day 14: kc to st. louis: a drive, a store, and unexpected propaganda -- plus an unexpected margarita (part two)

I wrote the previous post in various airports, and am writing this post from home. I just proofread and corrected that post, so if sharp readers caught the typos, they should now be fixed. 

We are so happy to be home! We couldn't wait to see Cookie and Kai. We had three flights, a total travel time of 18.5 hours, and everything went smoothly. 

We are both off today, then back to work tomorrow. I did not check my work email once in the whole two weeks! Yay me! 

After this final post about the trip, I have a collection of random notes that we've been saving. I'm hoping we can post photos on the weekend, or at least the following weekend.

A cave, a bad tour guide, and unwelcome propaganda

We drove a long, winding way to the Meramec Caverns. We could tell from the roadside ads that the place was old and outdated (not the cave! the company running the tourist attraction). I expected the tour to be a little cheesy, not as interesting or complete as it would be at a national or state park site. But nothing could have prepared me for what waiting for us.

I knew we were in trouble from the start. 

The tour guide asked, "How are you folks doing today?"

I said we were great, and asked him how he was.

He said: "I'm just OK. I have this problem with my leg. I had an accident. It's somewhat better now, but not all the way. When it first happened, I couldn't feel anything. I couldn't move my leg! I said, oh no, what the hay. And then I had to have an operation. The doctor said. . . "

This went on for a long time. We were barely two steps from the ticket booth.

At first we were the only people on the tour. Tour Guide asked, "Where you folks from?" Then he lectured us on Canadian coins, their various dates of issue, which ones he's missing, the date the "one-cent coin" was discontinued in Canada, what a "five-cent coin" costs to manufacture, and probably ten things I blocked out.

We were standing in a huge cave with spectacular stalactites, stalagmites, and columns. TG would occasionally interrupt himself to share a fact about those.

Advertisements for this cave claim that the outlaws Frank and Jesse James used the cave as a hideout. Historians say there is little to no evidence of this, but whatever. But would you believe it? There were life-size cardboard cut-outs of the two men "hiding" in the cave. 

This cave was also featured in an episode of "Lassie," the TV show about the beautiful Collie dog that rescues everyone. And sure enough, there was a life-sized, laminated photo of Lassie, on top of a big stone feature. It was everything we could do to keep from laughing.

Then we learned all about the history of TG's dogs.

Shortly after this, another couple joined the tour. They were on a Route 66 drive, a popular road trip for many Americans, and this cave apparently figures into that. (Throughout our trip, we have seen "Old Route 66" signs. We have no particular interest in tracing a defunct route around shopping malls and abandoned buildings. Each to their own!)

TG seemed to feel more comfortable with them than with us, and directed most of his conversation to them. This gave me an opportunity to hang back, putting some space between myself and the lecture. Allan was busy taking photographs.

The cavern itself was amazing. It's part of a large cave system, a small portion of which is open to tourists. The stalactites, stalagmites, and columns are impressive and a little spooky. One space is full of very unusual features called botryoidals, which look like clusters of grapes growing on vines. 

Caves are an amazing natural phenomenon. They don't need fake outlaw legends or fictional heroic dogs. They don't need coloured lights, which the guide would turn on here and there. Nature is spectacular. Information about natural wonders helps you appreciate them more. Information about your TG, not so much.

In addition to TG's accident and his coin collection, we heard about: his parents (how tall they are, how old his mother lived to be, why his parents got married to each other three times, where his father is now and what he does for work, what his mother died of), school groups (how many kids come in, what he tells them, how he feels about them, what he does when they're not there), and several other fascinating and relevant topics.

Then came his science fiction novel. The plot, the subplots, the characters. Allan whispered to me, "Dude, there are only two writers on this tour and neither of them are you." That may sound snobby but imagine how we felt at that point! 

This just went on and on and on. All about him.

Sometimes I would ask a question about the caves, or one of the other people would. TG would take a break from talking about himself to answer it. Anytime he talked about the cave, he spoke really fast, spitting out facts he had memorized. The actual information about the caves was often impossible to understand.

When we were in Newfoundland in 2007, we had an experience with someone we called Unintentionally Hilarious Tour Guide. Wmtc readers who know Newfoundland guessed that the folks in the tourism office played a joke on us by assigning him as a guide. He was clearly developmentally or intellectually disabled. We were nothing but friendly and polite to him; the joke was clearly on us. (That post had 50 or 60 comments. Now lost.)

It's all fun and games until somebody gets hurt

The tour of Meramec Caverns would have topped that experience in Port Union, Newfoundland. Then it was no longer funny.

We found ourselves suddenly, inexplicably trapped in a "theatre", being subjected to American military and Christian propaganda.

In a part of the cave near the end of the tour, you climb some steps and find some seating. There are wooden pew-like seats installed in a room of the cave. After a brief preamble that involved a WWII-gift to the caves and singer Kate Smith, TG started a video. 

It began with a bible verse.

I said quietly, but loud enough for everyone to hear: "Oh, you have got to be kidding me. Nobody said anything about scripture on this tour."

After the bible passage came images of US military people in planes, tanks, and ships – and a recording of "God Bless America". Loud. And on repeat! 

After the military images came images of smiling, happy Americans, surfing, running on the beach, and laughing. All the Black people were laughing. Look how good America is to the Black people! We've included them in a video! Yay us!

We. Could. Not. Believe it.

Why was this happening? What does this have to do with caves?

The video ended concluded with another bible verse. 

Remember: we can't leave the room. Without TG switching on lights or using his flashlight, the cave is dark. We don't know which passageway leads back to the ticket booth, or how far away that is. We are literally a captive audience.

When it was over, Allan called out, “Why didn't we have the option of opting out of this, like we did for the slippery stairs?” (There were had been a section of the cave with 58 wet stairs, with an option to sit out if you couldn't or didn't want to walk them.)

TG talked over the end of Allan's sentence and continued the tour. I assume that is how the guides are trained to react to objections.

You might think I'm making too much of this, that it's a harmless few minutes, or perhaps a cultural difference, and why do I have to be so sensitive.

Imagine if a Muslim tour guide made visitors listen to passages from the Quran.

If a Jewish tour guide asked everyone to join them in reciting a Hebrew prayer.

How about socialists forcing you to listen to "The Internationale"? 

Does that seem appropriate? To us it's the same thing.

Only a Christian would assume that everyone else is Christian. I'm not saying all Christians make this assumption. But in North America, only a Christian has the privilege of not having to think about this.

Unless the company knows perfectly well that this is inappropriate and it is intended as propaganda. I don't know which. I know that it pissed us off royally. 

I plan to complain about this. Companies who engage in shit like this should hear from people they have offended. I fear my complaint may amuse them, since they clearly have so little respect for difference and inclusion. I won't let that stop me from speaking up.

And PS: Why must every mention of Kate Smith -- whose rendition of "God Bless America" is so famous -- contain a joke about her size? She is supposed to be revered, the song is a sacrosanct piece of Americana, but we can detour from that to ridicule a fat woman.

And PPS: In case you are not aware, Woody Guthrie wrote "This Land is Your Land" in response to the Kate Smith recording of "God Bless America". The original refrain was "God blessed America for me". Woody changed it to "this land was made for you and me" to remove religion from it entirely, and to include everyone who was listening. 

I'm going to suggest the Meramec Caverns use that song instead.

Alcohol and good food improves everything

We couldn't leave the caverns fast enough. 

By this time, it was after 7:00 pm, and we hadn't eaten anything but cookies and candy all day. I thought that near the airport hotel, we might only find fast-food, and I was hoping to avoid that. I googled a bit, and found several tacquerias in a neighbourhood near the airport. 

When we found a place we were looking for, it was almost 8:00 and they were about to close. Allan wanted us to try a Mexican restaurant next door, which appeared to be open. Good move.

Two gentleman greeted us. We asked if we could get food to go. One man, the owner, said, You do not wish to eat here with us? I said, the place looks lovely, but we've had a very long day, and we're very tired.

They brought us menus. Music was blasting and I couldn't focus. Allan, taking care of me, suggested we move further down the bar to get away from the music. The owner also turned the volume down.

We ordered, and started chatting with the owner. He asked if we wanted a drink while we waited. I heard the words "fresh squeezed". The next thing we knew, he was mixing up margaritas with fresh lime. He showed us fresh pineapple and strawberries, saying that most folks start with a classic margarita, then venture into his fruity specialities.

