Money City Maniacs - Sloan
I am going to take a stand on what I feel is a disturbing trend fuelled by the almighty dollar. I am annoyed and can't be silenced. More and more often these days we are hearing about the outcome of events being contingent on the raising of a specific dollar amount from the public. The first I heard of this involved a movie. The Veronica Mars movie project. The producer had a script and agreed in principal to make the movie (I don't know if the standard avenues for funding were explored and denied or just bypassed) - the idea was put to the fans. If you want to see it, you have to pay us for making it. Then you can pay again to see it. I guess it's your money, do with it what you want. I've no interest in Veronica Mars or even know who she is. If a movie is made and I find it worthy of my time, I will make the decision to see it then. A cursory glance at one of the internet platforms reveals that not just movies are seeking your dollar so are inventors looking to get their latest notion to market. Fashion trends too. And people are laying their greenbacks down. A few clicks and mental calculations and an easy million has been committed to various projects.
But this notion of so-called Crowd-Funding has gone to the dark side when a tabloid-type website decided to raise the ransom requested before releasing an incriminating video of Rob Ford (mayor of Toronto, Ontario) smoking crack. Now, I'm no fan of Rob Ford but if he has engaged in illegal activity it is up to the police to deal with it. If a crime occurs, the first thing police do in this technologically aware society is seek out security video from surrounding homes or businesses. And they don't pay to view it. So it stands to reason that if someone is claiming to have video of Mayor Rob Ford engaging in illegal activity, the police need to step in not me and my visa number. He is a master of denial from the Bill Clinton School of It Wasn't Me and is quick to point a finger to someone else. Just one step shy of a temper tantrum, he blames the media frenzy on a specific newspapers being out to get him. Not even the National Enquirer could make up some of this stuff let alone the humble Toronto Star. He sees himself as a hero for the people. The people need to see him for what he is. An arrogant, self-involved, lying buffoon. And for the record, the required amount of money was raised (and then some) but suddenly the owner of the video wasn't interested in talking anymore.
But let's look at a potential benefit to this new form of fund-raising. I am well aware of the level of my own intelligence but I can't be the only one who thought of this. Some time ago there was a story circulating on the interweb about a cancer cure in the form of DCA by researchers at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada. It was on the CBC - Canada's go to trustworthy news source. The claim was that a drug called Dichloroacetate had been found to kill brain, breast and lung cancer cells while leaving the healthy cells alone. The problem was that the patent on the drug had long since expired so there was no incentive by the pharmaceutical companies to invest the money required for further testing. If they can't make money they aren't interested. This is incomprehensible to me. But it lies credence to the long held notion that there has been a cure for the common cold for many years but the industry makes so much money from our coughs and sputters that it will never be disclosed. Same thing here except it's not a runny nose it's the breath of life. And it's not an internet scam gone wild - snopes.com investigated and found that although exaggerated somewhat in the cure-all claims, there was a lot of validity to the story and according to the most cynical professionals, the drug itself was worth investigating further.
If there is the slimmest of chances of a cure for a deadly disease that affects almost everyone one of us these days in someway...Someone we love or someone we know...If there is a tiny possibility that one person in 10, one in 100 is cured then it's worth the money. Take all the money that we raise to see a movie come to the big screen and preserve the life of a loved one - wouldn't you do it. You could send $5 to see a video of Rob Ford breaking the law or making an ass of himself or you could turn on the 6:00 news any given night and sit on the sofa and laugh with the special someone who was just diagnosed and now has a chance to live. More than $200,000 was raised for that! Think of the good it could have done.
Sobering statistics. What would you do to change it? If every Canadian made a commitment of $1.00 would it be enough to take control of the drug, do further testing and then put it to market. For the people by the people. And top it up with $1,000,000 from the next national lottery instead of giving it as a winning prize. Then we would all win again. If I could do it and have my brother back - well, it's a no-brainer.
Do we really need to pay money to verify that he is an arrogant, lying, disgrace to the city who thinks he is above the law. I give it less than a month before he has done something else to get the world laughing at Toronto. More Ford Nation? He needs to be recalled like the vehicles bearing his name. Mayor Rob Ford has golden horseshoes up his ass along with a silver spoon/soother in his mouth. He has dodged more bullets than raindrops in a thunderstorm and still he stands. But then again Weebles wooble but they don't fall down. The ironic thing is that he often the one stirring the pot and creating the story. This wouldn't be the first time that the always innocent Mayor has found himself on the negative side of public opinion. Off the top of my head:
1. He gave a finger to a fellow motorist when she challenged his being on the phone while driving. An illegal activity in the province.
