Governmentgirl1943lp

Idea Log 16012012

 

<only decent pic of the original packaging; the news ones are UGLY>

Amrit Agro exits ethnic snacks biz

NEW DELHI, Dec. 20 2002 http://www.thehindubusinessline.in/2002/12/21/stories/2002122101350600.htm

THE former parent of hugely successful Uncle Chipps potato chips, Amrit Agro Industries Ltd, (AAIL) has exited its traditional snacks business.

Following the sale of Uncle Chipps to Pepsico's snacks arm, Frito Lays - AAIL, the erstwhile Uncle Chipps Co. Ltd, has stopped production of its `Yumkeenz' brand of traditional namkeens, due to intense competition from the domestic unorganised snacks segment.

The decision to exit the traditional snacks business comes almost a year after AAIL, or the then Uncle Chipps Co, had sold its immensely popular chips brand to Pepsi's snacks division, Frito Lays, in late 2000.

Confirming the development Mr Ashwini Bajaj, Joint Managing Director, Amrit Banaspati Co. Ltd, told Business Line that Amrit Agro, an Amrit group company, had exited the traditional namkeens business earlier this year, due to the competitive unorganised sector.

The capital-intensive snacks business was not yielding returns due to the unorganised sector which accounts for 90 per cent of the chips segment and about 75 per cent of the traditional snacks segment, he pointed out.

"The snacks business was about Rs 3 crore, when we exited," he said.

`Yumkeenz' comprised seven variants of snacks including Pudina aloo bhujia, Bikaner aloo bhujia, Masala aloo bhujia, Khatta meetha mixture, Moong dal, roasted peanut and Mungfali masala mazedar.

Amrit Agro has its manufacturing unit for traditional snacks at Noida and Mr Bajaj pointed out that the company would sell its machinery and re-orient itself to get into the agro-procurement or processing business.

"The company and personnel will remain with us and we will continue to be in the agro sector, only, we will redefine our activity.

At present we are studying the prospects for the storage and transportation of fruits and vegetables and may be even simple processing."

According to food-processing industry estimates, up to 40 per cent of fruits and vegetables are wasted in the country due to bad storage and treatment facilities.

Was talking to my friend from India today and talking about how sad it is that 'Uncle Chips' no longer exists/in the form we remember. I remember going back to India after 4 years in 2008 and there was absolutely no trace of it! One of the biggest losses I've felt. Oddly, this snack held such a big portion of my childhood memories. Papri Chat was my favourite!

UNCLE CHIPPS – ‘BOLE MERE LIPS, I LOVE UNCLE CHIPPS’

Brand History

Launched in 1992, Uncle Chipps was a pioneer in branded potato chips in India.

The brand was acquired from Amrit Agro Ltd. in 2000 by Frito-Lay India. After the acquisition, the hugely popular brand has grown from strength to strength and has built a powerful connection with consumers. Uncle Chipps is warm, playful, lively, companionable and traditional at heart, just like the good-natured uncle everyone in the family relates to and no family gathering is complete without!

Brand Advantage

Quality Standards

The production process begins on farms in select regions across India where the best potatoes are grown specifically for Frito-Lay to make great-tasting chips. Upon the potatoes’ arrival at plants, it can take as little as 24 hours for the chips to be made. Lay’s Chips are made using the following simple process:

• Wash – the potatoes are thoroughly bathed in water.
• Peel – next, we gently peel the skin off the potatoes, even as the flavour remains intact.
• Slice – the potatoes are thinly sliced and rinsed again to remove any remaining starch.
• Cook – the slices are cooked to a crispy crunch in one of the healthiest oils one could have, rice bran oil.
• Season – finally, the chips are topped off with a mouthwatering sprinkle of salt or seasoning.

The potatoes have now become delicious chips and are packed and delivered to a store near you.

QUICK BRAND FACTS

• Uncle Chips was launched in 1992.
• Frito-Lay India took over Uncle Chipps in 2000.
• Pioneer in branded potato chips in India.

http://pepsicoindia.co.in/brands/uncle-chipps.html

Uncle Chips were India's first homegrown branded potato chips.In the 90s,it was the best munchies a mother could give to her child.
Uncle chips's relevance in a kid's life was that of a jolly uncle who makes parties,family functions and long car drives bearable,if not fun-filled.
It's popular jingle ‘BOLE MERE LIPS, I LOVE UNCLE CHIPPS’ (My lips say I love Uncle Chips) was taken to heart by kids

Uncle Chips was acquired in 2000 by the multinational Frito-Lay India.Since then,Uncle chips has kept a low profile.

Source: http://samosapedia.com/e/uncle+chips

 

 

Idea Log 11012012

>>Homepage: http://learn.utoronto.ca/

2121 Principles of Operations Management
Course Details

By offering an overview of operations management, this introductory course will interest students wishing to embark on middle-management careers. Topics include: operations strategy, project management, process measurement and analysis, facility capacity and location decisions, forecasting quality control and operations planning.

Learner Outcomes

Explain the concept of "added value" in terms of the transformation process

Illustrate how effective operations strategy can translate into a competitive advantage

Learn the Critical Path Method in planning and controlling projects

Learn how organizations measure their performance

Identify critical factors that must be considered in determining plant location and its capacity

Understanding of the methods businesses use in forecasting product-service demand

Appreciation for the various dimensions of quality and how such dimensions can be used as a competitive advantage.

>> http://2learn.utoronto.ca/uoft/search/publicCourseSearchDetails.do?method=load&cms=true&courseId=1711790



Idea Log 10012012

Job skills aren’t everything when it comes to the right hire - Mark Murphy

Special to Globe and Mail; Published Friday, Jan. 06, 2012 7:00AM EST

The following book excerpt is from Hiring For Attitude by Mark Murphy.

If your organization is going to excel, it needs the right people. But virtually every one of the standard approaches to selecting those right people is dead wrong. And here’s why: whenever managers talk about hiring the right people, they usually mean “highly skilled people.” For lots of executives, the war for talent is a war for the most technically competent people. But that’s really the wrong war to be fighting.

Most new hires do not fail on the job due to a lack of skill. My company, Leadership IQ, tracked 20,000 new hires over a three-year period. Within their first 18 months, 46 per cent of them failed (got fired, received poor performance reviews, or were written up). And as bad as that sounds, it’s pretty consistent with other studies over the years and thus not too shocking.

What is shocking, though, is why those people failed. We categorized and distilled the top five reasons why new hires failed and found these results:

1. Coachability (26%): The ability to accept and implement feedback from bosses, colleagues, customers, and others.

2. Emotional Intelligence (23%): The ability to understand and manage one’s own emotions and accurately assess others’ emotions.

3. Motivation (17%): Sufficient drive to achieve one’s full potential and excel in the job.

4. Temperament (15%): Attitude and personality suited to the particular job and work environment.

5. Technical Competence (11%): Functional or technical skills required to do the job.

You’ll notice that a lack of skills or technical competence only accounted for 11 per cent of new-hire failures. When a new hire was wrong for a company it was due to attitude, not a lack of skills.

ATTITUDE IS A BIGGER ISSUE THAN SKILLS

Our study showed that somebody was a bad hire for attitudinal reasons 89 per cent of the time. In some cases, these new hires just weren’t coachable, or they didn’t have sufficient emotional intelligence or motivation, or they just didn’t sync with the organization. But whatever the particulars, having the wrong attitude is what defined the wrong person in the majority of cases.

If you want more proof, do this little exercise. Make a quick list of the characteristics that define the low performers who work for you. These are the people that you regret hiring, the ones who cost you time, energy, and emotional pain—the kind of people who make you happy to hit some morning rush hour traffic because it’s a welcome respite from them. Don’t think about it too hard; you’re going to be doing plenty of that in later chapters. Just jot down the first four, five, or six things that come into your mind when you think about what makes these folks low performers.

I happen to have just conducted this exercise with a client who was happy to have me share his results. Here’s the list of the low performer characteristics this CEO came up with:

Top Characteristics of Low Performers

Are negative

Blame others

Feel entitled

Don’t take initiative

Procrastinate

Resist change

Create drama for attention

I’ve done this exercise with countless clients, and while the low performer characteristics I hear tend to vary widely, one factor remains consistent: I rarely hear anything skill related. Overwhelmingly, the characteristics that define mishires (low performers) are attitudinal. In fact, whenever I’ve probed for more feedback, I’ve generally been told that a good number of those negative, entitled, blaming, change-resistant low performers have really good skills. That, of course, only makes the whole low performer situation even more painful. (Parenthetically, most companies are currently paying people they regret hiring because it’s usually harder to fire someone than it was to hire them, especially if they have decent skills but a lousy attitude. This is all the more reason to learn how to Hire for Attitude.)

The same exercise can be done with your high performers. And again, you’ll likely find that what makes these folks so great is all about their attitudes and not their skills. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying that skills don’t matter—they do. But I’m also saying that the biggest challenge in hiring is not determining skill but rather determining whether or not someone has the right attitude to be a good fit in your organization. Besides, figuring out if someone has the right skills, or enough raw IQ points, is actually pretty easy. Virtually every profession has some kind of a test to assess skill. If you want to be a board certified neurosurgeon, you have to pass a test. If you want to be a Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (considered perhaps the toughest networking certification), you have to pass a written and a lab test. If you want to be a nurse, pharmacist, engineer, nuclear physicist, car mechanic, or whatever, there’s a test to assess if you have the skills and horsepower to do so.

And even though I personally lack the skills to pass the tests for any of those jobs, I could easily proctor the exam. And if I buy the scoring key, guess what? I could grade those tests as well. And so could you. If you’re looking for a Java programmer, give her a page of code with bugs and have her debug and rewrite the code. Google holds a Code Jam that they describe as “a programming competition in which professional and student programmers are asked to solve increasingly complex algorithmic challenges in a limited amount of time.” Some hospitals hold competency fairs to test clinical knowledge. (“You say you know about infection control, chest tubes, and insulin protocols, so show me.”) There’s really no excuse for hiring somebody who lacks the skills to do the job, which no doubt is a contributing factor to why only 11 per cent of new hires fail because of skill.

So when you see your colleagues get fixated on hiring people who can “do the job” and who have the “right skills” and enough “talent,” you’ll want to explain to them that attitude, not skill, is the top predictor of a new hire’s success or failure. Because even the best skills don’t really matter if an employee isn’t open to improving or consistently alienates co-workers, lacks drive, or simply lacks the right personality to succeed in that culture. Skills still count, but the data overwhelmingly tell us that attitude is the hiring issue that should demand the most focus.

Reprinted with permission from The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Source :http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/careers/job-skills-arent-everything-when-it-comes-to-the-right-hire/article2293527/?utm_medium=Feeds%3A%20RSS%2FAtom&utm_source=Home&utm_content=2293527

Idea Log 09012012

Want better employees? Ask better questions in job interviews

WALLACE IMMEN

Last updated Friday, Jan. 06, 2012 9:18AM EST

 

Tell me about … your biggest weakness ... your favourite colour ... the superhero you most admire.

At least 70 per cent of employers still ask lame, predictable questions such as these in job interviews. That’s why they often miss clues that a candidate is destined to be a flop as an employee, leadership coach Mark Murphy found in a study his company did, which became the basis for his new book, Hiring for Attitude. Click here to read an excerpt posted in the globe and mail or my next post tomorrow

The study tracked 20,000 newly hired employees in the United States, Canada, Europe and Asia, and found that 46 per cent of them had either been dismissed or received poor performance reviews or written reprimands over the course of the past three years.

“Most new hires don’t fail for lack of skill. Rather, their underlying personalities and attitudes aren’t a good match for the job and the organization,” Mr. Murphy concluded.

Their employers didn’t probe enough into the attitude behind their skills and their well-rehearsed answers in the job interview, said Mr. Murphy, chief executive officer of Washington, D.C.-based Leadership IQ.

“I’m regularly told by employers that their low performers have really good job skills, but other factors such as being negative, feeling entitled, blaming or being change-resistant turned out to be the reason they didn’t work out,” he said in an interview.

The right attitude for a job is a blend of the candidate’s personality and how they will fit with the culture and values of the organization, he said. “You can have a great personal attitude that’s upbeat and positive, but if you are an individualist and like to work alone you may not fit in a collaborative work environment.”

Mr. Murphy found five main issues that led to failure:

Coachability: In 26 per cent of failures, the employees were unable to accept and use feedback from bosses, colleagues or customers.

Emotional intelligence: In 23 per cent, the issue was inability to manage their emotions and accurately assess others’ reactions or expectations.

Motivation: For 17 per cent, the issue was lack of sufficient drive to reach their potential and excel in the job.

