It's all about Harper

04.14.11: In the Globe & Mail yesterday


I said I wouldn't use this in my blog ... but I can't resist due to the enormous amount of response so far.


As you already know, I am not a Harper supporter.


It's not that I am a Liberal or not a Conservative (whatever Harper conservatism is), I am not a Harper fan and want him replaced as soon as practical.


If you happen to read the comments after watching this video, I wonder if you are surprised to see the anger in the under-40 population (the new 40s is the old 30s).


I also wonder if you know what a "hipster" is.


I also wonder how anti-politics we (probably mainly under-40s) have become - very low voter turnout at last election.


I also wonder how Harper maintains his popularity, with the negative things he has done in the last couple of years.


I also wonder how Canadians aren't deeply concerned about the perception other countries have of us (exclusion from UN council, non-recognition of climate change, withdrawal of African aid, aggressive position in Iraq and Afghanistan, etc).


The older I get, the more I wonder ...

RIM in trouble?

04.15.11: In case you hadn't seen the video.


04.14.11: In the Toronto Star April 14th





RIM has not been doing well lately. Losing ground to Apple and other smartphones and unable to resolve the server access concern of India.
I was considering investing in RIM a couple of weeks ago (buy low, sell at 20% gain) but will wait a while longer as the bottom hasn't happened yet - in my opinion.
The stock is at $51.38 as of 10:44 today (down $1.41 this am) and continuing to move closer to it 53 week low of $44.94).


As a true Canadian success story, I am hoping RIM comes out with another barn-burner product, as the Blackberry (in present form) is in denouement now.


Lazaridis' reaction to questions on BBC last night about middle east server access hasn't helped the company. And what about the UAE non-disclosure??


I am amazed at how a chairman/CEO (never have one person hold both jobs), who will probably make many millions this non-profit year, can represent a company in this manner!


Probably best to wait a while to invest in RIM ...

Water Timer

04.13.11: Have you resisted buying a water timer to water your lawn or gardens because of the price?
I have not seen one for less than $49 at most stores.
Last year, in my endless searching for bargoons, I came across this one at Walmart. 
It works very well. I set it for up to 2 hours and forget it.


As some of you are aware, I installed an inground  sprinkler system myself, a couple of years ago, for approx $200. 
It works very well but doesn't cover the area between us and the house on the north side. I may do it this year.

I have bought it twice now (reason for 2nd one later in this post).
I buy it because it is cheap and works. 
As you might expect, it is only sold at Walmart.


The reason I just bought a 2nd one is I left it out over the winter and the water froze and broke it.
At $6.98, I am not too disappointed ... but will bring it indoors next winter.

Airlines - how do they get away with it?

04.08.11: In the Toronto Star April 7th.

It really is annoying how they get away with it. But, we only have ourselves to blame.

Where else, other than telephone rates and hydro and water ...  


 Maybe a little more regulation is necessary.


Well, Quebec is taking steps to try to correct this 'false' advertising. 
Good for them and we should all get behind them and support this initiative!


Might make a good federal election campaign item, rather than promising more deficit spending.

Tar Sands should be an election issue

04.16.11: In the Toronto Star today by Michael Lewis. Michael seems to understand.


I haven't seen much on this since the campaigning started. Maybe someone can explain it to me...


The articles I have seen indicate I am on a different planet! Other than this article, no one is focusing on the tar sands since the debate.
Maybe it is time to capitulate, as our time appears to be wasted thinking we can change the election outcome (replacing Harper).


Harper is the man. 
The average Canadian deserves him ... and Peter Kent's 'ethical' crude. 


Is it time to consider other things ... golf comes to mind? 

04.04.11: In the New York Times Sunday - NO to new tar sands pipeline. 
The council of Canadians also reported the article with more details.


Food & Water Watch (USA based environmentalist group) also speaks out about the real problems it will bring. 


I must be missing something that most people are aware of. 


Canada's tar sands are tremendously important to Canadians ... right? 
We are sitting on a gold mine and have a lot of wealthy people keen and eager to develop the oil for export. They understand how beneficial this business is to Canadians.
Without it, we would not survive in this global economy ... correct?


Or is it the case of Harper satisfying a lot of people who will reward him after he leaves politics (did someone say he was leaving??).


