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access to information Ambush Marketing big data citizen science confidential information copyright data breach notification data protection digital cartography ecommerce and internet law Electronic Commerce Extraterritoriality fair use freedom of expression Geospatial geospatial data intellectual property Internet internet law IP official marks open courts open data open government personal information pipeda Privacy trademark law trademarks transparency
Monday, 19 December 2016 08:52
Open licensing of real time data
Municipalities are under growing pressure to become "smart". In other words, they will reap the benefits of sophisticated data analytics carried out on more and better data collected via sensors embedded throughout the urban environment. As municipalities embrace smart cities technology, a growing number of the new sensors will capture data in real time. Municipalities are also increasingly making their data open to developers and civil society alike. If municipal governments decide to make real-time data available as open data, what should an open real-time data license look like? This is a question Alexandra Diebel and I explore in a new paper just published in the Journal of e-Democracy.
Our paper looks at how ten North American public transit authorities (6 in the U.S. and 4 in Canada) currently make real-time GPS public transit data available as open data. We examine the licenses used by these municipalities both for static transit data (timetables, route data) and for real-time GPS data (for example data about where transit vehicles are along their routes in real-time). Our research reveals differences in how these types of data are licensed, even when both types of data are referred to as "open" data.
There is no complete consensus on the essential characteristics of open data. Nevertheless, most definitions require that to be open, data must be: (1) made available in a reusable format; (2) prepared according to certain standards; and (3) available under an open license with minimal restrictions or conditions imposed on reuse. In our paper, we focus on the third element – open licensing. To date, most of what has been written about open licensing in general and the licensing of open data in particular, has focused on the licensing of static data. Static data sets are typically downloaded through an open data portal in a one-time operation (although static data sets may still be periodically updated). By contrast, real-time data must be accessed on an ongoing basis and often at fairly short intervals such as every few seconds.
The need to access data from a host server at frequent intervals places a greater demand on the resources of the data custodian – in this case often cash-strapped municipalities or public agencies. The frequent access required may also present security challenges, as servers may be vulnerable to distributed denial-of-service attacks. In addition, where municipal governments or their agencies have negotiated with private sector companies for the hardware and software to collect and process real-time data, the contracts with those companies may require certain terms and conditions to find their way into open licenses. Each of these factors may have implications for how real-time data is made available as open data. The greater commercial value of real-time data may also motivate some public agencies to alter how they make such data available to the public.
While our paper focuses on real-time GPS public transit data, similar issues will likely arise in a variety of other contexts where 'open' real-time data are at issue. We consider how real-time data is licensed, and we identify additional terms and conditions that are imposed on users of 'open' real-time data. While some of these terms and conditions might be explained by the particular exigencies of real-time data (such as requirements to register for the API to access the data), others are more difficult to explain. Our paper concludes with some recommendations for the development of a standard for open real-time data licensing.
This paper is part of ongoing research carried out as part of Geothink, a partnership grant project funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.
Tuesday, 27 September 2016 06:32
Reflections on Open Government in Canada for Right to Know Week 2016
Note: I was invited by Canada's Information Commissioner and the Schools of Journalism and Communication, and Public Policy and Administration at Carleton University to participate in a workshop to launch Right to Know Week 2016. This was a full afternoon workshop featuring many interesting speakers and discussions. This blog post is based on my remarks at this event.
For the last 5 years or so, governments at all levels across Canada have been embracing the open government agenda. In doing so, they have expressed, in various ways, new commitments to open data, to the proactive disclosure of government information, and to new forms of citizen engagement. Given that the core goals of the open government movement are to increase government transparency and accountability in the broader public interest, these developments are positive ones.
There is a risk, however, that public commitments to open government have become a bit of a 'feel good' thing for governments. After all, what government doesn't want to publicly commit to being open, transparent and accountable? As a result, it is important to look behind the rhetoric and to examine the nature of the commitments made to open government in Canada and to question how meaningful and enduring they really are.
For the most part, commitments to open government in Canada have been manifested in declarations, policy documents, and directives. These documents express government policy and provide direction to government actors and institutions. Yet they are "soft law" at best. They are not enacted through a process of legislative debate, they are not expressed in laws that would have to be formally repealed or amended in order to be altered, there are no enforcement or compliance mechanisms, and they remain subject to change at the whim of the government in power. Directives and policies, of course, can provide rapid and responsive mechanisms for operationalizing changes in government direction, and so I am not criticizing decisions to set open government in motion through these various means. But I am suggesting that a longer term commitment to open government might require some of these measures to be expressed in and supported by legislation in order to become properly entrenched.
For example, much effort has been invested by the federal government in creating an open licence to facilitate reuse of government data and information. After a slow and sometimes painful process, we now have a pretty good open government licence. It is based on the UK OGL and is very user friendly compared to earlier iterations. It is bilingual and it can be customized to be used by governments at all levels in Canada (for example, a version of this licence was just adopted by city of Ottawa). This reduces the burden on provincial and municipal governments contemplating open government and it creates the potential for greater legal interoperability (when users combine data or information from a number of different governments in Canada).
But let us not forget why we need an open government licence in Canada. An open licence permits the public to make use of works that are protected by copyright without the need to ask permission or pay royalties, and with the fewest restrictions on re-use as possible. Government works in Canada – and this includes court decisions, statutes, Hansard, government reports, studies, to name just a few – are protected by copyright under section 12 of the Copyright Act. One might well ask why, instead of toiling for years to come up with the current open licence, the government has not shown its commitment to openness by abolishing Crown copyright. It's not as radical as it might sound. In the U.S., s. 105 of the Copyright Act expressly denies protection to works of the U.S. government without any obvious negative consequences. In the U.S., these works are automatically in the public domain. This legislated, hard law solution makes the commitment real and relatively permanent. Yet as things stand in Canada, government works are protected by copyright by default, and governments choose which works to make available under the open licence and which they wish to provide under more onerous licence terms. They can also decide at some point to tear up the open licence and go back to the way things used to be. Crown copyright in its current incarnation sets the default at 'closed'.
It is true that some aspects of open government are already part of our legislative framework. We have had freedom of information/access to information laws for decades now in Canada, and these laws enshrine the principle of the public's right to access information in the hands of government. However, the access to information laws that we have are 'first generation' when it comes to open government. The federal Act is currently being reviewed by Parliament, and we might see some legislative change, though how much and how significant remains to be seen. As Mary Francoli has pointed out, there wasn't really a need for further review – the new government had plenty of material on which to take action in proposing amendments to the Act.
The many deficiencies in the Access to Information Act have been well documented. For example, in 2015 the Information Commissioner set out 85 proposed reforms to the statute to modernize and improve it. The June 2016 Report by the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics on its Review of the Access to Information Act takes up many of these proposals in its own recommendations for extensive reforms to the Act. We are now awaiting the government's response to this report. Rather than review the many recommendations already made, I will highlight those that relate to my broader point about enshrining open government principles in legislation
The Access to Information Act as it currently stands is premised on a model of individuals asking for information from government, waiting patiently while government puts together the requested information, and then complaining to the Commissioner when too much information is redacted or withheld. Open government promises both information and data proactively, in reusable formats, and without significant restrictions on reuse. While proactive disclosure of information and open data cannot replace the access to information model (which is, itself, capable of considerable improvement), they will provide quicker, cheaper and more effective access in many areas. Yet the Access to Information Act does not currently contain any statement about proactive disclosure. Proactive disclosure – also referred to as "open by default" is not really "open by default" unless the law says it is. Until then, it is just an aspirational statement and not a legal requirement. We see a proliferation of policies and directives at all levels of government that talk about proactive disclosure, but there are not firm legal commitments to this practice, or to open data. And, although I have been focussing predominantly on the federal regime, these issues are relevant across all levels of government in Canada.
A core principle of open data is that the data sets provided by governments should be made available in open, accessible and reusable formats. Proactive disclosure of information should also be in reusable formats. Access under the conventional regime is also enhanced when the information disclosed is in formats that facilitate analysis and reuse. Yet even under the existing access model, there is no default requirement to provide requested information in open, accessible and reusable formats. It is important to remember that it is not enough just to provide 'access' – the nature and quality of the access provided is relevant. The format in which information is provided in a digital age can create a barrier to the processing or analysis of information once accessed.
I would like, also, to venture onto territory that is not addressed in the calls for reform to access to information laws. Another challenge that I see for open data (and open information) in Canada relates to the sources of government data. I am concerned about the lack of controls over the use of taxpayer dollars to create closed data. As we move into the big data era, governments will be increasingly tempted to source their data for decision-making from private sector suppliers rather than to generate it in-house. We are seeing this already; an example is found in recent decisions of some municipal governments to source data about urban cycling patterns from cycling app companies. There will also be instances where governments contract with the private sector to install sensors to collect data, or to process it, and then pay licence fees for access to the resulting proprietary data in the hands of the private sector companies. In these cases, the terms of the license agreements may limit public access to the data or may place significant restrictions on its reuse. This is a big issue. All the talk about open government data will not do much good if the data on which the government relies is not characterized as "government data". It is important that governments develop transparent policies around contracts for the collection, supply or processing of data that ensure that our rights as members of the public to access and reuse this data – paid for with our tax dollars – are preserved. Even better, it might be worth seeing some principle to this effect enshrined in the law.