Temperament: In 15 per cent of the cases, their personality didn’t suit their job or their team.

Technical competence: In only 11 per cent of cases, the person’s functional skills weren’t up to the job.

Given these findings, Mr. Murphy said employers have to know what attitudes they’re looking for in an employee and ask probing questions to make sure candidates are right for the organization,

A good example, he said, is the Toronto-based Four Seasons Hotels chain. “In their interviews, they treat candidates like they treat their guests, and they expect that candidates will reciprocate,” he said. For example, “even when candidates are waiting for the interview, do they greet each other? Are they polite and make eye contact? And their interview questions are designed to reveal underlying personality and attitudes.”

Interviewing for attitude will become increasingly important as organizations realize they can’t hire as many people as they did in the past and they want to ensure they get people with the right fit, Mr. Murphy said.

“When you only have 60 minutes or so in an interview, it makes no sense to ask questions that people can prepare for in advance and don’t tell much about underlying attitudes.”

He said his suggested “coachability questions” for getting at underlying attitudes may sound somewhat stern, but they are effective. For example, he recommends that the interviewer start by asking about the applicant’s previous boss: “Make them believe you’re going to talk to the former boss, even if that’s not the case.”

Rather than asking what the applicant sees as strengths and achievements, questions should ask what he thinks the former boss or co-workers would say were his strengths and weaknesses. Even if you’re not planning to contact the former employer, simply giving the impression there’s going to be a full review will get people to open up, he said.

Also, “Avoid questions that lead toward hypothetical situations. You want to know how people actually responded in historic moments rather than wax philosophical.”

Another signal about good attitude is how people phrase their answers, so listen carefully. “It’s not so much specific words, but the way people use them that are tip-offs to potentially weak performers.” He has found that high performers tend to answer questions in the past tense, saying: “I did this and I made that happen.” By contrast, people who are low performers tend to use the present or future tense: “When something like that happens, I do this.”

Hearing someone use abstract descriptions could be a signal that he or she might not have the necessary experience or attitude you’re looking for, Mr. Murphy said.

Another finding from his study is that low performers tend to use more adverbs in describing themselves. “High-performing candidates are more comfortable talking about their performance without dressing it up with superlatives. Rather than talking about how exceptional their work was, they let their record speak for them.”

TIPS FOR INTERVIEWERS

Common questions to avoid:

“Tell me about yourself.” This usually elicits a recitation about how the person always works hard and is good at collaborating. It tells you very little.

“What are your weaknesses?” How many ways are there to say you work too hard and tend to be a perfectionist?

“Tell me about …” Asking for a specific example of how the person resolved a conflict won’t tell you about issues he or she has trouble resolving.

“What would you do if …” Hypothetical questions bring idealized answers that rarely reflect reality.

“What kind of animal would you be?” Not surprisingly, most people say lion rather than parrot. Does this give you any real insight?

Coachability questions that reveal underlying attitude:

“What was your boss’s name? Please spell the full name for me.”

“Tell me about your former boss.”

“What is something you could have done differently to enhance your working relationship with your former boss?”

“When I talk to your former boss, what will they tell me your strengths are? What will they say you would need to improve?”

Source: http://m.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/careers/management/management-advice/want-better-employees-ask-better-questions-in-job-interviews/article2293001/?service=mobile

Idea Log 07012012

Galleria Supermarket
Categories: Restaurants Korean Food Grocery Korean, Grocery 

7040 Yonge St
Vaughan, ON L4J 1V7

(905) 882-0040
www.galleriasm.com 
       
Add Photos Price Range: $$
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Parking: Private Lot
Noise Level: Average
Has TV: No
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes

http://www.yelp.ca/biz/galleria-supermarket-vaughan

I was here!! I love this place! Rice cakes and Kimbap!!

+ Red Bean filled Fish cakes!

 

Idea Log 04012011

I woke up at midnight and was flipping through this book 'Ten Steps Ahead by Erik Calonius' when I came across the story of Mr. Douglas Prasher; pg. 132-134. Below is a little bite taken out of the book:

"In the late 1980s, a biochemist named Douglas Prasher received a three-year, $200,000 grant from the American Cancer Society to try to clone the gene for green fluorescent protein from Aequorea victoria, a species of Pacific Ocean jellyfish that glows bright green under ultraviolet light. The fluorescent material, it was believed, could be injected into other cells so that one might watch events that hitherto had been invisible-like the development of nerve cells in the brain or the spread of cancer cells.

... Like any good scientist, he shared his findings, passed his results and some of the cloned material to Martin Chalfie, a geneticist at Columbia University.

Prasher was set to do more when he was informed that he had failed to attain tenure at Woods Hole and would have to leave...While Prasher was bouncing from job to job, leaving him no time for Aequorea victoria, Chalfie at Columbia was making steady progress: He had been able to splice the material into E.coli and then into the roundworm C. elegans. Sure enough, the protein inside glowed green, proving that it could be used as a tag in a variety of ways.

... Things got progressively worse for Prasher. Funding was cut short at the Beltsville, Maryland, lab. Bravely, Prasher bounced from there to AZ Technology in Huntsville, Alabama. Then he lost that job in another round of cuts.

...

The climax came in October 2008, when Chalfie, along with Osamu Shimomura of the Marine Biology Laboratory and Boston Medical School, and Roger Y. Tsien of the University of California at San Diego, won the Nobel Prize "for the discovery and development of the green fluorescent protein, GFP".

But there as no mention of Douglas Prasher... When interviewed by National Public Radio's Inside Edition, Prasher said that he had been unable to find a job in science, his life savings had run out, and he was now working as a courtesy shuttle-bus driver for Bill Penney Toyota in Huntsville, Alabama.

In their Nobel speeches in Stockholm that winter, all three men thanked Prasher profusely.

"I'm really happy for them," replied Prasher, adding that in the face of his tough circumstances withholding the glowing material from Chalfie would not have been the right thing to do.

An honest and talented man, Douglas Prasher. He could have been a contender. He just ran out of luck.

Go to his wikipedia page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_Prasher

Idea Log 02012012

Proverb: Pears for your heirs*

Meaning: An adage to encourage us to think long-term and look after future generations.

Origin

Pear trees, especially the old English varieties that would have been the subject of this proverb, take many years to mature and give fruit. You don't plant them for yourself but for your heirs.The full version of the phrase, which is a 17th century English proverb, is:

*Walnuts and pears you plant for your heirs.

The sense of the altruistic nature of tree planting was also expressed by Thomas Fuller in his work Gnomologia, 1732:

"He that plants trees loves others beside himself."

Source:  http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/280500.html

Idea Log 19122011

A Film I wanted to watch! May be later. I am interested in the Gestalt Therapy & some of his other theories as well.

 

Paul Goodman (September 9, 1911 – August 2, 1972) was an American sociologist, poet, writer, anarchist, and public intellectual. Goodman is now mainly remembered as the author of Growing Up Absurd (1960) and an activist on the pacifist Left in the 1960s and an inspiration to that era's student movement. He is less remembered as a co-founder of Gestalt Therapy in the 1940s and '50s.

"It is by losing ourselves in inquiry, creation & craft that we become something. Civilization is a continual gift of spirit: inventions, discoveries, insight, art. We are citizens, as Socrates would have said, & we have it available as our own. " - Paul Goodman

"The issue is not whether people are 'good enough' for a particular type of society; rather it is a matter of developing the kind of social institutions that are most conducive to expanding the potentialities we have for intelligence, grace, sociability and freedom." - Paul Goodman (1964)

Idea Log 15122011

 

Talent: it’s genetic…or is it?

Suzy Bibko, former editor of Families in Business magazine, ponders the problems of talent — or lack of ­— within family business and talks to the experts about the inbred challenges for family-run corporations.

Family companies have been making headlines – not for their well-known dedication to innovation and values, or even the ongoing inheritance tax debates – but for their employment practices. Namely, the hiring – or firing – of family members. In the ‘normal’ business world, this would not be noteworthy. After all, people gain or lose jobs all the time. But in the case of family firms, there is more at play than just an effective talent management plan. Family involves blood, and with blood often comes sweat and tears. Companies engaged in talent management employ specific, deliberate strategies to source, attract, retain and promote employees. The goal is that by employing such strategies, the company and employees will benefit each other and both become much stronger.

Surely this all seems like common sense, as everyone wants the best for themselves and their business. So, why should family businesses be making headlines for their employment practices? After all, especially in huge, global, family firms such as media empire News Corporation (News Corp), travel management firm Carlson and baseball’s most winning team the New York Yankees, talent management practices are hopefully in place and the best person for the job is being groomed and/or selected.

But, what may be best for the business may not be what a family member really wants – or what the founder of the business and patriarch of the family demands. This can play out in several unfavourable scenarios. On the one hand, you may have a father who built the business from scratch and wants his child to eventually take over the business. On the other hand, you have a child who wants to pursue other interests. Or was never really groomed in the business. Or wants to take over the business but does not have a head for business. In any of those situations, he or she is not the best person for the job of future CEO.

But the father may force their offspring to enter the business (by threatening no inheritance, guilt or a range of other imaginative techniques), because the business carries the family name and the father has never envisioned, or even worked, with a non-family member in a managerial position. And there is no plan B in place for anyone else to succeed the father and carry on and improve the business. This may sound like a soap opera, but it is often reality. Even corporate giants like News Corp, Carlson and the Yankees are not immune from the ties that bind a family business when it comes to managing talent (see box, bottom left).

In family business circles, talent management is often referred to in the context of ‘succession planning’. However, while succession planning usually refers to identifying who will take over the management and running of the business in the future, talent management refers to “identifying good quality staff at all levels and agreeing career paths with them in order to help them develop and move to higher levels within an organisation,” according to Tony Groom, a senior manager in the Human Resources Services consultancy within PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PwC). Talent management in a family firm “should incorporate policies relating to how the family members enter, develop their careers within, and then exit the business,” says Grant Gordon, director general of the UK’s Institute for Family Business (IFB). The same holds true for non-family members working in the firm. “The goal is about grooming good quality staff to take on more senior positions in the future, and of convincing them that they have a role to play in the longer term growth of the business,” says Groom.

While such strategies are also needed for non-family firms, especially those who strive to diversify and expand, the rationale is a bit more basic for family firms. For family businesses, it is really just down to survival. Paul George, a partner at PwC who specialises in family business, says, “There is a long history of great family businesses that have failed as a result of sleepwalking into a succession process.”

Indeed, the numbers do not lie. In the family business community, there is a well-known phrase: shirttails to shirttails within three generations. In other words, it only takes three generations for a family business to go from nothing to something to nothing again. In the UK, it is estimated that only one-third of family businesses survive to the second generation.

“Lack of planning for succession is the single biggest cause of failure in achieving business continuity and growth for UK family businesses,” says Gordon.

Furthermore, PwC recently completed its 2007/08 Family Business Survey, Making a Difference, and found that while many family businesses around the world are thriving, the transition to new ownership and management and the battle for talent are the top two (of three) major challenges they face in the coming years (the third concerns growing administrative burdens). According to the results, 42 per cent of the surveyed family businesses across 28 countries say that their single biggest internal issue is the recruitment of skilled staff; in Britain the picture is worse: 61 per cent rank it among their main concerns.

Despite this gloomy outlook, family businesses are taking action. Succession
planning and talent management are big buzzwords at family business conferences, in family business publications and among family business networking groups. The 2006 Family Business Network (FBN, the world’s leading network of business-owning families) annual three-day
conference was focused on Building Success on Talent: Attracting the Best Resources to Business Families.

Amazon.com has no less than 10 books on succession and leadership in family firms and universities are increasingly offering MBA courses specifically designed for family business owners. There are myriad consultants around the world ready to help families design proper succession plans and advise on talent management strategies. But, despite the resources available, families still face many challenges. Groom says it is important to carefully consider whether family members want to work in the firm and are good enough to run the business. “In a competitive marketplace, there is little room for sentimentality. It doesn’t help the family or the business to appoint people who simply are not up to the job. In the long run, the business is likely to suffer and this will only
damage the family’s long-term wealth.” Furthermore, he says it is dangerous to force a family member into a role they do not want. Thus, you should appoint people with the right abilities, not the right blood. That said, if a family member is going to be appointed, Gordon says it is important to build emotional attachment so involvement in the firm is regarded as more than just a way to earn a living.

For non-family employees, talent can most easily be attracted, retained and motivated where the firm has solid governance structures in place. Non-family employees also need to have the scope to implement strategy and must be rewarded fairly (prompting the question, Can the family afford not to hire the person?). Groom suggests that prospective non-family employees get clear family understanding of the agreed business direction; identify (and agree) with the family the objectives for the appointment (Stewardship? Turnaround? Growth? Sale?); and agree with the family the level of real autonomy they will enjoy in the role.