As a rule, I never drink tequila, but what good are rules on your last day of vacation? By the time the food came, we were ready to eat at the bar. We would have been happy to eat from the takeout containers, but they would have none of that, and quickly brought us warm chips and salsa, and soon after, our food.

This is a very new restaurant. Jorge, our host, told us that it opened last December, right before a blizzard, then flooding rains. No one was coming and he was losing money, fearful for his investment. Then business started to pick up. Yesterday, for Mothers' Day, it was packed.

When we finished, Jorge brought us a dessert, on the house -- a rich sponge cake roll, with fresh strawberry jam, rolled in chocolate. I could only manage a bite or two, but it was amazing. Allan was very appreciative that I was too full for dessert.

I told Jorge I would write reviews, and encouraged him to use social media to promote the restaurant. He said he believes that having quality food made of fresh ingredients, and great customer service, should be enough. But people have to hear about your restaurant in order to experience your great food and service! I hope he'll consider it. Meanwhile I will add the restaurant to TripAdvisor. 

By the time we left Casa Don Pedro, we were feeling much better, but also exhausted. The airport hotel was an easy check-in, we returned the rental car, also a snap, and the hotel (just across the highway) picked us up.

Then came the daunting prospect of re-packing in some semblance of order for plane travel. It wasn't so difficult. We were not looking forward to the long travel day -- St. Louis to Toronto to Vancouver to Comox, then a three-hour drive to Port Hardy -- but we were so excited to see Cookie and Kai!

One more post to come, odds and ends, including highway signs.

why i'm not letter-writing this year, part 2: the sad tale of the lost comments

In my previous post, I mentioned that I'm not participating in Write for Rights this year, for the first time in more than 15 years. This decision propelled me to introduce Write for Rights as a library program, which spreads the word, generates lots of letters, and helps me justify (to myself) not writing.

The real reason behind this decision: I have three consecutive days off from work, and I had slated them for restoring The Lost Comments. And once again, my plans for The Lost Comments have come to naught.

* * * *

The lost comments

In 2020, a series of unfortunate events led to the disappearance of thousands of comments from this blog. 

Allan believes (insists) that this is his fault. He is definitely not responsible, as the trouble began with a very stupid, careless error on my part. But really, despite whatever errors we both made, the whole mess exists because Blogger's backup and restore system is a piece of crap. In fact, it is not really a backup system at all.

I won't recount the steps that led to this disaster. Suffice to say that in February 2020, all the comments on wmtc from July 2006 to February 2020 disappeared. These dates include peak wmtc, when -- in the golden age of the blogosphere -- a community of up to 50 or more commenters regularly posted their thoughts on this blog. Lively, fun, and interesting discussions often took place in comment threads. 

The May 2019 file

I have a Blogger export (.xml) file from May 2019, that, if properly restored, would reduce the comment gap from more than 13 years to nine months -- nine months when comments weren't even that active.

However, the May 2019 Blogger .xml file is corrupted and will not upload. I've created various test blogs, and can import other .xml files, but not that one. And -- an important note -- none of the .xml files have ever imported comments. None. Ever.

An additional issue

After the February 2020 disaster, Allan was able to restore all the deleted posts, but their URLs had changed. This means internal links no longer work, except for posts on the "greatest hits" page, which I manually fixed. It also means that The Lost Comments now had no associated post to be attached to. The text of those posts still exists -- but the posts themselves, with their unique URLs, no longer exist. So the comments couldn't be restored to their original posts, regardless of Blogger's backup capabilities.

No help

Blogger's Help Community has been useless. Several people made some semblance of trying to help, but their answers made it clear that they hadn't read my post and weren't willing to engage on any but the most superficial level. I realize that the problem may not be fixable -- but no one came anywhere close to even trying.

My obsession

Since the comments disappeared in February 2020, I've been periodically obsessed with trying to restore them. I have a post in drafts titled "the lost comments of wmtc: making peace with blogger". There is only that title. I never wrote the post because I never made peace with it.

I now export/backup wmtc more regularly than I used to, and I periodically try to import the May 2019 .xml. I know that's supposed to be the definition of insanity, but it is also the definition of hope.

The plan

Earlier this year, I decided I would copy/paste the comments from the May 2019 file into the appropriate posts. I created a gmail account for this purpose, and I identified December 25-27 as The Comment Project. I don't celebrate Christmas, and three consecutive days off seemed like the perfect opportunity -- perfect enough that I gave up this year's W4R.

My plan was to copy all the comments on a post, open a new comment, paste in the original comments as one long comment, and submit. This seemed totally doable.

Until I opened the .xml file.

I had assumed that comments would appear after each post -- post, comments, post, comments, and so on. Bzzzt. The .xml file contains, in this order: the blog template, all the posts, all the comments.

Comments are not identified according to the post they were associated with, nor with the date of that post, but by the dates of the comments themselves. So if people were coming back to a thread and posting over several days, which is very typical, those comments would be spread out over several dates, and have no identifier to show which post they belonged with.

This may seem obvious to people who regularly work with .xml files, but it was news to me. Very, very unwelcome news.

I tried anyway

Call it tenacity, or stubbornness, or compulsion, it doesn't much matter. I have trouble giving up. 

Allan and I copied the entire .xml file into a Word file: 17,490 pages.

Allan then deleted the template and the posts, shrinking the file to just over 7,500 pages. (Allan had to do this, as my computer would have frozen and crashed.)

He then did some fancy find-and-replacing to make the blocks of comments easier to see.

But here's the thing. 

When this was a simple copy/paste job, I was willing to slog through it. But now there is decision-making involved. Reading, thinking, and decision-making. I simply do not have the bandwidth. The spoons. The energy.

Like most people who work full-time, my time outside work is limited, and I always feel that I don't have enough time to do the things I want to do. In addition, I have chronic illness that demands I manage my rest and energy levels. Do I want to use hours, days, weeks of my precious free time trying to determine what comments go where and pasting them in? No. I do not.

Still, I can't let go

Despite the realization that I don't want to devote the necessary time to it, I still mourn the loss of those comments, and I'm still considering chipping away at this project.

u.s. voting, "trump is a symptom," genocide, and reality: further thoughts

image: self-righteousness and left activism

Yesterday I wrote about, among other things, why Americans should vote Democrat despite their very obvious shortcomings, blindspots, corrupt partisanship, militarism, support for the Israeli apartheid regime... and so on.

The reason is simple. Life will be substantially worse for ordinary people under another Trump presidency.

Life for workers will be worse.

Life for most women will be worse.

Life for most people of colour will be worse.

Life for all transgender people will be worse.

What little is left of US democracy may well be revoked.

The courts will be more biased than they are now. Justice will be less accessible than it is now.

It will be open season for bigtory of all types -- racism, misogyny, Islamophobia, antisemitism, homophobia, and especially transphobia. Even more than it is now.

There will be no progress on gun-law reform -- and there will be no possibility of progress on gun reform. This means that children will continue to die. Teachers will continue to die. Americans will continue to be slaughtered by their fellow citizens who have unfettered access to assault weapons. Parents will continue to live in fear that every day their children go to school, they may not return, or may live through unspeakable trauma. 

There will be zero progress on climate change, and zero possibility of progress.

A convicted felon and a rapist will be President of the United States. Almost every POTUS has been a war criminal. That doesn't in any way negate, balance, or validate putting a convicted felon in the White House.

My socialist comrades -- or people who I once regarded as comrades -- are correct about many things. Trump is a symptom, not the disease. Harris will enable genocide and other horrors. True and true. But when I hear that there is no real difference between a Trump presidency and a Harris presidency, I can only believe they are full of shit. And I must conclude that they are putting their high-minded principles, and perhaps their self-image, ahead of basic empathy and compassion. 

I wonder if leftist Canadians who are so adamant about the need to vote for neither Harris nor Trump have actually tried to imagine what it would be like for themselves and their loved ones living in the US under another Trump presidency. If they have, and still hold this belief, they are fools. If they have not, they are dangerously deficient in empathy.

American lives are not more important than Palestinian lives. Neither are they less important.

