Discrimination Alive and Well in the Forest City

People are entitled to their own opinions. I get that. But thrusting your opinions upon someone else – that’s just wrong. Even worse is when your opinion/belief affects someone in a way that threatens their livelihood. This is what happened to Karen Clarke, owner of True 2 You, and her employee.

On September 10, 2011 Karen received a call from the manager of Trails End in London, ON where she has a booth at their weekly market. The manager informed her that if she were to have transgender people working for, she would have to “take your business some place else”. There wasn’t an incident that spurred this, the manager and owner just agreed that they didn’t want “those people” working at Trails End. Here’s a link to a breakdown of the conversation between Karen and the manager, Vic.

This morning, I listened to interviews of all parties involved on AM 980, as well as feedback from people in the area. I was appalled by the owner’s stance. The owner, Ed Kikkert, thinks he has done nothing wrong and clings to the excuse that the issue is about the facilities not having proper bathrooms for “those people”. He spoke about how people would be “upset and worked up” if a transgendered person used a mens or womens washroom. When the interviewer pointed out that this was not the responsibility of the employee or any other transgender patrons of Trails End but that of the owner himself is responsible, the owner refused to comment. AM 980 has also published an article about the situation with Trails End and True 2 You. You can view the story here or you can listen to the interviews here.

One statement made by the owner of Trails End really stuck with me. He said over and over that Trails End is a family market, catering to families. The way he spoke, it was as if he were saying transgender people are monsters. No person, regardless of race, religion, sexuality or gender, should EVER be treated this way. It’s disgusting.

One positive thing that’s come out of this horrible situation is the positive response and resounding support that has come from London community, as well as individuals across Twitter and Facebook. Currently, a petition is being circulated and you can sign your name by following this link.

A Week of Firsts

This week has been a week of firsts. New daycare on Tuesday, 1/2 day at the new school Wednesday and today ushers in a brand new experience – the school bus. This morning, my daughter and her best friend Alice boarded the bus for the first time for their first FULL day of school. Today is also the first day that she didn’t cry. Every day this week has included tears for one reason or another but this morning, she boarded the bus like a big girl and waved goodbye to the parents at the bus stop. I cannot believe how grown up she looked as she climbed the steps onto the big yellow school bus.

Hopefully, the rest of today continues to be amazing and tear-free.

In other news, today is the first day of the Western Fair!! I didn’t win the blogger contest, but I somehow snagged a bunch of free passes! If you’ve never been to the Western Fair, I highly suggest you go. There is literally something there for everyone! The munchkin is excited about the rides and animals, and I love to walk through and look at all the booths. There’s always something interesting to look at and I usually walk away with at least one or two things. I’m sure this year will be no different.

On a side note – If you’re in London, check out the Groupon! It’s an amazing deal!

The Western Fair

Year after year, I go to the Western Fair in my city. It’s always full of good rides, interesting food, loud music, crowds of people, bright lights and a buzz of excited. This year, I have a feeling all of the things I just mentioned will be better and more exciting. The Western Fair has had quite a year already. They re-branded themselves, relaunched their website and revamped their social media efforts.

One big thing they did was run a contest to drive traffic to their new page. Over 10 days, you had to collect puzzle pieces and build an image (this image ended up being their brand new logo). If you collected all 10 pieces, your name was entered in a draw to win 1 of 10 iPad 2′s. Surprisingly enough I won. This is not the reason that I am now a huge supporter of Western Fair District. I’m supportive of the company because they’re a part of London’s heritage. They’ve been around since 1867 and have provided London and the greater community with entertainment and fun for many years.

If the first contest Western Fair District wasn’t enough, they also ran weekly contests on Facebook to announce the bands coming to the fair this year. The response was incredible. Every Monday, a few dozen people would throw out every possible name, trying to win the tickets. The first person to guess the band, won 2 tickets to the show. This year, the person hiring the musical acts has outdone themselves. Sam Roberts, Colbie Callait and Down With Webster are joined by country music’s Paul Brandt and Bachman & Turner. Today, the final band was announced and it is none other than the infamous Canadian band Barenaked Ladies. I am completely blown away by the line up this year and cannot wait to sample everything the fair has this year to offer.

The last contest Western Fair is offering is astounding. The Real Serious Blogger contest. 5 bloggers will be chosen to represent the Western Fair this year and tell the world about their adventures in London. The winner gets 10 admission passes, parking for 10 days, 6 ride-all-day passes, 2 concert tickets to the show of their choice, a Real Serious Blogger t-shirt and a FREE Rogers product (worth $550)! I have officially entered and am awaiting the announcement of the winners on September 1st. Wish me luck!!

Now only one question remains: Is it September 9th yet?

Have you heard of only the best bank EVER?

