Dirty Doctors

Just watched a revealing episode of Marketplace called Dirty Doctors.

Every year 250,000 Canadians get sick from hospital infections. Using hidden cameras, Erica Johnson exposes medical staff that could be putting your life at risk.

In their wrap-up they conclude by recommending to:

• use gel dispensers
• ask doctors to wash their hands
• Request clipping vs. shaving area for surgery
• ask about antibiotics, and
• speak up if you think something is wrong

The first two bullets reminded me of an episode of Dragon’s Den where a couple of brothers came on the show and won the wallets of venture capitalists with their idea… a gel dispenser that clips on to a doctor’s belt. Simple but brilliant! But after reading the viewer’s comments I now have second thoughts. Hmm…

Remembering Momento

Momento! An all time favorite. I’d forgotten all about that movie (ha ha) until I ran into it today while TV surfing.

It’s free on Rogers OnDemand, for those in the GTA with a digital box.

re-80’s

I never understood the Talking Heads in the 80’s (post-Brian Eno years). The same way I feel about Arcade Fire today… I believe music is like fashion, where it’s cyclical. And that we’re at the period in time where we are regurgitating the 80’s new wave movement in music.

Something about those bands leaves me puzzled as to why they are so acclaimed. Is it about people craving something different during times of a musical creative void? Maybe it’s because the 80’s were the awkward pre-teenage years for me.

Yet, as much as I don’t get it … “Keep the car running” is stuck in Abe’s head today…

Green Tax?

The provincial government encourages initiatives in support of renewable energy sources like wind and solar energy, yet turns around and taxes a farmer that erects a windmill?

Mind you its $160,000, 80-kilowatt windmill from Holland (where else!) that he says generates enough energy to save him $3,600 / year. Not the most efficient windmill in my opinion. Never-the-less, should such a “green” act be punished?

Government says the windmill increased his property value… Hmm. I guess that’s true… And that as a result, the man must pay more property taxes. The net of this equation is that the tax nearly cancels the benefits of the power saved, nevermind the cost of the windmill.

If windmills are not taxed, will they be considered a tax loophole since the property they reside on will sell for more? Maybe, but I think they’re missing the big picture here…

Browser?

With Web 2.0 and the advent of wikis, blogs, and online games and apps, is it time we reconsider the term “Browser”?

Plastic Bag Ban

With the recent news that Leaf Rapids, a Manitoba town, prepares to be the first Canadian town to put a stop to plastic shopping bags, and San Francisco following close behind with the same eco-friendly law, environmentalists and supermarket trade groups duke it out. The first thing that popped into my head … “What will people use to pick up dog poop?”