the commitment to say, “Count me in!” Interested?
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Friday, April 3, 2009
Prevent Cruelty to Children – Ban Figure Skating
There are some sports that I would not encourage children to participate in at a competitive level. It is no problem if they play them for fun or with their peers in the schoolyard or gymnasium, but they shouldn’t play them professionally.
I am referring to the sports that do not have an objective scoring system. Sports that can easily determine a winner by the number of goals scored, the fastest time recorded, the distance jumped or that can be measured in some clear concise fashion are fine. Sports like baseball, tennis, golf, hockey, javelin, rowing, or Tiddleywinks can be scored objectively. Play them to your hearts content.
But for your sanity and the sake of your children’s egos and self-esteem, avoid the sports scored by some subjective means. At all costs avoid figure skating, competitive diving, gymnastics and synchronized swimming. The loosey-goosey means of scoring will raise the blood pressure of parents and decrease the feeling of worth in the child. Non-objective scoring by its nature is unfair and faulty. Why would you subject your child to the whim of a prejudiced or marginally competent judge?
Don’t get me wrong. I admire the dedication and commitment of the many Olympic athletes who participate in these later sports. I remember watching a former World Champion figure skater practicing slowly skating the figure eight over and over to try to perfect this portion of the old compulsory program. He must have done it a million times before he was a champion and yet when he competed he was at the mercy of a number of judges trying to assess the perfection of his technique in a fraction of a second. I would hate to see years of hard work, sacrifice and dedication left to be judged by the physical abilities of a group of elderly mortals.
Competitive diving, gymnastics and synchronized swimming all suffer from the same problem. To try to promote some sense of fairness these sports all try to objectively determine “the degree of difficulty” of a jump, a dive or a routine. I think this only makes it harder to compare the performance of athletes who execute different routines. If one diver performs a less challenging dive well, is that better than a diver who performs a more challenging dive less well? How can you tell?
Needless to say I am not taking up diving, figure skating or gymnastics for just this reason. I don’t want to dedicate years of my life to perfecting a five-minute figure skating program and have some judge, who is suffering a hangover or who has just been refused a Canadian residency permit, evaluate my years of effort. I would rather take up bowling because I know that counting the number of pins I knock down is not subject to interpretation.
So help prevent cruelty to children. Let them play water polo not take synchronized swimming, learn lacrosse not the parallel bars, and learn how to high jump not make a triple toe loop! You will be thankful you did.
I am referring to the sports that do not have an objective scoring system. Sports that can easily determine a winner by the number of goals scored, the fastest time recorded, the distance jumped or that can be measured in some clear concise fashion are fine. Sports like baseball, tennis, golf, hockey, javelin, rowing, or Tiddleywinks can be scored objectively. Play them to your hearts content.
But for your sanity and the sake of your children’s egos and self-esteem, avoid the sports scored by some subjective means. At all costs avoid figure skating, competitive diving, gymnastics and synchronized swimming. The loosey-goosey means of scoring will raise the blood pressure of parents and decrease the feeling of worth in the child. Non-objective scoring by its nature is unfair and faulty. Why would you subject your child to the whim of a prejudiced or marginally competent judge?
Don’t get me wrong. I admire the dedication and commitment of the many Olympic athletes who participate in these later sports. I remember watching a former World Champion figure skater practicing slowly skating the figure eight over and over to try to perfect this portion of the old compulsory program. He must have done it a million times before he was a champion and yet when he competed he was at the mercy of a number of judges trying to assess the perfection of his technique in a fraction of a second. I would hate to see years of hard work, sacrifice and dedication left to be judged by the physical abilities of a group of elderly mortals.
Competitive diving, gymnastics and synchronized swimming all suffer from the same problem. To try to promote some sense of fairness these sports all try to objectively determine “the degree of difficulty” of a jump, a dive or a routine. I think this only makes it harder to compare the performance of athletes who execute different routines. If one diver performs a less challenging dive well, is that better than a diver who performs a more challenging dive less well? How can you tell?
Needless to say I am not taking up diving, figure skating or gymnastics for just this reason. I don’t want to dedicate years of my life to perfecting a five-minute figure skating program and have some judge, who is suffering a hangover or who has just been refused a Canadian residency permit, evaluate my years of effort. I would rather take up bowling because I know that counting the number of pins I knock down is not subject to interpretation.
