4 8 15 16 23 42

That is right people, LOST has restarted its regular scheduled programing .. Finally !!

For those of you who don't like this program ... well ... you can just stop reading now because I happen to love it and it is currently the only program I watch (Aside from all the educational Baby Einstein DVD with Gaven of course).

Are those of you who watch this program, how did you enjoy this years premier? What are your thoughts surrounding the recent plot development of "time shifting", or all the interrelatedness of all the characters. This to me is the most interesting development as in the later part of season three we began seeing that some of our characters had interdependency's, and had met each other in some fashion (although not realizing it) before even coming to the Island. We even learned that a few of the key characters are siblings and had not been aware of this at all (Jack and Claire).

I for one am really enjoying this season so far, and appreciate the amount of work that the directors have put into script writing and plot development over all the years that are just now bearing fruit and showing real value to the overall storyline. I commend them for sometimes keeping things in the programing that may even confuse viewers in the present, but all the time knowing this will make sense and come together in the end.

Artisan Water

This morning while I was sipping on my Fiji artisan water I began to think about its origins. Was this water really from Fiji Island? Was this beverage truly from volcanic pools rich in minerals? My mind had a sudden shift or realization, call it a guilty conscience if you will ... I wondered where the profits for this drink were being used.

For those of you who may not know, the Fiji Government is currently being run by the Military that was ceased during the countries last Coup held in 2006. The public has been calling for a democratic vote for some time after this took place and order was restored. The country has had a long history of Military Coups ousting governments that the public has deemed unfit to rule but would not leave. They have staged Coups in 1977, 1987, 2000, and the last in 2006. So my thoughts began wondering if all the money made from this product I was consuming were going toward supporting a Military that is holding a country hostage for all intents and purposes.

What does your social conscience tell you to do in these situations; do you feel that your actions can amount to anything that would make a difference? Do you feel that the populous of the planet have any to help the people of Fiji, should the United Nations step in to aid in these types of issues? Or has the world learned a lesson of from the way that other nations have tried to oppose their will upon others. Is it truly ever the right of a people to intervene in situation that they may not fully understand?

I find my thoughts to be extremely divided on this type of issue, I struggle daily with thoughts surrounding how and when societies should engage in helping abroad. With so many ongoing wars, viewpoints, and differing world opinions, when is it right to act?

Retirement

As I am aware of a good number of my readers ages, and most are at least at 30 or above I thought I might ask some questions about retirement plans. Recently at dinner with friends I was shocked to find many of them had not begun this journey of saving for retirement. Is everyone turning a blind eye to this simply hoping it will work out?

FINANCIAL ... So I know my portfolio is a fairly aggressive one with a selections of Stocks, Bonds, RRSP's, Pension Funds and of course my various Real Estate dealings, but how does everyone else balance this out? Take for example your pension funds ... how do they spread (Balanced Funds, Canadian Equity funds, Fixed Income funds, Foreign Equity Funds). I am always interested in knowing how people are putting their hard earned wages to use .. especially around the world. I find that as I talk to people across the globe, there are vast and differing approaches on HOW to save for retirement.


WHAT TO DO ... this is actually one of the more important parts I found in planning my retirement and obviously more fun as well. The first section about finance is important, but can not be effectively done if you do not know the 5 W's of your retirement. What type of life do you want to leed, where do you want to live, what kind of activities do you want to do daily. All of these factors will lend to a dollar figure that you will need to plan and budget for in the finance section above.

So for those of you who have planned for retirement, what is your magic number? What age are you planning to turn in your work close for island cabana wear? I know mine is planned for 50 as I wanted to be young enough to start my ski/mountain bike B&B in British Columbia. What are your dreams, hopes and ambitions?

Inaguration

Yesterday January 20th 2009 was a special day… Not one but two people were promoted into office. What do I mean exactly? Well some of you close to me may have been aware that I was interviewing for a new management position here at CPPIB (Canada Pension Plan Investment Board http://www.cppib.ca/). Recently they posted the position of Manager Infrastructure Operations.

So while the US was swearing in there first African American President, I was also being sworn into my office and new role. I am extremely excited with all the new challenges and opportunities this will career path will provide, and am positive this is the natural progression for me.

While I had no rock bands or sweeping crowds to inaugurate my new arrival into this position, I did get a plethora of praise and warm sentiments from my team mates and co-workers. This is was all I could ask for, and made me feel at home in my newly appointed role as the Manager Infrastructure Operations.

A quick thanks to all in my life who supported me, mentored me, or even coached me through tough decision in my life. It is the sum of all these activities that have lead me to where I am today, so thank you.

It is a big week for our neighbors to the south and I would like to send congratulations to all my American friends living in the US. First off Happy Presidents day (Feb 18th) which is always a good day to celebrate two of Americans greatest leaders (George Washington and Abraham Lincoln). Why is the day posted as Feb 18th many always ask me, the answer is quite simple … It is the date picked between their respective birthdates (GW Feb 22, and AL Feb 12).

This week also marks the inauguration of Barack Obama happening tomorrow January the 20th, and is sure to be a huge occasion around many parts of the US. Not only does this end 8 continuous years of Republican rule, but it also marks the very first time in US history that an African American person was elected as the President of the United States of America.

3 Million People are expected out to see this incredible time in history transpire. Can you imagine the weight of that sitting squarely on your shoulders? Imagine an entire nation awaiting you as the solution to all that ales a failing American economy and way of life?
So this brings me to how all of this might affect us lonely Canadian living in the firiidgid north? What does this new president mean for us and our economy? We would be foolish not to review this … not to study and try to predict what might happen as the US try to strengthen their economy.

Take for example the means by which a tradition “protectionist” Democratic party like we now have coming into the US might try to stabilize the homeland. Would it not make sense for them to try to keep some of the industry such as oil (think Alberta oil sands projects) auto industry (such as all our car assembly or parts plants in Ontario), or even pulp and paper mill (such as the huge export to the US that Quebec provides)? What are the greater effects on us Canadian if the American President decides to pull these industries back to home soil and begin protecting their best interest?

I hope that the fact that Barack Obama has chosen Canada and Ottawa as his first out of country visit bodes well for us. I hope that they Americans understand the delicate balance of import/export that helps the entire economy as a whole circulate and grow. My hopes are that everything will remain as is, and we all stride together to help our economy out of this crisis through solid planning and execution of a debt inhalation program. That we as the general populous learn how to control spending effectively, and live within our means resisting the temptation to simply spend our way into poverty.