overthere
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Posts posted by overthere
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"In BC, we have a mixture of BCL's and private liquor stores. The private stores generally cost more, and partial privatization has not resulted in better variety or lower prices."
Thats a classic scenario for govt 'privatization' schemes. It's a doomed scenario. I bet there are many bureaucrats and 'stkeholders (menaing union members) who will make sure it won't work. An old, tired script.
"If they are so profitable, and they are...maybe you can explain 'deadweight' ?"
I already did a couple times, but I can see you need repetition.
You have a large govt enterprise in expensive owned or leased buildings with an overpaid workforce with fat benefit packages and even fatter pension liabilities. You cannot change that without the investment of a lot of political capital and considerable spine. You will pay for those extraordinary costs forever. Alberta will not, they have eliminated that risk and certain heavy liability to taxpayers. The govt still retains the wholesale end, where the profit resides, there is little capital investment required, and risk to taxpayers is minimized. Perhaps you could read something independently since you refuse to understand any other way.
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"His point of view on this is deserving of more consideration than yours. Sorry."
Hadfield also plays guitar, but I wouldn't pay a nickel to watch him play guitar and would pay less for his opinion as film critic. I can also guarantee I've seen far more movies than him, and I pay attention.
Event Horizon? It makes many Top Ten movies about space lists. I guess all those movie critics are wrong, and acclaimed movie critics Chrius Hadfield and Michael Hardner are wrong....here is one of many http://www.digitalspy.ca/movies/at-the-movies/a527876/9-space-movies-you-need-to-watch-before-gravity-2001-alien-more.html
Another very strong contender, how could I forget the wonderful, classic The Right Stuff?
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And you missed mine entirely.Overthere, you make the same point as my OP.
Sandra Bullock was lucky. And you make my point once again.
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So, here's the question: what of the future of film? Marshall McLuhan claimed that with technology, all old cultural expressions become "art".
Movies - the best of movies, not the made-for-TV crap- have always been made for the experience of the theater.
Lawrence of Arabia for example..... made 50 years ago, for the big screen and still a visual feast. The future of movies at theaters is solid. There is really nothing new about the experience or why people go to movies in droves, beyond some technical tweaks. Talkies, Technicolor, Panavision. CGI.... none of these make much difference to why people pay to go.
Sandra Bullock was lucky how? She is a very well established actress with a recent Oscar who can pick her roles. They'd be courting her for the role, not the other way around
She's also getting a little old, where these vanity roles get much harder to get, perhaps her last time when a toned body will help.
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Having has a few minutes to think of space movies that are better than Gravity, add Moon, Apollo 13 and Solaris to an expanding list.
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No, I'm saying that Hadfield is an accomplished scientist, snappy dresser and all around good guy but.... if he thinks Gravity is the best movie about space he needs to get out more.Sorry - are you saying Hadfield didn't say this ? Or maybe that we're supposed to listen to 'overthere' and not an actual astronaut ?
I do get out more, and gave three examples of 'space' movies that are better than Gravity.
Yes, Event Horizon. One of the scariest movies ever, set in space. Interesting premise too. Well written and acted.
You're an accomplished film critic, do you think Gravity is the best space movie ever?
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Nope.Sadly you cannot discern that had Alta kept in the retail end of things they would have opened up many more stores just like the LCBO did.
It bolsters your argument using old data but reality is the Alta LCB would have modernized, not kept the same shitty 20 stores they had.
Ergo fruitless.....try again.
Not to mention you have less selection than an LCBO store.
What Alberta did was ditch thousands of unproductive, overpaid employees and (BONUD) their plump benefit packages and really large lifetime pensions. Plus they did not have to invest hundreds of millions in new stores, repair the old ones or 'modernize' any of the real property deadweight the LCBO is burdened with.
I guess you did not read the stat that the products on the shelves have gone from 2200 to around 15,000 with privatization.
There is absolutely no way the AB govt would have increased the number of their stores from 200 to 2000. None. Zero.
Oh, and they kept the profits while flushing the risk. Neatly done.
Even the NDP here never talk about going back to the dinosaur days prior to privatization.
I can see you have no interest in reality or actual facts and figures that demonstrate a success story(except for the public sector unions), but do carry on......
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The word "demand" has a particular meaning that is specific to the production and billing electricity.I think you might be confusing demand (as in a quantity) with a demand curve. The demand curve can increase, and demand can still meet supply. This wikipedia article will probably help you to understand: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supply_and_demand
"demand" as in 'demand charges' can mean the peak usage of electricity within a given period, and it has been a signigficant component in billing of industrial power consumers for a long time.