Greenpeace is very good at identifying negative impact of tar sands development:
1. open pit mines scorching the earth
2. the process uses more water than a city of 2 million people
3. 36 million tonnes of CO2 a day
4. toxic lakes leak more than 11 million litres a day
5. The EPA estimates 82% more GGEs than conventional crude production


More videos explaining the devastating impact: 
These two are very informative:
1. What are the tar sands?
2. What is the impact of the tar sands on the climate (Dr Andrew Weaver)? 


The Council of Canadians is also speaking out on this subject. Apparently, Harper is going ahead with another contempt of parliament initiative.   


It really amazes me there isn't a powerful group involved with deterring this environment irreparable destruction. Perhaps Greenpeace needs more significant (benevolent) support ...


I can understand the USA need for their pipeline from northern Alberta and their total disregard for our environmental impact...dramatically reduces their dependency on middle east oil.


While it may prove beneficial that americans become concerned about pipeline leaks, in my opinion it will not deter them. Even serious environmental impact won't deter them.


As with any large country running out of resources, the USA will exploit whoever they can to ensure their continued drain on natural resources, before understanding the importance of the word "renewable".


It sure would be helpful, in a federal election, if there was real benefit in promoting preservation of our environment for future generations!


If none of our three major parties use this as a major platform in this election, again I will be disappointed in our political system!

Libya positioning is very interesting

03.20.11: Interesting to see this unfold. Obama was going to take a supporting role in this initiative but, as you would expect (having seen the "Why We Fight" documentary), they are controlling the initial enabling of the no fly zone ... and are expected to back off and allow Britain and France to take charge. We will see.


In looking more closely at Germany's decision, it appear to be a result of some state elections in the near future and the understanding the electorate would not like their leaders to engage in a potential war and play a more humanitarian role instead.


Again, I wonder how many Canadians are interested in Canada being on the offensive in Libya rather than a humanitarian role. Can we really play with the big boys or should we maintain the international role we had for so many years? Why are Canadians not speaking up? Maybe the military has a stronger say than I thought here in Canada...  

03.18.11: It never ceases to amaze me how countries use problems to attempt to create opportunities.

Libya has a problem with a exposed dictator ... and England and France are taking advantage of the situation ... and exposing Germany's decision.


Germany has "sided" with India and China and Russia.
Is this futuristic thinking or is it a mistake? Has Germany given up on the EU?


Meanwhile Harper is attempting to make use of our F-18s ... when not required and incurring substantial taxpayer expense. 
Is he still trying to support the ridiculous and exorbitant purchase of new fighters?


Isn't it amazing how a problem becomes an opportunity?


Here is a quote from The Telegraph:


...and Germany's unprecedented decision to break ranks with France and Britain, Europe's two diplomatic heavyweights, by abstaining with Brazil, Russia, India and China against action has raised new questions over the future of the EU's foreign policy.

Harper - more negative support

02.25.11: I have always been against Harper representing me and Canadians. 
The G8/G20 fiasco only exacerbated my dislike. 


Here is an article in the Star Tuesday outlining more things he has not done ... yet promised to do.


He has initiated great expense (more than 2 billion $s over 5 years) for harsher sentencing and being tougher on crime. This part I have a tendency to agree with - yes agree.


The problem is his hidden agenda style and lack of transparency on many significant items - see the article for 5 key items.


One of the items seems to be extremely significant but I don't see too many people making noise about it.
The G8/G20 security and expense  - A lot of law cases and analysis still have not come to the logical conclusion ... it was his responsibility alone to ensure it was handled correctly by the police and to curtail the ridiculous expense. Image what good (internationally and nationally) 1 billion $s (OUR tax $s) could have achieved!


Hopefully, there will be a suitable replacement candidate available at the next federal election.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids

02.25.11: Once again, another article extolling the virtues of omega-3. I have taking this supplement for quite a while, along with odourless garlic, vitamin E, glucosamine sulphate and calcium with vitamin D. 
In addition, ASA and ibuprofen three to four times a week.
This web link has quite a bit of information supporting the use of omega-3.


"omega-3 fatty acids found in fish appeared to help those fragile DNA tips -- called telomeres -- stay younger longer."