So help prevent cruelty to children. Let them play water polo not take synchronized swimming, learn lacrosse not the parallel bars, and learn how to high jump not make a triple toe loop! You will be thankful you did.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Gandhi vs. Einstein – You Decide
Two of the most quoted men of the 20th Century have been Mohandas Gandhi and Albert Einstein. I have always loved their use of language and the provocative nature of many of their ideas and beliefs.
Some of my favorite quotations by Gandhi include:
-I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.
-Speak only if it improves upon the silence.
-Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.
-There are many causes I would die for. There is not a single cause I would kill for.
-You should be the change that you want to see in the world.
-An eye for an eye will make the whole world blind.
-To believe in something, and not live it, is dishonest.
-First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.
-Seven social sins: politics without principles, wealth without work, pleasure without conscience, knowledge without character, commerce without morality, science without humanity, and worship without sacrifice.
Some of my favorite quotations by Einstein include:
-Try to become not a man of success, but try rather to become a man of value.
-Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited, whereas imagination embraces the entire world, stimulating progress, giving birth to evolution.
-Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former.
-Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.
-Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts.
-Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius - and a lot of courage - to move in the opposite direction.
-As our circle of knowledge expands, so does the circumference of darkness surrounding it.
-I live in that solitude which is painful in youth, but delicious in the years of maturity.
Who do you enjoy more – Mohandas or Albert?
Some of my favorite quotations by Gandhi include:
-I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.
-Speak only if it improves upon the silence.
-Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.
-There are many causes I would die for. There is not a single cause I would kill for.
-You should be the change that you want to see in the world.
-An eye for an eye will make the whole world blind.
-To believe in something, and not live it, is dishonest.
-First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.
-Seven social sins: politics without principles, wealth without work, pleasure without conscience, knowledge without character, commerce without morality, science without humanity, and worship without sacrifice.
Some of my favorite quotations by Einstein include:
-Try to become not a man of success, but try rather to become a man of value.
-Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited, whereas imagination embraces the entire world, stimulating progress, giving birth to evolution.
-Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former.
-Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.
-Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts.
-Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius - and a lot of courage - to move in the opposite direction.
-As our circle of knowledge expands, so does the circumference of darkness surrounding it.
-I live in that solitude which is painful in youth, but delicious in the years of maturity.
Who do you enjoy more – Mohandas or Albert?
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Straightening Out the Big Three Automakers Mess
I have been requested by President Obama to help save the US automobile industry. Of course I told him I would do my best and try to offer some proposals that would help the industry, as well as deal with the global energy and environmental crises.
My ten recommendations for the future include:
Car making companies can only make five kinds of vehicles – a compact car, an intermediate car, a large car, a van and a truck. There is no need for the dozens and dozens of models that only confuse the buyer. Five types are enough.
Each year will only provide three, color choices. 2010 models will be black, tan or red, 2011 models will be gold, white or blue, and 2012 models will be grey, silver or green. The colors will recycle every three years. Nine colors to chose from are enough.
Every vehicle will possess a four or six cylinder engine and the V8 engine will only be a memory. In an energy conscious environment, a small engine is more than adequate for 99% of drivers. The other 1% can vicariously increase their engines power by vocally chanting “Vroom, vroom, vroom!”
Beginning in 2012 ALL vehicles must be hybrids and in 2014 an electric option will be available as well. Every other option will be a standard feature with no additional costs beyond the sticker price.
Cars will only be assembled to fill an order. Just as many books are now only published upon demand, there is no need for hundreds of thousands of cars to sit in lots waiting to be sold. Dealerships will not need huge car storage lots and money will not be tied up in inventory. Plan ahead, order your car and then wait until it is delivered.
A selection of assembly line workers and supervisors will determine the salary that is fair for performing each task on an automobile assembly line. Since most tasks are automated, workers will not be paid as if they were skilled, educated engineers when their job involves tightening three nuts on three bolts. If workers don’t like the new salary scale, fill out a job application at Wal-Mart.
The maximum salary of any automobile executive cannot exceed the salary of the President of the United States. Any executive, who wishes to make a case for a higher salary, is invited to do so at his or her own peril.
The prices of all vehicles will decrease to reflect the lower cost of fewer models, fewer color and option choices, less need for large inventories and lower salaries of many employees of the automobile industry. Pass the savings on to the buyer, not the CEO.
New car owners will be provided with a five-year warrantee that will cost the owner only $200 for minor and $500 for major repairs. Auto companies will be forced to ensure that their work is of a high quality or be required to assume the cost of shoddy workmanship.
