NO PARTS AVAILABLE FOR PROCTOR SILEX

Here's another example of built in obsolescence. The Proctor Silex toaster oven I purchased new less than two years ago has lost the ability to keep the door closed because two defective springs, worth about fifty cents, broke. I contacted the company which advised me to contact a repair depot. The parts are unavailable. So a $30 machine which works fine otherwise is junk because of fifty cents in parts. This is just outrageous. Don't buy Proctor Silex or any product whose manufacture does not provide sufficient parts and or service.

TIME TO ACT NOW BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE

The world's economy is vulnerable due to its dependence on oil. Since this resource is running out production costs will just continue to rise, supply will not keep pace with demand, making us even more vulnerable. We must do more to conserve and develop alternate energy sources. Our economy depends on it.

HYDROGEN ECONOMY

Here are some excerpts from the book, Hydrogen Economy by Jeremy Rifkin. NOTE: Some stats may be out of day now. Re: Tar Sand mining/processing - "Syncrude Canada emits 240 tons of sulfur dioxide a day...25 times the amount emitted by a conventional refinery producing the same amount of oil in Texas" (Page 132)...the cost of processing tar sands is $12 per barrel opposed to $1 per barrel the Saudis spend (page 131)...My Comments: Since carbon dioxide is colorless we can't perceive what a "ton" of it looks like as it is dumped into the atmosphere. Were it colored, I'm sure more people would be concerned about how much carbon is being spewed daily into our communal air.

Do Gas Prices Rise For "No Reason"?

A woman was interviewed on the news last week regarding the ever increasing gas prices. "Prices rise for no reason," she said. No, I thought, there is a reason...GREED. Furthermore, now that everyone is concerned about what burning hydrocarbons is doing to the air, there may soon be a reduction in demand which will hurt the oil producers, and governments which rely so highly on the energy tax revenues. So everyone in the industry, I theorize, is milking us as much as we can tolerate until such time that prices are so high many turn to alternative energy sources and hybrid cars. Hybrid hydrogen cars may be the best bet in the long run. A little bit of hydrogen to power the car's electrical generator. The generator, in combination with solar panels on the car's surface, could then be used to convert some of the water (the only byproduct of hydrogen combustion) back into hydrogen. It's not quite the perpetual motion machine but is darn close. We should be using our hydro generated electricity to produce hydrogen and get the ball rolling on phasing out the use of petrochemicals for powering our vehicles.

GAS PRICES ARE CRMINAL!

Collusion is present and evident on Vancouver Island simply from the fact that there is no price difference from one vendor to the next. I am fed up with this and am sure others are too.

Built in Obsolescence

Why is it some manufacturers don't care about their customers? I emailed Panasonic about my defective DVD player but to date have not had a reply. Maybe they feel it's not worth the bother since it's out of warranty. The affected unit is Model DVD-S55 which just stopped working. This unit is only a few years old. I expect such appliances to last longer than that. Panasonic, like Sony and Onkyo are now on my DO NOT BUY LIST because it's been my experience that their products don't last. UPDATE March 30/07: Web research aided me. I unplugged a wire from the DVD tray to the circuit board and reconnected it and the unit worked for about a week then died again. Still have not heard from Panasonic. I would not recommend Panasonic products based on my own experience with this machine.

National Canadian Drug Store Poor Merchants

I went to a national Drug Store chain (name withheld until they have time to respond ) in Victoria to purchase Colgate toothpaste on sale for .44 cents but there was no stock and no manager on duty to make a substitution (crest would have sufficed and would be on sale the next day for about the same price) the clerk said she could not make a substitution. Had a manager been available, perhaps I wouldn't have wasted my time. Also, no rain checks were being offered although this, nor a limit was stated in the ad. Were there a limit, perhaps there would have been sufficient stock for me as well. Is this how (the national chain drug store) wants to conduct themselves as a retailer? I have been alienated due to this and may never shop at their stores again due to this. A lost customer is bad for business, but I shouldn't have to tell them that either. UPDATE March 30/07: I received an email from SDM Customer Service saying I should have received a raincheck. The merchant will honor the advertised price. However, I feel I should not have had to complain in this manner. Fight for your rights!

Miserable? Then look at Manufactured Landscapes for some perspective

I finally saw Manufactured Landscapes. What a powerful documentary. If you think your life is tough, look at this film to get some perspective. We like to complain about our lives being tougher than others. It's human nature to compair ourselves to others. However, when you see this film and the conditions people in China work under, it will change your attitude. Despite our hardships, we have it easy compared to some people.

ICBC Car Insurance Policies Not Fair

Under the Wage Loss Benefits section in the ICBC literature, one can not claim lost income under the policy if one has worked less than six months in the year preceding the claim. Plus, there is a seven day deductable. That's BS! They can take your money but when it comes to paying out it's another story. What a rip off.

Musings of Today

Denial is a strong demon. Our economy is based it. So many people are living beyond their means, hoping the future will bring them contentment and security. The future is just a possibility, a fantasy for each of us to try to make real by maintaining our denial.

Quotation from Ninth Century Iraqi Poet

Profound quotation from the TV series

"Legacy: The Origins of Civilization" (1991) (mini) with Michael Wood episode on IRAQ Ninth century poets, (Suffi) "Al Nafabi" ?? If you know the poet, please email: bcnewbie@gmail.com

“I saw fear holding sway over hope and riches turned to dust. I saw poverty as the enemy. I saw this world to be a delusion and heaven to be a deception. I saw every creative thing and it fled from me and I was left here alone”

REPEAT TV Cable is A Rip Off

Ever wish you could customize your cable TV channel selections? If the cable companies offered the choice to pick the programs one wants, and pay just for those, I for one would subscribe but until that day and until they stop repeating programs in the same year, I choose to opt out. Cable as it is structured now is a rip off.

TV NEWS The New Mouthpiece of Marketers?

Is it just me or is the media becoming more and more the distribution point of choice for marketers seeking free advertising? I always thought the purpose of the TV news was to provide unbiased information to its audience of world and local events. It seems more and more time is being devoted to those who have something to sell. I don't' see this as being newsworthy. I would like to see more in depth reports of issues affecting us all and less pitching of cunsumables.

Waste in Government

Why do taxpayers tolerate government's wasteful ways? Shouldn't there be some accountability?

Politics of Polluting

Our society has been largely built from oil but we are hearing in the news now that consumption of fossil fuels is causing global warming. Putting aside the debates about this, let's just consider the whole notion of polluting. Whose right is it to spew anything harmful into the environment? Sure I'm just as guilty of it as anyone but it seems strange that littering carries fines in various jurisdictions yet we are all allowed to spew poisons into the general environment.

Why is this? Who makes the laws which permit this continuing pillaging of our shared environment?

Take the oil industry for example. Government subsidies and tax incentives give this business an unfair advantage over alternative, cleaner technologies. If we were to pay at the pump the actual price of gasoline if those subsidies did not exist, nobody could afford it. Indeed, the recent rise of oil prices may soon lead to more and more people searching for alternatives but until our laws are changed to favor such changes, this may be slow in coming or even shelved.

For an interesting perspective on this topic read the book It's The Crude, Dude, look at the video series The Prize, and view Al Gore's much talked about An Inconvenient Truth.

Unless WE want a clean environment, it will not happen.