Translate full Blog into any language. Click your flag above, if it's not there click any flag. It will take you to Google Translate.There will be a drop down menu for languages, find yours and click to the right.
Once you have the BLOG changed into your language, all links will automatically stay in your language.
If your flag is not here, click any language and you can pick your choice. And it's free, it will translate our whole blog into your language thanks to Google, and my good friend Thomas from Denmark (Dänemark) on Opera.
Please comment what you think about the TRANSLATION full BLOG feature. I've been trying to add it for years and I think it's very powerful, thanks Google. Tell us what you think, leave a comment.
S'il vous plaît commenter ce que vous pensez de la fonction BLOG traduction complète. J'ai essayé de l'ajouter depuis des années et je thi8nk il est très puissant, grâce Google. Dites-nous ce que vous pensez, laissez un commentaire.
נא להגיב על מה אתה חושב על תכונה המלא בלוג תרגום. אני מנסה להוסיף את זה כבר שנים ואני thi8nk זה חזק מאוד, בזכות גוגל. ספר לנו מה אתה חושב, להשאיר תגובה.
Por favor comente lo que usted piensa acerca de la función de traducción de blog completo. He estado tratando de agregar desde hace años y me thi8nk que es muy potente, gracias a Google. Cuéntanos lo que piensas, deja un comentario.
يرجى التعليق ما رأيك في BLOG ميزة ترجمة كاملة. لقد كنت تحاول إضافة لسنوات عدة وأنا thi8nk انها قوية جدا، وذلك بفضل جوجل. يقول لنا ما هو رأيك، وترك التعليق.
Toronto, Canada - We all love our cell phones and we need them, but are we getting taken for a ride on all the so called "plans?" You just can't trust any of them anymore although the discount providers have made it better, but have they?
The new discount market have allowed everyone to switch providers because they state that there are no contracts, no credit checks, no hidden fees. Be cautious, do your homework, and shop around.
In the Toronto Star today they speak about the contract problem, and if you cancel from the big providers they want a lot of money, since they try to lock you in for 3-5 years.
Several of the so-called "discount" companies are owned by the big guys, Fido/Rogers, Solo/Bell, and Telus have a discount carrier as well, I think it's Koodo.
"Unlimited texts" red flag, it's not what they tell you when you buy a 'plan,' it's what they don't tell you that makes the difference. Parents be aware, totally aware of "ALL CHARGES or potential charges."
Currently there is a father in B.C. who has a dispute with Rogers about $500 in text charges to his son. After dispute, Rogers rewarded him by cutting off his son's cell phone. Nice touch.
Talk about these outrageous 'plans' this video was made three years ago when there were no discount carriers, and the outraged customer talks about the 'plan" is exactly the same on Fido, well hello, Fifo is owned by Rogers, just a bait and switch. And 450 MB on a cell phone, that's like two pictures? These bandwidth and data charges are a complete ripoff, and they know it.
It's a revenue booster, and costs them nothing. We all better wake up, and start shopping around and get educated on how they are shafting us. Do you buy a new house/car without shopping around?
In the USA most cell carriers have no-limit on bandwidth, or it is higher than anyone could ever use in a month and now with the Fibre-optic TV's like FibeTV, they squeeze every nickle out of you unless you raise hell.
Are they in this service to make money, yes. But be fair and reasonable and most are not. With the influx of the discount carriers here in Canada, they are all working around their pitch to new subscribers, to keep certain details away from the consumer, by saying "no hidden fees," but don't give us all the information, just what we ask for.
I call it "stcok answers," especially Bell Canada, when you ask any particular question about your cell phone or TV service you get the "stock answers," instead of telling us the whole truth.
Another very sleazy thing all carriers are doing is allowing you to have, send and receive text messages on smart phones. Why not allow customers to choose what they want, as an example, I don't want to receive text messages, but can I get them to stop sending them? NOT, "sorry our system isn't set-up to block text messages" and why is that, they don't want to lose the income they generate, whether it's from your friends, or from solicitation from unknown people.
They are litterly nickle and diming us to death. Just be upfront and honest, people are smarter than THEY think, and the gig is up, we're shopping around.