At year’s end, automobile company executives may be awarded bonuses. In the next year, however, the price of the company’s automobiles must be reduced by the same percentage, as the executive’s bonus was a percentage of his or her salary. What’s sauce for the goose is probably going to make the gander happy as well!
Mr. President, I have been glad to be able to help. If you need any help with bankers or mortgage lenders just give me a call!
My ten recommendations for the future include:
Car making companies can only make five kinds of vehicles – a compact car, an intermediate car, a large car, a van and a truck. There is no need for the dozens and dozens of models that only confuse the buyer. Five types are enough.
Each year will only provide three, color choices. 2010 models will be black, tan or red, 2011 models will be gold, white or blue, and 2012 models will be grey, silver or green. The colors will recycle every three years. Nine colors to chose from are enough.
Every vehicle will possess a four or six cylinder engine and the V8 engine will only be a memory. In an energy conscious environment, a small engine is more than adequate for 99% of drivers. The other 1% can vicariously increase their engines power by vocally chanting “Vroom, vroom, vroom!”
Beginning in 2012 ALL vehicles must be hybrids and in 2014 an electric option will be available as well. Every other option will be a standard feature with no additional costs beyond the sticker price.
Cars will only be assembled to fill an order. Just as many books are now only published upon demand, there is no need for hundreds of thousands of cars to sit in lots waiting to be sold. Dealerships will not need huge car storage lots and money will not be tied up in inventory. Plan ahead, order your car and then wait until it is delivered.
A selection of assembly line workers and supervisors will determine the salary that is fair for performing each task on an automobile assembly line. Since most tasks are automated, workers will not be paid as if they were skilled, educated engineers when their job involves tightening three nuts on three bolts. If workers don’t like the new salary scale, fill out a job application at Wal-Mart.
The maximum salary of any automobile executive cannot exceed the salary of the President of the United States. Any executive, who wishes to make a case for a higher salary, is invited to do so at his or her own peril.
The prices of all vehicles will decrease to reflect the lower cost of fewer models, fewer color and option choices, less need for large inventories and lower salaries of many employees of the automobile industry. Pass the savings on to the buyer, not the CEO.
New car owners will be provided with a five-year warrantee that will cost the owner only $200 for minor and $500 for major repairs. Auto companies will be forced to ensure that their work is of a high quality or be required to assume the cost of shoddy workmanship.
At year’s end, automobile company executives may be awarded bonuses. In the next year, however, the price of the company’s automobiles must be reduced by the same percentage, as the executive’s bonus was a percentage of his or her salary. What’s sauce for the goose is probably going to make the gander happy as well!
Mr. President, I have been glad to be able to help. If you need any help with bankers or mortgage lenders just give me a call!
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Interesting Income Tax Exemption!
Income tax time is not usually considered a fun time for most of us. It is often a boring, repetitive and uninteresting exercise. That changed this year, however, when I stumbled upon the following information package
Topic 357 - Tax Information for Parents of Kidnapped Children
You may claim a kidnapped child as your dependent if the following requirements are met:
1. The child must be presumed by law enforcement to have been kidnapped by someone who is not a member of your family or a member of the child's family, and
2. The child had, for the taxable year in which the kidnapping occurred, the same principal place of abode as the taxpayer for more than one-half of the portion of such year before the date of kidnapping.
If both of these requirements are met, the child may meet the requirements for purposes of determining:
* The dependency exemption
* The child tax credit, and
* Head of household or qualifying widow(er) with dependent child filing status.
This tax treatment will cease to apply as of your first tax year beginning after the calendar year in which either there is a determination that the child is dead or the child would have reached age 18, whichever occurs first.
For more information, refer to Publication 501, Exemptions, Standard Deduction, and Filing Information.
Of course I did a double take when I read it. I thought for sure that someone was scamming me and had made up the entire article.
I did a triple take when I searched the US Internal Revenue site and found that, in fact, the above is a completely legitimate exemption. You can claim any of your kidnapped children as an income tax exemption!
Had I known this thirty years ago, my two sons would certainly have some interesting stories to tell today!
Topic 357 - Tax Information for Parents of Kidnapped Children
You may claim a kidnapped child as your dependent if the following requirements are met:
1. The child must be presumed by law enforcement to have been kidnapped by someone who is not a member of your family or a member of the child's family, and
2. The child had, for the taxable year in which the kidnapping occurred, the same principal place of abode as the taxpayer for more than one-half of the portion of such year before the date of kidnapping.
