The daily questions

Every person has or should have a set of questions for the underlings, or am I the only one. Here are mine, more or less:

How's it going?
Any issues?
Possible solutions?
Previous solutions?
How can I help?
Upcoming issues?
Anything else?

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All advertisement/marketing is basically corrupt, low ethical, but it does influence buying decisions. These people are devoid of integrity. Anyone making a living that way should be in the same Buddhist group and arms merchants and poison merchants. Not suitable for a Buddhist, more suitable for criminals. It does have a use of letting customers know about potential new products, but it has become too much. If a company cannot operate without advertising, perhaps, it is not retaining customers, and the product should remain in stores.

We can inoculate the young against advertising, and then where would the economy be. Stoic, Cynic, Epicurian, Buddhist, Hippy, The Moneyless Society, what ever.

We, the people, need to stand up to big business and vote with our feet, but how? I need a new little truck gofer. What choice do I have? Fix the old one, but that will cost more than it is worth, and what will be next to let go? Oh well, that is a prepaid expense, not an investment. But there is no alternative to big business. Years ago, I could have bought North American, but now what is the choice for small pickups...Korea, China, Japan, ... or full size. But I have heavy trucks to run, so it is not a urgent decision.    

Seneca letter 47

Dipping into the old Romans, I came across a statement that made me think for a while. 

Seneca claims "Each man has a character of his own choosing; it is chance or fate that decides his choice of job."

I will suggest that the truth of this statement is not in question, but rather the current population thoughts on this matter. I suggest that the current population think that character is fixed or fated, and is generally more fixed than flexible, and that job is more choice. Backwards to Seneca's view.

Now which is right. Job choice is first, among the available options, somewhat flexible, but the options are not so flexible. It may be that we have some choice, but many hold on to a ideal, and then desperation sets in, and end working as a cabbie, while holding a Ph.D. or as a dirt tech with a Masters in Library Science. Oh well, shit happens. 

Now on to the first half. Is character fixed or flexible? How much have I changed over the years. A great deal, and not always for the better. Much of the change was forced as a way to deal with the situation that existed. I suppose there were other choices... but I did what I did... It seemed the best choice, not the wisest choice, but a choice none the less. So personality is a result of choice, but those choices are dictated... or forced decisions... by environment... situation... for the most part, not choice as the result of any plan.

There are many fraudsters, sociopaths and psychopaths walking our streets, driving in traffic today. And they became that way by choice, for they will prosper financially in this environment of today. They have a choice, so Seneca is largely right, and the common thoughts of modern society is wrong again.    

 

Next Stage of Retirement

I have reached the next stage of retirement, that is failure to renew the company engineering permit. As of July 1, 2013, TGL is no longer an engineering company, but rather a government identity without a purpose or source of income, and will remain so until it drys up and blows away soon. 

I will retain my personal permit, and may conduct engineering through ENC for the next 9 months or so, mainly in a training capacity, when I shall relinquish my personal engineering permit. 

Thank you all for the support over the years. It has been an experience.

Now perhaps I can get on with the fun part, telling stories, lies, exaggeration, streches, and a few facts, just to keep some truth in the writing. 

  

ethical question?

This is a situation that has, in various form, occurred repeatedly. 

We did a geotechnical report for a building company back in 2001 or 2002. They called last week looking for the Schedules and were told them to go away as we did nothing other than the report. The competition showed up here yesterday asking about the project and were explained what transpired. He then told us that he was going to go and look at the building and, if everything appeared ok, he was going to sign off on the Schedules. We think that he is committing fraud as there was no design or field review conducted and he will sign off.

The Alberta building code schedules are a requirement of building code to prevent under-sizing by the contractor, engineer, owner - whoever, by requiring the circuit to be closed, aka, geotechnical investigation, design to match, construction to design, and a commitment to say it is all correct. Anyone signing a C-2 after the fact is committing a breach of Alberta engineering ethics. 

Is it fraud? Likely, certainly un-ethically, but if all the parties know what is going on, I am not sure that it is fraud. The City building inspection department does not likely care, as long as they have the paper they need. The builder and piling contractor are long gone on to other things.  That leaves the owner, engineer, and geotechnical engineer, and likely future owner. Our competition is taking on tremendous liability by accepting responsibility for the foundation, likely at the change of ownership. He could be sued by the new owned if he find anything, even with change of use, if what the contractor did was not as per plan.

It is definably prostitution of the stamp. That says enough about the man's ethics. Be aware also, you cannot hang about the animals without picking up the smell. But, will you have the proof required to take it to APEGA? Not likely. Without the proof, APEGA will do nothing. What it says is our completion is unethical, possible fraudulent, but nobody has the willingness to spend the money necessary to prove it. You could report it to APEGA, and that might make you feel better, but do not expect results. There could also be blow-back, which we do not need.

This whole industry is corrupt, bits and pieces, from time to time. I am glad I am retired soon. Perhaps I can wash the smell off yet.    

Retirement

I think it is time for me to retire completely, at least, not take on new work from old clients. I quit taking on new clients, then relented for a few referrals, and one more did not pay. He did not like what I had to say. He dug a hole below the water level, and expected it to stay dry without waterproofing. Oh well, shit happens.

So to that ends, when my company engineering permit comes up for renewal, I think, I will decline renewing it, and will renew my personal engineering permit one more time. At least that is the current plan.

Now what am I going to do with all the spare time created?

Stoic

As I go about my daily activities, I will meet jerks, idiots, aggressive, passives, and a few nice well adjusted people. Patience, tolerance, and understanding is required, and ignoring that which is none of my concern is required. Heavy use of the delete button also.