So tomorrow May 1 is Workers's Day in many countries, but this year it
is also Tax Day in Canada, the legal limit to filing one's return. Found this
interesting piece on plans to automate filing for many, starting next year.
A sidenote: this might involve help from the government to the
individual on the phone!! Something to think about...
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ChatGPT is pretty helpful. Might this be an option ‽
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Something to play with: Bing image creator:
Yes, my sight in the eye with the small cataract is getting better, but
after 21 days of drops and vitamins, would like to really nail this and
declare victory.
Been reading about cataracts in different languages. The
German language Wikipedia account is a little gruesome, looking
at the historical idea that the 'stuff' of the cataract was actually mucus.
No, it is degenerate proteins (is this mucus ‽). The only proven remedy
is surgical replacement of the lens once things get desperate enough.
The Russian language treatment held a nice surprise. Eyesight was restored
to babies with cataracts, by activating stem cells which are present in the lens
of the eye as much as anywhere else.
Which took me to 'how to activate stem cells'. It appears that fasting for
a few days is the best approach. But very difficult for modern humans
surrounded by plenty.
Then, found the FMD; the fasting mimicking approach. Chatgpt:
Not that far from what old age has reduced my diet to. Just have to
ditch coffee and Rice Krispies, my last 'naughties', for 5 days a month.
It's never easy!!
Fasting Mimicking Diet: Do-It-Yourself Plan [5-Day Menu] (foodzie.com)
Dr Ketchum on Lipids; it's a joy!!
It's fun to feel connected: thanks to my following Tammy Lemons on
YouTube, I knew today was Koningsdag - King's Day - in the Netherlands.
It is the national holiday.
Workers say they are more productive from home, because less distracted.
Employers report that a work group as a whole is less productive if working
from home...
https://ici.radio-canada.ca/info/videos/1-8762454/greve-fonctionnaires-avenir-teletravail-en-jeu
Finding the interview below interesting. Stanford University is home to very
smart people, so I listen...
Interesting News: the GST rebate announced in the Spring budget has
benn fast-tracked through the House, and is currently in the Senate.
The CBC, this morning, is covering imminent retrograde motion from certain
planets in our solar system:
https://www.cbc.ca/life/culture/mercury-retrograde-explained-astrologer-1.6817370
Chatgpt helped me uncover a useful explanation of the phenomena:
Le Figaro reports today on two fastfood chains in France that
are doing extremely well. All ingredients are halal.
G LA DALLE (I'm ravenously hungry; got the munchies)
O'TACOS for pizzas and tacos
G's dessert menu:
O's main menu:
Continuing on yesterday's matrix discussion, the notion of matrix
rank is useful. One could have a three-row matrix with insufficient
information to generate a unique solution; one row might be a simple
multiple of the other, or the result of one minus the other, or of an
addition...A computer would know after going through Gaussian
elimination!
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.PNG)
I was asked, last night during my evening walk, how to solve a system with
three unknows. IIjauntily answered that a Gaussian Matrix would do the trick.
So how does that work.
Jumping right in:
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source: Britannica
The Senate of Canada just held two consecutive meetings on the Canada
Disability Benefit, and there is a further one planned for next week:
source:La Presse
author: Lila Dussault
translation: BingTranslate/doxa-louise
Hundreds of federal public service strikers gathered in downtown Montreal on Wednesday to demand honest negotiations with their employer. This is the first walkout on this scale in more than 30 years.
Canadian federal employees carried out their threat of a general strike Wednesday morning, after another failure of negotiations with their employer Tuesday night.
In Montreal, hundreds of employees gathered on René-Lévesque Boulevard West, in front of the offices of the Canada Revenue Agency and Transport Canada. With upbeat music in the background, shouting at the sounds of motorists' horns, these strikers are ready to stay.
The Canadian Public Service collective agreement expired in 2021.
Pickets were also organized at five separate locations in Montreal and Longueuil.
"The public service is entitled to decent salaries, as much as people in the private sector," says Audrey Parenteau, who has been working in administration at Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada for the past year and a half. "We are just as affected by inflation," she adds. Both parties must negotiate in good faith."
At the forefront of union demands: a wage increase competitive with inflation and the question of the obligation to work at the workplace.
"We have 6500 members in Quebec, and about 2000 of them were hired from home. Now, they are asked to return to the office, which is not necessarily close to their home," explains Judith Côté, National Vice-President for Quebec of the Canadian Employment and Immigration Union (CEIU).
The return to the office of federal public servants, two or three days a week, was announced by Treasury Board last December. This measure has been denounced by unions, including the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada. It indicated in February that 1100 members had made requests to their union because of problems with the return to the office, whether in access to a daycare or problems with computer equipment.
"We have archaic tools and an archaic computer network," denouncesMs. Côté. And often, we learn about procedural changes from the media. »
[Our employer] is not assessing the impact of these procedural changes," adds Annik Beamish, another Quebec national vice-president for CEIU. "They have changed the way they work, of making files, without any support or follow-up. People were thrown about during the pandemic, have worked overtime. There they are exhausted. That is the current climate, and our employer refuses to acknowledge it. »
The issue of inflation
Another point of contention between the Treasury Board and union members is wage increases. The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) is asking for a salary increase of 13.5% over three years, or 4.5% annually. This increase would cover the years 2021, 2022 and 2023.
"It's even less than inflation," says Ms. Côté, who does not explain the Treasury Board's most recent offer, which is rather 9% over three years.
This proposal angered a Canadian Heritage employee met on site, who preferred not to give his name. In particular, he is frustrated by the automatic wage increases granted to MPs on April 1, which go hand in hand with inflation and increases in private industry.
What bothers Fiona, an employee of Service Canada, the most is her employer's expectation that she will continue to adapt and work regardless. "Without any wage increase, despite inflation, despite all the adaptations, despite the pandemic," she says. I am here to fight for my rights. »
"It's high time for our employer to listen to our demands," says Judith Côté.