"...telomeres grow shorter as part of the natural aging process. And stress, body inflammation, a lack of exercise, and extra pounds can shorten those tips even faster, essentially opening wider the window to all sorts of body-aging cell damage. We're talking extra wrinkles, gray hair, brittle bones, and even heart disease and cancer."


Eat more good fish and take supplements!

When to Sell Your House

02.04.11: Interesting article in the Star today.


The bottom line appears to be now is the best time to sell, if you are considering it in the next couple of  years.
Of course, the real estate folks are saying any price decline will be minimal.


For some strange reason, I put more faith in the economists.


What this news also suggests is rising precious metals prices and possibly oil prices (should any further natural disasters occur to disrupt distribution).


There may be another investment opportunity looking ...

ETFs Explained

(click to enlarge)
02.03.11: A good article in the Star this morning explaining how ETFs (exchange traded funds) can fit into your investment strategy.
I have been using them for a short time and find them to be a good partner to my mutual funds.
The two things I like about them are explained:
1. lower mgmt fees
2. trade like stocks


Financial advisors probably don't prefer you use ETFs as they don't need to be involved as you can use any online bank to trade them, instantly or at a specific price, anytime you want ... for a fee.
But you do need to maintain your risk balance and not be overly tempted by how easily you can buy the high potential returns (higher volatility) funds.

Some of you have been in ETFs for quite a while and have been promoting them. 
I am coming onside slowly but still prefer MFs as my safe haven and ETFs as my riskier investments.

Markets - Bull or Brains?

01.30.11 - A good article in the Star Jan 22nd.
I am doing well in the markets these days, as i suspect you are, due to rising global markets.


I had decided, a long while ago, to go it alone without an advisor, as most advisors have hidden agendas and are not focused on my best interests.


My approach, due to my advanced age,  is short-term mutual funds and ETFs. 
Most advisors aren't interested in this approach for mutual funds. 
ETFs are ok as you control them the same as stocks and can buy/sell at will yourself.


With all elongated bull markets, investors get more risky (as i have) and reap the rewards.


To mitigate markets volatility, this article does emphasize ETF type investments as a hedge against significant downward swings, as they represent mainly specific market indexes (such as NYMEC, COMEX, S&P, MSCI, TSX, S&P/TSX, etc) which is an averaging of items within the index.
The problem with ETFs is some are bear and some are bull related. If you selected bear related ETFs, you could have lost a fair amount (except for NYMEX Natural Gas).


So far, the bull ETFs I have been emphasizing (30% of my investing) are doing well.


The trick is to fairly accurately determine timing of the next downturn. 


I am trying to reach 20% average gain before a significant downturn occurs. Regardless, my approach is to get out before the downturn.


Anyone have a good idea or tried-and-true method (specific triggers) for fairly accurately guessing the downturn timing?

Environment - why is coal use increasing in Ontario?

01.08.11 - In the Toronto Star today.


Nuclear power is 55% of total electricity generation in Ontario.


Solar generation is 2.7% (up from 2.3% in 2009). When will it be 50%?


McGinty's liberals r doing something right ... as coal use has dropped dramatically since 2003 (when he came into office).


However, as nuclear or solar couldn't step up when hydro couldn't produce last year (water level were down), coal came to the rescue.


Wouldn't it be interesting if coal COULDN'T come to the rescue...


Another good aspect of this article is we are (for the foreseeable future) a net-exporter of electricity.


Another good investment opportunity?

One CEO Is Paid Correctly - I am impressed!

01.08.11 - I never thought I would see the day a CEO would get it right! There must be something I am missing.


A lot of us do not like Jobs' arrogance and abruptness but he is an excellent CEO!


Now, if the banks and other large tech companies could employ this strategy, we would all feel much better about senior company employee salaries.




I am an IBMer ... meaning UNIX and OS/2, etc. 
I have never been a fan of the Mac computer. However, everything this company does impresses me more than what IBM has done in the last few years. 
"The company does not provide perks to the executives other than those available to non-executive employees..."


I should have invested in it a year ago.

Scarcity of Food in the Future

02.04.11: It may be much sooner than 2050. Time to look for food related investments.


Also time to start lobbying against ethanol production.

01.06.11 - in the Toronto Star today.
 It indicates food prices have risen 25% in one year.


