justcaws.com

Those protesting against internet piracy and copyright laws must remember that protecting individuals who create new materials spurs innovation and creativity. The internet and countless other inventions and innovations occur most often in countries that reward and protect those who come first.

It is by no accident that countries like the U.S. who aggressively enforce their strict anti-piracy and patent laws, are world leaders in innovation. While countries like China lead the world in copy cat production because of weak patent enforcement.

Obviously the current versions of SOPA and PIPA have to be tweaked, but it is wrong to claim that they have no place in protecting creators in cyber space.

Coming up with a fair and balanced approach of how to do this on the internet may take time. But it should not include the abandoning of any piracy regulation. That would be an outdated response that pushes us back not forward.

C’mon Ford, couldn’t you spend a little more money on your F-150 commercials and make a true Canadian version. First off, we don’t use gallons and does anyone really think our pals in Ottawa care that much about fuel economy.

Seriously, they have changed nothing but a voice over from the original ad.

Ford you can do better.

NHL enforcers are suckers at the bottom of a fish tank – they’re ugly, but they keep it clean. If you want to ban fighting then do so, otherwise get rid of the instigator rule and let the big guys
police the idiots.

I know in hockey I have crossed the line , but luckily a bigger, player with hockey smarts has given me my wake up call and told me in not so many words – to clean it up or else. Unfortunately, the checks and balances are not present in the game today.

The rash of concussions I don’t believe are the direct result of the absence enforcers, but it hasn’t helped either. if the league wants to continue to follow its current path – then 4 on 4 will be the next evolution to create more space in what has become a very dangerous high speed game.

American media is sure trying to convince people that there is a GOP nomination race when there really isn’t. The eventual coronation of Mitt Romney is a foregone conclusion, but the media is hungry for any type of story that will draw this out and make the case that the race is compelling.

Don’t get sucked in – when all is said is done – the hard line tea party crowd will hold their nose and endorse Romney because their distaste for him pales in comparison to their dread of another four years of Obama. So expect Republicans to milk this for all they can and then fall behind their man Romney.

If you want your kids to go to school with all of society – public schools are slowly no longer serving that need. Publicly funded speciality schools and programs are popping up everywhere and are breaking the system into fragments.

When public money dries up for these programs, and it will. The case for public education will be lost since the benefit of gaining perspective from being educated with children of all backgrounds will be gone. Chartered schools will spring up with cash strapped governments more than happy to reduce their education funding.

The loss of a strong public education system that has been a cornerstone of a progressive Ontario would be a shame. The irony is that it is being brought about by people wanting exclusivity in their public education system, but who are unable to afford the private option. This same demographic will be hurt the most – when these public programs get cut and parents come crawling back to a universal public system that many stakeholders have since abandoned.

GuelphMercury_com – Opinions – I’m winning gold at being an Olympic cynic

With RIM’s stock continuing to tank – the blackberry maker continues to be a lightening rod for business discussion and speculation.

What has been missing from the chatter is what makes RIM different from most businesses that are takeover targets.

Governments and corporations around the world continue to use blackberry as their mobile devices. The amount of sensitive data that transmits through RIM is enormous. The high level encryption and security standards continue to be RIM’s competitive advantage in holding its enterprise customer base – recent service interruptions notwithstanding .

If another company or individual tried to acquire RIM, the government of Canada would be under immense pressure to scrutinise the deal in order to ensure international security risks were addressed.

Whether a deal could or would ever be approved is mired in the certainty of uncertainty. This may be why no takeover attempt has been made to this point – even though it seems ripe for the taking. No company is going to bother making such a move if it knows it has no hope of getting government approval.

If anyone was looking to takeover or control RIM it could be the Canadian government. Yes, I know that may sound absurd, but if a state government such as the U.S. were concerned that RIM was being managed in such a way that could potentially lead to sensitive data transfers being compromised, it could push Canadian authorities to heavily regulate or even control RIM.

This of course is predicated upon RIM
remaining the gold standard for secure mobile communication. If this is compromised or duplicated then all bets are off. The talk and rumours surrounding RIM will disappear – along likely with RIM itself.

So what does the future of RIM hold. I suspect it will remain in its current form for quite sometime as long as its leading position in data encryption remains secure. There seems to be no marketing geniuses over there so it all comes down to the product.

It is for this reason I would be reluctant to throw Co-Ceo Mike Lazzaridis aside in any management shake up. He is the man that holds all the keys in keeping RIM secure and possibly coming up with anything new.

The Supreme Courts approval of safe injection sites has been cheered by supporters of victims of drug abuse. While I certainly support this decision (it saves lives) it should be remembered that this program is a band-aid solution,

The program is better than doing nothing however – and that is why I believe the Supreme Court allows it to continue. What I was hoping to hear is more from the federal government of what they would do to replace safe – injections sites. Drug prevention is fine, but what initiatives are in place to help current drug users overcome their addiction.

Reducing drug overdoses and disease
are needed, but I believe there would be less opposition to these programs popping up across the country if they promoted their success rates of eventually getting people off drugs. It is hard to embrace a program that is seen by some as allowing people to perpetually tread water rather than teaching them how to swim to shore.

Classic example of this comes from the ban Wal-Mart crowd. Many of the people who would ban Wal-mart to protect jobs, never shop there. Yet they would deprive low-income families in their community from benefiting from the low-cost products made available.

When it comes to solutions we have seen what works. Strong universal public systems (health and education) that provide an equality of opportunity have proven to be effective. Welfare programs that try and correct inequity have not.

Individuals with mental illness and substance abuse issues are a top public health concern. Economic solutions, however do not work with this group because policy success here depends on people acting in a rational manner. While those suffering need support, it needs to come from the healthcare system. Yes more resources will be needed but a compassionate society needs to take care of people who can’t take care of themselves.