Here's an example how Public Mobile explain their "no hidden fees" no contract when you ask about renting/buying a phone from them. I walked in wanted to buy the $15 no contract, no surprises, province wide, unlimted calling. They said, "It's now $19 and yes it's province wide unlimited calling, now which phone would you like." Well I said, is that everything I need to know? Oh yes "At the end of the month if you don't pay, your phone cuts off." Ok that sounds fair. I said is that it? "yes" I then said what happens if I don't pay on the final day of the month? "Well your phone is suspended." Is that it? "yes" Ok, how do I get it going again? "Oh, you must pay the $19 monthly fee, and if you pay it here at our customer care desk, there is an additional $3 fee to pay in cash." I'm confused, I get charged EXTRA when I pay cash? "yes" Ok, so that's it?
Not yet, I then asked about a $25 fee if I re-activate my phone? "Oh yes, there is a free re-connection the first time we activate it, but if you allow it to expire, there is a $25 fee to put you back on the system." So let me understand, if I don't pay on time, and the phone shuts off, I need to pay an additional $25 and then an additional $3 to pay you cash for my re-activation for my phone.
Doesn't sound like there are "no hidden FEES," no surprises, that is unless you have half an hour to ask the right questions, and know what to be aware of. It's really getting sleazy, and they are taking advantage of lower income people, who must pay cash. An extra $3, because you want to pay CASH?
I did not get a phone from Public Mobile, and I'm glad they have a policy of "No hidden fees" because I may have unjustly not trusted them, unless I asked the tough questions, which most would not know how to do.
UPDATE: April 19/2012 - Public Mobile did respond after the story went up and maintain that the $3 fee for cash payment 'in store,' only applies when the subscriber has been two months in arrears.
Lisa Papas, Director of Communications said "If you don't pay by your due date your service is suspended and then as soon as you pay, your service will resume. If you miss two payments in a row, then the $25 re-activation fee applies."
The problem is these extra fees, were not disclosed at the store level, and the $3 cash fee only applies when you run two months in arrears and come into the store to pay you monthly charges. Papas went on to say, "It is my understanding that should happen, the clerks should be telling you this. I will certainly talk to the store and try to find out what happened, and I apologize."
Papas suggested that people should know "They have to pay every month, and if they were concerned about missing a payment, they would have asked, I don't know, I'll have to follow up."
There does appear to be some deception in disclosing these fees, and yet Papas said, "I am not the actual spokesperson, if you would like I can get someone that can comment officially, I have tried to explain to you that Public Mobile, everything we do is about being upfront and no surprises.
Papas indicated that it is on their website (but what if a subscriber doesn't have a computer) but it is deeply hidden from view and now I have the link for the Warning - this fee is indicated HERE.
Happy smart phone shopping.
Warning: A $3 fee is applied for monthly payments made at a store. We don't like it either but it costs us more when customers pay in store. We cover part of that cost but have to pass some of it on to you.
Toronto, Canada - Let's face it, Bell Canada and others, charge these extra fees as a way to generate revenue, if people are shy, and don't bother to scrutinize their bills they get over charged. They prey on us, with all these small charges, and hope we won't find out, and trust them. Trust them? I haven't trusted Bell for 40 years, with all the "stock answers" I get from them, even in the last few months.
A story in the Toronto Star today uncovered that the fee for touch tone may be withdrawn.
They said they were going to switch me to online billing, "to save the environment" what a crock, it's to save them from doing any work and increase their profits. Plain and simple.
I've said it many times before, there is 'little old ladies' in Northern Ontario still paying for the rental (about $4-5) per month of a phone that may not have touch tone, and yet Bell Canada still charges them rental fees. Sure they could go to Radio Shack and buy a phone, but how would they know? They have probably paid over $2,000 for this Bell Canada equipment and Bell will service it, if there are having any problems. And how many times have there been problems, in 40 years, maybe once or twice, if at all.
In the last ten years or so, Bell Canada has clearly lost their monopoly on home phone service and when Rogers Home Phone came on-line, everyone tought it might be better. But as recent revelations have confirmed, Bell and Rogers are in bead together, well at least in the ownership of the Toronto Maple Leafs, which is being reviewed by the Competition Bureau of Canada.
Others have also jumped onto the VOIP (Voice over internet protocol) system which allows consumers to use a home phone through their internet connection.
Companies such as, Primus, Vonage, Ooma Inc and Comwave, have been around for years and are cutting into Bell's former monopoly and they (Bell) are just fighting back. A new player on the block is Magic Jack who offer phone service anywhere in North America for $20 a year, I said a YEAR not a month. Sure it's not reliable always and a little scratchy at times, but for a second long distance line it is great. You will need a fast internet connection for best performance.
Saitama, Japan - The situation came to mind this weekend as the UFC 144 (Mixed martial Arts) was held in Saitama, Japan, just north of Tokyo and close to where the tsunami occurred, which hit last March.
