For anyone who doesn't know, Roger Communications, Inc. is a media and telecommunications giant. You want to know how big? It has a market cap of $21 billion. That's with a capital "B", folks. Recently, I joined a free poker site that uses "FreeD" as currency that you can exchange for real money. How do they make money, you ask? By displaying ads incessantly. And they entice you to click on theads by giving you a FreeD for each one. What has all this to do with
Rogers?
Lo and behold if it wasn't an ad for Rogers. There is no message and no Britney25f. Now, I could understand it if it came from a small, fly-by-night company, but for an established (and respected?) company with almost 100 years of history behind it, it surprised me, and to put it bluntly, stuck in my craw. How low will Rogers stoop to try and get my business, which, by the way, it already has. I've been sending a cheque every month for the better part of 30 years for cable TV service, which currently is over $60.
Shame on you, Rogers. Such tactics cheapen you. I expected better. Will you do the right thing and remove the offending ad? The poker site is nopaypoker.com
I sent Rogers a copy of this post. I'll post their response.
I should mention that the same ad promotes Bell, Fido, MTS, Sasktel, Telus, and Virgin Mobile.
Thursday, 25 September 2008
Wednesday, 24 September 2008
My Town
Having lived in Brampton for about 25 years, I must be spoiled. It just never seemed that picturesque to me. However, I came across this news item that I'm pretty sure wasn't made up even if it was published by my hometown newspaper.
BRAMPTON - Brampton is not just Canada’s Flower City, it is now the World’s Flower City. It was the second year Brampton has competed internationally, after winning the national title in 2006.
The awards recognize civic pride, environmental responsibility and community beautification. Judges use eight criteria to evaluate the competitors: tidiness, environmental awareness, community involvement, heritage conservation, urban forest management, landscaped areas, floral displays and turf and groundcovers.
Well, let's see if I can find a few photos to share with you of my lovely town...
It's proving a bit tedious due to the fact that my town was named after a city in England, it being far more important than my city and I just learned that there is a place in Australia with the same name. Nonetheless, I will soldier on for you, gentle reader...
Here's a shot of a typical, lovely Brampton location. Unfortunately, all the trees in the foreground obscure most of the beauty of the magnificent skyline comprised primarily of 30-story condos.
Just look at how clean that road is! That beautiful white sheen is from many months of dumping tons of salt on it through the winter. And look--there's another breath-taking view of an apartment building.
Ok, now this better represents what my town is all about.
Oh, wait. That was Brampton, Australia.
Below, is one of Brampton's many parks, this one featuring an area where young skateboarders will soon be able to practise breaking their bones--I mean hone their skills. I'm sure those workmen will have the facility ready in no time. It's a good thing they brought plenty of refreshments to quench the thirst they are no doubt working up with all the hard work in the brutal Canadian heat.
I guess I've kidded Brampton enough. It really is a great place to live. Here's a photo of a house you'd never guess was from one of the more rundown neighbourhoods in the city.
I want to leave you with two things.
1. As if Flower City of the World isn't enough of an honour, last year (2007) Brampton was named one of the safest cities in the world by the WHO (World Health Organization).
2. If you or someone you know is considering moving to another city, I recommend Brampton. Here is the city's web site: Brampton
The Brampton Guardian
Tuesday September 23 2008 By Pam Douglas BRAMPTON - Brampton is not just Canada’s Flower City, it is now the World’s Flower City. It was the second year Brampton has competed internationally, after winning the national title in 2006.
The awards recognize civic pride, environmental responsibility and community beautification. Judges use eight criteria to evaluate the competitors: tidiness, environmental awareness, community involvement, heritage conservation, urban forest management, landscaped areas, floral displays and turf and groundcovers.
Well, let's see if I can find a few photos to share with you of my lovely town...
It's proving a bit tedious due to the fact that my town was named after a city in England, it being far more important than my city and I just learned that there is a place in Australia with the same name. Nonetheless, I will soldier on for you, gentle reader...
Here's a shot of a typical, lovely Brampton location. Unfortunately, all the trees in the foreground obscure most of the beauty of the magnificent skyline comprised primarily of 30-story condos.
