July 15, 2009
Easy Going Green
Shark Attack Map - Fatal & Non Fatal Shark Attacks since 2000
The Lost Blog - Lost The Series
Denver - KQMT Live Internet Feed
July 14, 2009
Airfree Air Purifier
Ultimate Colon Cleanse Colonic
Phone a Soldier
June 12, 2009
Four Nova Scotia Ghost Towns to Explore
The Electric City - New France & Balancing Rock
To visit New France in the J.D. Irving Woodlands near Weymouth, Nova Scotia, take Exit 27 or Exit 28 off Highway 101. At the flashing amber light in Weymouth, take Route 340 south. Travel 7 km., then turn east on the Langford Road. Continue 5.5 km until Southville Corner. Take the gravel road (New France Road) for 11.25 km and turn north on Silver River Road to the settlement’s remains . It flourished from 1894 – 1910 on the banks of the Silver River between two lakes. Although the site has now returned to woods, it once was known as New France and sometimes as Electric City. The little community enjoyed electric lighting operated by the mill’s power long before electricity was available in the rest of Digby County. Lumber was transported to the port some 17 miles away by a private railway, using tracks with rails made of logs. Part if the steam locomotive can still be seen in the surrounding comunity. On the way to New France, on the Irving Roads, there's small handpainted signage pointing the way to Balancing Rock. I would not suggest attempting this trail unless you are an avid offroader, though most SUVs **CAN** do it. The signage continues though somewhat obscure and the Balancing Rock is nothing short of spectacular. Local lore tells of an indian maiden still seen today in her birch bark canoe in the mist of Langford Lake.
Icelandic Stlmts & Caribou Mines
There is a website with a detailed map of the settlement remains at http://www.nova-scotia-icelanders.ednet.ns.ca/markland.html It is the remains of an Icelandic Settlement named "Markland" which existed from 1875 to 1882 on 3,000 acres of land lying between Caribou Gold Mines and the village of Mooseland. The settlement is located on lands owned by Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc. The company did extensive work to fix up the roads leading to the memorial and the pioneer sites. There are a number of obstacles involved in navigating the entire trail system, including, as my pic show, a road washed out by an extensive beaver dam, as well as the "Old Icelandic Road" which is wide on both approaches does narrow progressively - great camping sites if you can get by the narrow trails. The place is easy to find from Caribou Gold Mines or from Mooseland.
Roxbury Ghost Town
N 44° 48.700 W 065° 10.031
Discover the NS ghost town of Roxbury from the early 1800's, in Annapolis County towards the end of the 8km "Roxbury Road". Depending on your vehicle, you can drive in all the way (4x4) or about 1km and walk / bicycle the rest. It is an old "ox-cart" road which makes easy hiking. The "Roxbury Road" is just outside the village of Paridise in the Annapolis Valley. It goes past a gravel pit where the locals drive their dirt bikes. You can probably drive a normal car in about 1-2km before the road becomes more challenging with rocks and boulders to drive over / around. If you have a Mountain Bike, this would be a nice drive. The locals drive 4-wheeler ATV's up it to a few hunting camps at the far end of the 8km road, which ends at a pretty lake and old water supply dam. You will be surprised when in the middle of no-where (5Km in) you see a big sign "Welcome to Roxbury". From that point onwards for about 1km, you will find little white signs that direct you to the old dug wells and stone foundations of many homes that once were here. There is an old pioneer cemetery too. I followed the sign to the mill pond, but couldn't find it. (seemed to lead to someone's camp / home). Near the rubble of a collapsed building, someone is still maintaining a small vegetable garden. There is a hunt camp on the left. They knew nothing of the reputed hermit of the area. Further past their camp the trail gets rougher, but eventually ends at a beautiful lake, and the remnants of a water control dam. Legend has it that about sixty of the Acadian settlers took flight up the river and hid on the South Mountain (one place was said to have been an area near Paradise, now known as Roxbury, but none are thought to have survived the winter); Link to Michael Haynes description http://www.littlewoodenman.com/tke/2003/april/roxbury/index.php
There was also, on the point of what is now known as Roxbury Road, a very large Micmac Reserve. The Chief-- was the famous Paul Malti, who is mentioned in several histories of the area. The Micmacs, were then, and still are, mostly Roman Catholics.There are a number of small white signs that point to these type of wells where you will also find stone foundations. .The worst part of the road is just past that sign,so if your brave enough to make it up and over that then Its clear sailing to the site.The first half of the road is worse then the second part.
