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OT: American Politics

Re: OT: Canadian Politics

Making people travel for wedding or holding it around a major holiday is also crass and tacky in the extreme, IMO. If you want to have your wedding on a beach, knock yourself out. But don't get all pissy if your friends don't want to shell out a couple of thousand bucks on hotels and planes. Destination weddings are pretty much just for parents, siblings, and very best friends/best man kinds of people.

And don't do it around thanksgiving weekend or the week between Christmas and new year. People want and deserve that time for their own families, and you shouldn't be expecting people to set all that aside to come and see you.

It is called strategy.

You do it at Christmas so that nobody attends (keeps costs down) but you can still say you invited them. Hehe.
 
Re: OT: Canadian Politics

Another thing that's ultra tacky/crass? Wedding buffets.

There's nothing tackier than a bride in a wedding dress bellying up to the buffet.

As a picky eater I MUCH prefer this than some stupid dish I wont eat anyway.

Though normally the head table gets served anyway.
 
Re: OT: Canadian Politics

Right but there is a difference between paying 300-400 to fly to Toronto than it is to pay for a week long getaway (1500.00) at a resort only so the bride and groom don't want to pay for the wedding. It's basically holding people at ransom to come to their wedding. Certain people are obligated to go, family close friends etc, you can't really say no in that situation and they knew that. That's ****ing tacky and incredibly disrespectful to friends and family.

I had a really good buddy of mine get married last spring. He gave me less than two months notice that he was getting married on the East Coast. I've lived in Vancouver for ten years now and while I could afford to go back home, there was no way I was gonna shell out 1200.00-1300.00 for wedding that was planned almost a year in advance and would have cost me like 700.00 if I bought on a seat sale and I was only notified with two months beforehand. Not to mention the fact that I had already planned out my vacation during the summer. If you expect people to travel to a wedding from a good distance, at least 6 months notice is required. Three of my really good buddies gave me a year notice. That's the way to do it.

From where?
300-400? lol

500-800 to fly from Edmonton to Toronto

plus 3-4 nights in a hotel and it is the same price as a week in Mexico ....Vegas is probably cheaper than the plane ticket to Toronto


that said ... not for me
 
Re: OT: Canadian Politics

I'm half Italian, so I've done the insane weddings where the money spent could have been better used(IMO)...and I've counted the "boosta", shaking my head at the amount of money being given.
Whatever makes you happy, that's what you should do.
We had a shitload of people because we wanted them there, but I am sure the Italian family I invited found a gymnasium kind of tacky. I don't care. We could not have everybody we wanted and have a nice hall, or a super-fancy meal...but that's just fluff; we wanted as many friends and family as we could have, that's was what was important. If you think a fancy hall, ice-sculptures and such are what makes your wedding, do it.

Myself, I'd be offended if I was invited to a travel-wedding. Booking time off work, money, babysitters if necessary...but that's just me.
 
Re: OT: Canadian Politics

I'm half Italian, so I've done the insane weddings where the money spent could have been better used(IMO)...and I've counted the "boosta", shaking my head at the amount of money being given.
Whatever makes you happy, that's what you should do.
We had a shitload of people because we wanted them there, but I am sure the Italian family I invited found a gymnasium kind of tacky. I don't care. We could not have everybody we wanted and have a nice hall, or a super-fancy meal...but that's just fluff; we wanted as many friends and family as we could have, that's was what was important. If you think a fancy hall, ice-sculptures and such are what makes your wedding, do it.

Myself, I'd be offended if I was invited to a travel-wedding. Booking time off work, money, babysitters if necessary...but that's just me.

My in-laws have lived in Victoria BC their entire life and my father in law has had brain cancer for nearly 3 years, so he doesn't travel. All my friends and family live in Ontario - so I had no choice but to invite them a travel wedding (Victoria BC).

Sometimes you just do things for the people you love. In this circumstance, I was doing it for my wife. She wanted to her have her dying father at her wedding.

I know you didn't mean this when you said "travel wedding," but you have to remember that sometimes they are done because of a very good reason.
 
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Re: OT: Canadian Politics

I was making a point.
This whole thing got started because I was surprised at how mad corky was about getting an invite, where in my world it's a happy part of the whole cycle. So I mentioned travel weddings to show my opinion and how it differs.
 
Re: OT: Canadian Politics

Right but there is a difference between paying 300-400 to fly to Toronto than it is to pay for a week long getaway (1500.00) at a resort only so the bride and groom don't want to pay for the wedding. It's basically holding people at ransom to come to their wedding. Certain people are obligated to go, family close friends etc, you can't really say no in that situation and they knew that. That's ****ing tacky and incredibly disrespectful to friends and family.

I had a really good buddy of mine get married last spring. He gave me less than two months notice that he was getting married on the East Coast. I've lived in Vancouver for ten years now and while I could afford to go back home, there was no way I was gonna shell out 1200.00-1300.00 for wedding that was planned almost a year in advance and would have cost me like 700.00 if I bought on a seat sale and I was only notified with two months beforehand. Not to mention the fact that I had already planned out my vacation during the summer. If you expect people to travel to a wedding from a good distance, at least 6 months notice is required. Three of my really good buddies gave me a year notice. That's the way to do it.