My first thought was, did UFC contestants and the media attending from all over the world, have second thoughts about attending the still radioactive area.
Read more about Japan and how the radiation is still affecting the animals HERE.
Many are under the illusion that the dangers have passed, but experts say it could take another 10-20 years before it is safe in the immediate area of the meltdown. Not a very bright prospect for the residents of Japan and the many animals who are still wandering near the plant.
I must admit, I will not be going anywhere near Japan, for a very long time.
Toronto, Canada - Roundabouts have been common place in Europe for many years and yet in North America and especially in Toronto we rarely see them. The only ones I have seen in Toronto is north of Eglinton, just east of Bayview in a small community.
UPDATE: October 25/2011 - It appears to me that the majority of traffic accidents in the last year have been related to left turns at intersections and just yesterday two elderly ladies died instantly, in Mississauga.
I realize it's not practical to change every intersection to a roundabout, but at the very least, let's make all new intersections, roundabouts.
They make a lot of sense and the way it works is you arrive at the roundabout and only need to yield to traffic already in the circle and give them right of way. They can work at a three corner intersection or a four corner crossing, and it is very hard to get use to, but after a while it works very well. In newer subdivision this would be an asset, and it would eliminate most of the deaths we have with traffic hitting people turning left, and probably eliminate all of the pedestrians, that are getting killed at street corners.
In my sisters town, they have started introducing them to parts of Michigan, and the thinking has been that it is a great idea, but there is definitely a learning curve.
I think it is about time we brought roundabouts to Toronto, and some parts of Canada and the USA have already put them in place and people are raving about them. I think the biggest stumbling block would be that many have not used them before and this would cause confusion in the initial stages, but drivers will not be racing into intersections, instead there may be accidents but they will be driving at very slow speeds, and hopefully decrease the number of terrible and senseless deaths that have occurred on our city streets.
Toronto, Canada - It happened back in November 2009 when a rookie Toronto Police officer was on patrol and found an erratic driver and brought him back to the station and prepared a breath analysis, but the accused driver was an off-duty Halton Regional Police officer. As reported today in the Toronto Star, What message does this send?
The alleged drunk driver turned out to be Breton Berthiaume a Halton Regional officer and is still working. The Toronto Police officer who charged him with impaired driving and having a blood-alcohol level over 80 milligrams was constable Andrew Vanderburgh, who has been ridiculed by other officers in the Toronto Police Service, for doing such a thing.
Is this what we can expect at R.I.D.E. spot checks, when police in the GTA pull over random cars to see if anyone has been drinking. This is an 'OUTRAGE' that it appears some police think that other officers, should be exempt from driving drunk.
Not a chance, anyone who has been drinking/driving, should, and must be charged, no matter who they are.
Officer Andrew Vanderburgh did the right thing, he hadn't been on the force long enough to know, what he should have done.
The problem here, is why is this taking so long? Is this a ploy so Berthiaume can claim he did not have a speedy trial?
It's necessary that all Police Chiefs/Police Associations everywhere step forward, and make it clear that this conduct, is in no way the practice of any police force, and no-one is exempt from drinking and driving, at anytime.
Can we expect that to happen?
Not likely.
Even after Berthiaume was charged and arrested an officer at 22 Division in Toronto was so outraged at Vanderburgh, that he followed him when he finished his paperwork on Berthiaume, and in a marked police vehicle pulled Vanderburgh over and charged him with running a red light. Charges were later dismissed and Const. James Little was given disciplinary action of 20 days' pay.
Little chose “to disregard his professional obligations and embark on a course of retaliatory action against a colleague performing his sworn, lawful duty,” said Supt. Robin Breen. “He abused his position to express his personal displeasure about his colleague’s arrest of an off-duty police officer.”
We all better watch this one, as we watch the pending charges coming forward for the actions of the Toronto Police Service during the G20 debacle, two years ago.
CAUTION: video may be offensive to some, DISGUSTING TO MOST.
Catawba, North Carolina - (Near Charlotte, NC) - Local pastor Charles Worley of the Providence Road Baptist Church delivered a sermon on Mother's Day to his fold and had some alarming comments about President Obama's statement about gay marriage.
He suggested that gays should be separated in two different fenced in electrical fenced areas, where they can drop food from the air, and he is hoping since they cannot reproduce, eventually they will all die off.
Problem solved.
It's not only disgusting and offensive, it may be against the law in the USA.
Churches are given tax exempt status based on not supporting any political views whatsoever, and it appears by the video that pastor Worley may have crossed that line.