Thus, it appears that a clear talent management strategy is important in a
family business, much like for any public company, setting out procedures, policies and goals. Gordon couldn’t agree more: “It’s a vital tool for any
business, whatever the ownership form, family or otherwise, because it is the people that drive the business.”

Source: http://www.talentengagementreview.com/articles/20080311_5

Idea Log 14122011

In his book Starbucked, Taylor Clark says there's a woman who goes to a Seattle Starbucks every morning and orders a "decaf single grande extra vanilla two-percent extra caramel 185-degrees with whipped cream caramel macchiato."

Maybe her request seems overly fussy and demanding, but it could be a good act for you to mimic. Try this: For a given time, say 12 days, be equally as exacting in asking for what you want. Assume that you have a poetic license to be extremely specific as you go about your quest for fulfillment.
http://www.freewillastrology.com/horoscopes/horo-archive.html (Dec 15,2011)

Idea Log 13122011

Anita and Me is a British comedy-drama film released in 2002 based on the book Anita and Me by Meera Syal.

Meena, a 12-year-old living in a mining village in the English Midlands in 1972, is the daughter of Indian parents who've come to England to give her a better life. This idyllic existence is upset by the arrival in the village of Anita Rutter and her dysfunctional family. Anita is 14, blonde and beautiful - exactly what Meena thinks she wants to be. She becomes part of Anita's world, but events do not run smoothly. Meena's growing up - and that brings plenty of changes. Written by Phil Reynolds

Idea Log 11122011

World War II Airmail letter from Lucknow to Philadelphia (1940s)

Lucknow cds of 6 Mar 1941 (R). Victoria / Hong Kong transit cds of 24 Mar 41 (R). Censored in Delhi and closed with brown tape. Triangular passed by censor A14 of Delhi (R) in black. Violet rectangular not opened by censor (R) at Hong Kong. Pale violet AV2 (R). Postage ** 2 R 11½ A (inc airmail for ≤ ½ oz)

Note** From Boyle (p794) the rate paid applied from Jul – 15 Oct 40. From then until mid July 41 the new rate was 3 R 10½ A by the transit route below. With the closure of the Empire route due the Italian entry into the war, only the route via Hong Kong was then available for mail from India.

Transit route
Lucknow to Delhi by rail. BOAC to Rangoon (p788). CNAC to Hong Kong via Lashio, Kunming, Kweiyang & Kweilio (p755) (see map below). AV2 cachet added in Hong Kong. Hong Kong to Manila then FAM-14 to USA with Pan-Am. Finally by train to Philadelphia.

From October 1940 all mail to Hong Kong went by the above route via China, due presumably to Indo-China being Vichy Government controlled and thus safety could not be guaranteed overflying. Also Saigon could not be used as a refuelling stop anymore.

*The study of routes during WW2 is well listed by Thomas Boyle Jnr in Air Mail Operations During World War II, A Study of Routes, Rates and Markings. Routes for items shown only will be discussed.

For more go to: http://www.philatelicdatabase.com/great-britain/onward-air-transmission/

Idea Log 10122011

 

Olympia & York (also spelled as Olympia and York, abbreviated as O&Y) was once a major international property development firm based in Canada. The firm built major financial office complexes like Canary Wharf in London, the World Financial Center in New York City and First Canadian Place in Toronto. It went bankrupt in the early 1990s and was recreated to eventually become Olympia & York Properties.

Portfolio

A list of notable O&Y current and previous ownership properties:

• Canary Wharf, London
• World Financial Center, NYC (entire complex)
• First Canadian Place, Toronto - including Exchange Tower, First Bank Tower.
• Maritime Life Building, Toronto
• Rogers-AT&T Centre, Toronto
• Oakwood Apartments, Portland OR
• Commerce Place, Edmonton AB
• 425 Lexington Avenue, NYC
• Olympia Centre, Chicago, IL
• KOIN Center, Portland OR
• Blanchard Plaza, Seattle, WA
• University of Lethbridge Building, Lethbridge AB
• York Centre, Toronto
• 150 Ferrand Drive Ferrand Towers, Toronto
• Toronto Star Building, Toronto
• Global House, Toronto
• 40 St. Clair Avenue West, Toronto
• 2 St. Clair Avenue West, Toronto
• Queen's Quay Terminal, Toronto
• 237 Park Avenue, NYC
• Flemingdon Park Condominiums, Toronto (5 Vicora Linkway, 15 Vicora Linkway, 60 Pavane Linkway.)
• Glen Valley, Toronto (including 715 Don Mills Road, 725 Don Mills Road, 735 Don Mills Road)
• Place de Ville, Ottawa (including Phase III Place de Ville Tower E, Place de Ville Tower D)
• 55 Water Street, NYC

Olympia & York Properties Corporation owns 18 properties in 6 Canadian cities.

Pg. 268

"What was most striking about the Reichmanns' dealings in Olympia & York's embryonic stage was not that they invariably lived up to their end of a bargain but that they did not always hold their clients to the same standard. Often, *their word was not only their bond but an all-purpose warranty. Once Sirlin (Morley Sirlin - O&Y's early architect) was reviewing a plan for Delta Electronics, a local retail chain, with its president who insisted that he had been quoted a price that included a fieldstone lobby. Sirlinm who had designed a conventional lobby, telephoned Paul Reichmann. "I don't remmeber it that way," Reichmann replied, "but if he says I said he could have stone, then give him stone." Similarly, Wos (Frank Wos- O&Y's first construction supervisor) once was dispatched to make repairs to a long-completed building that had been flooded through no fault of Olympia & York's. "I didn't like it because I knew it was caused by the tenant's bad maintenance," Wos recalled. "I told Albert it was not our responsibility. He said, 'No, it's not, but it is my money. So go back and fix it.'"

*"Their edge was their integrity," he said. "They put themselves on the line and they lived on the line." "The Reichmanns very early on developed a lot of business just on that basis. If they shook on a deal, that was it. Their word was their bond."

Idea Log 09122011

One of the best exhibits! Was here today!

Starting October 13, visitors to Toronto’s Gardiner Museum will be transported to another time and place through the evocative exhibition, The Tsars’ Cabinet.

The Tsars’ Cabinet presents more than 200 examples of decorative arts, including objects with Fabergé mounts, gilded dinner services, imperial porcelain eggs, and historic court photographs that document the extravagance and sumptuousness of life in palaces and yachts during the Romanov era.

The exhibition follows the history of the tsars and their family, including Peter the Great, Catherine the Great and Nicholas II, the last Tsar of Russia. The Tsars’ Cabinet also features intimate Romanov family photographs from the Toronto-based Di Rocco Wieler Private Collection and personal artifacts once owned by Grand Duchess Olga, the younger sister of Tsar Nicholas II, who spent her final years living in Toronto.

Most of the objects in the exhibition were specifically designed for and used by the tsars and members of the Russian imperial family.  The pieces include magnificent examples of works from the Imperial Porcelain Factory, the Imperial Glassworks, and the private firms of Fabergé and Ovichinnikov.  Many of the objects are extremely rare and offer one of the best opportunities to see outstanding imperial Russian art outside of Russia.

The Tsars’ Cabinet was developed from the exceptional private collection of Kathleen Durdin, and organized by the Muscarelle Museum of Art at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, in collaboration with International Arts + Artists, Washington D.C.

The Gardiner Museum is the first stop of an international tour.

http://www.gardinermuseum.on.ca/exhibitions/the-tsars-cabinet

courtesy of: http://www.artsandartists.org/exhibitions/thetsars'cabinetinstallations.html

Idea Log 08122011

another Tangier/ Tangiers reference ...

Guinevere van Seenus, Glenham Hall, Suffolk, England, 2006, British Vogue

Tim Walker was not the first Vogue photographer to gain inspiration from Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale The Princess and the Pea. In the 1950s, while staying with the Woolworth heiress Barbara Hutton in her Moroccan palace, John Deakin came across a room piled with mattresses, which gave him an idea for a picture. He ran into a lunch party in full swing: 'All those mattresses – the princess and the pea! The princess and the pea!' he exclaimed. There was a gasp from the hostess, who had loathed Deakin on sight but was too polite to banish him. The guests made their excuses and left. It was explained to Deakin that had not Miss Hutton once been the Princess Mdivani? And that 'pea' to American ears meant something altogether different… Deakin was asked to leave Tangiers.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/3673468/.html?image=1

Idea Log 07122011

 

Reading 'The Reichmanns' today piqued my interest in city of Tangier/ Tangiers! About 1/3 of the book is about their life in this city in the 1940s. So interesting.

A painting by Louis Comfort Tiffany depicting a market outside of the walls of Tangier. 1873

Gallery: Smithsonian American Art Museum

 Picture of Old 1940s Tangier posted in http://www.topix.com/album/detail/tangier-va/7IEO81Q7R39EDRG8

 

4 old postcards Morocco Tanger Tangier Ca 1940-1950 from http://www.ebay.com/itm/4-old-postcards-Morocco-Tanger-Tangier-Ca-1940-1950-/370380172370

 

Idea Log 04122011

Cecil Beaton in New York

By JOSEPH BERGER: Published: December 2, 2011 for New York Times

Almost anyone would have hankered to have a personal portrait shot by Cecil Beaton. He made his subjects, many of them distinguished or celebrated to begin with, seem impeccably elegant and disarmingly good-looking, seldom employing any of the irony or social commentary that other photographers often used.

Now comes a coffee-table book, accompanying an exhibition at the Museum of the City of New York, that contains some of the finest photographs Beaton took during his many sojourns in New York, as well as sketches, designs and caricatures that this aesthetically versatile artist drew for the movies, theater, opera and fashion. It is a pleasure to leaf through the thick ­pages of ­CECIL BEATON: The New York Years (­Museum of the City of New York/Skira/­Rizzoli, $65) and see Greta Garbo at her mysterious peak and Marilyn Monroe at her most luscious. Brando, Astaire, Warhol, Capote, Callas, Coco, Liz — people recognizable by a single name — flocked to Beaton or were lobbied by him.

Like Capote, Beaton was not well-born but became a high-society favorite, and he paid his patrons back with opulent portraits — the ones of Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt and Lee Radziwill and her daughter, Anna Christina, are dazzling. The book also reminds us that it was Beaton who designed the lavish Edwardian gowns for both the play and the film “My Fair Lady,” the belle époque excess of “Gigi” and the lushly feathered tutus for Balanchine’s “Swan Lake.”

As the concise text by Donald Albrecht, the museum’s curator of architecture and design, points out, Beaton, educated at Harrow and Cambridge, turned himself into a dandy like Oscar Wilde, with a highly cultivated Old World style and manner and an exaggerated accent. In 1928, at age 24, he sailed into New York Harbor, and a playful, acrobatic self-portrait taken on the Brooklyn Bridge a year or so later suggests why he charmed everyone he met. Everyone, of course, meant the wealthy and famous, since Beaton, as Albrecht says, had “a snobbish obsession with class and status.”

“I only photograph those I know and admire,” he said, in an unguarded statement.

Ambitious and a canny networker, but possessed of a penetrating eye for stylishness, he impressed tastemakers. His photographs were soon gracing Vogue and Vanity Fair — in time helping to generate the glamour that Depression-era New York needed, just as it needed the lift of a flamboyant Busby Berkeley movie. An anti-Semitic joke that he included in the margins of an illustration a year before World War II lost him the Vogue account, but he regained his stature with a famous photograph of a young girl with a bandaged head clutching a doll and sitting up in a hospital bed in the days of the London blitz. Today it seems highly romanticized, possibly even staged, in the manner of a Norman Rockwell painting, but it landed on the cover of Life and became a powerful symbol of what Britain was enduring.

Cecil Beaton's Wikipedia page here

Idea Log 02122011

*Picked this report up from the Japan Foundation yesterday; download condensed version of "The Three Cities within Toronto" report here
Printed copies might be available for purchase at the Cities centre for $4.95

go to: Cities Centre homepage

 

Presented in part by

Cities Centre is a multi-disciplinary research institute established February 2007 in response to one of the five major research priorities defined in the University's "Stepping Up" plan. The mandate of the Centre is broad: to encourage and facilitate research, both scholarly and applied, on cities and on a wide range of urban policy issues, both in Canada and abroad, and to provide a gateway for communication between the University and the broader urban community.