Just look at how clean that road is! That beautiful white sheen is from many months of dumping tons of salt on it through the winter. And look--there's another breath-taking view of an apartment building.
Ok, now this better represents what my town is all about.
Oh, wait. That was Brampton, Australia.
Below, is one of Brampton's many parks, this one featuring an area where young skateboarders will soon be able to practise breaking their bones--I mean hone their skills. I'm sure those workmen will have the facility ready in no time. It's a good thing they brought plenty of refreshments to quench the thirst they are no doubt working up with all the hard work in the brutal Canadian heat.
I guess I've kidded Brampton enough. It really is a great place to live. Here's a photo of a house you'd never guess was from one of the more rundown neighbourhoods in the city.
I want to leave you with two things.
1. As if Flower City of the World isn't enough of an honour, last year (2007) Brampton was named one of the safest cities in the world by the WHO (World Health Organization).
2. If you or someone you know is considering moving to another city, I recommend Brampton. Here is the city's web site: Brampton
Tuesday, 23 September 2008
A Precedent in the Law
One evening, after attending the theatre, two gentlemen were walking down the avenue when they observed a rather well-dressed and attractive lady walking just ahead of them. One of the men turned to the other and remarked “I’d give $50 to spend the night with that woman”. To their surprise, the young lady overheard the remark, and turning around said “I’ll take you up on that”. She had a neat appearance and a pleasant voice, so after bidding his companion good night, the man accompanied the lady to her apartment where they immediately went to bed.
The following morning, the man presented her with $25 as he prepared to leave. She demanded the rest of the money stating “If you don’t give me the other $25, I’ll sue you for it”. He laughed, saying “I’d like to see you get it on these grounds”. The next day, he was surprised when he received a summons ordering his presence in court as a defendant in a law suit. He hurried to his lawyer and explained to him the details of the case. His lawyer said “She can’t possibly get a judgement against you on such grounds. But it will be interesting to see how her case will be presented”.
After the usual preliminaries, the lady’s lawyer addressed the court as follows: “Your honour, my client, this lady here, is an owner of a piece of property, a garden spot surrounded by a produce growth of shrubbery, which property she agreed to rent to the defendant for a specified period of time, for the sum of $50. The defendant took possession of the property, used it extensively for the purpose for which it was rented, but upon vacating the premises, he paid only $25--one half the amount agreed upon. The rent was not excessive since it is restricted property, and we ask that judgement be granted against the defendant”.
The defendant’s lawyer was impressed and amused at the way his opponent had presented the case. His defence, therefore, was somewhat altered from the way originally planned to present it. “Your honour” he said, “My client agrees that the young lady has a fine piece of property, and that he did rent such property for a time and a degree of pleasure was derived from the transaction, however, my client found a well on the property around which he placed his own stones, sunk a shaft, and erected a pump. All labour being performed by him, we claim these improvements to the property were sufficient to offset the unpaid amount, and that the plaintiff was adequately compensated for the rental of the said property. We, therefore, ask that judgement not be granted”.
The young lady’s lawyer came back thusly: “Your honour, my client agrees that the defendant did find a well on her property. But, upon evacuating the premises, the defendant removed the stones, pulled out the shaft, and took the pump with him. In doing so, he not only dragged his equipment through the shrubbery, but left the hole much larger than it was prior to his occupancy, making it easily accessible to little children. We, therefore, ask that judgement be granted”.
She got it.
The following morning, the man presented her with $25 as he prepared to leave. She demanded the rest of the money stating “If you don’t give me the other $25, I’ll sue you for it”. He laughed, saying “I’d like to see you get it on these grounds”. The next day, he was surprised when he received a summons ordering his presence in court as a defendant in a law suit. He hurried to his lawyer and explained to him the details of the case. His lawyer said “She can’t possibly get a judgement against you on such grounds. But it will be interesting to see how her case will be presented”.
After the usual preliminaries, the lady’s lawyer addressed the court as follows: “Your honour, my client, this lady here, is an owner of a piece of property, a garden spot surrounded by a produce growth of shrubbery, which property she agreed to rent to the defendant for a specified period of time, for the sum of $50. The defendant took possession of the property, used it extensively for the purpose for which it was rented, but upon vacating the premises, he paid only $25--one half the amount agreed upon. The rent was not excessive since it is restricted property, and we ask that judgement be granted against the defendant”.