Tuesday, 02 August 2016 07:20
Interactive Crime Maps: A Critical Perspective
Municipal police services in North America now commonly make digital crime maps available to the public online. These interactive maps allow individuals to choose a particular part of their city, as well as a window of time (crimes in the last 7, 14 or 21 days, for example). They can search for all mapped crimes in this time frame or can limit their search to particular types of crime. The results are returned in the form of icons on a map of the selected area. The icons represent different categories of criminal activity, and clicking on each icon will reveal basic information about the incident. The maps can be used for many purposes. For example, someone who is thinking of parking their vehicle overnight in a particular part of the city might search to see if there are many thefts of vehicles or thefts from vehicles in that area. Prospective home buyers or renters might also use the maps to assess the incidence of crime in neighborhoods they are considering. Most crime maps of this kind allow users to sign up for email alerts about crime in their neighborhood, and the maps also provide a means for individuals to send in tips about mapped crimes.
A police service that decides to offer an interactive crime map to the public can choose to create their own crime map (usually by hiring a tech services company to build one) (for examples of this option see the maps from Winnipeg or Halifax) or they can contract with one of a number of leading crime mapping companies in North America. These companies typically offer a range of data analytics services to police. Often the crime maps are offered for free, with the hope that the police service will purchase other analytics services. The 3 leading companies are all based in the United States, but they offer hosting on their platform to police services across North America.
In a new paper that has just been published in the International Journal of e-Planning Research, I look at the practice of crime-mapping in 3 Canadian municipalities – Ottawa, London and Saint John. The police services in each of these cities have contracted with a different one of the 3 leading U.S.-based crime mapping companies. In my paper I consider how these crime maps present particular narratives of crime in the city. These narratives may be influenced in subtle or not so subtle ways by the fact that the mapping platform is U.S.-based. These influences may show up in the rhetoric around the crime maps used by the host company, the crimes or other types of data chosen (or not chosen) for mapping, and the descriptions on the host platforms of the type of data featured on the maps. I also evaluate the quality of the mapped data, and explore how laws shape and constrain the use and reuse of crime data.
While the crime maps are superficially attractive and easy to use, there is reason to be concerned about their use. In my research for this paper, I learned that it is possible to access the maps either through the host company's site or through the police service's website. Depending on the route chosen, the messaging (including a description of the mapped data, the purpose of the map, and its limitations) is different. While disclaimers on the police services' sites may warn of the limitations of the data provided, those who access through the host platform are unware of these deficiencies. The mapped data provide a very partial account of crime in the city, and critics of this type of crime mapping have raised concern both about the potentially misleading nature of the maps, and the particular narrative of urban crime they convey.
My paper also explores issues of control and ownership of the mapped data and the impact that this has on the ability of civil society groups either to critically assess the data or to create other tools and analytics that might combine crime data with other urban data. While the crime mapping platforms do not claim ownership of the data that they map (according to the sites, ownership rests with the police services), they do prohibit the scraping of data from their sites – and there is evidence of legal action taken to pursue data scrapers. In most cases, police services do not make the same data provided to the crime mapping companies available as open data. This allows the police service (in conjunction with the limitations built into the crime mapping platforms) to largely control how the data is presented to the public. At the same time, the presence of a publicly accessible crime map might itself be used by a police service as a justification for not making the same crime data available as open data. (I note that Vancouver, which hired a company to create its own crime map, also makes the mapped data available as open data (although it updates it with less frequency than the mapped data).
Ultimately, the paper asks whether this model of crime mapping advances or limits goals of transparency and accountability, and what lessons it offers about the use of private sector civic technologies to serve public sector purposes.
Note: The research behind this paper was recently featured by H.G. Watson in her article in J-Source titled "Reporters need to dig deeper into crime maps to tell the whole story". The article also discusses April Lindgren's interesting article on the relationship between police information and journalism titled "Covering Canadian Crime: What Journalists Should Know and the Public Should Question".
Monday, 20 June 2016 07:10
New Action Plan on Open Government Open for Comment
The federal government has just released for public comment its open government plan for 2016-2018. This is the third such plan since Canada joined the Open Government Partnership in 2012. The two previous plans were released by the Conservative government, and were called Canada's Action Plan on Open Government 2012-2014 and Canada's Action Plan on Open Government 2014-2016. This most recent plan is titled Canada's New Plan on Open Government ("New Plan"). The change in title signals a change in approach.
The previous government structured its commitments around three broad themes: Open Data, Open Information and Open Dialogue. It is fair to say that it was the first of these themes that received the greatest attention. Under the Conservatives there were a number of important open data initiatives: the government developed an open data portal, an open government licence (modeled on the UK Open Government Licence), and a Directive on Open Government. It also committed to funding the Open Data Exchange (ODX) (a kind of incubator hub for open data businesses in Canada), and supported a couple of national open data hackathons. Commitments under Open Information were considerably less ambitious. While important improvements were made to online interfaces for making access to information requests, and while more information was provided about already filled ATIP requests, it is fair to say that improving substantive access to government information was not a priority. Open dialogue commitments were also relatively modest.
Canada's "New Plan" is considerably different in style and substance from its predecessors. This plan is structured around 4 broad themes: open by default; fiscal transparency; innovation, prosperity and sustainable development; and engaging Canadians and the world. Each theme comes with a number of commitments and milestones, and each speaks to an aspirational goal for open government, better articulating why this is an initiative worth an investment of time and resources.
Perhaps because there was so great a backlash against the previous government's perceived lack of openness, the Liberals ran on an election platform that stressed openness and transparency. The New Plan reflects many of these election commitments. As such, it is notably more ambitious than the previous two action plans. The commitments are both deeper (for example, the 2014-2016 action plan committed to a public database disclosing details of all government contracts over $10,000; the New Plan commits to revealing details of all contracts over $1), and more expansive (with the government committing to new openness initiatives not found in earlier plans).
One area where the previous government faced considerable criticism (see, for example Mary Francoli's second review of Canada's open government commitments) was in respect of the access to information regime. That government's commitments under "open information" aimed to improve access to information processes without addressing substantive flaws in the outdated Access to Information Act. The new government's promise to improve the legislation is up front in the New Plan. Its first commitment is to enhance access to information through reforms to the legislation. According to the New Plan, these include order-making powers for the Commissioner, extending the application of the Access to Information Act to the Prime Minister and his Ministers' Offices, and mandatory 5-year reviews of the legislation. Although these amendments would be a positive step, they fall short of those recommended by the Commissioner. It will also be interesting to see whether everything on this short list comes to pass. (Order-making powers in particular are something to watch here.) The House of Commons Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics has recently completed hearings on this legislation. It will be very interesting to see what actually comes of this process. As many cynics (realists?) have observed, it is much easier for opposition parties to be in favour of open and transparent government than it is for parties in power. Whether the Act gets the makeover it requires remains to be seen.
One of the interesting features of this New Plan is that many of the commitments are ones that go to supporting the enormous cultural shift that is required for a government to operate in a more open fashion. Bureaucracies develop strong cultures, often influenced by long-cherished policies and practices. Significant change often requires more than just a new policy or directive; the New Plan contains commitments for the development of clear guidelines and standards for making data and information open by default, as well as commitments to training and education within the civil service, performance metrics, and new management frameworks. While not particularly 'exciting', these commitments are important and they signal a desire to take the steps needed to effect a genuine cultural shift within government.
The New Plan identifies fiscal transparency as an overarching theme. It contains several commitments to improve fiscal transparency, including more extensive and granular reporting of information on departmental spending, greater transparency of budget data and of fiscal analysis, and improved openness of information around government grants and other contributions. The government also commits to creating a single portal for Canadians who wish to search for information on Canadian businesses, whether they are incorporated federally or in one of the provinces or territories.
On the theme of Innovation, Prosperity and Sustainable Development, the New Plan also reflects commitments to greater openness in relation to federal science activities (a sore point with the previous government). It also builds upon a range of commitments that were present in previous action plans, including the use of the ODX to stimulate innovation, the development of open geospatial data, the alignment of open data at all levels of government in Canada, and the implementation of the Extractive Sector Transparency Measures Act. The New Plan also makes commitments to show leadership in supporting openness and transparency around the world.
The government's final theme is "Engaging Canadians and the World". This is the part where the government addresses how it plans to engage civil society. It plans to disband the Advisory Panel established by the previous government (of which I was a member). While the panel constituted a broad pool of expertise on which the government could draw, it was significantly under-utilized, and clearly this government plans to try something new. They state that they will "develop and maintain a renewed mechanism for ongoing, meaningful dialogue" between the government and civil society organizations – whatever that means. Clearly, the government is still trying to come up with a format or framework that will be most effective.
The government also commits in rather vague terms to fostering citizen participation and engagement with government on open government initiatives. It would seem that the government will attempt to "enable the use of new methods for consulting and engaging Canadians", and will provide support and resources to government departments and agencies that require assistance in doing so. The commitments in this area are inward-looking – the government seems to acknowledge that it needs to figure out how to encourage and enhance citizen engagement, but at the same time is not sure how to do so effectively.
In this respect, the New Plan offers perhaps a case in point. This is a detailed and interesting plan that covers a great deal of territory and that addresses many issues that should be of significant concern to Canadians. It was released on June 16, with a call for comments by June 30. Such a narrow window of time in which to comment on such a lengthy document does not encourage engagement or dialogue. While the time constraints may be externally driven (by virtue of OGP targets and deadlines), and while there has been consultation in the lead up to the drafting of this document, it is disappointing that the public is not given more time to engage and respond.