The Centre exists to:

- Bring together faculty, professionals, and graduate students interested in urban development, policy issues and the quality of life in cities;

- Encourage interdisciplinary scholarly research on urban issues;

- Support research by providing academic staff and students with space, access to services and information, opportunities for collaboration, seminars and conferences, and graduate research internships;

- Disseminate ideas related to urban and community studies to other researchers and to agencies and organizations interested in urban matters by publishing books, reports, bibliographies, and research bulletins;

- Improve communications among researchers and between researchers and the broader urban community. The Centre's activities are intended to contribute to scholarship on questions relating to the social and economic well-being of people who live and work in urban areas large and small, in Canada and around the world. 

Idea Log 30112011

Bridge Over Troubled Water by Simon and Garfunkel

When you're weary, feeling small,
When tears are in your eyes, I will dry them all;
I'm on your side. when times get rough
And friends just cant be found,
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down.
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down.

When you're down and out,
When you're on the street,
When evening falls so hard
I will comfort you.
Ill take your part.
When darkness comes
And pains is all around,
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down.
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down.

Sail on silver girl,
Sail on by.
Your time has come to shine.
All your dreams are on their way.
See how they shine.
If you need a friend
Im sailing right behind.
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will ease your mind.
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will ease your mind.

 

"Bridge Over Troubled Water" is the title song of Simon & Garfunkel's album of the same name. The single was released on January 26, 1970, though it also appears on the live album Live 1969. The song was first heard in public on November 30, 1969, when it was included in the soundtrack of a one-hour TV special by the duo aired by CBS; the music appeared in the background of a clip withJohn F. Kennedy, Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr.

[Rest in peace John F. Kennedy, Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr ~ you truly are an inspiration]

The most heartwarming moment (starting 3:24 to finish)>>  Thousands of mourners who lined the tracks and stations along the route, paying their respects to Robert Kennedy as the train, carrying his body after his assassination on June 5, 1968, passed']

Idea Log 29112011



The Fuel of Life, A PhotoSensitive multimedia exhibition focusing on the issue of energy in the 21st century

Nov 28, 2011 - Dec 12, 2011

Allen Lambert Galleria, Brookfield Place - 181 Bay Street, Toronto

http://www.brookfieldplacenewsandevents.com/events/

PhotoSensitive is a not-for-profit organization that has been highlighting social issues through black-and-white photography for over 20 years. Past projects have covered issues as diverse as homelessness, AIDS, the environment, health, First Nations literacy and the Indian Ocean tsunami, to name but a few. With The Fuel of Life, PhotoSensitive, in partnership with the Ontario Sustainable Energy Association, turns its lens onto the issue of energy. As David Suzuki says, “Meeting humanity’s energy needs without dangerously interfering with the global climate system is one of the great challenges of the 21st century.” Climate change is one of the key issues of the modern day and energy in its creation and consumption, plays a huge role in this. There could not be a better time for PhotoSensitive to be focusing on this hot topic. Over 100 hundred photos cover different aspects of energy; production, consumption, innovation, conservation, distribution and human energy. There is also a section of photos by students from schools, colleges and universities across Canada. For the first time, PhotoSensitive is including a large multimedia component with 10 videos exploring diverse aspects of energy.

Monday, November 28 to Saturday, December 12, 2011

http://www.photosensitive.com/blog/the-fuel-of-life-opens-in-toronto/650

Idea Log 25112011

 Fragrant hills

by Chitralekha Basu

This is Kiran Desai country. Early on a wintry morning in Kalimpong, if you manage to drag yourself out from under layers of duvets, blankets, and quilts and stand beside the bay window (most hotels, either refurbished old-style colonial bungalows, or modelled on them, have a room with a view), you would get a feel of what Desai meant when she described the Himalayan range as bathed in “pornographic pink”. The sprinkling of fuchsia on the contours of the mighty Kanchendzonga at daybreak might well make a silver citizen feel like a young colt, eager to explore what lies beyond the next range.

Although no travel agent seems to have thought of starting an Inheritance of Loss-inspired theme tour across Kalimpong yet, you could customise your own itinerary around Desai’s Booker-winning project. The English cottage with an unkempt garden where the Afghan princesses who came holidaying got stuck forever when their father went back home to find that he had been dethroned is easy to locate at a turning, as you go up East Main Road. And if you are looking for relics from insurgency-induced skirmishes in the 1980s, walk down Atisha Road to stop at the now-defunct art school established by Rathindranath, the elder son of Rabindranath Tagore>> continue reading

 

 Kalimpong Calling

by Jayaditya Gupta

The fun begins with the drive up from the plains; much of the journey is alongside the Teesta. Vast and flat on first sighting, it turns fast and furious as it skirts the mountains; the actual drive uphill—commencing from the Teesta bridge, where you can halt for the first of many momos—is only a dozen-odd kilometres but the river is a constant companion, just one wrong turn away on the twisting road. Eventually you reach Dambar Chowk; to your right, the police station and the road leading uptown; to your left, downtown Kalimpong, the market, haat et al.

We always took a right turn, and within minutes we’d be home. It would be mid-morning, we’d be ravenous and the smell of lunch cooking would drive us mad. First, though, we had to go through our rituals; kids having a bath, elders inspecting the garden or the house, the housekeeper updating us on the status of her family. Finally, lunch: Rice, dal, a good curry or fried meat, vegetables. For pudding, fruit from the garden, stewed, with cream. Easy to see what we focussed on. Lunch over, it was time to play. My best friend was Padam, the sweeper’s son; he would teach me the latest Hindi film songs, I’d teach him cricket. We were out till dark, unfettered by the demands of urban society, unburdened by holiday homework.

Turn left from Dambar Chowk and you hit the crowds. Himalayan Stores, where Noni and Lola would buy their daily newspapers; the Apollo (Deaf) Tailors; Gompus, where Sai and Gyan ate and drank when not feasting on new love. Take the road up, to your left is the church and college (from where a teacher was dragged out and beheaded during the agitation); opposite, Kashi Nath the booksellers, still stocking the magazines and comics you don’t find in urban bookstores; further up, Lark’s the provision store, which saw a run on its stocks ahead of any bandh, the silversmith (haggling is a must), and on past the cinema, the Tibetan shops, through 10th mile (10 miles from Teesta) and eventually out of town, though a fork delivers you to Dr Graham’s Homes.

It wasn’t all sweetness and light. It was my misfortune to be the only exception to a family of very enthusiastic walkers. Our friends’ houses were scattered around town, and the only way of getting there was walking. One such walk was the Military Round, the “long cut” to town: Uphill for what seemed like an eternity to the military camp, passing the road where live the Afghan princesses and which to Bonami, home to the aunt of the BBC’s Nisha Pillai (not Mon Ami, home to Lola, mother of BBC anchor Piyali Banerjee), then cut across the ridge, past the golf course and the Metal Box guest house (Ringkingpong Farm), where the watchman breakfasted on a fried egg each day, past the tourist lodge where I’d yearn for a halt and maybe a plate of sandwiches, past the house where Tagore stayed, then a sudden steep descent into town. Longer walks, to Father Booty’s Swiss Dairy; steeper climbs, such as the one to Copston, where we used to stay earlier.

Ghosts! They are everywhere, as in any hill town> continue reading 'Kalimpong Calling'

 Kalimpong in 50s- Life was Like that

by Col (Retd) Mani K Gahatraj

The wheel of time moves slowly but surely churning events and people across the labyrinth of past, present and future. Ever since the begning of time itself, as minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years and centuries roll on and move continuously, towards infinity, beyond the barriers of space and time, the past keeps moving away further and further, getting dimmer and dimmer from the rusty and faded memories of humans; when finally a point is reached when zillions of single events that would have occurred in some person’s life, alive and kicking at a time and place, would be memories or stories years later, albeit in distorted version. These memories perhaps blink for one last time in the rusty and fading grey cells of old and infirm before it is consigned into the dustbin of life when the life itself is extinguished forever. However, chronicles of events written in the begning of known and unknown civilizations have stayed on defying the vagaries of change and have lived to tell its tale to a future generation unknown and unconceived >> continue reading

A GLIMPSE OF ANOTHER WORLD 

by F. BAILEY VANDERHOEF, JR.

There I stood looking out of the window of one of the upper rooms of a house in Kalimpong, a small border town in Northern Bengal. How I came there must wait, for it is more important that I explain why. Perhaps, if I just describe what I saw through that window, it will in some measure explain what had drawn me half way around the world, for to me there were many things beckoning: mystery, beauty, adventure; but there is no point in just saying so. I must describe it all.

I remember it was a large window, running all across one end of the room, and before this window stood a table bearing a shallow bowl of spring flowers. The thin curtains stirred in the fresh night air and billowed inwards. Outside, the world was flooded with moonlight. Twinkling and immeasurably high and calm against the stars was the white peak of Kangchenjunga, between withdrawn ghostly clouds. Beside me, the crystal pennants of a candlestick stirred in the breeze and tinkled against each other, as though to give voice to the cold vision of the snows. Behind that snowy rampart I knew was Tibet, strange and dark with its veil of mystery stretching far into the north across barren plateau and guardian mountains. It seemed the greatest human presumption to think of venturing beyond those snows>> continue reading

Kalimpong, India

Photographer:	James Burke
Size:	827 x 1280 pixels (11.5 x 17.8 inches)

More pictures of Kalimpong published in LIFE MAGAZINE here

Idea Log 23112011

My most memorable photograph from yesterday's book >

Suit by Digby Morton. Vogue (British Edition), September 1941.  This picture pretty much summarizes why I've loved the Second World War fashion. Actually it instantly brought to mind what my mum said when we were watching a documentary of the WWII a long time ago - that women in those days even when there was disaster and rubble all around they still wore their high heels and were always perfectly dressed. I truly admire them.

Idea Log 21112011

 

Got ca$h woes? Put on your spiffy duds

For a generation without much to hope for, dressing nicely has become a way to strive for better times.

BY: Briony Smith

“Ooh!” I squealed as I clicked on a friend’s Facebook link to the New York magazine piece “Sucks to be us: Coming of age in post-hope America.” Another story about my generation’s certain doom. The feature was accompanied by a slide show of twentysomethings whose lives had been mangled by the economy. Each of them had been photographed with a piece of tape stretched across the chest, their worries scrawled out in Sharpie ink: Stuck. Uncertain. Is that all there is? Please don’t fire me. Money ca$h woes.

But that wasn’t what caught my eye—it was what they were wearing. Despite being broke and anxious, many of them looked downright dapper. Their clothes were decidedly grown-up: a delicate floral blouse, a tuxedo blazer, a professorial cardigan, an elegant red jersey dress, crisp chinos.

Dressing well is, after all, one of Generation Y’s coping mechanisms—fake it ’til you make it. Many of my peers are languishing in post-recession slumps. They are sans steady job, without apartment and low on future options. As they hustle for every dollar and gig they can get, crafting a successful persona has become crucial. Luxe-looking outfits are one of the ways to regain a little control, a little confidence. I’ve seen our streets fill with youngsters sporting silk blouses and wool trousers, eager to don something that makes them feel like a legit member of society. It can be difficult to feel like you’ll one day emerge from behind the Starbucks counter if you’re wearing a ripped tank top and jeggings. What better way to strive for better times than dressing for them? If we can’t be certain about our pension or whether we’ll land our dream job, we can be certain that we look put together, even if we’re falling apart.

Fittingly, the fall 2011 runways were full of conservative tweeds and prim frocks, a trend that’s being called “bourgeois chic.” The look has filtered down to every major retailer: an old-fashioned wool cloche hat at Joe Fresh; leopard-print blouses and lace pencil-skirts from The Bay’s budget-friendly line, Moon; Jacob’s camel blazers lined with floral-print cotton; and wool fedoras, pinstriped waistcoats and pocketed shawl-collar cardigans in Le Château’s men’s department.

Our predecessors wore uniforms as a way to cope with the times, too. Just look at the flappers, partying hard enough to forget the Great War in their short, drop-waist dresses. Women soldiered through the Depression with their best shoulder pad forward. And then there was the the optimistic post-war dressing of the late ’40s and ’50s, World War II behind us and the Cold War ahead.

It’s pieces from those eras that are resonating today. In the last six months, vintage shops have opened at a phenomenal rate. 69 Vintage owner Kealan Sullivan has opened two more stores in the past couple years to meet the demand for fur, beautiful wool coats and suits for women, and leather shoes, tailored jackets and classic button-downs for men.

“When I started my vintage business two-and-a-half years ago, the twentysomethings wanted cheap threads and tons of options,” says Sarah Magwood, owner of  Magwood vintage boutique. “Now, they’re buying investment pieces. I can’t seem to keep silk blouses or fur hats in stock these days.” It’s armour for the ever-tougher battle for that job, that apartment, that life. “Young people who develop their taste through choosing quality clothing are the type of people who will surely make it because they have an attitude of refinement and success,” says Sullivan.