If this makes me less purely leftist, less socialist, less whatever-the-fuck, than these self-righteous revolutionaries, I couldn't give a fuck, and perhaps I should be glad.

random notes from portland (day 7)

Allan and I are both sick, apparently with a flu or some other virus. I rarely get sick -- it's been more than four years -- and this has hit us with both barrels. I'm concerned that I may have passed something along to my mother.

The world's smallest hamster wheel

We took my mom out for breakfast at my favourite Ashland restaurant, Brothers'. She was very chipper and talkative, saying the same things over and over and over. She has a small repetoire of chatter, and after speaking, she clearly has no memory of what she said.

I asked questions that would prompt her standard soundbites, and showed great interest as if I hadn't heard it all before.

Her breakfast. The menu. The "verandah" (her current word for the tiny patio outside her room). The exercise class. The baby's hair. They show movies. Her breakfast. The menu. The verandah. The exercise class...

After taking her back to the home and settling her in her room, there was much hugging and many I love yous, but I needed to leave quickly. I barely made it into the hallway before breaking down, sobbing. It is really hard to say goodbye.

Crappy customer service at Brothers'

Brothers' has a few tables downstairs, and more seating up a steep staircase. I asked for a table downstairs, and was told, "There's more room upstairs." 

Really? You don't see I'm standing there with an elderly woman? I said, "We can't sit upstairs. How about that table?" There was a large table for four, which the servers were using for staging.

"That table is not available." 

"It appears to be available." 

Long pause. She clearly expected me to apologize and withdraw. I waited.

"We'll just clear that for you." 

"Thank you." 

Then the server was curt and annoyed through the entire meal. I guess she didn't get the memo about Pacific Northwest friendliness.

Driving

We had been planning on taking the coastal route up to Portland. The Oregon coast is magnificent and we haven't seen it since a 2003 baseball road trip. But Allan was already sick and I was feeling strange, and five hours on the highway was enough. 

We picked up In-N-Out at the last available opportunity in Oregon. Later, in the hotel room, I regretted this decision.

Powell's lets us down

We have four large boxes of books from my mother's apartment, which we wanted to take to Powell's for store credit. They are mostly art books, a few novels and some nonfiction, all hardcover, all in perfect condition. (There were many other books; these are the ones Allan chose for possible sale.)

Unfortunately, Powells' only buys books on certain days of the week, and we wouldn't be there on those days. We took the books with us anyway.

On the road to Portland, I learned that Powell's buys books online. You enter the ISBN number, and ship the books via UPS at their cost. This seemed like a great idea. Allan schlepped the boxes up to the hotel room, and we entered an ISBN.

"Sorry, we are unable to purchase this book." 

We tried another, and another, and another. 

"Sorry, we are unable to purchase this book."

This was the outcome:

Of 83 books, only three would be purchased, and for pennies! We're not going to bother shipping three books to "earn" less than five dollars!

So now we have boxes of books with us, and I really don't want to go home with them. We have a few ideas. We'll see.

At the moment, I can't imagine doing anything but lying in bed. 

Hotel greenwashing at the expense of workers and customers

While I'm complaining, I'll throw in this gripe about hotel amenities. Our hotel in Portland is nice -- a bit upscale, and not cheap. Yet housekeeping is offered only on request, and a maximum of every third day. Linens are not changed unless your stay is more than a full week.

This is supposedly for water and energy conservation, but given the disposable coffee service, the bottled water, and the tiny soaps and shampoos, it seems a rather transparent ploy to save on labour costs. 

I think if you're spending money on a nice hotel, having your room serviced daily is not too much to ask. Who doesn't like coming back to a neat and tidy room, with clean towels and a freshly-made bed? And if housekeeping is only upon request, and never during a one- or two-night stay, the housekeeping staff is not seeing many tips. Of course I will give the hotel this feedback, even though I'm sure they don't care.

another insidious bit of the digital divide: access to customer service for smartphones only

We need another word for it.

The digital divide -- the gap between those with access to modern information and communication technologies and those without -- has been recognized since at least the 1990s. Attempts to narrow this gap are usually publicly funded, always operating from scarcity, or small concessions eked out of corporations. Either way, the bridges are tiny, flimsy, and often temporary. Untold numbers of people have been left behind.

Over time the digital divide has widened and deepened. The words digital divide are grossly inadequate, almost quaint. Digital canyon? Digital chasm? Right now it feels like a digital abyss.

Better living through apps -- or not

I recently stumbled on a bit of this gaping divide. I knew about this vaguely, in some abstract way, but now understand it more clearly: improved access to customer service for smartphone users. Sometimes, access to customer service only for people with smartphones.

I wasn't an early adopter of the smartphone. I like to add technology as I need it, not simply because it exists. I prefer not to fork over any more of my income to mega-corporations unless there's a demonstrable benefit in doing so. New technology should save me time or effort, or bring me joy, or why should I bother? So I do use a smartphone, but I apply this to the use of apps as well.

There are apps that simplify processes, so they're worth using. There are apps that make our lives easier. But many apps appear to be more for a company's access to me, rather than the reverse. For example, when I shop online, I prefer sitting at a computer, using full websites. It's easier to see products, read reviews, compare one company's offerings against another. Which of course is why companies want to drive us to their apps: once we're there, we're captive.

Customer service of privilege

Which brings me to what I recently learned. Perhaps I'm the last person on the haves side of the digital divide to discover this, but I've been astonished to learn what improved customer service I receive through apps.

I had a problem with a credit card, and needed to speak with someone. I called the phone number on the card and on the website. I navigated my way through the menu, went down the wrong path, and was cut off -- more than once. 

When I finally found the correct pathway, I was on hold for 50 minutes. Of course I had the call on speaker, and was doing other things while I waited, but still, I had to listen to the hold "music," and I was limited in what else I could do. 

When at last I spoke with a human, it turned out I would need another phone call to a different department. I asked the customer service rep for a more direct number, and was told: call through the app, you'll get through immediately. Now that is a reason to download and use an app. So I did. I called the bank through the app, and was speaking with a human in less than five minutes.

Some months later, I had a question about Aeroplan miles, which means calling Air Canada. Air Canada is renowned for poor customer service. The company has shred their workforce to the bone, so getting anyone to help you with anything is a nightmare. 

I tried finding the answer to my question online. Fruitless. 

Dreading the next step, I called the Aeroplan number and was on hold for two hours and never got through. I am not exaggerating: I am looking at my call history as I type this: 1 hour, 58 minutes. I gave up.

I then downloaded the Aeroplan app and had my answer in under five minutes. I didn't have to speak with anyone: the information I needed was available through the app, but not through the website.

This is terrible customer service. But beyond that, it's customer service as privilege. What happens to customers who don't have smartphones, who can't afford them, who don't know how to download an app? One would think that companies would still want those people's money, but apparently the savings in labour force outweighs the benefits of reaching potential customers.

It's disgusting. It's wrong. And it's only going to get worse. 

planned obsolescence, future landfill, and premium-priced durability: in which we buy an expensive new washer

One of the things I hate most about our current world is planned obsolescence. 

There's a "wmtc's greatest hits" long piece unpacking planned obsolescence, as it relates to capitalism and our deteriorating environment: "we work to buy things that are built to die so that we must work to buy more things that will break". (This post sparked an interesting long discussion, now lost to the ether.) 

When we look at the cost of basic living now, compared with our parents' or grandparents' generations -- home internet, computers, mobile phones, etc. -- we need to include this. We buy and re-buy, over and over, items that our parents may have replaced once in their lifetimes, if at all.

And the life cycle of products continue to shrink. Things we bought when we first moved to Canada in 2005 lasted longer than the same items purchased in 2015. We once bought a can opener that was literally single-use. A coffee grinder that I used five times before it broke. And on and on.

Wmtc readers had another good discussion about this after I bought an extremely expensive office chair. Talk about privilege! I was embarrassed to spend almost $1,000 on a chair. The alternative, however, was spending $200-300 for a chair that would fall apart in less than two years. My expensive chair, purchased in 2009, is still like new in 2022.

This kind of buying is a privilege, only feasible for those with discretionary income or credit. Folks with less income end up buying crap because it's all they can afford -- another form of the cost of poverty. 

Planned obsolescence preys on bargain hunters. The quest to wring maximum use from every dollar actually means spending more in the long run.

Planned obsolescence keeps people in debt, or in poverty, or prevents them from living a better life with greater comforts and supports.