For those who are interested in commenting, it should be noted that the government is open to comments/feedback in different forms. Comments may be made by email, or they can be entered into a comment box at the bottom of the page where the report is found. These latter comments tend to be fairly short and, once they pass through moderation, are visible to the public.
Monday, 25 April 2016 07:06
Sourcing cycling data from the private sector: Some questions about data analytics and city planning
A recent news story from the Ottawa area raises interesting questions about big data, smart cities, and citizen engagement. The CBC reported that Ottawa and Gatineau have contracted with Strava, a private sector company to purchase data on cycling activity in their municipal boundaries. Strava makes a fitness app that can be downloaded for free onto a smart phone or other GPS-enabled device. The app uses the device's GPS capabilities to gather data about the users' routes travelled. Users then upload their data to Strava to view the data about their activities. Interested municipalities can contract with Strava Metro for aggregate de-identified data regarding users' cycling patterns over a period of time (Ottawa and Gatineau have apparently contracted for 2 years' worth of data). According to the news story, their goal is to use this data in planning for more bike-friendly cities.
On the face of it, this sounds like an interesting idea with a good objective in mind. And arguably, while the cities might create their own cycling apps to gather similar data, it might be cheaper in the end for them to contract for the Strava data rather than to design and then promote the use of theirs own apps. But before cities jump on board with such projects, there are a number of issues that need to be taken into account.
One of the most important issues, of course, is the quality of the data that will be provided to the city, and its suitability for planning purposes. The data sold to the city will only be gathered from those cyclists who carry GPS-enabled devices, and who use the Strava app. This raises the question of whether some cyclists – those, for example, who use bikes to get around to work, school or to run errands and who aren't interested in fitness apps – will not be included in planning exercises aimed at determining where to add bike paths or bike lanes. Is the data most likely to come from spandex-wearing, affluent, hard core recreational cyclists than from other members of the cycling community? The cycling advocacy group Citizens for Safe Cycling in Ottawa is encouraging the public to use the app to help the data-gathering exercise. Interestingly, this group acknowledges that the typical Strava user is not necessarily representative of the average Ottawa cyclist. This is in part why they are encouraging a broader public use of the app. They express the view that some data is better than no data. Nevertheless, it is fair to ask whether this is an appropriate data set to use in urban planning. What other data will be needed to correct for its incompleteness, and are there plans in place to gather this data? What will the city really know about who is using the app and who is not? The purchased data will be deidentified and aggregated. Will the city have any idea of the demographic it represents? Still on the issue of data quality, it should be noted that some Strava users make use of the apps' features to ride routes that create amusing map pictures (just Google "strava funny routes" to see some examples). How much of the city's data will reflect this playful spirit rather than actual data about real riding routes is a question also worth asking.
Some ethical issues arise when planning data is gathered in this way. Obviously, the more people in Ottawa and Gatineau who use this app, the more data there will be. Does this mean that the cities have implicitly endorsed the use of one fitness app over another? Users of these apps necessarily enable tracking of their daily activities – should the city be encouraging this? While it is true that smart phones and apps of all variety are already harvesting tracking data for all sorts of known and unknown purposes, there may still be privacy implications for the user. Strava seems to have given good consideration to user privacy in its privacy policy, which is encouraging. Further, the only data sold to customers by Strava is deidentified and aggregated – this protects the privacy of app users in relation to Strava's clients. Nevertheless, it would be interesting to know if the degree of user privacy protection provided was a factor for either city in choosing to use Strava's services.
Another important issue – and this is a big one in the emerging smart cities context – relates to data ownership. Because the data is collected by Strava and then sold to the cities for use in their planning activities, it is not the cities' own data. The CBC report makes it clear that the contract between Strava and its urban clients leaves ownership of the data in Strava's hands. As a result, this data on cycling patterns in Ottawa cannot be made available as open data, nor can it be otherwise published or shared. It will also not be possible to obtain the data through an access to information request. This will surely reduce the transparency of planning decisions made in relation to cycling.
Smart cities and big data analytics are very hot right now, and we can expect to see all manner of public-private collaborations in the gathering and analysis of data about urban life. Much of this data may come from citizen-sensors as is the case with the Strava data. As citizens opt or are co-opted into providing the data that fuels analytics, there are many important legal, ethical and public policy questions which need to be asked.
Tuesday, 09 February 2016 10:19
Evaluating Canada's Open Government Progress
Carleton University's Mary Francoli has just released her second report on Canada's progress towards its Open Government commitments as part of its membership in the Open Government Partnership. The report is currently open for public comment.
The report offers a detailed and thorough assessment of the commitments made by the Canadian government in its second Action Plan on Open Government and the extent to which these commitments have been met. For those interested in open government, it makes interesting reading, and it also sets out a number of recommendations for moving the open government agenda forward in Canada.
Because the report is a review of Canada's progress on meeting its commitments, it is shaped by those commitments rather than by, for example, a list of open government priorities as identified by multiple stakeholders. Indeed, problems with stakeholder consultation and engagement are themes that run through this report. Although Francoli notes that there have been improvements over time, there is clearly still work to be done in this regard.
Francoli's detailed review shows that progress has certainly been made in moving forward the open government agenda. She notes that "significant progress" has been made with respect to many of the government's commitments in the second Action Plan, and that in some cases the government's progress has exceed its commitments. Not surprisingly, however, much remains to be done. Francoli identifies a number of shortcomings flagged by stakeholders that form the basis for her recommendations.
Foremost among the shortcomings is the woeful state of Canada's Access to Information Act. Although this legislation has been the subject of criticism and calls for reform for decades – and by a broad range of stakeholders – the previous government remained impervious to these demands. That an open government agenda could be advanced with much fanfare without tackling access to information in any substantive way should undermine confidence in Canada's commitment to open government. Top among Francoli's recommendations, therefore, is reform of the legislation, and she has written a separate opinion piece on this topic in the Hill Times. In this article she notes with frustration that although the new Liberal government expressed a commitment to reform the access to information regime in its election platform, that commitment is now being expressed in terms of a "review" of the legislation. Francoli justifiably questions whether we really need further review given the many studies already conducted and the ink already spilled about the deficiencies in the legislation. A commitment to meaningful reform might just require swifter action.
Other issues flagged by Francoli include what she refers to as a "data deficit" – the apparent stalling of progress in the release of open data and the lack of diversity in the available data at the federal level. The concerns over a data deficit extend to the cancellation of government-led data collection; the axing of the long-form census being perhaps the most notorious (though not the only) example of this. Although the census has been revived, Francoli notes that other cancelled studies have not. Further, Francoli cautions that the government's web renewal strategy is having the effect of pushing departments and agencies to reduce digital content available over the web, with the resultant loss of content available to the public. This latter concern ties in as well to Francoli's recommendation that the government develop and publicize a clear policy on the preservation of digital material.
In addition to recommendations related to these issues, Francoli also recommends that the government overhaul the Advisory Panel on Open Government. This Panel (on which I served) met only very rarely, and opportunities to provide feedback became very limited by tight time constraints imposed on the few meetings that did take place. Francoli is concerned about a disjunction between stakeholders' perspectives on open government and those of the government, and she sees an Advisory Panel with a new mandate and a new mode of operation as being one way to ensure more open lines of communication.
There may be a common misperception that open data and proactive disclosure are inexpensive and resource-light endeavors (after all, the government is just publishing online information already gathered, right?). Yet, this is far from the case. Open data in particular is resource-intensive, and Francoli notes that the two Action Plans had identified no additional resources for open government (apart from the $3 million dollars set aside for the mysterious Open Data Exchange (ODX)). She therefore also recommends that the government commit the necessary resources to open government in future action plans.
Francoli's report can be found here, and comments on the report can be made here. The comments are public, and it is also possible to read comments by other stakeholders and to engage in dialogue about the report. With a new government in the process of setting its open government agenda, this is an opportunity to help shape its direction.
Tuesday, 24 November 2015 11:08
Open Data in Countries with Two or More Official Languages
A new paper by uOttawa Common Law student Niki Singh and myself, and published in the Journal of e-Democracy, explores the issue of how to unroll open data programs in officially bi- or multi-lingual jurisdictions. Our focus is on Canada, although similar issues may arise in other jurisdictions with more than one official language.
The issue of linguistic equality in open data initiatives is particularly important if one takes into account the civic engagement dimensions of open government as well as the potential for use of open data by civil society organizations to meet their diverse goals. To date, at least at the federal level in Canada, there has been a strong emphasis on using open data to stimulate innovation. Much less emphasis has been placed, at least at the policy level, on using open government data to promote transparency or to support the work of civil society groups. The capacity of many civil society groups in Canada to work effectively with open data is even open to question. The necessary skills and expertise to work with open data may not yet be available to all such groups. In this context, then, compliance with the letter and spirt of official language policies requires a focus not just on bilingual data and bilingual tools to access the data (although these are certainly important), it also requires support for digital and data literacy that effectively reaches the different linguistic communities.
