I know it’s off topic but this is an issue that is important to a lot of people I know and myself and anyone who uses the internet or blogs in any way.
Microsoft have confirmed they plan on using the Word rendering engine to display HTML emails in Outlook 2010.
This means for the next 5 years your email designs will need tables for layout, have no support for CSS like float and position, no background images and lots more. Want proof? Here’s the same email in Outlook 2000 & 2010.
Outlook 2010 is still in beta and Microsoft wants your feedback. It’s time to rally together and encourage Microsoft to embrace web standards before it’s too late.
Outlook 2007 is generally the bane of any web designer or front-end developer that has to create HTML email templates (myself included). Microsoft CAN fix this. It was an issue when Outlook 2007 came out and even with all the protesting then they still haven’t listened!
Please help the cause and visit fixoutlook.org and tweet your support. If you don’t have twitter then blog about it. If you don’t blog then call your MOM and tell her about how Outlook and Microsoft is butchering standards compliance and holding back the progression of the internet!
Well after all that hooting and hollering, press coverage, lineups, empty shelves, and the biggest liquor sales day in Ontario of all time the LCBO workers are still going to work today.
Details from official sources are a little scant at this time. With the LCBO website saying nothing but
June 24, 2009 12:01 p.m.
The LCBO and OPSEU LBED bargaining teams have agreed to continue bargaining.
All employees should report to work as usual until notified otherwise.
The workers made a last minute decision to put off going on strike stating that a resolution was soon enough in the wind that a strike wouldn’t be nessisary.
CP24 interviewed one customer yesterday during the booze grab blitz:
Toronto resident Bruce Wallner considered it important to hoard some hooch; he spent about $700 on liquor and organic wines to add to his personal cabinet.
“You can’t run out of wine — you’d have to stop eating,” he joked.
I’m glad they’re not striking. I like their selection better than that of The Beer Store. Although you CAN get Steamie there so I guess I’d be okay.
Whelp… the L.C.B.O. workers are threatening to strike. So get your butt to the Liquor store if you’re running low on anything cause tonight is the deadline.
L.C.B.O. workers want more full time jobs. 60% of LCBO workers fall into the casual worker category and earn an annual income of less than $20,800 per year. They also want to nix a management proposal to be able to issue 90-day layoff notices at any time and don’t like the idea of privatization on the L.C.B.O.
Many bloggers and much of the public seem to disagree. There has been a lot of comments about the current L.C.B.O. being a monopoly and even a few calls to strike so that Ontarians will realize that the sale of booze should be opened to the corner stores and grocers.
At least the privately owned Brewers Retail (a.k.a. The Beer Store) will still be open and I have a closet full of home made wine at home so I won’t have to brave any crowds tonight.
Miller Canada with help from Molson has released Miller Genuine Draught in clear plastic bottles.
Um… What?
This flexible packaging option offers many benefits over traditional glass and cans, including quick chilling, retaining cold longer than glass and cans, being re-sealable and virtually unbreakable.
MGD already comes in cans which takes away all of the benefits listed above minus the re-sealable aspect. This is simply a gimmick on the part of the manufacturer to try to sell more bland MGD.
The clear plastic bottle isn’t even better for the environment seeing as how Ontario has the best recycling program in the world set up just for beer bottles!
Plastic bottles allow more light exposure to the beer than glass causing skunky tastes (although any taste WOULD be an improvement in MGD). They also cause beer to flatten a lot quicker (anyone who has tried to disguise beer in a gingerale bottle will notice this). I fully understand a quicker chill time with plastic over glass but I can’t see a beer staying colder in a plastic bottle. There’s just less insulation there.
Today while cruising Digg I found a suposedly banned skit from Tiny Toon Adventures in which Buster Bunny, Plucky duck, and Hampton Pig (the “tiny” equivlents of Bugs, Daffy and Porky). Find a beer in the fridge and drink it up.
The never ending bottle gets them wasted and the regular burping, falling down and getting rejected by girls ensues. There’s also a little grand theft auto and drinking and driving thrown in there for good measure.
Here’s the clip:
The title of this YouTube vid says it was banned but I distinctly remember seeing it on TV when I was young.
As of today a new plan to get drivers that have been drinking off the road takes effect.