With China and India demand only going to rise, it doesn't look good, if we cannot find more ways to grow more food. 


The indication is we need 70% more food production by 2050.


I wonder what impact there would be if we stopped allowing ethanol production?


Wherever there is a problem, there is usually an opportunity.
Looks like food commodities (corn, grain, etc) would be a good long-term stock or mutual fund investment.

Dementia Awareness - time to get testing

01.04.11 - This article appeared in the Toronto Star today. 


Like you, i had thought i was aware of what to look for in this disease that occurs in our advancing years. Alzheimer's disease is one form of dementia.


As the article states, it is important to pay attention to diet, exercise and mental stimulation, as we age, to delay the onset.


Hopefully, you will remember to take the test.

world health in last 200 years

12.29.10: We have seen this approach in movies and it's about time it became more main-stream in this technological world we now live in. Certainly does allow us to absorb a lot of information quickly.


This world health change visualization, at first glance, indicates great world-wide health improvement in the last 200 years.


On the other hand, from a futures perspective, it looks like trouble ahead ... can our world handle this speed of increased life expectancy with growing populations in the next 200 years?


Also, if you noticed, average income in China and India, in the last 30 years, is increasing more quickly than the industrialized countries - cost of labour intensive goods will increase.


However, knowing this should allow us to create near future opportunities from future problems.


For instance, this xmas season saw emphasis on shipping (online purchases). 
Larger populations mean more customers. But manual shopping is becoming more difficult due to time to purchase. More people will shop online which mean more shipping ... maybe time to invest in the shipping industry as well as companies who emphasize online shopping. eBay saw this quite a while ago. Companies like Walmart and BestBuy haven't picked up on this yet.


All this, and much more, from a single YouTube presentation...

Bell - Rogers - Is It Worth the Struggle

16.01.08: Our Rogers deal expired in December and I looked forward to 'discussing' options again with Rogers.

Our December bill showed about 8 discounted things would be no longer discounted ... raising the bill by about $100/mo.

In recent months, I have noticed nothing (other than a few sports and news channels) worth watching. Apple TV seemed to be satisfactory for grandchildren and nothing on the HBO or specialty channels were of interest.

I decided to reduce TV to a minimum and reduce Internet somewhat and home phone cell phones could remain the same. I would like to get rid of home phone but Helen wants it.

I reviewed Rogers bundles and Bell Fibe bundle prices for comparable services and noticed prices were only slightly less ... not worth the extra effort unless Rogers were unwilling to compromise for a long term customer.

I made the Rogers call on January 4th.

Just as I was beginning the conversation, I decided (to keep it simple) to request they do whatever is necessary to reduce our monthly bill. 
After an initial discussion, I was asked to hold while they discussed with another group (discovered later, it was the loyalty group).
More discussion occurred with me and the loyalty person and they did a few things i agreed with and indicated I would be charges about $15 less than the November bill ... and be given a new modem.

Skeptical as I am with Rogers promises, I then waited a day to see what channels I would no longer be receiving.  

Now, a few of days later, I have noticed no change in the channels and Internet speed the same or better.

Once, again, active/firm discussion with Rogers support appears to have paid off (for another 2 years).

As I mentioned, thy provided a new modem which took a little time to install as their instructions were wrong.

As some of you do, we use a wireless router attached to the Rogers modem. Initially, I just replaced the old Rogers modem with the new Hitron modem (CGN2-ROG) and tested the speed with speedtest.net and noticed acceptable speed. 

I then switched the PC network to access the Hitron modem instead of our router and saw much increased speed.

I then switched my smartphone to the 5G wi-fi network that was presented under wi-fi settings, and received even faster speed.

If you switch Rogers modems and want help, give me a call.

If you want to discuss how to deal with Rogers to reduce your bill, give me a call.



13.12.11: Called Bell to cancel the service and they tried to sell me on better Internet speed using fiber optics (fast is fast - no sell) and better phone line quality (analog better than digital - no sell) and would not lower the price further. They were very polite in canceling the install.
As you can see from the blog response below, perhaps I could have pushed Rogers for more. Next time...