2. He was photographed driving along a major highway, reading and navigating the congested road. Distracted driving is a crime but he begged off because he is a "busy man".
3. He gave priority status to the road work that was to be done in front of this family's business to ensure it's completion before a 50th anniversary celebration
4. Conflict of Interest charges were brought against him after he funnelled solicited funds to his football foundation and then voted to not pay it back when the story came to light. For that he was ordered to step down as mayor. He won his appeal and the people lost.
5. Campaign finance violations by exceeding the spending limit and accepting a no-interest loan from a Ford family business instead of a recognised lender. Allegations his own lawyer didn't deny but called insignificant.
6. He extended his sympathy for cyclist who are killed on the city streets by saying "it's their own fault at the end of the day."
7. With his head down trying to avoid reporters he walks into a camera and then with a few expletives and blasphemies claims they hit him with the camera.
8. He questioned the mental competence of a fellow politician when she claimed that he grabbed her derriere in a drunken stupor.
9. It was the Toronto Sun not the Star that confronted the mayor after finding records of an arrest in Florida in 1999 for drug possession and DUI. He vehemently denied the possession allegation "Now I'm getting offended. No means No". Later he admitted having one joint in his back pocket. He pleaded no contest to the alcohol related offence.
10. He used a taxpayer paid aide to help him coach his high school football team and they used city vehicles for transportation to games and practices.
11. Also a benefit to the Don Bosco High School team that he coached, paying transit customers were booted off a bus in the rain when Ford called the CEO of the TTC (Toronto Transit Commission) saying his team needed a bus for a ride back to the school after an away game.
12. After failing off the scale at his Cut the Waist Challenge, he twisted his ankle. While he did lose 17 pounds, he never really seemed to take it seriously and when the going got hard, he gave up and went to KFC instead. And he was spotted with his hand in the bucket. More on this story can be found at my blog written on May 1, 2012 Downsizing An Upsizing World. The link can be found below.
Credit where credit is due:
www.thestar.com
www.cbc.ca
www.snopes.com
www.cancer.ca
http://pinkpantherfancanada.blogspot.ca/2012/05/downsizing-upsizing-world.html
But this notion of so-called Crowd-Funding has gone to the dark side when a tabloid-type website decided to raise the ransom requested before releasing an incriminating video of Rob Ford (mayor of Toronto, Ontario) smoking crack. Now, I'm no fan of Rob Ford but if he has engaged in illegal activity it is up to the police to deal with it. If a crime occurs, the first thing police do in this technologically aware society is seek out security video from surrounding homes or businesses. And they don't pay to view it. So it stands to reason that if someone is claiming to have video of Mayor Rob Ford engaging in illegal activity, the police need to step in not me and my visa number. He is a master of denial from the Bill Clinton School of It Wasn't Me and is quick to point a finger to someone else. Just one step shy of a temper tantrum, he blames the media frenzy on a specific newspapers being out to get him. Not even the National Enquirer could make up some of this stuff let alone the humble Toronto Star. He sees himself as a hero for the people. The people need to see him for what he is. An arrogant, self-involved, lying buffoon. And for the record, the required amount of money was raised (and then some) but suddenly the owner of the video wasn't interested in talking anymore. But let's look at a potential benefit to this new form of fund-raising. I am well aware of the level of my own intelligence but I can't be the only one who thought of this. Some time ago there was a story circulating on the interweb about a cancer cure in the form of DCA by researchers at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada. It was on the CBC - Canada's go to trustworthy news source. The claim was that a drug called Dichloroacetate had been found to kill brain, breast and lung cancer cells while leaving the healthy cells alone. The problem was that the patent on the drug had long since expired so there was no incentive by the pharmaceutical companies to invest the money required for further testing. If they can't make money they aren't interested. This is incomprehensible to me. But it lies credence to the long held notion that there has been a cure for the common cold for many years but the industry makes so much money from our coughs and sputters that it will never be disclosed. Same thing here except it's not a runny nose it's the breath of life. And it's not an internet scam gone wild - snopes.com investigated and found that although exaggerated somewhat in the cure-all claims, there was a lot of validity to the story and according to the most cynical professionals, the drug itself was worth investigating further.