Toronto, Canada - Many think it was a mistake, but I did make my way down to the G20 Summit in June 2010. I saw it first hand, and was not impressed with the Toronto Police Service.
I walked up Yonge Street about 20 minutes after the total destruction from Queen to College and did not see one police officer anywhere. The 'Black Bloc' and the crowd had free hand to do whatever violence they wanted, and no cops to stop them.
These videos pretty well tell the whole story, but someone must be held responsible for this terrible police handling up such an event. Toronto Police Service Chief Bill Blair has said in effect, he never had this situation before, and may have made some mistakes.
What an understatement. He blew it, and disgraced the city. He should just come clean and admit he blew it, and move on and get rid of the officers who damaged the police reputation.
York Regional Police Sergeant 815 said, "This ain't Canada anymore, it's G20 land" and then he went on to say, "No civil rights"
“I’m concerned with the shortcomings that have been identified. I think it has had an impact on public confidence, public trust. And as the chief of police, I know the value of the trust of the public. So I think we need to demonstrate a commitment to address those shortcomings, to make the changes necessary through our policy procedure, training or equipment to make sure that in any future operations that we have addressed those shortcomings so that we can do the best possible service for the people of Toronto." said Chief Blair.
Read more about 'My Take' on the G20 Summit in Toronto, June 2010 -CLICK HERE
At the start of the NHL's Washington Capitals, New York Rangers playoff game Wednesday which Rangers lost 2-1, Ron MscLean a CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Company - Hockey Night in Canada) host, compared the players to the 911 responders.
Wow, someone at CBC blew it, and I suspect MacLean was just reading a script. But nobody in the whole HNIC crew ever thought this was way out of line, it's embarrassing and very inappropriate.
Usually it's always MacLean's sidekick Don Cherry who makes all the controversial comments, but of course, Cherry is only stating his opinions.
Not everyone in the world is a hockey fan, but I am, and that introduction to the start of the playoff game was way out of line.
There is no comparison whatsoever with 911 responders and playoff hockey. Hockey is entertainment for the viewers and the tragedy that occurred in New York in 2001, was real life and one of the worst tragedies in my lifetime.
We will anxiously await for an apology from CBC and HNIC and it better come quick. I don't think any apology could overcome the hurt and horror of any victims hearing this terrible introduction to a hockey game, in the way it was said.
Equal rights to all, has finally happened in America, President Obama announced today "Same sex couples should be able to get married."
No matter how we tried to dance around it, deep down within everyone, the truth is, all people should be allowed to enjoy the love from one another, the same rights that heterosexuals enjoy, no matter what sex you are.
States can choose to allow it or not, but human rights are not a choice, equal rights are human rights and all must be treated the same. America's history shows that has not happened before.
And North Carolina has clearly made that choice, when they passed this amendment yesterday:
"Marriage between one man and one women is the only domestic legal union that shall be valid in this state" So there, we have control of it, you can't have any.... Does this seem fair, equal rights to all, non discriminating? Not really. Future history will tell that NC has made a mistake in not giving the same rights to all it's citizens.
North Carolina's opposition to this move by the President is mainly because they say they want to keep the sanctity of marriage, which is nothing to wave a flag about. One in three heterosexual marriages end in divorce now, and the wording of this amendment will outlaw common law relationships along with gay ones.
By not allowing gays to marry, we are clearly discriminating against them.
Economy and jobs was the highlight for the election, however that has changed now after Obama's statement.
You can bet that same sex marriage will be a big part of the election.
It was the right thing to do and about time.
Recent polls show that over 70% Republicans are against same sex marriage, but it's over 60% in favour with the Democrats.
Will this issue, human rights, make a difference in the election of the President in November 2012? You bet.
Mitt Romney the Republican nominee for President has already disclosed his position, he 'only supports marriage between a man and a women.'
I'm married, and don't understand the fear that this creates for some people. It's always the way it has been, but we are evolving all the time, and correct things, that are just not right, and fair. It's clearly time to make this right.
This will be the turning point for either leader in the upcoming election.
I never thought I would see a black man in the White House in my lifetime, and I never thought I would hear a sitting President support same-sex marriage. I believe this will be the right decision for Obama, failing that, it will treat all Americans equally. That is step in the right direction. And many families, men and women will realize, their right are important, because the President of the United States of America, clearly said it is. It’s a great day in American history, for all, including the LGBT groups. “no football spikes here.”
My Opera
CAUTION: video may be offensive to some, DISGUSTING TO MOST.
Problem solved.
