Aeroplan to screw customers · Thursday July 26, 2007 by colin newell
Read it for yourself…
My wife and I have enough Aeroplan units to fly to the moon – and Aeroplan will take it all away because we might not use the points this year.
This is like the criminals that offer gift certificates that slowly expire. This practice (Chapters Books does it I believe) has been banned in Ontario.
It is bullshit and should be banned in Canada.
Aeroplan: You suck.
Comment [3]
Too innocent to arrest to dangerous to fly 2 · Saturday June 30, 2007 by colin newell
Alistair Butt and Alistair Butt both have the same problem — they can’t fly because of their name.
One Butt is a 15-year-old Ottawa boy — a star athlete and 2003 Ontario junior citizen of the year. The other Butt is a 10-year-old home-school student from Saskatoon who just finished Grade 4.
Both Butts were barred from their flights after their name popped up on a no-fly list, which is intended to flag airline security threats.
Canada’s no-fly list in an obvious waste of time and money that will do nothing for aviation security.
What’s more, when one of the Butt parents asked what they could do to fix this situation they were told:
“...perhaps it would be best to change the child’s name.”
Why? Because the child could be barred for flying for life.
And he will never be told why.
Because it’s a secret.
Fcuk. Fcukity Fcukity Fcuk.
Who stole Canada?
Comment [3]
Too dangerous to fly - Too innocent to arrest · Friday June 29, 2007 by colin newell
The neo-cons I have coffee with every morning do not get it.
“Very few innocent people will be caught in the snare of heightened security at Canada’s airports…”
That is not the point, I keep harping.
Canada’s No-Fly list was a bad idea from the get go.
It needs to be abandoned, scrapped, shelved, whatever.
This is Canada after all – not America.
My coffee buddies argue: “There are only 1000 people on the list right now…”
Yes, I reply. 1000 too many. And there are 5000 other people that have the same name as these people.
And how guilty are these 1000 people on the list?
Well, apparently not guilty enough to arrest.
Apparently we are entering a time in Human history where it is against the law to think about stuff… not actually do anything bad but contemplate doing something contrary to public order.
In some countries, for instance, this blog entry would be considered an act of terrorism.
Boom.
Canada day attacks on freedom · Tuesday June 26, 2007 by colin newell
Coming to your town. In a Times-Colonist report this morning, Victoria, B.C. Canada will be a locked down camp the evening of Canada Day.
What does this mean? Well, according to the newspaper item, you are not to transport alcohol (in pretty much any form) between hours X and Y through a corridor or a series of corridors and Manned barricades in the city of Victoria, B.C. Canada.
What this also means is that civil liberties will be suspended for this time period.
What it meant to bus riders and pedestrians last year (and the year before) is that you could and would be stopped and (illegally searched) by designated officials. Illegal search and seizure my friends.
That means if you are crossing town and minding your own god-damn business (with a bottle of Pinot Noir in your pack-sack) you can be illegally stopped and illegally searched…
if you are walking.
if you are taking a bus.
if you are riding a bike.
if you are driving your car and your wine is in your trunk.
You can say no to this attack on your charter rights.
You should say no to this attack on your fundamental rights.
Canada Day is about freedom, liberty and destiny…
It is not about illegal search and seizure.
So. If you live in Victoria B.C. Canada and want to freely move about on Canada Day… at any time of the night or day…
Remember: You have a right to!
In Canada, Section Eight of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms protects all individuals from unreasonable search and seizure. For a search to be “reasonable” it must be authorized by law, the law itself must be reasonable, and the manner in which the search was carried out must be reasonable (R. v. S.A.B., 2003 SCC 60). This means that the officer must be acting within the power of a valid statute, and it must be performed on the basis of there being “reasonable and probable grounds” that a crime has been committed.
Hands in your pocket rant #2 · Wednesday June 6, 2007 by colin newell
We have known for years now that Canadian chartered banks have been screwing their customers with obscene ATM fees.
Bank profits are at record levels. And how to banks respond to their record braking profits? They raise fees more.
Actually, they do other things.
They screw their employees out of fairly earned wages. And they have been doing this for years.
Here is the trick. I can it the Walmart maneuver
Load up the employees with more work than they could possibly complete in a 7 to 8 hour shift and then stiff them for the unauthorized overtime that they end up doing.
There is nothing that angers me more than giant companies and corporations that rip off their hard working and dedicated staff… and get away with it.
Now CIBC is in the cross-hairs.
Apparently they have garnered some media attention now because people are coming forward (and hiring legals) to report these and many other similar abuses.
The payout could be in the hundreds of millions of dollars (representing a lot of unpaid overtime)
Remember this friend: Banks are not your friends.
Banks think that they are doing you a great big favor to handle and exploit your money.
Think about this the next time you want to open a bank account. Think about trust companies and credit unions.