Cape Breton Ghost Town (Broughton Arms Hotel Ruins)
N 46° 04.865 W 059° 58.309
At the turn of the century Broughton was a booming mining town with hotels, etc. One of the hotels was called 'Broughton Arms'. Only the foundations of these buildings are what remain and are hidden in the woods. A good place to park is at N 46 04.958 W 059 58.316, and walk down the road about 160m.Coors given are for the General Mining Office for the old Broughton Mine site. The Broughton Arms Hotel is at N46 04.867, W59 58.364 and is quite a larger foundation. Also across the main road is the Crown Hotel ( ? ) foundation located at N46 05.053 W59 58.347. There are also a number of smaller foundations from some of the miners homes. The Broughton Arms Hotel was the first Hotel in North America with a revolving door. Broughton Rd on 255 between 22 and Homeville.
June 09, 2009
My Laser Eye Surgery Horror
My saga started in 1996, as a young pilot, recently out of school, I encountered medical file complications with Transport Canada. My experiences to solve the situation included a complicated soap opera of lawyers and medical professionals, and culminated in a hearing of the Civil Aviation Tribunal. The results of the Tribunal Hearings were inconclusive, and so with no other solution, I invested in laser corrective surgery.
In the fall of 1997 I went through my first Photorefractive Keratectomy (PRK). In this surgery, (fully awake) my eyes were anesthetized with eye drops and a speculum was used to prevent blinking. The outermost layer of my cornea was removed with a cold argon-floride excimer laser with no mechanical instruments. (The laser is used to vaporize a very thin layer of corneal tissue, 0.2 microns at a time - about the thickness of 1 to 3 human hairs. The amount of cornea removed depends on the amount of correction needed.) The surgery took less than 2 minutes. Following the procedure, I wore special contact lenses for 5 days. Those five days were absolute hell, and any amout of light was painful, and my eyelids felt like sandpaper (they give Codiene to kill the pain). Postoperative medication in the form of eye drops are generally needed for up to 6 months.
My vision had initially corrected to 20/16, but slowly regressed. I was on Flarex (Alcon - Fluoromethalone acetate 0.1% Corticosteroid eyedrop used to reduce corneal haze and regulate healing response) along with several anti-glaucoma and anti-viral, Antibiotics and anti-inflammatorie (CILOXAN ophthalmic fluoroquinolone) suspensions. What no one knew, or could have known, was that I was dangerously allergic to the steroid suspension. This caused my intra-ocular pressures to skyrocket, and the anti-glaucoma suspension (Betoptic Ophathalmic Solution Betaxolol HCl, Alcon) wasnt strong enough to control it. After several emergency type medications (Iopidine 0.5% apraclonidine HCI ophthalmic), my pressures dropped, but not before doing considerable dammage to both my eyes.
Six months after the first surgery, in the summer of 1998, I needed additional PRK shaping to repair the damage. Again, I went through a double PRK, but this time I was treated with a post-operative steroid called TobraDex (Tobramycin and Dexamethasone Ophthalmic Suspension). This milder steroid didnt trigger as much of an allergic reaction, however, as a precaution, I had intra-ocular pressures checked weekly. The same thing happened, but with less sense of urgency. My pressures increased, damaged the repair from the previous surgery. My eyes again regressed, and I had terribly unstable vision, with floaters and halos.
