Parents are rightly concerned about the wave of cell phone robberies. Another was reported Tuesday when a 16-year-old was accosted at the Lawrence West station and intimidated into giving up his phone. Very recently two teens were robbed of a cell phone on Bessborough Drive. What to do. Of course, if threatened, the victim should give over the phone. Don’t risk harm. But many young people are careless about using their phone in a way that makes them targets. Don’t flash the phone around. Parents should make sure that records are kept of all phones and that a report is made to the police immediately. That should help to limit your liability. Finally, try to encourage kids not to put too much personal information in the phone. We all know that it can be used to defraud and impersonate .

This is news that will be of interest in most homes where the South Bayview Bulldog get a look every now and then. The Conservative government has told the CRTC to reverse itself on its decision to permit usage-based Internet billing, or the government will do it for them. Who knows. Maybe there’s an election coming. Story here.

Retailers know how Visa and MasterCard fees cut into revenue. But now Visa and MasterCard are taking a cue from American Express. Amex has for years persuaded card holders that they get tangibly more (so-called rewards) for using American Express. You know who pays for the rewards. Until now merchants have been able to avoid such charges by simply refusing to accept American Express cards. In the end, they lose no business because, after all, everyone has a Visa or a MasterCard. And that’s where these two card companies see an opportunity to increase fees. They want to offer Amex-like cards which carry much highers costs paid for by the merchant. The kicker is that Visa and Mastercard are insisting on an all or nothing deal for the right to swipe any Visa or Mastercard. A retailer would not be able to accept any Visa card without accepting the premium cards. Thus they would be forced to endure charges similar to those levied by American Express. The battle rages between the Federal Competition Bureau, which opposes this, and the card companies. The Canadian Federation of Indepdeent Business has had the courage to organize a campaign asking retailers to ask for payment by cash or debit.

This blog entry by British TV anchor Kate Burley deals with a raging issue of the day — tattoos. It’s even a hot topic here on sedate South Bayview. Many men seem to think they make a woman look like a member of a bike gang. But, they have their advocates. Interesting reading.