The defendant’s lawyer was impressed and amused at the way his opponent had presented the case. His defence, therefore, was somewhat altered from the way originally planned to present it. “Your honour” he said, “My client agrees that the young lady has a fine piece of property, and that he did rent such property for a time and a degree of pleasure was derived from the transaction, however, my client found a well on the property around which he placed his own stones, sunk a shaft, and erected a pump. All labour being performed by him, we claim these improvements to the property were sufficient to offset the unpaid amount, and that the plaintiff was adequately compensated for the rental of the said property. We, therefore, ask that judgement not be granted”.
The young lady’s lawyer came back thusly: “Your honour, my client agrees that the defendant did find a well on her property. But, upon evacuating the premises, the defendant removed the stones, pulled out the shaft, and took the pump with him. In doing so, he not only dragged his equipment through the shrubbery, but left the hole much larger than it was prior to his occupancy, making it easily accessible to little children. We, therefore, ask that judgement be granted”.
She got it.
The serious business of developing a music video
Barbie is a dear friend who sometimes helps me with graphic work and or advice when I'm working on a music video. You can view them at www.videosbyvinny.blogspot.com Anyway, the following collaborative exchange occurred on an instant messenger about my then current project Brown Eyed Girl by Van Morrison:
Barbie I'm going to watch it now.
Barbie great!!
Barbie one thing bothers me though
Vinny what?
Barbie the close up of the girl when it says brown eyed girl
Barbie her eyes are shut
Barbie or looking down
Barbie can't see brown eyes
Vinny You're right.
Vinny That would be much better.
Barbie the song is about brown eyes
Vinny You think we could doc the pic?
Barbie maybe
Barbie send me the pic i'll try
Vinny sends girl1.jpg
Barbie my eyes are not looking good at all
Barbie sends vinny girl1b.jpg
Vinny She doesn't look like she's looking at the flower.
Vinny Maybe I can change the title to "Cross-eyed Girl".
Barbie hhahaahaa
Unfortunately, you cannot view my Brown Eyed Girl music video because the rights holder asked me to take it down. It was easily my best and most popular music video to date. I had it on YouTube for about a week before they shut it down. In that time, it received over 14,000 views.
Barbie I'm going to watch it now.
Barbie great!!
Barbie one thing bothers me though
Vinny what?
Barbie the close up of the girl when it says brown eyed girl
Barbie her eyes are shut
Barbie or looking down
Barbie can't see brown eyes
Vinny You're right.
Vinny That would be much better.
Barbie the song is about brown eyes
Vinny You think we could doc the pic?
Barbie maybe
Barbie send me the pic i'll try
Vinny sends girl1.jpg
Barbie my eyes are not looking good at all
Barbie sends vinny girl1b.jpg
Vinny She doesn't look like she's looking at the flower.
Vinny Maybe I can change the title to "Cross-eyed Girl".
Barbie hhahaahaa
Unfortunately, you cannot view my Brown Eyed Girl music video because the rights holder asked me to take it down. It was easily my best and most popular music video to date. I had it on YouTube for about a week before they shut it down. In that time, it received over 14,000 views.
Monday, 22 September 2008
At the track
I went to my local thoroughbred racing track this past Saturday. I had my usual luck when betting a horse trained by one of the better trainers there. For one reason or another, I have lost every bet save for one that I have ever made on his horses. I always seem to bet the right horse at the wrong time. Horses with proven records never seem to win when I bet on them.
Anyway, on this occasion, a new way was found for the horse I bet on to lose. The horse started out fine around the middle of the pack. By about one third of the length of the race, he had worked himself up to first. Suddenly he pulled up very quickly and went out of camera range, all the horses advancing well past him--not a good sign. A thought popped into my mind of how appropriate the horse's name was given these circumstances--Payday Peril.
At that point I got up from my chair where I had been watching the race on a big-screen monitor and went outside to see what the matter was. Somehow, the horse had managed to make his way almost a half mile further along the track and was right in front of me where I exited the grandstand. I thought maybe there was hope for the horse since he had gone that far after sustaining whatever ailed him.
