On Iggy...He’s just not a stake holder. No property ownership in Canada, although a place in Provence, France. His wife, a nice lady is not a Citizen. And none of my biz – but they share no kids growing up and effected by the today and tomorrow of this country. So where’s his stake in the ground here? I like when Leader’s are also Stakeholders. And speaking of his wife – she says he sleeps well at night because he neither reads the polls, or listens to the news.... a man sensitive to his surroundings? Or, disconnected from his 'people'? As a Leader he wasn't even elected - more so the powers that ran the party anointed this fella. Why?

On the LayTon. Of course one of his issues about the ‘proposed budget’ was not enough affordable housing. In 1985 while earning an excellent salary as a Toronto City Councillor, he and Olivia, also earning an excellent public sector salary, took up residence in a housing cooperative subsidized by the federal government. Good to see that even back then he had a Federal leaning.

Lest you think me of narrow focus - read ‘their’ platforms not from this election – look at the past few. Our Leader Stephen wanted Senate Reform – until he got the right to “appoint”. He wanted transparency – until he read the Kings New Clothes.

Yes, please, let’s do another Stephen led minority – I’m just too scared of any one of them, or either ‘group’ of them having actual unfettered power.

QR codes the newest shortcut to – "do i really have to remember that?"
While some are using these things in unbelievable ways, by for example synching your arrival at their web site to an expanded conversation about the magazine article that contained the QR code and landing you right there – not just a home page.
But instead, too many others are using QR codes and building lunch-bag letdown.
My phone, my smart-phone – gets the QR code right 1 out of 23 times on average – you’d better have something more exciting than your web site url in there....tell me, show me, lead me so that it takes me somewhere special, relational, relevant to who you are and what you do for me.
QR codes are a new form of shortcut – people take shortcuts to get somewhere good. Don’t disappoint with bland same old, same old....or you’re wasting an opportunity.

During the past weeks – pages and comments of smart, sanctimonious and even dumb thoughts have crowed media moments – about the recent Court Rulings on prostitution. Hey lady feminists – you’re all upset about what this means to women -- you self centred people – what about male prostitution? Does that not count?

The MISTAKE?
We seem to have missed the opportunity-the responsibility, to ask about, to protest, to camp out at the Old City Hall Courts regarding the craziness of charging and then having a Toronto grocery store operator endure a 5 day trial for securing and then preparing for a transit – a criminal. How do i know he was a criminal? The Crown made a deal –they dropped the Criminal charges against the Criminal so he would co-operate and testify against the Grocer – Captor.

Who’s running the shop?

Who’s running for Mayor?

So I call IBM’s special 800 number for a server price. Wouldn’t ya know it – not that simple. This fella can give me a perspective – but for cost of unit that would work functionally together – it will take 48 to 72 hours excluding holidays, weekend etc.

Don’t get me wrong – IBM OnSite Service is about the best you can get – anywhere. This end of IBM, unless you get caught in a bad loop, could likely teach the Savoy in London about a great customer experience.

But back to trying to actually buy one. 48 to 72 hours?? Isn’t the new IBM about processes and saving us from confusion within our realm? Wasn't the old IBM about that too? Do ya figure they keep these prices and costs in a bunch of paper binders? Do ya figure maybe they use a Look-Up table on a computer screen – maybe even have what they invented a “Configurator” ?

It’s getting weirder every day.

Globe & Mail front page - Sept 25. 2010

We`re all very crazy if this doesn`t get stopped. OBSI will now track what they believe to be cases that involve "dementia". Is it a fear of how Canadians are being mistreated when it comes to their money, or is a budding line of defence from Consumer concerns and complaints? Banker’s or OBSI persons making a determination that health professionals often miss, or even miss-apply? And keeping it as a record? Hell even Professionally recognized medical practitioners can’t share such information easily – and we’re letting a Bank type group determine, track and store it? This one is really over the edge. This one makes me angry, very angry and irritated too! Track that!

Went for a Passport this morning – yes I did. We laugh about WalMart having Greeters. There were four on my way to the ‘desk’. Two were busy texting, one was offensive – “follow the arrows, just like in a bank” he said. The fourth – polite. Four “greeters” – would someone think there’s a busted process here?

But the best – a sign clearly states – Cash is not an acceptable form of payment. Forget process, and don’t try to reason this one through with me please. Cash is/was supposedly “Legal Tender” – shows what I know.

Elect Rob Ford - if he can bust things at a civic level, on to the provincial and then federal levels. More on this next....