Planned obsolescence is killing our planet. The Earth is filling up with phones, and computers, and appliances, and plastic toys, everything else that we buy, and re-buy, and re-buy.

* * * *

I think about this all the time, but most recently it's on my mind because our washing machine broke. 

The Whirlpool washer that was in our home when we bought it suddenly stopped spinning. The one appliance repair person in our little town is away for an extended period of time. Through some intense sleuthing, I found a repair person in the next town, about 45 minutes away -- but he doesn't make service calls.*

We disconnected the washer, loaded it into the car, and drove to Port McNeill. The following day, Repair Person called: it can't be fixed. The part that broke isn't available, as the breakdown of this part signals the end of the machine. By tracing the serial number, he learned that the washer was manufactured seven years ago -- and that is the full lifespan of the machine. 

Seven years? For a washer?? That is ludicrous.

Now we had to drive back to Port McNeill, pick up the faulty washer, and re-install it. We would use a lot of electricity drying sopping wet clothes, but at least we'd have something in the interim. Envisioning our hydro bills would be a great incentive to buy a new washer, pronto.

As I started to research, I saw that almost every washer had only a one-year warranty. Hmmm.

Repair Person recommended we look into Huebsch, sold in the US as Speed Queen. They manufacture washers for laundromats and hotels, and also they have a few consumer models, which are built to the same specs as the commercial machines. Repair Person doesn't sell appliances or earn commissions. He said, "If you can afford it, it will last the rest of your life."

I investigated. Huebsch washers and dryers cost about twice as much as standard consumer models from Whirlpool, LG, Samsung, and most other household brands. They are supposed to last decades, rather than years. There are only two authorized Huebsch dealers in the province, and amazingly, one is in Port McNeill! 

I'm not thrilled at the expense, but to us this is a no-brainer. What's the point of spending $600 or $800 on a washer that will last less than 10 years? 

My only hesitation was that the capacity of these washers is much smaller than those of the popular brands: 3.2 cubic feet, compared with 5 cubic feet or higher. Here's what I've learned. The other companies have competed to offer more and more capacity -- without improving the internal works. The motors of these large-capacity machines can't handle the loads, so the machines are destined to break down quickly. Huebsch has avoided this by sticking with the old-fashioned 3.2 capacity.

I wasn't completely sure that the Huebsch could accommodate our largest item, which would be a queen-sized comforter. I read online that 3.2 cubic feet was enough for a queen comforter -- but I couldn't take a chance. There's no drycleaner in our area, so if I couldn't wash a blanket -- including old blankets that certain dogs like to snuggle in -- I'd be out of luck. So just to be sure, we brought a (fur-free) blanket with us to try. It fit. End of story.

This is how we ended up spending $1,750 -- tax and delivery putting us at about $2,200 -- on a washer. According to everyone, it will run smoothly for at least 25 years.**

I'm fortunate, I'm privileged, we can handle this. But it is so wrong.

------

* Repair Person is disabled, and I'm guessing that only working out of his shop eliminates accessibility concerns. I didn't know this until we met him. It was great to see a wheelchair-user running his own business -- and he's quite senior, too. He sells mobility scooters and repairs computers, too. And in the summer lives on his boat. In my old writing life, this guy would make a great story.

** Next year, we are probably going to buy the matching dryer, to reduce our electricity use with a more efficient machine. 

follow-up: response from pacific coastal airlines

This is a follow-up post to getting home: horrific customer service from pacific coastal airlines.

Tl;dr: Those are the rules. Too bad for you. Next time buy travel insurance.

Good afternoon, Laura

I wanted to write today to let you know your letters to [company's principals] were all received and forwarded to me so I could respond and address your concerns.

When I look at your letter and how your travel day unfolded, I can certainly appreciate that it must have been incredibly stressful, starting with checking in, in SFO, only to find your terminal had been changed.  I’m happy to see that United was able to find you another flight at 1130, but this certainly put a strain on your ability to make the flight out of the South Terminal.  Waiting for an hour for your baggage also didn’t help, and I’m sorry to see you had to wait that long to get your luggage.

As a traveller on 2 separate tickets (United and Pacific Coastal), unfortunately, neither airline is aware of the other booking and in each respective case, even though to you your itinerary has you going from San Francisco to Port Hardy, United sees you going from SFO to YVR and we see you as going from YVR to YZT.  Unfortunately, if one causes you to miss the other flight (even if the situation was reversed), the circumstances you were under, do not factor into the cancellation or check-in policy of the airline.

Attached is our rules around check-in close times (the same that were presented to you).  The reason we close check-in at 40 minutes, is so we can ensure an on-time departure.  It is at this time, that our pilots begin to finalize the flight details, looking at the  number of passengers checked in,  the checked bags and their weight, as well as any cargo and its weight.  Based on calculations they make, they then order fuel, the fuel truck comes (while bags are loaded) and then we board and depart.

Accepting new check-ins after the flight closes, would require them to start again and this would ultimately cause a delay.  If we miss our take-off slot at YVR, we could be waiting another 20-25 minutes on the ground, waiting for an opening, from Air Traffic Control.  This would burn fuel and also delay everyone on the plane into their final destination and could have a domino effect of people missing ferries or perhaps now a rental car office is closed etc.  As you can see, there are a lot of factors at play and we have to draw the line somewhere.  The line is 40 minutes and yes, we have denied someone check-in because they missed it by 1 minute.  As you were 10-minutes after flight-close time, while it may not seem like much, in the context of preparing the aircraft for departure, it is VERY late. 

I certainly sympathize and understand that why you arrived late was not your own fault, but rather that of the circumstances of your earlier travel in the day.  That, however, does not play a role in how our agents will (and did, in this case) handle your reservation.  For them to rebook you and collect the reservation reactivation fee is correct.  The alternative would have been a full forteiture of the ticket.  So that fee is actually a service to prevent that from happening. 

What we have here is what travel insurance is for.  Specifically trip interruption insurance.  This is for when a passenger has unforeseen expenses as a result of certain travel being disrupted (Cruise, train, ferry, airline) whereby the reason of the disruption is not attributable to the transportation provider but rather simply ‘circumstance’ – you having to take a later flight, bags taking 1 hour to come out etc.

Again, I’m sorry that we were not able to transport you to Port Hardy on June 12th.  Unfortunately, I am not able to oblige your request for a refund of the reactivation fee or reimburse you for your accommodation.

Respectfully,

[name]

Customer Relations

I give them points for writing a personal letter that clearly shows that someone read my complaint, rather than a form letter, and for explaining why the rules exist, rather than just repeating the rule. 

The worst part of this is that I have to continue to fly on this airline, as they're the only one with service to Port Hardy. I'll be using them again in October, and it's going to hurt!

getting home: horrific customer service from pacific coastal airlines

On the way home, I flew from from San Francisco (SFO) to Vancouver (YVR) on United Airlines, then from Vancouver to Port Hardy (YZT) on Pacific Coastal. Pacific Coastal flies out of a separate terminal, not connected to YVR proper. You need a shuttle or a taxi to get there.

This part was my fault

I didn't wake up as early as I'd like -- very unusual for me -- so I was rushing to get out. In my haste I must have picked up the wrong address on Google Maps. I was driving along when the directions told me to get off the highway and take a detour. I thought there was an accident or some other obstruction, and that Google Maps was taking me on some alternate route to the airport. Bad move.

I followed directions for a while, driving in circles, unable to figure out what was going on, getting more tense as the time ticked away. At one point I got back on the highway, followed directions from a later exit, and found myself back where I had first gotten off. Oh my god.

Now I was flustered. I pulled over and looked at Google Maps on my phone, and realized what had happened. I got back on the highway and drove like hell to the rental car return.

Thus ends the portion of this episode that was my fault. 

Note to United Airlines: Canada is not in the U.S.

At the rental car return, of course there is a huge long line of people returning cars. Nice rental car person checks my now not-quite-full-gas-gauge (from driving around in circles) but says, "OK that's full". Thank you! 

Then he's telling me how to get to the airport -- with a mask, and an accent, and talking fast (because he probably says this 10,000 times on every shift). I had to say, "I'm sorry, I'm not understanding you." After two repeats, I finally got it.

Up elevator, down escalators, through various doors, jump on the air train, get off at International terminal. Can't find United. It is now 7:20. Flight leaves 8:30. Cannot find United. Cannot see flight on departure board. Ask three more people. I'm at Aisle 12, United is Aisle 2. Run. I'm not a runner. Run run run. Almost cannot breathe.