It was true decades ago when Twain said it and it is even more true today: Clothes make the man (and woman). “Fashion is innately empowering, because you’re in control of what’s projected,” says Magwood. “You can be whoever you want to be, including your ideal self in 10 years.”

And that’s good enough for now.

Idea Log 17112011

FOLLOW YOUR BLISS

"You must be willing to get rid of the life you've planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us." - Joseph Campbell

The scholar, writer and teacher Joseph Campbell gained international fame by deconstructing the great mythologies of mankind and revealing the simple truths and profound themes behind history's great tales and legends. He drew parallels between classical mythology, modern pop culture and everyday lives. In his view, each life is a hero's journey through which we all are seeking some distant reward, only to discover in the end that we had it in our hands all along. From Odysseus to the Wizard of Oz, it always ends up the same way.

Despite the breath and scope of his life's work, he is perhaps best known for one simple phrase: "Follow your bliss." The premise is a tantalizingly simple one. If you allow yourself to gravitate toward and pursue that which brings you the greatest pleasure, you will be on the road to achieving personal satisfaction , true happiness and your ultimate calling in life. The idea is to trust your instincts and be aware of when you are happiest and most fully engaged. In doing so, your natural talents will emerge and slowly you will become the person you were ended to be.

In the book The Power of Myth, Campbell point s out tat "If you follow your bliss, you put yourself on a kind of track that has been there all the while, waiting for you and the life you  ought to be living is the one you are living ... I say, follow your bliss and don't be afraid, and doors will open for you where you didn't know they were going to be."

(Flocker, Pg 100-101)

Idea Log 16112011

WANT >> Too Big to Fail: Olympia & York: The Story Behind the Headlines!!!! but I've tracked the second best The Reichmanns: Family, Faith, Fortune, and the Empire of Olympia & York ~ going to pick up my book later today ^__^

 

Idea Log 15112011

Adversity and the route to success

Source: Seth Godin's Blog

Resource-rich regions often fall behind in developing significant industrial and cultural capabilities. Japan does well despite having very few resources at all.

Well-rounded and popular people rarely change the world. The one voted most likely to succeed probably won't.

Genuine success is scarce, and the scarcity comes from the barriers that keep everyone from having it. If it weren't for the scarcity, it wouldn't be valuable, after all.

It's difficult to change an industry, set a world record, land big clients, or do art that influences others. When faced with this difficulty, those with other, seemingly better options see the barrier and walk away.

Why bother? The thinking is that we can just pump some more oil or smile and gladhand our way to an acceptably happy outcome.

On the other hand, people who believe they have fewer options take a look at the barrier and realize that even though it will be difficult to cross, it's the single best option they've got.

This is one of the dangers of overfunded/undertested startup companies. Without an astute CEO in charge, they begin to worry more about not losing what they've already got than the real reason they started the project in the first place.

Idea Log 14112011

Found My FAVOURITE DRINK ~ Hongcho drinking vinegar at Korea Town in TOronto P.A.T.

http://www.edaesang.com/

The more you drink, the more beautiful you get.
Beautiful international celebrities like Megan Fox and Gwyneth Paltrow credited a ‘vinegar diet’ for helping them maintaining a slim figure, which in turn triggered great interest in vinegar. Vinegar is beneficial not only to losing weight but also to skin and health. Building on this popularity, vinegar beverages are making a sensation in the market and Korea’s vinegar beverages are at its center. Called the Hallyu syndrome in the beverage industry, the Korean vinegar beverages are capturing the palate of people around the world.

Secret of beauty, vinegar

It is said the ancient Egyptian queen Cleopatra often drank vinegar with natural pearls melted in it for beauty purpose. More recently, top Hollywood actresses are maintaining their figure with vinegar. What properties of this sour drink captured their heart?
1) Vinegar contains more than 60 kinds of organic acids that are beneficial to the intestines like acetic acid, citric acid, succinic acid, and malic acid. Having one cup of vinegar everyday helps solve skin allergy.
2) Vinegar helps stimulate metabolism and burn accumulated fat to reduce body fat. Rich in amino acids and vitamins, it helps mitigate under-nutrition resulting from a diet.
3) Its main ingredient, acetic acid boosts metabolism to release waste from the body. And citric acid helps the body’s absorption of calcium and cleans intestinal walls to help activate the intestines and treat constipation. Vinegar is also great for skin.

 

 

Prevention of obesity, cancer, adult disease, and other illnesses
An American columnist praised vinegar that can prevent various diseases as ‘miracle water given by nature’. ‘Why did he think so highly of it?
1) When you engage in lots of physical activities, energy is consumed and lactic acid is secreted. Most of it is discharged in urine, but if one is exhausted, lactic acid remains in the body causing muscle pain, arthralgia, and such. Organic acids in vinegar resolve lactic acid into harmless water and carbon dioxides. This is why one should take in vinegar when feeling tired.
2) Vinegar helps remove cholesterol sticking to the walls of blood vessels and boost their flexibility. It also prevents sugar from turning into fat and boosts fat metabolism, thereby preventing high blood pressure, arteriosclerosis and more.
3) The enzyme angiotensin contained in vinegar helps to lower blood pressure, preventing high blood pressure.

 

How to drink
So it is clear that vinegar is good for health. But it is still difficult to take in. This is why vinegar beverages came into existence: they reduce the sourness and make it much enjoyable for men and women of all ages. The recommendation is to have it mixed with water or milk in a 1:2 to 1:4 mixture ratio. One should determine the dilution ratio depending on one’s taste. They come in various flavors such as pomegranate and blueberry.

N.B.
If you take in vinegar or an empty stomach, it may damage the stomach walls. If taken in a large quantity at one time, the body fluid may become strongly acid. One should take only one or two cups of diluted vinegar. If one has stomach ulcer or a bad kidney, one should consult with a doctor before taking vinegar.

Vinegar diet

The diet regimen known to enamor Hollywood stars for its great effects is a ‘banana & vinegar diet’. It is easy to follow: mix banana, vinegar, and maple syrup or black sugar in a ratio of 1:1:1. Warm it for 40 seconds in a microwave oven or in a double boiler to completely melt the sugar. Leave it at room temperature for a day. It is ready to eat and can be kept in the refrigerator for some two weeks. Remove any traces of banana and mix some three spoonfuls with water or milk to have before meals in the morning and evening.

 

 

Source: http://www.koreamedicalhub.com/index.php?page_no=17&mode=view&wr_id=119

Idea Log 13112011

The History of Fo/ Whoo
The History of Whoo products are formulated from rare ingredients that were used in the ancient royal family and are a prestigious line of cosmetic made with natural ingredients traditionally used in Oriental medicine. The products contain wild ginseng and snow lotus and work to rejuvenate skin, giving your face a younger appearance. The History of Whoo has limited production and is in high demand because of the rare and hard to find ingredients the products are made from. The products are known for their excellence in fighting against dry and aging skin, working to restore youthfulness to the skin and reducing fine lines while erasing the traces of aging.

The History of Whoo Gongjinhyang
The products in The History of Whoo’s Gongjinhyang (Oriental medicine-based ingredients) line are comprised of herbal ingredients that keep the skin soft and moisture-rich by hydrating dry skin and improving its purification capabilities. The highly concentrated herbal serum is a perfect solution for a more crystal-like, vibrant and luminous skin tone. The finest herbal ingredients offer a luxurious and silky smooth feel. The Gongjinhyang line incorporates the products of traditional beauty care with techniques from the ancient royal family. The herbal nutrition stimulates the skin’s viability, moisture retention and adds radiance to the skin. The synergy between Gongjindan and Polygonatum also provides excellent wrinkle improvement, adds firmness and promotes a naturally youthful glow around the eyes.

Benefits: Concentrates hydration, improves purification capability, wrinkle improvement and skin tightening

Major ingredients: Wild ginseng, cordyceps sinensis

>> more on history

In TOronto buy it at P.A.T SuperMarket in Korea Town in Toronto!

Idea Log 11112011

“His Libraries, 12,000 So Far, Change Lives"
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/06/opinion/sunday/kristof-his-libraries-12000-so-far-change-lives.html?ref=nicholasdkristof

“Girls Just Want to Go to School"
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/10/opinion/kristof-girls-just-want-to-go-to-school.html?ref=nicholasdkristof

Room to Read New York Times page
http://www.roomtoread.org/NYTimes

Dear Friends,

As valued Room to Read supporters, we want to make you aware and share our excitement about two columns that featured Room to Read in The New York Times this past week by acclaimed journalist Nicholas Kristof. We were honored to have Mr. Kristof visit our projects in Vietnam two weeks ago and are thrilled that he was inspired to share his experience with his readers.

If you have not already seen Mr. Kristof’s columns, please have a look at “His Libraries, 12,000 So Far, Change Lives” which celebrates Room to Read’s immense achievements—including our 10 millionth book milestone, unique history and astronomical rise in growth since our founding—and  “Girls Just Want to Go to School,” where Mr. Kristof introduces us to Phung, an incredible girl enrolled in our Girls’ Education program in Vietnam who, with the support of her father, goes to great lengths in pursuit of her education.

You can find additional information related to the column on a special page we created on our website. Also included on the site is information on a matching gift fund that we were able to establish thanks to the generosity of several anonymous donors. The fund will be used to help the children in Vietnam that Mr. Kristof met along with the countless others we reach across Asia and Africa who want to discover a better future for themselves and their families.

We hope you enjoy the columns and we thank you for the amazing role you have played in helping us get to where we are today – we couldn’t have done it without you!

Warm regards,

The Room to Read Team

Idea Log 10112011

Globe & Mail Home » Life » Facts & Arguments

 » The Essay

JOURNEY HOME: Visiting my birthplace in India helped me understand my parents better

Last updated Monday, Nov. 07, 2011 1:31PM EST

I’m Chinese but was born in India. In 1983, when I was 3, I immigrated with my family to Toronto from Calcutta. We were a typical Chinese immigrant family, except we happened to be from India.

We’ve got a unique past but in many ways our story is the Canadian story. My parents struggled in their adopted country so my brother, sister and I could make something of ourselves. My mother told us that her dream was for all of her kids to graduate from university, which we did. I went on to law school and a career as a corporate lawyer, first in New York and now in London.

Growing up, I was exposed to almost as much Indian culture as Chinese culture. We’d eat goat curry along with fish-ball soup during Chinese New Year. My father would belt out Hindi songs at family weddings while the fried rice was being served. His singing always left the wait staff a little confused.

Last December, at the age of 30, I returned to India for the first time since we immigrated to Canada. I was accompanied by my wife, Jennifer. When I told my mother about our plans for the trip, she replied with her trademark bluntness: “You’re not going to like it. It’s dirty.” I heard similar responses from other family members but was undeterred. It was simply something I had to do. My parents and siblings had all been back to visit.

Our first stop was Delhi, where we met with my cousin Jon. I was expecting Jon to be traditional (read: stuffy) but was pleasantly surprised when I saw he had dyed blonde hair and was wearing edgy leather pants. Like India itself, Jon was vibrant and full of life.

We had never met before but Jon treated us like old family. He served us masala dosas and we chatted about the many colourful characters in our family, the latest Bollywood hit movie and shovelling snow. Meeting him was the highlight of my time in Delhi. He made the city come to life and I won’t soon forget his infectious laugh.

After Delhi, we went to Agra to see the Taj Mahal, then to picturesque Udaipur and finally to my birth city of Calcutta. We stayed with my aunt and uncle who bent over backward to make us feel welcome. They live in Tangra in east Calcutta, home to a large number of Hakka Chinese.

We went to the local Tangra market one morning where you can still have your live chicken slaughtered, plucked and cut up while you wait. What was more surreal for me was hearing Hakka spoken among all the locals while they picked out the day’s vegetables (remember, we were in India, not China).

I tried my best to speak Hakka and couldn’t help but feel a little self-satisfied when my eldest cousin conceded, “Your Hakka is good … considering you left when you were 3.”

The one thing I had to do while in Calcutta was visit our family’s old home in Bowbazar in central Calcutta, which used to be home to a large number of Chinese families.

To be frank, there was nothing special about Bowbazar – it seemed like just another dusty and busy Calcutta neighbourhood with an assortment of shops, restaurants and apartment buildings.

After searching for about 45 minutes (everything takes longer than you think in India), we finally found the four-storey apartment building where we used to live. It’s fair to say the building has seen better days. The exterior was badly in need of repair, with many large chunks of the finishing either cracked or badly discoloured.