A few years ago, Jo Bates wrote an interesting article that explored whether and to what extent open government data initiatives within a neo-liberal frame may seek to offload responsibility for the delivery of some information-based government services to the private sector. In other words, rather than have the government develop and deliver information-based services to the public, the government might make its data available as open data and let the private sector develop useful apps involving that data. Evidence of this neo-liberal approach to information policy is present in Canada. For example, the decision of the last federal government in Canada to abolish the long form census was in part justified on the (controversial) view that equivalent data could be sourced from the private sector. If open data regimes operate within this neo-liberal frame, it is important also to consider the fate of minority language communities (among others) as data-related analysis and services are offloaded to the private sector.
Using the efforts and obligations of the Canadian federal government as a case study, our paper identifies some of the challenges posed by developing and implementing an open data agenda within an officially bilingual state. We consider two main issues. The first is whether open data initiatives might be used as a means to outsource some information analysis and information services to an unregulated private sector, thus directly or indirectly avoiding obligations to provide these services in both official languages. The second is whether the Canadian government's embrace of the innovation agenda of open data leaves minority language communities underserved and under-included in the development and use of open data. Although ultimately the evidence at this early stage is inconclusive, the questions are important ones to be asking, particularly as a new federal government takes charge of the open data agenda in Canada.
Wednesday, 11 November 2015 08:17
Promoting Transparency While Protecting Privacy in Open Government In Canada
The rise of big data analytics, combined with a movement at all levels of government in Canada towards open data and the proactive disclosure of government information have created a context in which privacy interests are increasingly likely to conflict with the goals of transparency and accountability. In some cases these conflicts may be small and easily reconciled, but in other cases they may be more substantial. In addition, some means of reconciling the conflict must be found; where privacy and transparency conflict, for example, which value should prevail and under what conditions?
Conflicts between transparency and privacy have been seen recently in, for example, concerns expressed over the amount of personal information that might be found in court and tribunal decisions that are published online. Sunshine lists – lists of salaries of public employees that are over a certain amount – also raise issues. Provinces that publish such lists have tended to do so using file formats that do not lend themselves to easy digital manipulation. But of course these modest technological barriers are routinely overcome, and individual name and salary information is absorbed into the big data universe for purposes quite distinct from meeting a government's transparency objectives. Open municipal data files may include information about specific individuals: for example, a database of all home renovation permit applications would have privacy implications for those individuals who applied for such permits. Even with names were redacted, it is easy enough to identify the owners of any homes for which renovation permits were obtained. In some cases, the level of connection may be less direct. For example, a public restaurant inspection record that cited kitchen staff at a small local restaurant for failure to wash their hands on a specific inspection date might indirectly reveal the identity of the persons who did not wash their hands, particularly if the staff of the restaurant is quite small. And, of course, in the big data context, even anonymized data, or data that is not personal information on its face, can be matched with other available data to identify specific individuals.
The point is not that the disclosure of such information must be avoided at all costs – rather, the issue is how to determine where to draw the line between privacy and transparency, and what steps might be taken to protect privacy while still ensuring transparency. No new legislative framework has been created to specifically guide the move towards open government in Canada, notwithstanding the fact that government data is fuel for the engines of big data.
In a paper that has just been published by the Alberta Law Review, my co-author Amy Conroy and I explore these issues, using a recent Supreme Court of Canada decision as a departure point for our analysis. Although the Court's decision in Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services v Information and Privacy Commissioner (Ontario) (Ministry of Community Safety) does not specifically address either open data or proactive disclosure, the case nevertheless offers important insights into the gaps in both legislation and case law in this area.
In our paper we consider the challenges inherent in the release of government data and information either through pro-active disclosure or as open data. A key factor in striking the balance between transparency and privacy is the definition of personal information – information that is not personal information has no privacy implications. Another factor is, of course, the meaning given to the concept of transparency. Our paper considers how courts and adjudicators understand transparency in the face of competing claims to privacy. We challenge the simple equation of the release of information with transparency and argue that the coincidence of open government with big data requires new approaches that are informed by the developing relationship between privacy and transparency.
"Promoting Transparency While Protecting Privacy in Open Government in Canada" by Amy Conroy and Teresa Scassa is published in (2015) 53:1 Alberta Law Review 175-206. A pre-print version is available here.
Published in Privacy
Friday, 16 October 2015 06:02
Court interprets Creative Commons licence terms in copyright lawsuit
It is not every day that courts are asked to interpret Creative Commons licenses, which is what makes the recent U.S. decision in Drauglis v. Kappa Map Group, LLC of particular interest.
Creative Commons offers a suite of licenses that can be used by those seeking to license their copyright-protected works under terms that facilitate different levels of sharing and use. Some licenses are virtually without restriction; others restrict uses of the work to non-commercial uses; contain requirements to give attribution to the author of the work; or require that any derivative works made using the licensed work by made available under similar license terms (Share-Alike). The licenses are available in multiple languages and have been adapted to the laws of a variety of different countries. They are even used for open government licensing of works in countries like Australia and New Zealand.
In this case, the plaintiff Art Drauglis was a photographer who had posted a photograph on Flickr under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 license (CC BY-SA 2.0). The defendant was a company that published maps and map-related products. It downloaded a copy of the plaintiff's photograph from Flickr, and used it on the cover of an atlas it published titled "Montgomery co., Maryland Street Atlas". The atlas was sold commercially, and the defendant claimed copyright in it. The copyright notice for the atlas appeared its first page, along with its table of contents. On the rear cover of the atlas, the title of the plaintiff's photograph was provided as well as the information about the name of the photographer and the fact that it was used under a CC-BY-SA-2.0 license.
The plaintiff's first claim – that the defendant had breached his copyright in the photograph – was quickly rejected by the Court. The District Court (District of Columbia) found that the defendant had used the image under license. Further, the license specifically permitted commercial uses of the image. Thus the plaintiff was limited to arguing that the defendant's use of the photograph was not in compliance with the terms of the license. There were 3 main arguments regarding non-compliance. These were that: 1) the Share-Alike condition of the license was breached by the defendant's commercial sale of the atlas; 2) the defendant did not include a proper Uniform Resource Identifier for the CC license as required by the license terms; and 3) the defendant did not provide the proper attribution for the photograph as required by the license.
The CC BY-SA 2.0 license requires that derivative works made using the licensed works also be made available under the same or comparable license terms. The plaintiff therefore argued that the defendant breached this term by publishing the atlas commercially and not under an equivalent license. The court disagreed. It found that the CC license contemplated two categories of re-use of the licensed work – in a "collective work" (defined in the license as a "periodical issue, anthology or encyclopedia, in which the Work in its entirety in unmodified form" is included with other contributions into a collective whole), or as a "derivative work" (defined in the license as a "work based upon the Work. . . in which the Work may be recast, transformed, or adapted".) It is only derivative works that must be licensed under comparable license terms. The court found that the use of the photograph in this case was as part of a collective work. That collective work was the atlas, consisting of a series of separate works (maps) compiled together with other elements, including the plaintiff's photograph, in a book. The court rejected arguments that the photograph had been cropped, and was thus "recast, transformed or adapted" rather than incorporated "in its entirety in unmodified form". It was not persuaded that any cropping had taken place; if it had it was so minor in nature that it was inconsequential.
The CC BY-SA 2.0 license also requires that the licensee "must include a copy of, or the Uniform Resource Identifier for, this License with every copy . . . of the Work". The plaintiff argued that this clause had been violated by the defendant because it only referred to the license as a CC-BY-SA 2.0 license and did not provide a URL for the license. The court distinguished between a Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) and a URL, noting that 'URI' is a term with a broader meaning than URL. While providing a URL might meet this requirement, providing the abbreviated name and version of the license met the requirement for a URI. The court noted that anyone searching the internet for "CC BY-SA 2.0" would easily arrive at the proper license.
The plaintiff also argued that the defendant did not properly attribute authorship of the photograph to the plaintiff in accordance with the terms of the license. The license required that any credit given to the author of a work in a derivative or collective work must, at a minimum, "appear where any other comparable authorship credit appears and in a manner at least as prominent as such other comparable authorship credit." (Section 4(c)). Because the copyright information for the atlas as a whole appeared on the inside front page and the credit for the cover photo appeared on the back of the atlas, the plaintiff argued that this condition was not met. However, the court found that copyright information was provided for each map on each page of the atlas, and that this type of credit was comparable to that provided for the cover photograph. The court found that "the Photograph is more akin to each of the individual maps contained with the Atlas than to the Atlas itself; the maps are discrete, stand-alone pictorial or graphic works, whereas the Atlas is a compilation of many elements, arranged in a specific and proprietary fashion, and constituting a separate and original work." (at p. 18) As a result, the attribution provided for the cover photo was comparable to that provided for other works in the collective work.
This would appear to be a case where the plaintiff's expectations as to what the CC license he used for his work would achieve for him were not met. It is perhaps a cautionary tale for those who use template licenses – the simplicity and user-friendliness of the human readable version of the license does not mean that the detail in the legal code should be ignored – particularly where the licensor seeks to place specific limits on how the work might be used.
Published in Copyright Law
Monday, 05 October 2015 07:45
Pending Trade-marks Act Amendment Will Permit Purging of Records
A recent (though not yet in force) amendment to Canada's Trade-marks Act will permit an unprecedented purging of trademark records in Canada. This destruction of records should be understood within the disturbing context described in a recent Maclean's article by Anne Kingston, titled "Vanishing Canada: Why We're All Losers in Canada's War on Data".