10.11.12 - Well, it is that time again ... put one against the other for the best Internet rate.
I must admit, it isn't something i would undertake if i wasn't retired.
However, it is worth the effort, if you have the patience, to see how good a deal you can get.


Bottom line - I got more capacity, faster speed, at less cost!


To set the stage:
I did this last year and ended up staying with Rogers as Bell wouldn't do better.
I first called Bell and hassled them for a better rate than what Rogers was providing. They indicated the best rate would happen if I included home phone (which would be completely transparent - same phone number and options).


What Happened:
This time, it appears Bell is willing to negotiate. Provided i agreed to include home phone, i got: 
 - 20% increase in Internet access speed (12Mbps), 
 - 25% increase in Internet download data per month, 
 - and reduced my monthly Internet charge by %15.
So I signed up.


Not Finished Yet:
Then I called Rogers and told them I was going to Bell because they were giving me a better rate and more capacity ... fully expecting Rogers to say they wouldn't better it.


To my surprise, Rogers, without any discussion, gave me: 
 - a new modem for no rental fee for 12 months ($7/mo thereafter), 
 - increase my speed 50% (10Mbps to 15Mbps),
 - increased my download capacity 33% (80GBs), and reduce my Rogers Internet charge by 30%.


I have set up and tried the faster Rogers service (actual speed is over 20Mbps - and it is quite noticeable) and now have 80GBs of storage (I do download a lot of movies).


Good thing i am retired and have the time to play...

Up-to-the-minute Hydro Usage

12.13.10 - Accessed my account at PowerStream and checked the data. See daily usage below. 
12.09.10 - In the Toronto Star today.
Now that we are on smart meters, we need to know our current usage (just as we do for Internet usage).
What better way is there to determine the savings generated by less electricity for specific household activities and uses.
I should be able to determine cost of leaving my computer running and we should be able to see cost of running the clothes washer and dishwasher during the normal times of the week-day vs week-ends.


As you would expect, Hydro One is NOT up-to-date yet. Their 'smart' system is not really smart ... yet.


However, they expect to have up-to-the minute consumer data soon. Stay tuned!

For now, PowerStream (Markham) has the same data for their customers (previous day) and it is quite useful. Sign in to PowerStream and look for "Smart Meter Electricity Consumption".


Here is our hourly usage 12/09 and it appears quite high at 10am and 9pm, as with other days. We will need to keep track of what we do at those times, as we are not sure right now.





I would expect to be able to adjust my home hydro usage from my iPhone, while skiing in Whistler ... very soon ...

Hydro One and PowerStream  have an Internet application that will present all your DAY OLD usage data. 

Mitigating Genetic Heritage

11.21.10 - Some people question my skipping lunches in retirement. 

Here is an article from today's Toronto Star that appears to support this approach.

I have always thought the body works better with less (but always quality) food and i enjoy being a little hungry..

What is your opinion?
 

Winter Garden Preparation

11/11/10 - I have been a fan of Mark Cullen for quite some time.
He has a blog and present gardening tips in the Star periodically.
His guidance to winter garden preparation is quite valuable.


This article in the Star Saturday, Nov 6, 2010, has many good tips to getting ready for 2011.


1. apply a good winter fertilizer (12-3-8) NOW. 


2. cut your lawn NOW and don't leave any leaves or grass clippings on the lawn. 


3. apply spiral plastic protectors to your young trees (ifodents are in your area).


4. apply approx 18" of top soil or triple mix around roses, floribunda.


5. a couple of burlap layers for the smaller cedars and junipers.


6. leave the leaves (mulch) on your gardens.


7. fully water your evergreens that are under your eves.


8. turn off your outside water (from the inside) and leave the taps open.

ETFs - I Bought Some

10/23/10 - Back on Oct 9th, I indicated i would be getting into Exchange Traded Funds (ETF) if they were a relatively safe way of investing in the shorter term (important to those over 60).

After extensive reading (i still do not fully understand how ETFs work), i decided to buy these three:
1. HBP S&P/TSX Global Base Metals Bull + ETF
2. HBP MSCI Emerging Markets Bull + ETF
3. HBP COMEX Gold Bullion Bull + ETF

Here is a chart showing how most ETF type gold, base metals and emerging markets stocks are doing right now.


It still appears to be a good time to invest in precious metals and base metals, as world demand (China and India) is on the rise.