When I was 16, my mom insisted that I open a savings account. Being 16, I thought this was the stupidest idea ever! She also insisted that it be with this new bank called ING Direct. Again, because I was 16, this sounded like the worst idea. The part I found most disheartening was the fact that it would take at least 24 business hours to get my money out when I wanted it. I was an impulsive teenager when it came to money (that really hasn’t changed all that much) and the fact that my hard earned money would be in some virtual bank a million imaginary miles away was downright depressing. That being said, I still listened to my mom and opened up an ING savings account.

Now, 10 years later, I still have that account. I stopped using it when my banking needs changed but it was never closed. It laid dormant for years, collecting interest and awaiting inevitable return. That time has arrived! ING Direct has made a number of amazing changes. The biggest one being they now have chequing accounts!! This was always my issue with ING. I loved their no fee/high interest accounts but couldn’t stand the wait times. Well NO MORE! With ING, you have access to your account at any Credit Union with NO FEES! (ING is pretty big on “No Fees“)

Honestly, just take a look and you’ll agree that this bank rocks. I’m in the process of opening up a THRiVE chequing account with them and think you should too! Worst case, you have an extra chequing account that doesn’t cost you anything.

Another amazing thing ING does is they reward their customers. Right now, if you open an ING account with $100 or more, you get $25! Click here and start saving!! (and don’t forget to use the code 24064715S1 to get your $25 bonus!)

Oh, and did I mention that they offer other amazing personal finance products?? Mortgages, TFSAs, RSPs…. The list goes on!! Check out the link above. You won’t be disappointed! They also have one of the best customer service departments I have ever dealt with, so feel free to give them a call or chat with them online. Their telephone support is 24/7 and gives you the option right away to talk to a real person!

Screw Valentine’s Day

It’s that time of year again….  Cards, flowers, candy and jewelry are flying off the shelves of every store at an alarming rate. And I, perpetually single, am told once again that I’m bitter. I’m not bitter. Seriously. My distaste for valentine’s day has nothing to do with my marital status.

In my opinion, valentine’s day is just another day. In the past, when in a committed relationship, I always felt pressured to do something bigger and better than the previous year or holiday, regardless of cost or lack of time. Valentine’s Day is stressful. It’s also a HUGE boost to the gift sector of the economy as people in relationships are guilted into buying anything and everything to woo one’s sweetheart. I’m all for boosting the economy and I’m also not against making your loved ones feel loved. But why can’t you celebrate the wonderful people in your life every day?

February 14th is just a day. There are 364 other days I like to use to honour and love the people in my life.

To my friends and family: I love you all. I don’t need a special day to tell you. I’ll probably tell at least one of you once a day that I love you until the end of time and that’s never going to stop.

Staff Conferences Cure Winter Blahs

Because of where I work, I am afforded a number of opportunities not readily available to most in the corporate world. One of these opportunities is the annual Staff Conference. This conference takes place every year during reading week, is completely optional and a number of different sessions. There is something for everyone and anyone who work here is able to go. This year, I decided on three (well, technically two and a half) sessions.

The first was with David Chilton, author of The Wealthy Barber. Although I have never read his book, I have spent my life hearing about it. My mom read his book when I was very little and told me from a young age that I needed to read this book when I get older (and I plan to, once I finish the other 50 billion books that are already in my house that I have yet to read). He talks in general terms about money, and simply enough that anyone can understand. He lives comfortably, but within his means and practices what he preaches. He was also pretty funny. He tells little anecdotal stories to keep everyones interest during his 45 minute speech. He gave away a number of his books and stayed to sign and discuss with the audience afterwards. He also took the time to answer questions. It was nice to see.

Now for the big event! Last Friday, I met someone amazing. Her multifaceted career is enough to make anyone’s head spin, and she’s done it all on her own. That’s right, Debbie Travis! I ADORE this woman! She’s down to earth, honest and inspiring. She doesn’t have a big head and definitely hasn’t let fame get to her. She gave an amazing keynote speech and talked about her keys to success. She also talked a bit about who she is and how she got to where she is. She talked about her family (mostly her boys) and how she coped. She also talked about her new book, Not Guilty. After her speech, I left the room and bought a copy of her book at the stand just outside the door. Debbie then walked out of the lecture hall and SIGNED MY BOOK!!! I was floored! I now have a signed copy of Debbie’s book in my bookcase and I couldn’t be more excited about it.

My Staff Conference experience didn’t end there. We then headed over to the Great Hall in a different building on campus and Debbie then participated in a book discussion. She talked more in depth about her book, about herself and her family, about her Girl’s Getaway that she does in Italy (which I’m SO going on! Once I can get some details from Debbie’s new website), and just life in general. She told cute stories about her sons as they grew up and gave the 30 or so of us a candid view into her life. Debbie then stayed afterwards to sign books, take pictures with her adoring fans (including yours truly!!) and talk more. She signed a stack of books for our Bookstore here on campus as well. If only all celebrities were as amazing as Debbie Travis, there would be no need for gossip mags or trashy news papers. She tells everything and has no regrets!

