Feds investigating Moneris practices

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The Financial Consumer Agency of Canada is under orders from Finance Minister Flaherty to look into the practices of Moneris, the retail acquirer owned by the Bank of Montreal and the Royal Bank of Canada. The investigation stems from a complaint by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business. CFIB is concerned about how Moneris is notifying thousands of merchants about upcoming changes to the fees it charges for processing credit cards. The CFIB accuses Moneris of leaving retailers in the dark about whether the changes, which come into effect in April, will amount to an increase in their total fees.

Sport Swap post draws great interest

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We’re able to keep track in general terms of how many people take a look at each of our posts and this month, our February 8 mention of the move by the Sports Swap has garnered close to 200 page views in less than two weeks. We’re certainly happy to have passed on some real news and have to think this bodes well for that business at its new location. Oh yes, Sports Swap will be located at 1541B South Bayview, just south of Starbucks and next door to de la Mer.

Double Summer Time will add to jet lag

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The British government is considering a return to a wartime phenomenon, British Double Summer Time. This is a time zone that is two hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time. But the plan also calls for Britain to keep permanent daylight saving time for the rest of year, eliminating Greenwich Time altogether. It is part of the coalition government’s European tourist strategy, which is due to be published this week. Under the scheme, clocks will go forward an hour from Greenwich Mean Time in the winter and a further hour in the summer, leading to lighter summer evenings and darker mornings. Travellers from the Eastern Time Zone (Toronto, New York etc) may not like it. They will have to adjust to a six hour time difference rather than the usual five. Supporters claim Britain’s tourism industry would earn millions extra from the move, as well as saving thousands of tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions as people turn their lights on later. Conservative MP Rebecca Harris said it would extend the tourist season and boost the economy by up to £3.5 billion a year. However, opponents insist it will make life more difficult for farmers who rise early as well as children travelling to school.

This tricky Democracy thing

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Every night on the news people who are protesting in the streets of Arabia are called pro-Democracy. Maybe they are. But if you define Democracy at its core as a social and cultural commitment to play by the rules about how power is to be exchanged, well then, maybe these rioters are only looking for a a quick fix to a lousy life. Nothing wrong with that kind of wish, but it doesn’t have anything to do with even a bare capacity to practice Democracy. In China, where there is a widely civilized and educated population, Democracy would appear to have a pretty good chance. The protesters call their mission The Jasmine Revolution. Nice name. But as is usually the case in China, word searches are carefully monitored and this week, all you get for a “Jasmine” search is a bounce back.

A finger lickin part of our culture

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It was unhygienic, rude and gross, but Finger Lickin Good became part of our culture. The slogan is 60 years old now and it’s being replaced by a new slogan So Good. KFC tells the story that Finger Lickin Good was created by accident when franchisee David Harman appeared in the background of a U.S. TV commercial licking his digits. Afterward, a concerned viewer phoned a company manager who said, “Well, it’s finger lickin’ good.” It stuck and over time inspired music and a parody (right) among many other things.

“You with the car — give me your money”.

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So it appears that in at least one city, unlike Toronto, officials finally admit the truth about parking tickets. In San Francisco “parking tickets” are intended to raise as much money as quickly as possible. Parking officers have been instructed to ticket, ticket ticket without regard to anything else. The budget is in crisis and all that matters is grabbing dough as quickly as possible. Parking? Phooey. The only goal is to get money out of anybody who happens to be driving a car or maybe is even standing near one. Parking tickets in San Francisco are $65 incidentally. Of course, in Toronto, the tattered charade goes on that parking tickets are about parking.