Let's see how they do ...

Investing - buy when it snows and sell when it goes

(left-click to enlarge pic) 

10/23/10 - Here is a very unusual way of timing your stock market investments!

Have you tried it?

To recap the article (for those worker-bees), do seasonal investing ... buy S&P/TSX index (such as ETFs) in October and sell in May.

In their analysis, $10,000 in S&P/TSX index from 1977 (buying in October and selling in late May) to 2010 would havew produced $176,000.

Not knowing what the markets would have produced over that time, this still looks like an excellent ROI.

Canada banks also have this type of trending for Oct-Dec.

There is a seasonal ETF - Horizons AlphaPro Seasonal Rotation ETF - for those of you who don't have time to check other areas. It launched last November and has returned 11% as of last week (compared to 8% for the S&P/TSX index).

Caveats:

1. use small amounts of money to do several seasonal trades   

2. diversify

Hydro - Time-of-Use Pricing

(left-click to enlarge pics)
10/21/10 - To put my previous item (below) in perspective, most problems are also opportunities - pessimist vs optimist.
PowerStream has sent us our usage details for August and September, in preparation for our move to TOU pricing November 26th.
They also include average daily consumption ... but use the summer rates for the analysis. As the winter rates are Nov-Apr, it would have been more useful to use them. 


Now that we know when the new rates are coming, we have an opportunity to take advantage.

Here is a copy of the rates brochure sent to everyone being impacted by smart meters.
  
















10/19/10 - Has it started in your area?
This article in the Star today indicates a small decrease in electricity cost starting November 1st ... but probably not for time-of-use (TOU) Ontarians.
The time-of-use will, in fact, raise what we pay ... unless we drastically change our habits.
I understand washer/dryers are being manufactured with timers, to help take advantage of lower off-peak rates.

Here is an exert from the PowerStream site indicating the timing for TOU in Markham, Vaughan, Richmond Hill and Aurora.

Here are the rates to be used at the various times of the day/week. 
Note the highest rate ($.099):
1. May-Oct - 11am-5pm
2. Nov-Apr -  7-11am and 5-9pm


Our area of Markham begins TOU after September 26th.
Here is a link to the Time-of-Use Rates Quick Guide, for your reference.
Get ready for this more expensive approach to paying for necessities! 

Home Solar Panels - is it time?

11/19/13 - Are residential solar panel roofs viable today?

The OPA MicroFIT site indicates a much lower rate (effective Jan 1,2014, for any new requests not approved before Aug 26, 2013) for the roof top Feed-in Tariff.
The 2014 rates are $.396 (less than 10kW) to $.329 (greater than 100 kW). 
The 2013 rates were $.549 (less than 10kW) to $.539 (greater than 100kW).
The 2011 rates were $.802 (less than 10kW to $.539 (greater than 500kW).

As you can see, the price per kW is dropping every year now ... and much less range in price between 10 and 100 kW.

The microFIT rules (version 3) have been altered as well and you will need to discuss these details with a qualified Ontario installer.

Here is an analysis of installation cost and ROI from back in 2011.

Here is blog of an installation in Vaughan in 2012. Good details. Hopefully, design has changed since then, as I am not impressed with the look.

Here is the OPA microFIT questions and answers site.

Lots to consider....


10/17/10 - I have been watching home installation costs for solar panels for some time now.

Back in January, i added an item to this blog about residential solar panels.

Also, a while ago, i had read the price of solar panels was decreasing due to a very large supply.

I am also aware of the price of $.802 per kilowatt hour for the FIT (Feed-in Tariff) pgm. This rate is guaranteed for 20 years!
Is it any surprise it is very difficult to be accepted by the OPA (Ontario Power Authority) for this pgm???

There are, according to this article (The Toronto Star - Oct 16th), approx 23.000 applicants for this project totalling approx 15,000 megawatts of capacity ... but only 15% have been approved to-date. Are you surprised?


The folks in this article spent approx $42k to place the panels on their large roof (27 panels).


Stay tuned. As the situations improves, i will update this item.


Hopefully, i will be able to install and feed the grid ... before i am so old i forget the value of this project...


BTW, if Vaughan is reviewing this article, i would be interested in the Australian perspective.