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The other night my wife and I took her mom to the Economy Shoe Shop on Argyle Street in Halifax for dinner. The place seems to have a decent reputation and lots of business folk and local “celebrities” can often be found eating and drinking there. I remembered hearing the owner, Victor Syperek, was neck deep into his creditors and thought it had gone out of business (or was well on it’s way) long ago. But it was still open, so there ya go.

They both ordered the Curry Chicken Linguini ($19) with Scallops. I decided on the 10oz Angus Strip Loin. Both of their plates arrived “cold” and had to be sent back for reheating. My steak ($25) looked like one of those charbroiled cheapo steaks you’d get at the Zellers Skillet or, even worse, a Ponderosa. Fatty and greasy, it was what I call a “gristle steak”.

For the amount they charge for it, I was expecting something on par with the Keg or even Montanas. I swear at least half this steak ended up on the sidelines of my plate once I carved off the fat and ligaments. The potato was unspectacular; a simple baked spud with some sour cream and chives. The veggies were good, but this meal was hardly worth $10 let alone $25.

Our service was decent, but they should have at least offered to eat our beer tab (2 draft) for serving the cold meals. And I should have tossed the crappy steak on the floor for the dogs and asked for a real cut of meat for such a ridiculous price. I guess they figure that as a “hot shit” establishment, quality is not required. Total cost for this lousy dining experience: $82.

Ya suckered me once, Syperek. Never again, Victor. Never again.

My wife and I recently got back from a 4-day visit to NYC. This was the first time for both of us and we weren’t sure what to expect. I guess we both had some preconceptions of overcrowding, rude people, and all the problems that go along with having too many people being crammed into one place. Of course, we knew it was fun and vibrant city, but we expected some confusion, some trials, and perhaps a few tribulations.

First of all, we had an excellent visit. Not a problem. Not one. Nada. We landed, walked what felt like 100 miles through JFK to get to baggage claim, and somehow found ourselves standing outside waiting in a line for a taxi. The dispatchers kept people moving; waving the cabs up, handing passengers tickets, loading up the luggage, and sending them off. It seemed like you just had to walk and you would magically arrive where you needed to be. There was no headscratching, no asking for directions, no standing there wondering where you were and where you were supposed to go. Like a part on an assembly line you just kept moving along. Before too long, we were in front of our hotel in midtown Manhattan.

There were two things that really impressed me about New York: transit and customer service. The transit system in NYC is nothing short of amazing. Two dollars gets you from Brooklyn to the Bronx and all points in between, within very reasonable times. Live outside the city? The state? No problem, commuter trains run in all directions at all times of day. Here in Halifax, you’d be lucky to get anywhere without multiple transfers and having a lot of time to spare, even if your destination is only a 15-20 minute drive from your home. Yes, NYC has more people, more money, and more infrastructure. But they also have competent planners and visionaries.

As for customer service, you’d think waiters would be snappy, that retailers wouldn’t give you the time of day, or that your food/item would be tossed at you so they could quickly move along to the next task at hand. But we experienced great service that was not only courteous and respectful, but competent. I watched deli workers take order after order from a beehive of hungry customers and have everything coordinated to a “T”. You arrived at the cash at the same time as your food, which was actually prepared the way you asked for.

Here in Halifax, it often seems I can’t even get a coffee without having to repeat the order 2 or 3 times. And have you ever gone to a fast food restaurant at lunchtime? In HRM, if a place is busy, it is a goddamned disaster zone. The workers are confused, the customers are waiting and irritable, and the place is a mess with overflowing garbages and dirty tables. In NYC, every place we went to was clean, well-attended, and the service was top notch. You went to the bathroom and there was actually soap in the dispensers and paper towel in the bins. Wow, what a treat!

There is absolutely no doubt about it: in NYC, the immigrants are the lifeblood of the city. They are the ones sweeping the sidewalks in Times Square, driving the cabs, working the shops, preparing the food, serving the coffee, selling the papers.They take pride in their jobs, are happy to be there, and that makes all the difference.

Sure, we were tourists in a tourist-friendly city, and yes, if you hang around long enough you’re sure to find a mean and ugly side as well. But if NYC can make it work with millions and millions of people, why can’t a small city like Halifax get it together? I think our “planners” and “leaders” here need to study places like New York and take some much needed hints. But that might involve some effort and the ability to think beyond the next 5 minutes, so I wouldn’t count on it.

The answer is no, of course not. But let me elaborate a bit…

When you purposefully opt out of parenting, people sometimes assume it is because you just don’t give a crap about anything but yourself.  They figure you’d rather spend your time in a hedonistic frenzy of consumerism and self-absorption, frolicking around in a never-never land of no responsibilities and complete freedom rather than contributing to the molding and shaping of the next generation.

That’s not being selfish; it’s being smart.

But all joking aside, being a parent is a tough job. It is perhaps the toughest job that one could ever undertake. It has risks and rewards just like anything else. But having children does not automatically qualify you for a “hero” award, nor does it mean you are a better person. It simply means you have chosen to become a parent. Not all parents are credits to humanity, nor are all children.

Many teachers, social workers, community volunteers, youth group coordinators, athletic coaches, art instructors, politicians, and people from every walk of life have chosen to remain child-free while making huge contributions to their communities and fellow-man. All of them are helping to pave the way for the future generations, and many will have a lasting influence and effect on the lives they touch.

Do we discount their contributions because they did not raise children of their own? Of course not.

It is also wrong to assume child-free people do not like kids, or are damaged from bad childhoods. Many have simply evaluated the decision and concluded that for whatever reason, parenting is just not an option they wish to choose for themselves. In this day and age, having kids is not a social obligation; it is a lifestyle choice.

We are all selfish to some degree, in the interests of ego and self-preservation. But if the reasons for deciding not to have kids are to be viewed as selfish, so too must the reasons for deciding to be a parent. After all, there aren’t many people who can answer the question “why did you have kids” without starting with “because I wanted…”

At the end of the day, we are all just trying to make the best choices for ourselves. The important thing is to make the best of it, whatever choices we’ve made.

According to this article in the Globe and Mail, “the atheist slogan, ‘There is probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life,’ may soon be coming to subways and buses in Canada’s largest city.”

The ad campaign is sponsored by the Freethought Association of Canada , which is raising funds for it through their Atheist Bus website.

Find out more (and donate!):

http://atheistbus.ca

Also check out the Freethought Association of Canada site:

http://freethoughtassociation.ca