There's a long line, but I cut to the last agent on the counter and ask for help. She decides to take me. Yay!

ID, vaccine check, then wait wait wait. Long wait. She calls over a supervisor. They mutter to each other. I hear the supervisor say, "That's because it's too late, the flight has closed." Oh noooo!!!

I'm like, are you sure, can I run there, etc. Nope, you would never make it, it's in a different terminal. Different terminal? Yes, it's been changed to the domestic terminal. Flight to Canada. Domestic terminal.

At that point I realized that even without the 15 minute detour driving around random San Francisco streets, I would not have made the flight. Damn.

She says I'm confirmed for an 11:00 pm flight, standby for a 7:00 pm flight. 

There are only two flights each day from Vancouver to Port Hardy at this time of year -- at 8:30 am and 3:10 pm. So if I'm on either of those flights, I'm staying over in Vancouver. Which means another hotel, change fee for the Pacific Coastal flight, plus I have work on Tuesday and really want to be home on Monday. 

Then wait, wait, wait, wait... long wait. Agent goes to another terminal, wait, wait, wait, then... "OK, I have you on an 11:05 a.m. flight to Vancouver." I actually said, "I love you." She might think I am a stalker.

Then I walk a long long loooong way to the domestic terminal. The security line is 30 minutes. So there is absolutely no way that I would have made that 8:30 flight, even without my driving screwup. This made me feel better.

The worst possible customer service

My 11:30 flight was on time and I cleared customs with almost two hours (1:45) before my flight to Port Hardy.

Then I waited. Everyone waited. Hundreds of passengers were waiting -- for their luggage. I was waiting at the luggage carousel watching the time tick down, wondering if I was going to miss my flight to Port Hardy. 

(Please don't tell me "This is why I don't check my luggage." That is nice if it works for you. It does not work for me, especially when I travel alone.)

I tried to check in online, but got error messages. The Pacific Coastal website would not let me check in. 

After an hour, I finally got my luggage, and jumped in a cab, arriving at the South Terminal 30 minutes before my flight. 

And I was told that I “missed” the flight because I arrived 30 minutes before the flight, rather than 40 minutes. 

Another passenger was going through the same thing. He was late because the shuttle from the Main Terminal to the South Terminal did not arrive.

The counter agents kept repeating they were sorry, but I would have to fly the following day. It was an issue of “weight and balance”. This is hard to believe, since I had reserved a seat and paid for luggage to be checked – thus weight and balance were already accounted for.

I'll tell you right now. I was crying. I was not yelling – I would never do that – but I was crying and pleading. One of the counter agents laughed at me and mocked me for crying.

And then, while this was happening, I heard the first boarding call.

Yes, exactly no passengers had boarded the plane. 

The counter staff made it sound like the airplane’s doors were already locked – while in fact no passengers had boarded at all! 

The plane is empty, passengers are just lining up to board, I am 30 minutes early, and told I “missed” my flight?! There is no rational reason for this.

Mocking Agent told me he had booked me for the first flight the following day, and said, sarcastically, “The flight leaves at 8:30. Try to be on time.” 

It was not enough to refuse to let me board when the plane is empty, he had to make snide comments, too. A person who sees a customer crying and distraught and chooses to mock them should not be working front-of-house.

Then, Pacific Coastal charged me a $105 “reservation reactivation fee”. 

It took the agent less than three minutes to book me on another flight. And they charged me $105 for the inconvenience and indignity.

And then... they called standby passengers. Seriously. They were able to take a handful of standby passengers, but not two passengers who had reservations and were 30 minutes early, rather than 40 minutes early, because of airport issues.

The terminal was packed and very noisy. I am sound-sensitive at the best of times, but in the state I was in, the noise was unbearable. I went outside, called Allan for the millionth time, sobbing like a child. Then I managed to get a grip, and booked the last room in an airport hotel. 

So in addition to the $105 change fee, Pacific Coastal’s inflexibility also cost me another $325 for hotel accommodations and dinner.

As I said in my complaint letter to Pacific Coastal:

I understand that a 40-minute window for check-in is Pacific Coastal policy. The policy states, “Failure to be checked-in prior to closing may result in the cancellation of your entire reservation.” It may result – not will result. May means it’s a possibility – not a hard rule. 

Since the first boarding call hadn’t even been announced, the staff could have been flexible. They could have acknowledged that I had waited an hour to retrieve my luggage in the Main Terminal. They might have admonished me, reminded me to arrive earlier next time, and then checked me in. It was certainly possible to do.  

It’s not like I had cut it close, showing up a few minutes before takeoff. Nor was I late because of negligence or poor planning. Those 10 minutes were completely out of my control.

To refuse a customer who is 10 minutes late, through no fault of their own, then charge them a “reservation reactivation” fee, and force them to spend the night in a hotel and fly the next day, and to mock them in the process, is some of the worst customer service I have ever seen. 

If another airline served Port Hardy, I would certainly never fly Pacific Coastal again. Much to my dismay, I will have no choice to continue to use this airline – which is why your staff can get away with this terrible customer service.

I'm not expecting much in the way of response, but I'll let you know what happens. 

most useless and annoying advice ever: it's cheaper if you make it yourself

I did not make this myself.

Ever since moving to Canada, people have been telling me how I could make something myself for less money than I paid for it. Curtains, chair coverings, scarves. Kitchen gadgets. Dog needs. Skin care products. And food of all types. 

You can make that yourself, so much cheaper. 

I've heard this so often and from so many people, one might think everyone in Canada was crafting everything by hand. Which would not explain the crowds buying cheap merchandise in Canadian Tire.

Similarly, in certain Canadian circles, there is disdain for hiring someone for any personal or home labour. Snow shoveling, house cleaning, dogwalking, lawn care. Oo-hoo, look at you, throwing money away instead of picking up a shovel! It seems I am finally old enough for people to give me a pass on this one. The hidden joys of aging!

I find this "you can make it cheaper yourself" mentality annoying on so many levels. One, it's my money. I can spend it however I want, and I'd rather do so without your judgement. Two, isn't your time worth anything? My time is more valuable than money. Money can be earned, but time is a nonrenewable resource. (Yes, I know this is a privilege.) Three, mind your own business!

Perhaps this is not a Canadian thing at all. I don't know if people dole out this "advice" throughout the rest of the US. But I can tell you no one does in New York City! 

Long before the pandemic forced everyone inside, New Yorkers had everything delivered to their apartments. Since everyone walks or takes public transportation everywhere, deliveries are a way of life. So is paying for convenience. New Yorkers eat at restaurants or takeout almost every night of the week. They drop off their laundry. They hire dogwalkers. They rent car shares. And most of all, they have everything delivered. It's not an easy city to live in. Everyone who can afford to buys every convenience possible. And nobody ever tells you how you could make things more cheaply yourself.

Like Elaine Benes, I love a "big salad". In fact, one of my favourite meals are salads with lots of different ingredients. I love chopped-salad restaurants, and happily spend $16 or $18 to choose 10 different ingredients tossed in freshly-made, creative dressing. I am not often in an area with these restaurants, but when I am, I enjoy this very much.

Big salads are something I will never make for myself. I cook a lot, and I do quite a lot of other food prep. We do sometimes have a protein salad for dinner, but it's much more simple: lettuce, tomato, mini cucumber, chicken, cheese. I'm the only big salad fan in the house, plus, it's just too much effort.

In our previous suburban home, there were no restaurants that offered big salads. The closest we came was when Whole Foods opened a Mississauga location, but a salad bar is not the same. And of course there is nothing like this in my tiny little town now.

But now big salads have come to supermarkets! This has been a great development for me. I take a packaged salad kit, add a hardboiled egg and some grated cheese, and I have the perfect dinner. If I have some leftover grilled chicken or salmon on hand, I throw that in instead of the egg. 

This is one of my favourite meals and it helps me eat more vegetables -- more raw vegetables, which is even better. The only downside is there is a lot of plastic waste. This disturbs me... but not enough to stop buying the salads. 

But salad kits are expensive! 

In my experience, if you mention salad kits -- or if a busybody sees you buying a few in the supermarket -- or if you look for information online about a salad kit... You can make that cheaper yourself! 