Two years later, in summer of 2000, I underwent a double LASIK (Laser-Assisted In-Situ Keratomileusis) This time (fully awake, but very high on Anatol) my eyes were anesthetized with eye drops. A slice was made with an instrument known as a microkeratome, to expose the inner layer of the cornea, creating a “flap.” A cold excimer laser was then used to vaporize a very thin layer of corneal tissue, 0.2 microns at a time. The corneal flap was then reflected back to restore the corneal surface. Surgery took only a few minutes. I had complications, first a piece of debris lodge underneath my right corneal flap. My two minute surgery turned into a twenty minute affair. My right eye was open three times for cleaning, which caused a microscopic tearing in the tissue of the corneal flap. I wore a protective eye shield for the first day. I was followed post-operatively with a cortico-steriod called FML (Allergan - Fluoromethalone 0.1%), an eyedrop used to reduce corneal haze and regulate healing response after LASIK. This triggered no allergic reactions, but had the typical cortizone reaction, and I gained 25 pounds.
Two months later, I had the unfortuneate news, following an extensive corneal topography that I required an additional operation of my right eye. In consequence, I underwent a fourth corneal refractive surgery (Laser-Assisted In-Situ Keratomileusis).
My ophthalmologic surgeon was able to re-open the existing corneal flap without making any additional insicions. This time(fully awake, but very high on Anatol) my eye was anesthetized with eye drops. My surgeon carefully opened the existing insicion with a special instrument, to seperate the corneal flap and expose the inner layer my right cornea. A cold excimer laser was used to vaporize a very thin layer of corneal tissue, the corneal flap was then reflected back to restore the corneal surface. Surgery took less than five minutes. I remained on a cortico-steriod called TobraDex (Tobramycin and Dexamethasone Ophthalmic Suspension), an eyedrop used to reduce corneal haze and regulate healing for four days.
As this was the fourth cold laser trauma for this eye, the enitre proceedure was fraught with danger. However, I did not encounter any of the foreseen complications such as perforation of the eye, as no additional insicion had to be made. Also, The surgeon was able to displace the flap without seperating it from the connecting tissue.
Several months later, as my right eye is still considerably weakened from the surgery, complications start to arrive.
The trauma to the eye developed into a serious osteo-artritis attack. It attacked to proteins in my right iris (the colored part of the eye). The condition is called Iritis, or Uveitis. It is one of the leading causes of blindness in North America. I knew immediately that something was seriously wrong. Indeed, my suspicions correct. The pain was so great that i would have gladly plucked my eye out with a fork. My ophthalmologic surgeon confirmed that I had Iritis, and that I would be 8 weeks on cortizone to remedy the problem. Suffice to say, the urgency is doubled by the fact that my right eye is still considerably weakened from the last LASIK.
I was on Ophtho-Tate (Prednisolone Acetate 1%), a corticosteroid suspension, to helps calm the inflamation of the iris, reducing the pain considerably. My eye was also fully dilated to help relax the muscles and again decrease the pain, using Isopto Homatropine (5% Homatropine / Hydrobomide solution). To put the icing on the cake, I was also on an ocular ointment called Maxidex (Dexamethosone 0.1%). It took 8 weeks to recover.
Ten years later, I happily wear my glasses.
In the fall of 1997 I went through my first Photorefractive Keratectomy (PRK). In this surgery, (fully awake) my eyes were anesthetized with eye drops and a speculum was used to prevent blinking. The outermost layer of my cornea was removed with a cold argon-floride excimer laser with no mechanical instruments. (The laser is used to vaporize a very thin layer of corneal tissue, 0.2 microns at a time - about the thickness of 1 to 3 human hairs. The amount of cornea removed depends on the amount of correction needed.) The surgery took less than 2 minutes. Following the procedure, I wore special contact lenses for 5 days. Those five days were absolute hell, and any amout of light was painful, and my eyelids felt like sandpaper (they give Codiene to kill the pain). Postoperative medication in the form of eye drops are generally needed for up to 6 months.
My vision had initially corrected to 20/16, but slowly regressed. I was on Flarex (Alcon - Fluoromethalone acetate 0.1% Corticosteroid eyedrop used to reduce corneal haze and regulate healing response) along with several anti-glaucoma and anti-viral, Antibiotics and anti-inflammatorie (CILOXAN ophthalmic fluoroquinolone) suspensions. What no one knew, or could have known, was that I was dangerously allergic to the steroid suspension. This caused my intra-ocular pressures to skyrocket, and the anti-glaucoma suspension (Betoptic Ophathalmic Solution Betaxolol HCl, Alcon) wasnt strong enough to control it. After several emergency type medications (Iopidine 0.5% apraclonidine HCI ophthalmic), my pressures dropped, but not before doing considerable dammage to both my eyes.