The meter will have an indicator of peak usage in amperage(not consumption in kwh, the peak amps). Your bill is reset to that peak usage for the folowing year, even if you never approach anywhere near that peak again.
Now the demand meters are coming to your homes. Bend Over.
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"According to Geist, there is no widespread counterfeiting in the drug industry. "
He'd be wrong.
There is plenty of counterfeiting outside the West, and it will inevitably move our way as boomers consume more and more pharmaceuticals as they age.
I was in India not long ago. There are boxes of real drugs(like Crestor, Cipro, Lipiotor and many others) collecting dust on the shelves right next to copies of those drugs made locally. The real versions are unaffordable, and the imitations are of course dangerous. They aren't generic drugs, they are unregulated copies.
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You cannot compare zero Stanley Cup final appearances in what... 47 years?.... with five Cup wins and 7 Finals appearances in the 35 years the Oilers have existed. Unless you are desperate for any kind of schadenfreude available....I'm still not seeing why that's something to envy. And are you at all familiar with any Oilers fans? 8 years and counting...
Oh, and the comparison to the Cubs...maybe. One big difference is the atmosphere at games. Having seen both play live recently, I noticed that the Leafs barn/fan base is morose, bitter and generally resigned to the inevitable seasonal collapse. Games at Wrigley are a giant party inside and out, a lot of fun.
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It is not fruitless at all, as service to consumers everywhere in the province is vastly better with a privatized system in Alberta. That is EVERYWHERE, not just those few thaty live nearby some centralized magastore.Overthere , comparing the # of stores then and now is fruitless. No one denies they opened it up, as did every toher province and Alta is no diff.
More stores but there is definitely less choice than the mega store LCBO we have. Cannot compare.
Far more stores and far, far more selection within stores
Another major upgrade is the emergence of speciality stores. One nearby has around 600 brands of beer, another has a vast array of Scotch, several specialize in high end wines, others in high end spirits.
Greatly expanded numbers of stores (by 10 times),an immensely greater number of products on the shelves are two benefits available to consumers enjoy that were simply unavailable under the old system.
Try again.
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"Chris Hadfield, on Conan O'Brien, called it the best space movie ever."
Well, no.
There are many better, off the top of my head I would rank 2001: A Space Odyssey, Alien and Event Horizon well ahead of Gravity.
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I disagree, and I'm not alone.
I suggest that you read Lynda Obst's book "Sleepless in Hollywood". Obst may be a confused Californian MILF, but she has her finger on the pulse of the American movie business.
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Rich people in the world have 70" screens/basement cinema rooms. Poor people in the world download movies for free. Hollywood knows all this and now must make movies that force both groups to buy a ticket to the cinema.
Gravity is a trifecta: rich people want to see it in 3D IMAX, poor people can't enjoy it as a fuzzy download, there's no plot so everyone can understand it.
You have yet to explain why theaters are still packed......with paying customers.
I can offer a hint or two.
Many, many movies are made specifically for the big screen and big sound. Many consumers recognize that reality. It makes me laugh to be online and listen to people bitch about how the latest CGI Blockbuster they pirated is not very good on their laptop.
Gravity is basically a vanity movie for Sandra Bullock. She is in nearly every scene. The CGI is very, very good.
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It will be like voting for your favorite corpse.
The CBC will end up with a theme song and nowhere to play it after this season.
Rogers will be making all editorial decisions after this season, including on HNIC.
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That is not at all what happened with Alberta privatization.I would request where the smaller centres are you describe. Even in Cottage country I have the full lux LCBO in Huntsville , pass 2 more on way up, and have the local Indepenedant Grocer as an LCBO outlet (small section mind you)
Any small centre will have even less selection if we cut the LCBO out.
The number of govt outlets in 1993 was 208, now there are about 2000 outlets.
The number of products available then was about 2200, now it is around 15,000.
Selection is much greater even in smaller stores, and there are far more stores overall with hours determined by their business license, not a collective bargaining agreement.
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Incorrect. If the AB govt had kept the old model, their overall profit would be dramatically reduced and hence less net revenue. Since enduser is another word for taxpayer, there is indeed a direct benefit. Of course, there is far more convenience to consumers through vastly more choice in both products and retail outlets, and more jobs. Those jobs are at market value, not at $50 to $60k per year plus fat benefits plus hefty public service pensions for cashiers and warehouse workers.Not to mention no real end user savings.
Ergo....keep the LCBO
I say again: absolutely the ONLY people here who would favour a return to the expensive, needless nonsense of govt run liquor retailing are Alberta Union of Public Employee members.
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The first part of your sentence does not relate to the second part.When you suggest the victim had it coming it's no different at all no matter where they get it.