Is this even true -- can you make the salad more cheaply yourself? I don't know. I haven't tested this claim, because I don't care. But some years ago, I wondered if Whole Foods' delicious, expensive tuna salad would be less expensive to make at home, and discovered it was only slightly more expensive to buy than to create. Sometime after that post, the store's prices went up, and later I started using less expensive tuna (for environmental reasons), so the balance would have changed. But the assumption that the prepared tuna salad was vastly more expensive than homemade was incorrect.

The salad kit I ate for dinner last night contained: white cabbage, red cabbage, kale, romaine lettuce, shredded carrots, cilantro, crispy noodle strips, and slivered almonds, and dressing. I added an egg and a bit of grated cheese. 

• If I had made this myself, how much cheaper would it be? It's not a $6.00 salad versus a free dinner. After I'm done buying all those ingredients, what have I spent? 

• Unless I used two entire heads of cabbage, an entire head of lettuce, and an entire bunch of kale within the upcoming week -- which I won't be able to do -- some of the vegetables will go bad. I would be wasting money and wasting food.

• I can buy all different flavour combinations of salad kits, and eat different ones whenever I like. Having variety helps me maintain a healthy diet.

• And finally -- but most importantly -- making this salad myself is too much effort for the end result. Everyone has (or should have) a personal time vs money formula. I would much rather spend $6 than make this complicated salad myself, and if I had to make it myself, I wouldn't eat it.

In short, it's a no-brainer: healthy, convenient food that I enjoy is worth the price of the kit.

I don't care if I could make it cheaper myself! 

cpmvfsgu days 8 and 9: monday and tuesday on salt spring island; whether or not to leave a negative review for an airbnb

I've spent the last two days reading, blogging, scratching, and occasionally eating and sleeping. There were other things to do on Salt Spring Island, but I was too uncomfortable to do anything. It was very nice to have uninterrupted time to read and write.

Tomorrow we'll take an early ferry to Crofton, drive up to Campbell River, take care of our appointments, then head back home. 

* * * *

I've had a long running argument by email with the host of this cottage. I'd like to leave a negative review, but I've read that bad reviews can seriously damage a host's standing with Airbnb. Also, I don't have many reviews on Airbnb and I don't want to be reviewed as a bad guest. I wish the cottage was listed on TripAdvisor, as I have a more substantial body of reviews there.

I've also read that a guest's review is not published until the host reviews the guest -- so if the host wants to suppress a negative review, they can simply decline to leave feedback on the guest. I haven't been able to confirm this.

Despite these issues, I feel uncomfortable not leaving a more fulsome and truthful review. To me that's how things are supposed to work. 

Here's the deal. The listing for the cottage said "self-clean". I interpreted that to mean that no one services the property while you are there -- that you're on your own. As it turns out, the host expects guests to clean the home for the next guests! 

We would never leave dirty dishes or a mess. But we are not going to vacuum, scrub the bathroom, wash the inside of the fridge, and so on. This host expects us to do that, or to leave $100 in cash -- a fee that was not mentioned in advance. We are doing neither.

The host does say that she has a cleaner coming in to provide the "second, covid cleaning".

She left us two towels, and no extras, and claims that guests bring their own. There is no washer/dryer in the house, and no laundromat on the island. It's damp here and towels don't dry. In our experience, there is usually a closet full of towels. The host claims that would substantially increase her costs.

I have been traveling a long time and have stayed in many different kinds of places. No owner of any vacation property has ever expected me to clean their house. Who goes on holidays expecting to clean?

Again, to be very clear: dishes washed, dried, and put away; all garbage and recycling taken outside; nothing messy or out of place; bed stripped as requested. And that ought to be enough.

To review or not to review?

the north island report: what is going on with the price of gas?

I normally don't complain about prices, and I dislike when other people with privilege do so. But for every rule, there's at least one exception, and this is it. What the hell is going on with the price of gas??

Gas is always expensive in our area, often a good $0.10 more per litre than in Nanaimo or Victoria.

When we left Ontario, gas prices were fluctuating between around $1.15 and $1.25. The highest price I ever saw in southern Ontario was $1.35.

Driving from the GTA to the Island, we were amazed to see less than $1.00/litre in Manitoba.

When we arrived on the Island, gas was $1.43 in Port Hardy, and usually two cents less in Port McNeill. And it stayed that way for months. Suddenly, three weeks ago, it shot up to $1.48... then $1.50... now $1.50 would be a welcome change. When I left Port Hardy yesterday, gas was $1.68/litre. Further down island in Campbell River, it was $1.55. Much better, but still crazy-high.

This story -- Gas prices break records in B.C. for second weekend in a row" -- shows a Vancouver station at 1.72.

People in areas with good transit options, and people with the ability to bike to work, often blame drivers for their dependency on fossil fuel. But not depending on fossil fuel is a privilege. Most people have no choice. In order to work and to live, they must drive. I drive less than five minutes to work, and Allan works from home. But our library customers and co-workers, who work mostly part-time and often in casual arrangements, are spending half a paycheque or more just getting to work and getting home again. People who already spend half their paycheque on rent!

I don't believe this is the result of federal or provincial carbon taxes. Those taxes account for a few cents per litre, not $0.30 per. Even so, this demonstrates the idiocy and injustice of expecting individual consumers to solve climate change. While governments continue to fund planet-killing industries, instead of investing in local economies and requiring corporations to do the same, and requiring them to pay their fair share of taxes, working-class and middle-class people get squeezed.

People need to drive to survive. They don't have the privilege of "making better choices".

BC Premier John Horgan says that the government will monitor prices over the summer, and will consider providing some relief. Not enough. People are hurting. They need help.

google does it again: recent blogger updates are not user-friendly

Once again, Google has reduced the ease and functionality of Blogger.

A while back, the layout of the Blogger dashboard changed. I used to be able to see an overview of all my blogs plus my "following" list on one dashboard page. I found this very useful, and I imagine that other users who also moderate more than one blog would have agreed. Now I can no longer check for and moderate comments on all blogs at the same time, and I no longer have one-stop-shopping for which blogs on my list have updated.

For comments, I have to check each blog separately, necessitating many more clicks.

For blogs I read, I had to subscribe to email updates, on blogs that offer this function. Not everyone does. (I don't like using feeds; I prefer to visit blogs and websites on their native platforms.)

Next, Google discontinued the option to have comments on your own blog emailed to you. So, for example, if Allan put a bunch of comments through on wmtc, those comments would be emailed to me.

I'm talking about this, found in Settings > email, which tells you when a comment has posted --

 -- not this, found in Settings > posts, comments, and sharing, which emails you when a comment is waiting to be moderated:

Now to check for new comments, I now have to go to Comments > published. I have to remember to do this for each blog in order to see what comments may have posted. Not very convenient.

Google also discontinued the option for any user with any ID to comment. Previously, the choices were Anyone (including anonymous), Any ID (Google, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc.), or Only Members of this Blog. This has changed to Anyone (including anonymous), User [sic] with Google ID, or Only Members of this Blog.

When "Any ID" disappeared, I didn't want to exclude readers who might not have a Google ID. As a result, I've been deleting about 20-30 spam comments every day. It's become so annoying that I've changed commenting to anyone with a Google ID. I wanted to be more inclusive, but Blogger and spammers have conspired against that.

It's been months, and I'm frustrated. 

sheraton hotels' "green choice" is really just precarious work

These days, most hotel rooms contain some sort of green messaging, as companies are expected to show how eco-friendly they are. Usually guests have the option of not having their towels changed daily, which is supposed to yield big energy savings.

Last week at the Sheraton Parkway in Toronto, I learned that Sheraton's green policy is not exactly as advertised. I don't know if this qualifies as greenwashing, but it is certainly not full disclosure. The card reads:

Conserving water, energy and other resources is rewarding for you and great for the environment. Enjoy a $5 voucher at participating food and beverage outlets or 500 Starpoints® awarded at check-out for each night you decline housekeeping (except day of departure). It feels good to conserve.

To participate in the Make a Green Choice program, please tell us at check-in or look for the door hanger in your guestroom.

It may feel good to conserve, but your conservation doesn't feel good to hotel workers. For each guest who uses this program, a worker's hours are cut.

As I looked around my room, I could easily identify many ways Sheraton could be greener. For starters, disposable coffee cups could be replaced with mugs. Tiny plastic bottles of shampoo, conditioner, and lotion could be replaced with hanging dispensers. Why are any hotels using those tiny bottles anymore? That's a lot of plastic.

