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Category: Current Events

October Chillin’

Published by NiteMayr on October 16, 2009

After a Summer that barely was, what could we expect of an Autumn that has just fell upon us?

October_Sucks

Look at that, a ten degree miss on the “normal” target.  I’ve borne the “Global Warming, what?” guffaws but at this point one has to wonder why it has been so cool this year?  Is this a “La Nena” year or something?  Is there a very cold breeze just hanging out over London?  I was up in Kincardine a few weeks back and found it comfortable sweaty, now there is snow on the ground?

The weather this year (and really since last october 26th), has sucked, and there is nothing we can do about it.

At least try and say what the ruling actually says

Published by NiteMayr on October 12, 2009

When a large media owner tells you that a government regulation is bad, you had better be willing to at least say “you know what, you feel the need to give me a substandard service while maintaining a monopoly handed to you by the very agency you are asking me to speak against.  I think I might not trust your word on this”

I received the following from Bell Canada:

Dear Customer,

Help stop your TV fees from increasing. CTV, Global and the CBC have recently asked the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to significantly increase TV taxes.

The CRTC has been asked to do this by having Bell and the other operators pay more, which would result in higher fees for you.

We don’t think that’s right, you shouldn’t either. So please speak and have your say.

This is what’s happening.

The CRTC has told satellite and cable companies to hand over $100 million a year as of September 1, 2009. These fees are being passed on to you.

This money is passing through something called the Local Programming Improvement Fund (LPIF) – straight to media giants like CTVglobemedia and Canwest Global, straight to the CBC.

No new local programming, no improvement to anything other than the bottom line of broadcasters.

You are now likely paying for this on your TV bill.

You should also know that hot on the heels of that campaign, CTV, Global and the CBC are now lobbying for even more.

Each year, satellite and cable companies pay hundreds of millions of dollars to broadcasters. We contribute to the CRTC’s operating budget. Although to date these fees have not been broken out on monthly bills, you need to know they exist – especially because the TV networks still want more.

If the CRTC gives in to the broadcasters’ latest demand and lets local TV stations charge for their currently free over-the-air local signals, it would more than double the portion of your Bell TV bill going to government fees – and into the bank accounts of the broadcasters, like CTV, Global and the CBC.

In fact, if the CRTC lets broadcasters have their way, then government-imposed fees will be just shy of one billion dollars.

I’ve also seen the ads Rogers has been placing in the stream on various channels; here’s what the CRTC is proposing:

http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/news/releases/2009/r090706.htm

OTTAWA-GATINEAU —The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) today announced that the Local Programming Improvement Fund will have over $100 million to distribute during the 2009–2010 broadcast year. The fund was created in October 2008 to support local television programming in markets with a population of less than 1 million.

“Canadians have made it abundantly clear that they value local programming,” said Konrad von Finckenstein, Q.C., Chairman of the CRTC. “We have taken steps to ensure that broadcasters, and particularly those in smaller markets, continue to provide Canadians with programming that reflects their needs and interests.”

As a temporary measure for the upcoming broadcast year, cable and satellite companies will contribute 1.5 per cent of their gross broadcasting revenues to the fund, an increase of 0.5 per cent. As a result, the total funds available will rise from $68 million to over $100 million. Television stations in smaller markets will be able to draw on these funds to maintain their spending on local news and other types of local programming. The Commission will consider the appropriate long-term provisions for the Local Programming Improvement Fund at a public hearing to be held this fall.

In addition, the Commission has harmonized its requirements for the broadcast of local programming in English- and French-language markets. Each week, local television stations will have to air a minimum number of hours of programming that is produced locally and that speaks to, and about, the community.

On May 15, the Commission renewed the licences of the major English-language networks for one year. At the same time, the licences of the TVA Group’s conventional television stations were renewed for two years. The specific licence terms and conditions for these stations were made public today.

Developing a new regulatory framework

The Commission today also launched a public proceeding to develop a new regulatory framework for conventional television broadcasters. The proceeding will include a public hearing starting on September 29, 2009, in Gatineau, Que.