Oops the Toronto School Board seems to have a hidden art Museum, worth it seems many many millions.

BUT darn, they can’t sell it ....Huh? The Royal Ontario Museum seems to have figured out how destroying the McLaughlin Planetarium was a logical and allowable act - without insult, or return to the family that generously gave it to "the people". And those nice new condo's set for the new site, will add so much to the City’s cultural cache.

Back to the School Board in such a tumult...they want to use the collection to show students wonderful art. My bet they’re going to propose some super duper new Department of the Mobile Art Exhibit, give it a lofty budget, buy cool and expensive trucks with alarms, rent lots of nice hotels and tour the province at a cost of ...? I can feel it....can you?

One of the greatest ecological disasters is taking place in the Gulf off of Louisiana.
And what does the most powerful, most advanced, most protective and most democratic country on earth do ? They stand back and let BP manage the situation.

And now days later, say things like – ‘seems they’ve not been honest about the number of barrels leaking” and then they say “oops, the chemicals they said were safe, aren’t?”
Hullo ?? What about taking control and sending an invoice to BP after? Manage it, step up.

This reminds me of a monster movie – the star is frozen on screen in horror – doing nothing. The audience screams – move , run, get away...but the star just gets eaten..... Everyone saw it happening, nobody did a thing. Except the monster – it did what it was supposed to do .... ate the star.

I can spell Google without a red line appearing – but when I type Googled, MS underlines it with RED indicating a spelling mistake. So MS accepts Google as a noun, but they refuse to acknowledge it within their world as a verb.

Ok, ok nobody really Googles anything. Oops “Googles” begets another red underline. Another term that does not really exist as a verb…

AND know that when I type Binged – the MS verb that, if you will, opposes the active action of “Googled” there is no red line. MS defines their world – on their terms.

Wish I could define my world that way.

Very convenient. Always works. Uses NO batteries. Has a long cord. You’ll never believe it – it’s a phone!
Yes we like most got a cordless phone for the house, years ago. Then it progressed to a dual line cordless phone, then with 2 lines, we added 3 more cordless devices. Soon when a phone rang, all hell broke loose. We heard the base station ring and ring and ring – we could even tell if it was line one, or line two. But darned if we could find a cordless unit that worked.

Yes the phone would ring - and panic would set in. We'd run, we'd look - sometimes we'd find it - but whoever was calling had already hung up - could we have missed Readers Digest telling us we'd won the millions??

One day I was in a store, seemed like an antique store – but there it was “nirvana” a phone that I could screw to the wall.
It had a ringer bell.
It gets “power” right through the phone wires.
No batteries needed.
No electric circuits needed.
No hiding under pillows, on the deck, in the laundry room, in the basement?

Now when the phone rings for line one – we know right where to go. Planted firmly on the wall – a telephone with a handset attached by a curly cord.

Old but predictable. And I predict these things could make a comeback.
GO ON, ADMIT it - sounds like a good idea - eh?

Only as a result of Government Services, Taxes – at every level, regulated services and public utilities. And oh what a perfect time to bring on the HST in Ontario and BC.

And somehow – right here in Ontario ... Insurers have just cut the cost they will cover on Health Plans for dispensed drugs...yeah that makes sense..Government reduces costs of Generic Drugs, but my deductible goes up? Huh? Whats wrong with this story?

My sign is Aquarius but i missed the drug days of youth...i built plastic models...maybe the glue substituted. But here we are – it’s today, and I’m concerned. BC has changed the rules for the small time local drug dealers – they’re legalizing the stuff and threatening the very existence of this entrepreneurial sector.

And now Ontario threatens their big brother. Heck the way I understand it – we’re going to have to buy drugs on almost the blind faith of our Medical Doctor, no more consultations – with the Dealer. And we may not be able to buy them at 3 in the morning – and that’s a problem, cause my doctor usually stays open till at least 2:30am so I can get prescriptions. And they won’t deliver for free....means i may have to visit them on a corner, under a dimly glowing street light? Well then I agree, close earlier...I don’t like late night rendezvous. And if the line-ups and wait times get too, too long for drugs at the pharma ...I’ll do the street corner at WalMart – even though I’m not their greatest fan.

In a competitive world I just don’t understand how businesses that are loosely attached to Medical Care – refer to me as a patient. And as for this new breed of Drug Dealer holding me “hostage” as the media has been saying...only till I cross the street to WalMart.