And I suggested nothing of the sort nor did I condone bullying, simply pointed out the difference between the virutal world and real life.
I can punch you in the face all I like here, and you'll laugh it off. Your reaction to an actual physical assault would be very different.
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Internet bullying is pretty unique....in that is is somewhat voluntary. Nobody is obliged to go to sites or join forums or listen to insults/smack talk online.
Live bullying at work or school is different.
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I did the payback calculations on an induction cooktop/built in oven vs gas range a couple years ago(and at a time when gas prices were about double what they are today). It was about 24 years to break even, which is longer than the life of the appliance so it makes no sense at all for me. It makes even less financial sense as the cost of induction appliances have not really changed and gas is cheaper now. I acknowledge that induction tops are trendy and cool.considering one will have the cooktop/range for a few years, not that expensive... some of the up-front cost differential is 'recovered' in terms of efficiency as compared to conventional electric or gas. Me likee this bad-boy for a year or so now. If you've already got a set of higher end cookware, they're likely 'induction ready' - I only had to change out a few frying pans... some of the manufacturers have been running incentive offers throwing in a complete new set of cookware.
Another trendy and cool appliance lately is demand water heaters. My best mate is a gasfitting instructor and his class did a payback analysis on several versions of same vs standard water heaters. Their best payback period- based on energy usage in a typical Canadian home- was about 25 years. Water heaters are rated at an average of perhaps 15 years of life, with wide variations depending on usage and local water quality. They're trendy but have no point for most people.
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"He is uniting he left."
Good for him. he is entirely welcome to the left.
It won't get him elected, because the majority of Canadians are smack in the middle of the politicial spectrum.
And I agree that he is out of his depth, and would be a disastrous choice as PM. I am not trying to be unkind when I say there have been no indications that Trudeau is smart enough to run the economy. And that job is by far the most important element of being PM.
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Its not just the quality of parenting its the quantity. Most families have two working parents now. This leaves less time for parents and kids to do things together, and traditional things like "sit down family meals" are for many families a think of the past.
Anyhow, the REAL difference is this conversation itself. When an incident like this happened 20 years ago (and they did happen) it was a short blurb in a local newspaper. But now everyone has a camera and the first thing people do is upload the videos of these things to viral video sites.
Iv seen more incididents of violence in the last 10 years than in my whole life before that. Its everyone now... I can go online and watch tens of thousands of outrageous assaults, beatings, shootings, etc. But it skews your perception because the reality is that these type of crimes are actually in decline. They happen less... we just see them more.
MMM, no, it's the quality that matters now and always has mattered. The old hackneyed phrase 'quality time' is as relevant now as it ever was...... just spending time with children is not enough, they have to have your actual attention and involvement. Kids can easily adapt and thrive with two working parents if those parents pay attention when they are together. Having a non working parent in no way guarantees any kind of quality of life, the opposite may be true.
There are plenty of screwed up adults around who were raised in Leave It To Beaver type homes.
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Gas is cheaper in Yukon than it is in BC. The fuel sold in YT is trucked via BC.
Insane.
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In the late 1970s New Zealand had an extraorinarily generous social contract that applied to..... pretty much anybody. As a tourist, all health care costs were covered if you were injured while there. What was more remarkable was that you could also collect disability payments.... as a tourist while you recovr=ered. So, let's say you broke your leg skiing.... All hospital costs and doctors bills covered, and you could get a weekly payment to help with bills until you were healed. Crazy. No wonder they went essentially bankrupt.
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Clinton would have a very serious shot at winning if she runs, though she is getting a wee bit old and would be closing in on 70 by the next election.
She has a really strong resume of direct experience domestically and internationally, and will attract almost all the people who voted for Obama, plus more.
Much will depend on her opposition of course..... If the republicans trot out candidates that are of very low quality as they have for the last two campaigns she could win easily. McCain/Palin was a dream ticket.... for the Democrats, and Romney/Ryan not much better.
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Looks like about 60 of the 1000 refining jobs in Sarnia won't be done there anymore, though I don't know if the jobs are actually 'lost'.
Move to Alberta, problem solved.
Protest against the LCBO -- Liquor Control Board of Ontario
in Provincial Politics in Canada
Posted
1.5 billion ?Paythetic.
The AB govt nets $729 million in profit with one third the population, and has none of the immense unfunded pension liability for LCBO that is not part of your piddly $1.2 billion. And far less risk too....
Lots of drops to me, $729 million and nothing to fear on the other side of the ledger.
But I guess Ontario feels safer having civil servants operate tills and forklifts. Welcome to the 19th century.