If there is the slimmest of chances of a cure for a deadly disease that affects almost everyone one of us these days in someway...Someone we love or someone we know...If there is a tiny possibility that one person in 10, one in 100 is cured then it's worth the money. Take all the money that we raise to see a movie come to the big screen and preserve the life of a loved one - wouldn't you do it. You could send $5 to see a video of Rob Ford breaking the law or making an ass of himself or you could turn on the 6:00 news any given night and sit on the sofa and laugh with the special someone who was just diagnosed and now has a chance to live. More than $200,000 was raised for that! Think of the good it could have done.
In 2012 2 in 5 Canadians were expected to develop cancer.
In 2012 1 in 4 Canadians were expected to die from cancer.
Sobering statistics. What would you do to change it? If every Canadian made a commitment of $1.00 would it be enough to take control of the drug, do further testing and then put it to market. For the people by the people. And top it up with $1,000,000 from the next national lottery instead of giving it as a winning prize. Then we would all win again. If I could do it and have my brother back - well, it's a no-brainer.
The Saga of Rob Ford is entertaining so lets roll with it.
Do we really need to pay money to verify that he is an arrogant, lying, disgrace to the city who thinks he is above the law. I give it less than a month before he has done something else to get the world laughing at Toronto. More Ford Nation? He needs to be recalled like the vehicles bearing his name. Mayor Rob Ford has golden horseshoes up his ass along with a silver spoon/soother in his mouth. He has dodged more bullets than raindrops in a thunderstorm and still he stands. But then again Weebles wooble but they don't fall down. The ironic thing is that he often the one stirring the pot and creating the story. This wouldn't be the first time that the always innocent Mayor has found himself on the negative side of public opinion. Off the top of my head:1. He gave a finger to a fellow motorist when she challenged his being on the phone while driving. An illegal activity in the province.
2. He was photographed driving along a major highway, reading and navigating the congested road. Distracted driving is a crime but he begged off because he is a "busy man".
3. He gave priority status to the road work that was to be done in front of this family's business to ensure it's completion before a 50th anniversary celebration
4. Conflict of Interest charges were brought against him after he funnelled solicited funds to his football foundation and then voted to not pay it back when the story came to light. For that he was ordered to step down as mayor. He won his appeal and the people lost.
5. Campaign finance violations by exceeding the spending limit and accepting a no-interest loan from a Ford family business instead of a recognised lender. Allegations his own lawyer didn't deny but called insignificant.
6. He extended his sympathy for cyclist who are killed on the city streets by saying "it's their own fault at the end of the day."
7. With his head down trying to avoid reporters he walks into a camera and then with a few expletives and blasphemies claims they hit him with the camera.
8. He questioned the mental competence of a fellow politician when she claimed that he grabbed her derriere in a drunken stupor.
9. It was the Toronto Sun not the Star that confronted the mayor after finding records of an arrest in Florida in 1999 for drug possession and DUI. He vehemently denied the possession allegation "Now I'm getting offended. No means No". Later he admitted having one joint in his back pocket. He pleaded no contest to the alcohol related offence.
10. He used a taxpayer paid aide to help him coach his high school football team and they used city vehicles for transportation to games and practices.
11. Also a benefit to the Don Bosco High School team that he coached, paying transit customers were booted off a bus in the rain when Ford called the CEO of the TTC (Toronto Transit Commission) saying his team needed a bus for a ride back to the school after an away game.
12. After failing off the scale at his Cut the Waist Challenge, he twisted his ankle. While he did lose 17 pounds, he never really seemed to take it seriously and when the going got hard, he gave up and went to KFC instead. And he was spotted with his hand in the bucket. More on this story can be found at my blog written on May 1, 2012 Downsizing An Upsizing World. The link can be found below.
Credit where credit is due:
www.thestar.com
www.cbc.ca
www.snopes.com
www.cancer.ca
http://pinkpantherfancanada.blogspot.ca/2012/05/downsizing-upsizing-world.html
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