From now on drivers with a blood-alcohol reading between 0.05 to 0.08 will have their licence suspended for three days. A second offense will get the driver a seven day suspension and a trip to an alcohol education program. If the moron in question still doesn’t learn and gets caught for a third time they’ll get a 30 day suspension, be required to attend a remedial alcohol treatment program and have an ignition interlock condition placed on their licence for six months. Meaning they will not be allowed to drive any vehicle that does not have a breathalyzer device installed.
There’s also another law set to take effect around 2010 that will impose a zero tolerance blood-alcohol limit on all drivers 21.
Before today drivers between 0.05 and 0.08 only had a 12-hour licence suspension, no matter how many times they managed to get caught. A minor slap on the wrist as far as I’m concerned.
I’m glad our province is taking measures to get drinkers off the roads. I’m sure a lot of the people receiving suspensions between that 0.05 and 0.08 range (known as the warn range) put themselves in the “I only had a few drinks I’ll be fine” category but I have no sympathy for them. I personally don’t own a car now but when I did I had a 1 beer 1 hour rule for myself. 1 beer then a 1 hour wait to drive. I’m sure that even then at times I may have been able to blow between that range. Now my only mode of transport is my motorcycle and I have a strict zero alcohol tolerance for myself (not only that but so does the govt. as I am still under my M2 licence).
This is definitely a step in the right direction to getting drivers off the road after a few drinks.
The open beer market for Ontario has come up again in our recent politics. This time it’s Progressive Conservative Leadership Candidate Randy Hillier striking up conversation of bringing beer to our local corner stores.
Last time this issue came up I was against it. Even praising Dalton McGuinty for declining the thought of selling in corner stores. But after some discussion on A Good Beer Blog I’m pulling off my best impression of a politician and doing a flip-flop.
My first reaction almost a year ago was to think that sellers of cigarettes are already doing a piss poor job of keeping THEM out of the hands of minors and that would just pass on to beer and wine. But I’ve had almost a year to think it over and think over the arguments posed to me by my readers and the readers of A Good Beer Blog and I’m thinking now that it wouldn’t necessarily be easier for kiddies to acquire alcohol in all cases and that the deregulation would end up to be good for the industry little guys.
I’m still somewhat on the fence though. I would like to see beer in my local convenience store but I do still think it would sometimes be easier for kids to get their hands on it. BUT that being said I never really had troubles getting my hands on a beer or 12 when I was under age either and that beer had to come from The Beer Store.
I’m sure if deregulation did occur though that the govt. would surely police it quite strictly for a long time to come.
“Beer distribution in this province is currently controlled by foreign companies.” Hillier said. “In these tough times we need to give struggling small Canadian businesses like corner stores, restaurants and hotels more opportunities.”
“Dalton McGuinty is costing local Ontario businesses millions of dollars, to the benefit of foreign-owned breweries.”
Hillier proposes to allow corner stores to be able to sell wine and beer. As well restaurants, bars and hotels would be able to sell off-sales to further help their businesses.
I think he’s got a point or two that are quite valid. I for one would certainly take advantage of closer beer and wine (although now I mostly make my own). But I will still have that twinge in the back of my head about some dick-head shop keeper being too lazy to check an ID and some kid ruining or ending someone’s life. We’ve all seen it before though coming from the current system as well. So why am I afraid of this change?
Beer Wars has popped up on my radar a few times in the last few months and I thought that seeing as how it will be released on Thursday (April 16th) I’d throw up the trailer and a few thoughts. Check out the trailer then follow through to my thoughts.
Director Anat Baron takes you on a no holds barred exploration of the U.S. beer industry that ultimately reveals the truth behind the label of your favorite beer. Told from an insider’s perspective, the film goes behind the scenes of the daily battles and all out wars that dominate one of America’s favorite industries.
I’m pretty excited for this movie. I don’t know how soon I’ll be able to see it because there doesn’t seem to be any Canadian screenings set up yet. But being a fan of documentary films and a fan of beer I’d like to experience this insider’s perspective of what’s going on in the American beer industry.
Not to mention it would be good homework for opening my own brewery. But that will have to wait till after the OLG realizes I’m overdue for a payout.
When I first moved in to my neighbourhood (3 and a half years ago) from Oakville I severely missed my regular trips to my favourite bar of the area. Now that I’ve been in Toronto living in the Davenport Village I’ve discovered a few bars and pubs in the area that I have come to refer to as my “locals”. I have also come to the conclusion that (for any serious drinker) one must have a local haunt to drift to when the thirst takes hold.
