Rainn's Christmas Message

So you may have noticed that I took some time off from blogging the last three months.

I decided that I needed a bit of rest from the blogging, and felt especially after the death of Jack Layton that some introspection was in order.

I spent most of my time focusing on photography, and meeting new people. It is easy for us to lose sight of some things that are very important when we spend so much time on the web. Granted we communicate with others through email or social networking, but none of it can replace good old fashioned human interaction.

I did some small projects through my real life work to help fund raise for Habitat for Humanity, I also took a short time off in September to go to Las Vegas, and will hopefully be there again in January or early February to finish off my long awaited project; The Ultimate Guide to The Las Vegas Strip.

As Christmas approaches, I am reminded of the things that I am thankful for in my life, such as my friends, the roof over my head, the fact that I have gainful employment, and my personal freedom and liberties.

These same things that I am so thankful for also remind me that I have an obligation. I am obligated to ensure that I am a good friend. I am obligated to do my best at work. I am obligated to look after my health, so that I can be an effective friend and worker. I am obligated to help others less fortunate than I.

I am also obligated to do my part to steer (or in some cases fight) the government when it is not acting in the best interests of Canadians.

The last item is key. Our government shapes our lives and our futures. It impacts people not only in Canada, but in any number of nations that we do business with, give aid to, have war or peacekeeping efforts in.

Unfortunately, our government has been a bit like a masquerade ball lately. Everyone is in disguise, motives are not clear, and you never know if the person you are speaking with is true or false.

I also recognize that I am one person. There will be no Federal election on the immediate horizon, so I can not change things simply with my vote. So I will continue to discuss the hot button issues here on my blog. I promise to look at things as unbiased as possible (I am human after all). I promise to tell only the truth, and to report only accurate facts as I can find them out.

This Christmas, I encourage you to think about this great country we live in (or whatever country you may hail from, if not Canada). Take the facts in, and decide for yourself what Canada should be and where we should be headed. I encourage you to act! Find a way to effect change! Write letters to your Members of Parliament. Write letters to the editor of your local news paper. Start a blog! All of these things make a difference. Especially if enough of us do them.

The time for Canadians to be passive is gone. It is time to take the reins of our Nation and move forward!

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Shaw Cable: The Grinch Who Made Christmas More Expensive

Shaw's Yule Log: Is it worth your money?

Shaw Cable announced that their popular Yule Log broadcast, which has been a free service every December since 1986, will now cost you 99 cents for every two hours of enjoyment.

The video, which was made in 1985, showed a crackling fire on a looping broadcast. Occasionally an arm would reach towards the fireplace and add another log to the fire.

Each year, many families who don't have their own fireplace would enjoy the video as part of their holiday celebrations. It used to air on basic cable for all Shaw Cable subscribers.

Shaw has decided to move the video to their Video On Demand Service (which also means basic cable subscribers who don't have a digital cable box will not be able to purchase the service) and charge 99 cents for a 1 hour and 55 minute broadcast. Shaw claims revenue raised by the video will be donated to charity.

Their are a few problems with this in my opinion. Firstly, Shaw Cable has so far not responded to calls from the media for interviews regarding their decision, and as of yet, there has been no clarification on how much of the revenue will be donated to charity.

Also, lower income families who do not have expansive cable packages will no longer have the opportunity to get the service at all.

The biggest issue in my opinion is Shaw's decision to charge 99 cents for each play of the video. The free service on TV showed the video as a continuous loop for the entire month of December. Even when you purchase a regular movie or show on Video on Demand, you are allowed to play the film as much as you want for a 24 hour period. So why charge for every play of the Yule Log, rather than a single charge for a 24 hour period?

If you really want to get down to the nitty gritty, lets remember that Shaw Cable is a billion dollar company, who gets to write off charity donations. I think Shaw can afford to reach into their own pockets for a holiday donation, rather than siphon it off from their consumers.

Bah Humbug to Shaw Cable.