“The rapid evolution of the communications industry is forcing everyone to rethink the model for conventional television broadcasters,” said Mr. von Finckenstein. “This fall, we will develop a new framework that will give broadcasting ownership groups the flexibility to adapt to this changing environment.”

“However, in exchange for greater flexibility, we expect broadcasters to make meaningful commitments regarding the production, acquisition and broadcast of high-quality Canadian programming,” added Mr. von Finckenstein.

Through this public proceeding, Canadians are invited to share their views on a number of specific questions related to:

* a proposed model to conduct future licence renewals on the basis of ownership groups rather than categories of television services
* the provision of revenue support for conventional broadcasters, including:
o the terms and conditions of the Local Programming Improvement Fund
o further safeguards to protect the integrity of Canadian broadcasters’ signals, and
o mechanisms for establishing, though negotiation, the fair market value of these signals
* possible models for the transition to digital television, and
* Canadian programming commitments by English-language television broadcasters.

Interested parties may submit their comments by August 10, 2009, by filling out the online form by writing to the Secretary General, CRTC, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0N2, or by fax at 819-994-0218.

Broadcasting Regulatory Policy CRTC 2009-406
Broadcasting Notice of Consultation CRTC 2009-411
Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2009-409 (Canwest)
Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2009-407 (CTV)
Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2009-408 (Rogers)
Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2009-410 (TVA)

Funnier still is the tagline from Rogers about “More American Programming” (this is the Rogers that brought us HBO Canada after all and gutted the local and charming City TV)

So yeah, the CRTC wants to pay for more locally produced TV (as locally produced TV is dying out in Ontario for sure) and the Cable and Satellite firms are going to charge you more because of it, so they can bring you what, less local TV?  Is that what they are agitating for?  It certainly seems like it.


When you play with guns

Published by NiteMayr on October 8, 2009

Again, not part of a well-regulated militia
Meleanie Hain, the pistol-carrying Lebanon mom who received national attention for taking a loaded gun to her daughter’s soccer game, was shot to death Wednesday night with her husband in an apparent murder-suicide, police said.
Meleanie Hain was thrust into the national spotlight when she took a gun, in plain view and holstered on her hip, to a soccer game Sept. 11, 2008, at Optimist Park in Lebanon.

She was a gun nut and reaped what was sown, a love of violence and death led to well, violence and death. It’s not the fate of every gun toting person, not even the majority.

However; she souoght to bring chaos and danger to a public gathering of children as an indirect consequence faced a down the very item she sought protection with.

I’m not going hunting for it, but doesn’t the statistical likelihood of a family member being shot got up when you have a gun in your house?

I accept that guns are fun to shoot and somewhat necessary for protection, but if the gun makers were not so prolific and guns were not so readily available
would it remain so necessary to have guns in the home?

Ashes to Ashes, dust to dust, one reaps what one sows and a bullet is what she caught.

The United States of Whatevs

Published by NiteMayr on October 8, 2009

ReturntoSuckassNumber one Search term on Google for the past 2 hours, “Return to Halloweentown”  it’s after 7pm all over the US right now.  It is literally past the bedtimes of the majority of the people using Google to search now.  Nice.  Also, how is it that saltpeter became so popular?  Did someone on TV suddenly discover how to make their teenage son stop masturbating at dinner?

Return to Halloweentown is a kids movie about a family of witches and their ongoing relationship with an alternate universe with rubbersuit monsters as the primary residents.  Said Halloweentown residents sometimes cross over and have adventures in the “real” world.  I know this because I have a sub-teen in my house and she watches these movies as if they are entertainment.  I know that if it isn’t Ernest Saves Hallowe’en it isn’t a good kids Hallowe’en movie.

In Case you missed it

Published by NiteMayr on October 8, 2009

“Asking George W. Bush to accept responsibility for anything is like asking my cat to fetch. Sure, it’s theoretically possible, but any such behavior would stem from motivations unrelated to the asker’s purpose.”