Six months after the first surgery, in the summer of 1998, I needed additional PRK shaping to repair the damage. Again, I went through a double PRK, but this time I was treated with a post-operative steroid called TobraDex (Tobramycin and Dexamethasone Ophthalmic Suspension). This milder steroid didnt trigger as much of an allergic reaction, however, as a precaution, I had intra-ocular pressures checked weekly. The same thing happened, but with less sense of urgency. My pressures increased, damaged the repair from the previous surgery. My eyes again regressed, and I had terribly unstable vision, with floaters and halos.
Two years later, in summer of 2000, I underwent a double LASIK (Laser-Assisted In-Situ Keratomileusis) This time (fully awake, but very high on Anatol) my eyes were anesthetized with eye drops. A slice was made with an instrument known as a microkeratome, to expose the inner layer of the cornea, creating a “flap.” A cold excimer laser was then used to vaporize a very thin layer of corneal tissue, 0.2 microns at a time. The corneal flap was then reflected back to restore the corneal surface. Surgery took only a few minutes. I had complications, first a piece of debris lodge underneath my right corneal flap. My two minute surgery turned into a twenty minute affair. My right eye was open three times for cleaning, which caused a microscopic tearing in the tissue of the corneal flap. I wore a protective eye shield for the first day. I was followed post-operatively with a cortico-steriod called FML (Allergan - Fluoromethalone 0.1%), an eyedrop used to reduce corneal haze and regulate healing response after LASIK. This triggered no allergic reactions, but had the typical cortizone reaction, and I gained 25 pounds.
Two months later, I had the unfortuneate news, following an extensive corneal topography that I required an additional operation of my right eye. In consequence, I underwent a fourth corneal refractive surgery (Laser-Assisted In-Situ Keratomileusis).
My ophthalmologic surgeon was able to re-open the existing corneal flap without making any additional insicions. This time(fully awake, but very high on Anatol) my eye was anesthetized with eye drops. My surgeon carefully opened the existing insicion with a special instrument, to seperate the corneal flap and expose the inner layer my right cornea. A cold excimer laser was used to vaporize a very thin layer of corneal tissue, the corneal flap was then reflected back to restore the corneal surface. Surgery took less than five minutes. I remained on a cortico-steriod called TobraDex (Tobramycin and Dexamethasone Ophthalmic Suspension), an eyedrop used to reduce corneal haze and regulate healing for four days.
As this was the fourth cold laser trauma for this eye, the enitre proceedure was fraught with danger. However, I did not encounter any of the foreseen complications such as perforation of the eye, as no additional insicion had to be made. Also, The surgeon was able to displace the flap without seperating it from the connecting tissue.
Several months later, as my right eye is still considerably weakened from the surgery, complications start to arrive.
The trauma to the eye developed into a serious osteo-artritis attack. It attacked to proteins in my right iris (the colored part of the eye). The condition is called Iritis, or Uveitis. It is one of the leading causes of blindness in North America. I knew immediately that something was seriously wrong. Indeed, my suspicions correct. The pain was so great that i would have gladly plucked my eye out with a fork. My ophthalmologic surgeon confirmed that I had Iritis, and that I would be 8 weeks on cortizone to remedy the problem. Suffice to say, the urgency is doubled by the fact that my right eye is still considerably weakened from the last LASIK.
I was on Ophtho-Tate (Prednisolone Acetate 1%), a corticosteroid suspension, to helps calm the inflamation of the iris, reducing the pain considerably. My eye was also fully dilated to help relax the muscles and again decrease the pain, using Isopto Homatropine (5% Homatropine / Hydrobomide solution). To put the icing on the cake, I was also on an ocular ointment called Maxidex (Dexamethosone 0.1%). It took 8 weeks to recover.
Ten years later, I happily wear my glasses.
