I think the next episode should be a Freaky Friday type thingy.  Mike should become Lenny, and Lenny become Mike.  Then Lenny (as Mike) goes on a rampage in a grocery store, whilst Mike (as Lenny) goes to a buffet and eats until he is sick and asked to leave.

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I think the Albertan economy has been growing so fast that many of us are almost glad to have a recession.  I don’t know one person here in Alberta who feels we are suffering any type of crisis. 

Regarding some of the men who lost their jobs in the oilsands… there are still jobs here for them, just not ones paying them so they can afford half million dollar houses. 

I think Alberta is in a strong position with a growth-oriented mindset.  Even with the economy slowing down, many people (at least in urban Alberta), view this as a time of transition.  We are, as a province, becoming more cultural, with more of an urban culture. 

There is room for growth in arts and cultural sectors, as well as the service industry.  Growth continues to happen in the oilsands, just not at a break-neck speed.  I also think Albertans are of a mindset where if things are a little more difficult, we do not give up, nor do we feel so entitled.

At least that’s me.  My father moved here from Ontario and my mother moved here from South Africa, and both of them liked the spirit here in Alberta.  We are a province of industry, of nature, of farmers, of small communities, of people who value something like a typical family.  I think Alberta is handling the current economic crisis very well because honestly, we want a break from rapid growth, and a chance to check in with what is really important to us all.

Things are only a crisis if we see them that way, and I think we here in Alberta see things not as doom, but with a question:  What is the next step?

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Should tasers be banned or not?

After having read about tasers in the Edmonton Journal, I think the public was deceived about the safety of them.  The report stated that the RCMP decided they were safe based upon a report from the RCMP itself. 

I think tasers could be a viable alternative to guns in an attempt to subdue potentially violent persons without causing permanent injury. 

The thing I find is that with topics like this, a lot of people have opinions that are not necessarily informed.  I think if the government, as well as outside organizations measuring health effects of tasers do a comprehensive study, then maybe we can make an informed decision.

Too many people make brash decisions without the correct information.  Tasers are just such a topic.  We are all allowed to have our own opinion, but it is our responsibility to learn more before we can state our opinions with confidence.

Now I am researching tasers. 

My initial research indicates tasers are overused, but the Taser company has won every case where they have been accused of causing death (more than 50 so far).  Also it indicates that while tasers can be useful as an initial shock to show you mean business, they should not be used multiple times because it can cause heart damage.

I think that tasers are kind of the easy way out.  Police and law enforcement officers should be trained in aikido and other martial arts which can subdue people rapidly without causing permanent physical injury.  Also the training required demands more respect and discipline than just another fancy piece of technology. 

I think we keep looking to technology and finding that every advance has its flaws.  Nothing is going to be perfect, but personally I would prefer to have no tasers and have police receive better training and not rely on technology.  Cops want their toys…doesn’t mean we should just spend $50,000 a piece to give it to them.  Maybe spend some of that money on other things?

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I read a great book called, The Efficient Society: Why Canada is as Close to Utopia as it Gets.  That book made a great argument in favour of big business, government, corporations, and all the things we like to blame when we are angry because food is expensive or rent is skyrocketing. 

The book discusses how efficiency is valued differently in Canada.  A truly efficient society is one which makes use of the fewest resources in order to fulfill the needs of the most people.  People in Canada predominantly value happiness.  So what makes organizations in Canada efficient is when they help make the most people happy using the fewest resources.

So business ethics is a discussion depending on what you think is important.  If you think the happiness of people is important, than good business is one which aims to make its employees and customers happy. 

Ethics is about right and wrong.  If a standard for evaluating good and bad is based upon making people happy, and you observe business being focused only on making money, then you observe that business does not match your ethics.

 However, it is possible to have business which is ethical, which matches itself to the needs of people as individuals and families, not only corporations.  Business and commerce are tools for making money, for maintaining our economy, and from these we live. 

But it is up to us to make businesses work for us, for what we find efficient, to our standards of right and wrong. 

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You know people like to make things smaller than they are. People are used to living small and thinking of a career as a job, something they sort of like. Not me. When my life fell apart and my almost marriage had failed, when I was living in my sisters basement, I took a career planning course.

I was lucky enough to have an instructor who was gentle and convinced me that it was possible to have a career I both love and enjoy.

I took the career planning with BGS enterprises and one of the possible careers I found was public relations. PR - writing and talking - my two loves and two greatest skills.

I looked into MacEwan because the government of Alberta site had it listed as a school where I could study PR. I saw the program was only a year intensive.

I wanted to get my life together again as fast as possible, so I applied to MacEwan.

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My classmate, Carla, she is just so cute.  It’s so rare to see someone so serious who is in instant giggle-bot of smile-atude.  Everyone should tell Carla she rocks!

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Ok, this is my first blog. Twitter and facebook are not connecting well. It’s tres frustrating!

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