Foreign Wages

Wages are different all over the world, ranging from ridiculously low to outrageously high. When you travel or live in places with relatively low wages should you stick with the going rate or should you pay more (if you are willing and can afford it)? In some situations problems can occur when someone pays more for a service than they have to.  One individual may be happy paying the going rate but, when someone else pays more for the same service it can lead to higher expectations in salary from the service provider. This could (over time) lead to an imbalance in the local economy. For better or for worse is the amount you pay your employee any one's business other than your own?

Copyrights

When you write something or take a picture and share it with a few friends there it no dispute as to who created/owns that piece of work. When you share something with the whole world, especially on the Internet keeping track of who is copying things can be almost impossible. There are protective measures you can take like placing a watermark on an image or video. This still quite often does not stop people from using your content without your consent and/or claiming it as their own work. When someone copies a piece of work they should assume that the work was created by someone. That person should also try to find out what the restrictions of use are for the work. Quite often all that is needed is an acknowledgement of the creator. I think that people feel that they will not be noticed for coping, but that's not the point! The point is to respect the work and the person(s) who created the work by following their terms.

Just Captivity

Squirrel Monkeys

Is it right to keep animals in captivity when it’s for the greater good? Are their specific circumstances that would make this acceptable? I came across a recent and interesting situation, Squirrel Monkeys that were originally taken from the wild and were illegally sold, then rescued. These monkeys have lost their ability to protect themselves and fend for themselves so they cannot survive alone in the forest. Currently these  Squirrel Monkeys are kept captive and protected in a large fenced in area of natural forest in the Dominican Republic. The monkeys are happy and healthy and are begin used for educational tours and to raise money for a free health and dental clinic. The clinic is accessed by local impoverished people that would otherwise have no access to health care of any kind. Without this unusual clinic many of these people would suffer and some might even die. This is a very good example of a situation where people are essentially meeting the needs of the captive Squirrel Monkeys as best they can, profiting and using the profits to help many impoverished local people. The clinic usually runs once a week, meeting the health needs of around 150 people.

It's all relative

We have all bean there, and probably multiple times a day, waiting for something to load. As computer speeds increase so do our expectations.  It seems, every time a new generation of computers and other devices come out we all seem to be just as amazed as we were initially with the last one. In turn we are eventually just as frustrated with this new device as we where with the old one. On the Internet now we have many bandwidths demanding sites with lots of flash, photos and even HD videos.  Is this rapid rise in speed good for humanity? If or when the speed peaks how well will we handle it? 

Our Dependence on Modern Technology

Recently I went through the experience of having my smart phone breakdown. Between delays and repairs I had to part with my android for close to six weeks. Initially it felt as though I had lost my thumbs.  After the first week  I stopped constantly reaching towards my pocket looking for an answer, or trying to communicate. I had begun to adjust to life without.  This experience made me realize just how dependent I and many others are on today's technology. Is it smart that we have become so dependent on something that can potentially disappear overnight?

Privatization of the City

Toronto's garbage strike of 2009.

This would not have happened with private business.

Canadian cities are run by the elected municipal government. It has been like this for a long time. Most of the services that are provided by the cities are also run by the cities.  These city run services can be expensive.  Cities usually run at a deficit.  Projects are often completed late and over budget.  What if cities were to hire a private business to run a project or department?  They would save money! Businesses tend to run more efficiently in order to survive. This would then lead to a more balanced budget and allow the city to provide better services to it's people.

Can we live without oil?

Car tires, fuel and asphalt - our reliance on oil.

There are millions of different things in our daily lives that are made from oil. Chances are you are holding something right now that is made from oil. It is a fact that eventually we will run out of the gooey gold, but the real immediate concern is production. When major natural disasters occur in areas rich in oil or in areas that consume large amounts of oil (such as Japan), almost everything stops in terms of oil production/refinement and consumption. We are so dependent on oil that if we were to have an immediate  and immense enough shortage it would be all round chaos. Almost everything in our day to day lives would be greatly effected. Most things that we use today come from oil, with a major shortage all of these things would become much more expensive. Should we be so reliant on just one substance for so much in our lives?