While the building wasn’t much to look at, I couldn’t help but feel sentimental knowing that this was my first home, the place I learned to walk and talk and where I got my start in life. I can now honestly say I know where I’m from.

India is unexplainable. It’s got so many layers and each one you pull back reveals something completely different (and often contradictory). Despite the country’s enigmatic nature, I think I understand my parents a little better now. I strolled through the same neighbourhoods they grew up in and came to appreciate and enjoy the sense of family and community that comes with being Hakka in Calcutta.

But I also experienced the same crushing pollution, congestion and chaos that likely convinced them to pack their bags and move their young family to a country far away and much colder.

While I have a better understanding of my parents now, the trip made me realize it will never be possible to learn everything about them. The world I witnessed in Calcutta was completely foreign to me. No amount of sightseeing could ever impart the lessons of growing up in such a complex and unforgiving city.

First-generation Canadians often complain about their parents’ inability to understand their lives. However, it’s unlikely that these children fully understand, or even have the capacity to fully understand, the life that was left behind or the hardship of leaving everything behind.

It would be nice if my parents understood me better. For example, I wish they would appreciate why we spend money on travelling instead of building up a down payment for our first home, something that annoys my mother to no end.

But travelling to India showed me that it’s okay to have this disconnect. How could there not be? That’s the beauty of family. You don’t need to fully understand the details. You just need plenty of love and somehow it all seems to work out.

Victor Chai is a Canadian living in London.

Idea Log 07112011

The Cell theory, first developed in 1839 by Matthias Jakob Schleiden and Theodor Schwann, states that all organisms are composed of one or more cells, that all cells come from preexisting cells, that vital functions of an organism occur within cells, and that all cells contain the hereditary information necessary for regulating cell functions and for transmitting information to the next generation of cells. 

The generally accepted parts of modern cell theory include:

1. All known living things are made up of one or more cells.
2. All cells arise from pre-existing cells by division.
3. The cell is the fundamental unit of structure and function in all living organisms.
4. The activity of an organism depends on the total activity of independent cells.
5. Energy flow (metabolism and biochemistry) occurs within cells.
6. Cells contain hereditary information (DNA) which is passed from cell to cell during cell division.
7. All cells are basically the same in chemical composition in organisms of similar species.

 

The cell is the functional basic unit of life. It was discovered by Robert Hooke and is the functional unit of all known living organisms. It is the smallest unit of life that is classified as a living thing, and is often called the building block of life.

The following is a glossary of animal cell terms:

cell membrane - the thin layer of protein and fat that surrounds the cell. The cell membrane is semipermeable, allowing some substances to pass into the cell and blocking others.
centrosome - (also called the "microtubule organizing center") a small body located near the nucleus - it has a dense center and radiating tubules. The centrosomes is where microtubules are made. During cell division (mitosis), the centrosome divides and the two parts move to opposite sides of the dividing cell. The centriole is the dense center of the centrosome.
cytoplasm - the jellylike material outside the cell nucleus in which the organelles are located.
Golgi body - (also called the Golgi apparatus or golgi complex) a flattened, layered, sac-like organelle that looks like a stack of pancakes and is located near the nucleus. It produces the membranes that surround the lysosomes. The Golgi body packages proteins and carbohydrates into membrane-bound vesicles for "export" from the cell.
lysosome - (also called cell vesicles) round organelles surrounded by a membrane and containing digestive enzymes. This is where the digestion of cell nutrients takes place.
mitochondrion - spherical to rod-shaped organelles with a double membrane. The inner membrane is infolded many times, forming a series of projections (called cristae). The mitochondrion converts the energy stored in glucose into ATP (adenosine triphosphate) for the cell.
nuclear membrane - the membrane that surrounds the nucleus.
nucleolus - an organelle within the nucleus - it is where ribosomal RNA is produced. Some cells have more than one nucleolus.
nucleus - spherical body containing many organelles, including the nucleolus. The nucleus controls many of the functions of the cell (by controlling protein synthesis) and contains DNA (in chromosomes). The nucleus is surrounded by the nuclear membrane.
ribosome - small organelles composed of RNA-rich cytoplasmic granules that are sites of protein synthesis.
rough endoplasmic reticulum - (rough ER) a vast system of interconnected, membranous, infolded and convoluted sacks that are located in the cell's cytoplasm (the ER is continuous with the outer nuclear membrane). Rough ER is covered with ribosomes that give it a rough appearance. Rough ER transports materials through the cell and produces proteins in sacks called cisternae (which are sent to the Golgi body, or inserted into the cell membrane).
smooth endoplasmic reticulum - (smooth ER) a vast system of interconnected, membranous, infolded and convoluted tubes that are located in the cell's cytoplasm (the ER is continuous with the outer nuclear membrane). The space within the ER is called the ER lumen. Smooth ER transports materials through the cell. It contains enzymes and produces and digests lipids (fats) and membrane proteins; smooth ER buds off from rough ER, moving the newly-made proteins and lipids to the Golgi body, lysosomes, and membranes.
vacuole - fluid-filled, membrane-surrounded cavities inside a cell. The vacuole fills with food being digested and waste material that is on its way out of the cell.

 Source: www.enchantedlearning.com

Idea Log 06112011

Finished reading! 

"My aim in writing [this book] is to offer a richer vision of human ability and creativity and of the benefits to us all of connecting properly with our indivisual talents and passions. This book is about issues that are of fundamental importancein our lives and in the lives of our children, our students, and the people we work with. I use the term the Element to describe the place where the things we love to do and the things we are good at come together. I believe it is essential that each of us find his or her Element, not simply because it will make us more fulfilled but because, as the world evolves, the very future of our communities and institutions will depend on it.

The world is changing faster than ever in our history. Our best hope for the future is to develop a new paradigm of human capacity to meet a new era of human existance. We need to evolve a new appreciation of the importance of nurturing human talent along with an understanding of how talent expresses itself differently in every individual. We need to create environments- in our schools, in our workplace, and in our public offices- every person is inspired to grow creatively" (above taken from the INTRODUCTION chapter; pg. xiii)

The Element has two main features, and there are two conditions for being in it. The features are aptitude and passion. The conditions are attitude and opportunity. The sequence goes something like this: I get it; I love it; I want it; Where is it? (Robinson, pg.22) These ephiphanies utterly [change] lives, giving them direction and purpose and sweeping them up in a way that nothing else had; they tend to involve some level of revelation, a way of dividing the world into before and after (Robinson, pg. 8)

 

Idea Log 05112011

Arrow, The Ultimate Weapon (Movie - 2011) Also known as "War of The Arrows"
Synopsis
13 years after the King Injo Revolt, the Chosun Dynasty is attacked by the Chung Dynasty of China. A young man named Na-mi leaves his demolished village to find his young sister, Ja-in, and her finance Su-koon, who were to wed on the very day of the attack. While on his mission to rescue her, he is being traced by Jushinta, a fierce Chung Warrior, and his band of malicious men who are out to stop him. Na-mi has but a day to rescue his sister before she is taken away to be a slave. When Na-mi finally finds his sister, Jushinta comes between them and a fierce battle between two of the finest warriors unfolds.

I was there> MUST WATCH MOVIE!!!

Idea Log 04112011

"Carp leaps over the Dragon Gate"

(liyutiaolongmen 鲤鱼跳龙门)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 *The word koi comes from Japanese, simply meaning "carp"

The koi fish meaning takes on a enormous significance in Oriental society. The koi fish are believed to be Chinese in origin but is very well known in Japan. As legend has it, as koi fish swim boldly upstream against the adverse currents on the Yellow River, if it is successful in its attempt to swim up the falls at a certain point known as Dragon Gate, there within the mist of the waters of the falls it is magically transformed into a water dragon.  Based upon this, the koi became a status symbol representing strong character, courage, and perseverance in achieving hard to reach goals. Also included within these traits is the drive to attain worldly success and advancement, even under trying conditions and against all odds. In Japan, these traits are considered masculin qualities and attributes, as a result, the status of the koi fish has become related with male masculinity. The symbol was said to represent the annual Boys’ Day Festival in Japan where multi-color koi flags were flown as a symbol of honor for each son in a family.

The Koi Fish Meaning is also symbolically used today. For Children’s Day, the koi is symbolic of the family structure and flags are flown in a multiple of colors for different members of the family: Black Koi symbolizes the father; orange stands for the mother; the blue or white color is chosen for a boy; and lastly the red or pink shades symbolizes a girl.

In some cases, the amount of fish, color and even the direction in which the fish are swimming in the water represents a Koi Fish Meaning. For instance, some people believe that 5 golden koi stands for perpetual wealth and prosperity. Other people believe that the colors of the tatoo on your body must represent you as an individual and where you live. All of these traditions only add to the thought and beauty surrounding the koi fish meaning and their legendary status. One other meaning for the symbol which is more common is that of standing for good luck or fortune.

(www.koifishmeaning.com)

Idea Log 02112011

Lets go eat PINEAPPLE BUNs in Chinatown!!!!!!!!

• In 2005, "Pineapple Bun" was nominated as a potential Pacific typhoon name but was rejected. Former director of the Hong Kong Observatory, Lam Chiu Ying, as one of the judges for the naming process, commented: "If we say XX country is being ravaged by Pineapple Bun, that would be too hilarious."

A pineapple bun is a kind of sweet pastry popular in Hong Kong, Macau, some other areas in southern China, and in various Chinese communities around the world. They can also be found in bakeries in Taiwan or Toronto. It is known in Cantonese as bo lo baau, in which "bo lo" means "pineapple", and "baau" refers to a kind of bun-like item in Chinese cuisine. It is commonly found in Chinese bakeries, and is mentioned quite frequently on TV, radio and films in Hong Kong.

 

Idea Log 01112011

The following pictures courtsey of TORONTOHISTORY.ORG but for more info on the building itself go here: Queen's Quay Terminal

Queen's Quay Terminal was a cold storage warehouse facility, the Toronto Terminal Warehouse, built in 1926 by Moores & Dunford (NYC) and converted to a condo/mall complex in 1983 (The southwest section was demolished and forms the south end of the parking lot between Queen's Quay Terminal and the EnWave PowerPlant). The renovations by Zeidler Roberts added 4 floors to the original 10 floor structure, for a total of 750,000 square feet (70,000 m²) of space. The New York Times mentioned it as an example of successful revitalization efforts in Toronto during the 1980s.

The Art Deco facility houses a shopping mall that includes a Sobeys grocery store. It is also home to the Premiere Dance Theatre and the Museum of Inuit Art.

Yahoo! Canada and Anheuser-Busch InBev's Canadian unit Labatt both maintain offices in the building.

It is owned by Brookfield Properties.

An abandoned cold storage facility (Central Warehouse Cold Storage at Montgomery Street and Colonie Street) identical to its original appearance exists in Albany, NY.

Source: Wikipedia

Idea Log 31102011

For more details:  http://tiff.net/gracekelly

Idea Log 29102011

It now costs much less to visit the Royal Ontario Museum. Beginning October 27, we significantly reduced admission prices because we believe everyone belongs at the ROM. We’ll still be able to create remarkable exhibitions and events, and support our world renowned curators and research programs, because now more people will be able to visit. By visiting the ROM, you’re helping to sustain one of Ontario’s essential educational and cultural destinations.

We know it’s a difficult economic time, especially for families, and our new, lower admission costs respond to this. We’ve also expanded our student ticket category from 15 to 17 years old, to 15 to 25 years old, with student ID.

In order to offer significant price reductions to all of our visitors, every day of the week, the two-hour free period on Wednesdays has been discontinued. In keeping with the ROM’s commitment to access, we’re greatly expanding ROMCAN – the Museum’s access initiative to support disadvantaged communities throughout the Province – to deliver 75,000 free tickets annually.

Ticket Types	General Admission	Maya + General Admission
Adult	$15 (previously $24)	$25 (previously $31)
Senior (65+ years)	$13.50 (previously $21)	$22.50 (previously $28)
Student (15 - 25 years, with student ID)	$13.50 (previously $21)	$22.50 (previously $28)
Child (4 - 14 years)	$12 (previously $16)	$17 previously $19.50)
Infant (3 years & under)	Free	Free
Members	Free	Free

ROM Friday Nights Pricing (Best Value)

Ticket Types	General Admission
Adult	$9 (previously $12)	Additional surcharge applies to see Maya: Secrets of their Ancient World
Senior	$8 (previously $10.50)
Student	$8 (previously $10.50)
Child	$6 (previously $8)

ROM Friday Nights are presented by SunLife Financial.

Idea Log 28102011

Is your retirement wrecked? Knowledge is key to retirement plans

WHY LOOKING YOUNG IS BAD FOR YOUR NEST EGG.