The new section 29.1 is aptly titled "Destruction of Records". It provides that, notwithstanding the Registrar's duty to maintain trademark data and documentation for public view, the Registrar may still destroy a broad range of documents. These can include applications for trademarks that are refused or abandoned, documents relating to trademarks that have been expunged, documents relating to any request for public notice to be given of an official mark that has been abandoned, refused or invalidated, and documents relating to objections to geographical indications that are removed from the list of geographical indications. All of these documents may be destroyed 6 years after the final action on the file.
Since 1997, the Registrar has been maintaining an electronic register of trademarks. This register is publicly accessible and searchable. However, it does not provide electronic access to the underlying documentation relating to the registrations. This information has nonetheless been available for public consultation, and is also available through access to information requests. While it is now possible to file trademark applications online, thus replacing paper with digital documents, this option has not always been available and there is still a great deal of paper floating about. All this paper obviously takes up a significant amount of space. How should the problem be addressed? One option is to begin the process of digitization; paper records can be destroyed once digital copies are made. Digital copies would also allow for a vastly improved level of access. Another option is to just chuck it all out. It is this latter option, cheap and easy, that will be implemented by the new section 29.1 of the Trade-marks Act.
Of what use are the records at issue? Trademark lawyers have argued that information about past trademark applications – including those refused by the Registrar – is often used in trademark opposition proceedings and in litigation. The International Trademark Association (INTA) opposed section 29.1 in a written submission to the Parliamentary Committee that studied the Bill that introduced this provision. INTA stated that "the downside risk of losing public access to these documents outweighs the hardships to the Canadian Intellectual Property Office associated with maintaining those records." INTA also noted that the Canadian approach was out of line with that in the United States and in Europe. INTA argued that the destruction of paper records should only take place after electronic copies have been made. The United States, for example, has created a searchable online resource to provide access to all of its records relating to all trademark applications, registered trademarks, Madrid Protocol applications and international registrations.
In addition to the relevance of this information to trademark practitioners, the soon to be destroyed information has research value as well. Canadian trademark law is a relatively under-researched area of Canadian intellectual property law. It would be a great shame if large volumes of data disappear just as research in this area begins to mature and expand.
What might a researcher distill from these records? Here's one example. Official marks have long been criticized for giving "public authorities" an almost unlimited power to carve out trademark space for themselves without any of the usual checks and balances put in place to manage trademark monopolies in the public interest. Many official marks for which public notice has been given by the Registrar have later been invalidated by the courts either on the basis that the "public authority" seeking public notice was not really a public authority or on the basis that they had not actually adopted or used the mark in question. Once s. 29.1 takes effect, the paper records relating to official marks that have been invalidated will disappear after 6 years. The Registrar has become more rigorous in her examination of requests for official marks (within the limits of a law totally lacking in rigour in this respect). Because there is no application process for official marks, all that appears in the register of trademark is the actual public notice in successful cases. Records relating to failed requests for public notice will soon be subject to destruction after 6 years. This means that this information will disappear entirely and without a trace. What public authorities have sought official marks that have been refused? What was the basis for the refusal to give public notice? What entities claiming to be public authorities have attempted to get trademark protection through this avenue? What might the answers to these questions tell us about a regime that is badly in need of reform? The answers to these questions will become unknowable once s. 29.1 takes effect and the wholesale destruction of records begins.
Digitization of records is expensive, time-consuming and labour intensive. But if paper records are destroyed before digitization takes place there is simply no way to recreate the information. It is lost forever. I have given only a few examples of the potential relevance of the information that is set to be destroyed once s. 29.1 comes into force. Let's hope it never does. The concepts of open government and open data are only meaningful if there is something left to see once the doors are opened.
Published in Trademarks
Canadian Trademark Law
Published in 2015 by Lexis Nexis
Electronic Commerce and Internet Law in Canada, 2nd Edition
Published in 2012 by CCH Canadian Ltd.
Intellectual Property for the 21st Century
Intellectual Property Law for the 21st Century:
Interdisciplinary Approaches


text:
Jun 26, 2013 at 7:37 pm #1304668
Found myself forgetting what I had, so figured it was time to part with some items that I have not used in a while or found a spot for in my line up. All prices include shipping. All clothing items are free of rips, stains, holes, etc. unless otherwise noted.
Marmot Component Jacket – Size Large (2 lbs 1.25 oz) – was $50 NOW$40
This is just the outer shell. No hood or inner fleece.
Has Pit Zips, Powder Skirt
Princeton Tec Quest (3.8 oz) – was $15 NOW $13
Brand New, Open package. Didn't feel right to me.
PIF ITEMS – used but with life left in them
CLAIMEDMSR Fuel Bottle (30 oz) – 7.5 oz
Nalgene 32 oz Narrow Mouth – 6.5 oz
SOLD Granite Gear Virga – Older Version – Has seen some use and general wear, but still has quite a bit of life left in it. One small hole in the bottom of the pack.
Weighs – 1 lb 6 3/4 ounces on my scale
was $55 NOW $50 shipped
SOLDPatagonia R1? ¼ Zip – Size Medium (15.25 oz) – $30
I cannot remember the exact model, but if I am not mistaken this is an older version of the R1. Tag says Style 25240FA. 100% Polyester
SOLDPatagonia Better Sweater? (button up) – Size Large (1 lb .4 oz) – $30
Overall Very Good used condition, Believe this to be an older version (2005/2006) of the Better Sweater. Tag says style 25610. 1/4 Button up Front. 100% Polyester
SOLDLawson Glowire (green) – $10
Brand new.
SOLDThermarest Trekker Chair – (10.25 oz) – $12
SOLDAdventure Medical Kit – $8
Brand New.
SOLD Hydrapak Shape Shift Reversible Hydration Bladder Reservoir – $18
Brand New. Packaging was torn, but reservoir undamaged
(SOLD) Evernew .5L ECA-266 (2.6 oz)- $55
I'm going to regret selling this, but oh well. I bought this when It was only available overseas and paid a premium for it.
Brand New, never used.
SOLD Merano Convertible Pants – 38 x 30 – $10
In used condition. Some bleach spots on one of the lower pants leg.
SOLD Eddie Bauer Component 365 Fleece – Women's Size X-small – (12.25 oz) –
was $15 NOW $13
(SOLD) Hennessy Snake Skins #3 – (2 oz) – $16
Used once.
(SOLD) REI Down Jacket – Size XL (1 lb 6.25 oz) – $15
An oldie but goodie. Very warm. Small holes in sleeve and rip in back sewn closed (see pics). Minimal loss of down as were patched right away and sewn closed later.
(SOLD) Eddie Bauer Day Pack – $5
Used, PU coating on inside peeling/flaking. One hole sewn closed (see pic).
SOLDEddie Bauer First Ascent Down Jacket – Size Large – 800 FP (13.4 oz) –
was $75 NOW $55
This jacket is new, but there are several major flaws in the outer shell (see pictures). They appear to be runs in the fabric itself. They do not affect the performance of the jacket, and I did not find any down coming out. The defects are located on the back left and left arm.
When I bought it, the seller (NOT a BPL member) did not disclose this and only showed pictures of the front of the jacket. I am showing the defects, so you can judge for yourself.
SOLDEddie Bauer First Ascent Microtherm Down Vest – Size Large – 800 FP – (7.4 oz) –
was $60 NOW $50
Seen very little use. Color is Navy
SOLDNalgene Bottle Packs (32oz & 12 oz – wide mouth) $10 Each
One is (SOLDBlue with White lids) and the other is grey with purple lids. $10 per set
SOLD Stoic Breath 150 Z-Suit – Size Medium (12.9 oz) – was $50 NOW$40
New, but no tags. Tried on once, but ultimately decided on separate pieces instead of the suit.
(SOLD) Evernew Titanium DX Stand (1.8 oz) – was $45 NOW $40
Brand New, never used.
(SOLD)Thermarest Compack Chair 20 – was $25 NOW$20
Brand new, red silnylon version (stock photo)
SOLDHennessy Hammock Expedition Asym – Complete setup (3 lb 1 oz) –
was $125 NOW $115
Like New. Rain Fly never used.Jun 26, 2013 at 7:49 pm #2000125
Daniel RussellMember
@superfluous_grizzlyLocale: Creation
I'll take the lawson glowire
Edit: Payment SentJun 26, 2013 at 7:49 pm #2000126
B TSpectator
I'll take the glowire if you can take paypal.Jun 26, 2013 at 7:50 pm #2000127
B TSpectator
6 seconds late?!Jun 26, 2013 at 9:07 pm #2000144
Anthony WestonBPL Member
@anthonywestonLocale: Southern CA
I'd like the Patagonia R1? ¼ Zip, if it's still available.
AnthonyJun 26, 2013 at 10:58 pm #2000166
Allan LiuMember
@allan_liuLocale: Chicago
I will take the blue ones with whit lids.Jun 26, 2013 at 11:37 pm #2000171
Velimir KemecBPL Member
PM sent for the above two items.
Cheers!Jul 1, 2013 at 6:35 am #2001269
All items claimed have been notated and shipped.
Prices adjusted.Jul 1, 2013 at 9:44 am #2001316
Steven MillerBPL Member
@millergearLocale: SE
I'll take it, IF the hip belt hasn't been shortend, and the Torso is Medium.
PM sentJul 1, 2013 at 10:02 am #2001319
Frank RezackBPL Member
@coinmnLocale: Twin Cities, Minnesota
I'm a hiker on a budget and would love the Hennessy hammock and skins. Could you do it for $100 shipped to 55068?