My Cat, Spencer, Loves to play fetch. Thinks it’s the bees knees and plays until I get bored and hide the toy, he’ll run away after it, bring it close but not to me and make me get up and retrieve it. Which is exactly like getting a Bush to admit they are wrong, sure, they will admit they don’t know the first thing about Scanning Bar Codes at stores or running a profitable company, but when it comes to brass tacks, they will leave you hunting down the object of the game and when cornered alternatively hiss at you, scratch you or piss on your bed clothes.

That was a terrible night in Texas; which I and Ted Nugent will not soon forget.

Well it didn’t snow in September

Published by NiteMayr on October 8, 2009

ThanksGivingWhat

It didn’t end up snowing in September, which is great.  Not that the weather has been so great in London for the past week, but at least it didn’t snow.

The funny thing is that today I pulled on my layered clothing (undershirts, long trousers and and a sweater) and went outside and thought “The weather is pretty nice out today”  it was kinda warm and sunny.  The extra clothes made it comfortable outside.  I abandoned shorts on Monday for jeans, it’s just too cold.

I think 2007 with it’s very very late summer (right into November) was some kind of evil tease, as this year has been fairly close to COLD ALL THE TIME.

I know the calender means nothing to the weather; but the whole of the summer was a washout, one could only hope for a nice autumn.  No such luck, given the forecast we should be seeing snow on the ground requiring removal by mid to late October.  Some municipalities are going to really suffer this year if the weather doesn’t turn around soon.

Look for local news stories about Snow Removal budgets being drained somewhere before the end of January.

It’s been a busy couple of weeks

Published by NiteMayr on October 6, 2009

I haven’t written or created anything of worth (for the blog) in ages.  I’ve been busting out code at work like it’s nobodies business but my own, some great some not so much.  I think I’ve finally gotten the first major importer I wrote into shape (it displays things correctly and isn’t susceptible to bad client behavior).

However,  my latest test code has proven to be very difficult to deal with, an automated PGP decrypter with file management and file history.  Without going into detail… oh why descend into deep nerd land here?  Essentially the problem I’m having is that the script puts up text on the screen and I don’t want it to.  This annoys me.  That’s about it.

It’s been so busy around here that even playing games on the new spiffy computer hasn’t really been on the cards (even though I’ve dropped about 100 bucks on cut price games from steam and direct2drive to fill it with couldnt-run-this-with-all-the bells-on before goodies.  The only game I’ve played through on it was Saint’s Row 2 (bueno) so I could see how it all came down.

I’ve watched a few movies here and there, but I’m so busy… you know what it’s like.  I get to the PC at night and I’m sick of the screen and can’t be arsed.

I’m re-reading Transmetropolitan again, I can’t get enough of Spider Jerusalem I guess.

YAAAA

Mel, ignorance is not a virtue

Published by NiteMayr on September 23, 2009

DissolvedInsultYikes!  I’m blocked now by the way, so I cannot respond directly.  The Comment in question (one of around 4 I have ever left on Melanie’s photos) was something along the lines of:

“Wow, this is awesome, I’m so jealous.  Can you feel my jealousy falling on you, it’s like grease paint and jealously coming from a crying clown a tall crying clown”

The picture in question appears to have been removed in some form of manic deletion spree.    Truly, it was a jealously worthy image of a bridge in Prague(?).  I’m not sure that my comment warranted this swipe (especially over 3 months later….what)

This was her response at the time:

DissolvedInsult2

So; sinceI cannot reply privately; I respond in public:

Melanie,  I have a fairly evolved sense of humor and can accept that even the humorless have cameras.  Your pictures are nice; I enjoy them and vicariously celebrate your world tour (I envy your freedom to travel).  I was unaware that part and parcel with that freedom came the license to insult people who you have no real relationship with.  It’s one thing to go on a manic tear and delete comments and even block me from commenting once in a while on your photos.  It’s another thing altogether to go out and insult my family.  I await your apology.

In the mean time, enjoy any new friends you make via this blog post.

The Funny thing is that this isn’t the first time this has happened; about 2 years ago after Melanie broke up with my best bud in Eugene, 007Ben, she did the same thing.  Deleting all my comments (2 of them) and blocking me.  She left my family out of it that time.