Go back, return to your core business – sell drugs. Give up the milk, makeup, magazines and whatnot. Go take a look at what pharmacies in Europe are all about – small medical-help style dispensaries. Find your core business – balance your overhead to that core...it can all work out.

...so buddy can you spare a buck, for your local drug dealer? Send it to one of those big stores - the rents are just giant!

Dateline: April 2010
News-Magazine: Post City Magazine Thornhill edition
Feature: Real Estate Roundtable

Background - Housing "heavies" weigh-in at a round-table, about what else - the Toronto Market (real estate).

Page 15:
Conversation about a million dollar home being mortgaged for three to four hundred...that I understand to mean $300,000 to $400,000.

response from an Editor-at-large, Financial Post:
"That's a nuisance mortgage".

....and folks if the "market's" in trouble, it's exactly her attitude that drives the bus.

How can an editor at large of a financial section for a National newspaper be that far from the street of reality and fairly write about news that matters?

If I'm wrong and they really did mean $300 to $400, then like Gilda...."oops never-mind".

Decades ago they were called Snake Oil Charmers. At another time they were Potato Bug Killer Companies, selling, 2 sticks of wood during the Depression, to already depressed Farmers, that would help them “save the farm”. In a landmark decision by a US Judge about mail-fraud, it was determined that "used correctly - the advertisement supported the claim of the product which shipped - bang the 2 sticks together, with even just one of teh crop-killing bugs and indeed they served as a Potato Bug Killer.

Today’s Charmers – for sure SEO’s – Search Engine Optimizers.

They are the guru’s that will advise your business on how to best conquer Google, Jeeves and Bing to make it to the top – “above the crease”.

You pay them, they do an analysis of your business, your site, your competition And then they deliver the MAGIC. The words, the special order of the words and how many times to repeat the words to “trick” the Search Engines to putting you first. And of course – first – is in business terms – Nirvana.

But there’s a catch – the words change. Often. So you require these wizards always, on a continual basis, to trick the “net” and keep you first.

So logic has one question – why on a recent “search”, oh hell lets just call it right in the modern vernacular – “why when I Googled the term – SEO Optimizers do I then see:
1,370,000 hits AND in ONLY .18 seconds ?

The Top Bar position – the highest PAID FOR POSITION – has 3 companies who can do it for me, but not for themselves?
The Right Side Bar – another Paid Advertising Position – has 8 more imperial wizards who can save me from oblivion.
...and then there’s other 1,370,000....

Oh gosh...who to pick to save me from falling in with the masses?

...and you missed them all? Yes you did. CRTC said " Cable Companies should revenue-share with the Broadcasters...and the money should be internal "no looking to the Consumer" for the money...that makes me feel good...no more cable increases....whew that was a close call.

Oops and this just in. Cable Companies are going to be allowed to insert Paid for Advertising in Pay Services and Time Shifted programming, aka - VOD Video On Demand services. It's ANOTHER new revenue stream. You see 12 years ago the fees from from the pay portion of these services were small and today at $24.7 Million - there just "isn't a future business case" for these cable pay services. Poor cable companies - no future visions of a business case.

OK, so lets just line up the bases:
- cable carriers and broadcasters are going to do a rev-share = we pay
- in a separate CRTC stroke of consumer genius - - cable and broadcasters are going to share in a new and different "insert fee", within a service that we already buy - VOD, that was bought 'cause it was commercial-free' (sort of).
The bad news - they can leave the original commercials in and 'recharge' the advertisers.
The good news - they can insert new commercials and "recharge other advertisers".
The net-neutral news - CRTC did not say: ...hey this new found money, can be used as the cost for the Rev-share in the prior dumb decision. No guys, this is "other" money. For the "rev-share" money there's an increase coming to a cable bill near you.

Enough said!

Awful Opening Ceremonies
And let it be known, i had no issue, zero problem with the 4th arm not working.
But from the opening cut of the skier that was standing still when he should have been sliding into the stadium...it was obvious that the Director was at the party, not Directing for it.\