Debbie Travis and I at the Staff Conference

eBooks: Reading for the next decade!

So this year for Christmas, as did many other bloggers and avid readers, Santa brought me a Kindle (with a fancy pink leather case). I did a lot of research before asking Santa for such a gift, as there are many eBook Readers on the market. I’m going to take the time to list a few that were big this past holiday season and why I picked the Kindle over them all (and I’m not going to bring price into this at all because when it comes down to the quality of the device, the price shouldn’t matter all that much).

First, lets review the Sony Reader. I tested out both the touch and button versions of the Reader and found three major issues for me. First it’s big and bulky. Compared to the sleek design of the Kindle, it’s a giant! The casing seems to be the issue with its square design and sharp edges. I did like that it came in multiple colours, but that didn’t make up for the size. Secondly, I found it to be slow. There were only a few publications on the Reader in the Sony store, but it still moved slower then a tortoise. Lastly, I did not like the complete dependence on other devices, such as a desktop or laptop with internet access, instead of a built in networking option. What I did like was the overall layout of the device. The page turning buttons are on the right middle and bottom left side of the device. I would most likely use the buttons located on the middle of the right side as that is where my hand would naturally rest while reading. I also liked the wide variety of supported file formats. This is great for sharing eBooks with friends and family, as well as borrowing books from the library or purchasing them from most online suppliers like Chapters.  (for a comprehensive check out this comparison of the Kindle vs Sony Reader by Wired.com)

Next, lets take a look at Barnes and Noble’s Nook. It has a similar design style to the Kindle. Smooth edges, page advance buttons on the side, and no glare/non-backlit display make it a pretty good competitor for the Kindle. A feature the Nook has that the Kindle doesn’t? Touch screen controls. As with any device, such as cell phones, some people prefer touch screen and some don’t. I like touch screens in theory, but have problems typing on them when it comes down to daily use (hence the reason I don’t have an iPhone). Now for the differences/downsides that I have found. First is the wireless access for downloading content. Yes, there is wireless access. Since they use the AT&T network, I doubt the access is international and I am 99% sure this would cause me issues here in Canada. The only plus to the wireless access on the Nook is the WiFi option. This, I could probably live with.  Secondly, I can see the touch screen/colour LCD display destroying the battery and as this is a huge selling feature, I doubt you can turn it off. Now for the benefits! If I lived in the States, my decision to get my Kindle would have been much harder because of the Nook. The Nook has expandable memory, runs on Android (Google mobile operating system), and supports multiple file formats. But what really grabs me is the new LendMe technology they have included. This software allows you to digitally share your electronic content with any friends using the LendMe technology (available current on iPhone, iTouch, PC and Mac OS). This technology I envy and can only hope that Amazon jumps on this bandwagon soon.  (Barnes and Noble made a pretty chart for comparison. Check it out here)

Lastly, I want to review Kobo (formerly known as Shortcovers). I know, it’s not a device…. yet. But this up and coming technology could possibly be the future in digital publications here in Canada and a worthy competitor for the american giants that are Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Kobo is working with Chapters for their digital publication needs. This is HUGE for Canadian readers. The free Kobo apps are available on PC, Mac, iPhone, Blackberry, Palm Pre AND Android smartphones and operating systems. This is huge. Without a dedicated device, their books are still easily accessible. Now, for the kicker. Any device that can read ePub or PDFs can display these books. So if you already have an eReader and it can display ePub or PDFs, you’re good to go. They have a very substantial library that is growing day by day. (For more information about Kobo, check out their website)

Now, for my Kindle. I love my Kindle. When I opened it Christmas morning and  was able to just download any old book I wanted and to start reading within a  minute, I was overjoyed. I felt like I was 5 years old again using the toy I had  specifically asked Santa for and was so shocked that he delivered. It’s lightening  fast and I have only had the charge the battery once. The online purchasing    system is flawless. The ONLY thing that I would change is the inability to lend  content. That’s it. I love the layout, accessibility, speed, size, and feel of the  device.

In short, it all depends on what you’re looking for. If you want the    instant gratification of being able to get a book any time, any place? Get a Kindle.  If you’re in the States and want the newest toy with all the current “hot” features?  Get the Nook. What to be able to access pretty much any publication and don’t  care about instant access? Get the Sony Reader. But keep your eyes out for  new developments from Kobo. I see big things for this new player in the world of  Digital Publication. Who knows? This Canadian contender could pull the rug out  from under the big bad American competition.