If both of these requirements are met, the child may meet the requirements for purposes of determining:
* The dependency exemption
* The child tax credit, and
* Head of household or qualifying widow(er) with dependent child filing status.
This tax treatment will cease to apply as of your first tax year beginning after the calendar year in which either there is a determination that the child is dead or the child would have reached age 18, whichever occurs first.
For more information, refer to Publication 501, Exemptions, Standard Deduction, and Filing Information.
Of course I did a double take when I read it. I thought for sure that someone was scamming me and had made up the entire article.
I did a triple take when I searched the US Internal Revenue site and found that, in fact, the above is a completely legitimate exemption. You can claim any of your kidnapped children as an income tax exemption!
Had I known this thirty years ago, my two sons would certainly have some interesting stories to tell today!
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Michelle Obama – You’re Way Out of Line!
Today, Michelle Obama has stepped way out of line! Until today I very much admired her for her intelligence, her common sense, and her role modeling as a mother and homemaker. Her decision to plant a vegetable garden in the back yard of the White House has changed my mind.
She has gone far beyond the mandate of the First Lady. Her decision to plant a vegetable garden to teach her children and others the benefits of growing and eating fresh produce will have immense ramifications. I know she thinks it is a good idea, but she has no idea of the repercussions.
Now every wife and mother in North America will want (her husband) to make and plant a garden. Since most yards are covered in lawn, the first step will be to dig up huge sections of grass, dispose of the waste and haul in fresh loam and topsoil. And you can bet your subscription of Horticulture Humor, that the husband will be commandeered to do the manual labor.
Once the man of the house has planned out and dug the garden, the wife and children will take over. With photojournalists from around the world recording the historic event, Michelle and the girls in their latest Old Navy garden wear will be shown carefully dropping little peas into freshly watered troughs. They will be smiling and excitedly awaiting the first crop.
After the first few seeds have been buried, that is the last that you will see of the kids and the wife for a while. The daily watering, the weed picking, the plant thinning and the application of pesticides and fertilizer will be left to the man of the house. I hope Barack has the time! Maybe he can skip the next round of Middle East peace talks cuz he’ll be needed in the pea patch!
At the first sign of the harvest, the photojournalists will be back. And for the first time in months, so will the kids and the wife. The baskets of fresh peas and green lettuce will complement the lovely red dresses the children are wearing for the photo shoot. The White House vegetable garden venture will be a smashing success!
Every man in American, including Barack, will be singing the praises of the fresh produce readily available in the local supermarkets, but to no avail. Nothing tastes as good as vegetables fresh from the family garden. The blood, sweat, toil, and tears of the thousands of husbands who were forced to become happy little suburban gardeners will not be mentioned.
So, Michelle dear, next time you get a good idea like remodeling a White House bathroom as a do-it-yourself project, please consult with me first. Neither Barack nor I have the time or inclination to rip out tile, remove cabinetry or repaint a bathroom. The baseball season starts soon and my free time will be at a premium. Especially if I have to weed the garden too!
She has gone far beyond the mandate of the First Lady. Her decision to plant a vegetable garden to teach her children and others the benefits of growing and eating fresh produce will have immense ramifications. I know she thinks it is a good idea, but she has no idea of the repercussions.
Now every wife and mother in North America will want (her husband) to make and plant a garden. Since most yards are covered in lawn, the first step will be to dig up huge sections of grass, dispose of the waste and haul in fresh loam and topsoil. And you can bet your subscription of Horticulture Humor, that the husband will be commandeered to do the manual labor.
Once the man of the house has planned out and dug the garden, the wife and children will take over. With photojournalists from around the world recording the historic event, Michelle and the girls in their latest Old Navy garden wear will be shown carefully dropping little peas into freshly watered troughs. They will be smiling and excitedly awaiting the first crop.
After the first few seeds have been buried, that is the last that you will see of the kids and the wife for a while. The daily watering, the weed picking, the plant thinning and the application of pesticides and fertilizer will be left to the man of the house. I hope Barack has the time! Maybe he can skip the next round of Middle East peace talks cuz he’ll be needed in the pea patch!
At the first sign of the harvest, the photojournalists will be back. And for the first time in months, so will the kids and the wife. The baskets of fresh peas and green lettuce will complement the lovely red dresses the children are wearing for the photo shoot. The White House vegetable garden venture will be a smashing success!
