phishtaper

Pretend you are the managing editor of the Agenda Setting Times. you have the power to put any two new eco-socio-political issues on the front page, which would have the effect of dominating Canadian media for, say a month, and flushing out all sorts of discussion. What two "new" issues would you push? I'd go for ... 1) Hypocricy in the Church 2) Companies that screw you (like gas companies that manipulate prices, and Rogers setting bit torrent limits) brain-storming only please. you cannot slam others' suggestions (see, Im already a controlling SOB )

give it a few more days. the couple has to leave the reception, get to the airport and arrive in hawaii before the honeymoon begins.

I hope you werent one of the two guys having a piss fight at the urinals ... collateral damage, man. collateral damage.

thanks very much for doing all of this, andrew. i know how much work it is! mad props, man. we bailed on taping, deciding to do sushi instead. thanks as well to bradm for getting the ball rolling early and ensuring that taping would be hassle-free and for taping as well. surprisingly, security there was as easy-going as I have ever seen. was a great show, cant wait to hear the tapes. (ah, remember the good old days, when they actually were tapes? )

during the coverage, i heard some discussion about non-voting during the first ballot. im kinda curious as to how a delegate can say they are voting for X on the first ballot, and then either not vote for X, or abstain (perhaps some even voted for Y? dunno). isnt there an obligation to vote for X, if your riding has (s)elected you (at least partially) on the basis that you will vote for X? it was actually kinda fun to watch some of the coverage. im nowhere near the political junkie i used to be, but this convention got my juices flowing.

pay up, sucka's

Not only are we going to Ontario ... we're going to PEI and Nova Scotia and New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Nunavut, and we're going to Saskatchewan and Manitoba and BC! And we're going to Alberta and the Northwest Territories and Yukon and Quebec. And then we're going to Ottawa to take back 24 Sussex, Yeeeeeaaaaaargh did it sound like this?

should stephen king receive a royalty everytime someone reads one of his books? rhetorical question, i know. the more I read things about socan and this whole issue (and I have been greatly informed by many of the posts here ) the more I realize its a VERY complex issue. there are valid points of both sides of the debate. but (ir)regardless of which side you take, one has to tip their hat to whoever it was that had the kahoona's to actually set up the whole system in the first place and actually get people to pay for listening to music. the copyright board of canada sure does have some serious bureaucratic clout.

well, that raises a fundamental question then. why should artists, etc. be paid every time their music is played? what part of the game changed such that artists, etc. got paid over and above actual sales of the music? yes, radio pays royalties per spin, but Roller World? the circus? a dentist's office? socan is part of a larger international system that has managed to secure revenue for past product, unlike almost every other industry. and the methods they use would appear to be heavy-handed and inequitable. what justification can be offered for charging every single dentist in the country $94.51/year to play CDs THAT THEY ALREADY BOUGHT? sounds like having the cake and eating it too, if ya ask me. besides, socan will not open its books, so who knows what's going on.

sure, but the ambiguity of cancon aside ... perhaps? shouldn't they only have to pay when it is ? (and admittedly, yes, this would then indeed require socan police) i dont think anyone is gonna argue with the intent here, but it seems that they are trying to justify charging everyone for everything that could even potentially be what they would legitimately be entitled to. what possible justification would socan have to try to collect from a performance that is clearly 100% non-cancon? say the Kiev Dance Ensemble came to perform in a local church basement (and bought their own tapes). can socan charge for that? is the assumption that there will be some canadian music played at every musical event and therefore apply a blanket charge? my ski lodge example would seem to suggest that this is the case. so, it just becomes a performance tax.

wow

very true, Stoned. its hardly a well crafted, or defensible, document. what is "dancing"? "where music is enjoyed"? says who? overall, its a small amount, so people just pay it, i guess. that all said, SOCAN does seem to have actually convinced the lodge to charge people, so ...

friends got married at a ski lodge a couple of months ago, and I saw the rental agreement online. Additional Charges SOCAN (Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada) Up to 100 guests - with dancing $41.13, without dancing $20.56 Over 100 guests - with dancing $59.17, without dancing $29.56 Fees apply to all events where music is enjoyed. I thought this was pretty odd. I can understand the charges if some Canadian music is played, but how would they know? In the case of the ACC, that just seems even odder because a) they are going after the rental venue, not the promoter, etc., and can they lay claim when its an international artist, etc, and no Canadian music is played?