Understanding the plight of the sane and sober who live in poverty through no fault of their own need is a first step. Only then can we look at developing targeted public policy for poverty reduction.

But let’s not confuse the working poor with someone with a drug or mental condition. Both groups suffer, but the solutions to prevent their situation and ultimately get them to overcome are very different.

Some possible solutions to follow.

No need for a great introspection into why the Ontario Tories lost the election. You can’t expect voters to take you seriously when you tell them that you will spend as much as the Liberals, cut taxes but that you worry about rising debt levels.

It is no wonder the party was not endorsed by traditional backers like the Toronto Sun or the Globe and Mail.

A policy of lowering revenue while increasing spending is a fiscal disaster waiting to happen. Voters from both sides of the political spectrum quickly assessed that this political math won’t add up.

Apparently Cody Rasmus is a very talented player. He can feel free to demonstrate some of that talent anytime now.

Anybody who thought the Jays are ready to contend next year have to be disappointed with their play of late. Was hopeful they could take the step of moving beyond the Rays this year. Guess this is still going to be a long process.

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Everyone once in awhile an artist comes along that I find especially annoying – Keesha is that artist.(No you don’t get a dollar sign in your name from me)

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Must admit I found Lady Ga Ga’s new look a little disturbing last night at the MVA’s – she does know how to change it up though.

Yes, I know I am not shy about sharing my beefs with City Hall, but I also like to offer and discuss possible solutions. Yes, I am against the City of Guelph giving people tax funded rebates to replace their large tank toilets.  My main complaint is that I don’t believe people are or should be motivated by a city rebate to throw their old toilet into the landfill. Motivation should come from the desire to reduce their water consumption to help out the environment and their wallet.   Much to wife’s chagrin, I will tell you that we have an old, giant tank toilet.  Years ago, my water guilt took over and I placed a large inflated water bag in the tank to greatly reduce the amount of water required for the toilet to properly operate.  

If the City is hell bent on spending money on conservation initiatives it would seem providing a free water tank displacement bag would be a much cheaper way of reducing water use. It also will stop perfectly good toilets from being needlessly thrown into landfills.

Recently, I tweeted about my displeasure that my child’s diapers are now going to be picked up once every two weeks starting in September 2011. This is unacceptable. I understand the desire from the City to avoid diapers and other sanitary products from “contaminating” the compost found in green bags. But leaving residents to hold soiled diapers for two weeks is unfair. If you think I am whiner on this – then you hold on to my diaper bags during the heat of the summer. All this plan is going to do is cause more illegal dumping that nobody wants.

If sanitary products can be bagged separately from bio-degradable waste at source, surely the garbage trucks could be fitted to accommodate.  Otherwise weekly clear pick up outside the winter months will be required.  

Yes, my accommodation could cost more, but the City could use the money saved from scrapping its rebate program.  I don’t have all the answers, but either does City Hall, so let’s hear some of your cost effective solutions.

Remember, it takes engaged citizens to make a city great.    

Glad to see Warren Buffett step up with his recent comments.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-08-15/buffett-urges-congress-to-raise-taxes-on-coddled-billionaires.html.

While I do believe in tax cuts directed to the middle class here in Canada, the tax system in my birth country has become completely out of whack.

It is heartening to see such a prominent business leader clearly explain using his own tax situation as an example of how disproportionate the American tax burden has become.

Don’t throw me in with the Robin Hood tax the rich crowd either though. I believe in a balanced,
progressive approach, where sufficient funds are raised for the good of society while still providing incentive for wealth accumulation.

Striking that balance requires trust. It is lost when tax dollars are not spent in a judicious manner and are directed toward items that are no longer seen by the majority as being in the public good. A lack of trust on behalf of the electorate that money will be spent wisely causes a natural knee jerk reaction to cut taxes.

What voters need to do is look beyond the rhetoric and see what programs they want and what they are willing to spend to run them. Those jurisdictions that have spent beyond their means and accumulated debt, most also factor repayment in their equation.

As Canadians we shouldn’t be too smug about our fiscal situation compared to the U.S.. Ours is certainly better at the moment. But at least the U.S. is finally starting to have an adult conversation about what they want to pay for and how much they are willing to spend. 2012 should be an election of significant consequence in America’s future.

When was the last time we had one of those in Canada?

As the baby boomer’s fade into the sunset – there are a number of issues that Canada will have to finally decide upon. Many of theses items have been left on the back-burner because they represent change – something stability craving, conservative boomers try to avoid. So what are the issues – here are just a few:

• Getting rid of the Monarchy – when Charles becomes the King of Canada  look for this issue to come up
• North American Perimeter – this issue is just starting to gain traction – but wait till the issue of a common currency is first addressed for the real debate to begin
• Election Reform – the “past the post” system has survived challenges in the past – but with changing demographics reforms might actually take place
• Widespread use of Biometrics – starting to take hold – look for more uses as our population skews younger and less adverse to these security measures
• Native Issues – anyone who has studied or just seen the state of too many native reserves in this country knows the deplorable living conditions present in such a rich country like Canada.  Having a comprehensive review of this file has been necessary for awhile but it will take political will – a younger generation more concerned with injustice or compassion could make it a priority.
• Two-tiered healthcare – with boomers soon to be using our universal healthcare system at an alarming rate – reforms will be necessary to avoid every dollar collected in tax going into healthcare spending
• Agricultural Subsidies – the developed world including Canada use these to prop of our Farmers and keep them profitable so that are domestic food sources are protected. Of course this goes against free trade and severely hurts the economies of poorer countries around the world. A younger generation – may feel less threatened on this issue and may move to a more level playing field for countries that can produce food in greater abundance and at a lower cost.

These are just a few off the top of my head – feel free to add your own or make a comment. I will add more later as well.