May 30, 2009
Random traffic sample pulled from domain
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Photos of Nova Scotia, part 2
Inside your USB stick
March 16, 2009
TweetRoll
March 15, 2009
First Airplane to Visit Yarmouth, Nova Scotia
This is said to be the first airplane to visit Yarmouth, Nova Scotia.
Continue reading "First Airplane to Visit Yarmouth, Nova Scotia" »
February 12, 2009
Dear Telus
Photo Caption: all tiers of area management teaching their salespeople
how to best serve customers.
Dear Telus
I have been a loyal client for nearly a decade. To this effect, I am thoroughly pleased to write to you today, as I am convinced that you value any feedback from such a long-tenured patron.
Since I have been using my Blackberry Pearl, my trackball has failed twice. Both times, I was well treated and settled for a swap unit.
I would like to point, however, that in both of those experiences I remained without a functional phone for seven to ten business days, never the two to five as the clerk had promised.
My luck never fails, and so my trackball failed today again. I was right across the street from a privately owned Telus store in the downtown, but, alas, I will spare you the details of the unethical bullshit they fed me over there. My real misfortune started when it dawned on me that your corporate store would surely be quicker to solve my irritation.
As you may have guessed, I was not taking kindly to being told that my only option was to get, yet another swap unit. This would have been the fourth phone (original phone, first swap, second swap, ..and) I received in one year, and I was also aware that I would be without a working phone for seven to ten days without reimbursement.
There was a lot of noise in the store, but, how lucky is it to walk into a store and all levels of area management are standing in the middle of the salesfloor? (see photo)
The salesperson options were limited. It is not your policy to replace trackballs of on-warranty phones, and all the boss's boss's were standing right next to her. But this was no ordinary case.
Were you really just going to send me a fourth phone and make me wait a week? I asked to speak to the next level of management (area manager). I point out the fact that I used your Blackberry Phone to take the above photo, I'll get into the mechanics of that later.
The salesperson approached her manager but was refused, then placed me on the phone to speak to "Client Care". Now, to be honest, I would have been pleased to speak to anyone in any capacity to help me.
All I really wanted was for the salesperson to replace my trackball, which from my online research, takes about twenty seconds to do. It's far less costly than a refurbished phone, I would have not went a week without service and, you guessed it, you would have a slightly less frustrated patron.
Let me refer you again to the above photograph. Who you see here are all tiers of area management, teaching their salespeople how to best serve customers. To my misfortune, this was a very loud and enthusiastic conversation, and I couldn't hear a damn thing on the phone.
I covered my ears struggled to communicate with the person on the other end of the phone, which, allegedly, may have been able to provide an amiable conclusion to all this fracas.
After several minutes of struggling to hear the person I finally had to ask the other salespeople to be a quiet. In fact I simply said it loud enough for everyone within standing distance to understand that I was having difficulty listening to the phone.
The cluster of management , who had watched the entire drama unfold, were unmoved and continued their loud banter. I had no choice but to hang up on "Client Care", and to that person, I apologize. Your voice was barely audible over the racket in the store.
All I wanted was for my trackball to be changed. YouTube it. This uncomplicated proceedure takes less than 20 seconds. I felt terrible for the salesperson, her manager's refusal to speak to me must have been humiliating. I left without a solution and with a humbled salesperson behind the counter.
Sometimes my luck does work for me though. It happens that the right-side button on this damn Blackberry is programmed to pull up my camera, and without a trackball I managed to take your picture, with your phone, that you wouldn't fix.
Remember though that every person in this photo was aware that the solution to my problem was easy, logical, and inexpensive (and possible, right then and there, no questions asked). Every person in this photo also acutely knew that the manager had horribly shamed the salesperson. Moreover, each of the managers in this photo, smiled and posed for my photograph. None of them offered any assistance.
If their impression of best serving a customer is "posing for the photographer", what are they doing teaching the salespeople?
Bravo! Telus, Bravo!
Update: Mar 25 2009
I called today to try to send this post to Telus Client Care (Loyalty). Mike, from Toronto, was not interested in even receiving this documentation. I asked Mike, from Toronto, if there was any record of this post on my account, since they ARE client care, and every tier of management is in the photo. Not only is it not documented, Mike, from Toronto, systematically refused to let me send it to him, or his manager. Mike, from Toronto, systematically refused to place me in contact with Karen Skerry, area manager corporate stores atlantic canada, seen in the above photo.