Sheraton participates in Clean the World, which distributes unused soap and shampoo products to third-world countries. I don't know how effective this program is, or how many Sheraton hotels participate in it, but the best way to cut down on landfill waste is to create less waste.

On this Sheraton's website (scroll down to "Highlights"), there is a list of all their green initiatives. Some are significant, some are just padding. But less impact on the planet shouldn't mean less work for low-wage, precarious workers.

Next time you stay at a Sheraton, please don't Make a Green Choice. Sheraton should find ways to reduce that don't reduce workers' paycheques.

the mysterious case of kars4kids: deceptive advertising for orthodox jewish proselytizing

When I watch baseball, I always watch the Red Sox broadcast, and almost always choose local radio for the audio feed. (Hooray for MLB streaming on Roku!) And while I always mute the ads between innings, hundreds of ads are stuffed into the broadcast itself, so it's impossible not to hear and see a lot of advertising.

One advertising staple is something called "Cars for Kids". The ad exhorts you to make a cash donation or to donate your used car, and tells you how Cars for Kids makes it very simple. I've been hearing this for years, but only recently wondered, what is Cars for Kids? Who are the kids, and how are cars helping them?

I assumed it had something to do with fundraising for children with a serious illness. The Red Sox are linked to an organization called The Jimmy Fund, which supports the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. The Make-A-Wish Foundation of Massachusetts and Rhode Island, is also a Red Sox sponsor. So I assumed that Cars for Kids was something similar.

Wrong!

First, I discovered Cars for Kids is actually "Kars 4 Kids," which is stupid and pointless. Since the misspelling is pronounced the same way as the proper spelling, why misspell?

Next, I discovered that when you visit the Kars 4 Kids website, it's not immediately apparent what the vehicle donations actually support. The FAQs are all about how to donate your car. The donor comments are about how easy it was to donate a car. The "How It Works" link, same.

Those links are in all-caps, bold, right up front when you first go to the site.

In a smaller font, not all-caps, not bold, on the left, there are links to "charity" and "about us". Click on one of those, and for the first time, you see the word Jewish on the site.

The website for Kars 4 Kids Canada (I guess they realized Kanada would be a mistake), shows this.

Both websites (and all the Kars 4 Kids websites) keep the purpose of the charity pretty vague. They help "children develop into productive members of the community", they "keep kids busy in a healthy environment", they "give Jewish children and their families the support, resources and guidance they need". What does that mean?

All the Kars 4 Kids websites mention something called Oorah. In the US: "our sister charity, Oorah", with no further explanation. The Canadian site says "Your car donation will benefit Kars4Kids, d/b/a Oorah Charitable Organization, a registered charity dedicated to addressing the educational, emotional and spiritual needs of Jewish children and their families."

Having been raised Jewish, when I see those words -- the educational, emotional, and spiritual needs of Jewsih children -- I know exactly what it means. I have the code book.

Next stop, Oorah. Oorah appears to sponsor programs exclusively for Jewish people to explore Judaism. This is code for trying to get Jews to become Orthodox.

People who practice Judaism generally fall on a continuum from Reform, to Conservative, to Orthodox; these are called movements. (They are sometimes known as sects, but they're really not equivalent to, for example, the Protestant sects.) In addition to the three movements, there are sub-divisions, such as Reconstructionist, Modern Orthodox, and several others. This is a huge, complex political and cultural stew, full of hypocrisy and arrogance, full of people looking down on other people for choosing or taking paths different than their own. To someone like me who was raised in a Reform but observant household, the words "make their Judaic heritage more personal, relevant and meaningful" are heavily loaded.

More importantly, why would the general, non-Jewish public donate to this charity? I'm not sure why anyone, Jewish or not, would care about making "Judaic heritage more meaningful to Jewish children", but surely non-Jewish people wouldn't care about this, would they?

The absence of information -- who are the "kids"? how are the cars helping them? -- is obviously not accidental. Ad copy isn't found in nature, it's purposely and carefully written. And once I discovered Kars 4 Kids' mission and purpose, the omission of the word "Jewish" in ad copy seems purposely misleading -- deceptive.

I'm not the only person who thinks so.

From Tablet, a online magazine of "Jewish news, ideas, and culture": Kars 4 Kids Rakes In The Buckz: "A well-branded Jewish charity goes to great pains to avoid calling itself Jewish—and takes in millions nationwide."

From CharityWatch: Costly and Continuous Continuous Kars4Kids Disguise Charity's Real Purpose. (Clever use of alliteration!) From this story I learned that Kars 4 Kids advertises everywhere, especially on sports TV and radio, and apparently has an incredibly annoying jingle. CharityWatch writes:

Cars for… an Orthodox Jewish Cause

Nowhere in the Kars4Kids ads (in most states) does the charity inform potential donors of how their car donations will help kids. A visit to the "kars4kids.org/howtohelp" website displayed at the end of the TV commercial is similarly vague as to how kids will benefit, simply encouraging people to "take action" for the "1.2 million kids [that] leave school without a diploma each year" by volunteering to "mentor, fundraise, advocate or run an awareness campaign." (This "take action" message likely is a strategic one designed for Kars4Kids to take advantage of an accounting rule that allows charities to report a portion of advertising costs as program instead of fundraising expenses.) When going to the website address shown in the TV commercial, only by scrolling all the way down to the fine print that includes Kars4Kids' copyright notation at the bottom of the page will donors eventually learn what activities their donated cars support: [emphasis mine]"Your donation will benefit Kars4Kids, a national organization dedicated to addressing the educational, material, emotional and spiritual needs of Jewish children and their families [emphasis from CharityWatch]."

In CharityWatch's view, the Kars4Kids ads deceive potential donors by failing to inform them that donated cars will benefit a Jewish organization and kids of Jewish faith. Furthermore, the youth programs Kars4Kids supports promote an Orthodox Jewish lifestyle, which CharityWatch believes compounds the deception perpetrated by the Kars4Kids ads. Oorah, Kars4Kids' "sister charity," is the organization that actually runs the "educational, developmental, and recreational programs for Jewish youth and their families" described in Kars4Kids' mission statement. Kars4Kids and Oorah share a principal officer, Eliyohu Mintz, the son of their founder, Rabbi Chaim Mintz, and both organizations are located at the same address in the heavily-Orthodox Jewish town of Lakewood, New Jersey. Oorah, which means "awaken" in Hebrew, "specializes in outreach to non-observant Jews, operating summer camps and other programs that seek to make non-Orthodox Jews more observant," according to an October 2016 article in the Forward, which covers news for a Jewish-American audience.

CharityWatch continues:

While supporting Orthodox Jewish organizations is a worthy endeavor for those donors who are intending to do so, many donors of other faiths may not be pleased to learn that the car they donated to Kars4Kids may have funded religious teachings that are in conflict with their own faith or personal beliefs. Orthodox Jews, who follow the traditional interpretations of Jewish law with strict observance of Jewish ritual, make up only about 10% of Jewish adults in the U.S., according to a 2013 survey published by the Pew Research Center in August 2015. Moreover, many secular Jews are not enthusiastic about funding Orthodox organizations...

If the truth about Kars4Kids' mission as a Jewish organization and its funding of Oorah's Orthodox Jewish outreach is an unwelcome surprise to some donors, perhaps they will be comforted to learn that since 2010, Kars4Kids also has conducted various charity events and giveaways for the benefit of needy children, regardless of their religious affiliation. These events have included several backpack giveaways and coat distributions in parts of New Jersey and New York. Kars4Kids also released a free smartphone app in mid-2014 designed as a safety alert for parents to remind them not to leave young children in the backseat of hot cars. Nonetheless, Kars4Kids' grants to Oorah still represented more than 91% of its program spending over the two-year period from 2014-2015, thereby making Jewish children the primary "kids" that benefit from its car donation proceeds – a fact that many Kars4Kids donors likely never end up knowing.

I also found stories, showing that less than one percent of funds raised even goes to the "kids". Oorah is also the subject of a million-dollar lawsuit, accused of using a synagogue to hide questionable financial dealings and putting the synagogue on the hook for a million bucks.*

Even more troubling than Kars 4 Kids deceptive practices are their unwitting donors. Do people really donate to organizations without knowing what they support? Never mind researching what percentage of donations goes to the actual cause -- start with the basics! What is the cause? Where does your money go?