CoinmnJul 1, 2013 at 7:55 pm #2001544
Robert StanekSpectator
@rstanekLocale: Southeast, Atlanta, GA
Interested. PM or robbstanek at the domain wit a Y!Jul 3, 2013 at 1:43 pm #2002170
Dave TMember
I'll take it!Jul 3, 2013 at 6:27 pm #2002294
Added a new with tags Nemo Transform Tarp. Decided to keep with my current set up. I can return it, but thought I would offer it up here and save someone a few dollars, especially if I am going to pay shipping either way.Jul 4, 2013 at 12:27 pm #2002449
FACUNDO GALLEGO HEGUILENBPL Member
I m interest in both first ascent jacket.
Could you e mail me to facundo_gallego at cargill dot comJul 7, 2013 at 3:02 pm #2003454
Prices have been updated. Also may be open to reasonable offers on items.Jul 19, 2013 at 6:51 am #2007575
Prices updated againJul 31, 2013 at 7:10 am #2011127
About halfway there in clearing out the gear closet.
Lowered prices again.
Thanks.Jul 31, 2013 at 7:43 am #2011136
Jim SweeneyBPL Member
@swimjayLocale: Northern California
PM sent Re Z suit; will take.Jul 31, 2013 at 5:21 pm #2011295
Z-Suit is SoldAug 2, 2013 at 5:19 am #2011663
Hugh MaclarenBPL Member
@hughLocale: Melbourne
Hi Jared, I'd like the Compack chair. What do you want inc shipping to Melbourne Australia?
HughAug 2, 2013 at 9:04 am #2011697
$35 shipped to Australia. You might want to set up your profile to accept PMs.
ThanksAug 2, 2013 at 4:31 pm #2011801
Evernew DX Sold. Getting closer to having a clean gear closet – if that is possible.Aug 3, 2013 at 6:30 am #2011934
Luke CountermanBPL Member
@l-countermanLocale: Marquette, MI
PM sent on the Nemo transform.Aug 3, 2013 at 1:56 pm #2012009
Compak Chair has sold.Aug 9, 2013 at 8:42 am #2013888
The Hennessy has sold
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
Stella & Dot Opportunity Event in Huntington, New York with Star Stylist Katie Bullen
Katie Bullen- Stella & Dot Director
Saturday, October 26, 2013 at 9:00 AM (EDT)
Are you interested in a fun flexible job in the fashion field??
Than look no more- Stella & Dot is for you
Come see what all the buzz is about! As featured in the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times, this hyper growth company is enabling a new kind of success for busy women with a professional, flexible, profitable home based business. Come along, even bring an interested friend or two, to learn about starting your own part or full time career as a Stella & Dot Stylist at this informal Opportunity Event. Spring into a new career this June with a fun flexible job with Stella & Dot. Get a sneak peek at our fabulous jewelry at www.stelladot.com/katiebullen
Join me to see our newest holiday collection and find out why Fall is the best time to launch your new business! Plus take advantage of our October Sign on Special of an extra $100 in free jewelry!
As a Director with Stella & Dot I will be here to help train, coach, and mentor you with your Stella & Dot career. I encourage you to check out my website at www.stelladot.com/katiebullen and connect with me on facebook at www.facebook.com/shoppingwithkatie
Join millions of people on Eventbrite.
In order to purchase these tickets in installments, you'll need an Eventbrite account. Log in or sign up for a free account to continue.


text:
Broad Channel Bits
This is an anniversary column. Our anniversary. At this time last year the first "Bits" column appeared in these pages without much fanfare. Only a few people read the first column or even the second. It took a while for people to realize that the Channel had its own column again.
Its predecessor, "Bits and Pieces," written by Kathy Louis, was extremely popular, but it had been
missing from these pages for some years. Lots of people missed the column (I was one of them!) and it was time to put Broad Channel back into the newspaper again.
So, "Bits" came into being. With your meetings, events, birthdays,
fundraisers, theatre and more in it. And the positive feedback I've gotten over this past year has been tremendous. It has been a pretty terrific year for me, all in all. I enjoy writing this column, and so many of you have told me you enjoy reading it. And because of "Bits," I've met so many more people here, which is pretty terrific too! So, Happy 1st Anniversary, everybody!
Without your input, this column would not exist.
DON'T GET LEFT OUT! On Sunday, April 6 the Easter Bunny is coming! He will be at the American Legion Hall at noon on that day for a light breakfast, games and pictures. Adult ticket is $7 per adult, children cost $5 each. For more information call Jill 718 4745-7881, Judy 718 738-6326, Marilyn 718 474-1012 or Joanie at 718 474-6140.
The 144 Music company is now in P.S. 47 on Mondays and Tuesdays.
On Monday, the halls are filled with the sounds of flutes, recorders and guitars in grades Kindergarten through grade four. On Tuesday the sound of the chorus are heard in grades 5 through 8. The students enjoy the music classes and the staff is thrilled with the work of 144 Music.
The 8th grade students will receive their graduation rings on Friday, March 28, during a small ceremony for their families in the "All Purpose Room" at P.S. 47. Congratulations on your new rings, Class of 2003!
From April 2 through April 6, the St. Virgilius P.A. is sponsoring a
Spring Book Fair for all ages in the student lunchroom. The dates and times are as follows: Wednesday, April 2 from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Thursday, April 3 from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Friday, April 4 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Saturday, April 5 from 11 a.m. to 7p.m. and on Sunday, April 6 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
It's Fashion Show 2003 sponsored by the SVS PA on Friday, April 4th at 7:30 p.m. at Roma View! Fashions are from the Gap and Gap Kids. There will be prizes and raffle baskets full of good stuff! Music will be provided by DJ Teddy. Full dinner includes open bar, three entrees, pasta and dessert.
Reserve a seat, or a whole table. Call Anne Marie 718 945-9237 or Debbie 718 474-1079.
On Monday, March 31, there will be a trip to Atlantic City's Sands Casino sponsored by the Rosary Altar Society of St. Virgilius. The bus will leave promptly at 8:30 a.m. and return about 8:30 p.m. Cost is $23 with a return of $16. For more information or to reserve seats call Eileen 718 634-8547 or Muriel 718 634-6126.
Also on Monday, March 31, the St. Virgilius prayer group will welcome Sister Ave Clark who will present a Lenten mini retreat. Sister Ave is a very accomplished and interesting speaker. All are welcome to the event, but space is limited. The customary offering for the retreat is $10. If you want to attend, please call 718 634-5261 to reserve a seat or to get further details.
CALL TO RESERVE! On Sunday, April 6 from 3 p.m. till …., Sauerbraten is on the menu at the Christ Presbyterian Church Annual Sauerbraten Dinner. If you plan to enjoy this delicious meal, please call Joyce 718 474-7769, the Church 718 945-3443 or Janet 718 318-6454 a week before (March 30) to make reservations or arrange for free delivery. Each dinner is $10. Reservations
are a must!
Last weekend SVS PA had a Bake Sale in front of the church. After the mass on Saturday, there were lots of goodies!
The blueberry muffins I bought had lots of berries and were delicious! By the end of the 11:30 a.m. mass on Sunday, it looked like the PA had nearly sold out!
ARE YOU SIGNED UP? On Friday, March 28 at 7 p.m. the American Legion will have Championship Poker at the Legion Hall. There is a $100 donation. There will be Prizes. Food and Spirits will be provided. Call George at 718 634-5795 or Steve 718 945-5948. There is a 100 player limit on a first come, first served basis. Details can be found at our Website at www.broadchannel1.com.
Books and Bagels book discussion met last Thursday. With 8 people present, discussion centered mostly on Deptford Trilogy by Robertson Davies. (Stuart Woods's books are fun reads, but his books don't lend themselves to a lot of discussion-people either like his writing a lot or not at all!) One person was disappointed when she learned from Davies' biography that he had died a
few years ago and, of course, would not be writing any more books! At least one person did not read the book at all; while some of the others were still reading it; and only a couple finished it. It was a thick book and must have been hard to get into. One person read a quote from the book. (Most of the books the group has read are fiction; somehow, they almost always have adultery in them.) Anyway, here is the quote: "A deceived husband is merely a
cuckold, a figure of fun; whereas a deceived wife is someone who has
sustained an injury." It is a societal view, according to the book. It may or may not be true, but it's thought-provoking, isn't it?
Remember: your bits of news are important. Email them to me at email@example.com.


text:
Seoul – all photos by Scott Druce from Telegram Paper Goods
Hi I'm Scott Druce from Telegram Paper Goods! we are a design stationery company based in Melbourne. We seek out stationery right on our doorstep and also across the world, which means we regularly travel overseas to meet designers and suppliers.
Korea is one destination I always look forward to visiting. In Australia there is a perception of "blandness" in Korean design – we think of Hyundai cars and LG fridges and not much else from Korea! And when you first visit Seoul it can appear at first view as another big Asian metropolis… but if you scratch the surface there is a talented design and arts scene. There is a proud and growing design movement in Seoul, the Koreans are also much more open and inviting than their close Japanese neighbours.
A few years ago I travelled to Korea for the first time and was so impressed by their beautiful design aesthetic and stationery brands that my first trip resulted in Telegram sourcing and bringing to Australia for the first time O-Check Design Graphics. O-Check revive the stationery of yesteryear through their clever design and this has been a hit in Australia.