When I was living in Oakville for school I held a job working in the local mall. There was an East Side Mario’s in this mall and it was a natural place for myself and my coworkers to drift after a long day of selling overpriced footwear and other skateboard paraphernalia to snotty nosed kids and their overpaid, underworked parents. This bar/restaurant became my local unbeknownst to me at the time.
After moving to Toronto there was always something missing for me in the way of drinking. Friends would visit from out of town and I’d have no idea where to go. No direction to take them to sit and have a quiet pint. Even when wanting to relax and unwind on a Saturday afternoon or after work there was something missing while sitting on the couch drinking beer from a can.
Now that I have put some time in though in the area and discovered one or two pubs that I don’t mind frequenting I’m happy with my drinking selection and my ability to leave the house and find some suds that I don’t have to pour myself.
My Locals
The local pub brings things that sitting at home can’t. I have two pubs that I consider my locals.
The Gem - The Gem is located at 1159 Davenport Road and has a deep Rock-n-Roll feel to it. With a ’61 Seeburg (considered by many to be the Cadillac of jukeboxes) as the main focus when you walk in and a constant stream of good ol’ Rock-N’-Roll playing over the radio throughout the bar this place feels warm even on the coldest days. The owner Eddie is a great guy through and through and the bar staff are more than welcoming at all times. This place can get pretty packed on weekends and there’s no question as to why. Their food is incredible (I recommend the hummus or the quesadillas) as is the beer. In most cases one will not know what will be on tap at anytime but it’s sure to be something from Mill St. The Gem is a place that you just can’t go wrong with whether you’re sitting on the patio sipping a Mojito or nestled at a booth escaping the cold.
PM Toronto - I consider PM Toronto (1245 Dupont Street in the Galleria Mall) not to be a local out of a love for the people or the food or even the beer. But out of sheer proximity to my residence. If I’m ever too lazy to take the ten minute walk over to The Gem, PM Toronto is where you’ll find me. The beer on tap isn’t marvellous and I’m pretty sure they need to clean their tap system. Being a sports bar they serve the regular domestics such as Molson Canadian and Labatt’s Blue and such but they have just acquired Steam Whistle on tap and this is enough to quell my inner beer snob (it also doesn’t force me to grumble and accept a pint of Keith’s “IPA”.
What makes a good local?
Locality - A local has to be just that. Local. If it’s too far away it’s not a local it’s just a bar you like or frequent. In my opinion I’d say anything more than 15 minutes travel and you’re not in local territory anymore.
Interactions with regulars - The regulars at my The Gem are one of the reasons I keep coming back (aside from their regular rotation of Mill St. product). I’ve made some pretty decent “at the bar” friends who have helped me out outside the bar as well. Being a Rockabilly-esque bar there’s a lot of motorcycle owners that frequent The Gem and their guidance has been essential to me finding and purchasing my first bike and helping me out when it broke down right outside.
Interaction with strangers - Strangers in a small pub environment bring more life to it. Sitting on a barstool at your local chatting in passing with the bartender most often sparks up a conversation with someone sitting down the bar. At a true local you never feel as if you don’t have a place in the conversation. Some of my favourite times at The Gem have been had when a stranger has chimed in to a conversation and we’ve hit it off. Have I ever seen these people again? Most of them no. Even if I have there have been times when it hasn’t gone farther than a nod or a wave. Like the “Single Serving Friends” theory from Fight club. This point however does not apply to my #2 local. I stay as far away from the strangers here as I can due to the fact there is an adjoined off track betting parlour it can bring in some undesirables.
Relaxability - Okay I made that word up. But it applies. If you can’t go to your local and relax you’re in trouble. I like to think of my locals as somewhere I would go by myself if I was in need of an unwind and I would be able to relax there.
My final thoughts
Without a local I can surely live. But I do enjoy having a place to go and relax that is outside my house. The local is a long standing tradition in the drinking culture and it’s one that earned some serious thought from myself and hopefully the few readers that frequent this blog.
What’s your local? Why do you love it? Put the thought in and I’m sure you’ll appreciate it a lot more after you’ve done so. How about a comment to let me know what you love about it?
And next time you’re in the Davenport area stop by The Gem and buy me a round!
As of today a new plan to get drivers that have been drinking off the road takes effect.