He was surrounded by 5-6 people, including his trainer which I recognized. While a couple of men consoled the horse, a couple more were checking out his front legs. My view was slightly obstructed, so I couldn't see exactly what was going on. Just then, the horse reared up and then immediately laid down and suddenly there was no movement. I tried as best I could to look for any signs of breathing. I could not detect any. The horse was very eerily still and I concluded they had euthanized him.
It broke my heart. It made me realize how insignificant my wager on this horse was. This horse who had worked his heart out in perhaps ten races or more, having won three of his last six, including his last two, had earned a small fortune for his connections and had the promise of even more success. I can only hope that he had received the affection and fine treatment he deserved.
They placed a large screen between the horse and onlookers (too late, I thought) and prepared to load the poor creature into the horse ambulance. I retreated back to my seat and remarked to those sitting near me "I think they euthanized that horse". My comment was greeted with stone silence of indifference.
Anyone who has ever entered a horse racing establishment would have immediately noticed how unsavoury many of the patrons are. They are loud, boisterous, rowdy, unkempt, of poor breeding and generally lack proper hygiene. But that day, I found yet another adjective to add to the list: heartless.
Late that night, I googled the horse's name and to my surprise and dismay, I couldn't find a single item relating to the horse's death (or less likely, his condition). I even checked the race track's own website to no avail. The fine career and promise of this horse, and his painful and sad passing had gone by without so much as a footnote.
As I was writing this today, Monday, I checked again for an item on the horse and am glad to see that a few sentences were written in a blog by Jennifer Morrison to mark the gelding's life and death. Jennifer Morrison is the track odds-maker. Kudos to her. The horse racing sport needs more like her.
Here is Jen's blog.
Anyway, on this occasion, a new way was found for the horse I bet on to lose. The horse started out fine around the middle of the pack. By about one third of the length of the race, he had worked himself up to first. Suddenly he pulled up very quickly and went out of camera range, all the horses advancing well past him--not a good sign. A thought popped into my mind of how appropriate the horse's name was given these circumstances--Payday Peril.
At that point I got up from my chair where I had been watching the race on a big-screen monitor and went outside to see what the matter was. Somehow, the horse had managed to make his way almost a half mile further along the track and was right in front of me where I exited the grandstand. I thought maybe there was hope for the horse since he had gone that far after sustaining whatever ailed him.
He was surrounded by 5-6 people, including his trainer which I recognized. While a couple of men consoled the horse, a couple more were checking out his front legs. My view was slightly obstructed, so I couldn't see exactly what was going on. Just then, the horse reared up and then immediately laid down and suddenly there was no movement. I tried as best I could to look for any signs of breathing. I could not detect any. The horse was very eerily still and I concluded they had euthanized him.
It broke my heart. It made me realize how insignificant my wager on this horse was. This horse who had worked his heart out in perhaps ten races or more, having won three of his last six, including his last two, had earned a small fortune for his connections and had the promise of even more success. I can only hope that he had received the affection and fine treatment he deserved.
They placed a large screen between the horse and onlookers (too late, I thought) and prepared to load the poor creature into the horse ambulance. I retreated back to my seat and remarked to those sitting near me "I think they euthanized that horse". My comment was greeted with stone silence of indifference.
Anyone who has ever entered a horse racing establishment would have immediately noticed how unsavoury many of the patrons are. They are loud, boisterous, rowdy, unkempt, of poor breeding and generally lack proper hygiene. But that day, I found yet another adjective to add to the list: heartless.
Late that night, I googled the horse's name and to my surprise and dismay, I couldn't find a single item relating to the horse's death (or less likely, his condition). I even checked the race track's own website to no avail. The fine career and promise of this horse, and his painful and sad passing had gone by without so much as a footnote.
As I was writing this today, Monday, I checked again for an item on the horse and am glad to see that a few sentences were written in a blog by Jennifer Morrison to mark the gelding's life and death. Jennifer Morrison is the track odds-maker. Kudos to her. The horse racing sport needs more like her.
Here is Jen's blog.
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