hmmm, no wonder they banned the decoration. look closely at the window. pure evil.

the PC Police banned it for a couple of years, but just as long as I get my Starbucks Christmas Blend, im happy.

which is better? coke or pepsi? the difference between XM and Sirius is a matter of personal taste really. my guess is that most people go with one or the other depending on what type of professional sport they most enjoy listening to. XM has MLB, Nascar and some NHL. Sirius has NBA, NFL and some NHL. i've had sirius for almost a year, and got it primarily for howard stern. XM has oprah. both provide over 100 channels of various types of commercial-free() music. talk stations do have limited commercials (presumably for pee breaks). go to their websites and check out their channel listings, and popular artists played. i like sirius for its various rock format channels, including JamOn (dead, sci, moe, phish, etc.); FirstWave (80's new wave); LeftofCenter (college indie) as well as 3 different jazz channels. XM is supposed to have a similar set of channels. the two complaints I have heard are that the new wave station on XM is better, and the rock variety on sirius is better. technologically and price-wise, both are pretty well the same. each has 3 sat's (XM stationary; Sirius in geo-synch figure-8 orbit) as well as land transmitters for large cities. each has pathetic customer service in Canada (so consider getting a grey-market subscription via the US - its easy). both provide online listening capabilities, and both have decent selection of units. in a car you have two choices of set-up. one is a hard wired unit, often put in by the car maker or after market. that unit will work in your car ONLY. so, you pay the $15/mth to listen in your car. the other type is called plug and play and involves a unit that can be taken from your car (docked in a cradle to run) into your house (docked in another cradle to run). we have two PnP's and find they work great. it allows us to always be able to listen at home if the other car is out (also listening) and we pay for 2 subscriptions ($15, plus $6 for 2nd) - but with a PnP, you'd only have to pay for one subscription to be able to listen in car OR at home (but not both). for both XM and Sirius, getting the antenna set up can be a bit of an issue at home sometimes, and may require the purchase of a special outdoor antenna. I would suggest you go to the two websites and check out what sort of musical selection each offers. that's basically what it will come down to. I prefer Sirius, but i cannot argue with someone who prefers XM. after you've had it for a month, i guarantee you will never listen to regular fm radio again, and you will surely not miss the 32 minutes of commercials every hour.

dion in 4 what do I win?

Damn, we just wasted a lot of money on some new surround speakers then. Um, can they watch from outside? Technically, we wouldnt have invited them over. This is hilarious.

Thanks for this. Cameron paved the way for many Maritime performers and was said to be the godfather of celtic music in Canada. He inspired the likes of Natalie MacMaster, the Rankins and Ashley MacIsaac. I used to watch him with my mom on the CBC with Anne Murray. He will surely be missed.

cheapies - DT Hammer (even with the grumpy owner)

oh gawd, saving 20% is not worth the hassle of fighting with fellow shoppers, traffic, parking, debt, sales staff, etc. have fun, I'll be staying home, safely tucked away.

best rock voice ever

HEY!!! That's unforgivable!! ok, loco, if you wish to troll for things for your book, i think it's only fair that you identify yourself and tell us more about this book. what other electronic communities are you researching?

oh ok ... you voted Conservative, loco? ok, we forgive you.

Dear Susie, My boyfriend wants to move in with me but he hates my 2 dogs. He'll walk the Rotweiler but never the poodle as he says he is too embarrassed to be seen with her. Should I kick him out? I don't want him to traumatize my poodle. What should I do? Signed, Dogger - London, EN Dogger, Get rid of the guy. I have a theory that you can tell what a man is like in bed by what kind of dog he likes. For example, if he likes terriers then chances are he's a premature ejaculator. If he likes Labs, then he's good for a make out but has follow through problems. These are facts. I've done the research. Most men with Rotweiler's are closet cases and overcompensating. The fact that he doesn't like your Poodle is a very bad sign indeed. If you can find a hetero guy with a Yorkie or a Shih Tzu or a Pomeranian then that guy is a keeper. If he's secure enough in his sexuality to be seen with a froo froo little dog like that, then there's a man who is good in the sack! Susie Ask Susie ... some priceless Q & A.