Telegram Paper Goods visit O'Check's office in Seoul! That's Matt from Telegram on the far left, and Scott on the right.
This week I have returned to Korea for my forth trip and to visit O-Check and one of our newest Korean stationery brands MMMG.
During my first morning in Seoul I simply take in the city. It is such a bustling city with hidden gems… more to come tomorrow!


text:
Second cyber security institute launched
25 March 2013
Teams from six universities, including UCL, will make up the UK's second cyber security research institute. The academic research institute, which will be hosted by Imperial College London, will investigate new ways of reducing computer software's vulnerability to cyber threats. The first academic research institute in cyber security, based at UCL, opened in October last year. Read: THE


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Kitchen Sink Waste Pipe... Help!
I just replaced the basket drain and installed a garbage disposal in my dual sink. The problem is that the waste line in the kitchen is about 6 inches from the bottom of the sink, and about 10 from the floor. This results in the garbage disposal waste line (connected through a T-joint) being lower than the waste line into the wall! Am I S.O.L.?
I feel like I have to get a plumber to open the wall and lower the waste line...
There are lots of fittings available to make things work. The trap needs to be below the drain connection, the rest can be whatever is available.
Take a picture of what you're looking at.
I think this picture's clear enough. I was pretty syked to get it all connected after cutting the pipes, then I looked at it like... oh crap...
yeah you need to lower that san tee in the wall
:censored: That's exactly what I thought...
im thinking the disposal is actually part of the trap! :laughing:
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text:
Big news from ESPN's Adam Schefter via Twitter:
"At team meeting minutes ago, Redskins players were informed Kirk Cousins will start at Cleveland, according to text from person in room," Schefter tweeted.
Cousins will fill in for Robert Griffin III , who sprained the LCL in his right knee in Week 14.
Fantasy Analysis:
Just as I published a note about a doctor deciding Griffin's status for this game, it appears that has already happened. The tweet doesn't say Grffin has been ruled out, but you need to put him on your bench now. If you own Cousins, it is doubtful that you would start him in your fantasy playoffs unless you are completely out of options in a two-quarterback league. With him under center, you should issue a downgrade to Pierre Garcon and all Redskins receivers while also assuming that running back Alfred Morris will take on as much work as he can possibly handle against the Browns.
For those of you who have Griffin as your starting quarterback without a decent backup, just hope that the rest of your team picks it up and carries you through to the next round.


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Create a free account to check out faster, store multiple shipping addresses, view and track your orders in your account, and much more.
Please enter your password to continue.
This was a great buy. I love how understated it is and simple. I was able to stash this in my purse and take it with me to Christmas this year.5


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Team Trinity White Carbon LCG 2S 60C Hardcase LiPo Battery (5mm) (7.4V/6300mAh)
|Low Price:
The Trinity White Carbon LCG 2S 60C Hardcase LiPo Battery is a lower center of gravity type battery, that is much lighter and not as tall as a normal 2s pack. Originally designed for touring cars, these batteries can also be used in off-road cars to allow better cornering speed and quicker change of direction.
They are available in 5300mah and 6300mah capacity ratings and both batteries use a 5mm bullet connector. The 5300mah (TRITEP2308) is approximately 255 grams and the 6300mah (TRITEP2309) is approximately 274 grams. Pack dimensions are 139x47x22.5mm and a set of 5mm bullets are included.
Trinity Warranty: "Because of the nature of this product and how we can not control the way it will be charged, discharged or stored after purchase, TRINCORP, LLC. offers no warranty of Li-Po battery packs other than the pack works correctly on the first charge. Swollen, race damaged and shorted packs will not be covered under warranty. Use your battery pack at your own risk."
This product was added to our catalog on April 26, 2016.


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Poll of Texas Shows Romney Ahead of GOP Rivals, Obama
"If Newt Gingrich was going to win a big victory anywhere between now and the Republican convention, Texas would be the logical candidate ... but it doesn't look like that's going to happen," Tom Jensen, the director of Public Policy Polling, said in a news release.
Romney also came out on top in head-to-head polling with President Obama, with a 50 percent-43 percent advantage. Obama had more support among Latinos, leading Romney 56 percent-34 percent, and among young voters with a 57 percent-35 percent edge.
"Texas looks like it will remain Republican in the general election," Jensen said. "This is not likely to be the year when Texas goes Democratic, but the trends with [Hispanics and young voters] make it seem possible that it will happen someday."
Romney's lead became smaller when those surveyed were asked about a GOP ticket with Gov. Rick Perry as the vice presidential candidate. Romney's lead over Obama was then 50 percent-45 percent.
Paul did not fare well among Texas Republican voters in the poll. Only 37 percent of Texas Republicans have a favorable opinion of him, while 48 percent view him negatively.
"Ron Paul [is] headed for an embarrassing performance in his home state," Jensen said. "His chances of hitting 20 percent, even with most of the rest of the field out of the picture, look minimal."
Jensen added that the poll reflects a clear trend of Republicans coalescing around Romney.
"Texas really shows the extent to which GOP voters have unified around Romney over the last few weeks," said Jensen, noting that January polls showed that 44 percent of Texas Republicans rated Romney favorably and 44 percent rated him poorly. "Now his favorability is a 43+ spread at 66-23. That's very much indicative of people jumping on board the train."
According to Jensen, Romney is winning the support of Tea Party voters over Gingrich by a 44 percent-38 percent margin, but losing the support of evangelicals to Gingrich by a 45 percent-40 percent spread.
"That's indicative of those voters being somewhat tepid towards Romney," Jensen explained. "While there's little chance those folks would go for Barack Obama in the fall, Romney does need to worry at least a bit about whether they're going to come out at all."
"Strong might not be the word to describe Mitt Romney's position in Texas," said Dean Debnam, president of Public Policy Polling. "Voters in the state don't like him all that much. But he's still the favorite for both the primary and general elections."
Public Policy Polling surveyed 591 Texas voters from April 19-22, as well as 400 Republican primary voters. The margin of error for the overall survey was +/- 4 percentage points, and +/- 4.9 percentage points for the GOP survey. The poll was not paid for or authorized by any campaign or political organization.
This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune at http://trib.it/K70b0V.
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I need some words of wisdom:My situation: I don't know much about servers, i'm barely getting in to it. I've been building websites off and on since i was a little angel. But nothing ever too crazy, just html. Just a couple years ago some of my interest fell into php web apps. Now i'm going to be using phpFox to run a little community website for a community that i'm sure will use it. So there's definitely a potential for medium traffic. Which is why i'm thinking that it might be best to get a VPS. Especially since I've run the same project on a Bluehost server but it just kept crashing. (not Bluehost fault of course, they're awesome) But it's just pretty obvious to me that if i'm going to launch this website it would require nothing less than a VPS.
Other than localhost, i have NO experience managing a server (LAMP on Ubuntu desktop). This makes me just a little bit nervous, which is why I'm asking for advice...
Hi hardtaro
It can be pretty daunting at first but there are a ton of resources through the web to get you started, read, read, read and learn then read some more.
Eh I was afraid i would hear that. Well good advice nonetheless. Thanks
There are web hosts that offer managed VPS plans. They will take care of installing the basic software (PHP, MySQL, etc.) and keeping things updated so you can focus on being a webmaster and building your community. While I have never administered a server, I understand there can be a huge learning curve with an unmanaged VPS plan. In addition to downloading and compiling everything you need, you have to worry about security, too. A managed VPS plan will take care of that for you.
Is the solution you are using something you made yourself or a product (either free or paid) from the 'shelf'? If it is something from the shelf, look at their documentation to see if they say anying. How many people are you expecting to visit a day? I am no expert in hosting, but I probably wouldn't consider a VPS unless I got like 5,000 hits a day or more. I am assuming you either asked BlueHost to move you to a new server (some do that) or searched to see if your product just is slow in general or on BlueHost servers.
If you are really unsure you could get a vps with a control panel to do the work for you. Leaving you to work on the site. If not you can pick up what's needed from plenty of online guides.
My advice is to not get the VPS until you know you have the traffic lined up. Starting with a shared plan and upgrading from there should save you money up front and give you more wiggle room.


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Carr stands firm on school reports
Page Tools
The Premier, Bob Carr, has vowed to change the law to override any tribunal finding that school performance reports for parents are illegal.
The State Government plans to make all 2232 government schools issue online and hard-copy reports that reveal academic results, truancy levels and teacher attendance and retention rates, among other performance indicators.
The reports will be trialled in 50 schools next year and introduced across the state in 2007.
The plan has come under attack from the NSW Teachers Federation, which says it will lead to illegal "league tables". The federation has asked the Industrial Relations Commission to rule on the legality of publishing academic differences between schools.
The commission held a hearing on the matter on June 20 and is due to hand down its findings next Friday.
However, Mr Carr said if the commission ruled that the reports were unlawful, he would ask Parliament to override the ruling. "We'll legislate for it This is a right of parents and we're going to see that parents have got that right," he said.
The Government has the backing of the Opposition in its looming battle with teachers, who have threatened not to write the reports.
The Opposition's education spokeswoman, Jillian Skinner, said: "We'll do everything that needs doing to make sure this happens. We want to see that the information goes far enough to give parents a proper understanding of how schools are performing."