All I get is the same rhetoric: I can pay for a new Blackberry, which Telus graciously offers a voucher for 200$ which hardly covers the cost of the device, or I can wait another 7 to 10 days to get the fourth phone in a year. Telus is NOT offering compensation for the two previous service interuptions which amount to 14-20 days in the past year, waiting for new devices to arrive, nor are they offering compensation for the 7 to 10 days it would take to receive a new Pearl, should I have aquiested to their policy.
I explained to Mike, from Toronto, that it is possible, that in the millions of customers that Telus has, that sometimes some client experiences surpass the ordinary for which policies are written. On the millions of clients, it is inevitable that SOMETIMES the policies in place just don't cut the mustard.
Telus.... just send me a trackball. Is that REALLY too much to ask?
Final comment! What is even cooler, is that the minute I got off the phone with Mike, from Toronto... Feedjit recorded a hit... you guessed it... from Toronto! ...I wonder if it was Mike?
13:06:42 2009/03/25 Toronto, Ontario arrived from google.ca on "The World of the Truly Random: Dear Telus" by searching for dear TELUS.
The next update.
Today is July 23rd. Its been months, I called Customer Care again and was escalated again to Loyalty. There is no mention of this information on my account, despite having specifically requested it, numerous times. I know the service rep looked at the website. Moments after our conversation Feedjit recorded a hit from Toronto, right on queue.
Toronto, Ontario arrived on "The World of the Truly Random: Dear Telus".
15:48:22 -- 4 minutes ago
Today also marks the beginning of my email campaign. As of today, I am emailing the following letter to the tiers of management seen in the photo. I will continue this each day until I receive a reply. The email is as follows:
Karen
I have been trying for months to resolve my issue of an intermittently functional trackball. Since you were yourself present in the store on the day my troubles truly began (see photos in blog post), I am asking you to deal with this matter directly.
My entire saga, including photos from the store on that day as well as comments left from visitors, can be viewed at http://drobicho.com/blog/2009/02/dear_telus.html Further to this - there is an update on a phone conversation with the call center in Toronto, which is also available on the blog post. .
I have requested that this information be included on my account notes numerous times and each time I am assured it is, but each time I call Loyalty or Customer care, they have no idea what I am talking about.
Below is the letter I wrote Telus - to which I have received NO response, and despite many requests, still does not appear in the notes on my account. I have requested numerous times to get in touch with you but every call center, department and store refuses to provide me with your contact information.
I am at my wit's end. All you area managers were standing in front of me that day and no one helped me. Instead, you chose to shame the customer service person who was trying to help me.
Since you were there in person, I trust that you will have now no problem helping me.
Dan
Triggers Some Response. July 23 2009
No doubt the Google queries for Telus, Dear Telus, Skerry Telus, and Karen Skerry are a veritable windfall for a publisher like myself.
Following the above email, I received the prompt attention of two people at Telus - Proving that it IS POSSIBLE TO ESCALATE TO MANAGEMENT BEYOND THE CALL CENTER! (So, folks, don't take that bullshit from the Telus call center that you can't escalate to local management THEY ARE LYING TO YOU). I have included their email addresses - the call centers and stores will systematically refuse to provide these to you.
First Response Received
RE: Telus Blackberry Complaint
Nabil Tannous <Nabil.Tannous@telus.com>
Thursday, July 23, 2009 4:21:12 PM
Cc:Karen Skerry <Karen.Skerry@telus.com>
Hi Dan,
My name is Nabil Tannous, and I am the Market Manager for TELUS in Nova Scotia. Karen passed your concern my way, and I would like to help you out. Is there a number where I could contact you?
Nabil
Nabil Tannous <Nabil.Tannous@telus.com>
Thursday, July 23, 2009 4:21:12 PM
Cc:Karen Skerry <Karen.Skerry@telus.com>
Hi Dan,
My name is Nabil Tannous, and I am the Market Manager for TELUS in Nova Scotia. Karen passed your concern my way, and I would like to help you out. Is there a number where I could contact you?