Looking young for your age can be a bad thing, if it makes you postpone saving money for retirement.

"We are looking younger than in previous years, absolutely, but that does sometimes fool us into thinking we have many years for retirement planning," says Tina Di Vito, a financial planner, head of the BMO Retirement Institute and author of a new book, 52 Ways to Wreck your Retirement ... and How to Rescue It.

"Procrastination can creep up on us."

One-third of your life will be spent in retirement.

If you require specialized health care, do you want to spend your last years in a chronic care hospital or a five-star residence with in-house doctors and nurses?

The financial choices you make today will decide that for you.

Not saving enough is one of the main reasons people close to retirement decide to work a few extra years, says Di Vito.

Greg Pollock, certified financial planner and president and CEO of Advocis, The Financial Advisors Association of Canada, agrees. Clients in their 30s tell him they want to retire at 55, he says. Without a plan, they hit their 50s and realize they have to work until they're 67.

"We're all very optimistic," says Pollock.

But the truth is a health problem in your 80s can wipe out your life savings in one year.

If you do one thing, Pollock and Di Vito agree, do this: Start saving more, today, no matter how old you are. Make it automatic and it will become automatic. Other steps:

Make a plan. Pollock and Di Vito agree that the single most important step towards a successful retirement is planning for it.

Think about what you really want to do. Golf? Hit the beach? For 25 years? Really?

"Chances are, you will do a lot of the same things after retiring as you did before - we're somewhat hard-wired after a certain age and it's hard to change us," says Di Vito.

She suggests easing into retirement, if you can. Go down to four days a week first. Reduce your work days even more until you are fully retired.

Know your net worth. This is a summary of all your assets, minus your liabilities. Until you do this, you don't even know where you stand. You may feel rich because your home is worth $500,000, but if you stack your mortgage and consumer debts next to it, what are you really worth?

Pay attention to your everyday finances. Check your bank statements for errors and fraud, check your automatic bill payments to make sure you're not paying for services you no longer use, read your paycheque, even if it's electronic, to make sure pay increases are properly reflected.

Know your investments. The number of investment options has exploded in the past 20 years. You don't need to know everything. Learn the basics about GICs, bonds, equity investments, mutual funds and tax-free savings accounts. Learn how to keep tabs on your portfolio, even if you have a financial advisor.  

Diversify. Really. Buying two different mutual funds is not necessarily diversifying if they are both investing in the same things. Which brings us back to know your investments.

Retirement is not a short period of time. Retiring doesn't mean you should stop investing. Di Vito recommends keeping a minimum of five years' worth of withdrawals invested in low-risk, easily accessible investments, but keep a long-term view for the balance of your retirement savings.

Pay off your mortgage. The faster you can pay off your house, the more time you have to save for retirement, says Di Vito. Increasing monthly mortgage payments a little bit every year is better than trying to save up and make extra lump-sum payments. It's too tempting to spend the money on marble kitchen countertops.

Monetize your hobby. Turning a hobby into a job could provide extra income in retirement. But if you decide to start a new business, do your research first. You won't have much time or opportunity to rebuild your finances if you fail.

Downsizing. Some people wait too long to downsize, says Di Vito. They continue to live in a large house they no longer need and cannot maintain. They can become fearful of moving.

Another mistake is not downsizing enough. If you sell your home for $525,000 and buy a smaller one for $450,000, you won't be much better off financially once all the taxes and fees are paid. 

If you do one thing, Pollock and Di Vito agree, do this: Start saving more, today, no matter how old you are. Make it automatic and it will become automatic. Other steps:

Make a plan. Pollock and Di Vito agree that the single most important step towards a successful retirement is planning for it.

Think about what you really want to do. Golf? Hit the beach? For 25 years? Really?

"Chances are, you will do a lot of the same things after retiring as you did before - we're somewhat hard-wired after a certain age and it's hard to change us," says Di Vito.

She suggests easing into retirement, if you can. Go down to four days a week first. Reduce your work days even more until you are fully retired.

Know your net worth. This is a summary of all your assets, minus your liabilities. Until you do this, you don't even know where you stand. You may feel rich because your home is worth $500,000, but if you stack your mortgage and consumer debts next to it, what are you really worth?

Pay attention to your everyday finances. Check your bank statements for errors and fraud, check your automatic bill payments to make sure you're not paying for services you no longer use, read your paycheque, even if it's electronic, to make sure pay increases are properly reflected.

Know your investments. The number of investment options has exploded in the past 20 years. You don't need to know everything. Learn the basics about GICs, bonds, equity investments, mutual funds and tax-free savings accounts. Learn how to keep tabs on your portfolio, even if you have a financial advisor.

Diversify. Really. Buying two different mutual funds is not necessarily diversifying if they are both investing in the same things. Which brings us back to know your investments.

Retirement is not a short period of time. Retiring doesn't mean you should stop investing. Di Vito recommends keeping a minimum of five years' worth of withdrawals invested in low-risk, easily accessible investments, but keep a long-term view for the balance of your retirement savings.

 Pay off your mortgage. The faster you can pay off your house, the more time you have to save for retirement, says Di Vito. Increasing monthly mortgage payments a little bit every year is better than trying to save up and make extra lump-sum payments. It's too tempting to spend the money on marble kitchen countertops.

Monetize your hobby. Turning a hobby into a job could provide extra income in retirement. But if you decide to start a new business, do your research first. You won't have much time or opportunity to rebuild your finances if you fail.

Downsizing. Some people wait too long to downsize, says Di Vito. They continue to live in a large house they no longer need and cannot maintain. They can become fearful of moving.

Another mistake is not downsizing enough. If you sell your home for $525,000 and buy a smaller one for $450,000, you won't be much better off financially once all the taxes and fees are paid.

Don't spend too much on your children. If you buy your child a house they will share with a spouse, you should consider registering a mortgage on that house. This will protect your loan from creditors and the division of the assets you invested if they divorce.

 Source: Toronto Star, Business - Pg. B1, Oct 21, 2011

Idea Log 27102011

The power of visualization

Data is not useful until it becomes information, and that's because data is hard for human beings to digest.

This is even more true if it's news that contradicts what we've already decided to believe. Can you imagine the incredible mindshift that Mercator's map of the world caused in the people who saw it? One day you believed something, and then a few minutes later, something else.

We repeatedly underestimate how important a story is to help us make sense of the world.

Jess Bachman wants to help you turn the data about the US budget (the largest measured expenditure in the history of mankind, I'm betting) into information that actually changes the way you think.

Hence Death and Taxes, which we're publishing today. The new version belongs on the wall of every classroom, every public official's office, and perhaps in the home of every person who pays taxes.

It is not possible to spend less than ten minutes looking at this, and more probably, you'll be engaged for much longer. And it's definitely not possible to walk away from it unchanged. That's a lot to ask for a single sheet of paper, but that's the power of visualizing data and turning it into information.

Text from Seth Godin's BLOG. Click here

Idea Log 26102011

世界初就航NH7871便　香港行き初フライト
ANA All Nippon Airways Boeing 787-881 Dreamliner JA801A
Boeing 787 Special charter flight Narita - Hong Kong
Oct 26. 2011

TODAY!!

 

 

LANDING IN HONG KONG!

  

TOMORROW in Japan time> First Official Flight in

19hrs 42mins

Idea Log 25102011

Accessioning at the Archives

Once archives make the decision to acquire a collection of records, the next step in the management process is for the archival institution to accession the records. Accessioning is the procedure through which an archival repository takes administrative, legal, and physical custody of a group of records. The means by which archives acquire administrative and legal control of records is slightly different for institutional archival programs than it is for collection repositories. Within institutional archives, records are generally transferred by means of a transmittal form, in which the office that created the records grants custody to the archival program of the same institution. For collecting repositories, which acquire records not from a parent organization but from private donors or external institutions, a deed of gift is the primary instrument by which the archives gain legal and administrative control over the records.

During accessioning, the archivist collects basic information about the records on the basis of a preliminary examination. Generally, an accession form is created, which includes data such as the creator of the records, the quantity, condition, and current location of the records, any restrictions on the records, a list of contents and brief descriptions of the records. The information that is gathered during the accessioning process provides essential information about the newly acquired records and later serves as the basis for the arrangement and description functions.

Importance of Archival Materials and Archival Institutions

Archival institutions select, preserve, and make their records accessible for a number of reasons, including legal, financial, and administrative purposes. Government archives (at the federal, state or local level) that administer public records, for example, maintain records as evidence of the government’s policies and operations. Thus, public archives help ensure that the government is held accountable to the public by preserving records that enable citizens to monitor the conduct of government agencies and public servants. In addition, the records that are held by public archives document the rights of citizens, such as entitlement to social security benefits or ownership of property. Private organizations, such as businesses, churches, universities, and museums, also establish institutional archives to care for their records. The archival records that are maintained by these repositories document the organizations’ origins, structures, policies, programs, functions, and vital information over time.

In addition to the legal, fiscal, and administrative purposes for which records are originally created and used, archival records are useful for historical or research purposes. Archives provide a key with which to examine past and present events. In addition to the administrative users of archives, a variety of researchers take advantage of archival sources. These researchers may include scholars, genealogists, students at all levels, local historians, biographers, independent writers, and documentary filmmakers. Since archival documents can be used for many purposes by diverse audiences, the records of organizations that do not have their own institutional archives, as well as the personal papers of individuals, are often actively sought by archival programs such as collecting repositories or historical societies. These types of institutions, rather than documenting the activities of a parent organization, focus on collecting records that document a particular topic (e.g., a person, subject, or geographical area).

Read more: Archives, Public Records, and Records Management - Importance of Archival Materials and Archival Institutions, Archival Management, Appraisal, Accessioning, Arrangement and Description, Preservation, Access - JRank Articles http://encyclopedia.jrank.org/articles/pages/6422/Archives-Public-Records-and-Records-Management.html#ixzz1bro1OTLo

Idea Log 24102011

Mosaic Mural Celebrating Business at Brookfield Place launched by the Business Archives of Canada (Click here for full article)

The Mosaic Mural encompasses an entire wall in the south lobby of the Bay-Wellington Tower at Brookfield Place. It was designed by renowned graphic artist Louis Fishauf, and includes the use of 3D graphic panels called Lenticular.

Development of the National Business Archives has been generously supported by visionary member organizations including Brookfield Asset Management, CN, Deloitte and TD Bank Financial Group.

The Archives "have a very important role to play in documenting a history of what has gone on before, so that all people will have something to look at and realize what a great contribution business has made to the Canadian economy," said David McLean, Chairman, Canadian National Railway - Archives Founding Member and sponsor of the Mosaic Mural art installation.

The National Business Archives of Canada is a destination for the business community and public to experience the role of Canadian business in the development and prosperity of our country. With a footprint in Brookfield Place, the Archives will initially exist as a virtual centre and digital knowledgebase of artifacts and historical resources, with a business centre, library and exhibit gallery planned for the near future.
(the pictures below are from the existing virtual centre; that I visited this weekend - Sir Joseph Flavelle happens to be one of my favourite Torontonians/Son of Peterborough)

 

Idea Log 23102011

ENTER 'seth godin's BLOG'

Idea Log 22102011

(took this book out of the library on Thursday & couldn't recognize this place!)

MISSION FOR TODAY: Find this place!!

Found it!!

Commerce Court North @ 25 King St. W :

The first building, now known as Commerce Court North, was built in 1930 as the headquarters of the Canadian Bank of Commerce, a precursor bank to the current main tenant. Designed by the Canadian firm Pearson and Darling with the American bank specialists York and Sawyer as consulting architects, the 34-storey limestone clad tower was the tallest building in the British Empire/Commonwealth for roughly three decades, until 1962. At the time of its construction, the building was one of the most opulent corporate headquarters in Canada, and featured a public observation deck (since closed to the public due to safety and liability concerns).

Commerce Court North held the title of tallest building in Toronto between 1931–1967

Idea Log 21202011

Started reading today!

'When John Whitehead [chairman of the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, which was established in the fall of 2011 by the governor of New York to oversee reconstruction of the trade-center site] began his remarks- scheduled to start at 10:00 A.M. and conclude by 10:30- he tried to set an August tone, opening the proceedings not as if he was introducing a bunch of architects presenting some models but more as if he were addressing the United Nations.

"The original World Trade Center was more than a set of buildings. It stood for global commerce over global conflict," he said. "These teams have produced world-class work that embraces and extends the ethos of the original World Trade Centre. Underlying these diverse plans is the common theme of rebirth. Beyond the powerful aesthetic statement that these designs make, they also convey powerful messages- they must speak to our children and our children's children about who we are and what we stand for."'

