It took a couple months to work up my will to visit a garage again after getting gouged on my first visit after returning to Canada. My car stereo has a security code that is required if the power is disconnected (so stealing the stereo is pointless). As I bought the car as a recovered … [Read more…]
This past month is the first month I have ever carried an owing balance on my credit card. We’ve had a heap of expenses moving from Guatemala to Canada and then moving into our new house. I just kept telling myself that its just money and I’m already paying through my nose for my mortgage … [Read more…]
This is something that has been weighing on my heart for some time now. After witnessing the unjust wages in Guatemala and in Canada, I thought I would share some thoughts. I collected a few example salaries and made some calculations for daily wages* for different professions in both Canada and Guatemala: Doctor in Calgary: … [Read more…]
Since Mr. Morgan Spurlock made his indicting film on fastfood culture and the health deficits, I think McDonalds has responded incredibly. I’ve never been a fan. I usually felt lethargic after eating a 1/4 pounder. I prefer to support indie restaurants rather than the franchises. And about 9 years ago they had McWraps which tasted … [Read more…]
As for what was sown among the thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. -Matthew 13:22 The parable of the sower was read in yesterday’s sermon and this phrase jumped out at me: “deceitfulness of … [Read more…]
I happened to glance at one of the new one Quetzal polymer bills on my desk this morning and was very surprised to see “CANADIAN BANK NOTE” printed on the bottom left corner of the front of the bill. I did a quick search and discovered that the Canadian Bank Note Company does a lot … [Read more…]
Steve let me know about this cool game over at Free Rice. You play a vocabulary game and the website donates rice based on how well you do. Of course, I think the website is making a killing on this because of the big name adverts. For those who like to stick it to the … [Read more…]
Amber showed me some news she got in her Daily Good this morning. Radiohead is selling their latest album only from their website. This means no record company. This alone is revolutionary – a band of that stature leaving the stability of a record company to become independent again. In reality, record companies are becoming … [Read more…]
After an eight year hiatus, Guatemala again has a 1 quetzal bill. People were melting the coins down and selling the metal, so the Gov’t took action. The new bill is a polymer (plastic product). So, in a time when Canada has moved from bills to coins, Guatemala is going the other way. GTQ 1 … [Read more…]
The Fund for Peace publishes an annual report called the Failed States Index. This year it studied 177 countries and rated them on 12 criteria which polled social, economic, and political factors. A few observations: Canada’s three greatest weaknesses are shown to be: Mounting Demographic Pressures Massive Movement of Refugees or Internally Displaced Persons creating … [Read more…]