Nabil
Second Response Received
RE: Telus Blackberry Complaint
Karen Skerry <Karen.Skerry@telus.com>
Friday, July 24, 2009 4:54:50 PM
Karen Skerry <Karen.Skerry@telus.com>
Friday, July 24, 2009 4:54:50 PM
Hello Dan,
Thank you for forwarding your email directly regarding your concern. I understand Nabil Tannous has been in direct contact with you regarding the situation as I was in Montreal.
Nabil has mentioned that he has found a resolution for your situation.
Please feel free to contact me directly if there with any additional questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Karen Skerry
Thank you for forwarding your email directly regarding your concern. I understand Nabil Tannous has been in direct contact with you regarding the situation as I was in Montreal.
Nabil has mentioned that he has found a resolution for your situation.
Please feel free to contact me directly if there with any additional questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Karen Skerry
Clarification on the Resolution offered by Telus
Some time between emails one and two, and the flood of search engine queries (looks like this went Viral everywhere Telus employs large masses of people), I got a phone call from Nabil.
Telus did make an offer to appease me, despite that I have maintained that a monetary gesture does not excuse the negligence of the managers in the store that day.
Here is the offer (since there was no mention of an offer of non-disclosure) :
- an 8.99$ replacement trackball (seriously they sell these online for 2.99$)
- a 50$ voucher towards an accessory of my choice (does Telus even sell a 50$ accessory?)
- a 50$ voucher if I refer a friend to Telus (part of an existing, ongoing promotion... This didnt make his offer seem very special, at all)
- and there was an outstanding 200$ on my account (see original notes) to go towards the purchase of a new, off-contract device. Now it is important to note that off-contract devices are much, much, much more expensive than that!
... In Telus`s hope for a happy ending on this blog (yes Nabil actually said that.....)
My counteroffer:
The monetary gesture is irrelavant. The error in judgement that day lays in the three managers, only. I was assured that all three would apologize to the staff person they so horribly shamed that day. To that person, please feel free to leave a comment on this blog, confirming this has happened.
Leading by example is the only way to lead. Right now, you've established to your sales staff, that your behaviour was in correct moral rectitude and sound judgement...which is clearly was not, in any situation.
I think the next sales training seminar should begin on a somber, humble tone of Mea Culpa, Mea Culpa, Mea Culpa.... 'we did wrong'.. and explain the the entire staff where the decision making went wrong that day... and then after they have been humbled in front of their staff, start all over again under the theme : how not to let a customer walk away angry....
The next update will come after the little birdy reports what's happened on the sales floor. Who knows, maybe those front line staff will start contributing to this site.. that`s what the comments are for!
ONE FINAL UPDATE - 2010
It's now 2010 and I have paid the ten bucks to have my trackball replaced twice. I sincerely don't care that the product consistently fails - all I wanted was the ability to purchase a two-dollar trackball for 9.99$ over the counter... no questions asked.
I have received dozens (if not hundreds) of emails from TELUS staff nation-wide, commending this website, and confirming that policies were changed as a direct result.
In terms of SEO -#1 Google Search Result for the names mentioned for over 12 weeks, and even nearly a year later, still own the keywords on all three major search engines. Currently, #12 in MSN search, #8 Google and #3 in Yahoo!
This one unique URL gets on average 350 hits a month, with hundreds of relevant backlinks on other websites.
Some Legal Notes
Further to the comment about a happy ending to this blog, this blog is cyber dissisism, online journalism. It is a factual, non-fiction recollection of the events that have happened so far.
Can a corporation (or another person) ask a blogger to censor their online content ? No. Not in Canada, as long as it is factual and not defamatory. It is fully protected under Canadian Law, and in fact, any request to have the information changed or deleted, is unlawful in itself.
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Neolithic feng shui
Neolithic feng shui
By Jakob Jelling
FengShuiCrazy.com
The practice of feng shui is believed to have started six thousand years ago in the Neolithic times. This way, and according to some discoveries which back up this affirmation, feng shui can be placed among the most ancient practices of not only China but the entire world as well. Since those times, it has been carried from one generation to another as well as it has been acquiring new knowledge while deepening the already existing one.