- Goldberger, UP FROM ZERO pg. 6

Idea Log 20102011

 

The building that used to house Rochdale College, on Bloor Street in Toronto

FOUNDING: Rochdale began as a response to a growing need for student housing at the University of Toronto, and a nineteen-year-old entrepreneur and philosophy student, Howard Adelman, was hired by the Campus Co-operative to meet the housing demand in 1958.

Opened in 1968, Rochdale College was an experiment in student-run alternative education and co-operative living in Toronto, Canada. It provided space for 840 residents in a co-operative living space. It was also a free university where students and teachers would live together and share knowledge. The project ultimately failed when it could not cover its financing and neighbours complained that it had become a haven for drugs and crime. It was closed in 1975.

EDUCATION IDEALS 

In the late sixties, universities were centres of political idealism and experimentation. Rochdale College was established as an alternative to what were considered traditional paternalistic and non-democratic governing bodies within university education. Conversely, Rochdale's government policy was decided at open meetings in which all members of the co-operative could attend, participate in debate, and engage in consensus decision making.

It was the largest of more than 300 tuition-free universities in North America, and offered no structured courses, curriculum, exams, degrees, or traditional teaching faculty. From humble beginnings in seminars on phenomenology and a Recorder Consort that performed with the London (Ontario) Symphony Orchestra, it became a hot bed of free thought and radical idealism.

Rochdale College never used traditional professors or structured classes. Posting notices on bulletin boards and in a student newsletter, groups of students coalesced around an interest, and "resource people" were found with various academic and non-academic backgrounds, who led informal discussion groups on a wide variety of subjects. Resource persons of note included an Anglican priest, Alderman and later Member of Parliament, Dan Heap, author Dennis Lee and Futurian Judith Merril, who founded Rochdale's library.

Rochdale participants were involved with various cultural institutions in Toronto such as Coach House Press, Theatre Passe Muraille, The Toronto Free Dance Theatre, This Magazine is About Schools (now This Magazine), the Spaced-out Library (now the Merril Collection of the Toronto Public Library) and House of Anansi Press. 

Students had complete freedom to develop their own learning process, much of which emerged from the shared community experience. The college included theatres for drama and film, and a ceramics studio. Students decided school policy and made their own evaluations.

It was typical of the free universities not to award degrees and the University of Toronto did not offer degrees through Rochdale College. Indicative of the playful humour of the times, anyone could purchase a B.A. by donating $25 to the college and answering a simple skill-testing question. An M.A. cost $50, with the applicant choosing the question. A Ph.D. cost $100, no questions asked.

The Rochdale application also described its "non-degree": "We are also offering Non-Degrees at comparable rates. A Non-B.A. is $25.00. Course duration is your choice; requirements are simple, we ask that you say something. A Non-M.A. is $50.00 for which we require you to say something logical. A Non-Ph.D. is $100.00; you will be required to say something useful." Nobody at Rochdale ever took these degrees seriously, and the fees (if any were collected) were treated as voluntary donations.

Rochdale ran its own radio station called CRUD, with an unusual assortment of music, talk, and static. The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission tried to shut the station down a number of times, but the dedication of its staff kept it on the air.

CO-OPERATIVE HOUSING EXPERIMENT

Rochdale was the largest co-op residence in North America. Rochdale occupied an 18-storey student residence at Bloor St. and Huron St. in downtown Toronto. It was situated on the edges of the University of Toronto campus, near to Yorkville, Toronto's hippie haven in the 1960s and early 1970s.

The college took its name from Rochdale, a town in north-west England, where the world's first cooperative society was established in 1844. The Rochdale Society of Equitable Pioneers is usually considered the first successful co-operative enterprise, used as a model for modern co-ops, following the 'Rochdale Principles'. A group of 28 weavers and other artisans set up the society to open their own store selling food items they could not otherwise afford. Within ten years there were over 1,000 co-operative societies in the United Kingdom.

The college's modern architecture was uniquely designed for communal living. Some areas were divided into independently operated communal units of about a dozen bedrooms (called ashrams), each with its own collective washroom, kitchen and dining room. Each unit was responsible for collecting rent and maintaining its own housekeeping. Other areas consisted of bachelor, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom apartments. On the first and second floor were common areas used for socialization, education, and commercial purposes. The roof was accessible from the 18th floor and was used for sunbathing. Clothing was optional.

TRANSITION

The originally intended tenants for Rochdale were screened. Screenings were handled by residents of the Rochdale Houses, a precursor “dry-run” to Rochdale conducted at Campus Co-op owned houses, and they chose people who were by and large going to be associated with the University of Toronto. However, a construction strike in 1967 that delayed the opening of Rochdale by half a year changed Rochdale's population from what was supposed to be a carefully selected one to a completely random one. The screened applicants, most of whom had commitments to the university, could not wait for Rochdale to be completed and many found new accommodations. When the college was slowly completed floor by floor, a practical decision was made to make the building available to “people who walked in right off the street.” As the small group of founders later realized: “[w]e were sealing the fate of the Rochdale that most of us had wanted to experiment with. And since there were very few rules about how the place would be run, we were in effect handing the building over to people very unlike ourselves.”

The Unknown Student sculpture in front of the Rochdale building on Bloor St.

Idea Log 19102011

BLACK MONDAY (19-Oct-1987)

In finance, Black Monday refers to Monday October 19, 1987, when stock markets around the world crashed, shedding a huge value in a very short time. The crash began in Hong Kong and spread west to Europe, hitting the United States after other markets had already declined by a significant margin. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) dropped by 508 points to 1738.74 (22.61%).

Causes of 1987 Market Crash: Potential causes for the decline include program trading, overvaluation, illiquidity, and market psychology.

Quotes from the 1987 Stock Market Crash to get a feel for the mood in 1987.

"The market crash of 1987 caught most economists, scholars, and investment professionals by surprise. Nowhere in the classical, equilibrium-based view of the market so long considered inviolate was there anything that would predict or even describe the events of 1987. The failure of the existing theory left open the potential for competing theories."
-Robert Hagstrom in Investing, the Last Liberal Art

"The fundamental business of the country, that is production and distribution of commodities, is on a sound and prosperous basis."
-Herbert Hoover, after the October 1929 crash

"The borrowing has to stop. The market slide was a shot right between the eyes that had better wake us all up to simple fact that we can't keep romping forever on borrowed money."
-Lee Iacocca, Chrysler Corp Chairman, October 20, 1987

"There is so much psychological togetherness that seems to have worked both on the up side and on the down side. Its a little like a theater where someone yells 'Fire!'"
-Andy Grove, Intel CEO, October 20, 1987

"As a practical matter, people are looking for whippings boys. Program trading looks mysterious. People don't understand it, so it acquires and image of black magic."
-Joseph Grundfest, SEC commissioner, October 22, 1987

"It makes everyone feel vulnerable, as thinking people. When you see a market get terrribly whacked out, it makes you think how faulty and useless most people's thinking is. It identifies clearly how small we all are, how powerless. It's very distressing."
-Edward Gordon, head of a real-estate company, October 24, 1987

 

Idea Log 17102011

 Peterborough Utilities Inc.

Founded in 1914, the Peterborough Utilities Commission (PUC) operated in Peterborough for more than 85 years as a not-for-profit organization providing safe and reliable supplies of electricity and water to the city.

Restructured in 2000, the PUC became part of the Peterborough Utilities Group and continues to operate as a not-for-profit organization providing safe and reliable water to the city. At the same time, a number of new companies were established within Peterborough Utilities Group:

• Peterborough Distribution Inc. to provide safe and reliable electricity to the city;
• Peterborough Utilities Services Inc. to provide services to support the operations of all of the entities under the Peterborough Utilities Group; and
• Peterborough Utilies Inc. to manage electrical generation and retail services.

Generation

Peterborough was one of the first places in the country to begin generating hydroelectric power. Companies like Edison General Electric Company (later Canadian General Electric) and America Cereal Company (later to become Quaker Oats), developed hydroelectric generating stations to take advantage of this inexpensive, efficient and reliable energy resource to provide power to their manufacturing facilities in Peterborough.

Today, Peterborough Utilities Inc. (PUI) owns and operates three hydroelectric generation stations:
  

(1) London Street Generating Station 
Originally built in 1884 and located on the Otonabee River within the City of Peterborough.  This facility was acquired from Quaker Oats in 1975.  The station produces 4 MW of power that is distributed within the City of Peterborough.



(2) Campbellford-Seymour Electricity Generating Station
Built in 1910, this 6 MW station is situated at Lock 14 on the Trent River a few kilometers north of Campbellford.  The facility was acquired from the Campbellford-Seymour PUC in 2000.




(3)Robert G. Lake Generating Station
PUI is a partner in Trent Rapids Power Corporation and will operate the Robert G. Lake GS under contract with TRPC.  The station has been named for “Bob” Lake who was General Manager/President of the Peterborough Utilities Group (and it’s predecessor the Peterborough Utilities Commission) for almost 20 years.

All three hydroelectric generating stations operate as run-of-the-river facilities in order to minimize their environmental footprint while producing a reliable source of "green" energy.

PUI sees electricity generation as a key area of growth in the future and is pursuing a number of additional project opportunities. PUI’s focus will be on the development of renewable and clean energy resources including solar hydropower and landfill gas. 

PUI recently commenced construction of the 10 MW Lily Lake Solar PV project located northwest of the City of Peterborough adjacent to Hydro One's Dobbin Transformer Station.

In addition, PUI recently executed a Feed-In-Tariff (FIT) contract for a 2 MW landfill gas (LFG) generation project to be located at the County/City of Peterborough Waste Management Facility on Bensfort Road.

Idea Log 16102011

- taken from page 33-

Back at the turn of the twentieth century electricity was only starting to make its way into affluent homes. Electric trolley cars appeared on main streets to replace horse-drawn transit. Cities completed to be the first to have those streets lit with clean, bright light. In the small Ontario city of Peterborough, the town fathers came up with the idea of "the Electric City," claiming that theirs was the first in the Dominion to boast electric street lighting. During a period when Montreal and Toronto were still using a toxic mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen called coal gas to light their streets with smoky yellow flames, Peterborough's downtown George Street was illuminated by seventeen electric arc lights.

...

During a period when the innovation was restricted to the wealthy, it was usually only opera houses and high-tone restaurants that boasted electric light. Indeed, when Thomas Edison, the quintessential American hero of the Gilded Age, inaugurated his first central-station electrical system is 1882, he placed his generator on Wall Street.

Peterborough was a pioneer of Canada's industrial revolution because its fast-flowing Otonabee River offered ample supplies of the novelty that was hydroelectric power at Niagara was just starting to spark a controversy over who would control the stories falls, the Peterborough Light and Power Company had already installed a generator on the Otonabee's Dickson "raceway." The company secured the municipal street lighting franchise and lit up George Street. Peterborough's surplus power meant that by 1907 it was generating more manufactured goods than any city in Ontario on a per worker basis. Cereal from Quaker Oats (founded 1900) and canoes from what would become Peterborough Canoe became national brands.

Peterborough was even further ahead of its time when it came to luring new businesses. At the end of the twentieth century cities and provinces were falling all over themselves with offers of low taxes and cheap land to lure this or that employer to set up shop. Well before the end of the nineteenth century, Peterborough had accomplished just that. In 1890 the city fathers told the Edison General Electric Company that the town was in a position to come across with land valued at $18,372, municipal services worth $12,138, and a ten-year tax holiday. The U.S. company had initially built its works in Sherbrooke, Quebec, but immediately decamped when it got an offer it couldn't refuse. The men of property who constituted Peterborough's ratepayers were similarly enthusiastic. They authorized the deal by a vote of 656 to 11.

Peterborough had more than cheap land. The city sat on the Otonabee River at the foot of a series of fast-moving channels. The millraces on the river had already made the town an ideal location for the water-powered sawmills that processed timber from the dense forests of the Kawartha Lakes district. When Edison arrived, the company received fresh tax incentives to build two new power houses on the river. The company that would become Canadian General Electric emerged as one of the country's leading manufacturers of electrical apparatus. Well over a hundred years later its huge Peterborough plant remains a large industrial employer, though it has downsized in recent decades. It once produced everything from locomotives to refrigerators, from insulated wire and cable to huge hydroelectric generators. It also emerged as a key supplier to the nuclear industry, making refuelling machines and the fuel bundles that form the guts of nuclear power plants. Today its products are more limited (though the nuclear section with its fuel bundles remains a mainstay), but in the spring 2004 the plant was completing the first of six generators - each the size of a railway car- to be use in portable stations in Iraq.

 Also check tomorrow's post on Peterborough Utilities Inc.