Gawker claims that they have seen a video of Rob Ford smoking crack, and they have mounted an IndieGogo campaign to raise $2oo,000 to pay drug dealers for the video. For some reason they don’t want to spend their own money, but they’ll happily take yours. Don’t worry though. If it doesn’t work out, they’ll give all of your money to charity (but keep the charitable receipt?).

Now I suppose that I’m contributing to this idiocy just by linking to it, but it seems to me that paying drug dealers (not the most trustworthy lot I would assume) for information to bring down a democratically elected politician that you just don’t like crosses just about the last line there is in journalism.

Disgust isn’t even a strong enough word. This is beyond abhorrent.

I really don’t understand the studios. I would think they would want to put their content in front of every possible person in every for-pay medium. But they hem and they haw, as it having people pay for their content legally is somehow a bad thing.

I currently live in Canada. A couple of years ago we watched the last episode of Season 2 of The Big C. It was a cliffhanger, and we had to wait interminably, painfully, until Season 3 started. But then, when it finally did, there was no way for me to watch it in Canada.

None.

In early April, my wife and I wanted to watch Silver Linings Playbook. Apple TV had it, but only to buy for almost $30. I didn’t want to buy it, but instead rent it for $5. How many rentals were missed because of that?

I had money in hand, and would have willingly paid to watch the shows. But they wouldn’t take my money.

The idiocy of it all is that because the studios are so worried about losing a few dollars on a deal and protecting existing revenue streams, they completely miss the opportunity to generate new revenue streams and even more money over the long term.

Hollywood used to be the dealmakers. Now they just seem to chasing their tails and running in fear.

My advice? Embrace the now and make the most of it.

And please, take my money.

I wrote about this a couple of days ago, but it seems that we’re down to the wire and the LCBO strike might actually happen at midnight tonight. Ontarians are lining up in droves to buy their liquor just in case.

The LCBO is the Liquor Control Board of Ontario. Sort of like New Hampshire’s state run liquor stores. And this is the Victoria Day long weekend, which is basically Canada’s Memorial Day weekend equivalent.

No liquor on the long weekend in Canada is a very bad thing. I wonder who times these strike deadlines? Obviously the union. Contracts never seem to run out on a day like January 5th, when everyone has had their fill of alcohol.

Canadians don’t usually get upset about much, but this is one of those things.

I’m actually sitting about a block from an LCBO right now, but I have absolutely no intention of heading over there. Too crazy for me.

Update: Apparently sales are up a bit:

At the close of business on Tuesday, province-wide sales at the liquor store were up 73 per cent from last week, according to LCBO spokesperson Heather MacGregor.

Yup, and the politicians locally tell us that a casino is bad would prey on people. No mention of a doubling of alcohol sales at the LCBO though.

They are part of the general government apprentice programs but they are being reviewed:

The province is cutting the tax credit for IT contact centre trades because only 10 per cent of apprentices who register go on to complete their training, a spokesperson for the Ontario Ministry of Finance wrote in an email.

As well, the tax credit is used mainly by large employers to staff call centres, Kent Williams noted in the email.

I’m not sure how training people to staff call centres counts as “IT training”, but I suppose that’s why I’m not the one making these decisions.

Oh sure, I can use a Logitech universal remote, but that depends on it controlling and knowing the state of every device. Hit one button on the TiVo remote and you’re screwed. And yes, my Blu-Ray player will turn on the tv with SimLink, but not the home theater.

Why is this such a seemingly difficult problem to solve?

We have agreed-upon protocols that let the entire world communicate through the internet. But we can’t get a few home electronics manufacturers to agree on something?

This of course neglects the fact that in many states, including Massachusetts, hospitals cannot turn patients away, regardless of ability to pay. It also neglects the fact that not all  healthcare in Canada is free; the government chooses what is covered and what is not. My wife paid $765 out of pocket for an eye specialist appointment the other day. Eye exams aren’t covered for most people either. And prescriptions and dental aren’t covered either

Apparently though, despite the fact that the care is free, it still costs real money. A LOT of real money:

Canadians, having just paid their taxes, may take some solace that some of that money goes to funding a world-class healthcare system. Unfortunately, Canadians are not receiving the same sort of value that their counterparts in other nations are when it comes to universally accessible health care. This despite the fact some 68% of personal income taxes paid in aggregate are required to cover the cost of health care in this country. Canadians spend much more for their health care, and receive lower quality care than other countries with universal-access systems.

So if you want to idolize a healthcare system, Canada’s probably isn’t the one. There are many other countries that deliver excellent care far more affordably.

But it does go to show you, just because you don’t get a bill, it doesn’t mean that the care if free. Somebody always pays.

Their web page provides this description:

Waterloo North Hydro Inc. is regulated and licensed by the Ontario Energy Board to provide all regulated electricity distribution services to over 50,000 business and residential customers in the City of Waterloo, Township of Woolwichand the Township of Wellesley.

Our mandate is to deliver safe and reliable electricity at competitive distribution rates.

So you can imagine I was a bit surprised to see this:

If you like Waterloo North Hydro on Facebook, they will give $1 to the Food Bank. Yes I get that this is for charity, but how exactly does paying for Facebook likes – any Facebook likes at all – help them fulfill their stated mandate?

Remember, as a resident, it doesn’t matter if I like them. There is no competition; I am forced to buy electricity delivery from them.

How did I hear about this? From the Mayor of the City of Waterloo:

Approximately 75% of Waterloo North Hydro is owned by the City of Waterloo. The mayor sits on the board. Waterloo North Hydro pays dividends to the city each year.

Other that a feel good gesture with other people’s money, how does this help deliver electricity or benefit the actual customers of Waterloo North Hydro?

I’m dying to see the metrics on the sudden internet data usage spike that day.

Just to tease you a little bit, here’s the trailer:

For the first time in human history, the concentration of climate-warming carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has passed the milestone level of 400 parts per million (ppm). The last time so much greenhouse gas was in the air was several million years ago, when the Arctic was ice-free, savannah spread across the Sahara desert and sea level was up to 40 metres higher than today.

Apparently the concentration has risen from just over 300 PPM to 400 PPM in about 60 years. Of course drastic temperature increases are again predicted:

Professor Bob Watson, former IPCC chair and UK government chief scientific adviser, said: “Passing 400ppm of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is indeed a landmark and the rate of increase is faster than ever and shows no sign of abating due to a lack of political committment to address the urgent issue of climate change – the world is now most likely committed to an increase in surface temperature of 3C-5C compared to pre-industrial times.”

But here’s a quote from a January 15, 2013 paper by James Hansen:

Global Warming Standstill. The 5-year running mean of global temperature has been flat for the past decade. It should be noted that the “standstill” temperature is at a much higher level than existed at any year in the prior decade except for the single year 1998, which had the strongest El Nino of the century. However, the standstill has led to a widespread assertion that “global warming hasstopped”. Examination of this matter requires consideration of the principal climate forcing mechanisms that can drive climate change and the effects of stochastic (unforced) climate variability.

CO2 concentration has risen. Catastrophic temperature increases have been predicted. We are warned that only drastic measures costing trillions of dollars affecting world economies and billions of people can save us.

Unfortunately, nature doesn’t seem to be playing along.