Feng shui can be said to date from the Neolithic times due to the fact that a gravesite from that date was found containing clear feng shui elements. This gravesite was discovered facing north and it had a picture of a dragon on its east side and a picture of a tiger on the west, all of them feng shui symbolic elements which were in accordance to a clear study of the environment in which it was and the land forms of the surroundings.
This gravesite which was discovered in the Chinese province of Henan, dating from the Neolithic times, also contained representations of creatures and symbols which indicate the application of feng shui notions. Among these representations, it had the Big Dipper in its center and the Four Celestial Palaces around it.
The Four Celestial Palaces, as they were found in this Neolithic gravesite, are four macro constellations containing seven constellations each and which together are the twenty eight constellations of the Chinese zodiac. These Four Celestial Palaces are similarly used and followed today as they were discovered in this Neolithic gravesite, and are another reason which allows experts to affirm that this gravesite had a clear application of feng shui notions similar to those we handle these days.
The four macro constellations which were found in the Chinese Neolithic gravesite are the red bird which belongs to the south, the blue dragon of east, the white tiger of west, and the black turtle of north. It is said that these four Celestial Palaces came to the earth representing land forms and all those elements which feng shui handles in order to harmonize an environment.
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Rant about the MySpace Suicides
I originally wrote this rant as a message to the Public Access Providers of Halifax County, one of the programs I manage.
I’ve used an internal mailing list to keep everyone abreast of the developments in what has become known as the *MySpace Suicide*.
What’s the point of all this? We are part of the big machine that is supposed to teach humanity how to use science and technology ethically, right? But to many’s chagrin there is simply no ‘golden nugget’ or no simple answer. In this case, the foe is cyberbullying, in extremis, but the source is unexpected.
The fact that the police have now charged the 49yo mother in this case clearly demonstrate that the younger generation approach ICT (Information and Communication Technologies) much more ethically than their parental generation. In this case it’s the mother who misrepresented herself as a minor (boy, 16yo), and instructed her own teenaged daughter and her friends to “shut up”. The result is tragic, and the mother now faces 20 years of imprisonment.
"Any adult who uses the Internet or a social gathering Web site to bully or harass another person … needs to realize that their actions can have serious consequences,"
The case of the MySpace Suicide is a gruesome event that anyone working in ICT, particularly at the community level, should be familiar with. I’ve attached last Thursday’s Yahoo News bulletin about the latest developments.
This is not intended to be fuel for the proponents of censorship: That would be a very myopic and sheltered vision. As public access providers our primary role is to provide unencumbered access to the World Wide Web, our secondary role is to continue to be seen worldwide as leaders in the free circulation of information. If there is a moral to the story it is that there are far greater injustices that have to be addressed on a much more grass roots level in order to evolve into and towards the ethical use of. When will our policy and decision makers realize that more streetlamps and condemnation are not the way to move forward?
We need to light the beacon of values and morals and that is only achieved with increases culture and arts funding. It is the fundamental basis of Victor Hugo’s 1848 speech to the Assemblée Nationale. Hugo voted against reforms in the French budget that proposed negligible cuts to arts and culture but strong investment in policing and, in particular, streetlamps.
"We provide street lamps for our cities, light them every night, and this is very well, street lamps on every corner, in every public place; but when will we understand that we cannot lift a dark soul without first brightly lighting our spirits?"
Hugo was arguing that there is always money for additional street lamps, but only ever economies for arts and letters. His argument was that if you'd only nourish the morals first, then you don't need more street lamps. Hugo was ostracized from the national assembly for taking a stand in human values and the greater good, rather than supporting the very myopic and short-term view of the current rule.
His vision is repeated today, and today, our MLAs and MPs that stand up and speak up for increased arts and culture funding continue to be ostracized. We see it annually with our own program, where each year we have to fight to justify a small pittance – despite our reach being so great it becomes immeasurable, even incontestable. A strong C@P Program, with resources abound, would go a long way in educating, shaping, and instilling ethical values in adults and children alike.
A strong program like ours could help prevent the next MySpace Suicide.
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