Then onto to the Closing Ceremonies:
- Just as the Snowboarders were forming a shape – the Director cuts to scene of fireworks on the roof. Video Sir, video for replays and cutting in later. The action was inside, on the floor, the shape.
- Buble was Buble, ok. But it should’a been Stompin’ Tom that the number ended with, not Buble on a hat.
- What comedian has ever played to simpatico piano key-taps and got a crowd laughing. The Shatner Trio was in self-deprecating way very funny, but the moment was ruined by music. Except for Michael J Fox – they get a tight shot for when he pulls the giant lever, then they roll their own mobile camera right into shot – all but blocking the lever, Michael and the ‘moment”.
- I’m not a fan – but, where was Grapes – Mr. Cherry ??
- AND Hockey Night In Canada – Brian Williams who talked solid for over a week – couldn’t shut up – he had to describe the “tune”. Would he also speak during the O Canada??
- Rare were any close-up shots of people all decked out in Moose antlers that were partying.
What these guys missed was the ‘art’ of the show. There was no party. It was a sterile series of technical cuts from scene to scene, by a Director likely reading a book, interrupted by calls of “what now?” Oh Mr. Fecan your hand picked super-star and his hand -picked crew – yes what a job.
I know the Carol Burnett show was famous, loved and an award winner...but i had a hard time watching as the talent laughed and enjoyed so much, what they did, that we missed most of the lines. The show is for the viewer.

And the Prize goes to Tylenol…still world famous for managing a crisis they did not create.

But wow over at NBC. Yikes. They create their own crisis and then drag their assets through the mud. Leno, The Man, The Star, The Hood Ornament – Johnny’s Successor. First, instead of moving his show, cause we’re all finding it harder to stay up late….they re-invent it. Leave it you dorks – it was an institution. Have you learned nothing from the TIVO? Time Shift. It works. Instead, these geniuses promissed a new show, a new format – well the chairs were different, and he didn’t sit behind a desk. Other than that....new? We enjoyed him, his humour, the format ….just we get tired earlier. Don’t agree? How many people say they like Colbert better than Stewart, but can’t make it the extra half hour? Ah ha!

So instead of NBC saying – “oops we goofed” and then picking a back room target, off camera, and punching him in the head before he saw it coming…which is normal style for corporate gamesmanship…they publicly humiliate all three, as well as themselves. Three living assets that are built on ego – have the camera and at least some – heart of the nation. NBC just throws ‘em all in the mud, and then jumps right in with them. Talk about care and feeding of the corporate assets. Who are these leaders, the business wizards, these spin masters? Bet ya’ Michael Eisner is look’n good now.

And they say Madmen is a neat behind the scenes view of craziness. This is so much better…out front stupidity.

And for those of us that are old enough...remember the Network battle with Smothers Brothers...sounds so much alike. And golly gosh I think it was NBC.....ah ha.

Please let this side-show run longer...it's got so much - comedy, tragedy, sorrow, perspective, bravado...even an insight into income, contract law and oh the leadership skills....and the stupidity of a Network Executive to try and enter any battle with the guy, no guys - there's three of 'em, anyhow back to the dummy Executive - he's fighting with three guys that have a live microphone to the public's ear....so who's going to win....money or shame?

Oh and the bright "exec" ....he gave them the mic and left it on during battle...now that one has to remind you of Regan when he did the sound-check directing...."bomb the _astards".

44 Full-Body Scanners for $11-million.

Let’s forget about privacy and all the other nilly willy issues. 44Million works out to only $250K each. Seems like a bargain to me. Bet’ya if someone does a Freedom of Information request on this one, they’d see it likely cost $100,000 to install each machine. And it will likely cost $509,000 annually to staff each unit – yes, each one, each year - $509,000 per unit. That’s $22,422,400 a year. That should be the headline. Not the $11-million acquisition cost.

How? They say - 2 people to run each. At $35 an hour for supplied cost – how? Don’t forget the Manager, the Supervisor, standby people for sick days, HR Officers, Fairness Officer, bookkeeper, profit for the supplier, etc etc etc so this leaves likely $12 to $15 for the Operators. Yes each of the two – they won’t be splitting the $15. But now back to how - $35 x 2 people x 20 hours x 7 days x 52 weeks x 44 units – and we’re back to that twenty-two million dollar number. Oh, and $35 is likely the low end of the hourly rate – think more like $50 and for real aggravation. Not included in the above numbers are: benefits, pensions, holiday time. All additional contributions which the governments will have to pay back to whoever runs the money show.

Acquisition cost? Bahh Humbug.

South of us, they sent Conrad to jail for what they term “dishonest services”. If he’s there, which he is, he should have lots of company.

Here we have an Auditor General that continues to lambaste the Government for reckless spending and horrid management and oversight. Our Premier, a few weeks back said something to the effect of “you don’t like it, unelect me at the appropriate opportunity”.

When will stop saying things like “Government Waste” and accepting it as just incompetence?

And is it enough to “unelect him”, he then gets a wonderful pension, is that they way we reward and will continue to reward ‘waste’?