Every man in American, including Barack, will be singing the praises of the fresh produce readily available in the local supermarkets, but to no avail. Nothing tastes as good as vegetables fresh from the family garden. The blood, sweat, toil, and tears of the thousands of husbands who were forced to become happy little suburban gardeners will not be mentioned.
So, Michelle dear, next time you get a good idea like remodeling a White House bathroom as a do-it-yourself project, please consult with me first. Neither Barack nor I have the time or inclination to rip out tile, remove cabinetry or repaint a bathroom. The baseball season starts soon and my free time will be at a premium. Especially if I have to weed the garden too!
Friday, March 20, 2009
The Five Porches of Deliverance Centre Apostolic Tabernacle Church?
The Bahamas is a country blessed with an incredible number of different churches. It seems as though there is a church, temple, cathedral or revival tent on almost every other corner. The names of many of these small churches have caught my eye since we arrived in the islands.
My experience as a Roman Catholic has led me to believe that most churches had rather simple names. Many Catholic churches were named after the Holy Family or the saints – St. Andrew, St. Bernard, St. Cecelia, St. Dominic and so on. Short and sweet, and clearly named.
The churches in the Bahamas have far more interesting names. I have seen the following:
Church of God of Prophecy
Cousin McPhee Cathedral
Final Hours Ministries
God’s Temple of Praise
Mt Pleasant Green Baptist Church International
Abundant Life Bible Church
Living Word Church of God
Living Water Church of God
Soul Winning Church of God in Christ
Breath of Life Unity Church
Walking Church of God Ministry
Free in Jesus Miracle Deliverance Temple
Oasis of Love Ministries ---and my personal favorite
Five Porches of Deliverance Centre Apostolic Tabernacle Church.
I find the church names very interesting, but I have a hard time really differentiating how they may differ. Because of the stiff competition to save souls, each name seems to be more of a marketing strategy than a clear explanation of the churches denomination or basic beliefs.
The Baptist Churches have tried to attract members by using the adjective “new” to name many of their churches. For example we have:
New Beginning Jubilee Baptist Church
New Destiny Baptist Church
New Hope Missionary Baptist Church
New Covenant Baptist Church
New Free Community Holiness Baptist Church
New Testament Independent Baptist Church
New Lively Hope Baptist Church
New Wine Kingdom Ministries
It makes me thankful that I am not a new arrival to Nassau looking to find a suitable place of worship. I’d have a hard time choosing between a church that has wine, hope, green, cousin, winning or oasis of love built into its name.
I will just continue to go to St. Francis Xavier Cathedral where a Mass breaks out every Sunday, right in the middle of a high-spirited Gospel music concert!
My experience as a Roman Catholic has led me to believe that most churches had rather simple names. Many Catholic churches were named after the Holy Family or the saints – St. Andrew, St. Bernard, St. Cecelia, St. Dominic and so on. Short and sweet, and clearly named.
The churches in the Bahamas have far more interesting names. I have seen the following:
Church of God of Prophecy
Cousin McPhee Cathedral
Final Hours Ministries
God’s Temple of Praise
Mt Pleasant Green Baptist Church International
Abundant Life Bible Church
Living Word Church of God
Living Water Church of God
Soul Winning Church of God in Christ
Breath of Life Unity Church
Walking Church of God Ministry
Free in Jesus Miracle Deliverance Temple
Oasis of Love Ministries ---and my personal favorite
Five Porches of Deliverance Centre Apostolic Tabernacle Church.
I find the church names very interesting, but I have a hard time really differentiating how they may differ. Because of the stiff competition to save souls, each name seems to be more of a marketing strategy than a clear explanation of the churches denomination or basic beliefs.
The Baptist Churches have tried to attract members by using the adjective “new” to name many of their churches. For example we have:
New Beginning Jubilee Baptist Church
New Destiny Baptist Church
New Hope Missionary Baptist Church
New Covenant Baptist Church
New Free Community Holiness Baptist Church
New Testament Independent Baptist Church
New Lively Hope Baptist Church
New Wine Kingdom Ministries
It makes me thankful that I am not a new arrival to Nassau looking to find a suitable place of worship. I’d have a hard time choosing between a church that has wine, hope, green, cousin, winning or oasis of love built into its name.
I will just continue to go to St. Francis Xavier Cathedral where a Mass breaks out every Sunday, right in the middle of a high-spirited Gospel music concert!
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