I think there are ways to pull it off without being a **** though. You plan your wedding in advance, give your guest list as much advance as possible. Tell them no gifts, no registry, etc. Put together a wedding fund to help out those you want there that might not be able to afford it otherwise (food, booze, etc are all included...usually at a non destination wedding you're in 20K+ for wedding details, a destination wedding is no excuse to cheap out), and don't "expect" anyone to make it that you're not willing to pay for if the chips are down (parents, best man, bridesmaids, etc)

I've seen wedding parties having a ****ing blast together at nice resorts, it's like a week long buck and doe without the stupid games and beer tickets.
 
Re: OT: Canadian Politics

Toronto board may have to lay off 200 new teachers as educators delay retirement to collect $5,000 bonus

The Toronto District School Board may have to lay off up to 200 teachers and cut hours for another 50 because of a new retirement incentive agreed by the Ontario government during teacher contract talks this spring.

“We are very concerned that this provision will have severely negative consequences that will harm students and school communities,” Chris Bolton, the TDSB chairman, wrote in a letter Monday to Education Minister Liz Sandals.

At issue is a $5,000 bonus that will be paid to teachers who retire in December and January. It is part of a memorandum of understanding reached with high school teachers in April and extended to all other teachers.

The provision was intended to help offset the costs of a negotiated reduction in the number of unpaid leave days from three to a maximum of two the government imposed on teachers through Bill 115 last fall.

He added the retirement incentive and declining high school enrolment would result in “losing a significant number of our newer teachers” because of shrinkage in the number of available jobs.

The board cut 248 high school teacher positions this spring, partly because of declining enrolment. No new high school teachers have been hired for September.

Between 150 to 200 teachers may have to be laid off by Aug. 31, the letter says, while another 50 “will most likely have a reduction in their contract status.”

Lauren Ramey, a spokeswoman for Ms. Sandals said the Education Ministry had just received the TDSB’s letter and a formal response had not yet been sent.

School boards are expected to make the savings needed to cut teachers’ mandatory unpaid days by a voluntary unpaid leave scheme, Ms. Ramey said.

If they do not reach the required savings that way, they can offer the retirement bonuses in December and January.

The TDSB says although the bonuses are “technically voluntary,” ministry staff have “made it clear” boards will face financial penalties if they do not offer them.

http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/0...ators-delay-retirement-to-collect-5000-bonus/
Haha. Union solidarity...expect when it comes to $5000. Then screw you and your chance of employment...I'm working another year to get mine!
 
Re: OT: Canadian Politics

This story is patently ridiculous, and nothing but an attempt to smear and sensationalize.

Almost no one is going to take that $5000 bonus. No one is going to lose a pensionable year for life to take a $5000 one time bonus to retire. You push mortgages and are allegedly in the financial industry, you should understand that, right? Would you advise any of your clients to take a one time taxable $5000 bonus now, or would you advise them to take 2% in pay until death?

This story is fkn stupid.
 
Re: OT: Canadian Politics

Retirement notices at year end are down 40%...

But "no one" is going to take that $5000.00 bonus.

Lots of teachers will (and are) doing just that.

Mr. Bolton, who is currently out of the country, writes the board saw a 40% drop in high school teacher retirement notices in June, compared with the year before.

Schools say this is because teachers are delaying retirement in order to collect the bonus.

That is from the article...which I'm sure you didn't read.
 
Re: OT: Canadian Politics

#1. Mr. Bolton very much has an interest in slamming teachers and making them look bad, and that's what he's trying to do here

#2 very, very few teachers are going to retire or make any kind of retirement decision based on a 1-time taxable payout of $5k, and you as a mortgage pusher should understand why

This is a BS story in a long line of BS stories written by people who want to trash teachers, using sources who want to use those people to trash teachers. This story is almost as stupid as sheeps "teachers sued to drink coffee in the staffroom and leave kids unsupervised" story that he banged away on for months, and stupid people like you and sheep buy them.
 
Re: OT: Canadian Politics

So you argue against the facts with #1 which is a fallacy and #2 which is an argument based on what exactly? Many studies show that people will bet against a long term annuity over an instant lump sum...
 
Re: OT: Canadian Politics

If I was a teacher, I'd stick it out for the next 4 months of teaching in order to get a 5k bonus. Why not?
 
Re: OT: Canadian Politics

This is an EARLY retirement incentive program. It is trying to get teachers to retire before they are eligible to, without full pension, in exchange for a one time $5K payment, that is taxable. If I retire a year early, I lose 2% of my pension. I lose 2% for each year I retire early. If I'm making $92k and getting pension based on that, can you numbnutses please explain for any sensible human being why giving up 2% or more of $92k for the rest of my life makes sense?
 
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