If you are at all concerned about the issue of child poverty in Canada I want to encourage you to get involved in the Hands Off! campaign that has been underway for some time. The basis of this campaign is the disgraceful practice of provinces, with the approval of the federal government, to clawback the child tax benefit from the cheques of people who receive social assistance. In other words, the provinces tax the families of people who receive CTB. For every dollar they get, a dollar is taken off their social assistance cheque.

To understand the logic behind such action is probably impossible because if you approach the issue logically you would say this is illogical and it is.

If you read the front page of the link you will find this line:

The money that is saved by clawing back the NCBS is used to fund "reinvestment programs" for low-income families, but not necessarily for families on social assistance.

If you believe that governments are doing just that please email me, because I own a bridge in New York City I am interested in selling.

The greatest 'reinvestment program' one can have to end child poverty is giving families money so they can buy food, shelter, clothes and school supplies for their children.

As you know in 1989 members of the House of Commons passed a resolution:

this house seeks to achieve the goal of eliminating poverty amoung Canadian children by the year 2000

. Well, we're six years past the deadline and its about time we tell politicians of all parties, of all levels that its about time they keep their word.

Peace

Diggnation Nation

Here I am showing off my Diggnation T Shirt. I got it for Christmas from Jeremy. As you can well imagine, it's one of my favourite tshirts right now.

The Browser: Nokia aims to kill iPods, camcorders - Mar. 22, 2006

The cellular phone industry has to be one of the more fascinating ones existing right now. After making it so that everyone has to have one, they've now diversified. Nokia, a phone maker made more cameras then any other company, with the fact it made 100 million camera phones.

Now they want to rule the mp3 player and camcorder market.

They will be able to flood the market with devises equpped with mp3 playing ability and video capture.

I'm sure they will do a good job of making phones equipped with that and hopefully they will be good phones. Howver to say they will end the market of both products is a stretch. From where I live you can still buy cameras and by that I mean stand alone cameras. They have not disappeared and likely there are not. People want to take pictures with good equipment. This is not to say camera phones are good, they are and certainly they are convenient but still people still want cameras. As well, why should a person 'pay' to take and save a photograph, which cellular companies are notorious in charging you for everything you do with a cell phone. Yes I know they have children who need food and shoes, but still.

Now consider mp3 players, right now there are a few but they all have tended to not warm the market. The reason may be this, too many restrictions. With an mp3 player you plug it into your computer and download your music. With cellular phones, you download on their network, what they want you to download and they charge you a rather generous sum. I suppose you can plug in your phone, after you purchase accessories at extra costs. So not too convenient.

I was going to say 'battery life', but I notice they are working on that.

Hey another thing, that 32Gig flash drive. Got to be nice.

So going back, will cell phones take over everything, probably not. The underlying reason, why pay through the nose for the convenience?

Geek Entertainment TV

I have to report about this website. I learned about it from a comment made at Kevin Rose's website. Geek Entertainment is a videoblog, or vid cast that covers all sorts of interesting topic. Read the "About GETV" on their page.

I'm thinking of buying one of those t-shirts.

Boing Boing: Marvel Comics: stealing our language

Just one more reason to go to the wall against MainStream Media is this article. So Marvel Comics and DC Comics want to trademark a word that has been in the 'public doman' for all these many years. Another example of somebody wanting to control and harass people who are trying to do something creative. As you read the article you will note the reason is to stop independent cartoonists from using the word to describe their work.

The problem is whenever someone seeks to confisgate and imprison an idea behind 'copyright' you make it difficult for people to use it to develop new ideas and cultures. Sure it's only one word, but you have to draw the line somewhere.

Amazon.ca: Touring the Universe through Binoculars: A Complete Astronomer's Guidebook: Books

I just purchased a pair of binoculars, a Vivetar 7x50 if you please. I thought I'd use them for birdwatching and of course a little astronomy. Living in a small town does afford an environment where there isn't that much light pollution, although its still there.

I got the above book out of the local library and have spent some time star gazing. It's quite something to see some of the wonders of the universe.

V for Vendetta

I just got back from seeing the new Wachowski Brothers' movie "V for Vendetta". With the pedigree of actors making up the ensemble, as well as the producers, screenwriters and directors you would assume this could be a good movie. It is a good movie. It is a political action/thriller/fantasy movie that deals with a Great Britain of the future, a future where democracy doesn't exist and fascism is in full control, or so it thinks.

You have the ingredients, meglomaniac leader, a docile media more willing to instill fear into the populace then report the truth and things seem to be going well, or is it. Seems there this one figure and you've probably got the gist of it, dresses up as Guy Fawkes, the infamous 17th century terrorist, who desired to blow up the Parliament Buildings. As an aside, Guy Fawkes was actually attempting to destroy democracy rather then protesting any sort of oppression, although I suppose a Catholic in Protestant Britain might have some feelings the other way.

The question is however, is V a terrorists, a patriot or a hero? His aims which were the overthrow of a very oppressive regime are laudable but what was his motivation?

It is a fascinating movie; the political intrigue, the work of the police attempting to find this man, although they get sidetracked as they learn the truth about the story behind the story. However that is as much the story as the story line. The idea of the movie is the power of ideas. What can destroy the hold of a government based on fear, it is the people losing that fear. V makes the comment, "people should not fear their government, governments should fear their people", while it may be a bit strong, however, in this day and age in which fear is as much an instrument of control as arms, it is a good statement.


It is a like taking the red pill and learning just how deep the rabbit hole goes.

Go see it.

Apple OS X update plugs 20 security holes - vnunet.com

I have to wonder if this is the shape of things to come for owners of Apple Computer. After all those years of hearing how bad Microsoft is and how many security flaws are in the average system, I wonder if the hackers are now turning their attention to the OS X system and to the Apple Computer.

For years people have been telling us how secure Apple is but I wonder if now it's simply a matter of not being really tested. I mean what hacker in their right mind would tamper with anything made by Steve Jobs. That plus the fact all those Apple fanatics would probably hunt down the hackers and shoot them.

But now, Apple is getting a mite big for its britches. You have these bogus announcements like what happened this past week. What was it, that Apple is making its own iPod stereo system. Wow, like no one has thought of that before. I have to agree with someone like John C. Dvorak becoming unimpressed with these 'announcements' from Apple. I promise, Steve Jobs could call a press conference bring all the Apple accolates together and belch into a microphone and he would get a standing ovation. Well perhaps not, most of the Apple fanatics would be lying prostrate before him worshipping his black t shirt and Levis 501 jeans.

Now, Apple is in the gunsites of the hackers, let see how many holes are exposed.