Friday Post

To end the work-week...

The CRTC ruled that Sun News Network would receive mandatory carriage on basic cable packages (NOT public funding):

The CRTC has denied all but three requests for new "mandatory carriage" orders that would add the applicants to cable and satellite companies' basic service packages.

But the decision also lays out a proposal for a new category of licences for Canadian all-news channels, including the Sun News Network.

Kory Teneycke, vice-president of Sun News, says that means the fight for the plucky, upstart news channel continues.

"We are disappointed that the CRTC did not rule in favour of our application for a mandatory distribution order," Teneycke said. "However, we are encouraged they have found merit in the main arguments laid out by Sun News on price, channel placement and distribution, and have provided a mechanism to address these issues."

 However:

"The commission considers that there is merit to the arguments raised by Sun News regarding the barriers to entry when launching a national news service and that these barriers constitute a significant obstacle to the exchange of ideas," the CRTC said in its decision.

The broadcast regulator is asking for public comment over the next month on a proposed framework that includes forcing distributors to offer all Canadian national news services and put them in close proximity in their channel lineup, as well as offering national news services in a package and on a standalone basis. ..."

I won't hold my breath.

Dismantle the CRTC.


I wish these people would just be honest and say that they would never investigate the Liberals for murdering kittens in front of fifty witnesses:

Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau is off the hook with the federal ethics commissioner.

"Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner Mary Dawson confirmed today that she has completed a preliminary review and will not proceed to an inquiry under the Conflict of Interest Code for Members of the House of Commons ... in relation to Mr. Trudeau's speaking fees," Dawson's spokeswoman Jocelyne Brisebois said in an e-mail.

And that's why you are pus.


Because this needs desperate clarification:

- Russia has always been ruled by autocrats
- Vladimir Putin is a former KGB agent and has had journalists and bloggers either arrested or killed
-Russia has aided some of the worst regimes in the world
-Russia invaded Georgia in 2008
-Russia put a stop to American adoptions

None of these things warranted sanctions on Russia, boycotts of Russian goods or any lasting or meaningful penalties against it.

Further:

-athletes train for years
-Olympics are logistical nightmares
-there were no widespread or effective sanctions or boycotts when China hosted the Olympics, nor did anyone do anything about dictatorships like North Korea taking part

There's more:

-this is what the new controversial Russian law actually says:

The law forbids ‘public actions promoting sodomy, lesbianism, bisexuality and transgender among minors’ and ‘the dissemination of information that can harm health, moral or spiritual development of minors’ and ‘shape distorted understanding of the social equivalence of traditional and non-traditional marriages’.

The law sets forth the penalties for violation: 5,000 roubles ($170) for individuals and up to 500,000 roubles ($17,000) for organisations.

Again:

Beneath all the hype, the truth is that Russia has not banned homosexuality and the fine for propagandizing the gay lifestyle to minors amounts to $156.00.

This is much less than the fines and penalties imposed on people in the certain states for offering reparative therapy to minors, discussing ex-gay conversions, or speaking publicly about homosexual acts being sins of the flesh.

So on this issue, sorry to say, Americans have no legs to stand on

(Spasiba, B Marco)


My point is: shut up, Sulu.


Moving on...

Cambodia deploys troops on the streets of its capital after a contentious election:

Cambodia has deployed armoured personnel carriers and soldiers in Phnom Penh to prevent any violence if mass demonstrations following hotly disputed polls go ahead.
The rare sight Friday of armoured vehicles in the capital's streets comes after rights groups said hundreds of security forces had been mobilised in the city.
Local press on Friday published pictures of several vehicles topped with heavy weapons apparently rolling into the capital's suburbs.
"The deployment is not meant to intimidate the people... it is a proactive measure to prevent any bad situation from happening," military police spokesman Kheng Tito told AFP, declining to confirm the numbers of troops mobilised.
He said the move was to "maintain security and public order" and the armed forces would remain in the city until a new government is formed, ending a political deadlock which has gripped the nation following last month's controversial election.
Strongman premier Hun Sen's long-ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) claimed it had won that poll -- one of the most fiercely contested votes seen in the country.
But the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) said it was the real winner, rejecting the CPP's results on the grounds of widespread voting irregularities.

And now, sharing can be fun. Enjoy.