According to everything I'm seeing online, millions of people -- which by definition means millions of non-Jewish people -- are forking over their hard-earned money to support Orthodox Jewish indoctrination education? Seriously?

Are tax deductions from car donations so amazing that donors don't care where the money goes, so long as they get their deduction? From CharityWatch: Car Donations: Taking Taxpayers for a Ride, and from Nonprofit Quarterly: Nation's Largest Car Donation Charity a Self-Dealing Mess.

* Since someone will undoubtedly point this out in comments, Bill O'Reilly "exposed" Kars4Kids on Fox News. I don't even want to click. I'll just call O'Reilly a stopped clock and move on.

an open letter to loblaw: greed is not good -- especially for public relations

Loblaw Companies Limited
1 President's Choice Circle
Brampton, Ontario, L6Y 5S5
Attention: LCL Customer Relations Centre

Dear Loblaw Ltd.:

I am a Loblaw customer and I was extremely disappointed by recent public statements made by Loblaw CEO Galen Weston, Jr., regarding the proposed raise of the minimum wage in Ontario. Mr. Weston claimed that the proposed wage hikes will result in higher prices and more self-checkout aisles, and speaks about labour costs "ballooning" by $190 million.*

Mr. Weston clearly values Loblaw's shareholders more than it cares about its customers. When I spend my hard-earned money, I don't think it's too much to ask the store to provide check-out and bagging, and for there to be adequate staff on-hand to minimize time spent waiting in line. Instead, Mr. Weston implies that if the minimum wage is increased, I will be forced to provide his very profitable company with free labour by doing my own checkout.

When a company posts $990 million in profit in one year (2016), it is reasonable to expect it to raise employees' wages, provide more hours (which means better service for customers), and consistent scheduling.

I can imagine that Mr. Weston, who is the second-richest person in Canada, does not understand what it's like to (try to) survive on a part-time, minimum-wage job. Not only is the wage well below a basic standard of living, but hours are inadequate, ensuring the need for a second job. Inconsistent scheduling makes it impossible for workers to hold a second job -- or to attend school, which might increase their chances of ever earning more than minimum wage! By paying minimum wage and offering only precarious work, Loblaw contributes to poverty in Canada.

And then there's the company's image. From a public relations point of view, wouldn't it be smarter for Mr. Weston to champion the minimum-wage increase, and voice its concern for its employees, rather than whining about the cost of running his wildly profitable business? Mr. Weston would do well to listen to Toronto Star business columnist Jennifer Wells, who reminds him "that the company’s people are assets, not just a cost centre". (It's an excellent column: I hope Mr. Weston will read it.)

It's not too late for Mr. Weston to salvage the company's public image. I look forward to reading his retraction and apology, and Loblaw's support for more fair and livable employment laws in Ontario.

Sincerely,

Laura Kaminker
Mississauga, Ontario



* Although the word "ballooning" is not quoted directly, every media story about Mr. Weston's statement uses it -- not a coincidence. I was unable to locate the media release online.

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Other ways to contact Loblaw are listed here.

mighty leaf tea: green tea and greenwashing

I recently tried a new brand of tea. I'm always looking for almond tea, which is difficult or impossible to find (more on that below), and noticed Mighty Leaf had an Almond Spice. It's green tea, and I prefer black, but I thought for the almond, I'd take a chance.

The Mighty Leaf Tea box is covered in stories about how carefully they care for the tea, the quality of their tea leaves, and how green the company is. The tea is whole leaf only, the tea pouches are made from the greenest material, and so on.

Back when we had organics recycling, we always tossed used tea bags in the "green bin". Now, living in an apartment, we no longer have that option. The tea bag is going in the trash anyway, so the greenness of the pouch isn't a big concern for me. However, ordinary tea bags are fine for organics recycling, so I'm not sure why this pouch is so special.

When I brought the tea home and opened the box, I was surprised and dismayed to find each individual pouch packaged inside a plastic sleeve! Fifteen tea pouches, 15 plastic sleeves! What the...?

Mighty Leaf tea pouch

Mighty Leaf tea pouch as packaged

I tweeted the company and did not get a response, then tried email.

Hello,

I recently bought a box of Mighty Leaf tea for the first time. When I opened the box, I was horrified to find each pouch packaged in an individual plastic bag! I would never have bought this tea if I had known this -- and it is exactly the opposite of all the promotional copy on the box.

I am planning on writing about this on my blog, but wanted to contact you first, so I can include your statement or reaction.

I'm guessing this plastic is some specially made material that is considered biodegradable. But as I'm sure you know, almost nothing biodegrades in landfill. Are the plastic pouches suitable for organics disposal? If so, why doesn't it say so on the box?

I look forward to hearing from you.

Thank you,

I received this response.

Hi Laura,

Thank you for your e-mail. Our tea pouches are in fact bio-degradable and compostable, although we would recommend industrial composting available in many parts of Canada. Our tea pouch has in fact won awards for being environmentally friendly:

[This was pasted in.] Artisan Hand-Stitched Pouches

In ancient traditions around the world, a freshly brewed pot filled with whole tea leaves is revered as the richest in character. Inspired by this legacy, Mighty Leaf specially created the silken Tea Pouch filled with the world’s finest whole tea leaves, herbs, fruits and flavor. No longer was it necessary to brew a pot of tea and use a strainer or an infuser to experience whole leaf tea the way it's enjoyed in gardens across the world!

Each portion of whole leaf tea is precisely measured and carefully wrapped in our hand-stitched pouches. These large, silken pouches showcase the distinctive beauty of our special blends and give the leaves room to unfurl as they steep, allowing the nuanced flavors to fully infuse for the ideal tea experience.

Besides the beautiful leaves you’ll notice that our pouches have a lot of tea inside. Typically our pouches contain about two and a half grams of tea, which allows you to brew a large cup of tea (btw 12oz to 14oz).

Each tea pouch is hand stitched with 100% unbleached cotton. The silken material is made from polylactic acid (PLA), which is derived from corn starch. The pouches are biodegradable and can be composted in an industrial composter.

The email also included this image.

I find the tea-pouch narrative a bit much. But in practical terms, did this person really misunderstand my question? Was my question unclear? I tried again.

Hi,

Thank you for your reply. However, I was not referring to the tea pouches. Each pouch is packaged in an individual plastic sleeve. I am referring to that outer container or sleeve.

He replied:

Hi again Laura,

In order to conserve the freshness of our teas and herbal infusions we need to hermetically seal them in some form of envelope. Unfortunately nobody has yet developed a material in which you can hermetically our teas which is also biodegradable. As you can tell from the environmentally friendly efforts that we made with our tea pouches, as soon as someone does, we will look at using it.

Enjoy our teas!

I'm afraid I took it one step further, and I did (unintentionally) ignore the word "hermetically".

Are you kidding me? One already exists. It's called paper.

Their response.

Hi again Laura,

No, I don’t believe I am kidding you – paper cannot hermetically seal, unless of course you wax it and then it won’t biodegrade.

Does tea really need to be hermetically sealed? Why isn't a paper envelope -- similar to how Lipton (US) and Red Rose (Canada) are packaged -- adequate? My all-time favourite tea, Bewley's (Ireland and the UK), uses mesh bags with no string and no paper. Works great.

I didn't like the almond tea very much, probably because it is green tea rather than black. But no matter how much I enjoyed it, I would not buy a product loaded down with unnecessary plastic packaging.

* * * *

The story of the almond tea. I used to love Celestial Seasoning Almond Sunset tea, but it disappeared many years ago, apparently discontinued. I have not been able to find a decent substitute, even in expensive loose-leaf tea, which I would rather not buy. For this post, I found the Celestial Seasoning website -- and they have a Canadian site, too -- which encourages you to contact them if you cannot find what you want in stores. If I could buy Almond Sunset directly from CS, that would be amazing.

And why don't I use loose-leaf tea? We do sometimes buy and enjoy loose tea for interesting flavours or because we find ourselves in a nice tea shop. But we drink tea every day, and we both enjoy the convenience, the strong flavour, and the consistency of tea bags. Our favourite is Bewley's Irish Tea, which we used to go out of our way to buy in New York. We have not found a convenient place to buy it in the GTA, but if I ever see a box, I would pounce on it.