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October 28 2011
After an autistic girl and her service dog were wrongly kicked out of a discount clothing store owned by TJ Maxx, the district manager profusely apologized and gave them a $25 gift card to pick out anything she liked. When she returned and tried to use the gift card, store staff kicked her out for having a service dog again. Looks like someone didn't get the memo.
Three months after the nine-year-old girl, Emily, was kicked out of "Winners," a chain owned by TJ Maxx, she and her mother came back to the store to pick out something nice using the gift card the district manager gave her.
"We were asked to leave the store," Emily's mother told CBC News. "My child's service dog was not permitted in their establishment anywhere. And if that's true, then that includes my child because there is no separation between the two of them."
"I was disappointed that I didn't get anything from the store, even my dress that my mom picked out nicely for me," Emily told CBC News.
The mother said she didn't think the store's apology was sincere because while the manager had made the perfect "putting out of the fire" gesture, the store hadn't bothered to educate their staff on the proper protocol.
Parent company TJ Maxx said that it's standard policy for service dogs to be allowed in stores. "We are looking into the particulars regarding this customer's experience and will reach out to her directly, as well as take whatever actions we believe are appropriate," Doreen Thompson, a TJX spokeswoman told CBC News.
Edmonton store bars girl's service dog twice [CBCNews] (Thanks to Neil!)
August 25 2011
A full-sized refrigerator is a pretty sizable appliance, usually requiring at least a van or pickup truck to haul to its destination. This is something the police in Richmond, British Columbia, had to remind a shopper who thought a few ropes and a prayer would get his fridge home in the trunk of a Honda Accord.
Richmond police said they received a call of a dangerous driving situation outside a store called Liquidation World. As you can see in the above photo taken by the RCMP, the fridge -- secured with ropes tied to the rear seat belts -- wouldn't exactly engender confidence in anyone caught in traffic behind the Accord.
The police aren't laughing about this:
While there may be some humor in this situation, we need to take note of the fact that someone could have been seriously injured if this vehicle became mobile in the state it was... We'd like to encourage people to please take the time to properly transport items.
The fridge-buyer ultimately arranged for more appropriate transport of the appliance.
Metro Vancouver man reprimanded for trying to load full-size fridge into car's trunk [Vancouver Sun]
Thanks to Neil for the tip!
July 25 2011
Winnipeg Hockey gets Bellicose
Set to begin play in the 2011/12 season of the NHL, the Winnipeg Jets are the result of the purchase of the Atlanta Thrashers (who joined the league as an expansion team in the 1999/2000 season) by True North Sports & Entertainment with the full intent of bringing the team to Canada, where they own the MTS Centre in downtown Winnipeg. If, to some, the Winnipeg Jets name sounds familiar it's because it used to exist first as a World Hockey Association team from 1972 to 1979 and then as an NHL franchise from 1979 to 1996. Last week, the Jets unveiled their new identity designed by Reebok, that celebrates the city's ties to the Canadian Air Force.
Logo used by previous Jets franchise from the 1990/91 to 1995/96 seasons.
Sources of inspiration.
"We felt it was important to authenticate the name Jets and we believe the new logo does that through its connection to our country's remarkable Air Force heritage, including the rich history and relationship that our city and province have enjoyed with the Canadian Forces."
— Mark Chipman, Chairman & Governor of True North Sports & Entertainment, Press Release
"The design cues for the plane were inspired by the military jets flown by the Air Force over the years. So not only were we able to establish a new identity for our brand, but we were able to maintain a traditional, time honoured look to the logo."
— Dorian Morphy, Senior Director, Marketing & Brand Management of True North Sports & Entertainment, Press Release
The new family of logos, in blue and white.
Royal Canadian Air Force roundel.
The new primary logo is based on the RCAF roundel and its McDonnell Douglas CF-18 Hornet fighter jet rendered with the obligatory pointiness and shading of sports logos. The result is slightly odd. I don't think it's necessarily bad. It's bold and aggressive but there is just a little too much happening with all those angled, sharp points from the maple leaf and the jet and the addition of the North-pointing compass arrow. The muted colors don't help much in creating distinction between the elements and they turn everything into a bit of a mush.
The secondary mark with the hockey sticks and wings looks as if it came from another team, perhaps an inter-league of passenger planes. In contrast to the primary mark, this is totally G-rated. But I will grant that it will probably look great on merchandise and apparel.
Finally, there is the wordmark. A truly horrific piece of script. Not only is it unpleasant to look at but it makes no structural sense: why does the "J" connect with the "e"? I have never seen a "J" do that. And the "t" and "s" segue? Completely jarring. Loading Snell Roundhand and adding pointy ends to it would have probably been better. "We wanted to do something that authenticated the name Winnipeg Jets," said True North chairman Mark Chipman, "rather than just a new artist's take on it, we wanted to link it to something meaningful." Emphasis mine. Next time get the best of both worlds, even if it requires hiring an "artist".
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November 02 2010
Unlike their lilly-livered counterparts to the south, Sun Chips Canada has decided to hold the line on their jet-engine loud biodegradable bags. Instead of caving to detractors, they're offering them free earplugs.
"Our bag is loud, our bag is different, our bag is good for the environment, and our bag will remain on store shelves," says the company. They've also launched a public awareness campaign, starting with this informational video:
Hopefully they'll also be making a series telling people about how to make their compost piles, too. The bags advertise that they'll break down in 9 weeks, but you'll need a much more intense compost pile than most people have the time or care to make.
You'll want your compost pile to preferably over 130 degrees and at least 21 cubic feet. SunChips's instructional PDF recommends a recipe of the following to create optimal conditions:
1 part food scraps (greens)Still, even if you have to wait a few more months for the bag to decompose, that's a lot faster than a traditional chip bag, which will take hundreds of years to break down, and even then will only be a fine grain of plastic dust.
2 parts leaves (browns)
2 parts grass (greens)
2 parts hay (browns)
1 part finished compost (a bacterial activator to start the composting process)
Know what's even more annoying that a noisy bag? A planet full of garbage.
SunChips to complaining consumers: 'Yeah, compostable bag is noisy - get over it' [Sustainable Food News]
Do Sunchips 'compostable' bags really decompose in a compost pile? [Examiner]
PREVIOUSLY
Were 'Biodegradable' Sun Chips Bags Not So Biodegradable?
Unbearably Noisy Biodegradable SunChips Bag Terminated
September 23 2010
Earlier this week, Netflix finally did what the military hasn't had the guts to do -- invade Canada... with a streaming-only video service. But unlike most U.S. products that go across borders, the people in Canadaland are actually paying less than anyone else. But the CEO of Netflix isn't worried about causing an uproar on this side of Niagara Falls.
When asked by The Hollywood Reporter if he thought U.S. customers would be unhappy to find out that Canadians are paying only $7.99/month CAD (~$7.75 USD), more than a dollar cheaper than the lowest streaming plan in the States, CEO Reed Hastings replied:
How much has it been your experience that Americans follow what happens in the world? It's something we'll monitor, but Americans are somewhat self-absorbed.
The fact that we received this in our tipline from a few dozen readers in the last couple hours might prove otherwise...
Maybe Soup is currently being updated? I'll try again automatically in a few seconds...
