Kudos to Passport Canada

With all the bashing that has been going on about passport requirements for travel into the US, I thought that Passport Canada deserved some kudos for processing my application so quickly.

On August 9, I was required to get a passport for my US work visa application. On August 10, I got the required guarantor signature, and headed to the Passport office, paid my $87 fee, and submitted the application. Lo and behold, on August 20, I received my passport by registered mail, with the "date stamp" inside of August 16. A 6 day turnaround, with a weekend at the end during delivery...I am sure it would have been faster if I did the application on a Wednesday or a Thursday.

Now I am not a fan of government offices, but I have to admit, that this has been one of the most pleasant experiences I have had. Keep up the good work.

Casualty of the Iraqi Madness

I couldn't help but feel sorrow for a little boy, Youssif, 5 years old in Iraq, who was mutilated by burns, as a result of some cowardly act by some masked men, all in the name of "freedom". I included the pictures, so we can all see how the "jihadists" are working against fundamental rules of humanity;

It's a sad day when the bright life of a young one is complicated, sure to cause grief in his later years, even with the help that is being promised from around the world. I hope that all the news channels will move Youssif's story into the headlines, and forget about Michael Vick already.

There are numerous causes out there to help him, and I plan to make a donation to help his cause. I think it would be a great idea, if we all, as bloggers, could create a trust fund for his future, and make something available for his future...whether it be post secondary education, or enough funds to get his whole family out of there, I think we can, as a group, make a difference.

Feel free to use my "make a donation" button in the sidebar, no matter how small, and I will pass on the net proceeds to the fund to help him. I am donating $14, so I challenge all of you to do the same. I will submit the net proceeds under the name of "Bloggers for Humanity".

Let's hope we don't have to read any more stories like this in the future.

Blue Pill...

An elderly gentleman went to the local drug store and asked the pharmacist for the little blue "Viagra" pill.

The pharmacist asked, "How many?"

The man replied, "Just a few, maybe a half dozen. I cut each one into four pieces."

The pharmacist said, "That's too small a dose. That won't get you through intimacy."

The old fellow said, "Oh, I'm past eighty years old, and I don't even think about intimacy much anymore. I just want it to stick out far enough so I don't pee on my new golf shoes.

Music Downloading and the RIAA

There has been much in the news lately about music file sharing and such, and I thought I would say something...how about the recording industry start thinking out the box and figure a way to capitalize on the trend of how people get their music, instead of trying to play catch up, and go after "per unit" sales? The one thing that they complain about, has been overcome by other industries, and they are doing quite well...did you hear the movie theatres start to complain because everyone decided to create home theatres? Did you hear live theater complain when everyone started to stay home and watch tv years ago? How about when the movie industry created videos, so we could watch anything at our leisure? We could even record it and do what we wanted with it. How about when LPs were the big thing, it wasn't such a big deal to copy it to a cassette! Every industry goes through a transformation, and have adapted in the past, as I am sure the recording industry will in the future.

Here are some ideas;

1. Start selling ad space in songs as trailers to albums and concert tours
2. Charge a nominal fee based on bandwidth useage to the ISPs
3. Create a "clearing house" to legitimately distribute music, and charge for ad space, with the likes of Google and Yahoo
4. Add a small surcharge to concerts and public appearances
5. Add an additional night of a concert, to make up for royalties lost on sales
6. Create a climate that will make the consumer want to come see the artists perform!

It's high time the recording industry start to look at ways to improve the delivery of their wares, and try to capitalize on the way people are obtaining, rather than trying to get something for every unit. The old distribution model is based on selling a unit and making a profit. This is no longer the case to make it a sustainable industry. Capatializing on the mechanics of distribution, rather than the individuals, will go a long way to making a reasonable amount of money for those who want to.
The sooner the recording industry adapts like the television and movie industry have, the better. The internet and file sharing is here to stay!