The reports will require all schools to plot results in statewide tests like the HSC against averages for the state and comparable schools. They will also chart parent, teacher and student satisfaction, teacher qualifications, and student enrolment trends, and show the percentage of students meeting national benchmarks in reading, writing and numeracy.
The Teachers Federation said yesterday online reports could easily be turned into league tables, which are prohibited under the NSW Education Act 1990.
The federation's senior vice-president, Angelo Gavrielatos, warned the reports would be used as a political tool to "bash poor schools that don't do as well as others".
"If you start highlighting the results and the leave that teachers take - sick leave, maternity leave and so on - what's that going to do for morale, which is already very low in high turnover areas?" he said.
"It's just going to make the situation so much worse for schools that don't do as well - it's going to entrench the differences between schools."
The Government has rejected claims the reports will lead to league tables.
The Education Minister, Carmel Tebbutt, said: "We have clear legislation that doesn't allow league tables in NSW What this is about is making sure that the information about schools' performance is consistent, that it's presented in a way that allows parents to look at what's happening."
Secondary school principals have welcomed the reports but criticised the Government for not introducing them to Catholic and independent schools.
The president of the Secondary Principals Council, Chris Bonnor, said: "It's typical double standards.
"Why should public schools have to follow one standard and other schools which also get taxpayers' money another standard?"
Annual school reports must include information such as:
- Results in statewide tests like the HSC and School Certificate
- Trends in student enrolment and attendance
- Teacher qualifications and leave.
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text:
The Eggie
Try this creative egg and sourdough bread dish from Tini chef Darius Salko for a meal worthy of any occasion.
- Servings: 1
Source: The Martha Stewart Show, April 2010
- 1 thin slice sourdough bread, about 1/4-inch thick
- Garlic Butter, room temperature
- 1 large egg, preferably fresh
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 6 fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped
- 1/8 teaspoon coarse salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon unsalted butter
- 1 scallion, trimmed and thinly sliced on the diagonal into 1 1/2-inch pieces, for serving
Preheat a broiler.
Brush both sides of bread lightly with garlic butter and cut into 1/4-inch cubes. Place bread cubes in a 4-inch nonstick ovenproof skillet over medium-low heat until toasted.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together egg, milk, parsley, and salt; season with pepper. When bread cubes begin to turn golden and garlic is fragrant, add egg mixture to skillet. Using a heatproof rubber spatula, gently pull the cooked eggs from the side of the skillet, tilting pan to let the raw egg take its place; cook until no raw egg remains.
Transfer to broiler and cook until egg is set, but still glossy, 10 to 15 seconds. Serve immediately, topped with scallion slices.


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|21st Jun 2012, 22:12
Gives credit where its due
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Devon, Plymouth
Posts: 2,886
Car insurance
Hell I'm 21 and i'll be passing my test pretty soon. I've been doing insurance checks and nothing i've came across is under 2k
First i tried the car I've had stored for a couple of years it's been my baby since like 17, Volvo S60 not even once... £6000
VOLKSWAGEN GOLF S 16V 1598cc
Third Party Fire & Theft cover, no NCB
£250 voluntary excess requested
MAZDA MX-3 AUTO 1597cc
Third Party Fire & Theft cover, no NCB
£250 voluntary excess requested
BMW 316 I (COMPACT) 1596cc
Third Party Fire & Theft cover, no NCB
£250 voluntary excess requested
Any ideas on what would be cheaper on insurance that isn't a bag of complete crap, that'll kill you in second if your involved in a crash? or am i going to have to bite the bullet and pay 2k for the golf?
Loose lips sink ships
|21st Jun 2012, 22:15
Join Date: Jan 2008
Posts: 5,161
I'm almost 20, been driving for two years, and I got quoted £10k p.a. for an MR2.
|21st Jun 2012, 22:21
Mod Master
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Chester or Nottingham
Posts: 2,305
21 here, 3 years no claim fully comp insured for a grand on a 170bhp seat leon so it is possible, however I think its your lack of driving experience that's holding you back. I suggest you lower your engine size to a 1.2ish.
I drove a clio for 4 years prior and I didn't die
If you can do it try a multi car plan with another family member.
|21st Jun 2012, 22:21
I Mod, Therefore I Own
Join Date: Jul 2008
Posts: 6,434
Car insurnace is a joke without reason.
I owned a Cavalier Sri 130 when I was young, mad hot hatch and didn't get stung like youngsters today.
Excuse to print money as far as I'm concerned
|21st Jun 2012, 22:25
Hopless World Wonderer
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Over the oceans, half a world away....
Posts: 264
Anything that has performance will cost you. Both my Discovery and MG TF are expensive to insure, as they are both performance and prestige vehicles. You'll get done for any car with something indicating at sportyness.
Anything over about 1.3 or 1.4 will be really hefty to insure, so get something like a polo or a corsa. If you have to have golf like performance, buy a skoda. Brilliant little cars, handle really well and cheap to insure. Don't buy anything with sport, gti, etc in its name. In fact, don't buy anything with a turbo, that will really hurt.
If you want performance, you'll have to pay.
Hope this helps
"Is a dream a lie if it don't come true? Or is it something worse?"
Bruce Springsteen
Searching Distant Seas
|21st Jun 2012, 22:27
I Mod, Therefore I Own
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Edinburgh
Posts: 5,842
Tragically insurance for younger drivers is dear because they're statistically more likely to wrap their high powered motor round a tree.
Best option is something smallish, Focus or Astra or smaller. Its not about the damage you're going to do to your car its about the damage you'll do to others so small and unsporty are the words of the day. If its any consolation my 1.8l Vectra was 1.5k from most big insurers but got it for £700 from tesco so its probably still worth looking around some more. My 406 was £300 when I renewed it in April!
|21st Jun 2012, 22:47
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Kent
Posts: 1,924
Drive something really crappy till your trusted, first time drivers are a high risk, put the pussy magnet on hold.
Once you've been driving for say 3 years with no claims it will be much easier to get what you want.
|21st Jun 2012, 22:53
I Mod, Therefore I Own
Join Date: Jul 2008
Posts: 6,434
Just love the way that fanny = crash.
|21st Jun 2012, 22:58
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: UK
Posts: 368
I'm surprised it's so low, at 23 I'm being quoted 2k+ for a 1.4 clio, I've tried everything inclsuing a 1.2 corser and no luck getting it below 2k
|21st Jun 2012, 22:59
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Darwen. Lancs
Posts: 58
I'm 22 and drive a 1.2L R reg corsa and don't get anything under £3k p.a. As the car is worth £250 and excess is at £500 surely the insurance companies know I won't claim? They just like money and as its a private enterprise which is compulsory they will always ask for over the odds.
On another note my friends 80yo gran gets her insurance for £80p.a. She can't use one of her legs and I she can't tell her non-identical grandchildren apart she is that blind. So I'm the one more likely to have an accident
|21st Jun 2012, 23:07
Mod Master
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Rochdale
Posts: 2,770
Insurers aren't concerened about you claiming but more concerned of the claim of someone else if you hit someone
Add your area, I get quoted £750 for my car and 10mins down the road at the in laws a quote is under £500.
Insurers are the only companies allowed to catergoise people and charge you for it
As for the old ages people costs and risk, I was knocked off my motorbike by a 74 year old who didn't see me despite high-vis and lights on the bike, thanks for not getting your eyes checked
|21st Jun 2012, 23:30
Is the daddy!
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Bindi's cupboard
Posts: 8,596
Age: 24
Profession: Industrial Designer
Car: 1998 Saab 900 Turbo
Insurance: £554
Saving of £227 from last year
Project log Mocha70
i7 930, GA-X58-USB3, 12GB Kingston, GTX980, 240GB Cruical SSD, 1Tb Seagate, WC
|21st Jun 2012, 23:34
Help me , Help you.
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Nottingham
Posts: 3,574
24 years old £299/£50 excess on my kit car. £19 up from last year haha
Girlfriends mini with both of us on it £560.
My old mini was £515 tpft when 18....
You need to lower your engine size unfortunately.
My Midas Mk2 Bronze 'Blog'
|21st Jun 2012, 23:49
Side bewb.
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Vulcan High Council
Posts: 7,356
And here's me looking at Civic Type-R's for £800 fully comp at 21 with no NCB or driving experience.
Try looking at newer cars as well, they've got better brakes and safety systems, you're less likely to crash something with ABS then something old and clapped out. Corsa-C's are pretty cheap for me. Oh, and put your mum on the insurance, that lowers it a couple of £££ as well.
|22nd Jun 2012, 00:07
Master of the unfinished.
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Cardiff, UK.
Posts: 1,267
Age: 27 (26 when I took out the policy)
Profession: Student
No claims bonus: One year.
Car: 52 plate BMW 320d
Insurance: £682.95 fully comp (£300 excess).
I hope it'll be cheaper again this year with another year ncb, although considering insurance seems to be constantly rising, maybe not.
Where are you getting the quotes from Evolutionsic? Always worth doing a comparethemarket or similar search (using a junk e-mail address and non working telephone number, just change a digit and check that it doesn't work). I used a cheaper quote to reduce my renew price last year.
Main SilverStone FT03B | Intel i5 firstname.lastname@example.com | Corsair H70 | Maximus IV Gene-Z | 16GB DDR3 | Zotac GTX 470 | Corsair HX520 | 500GB HDD | 2 x HP ZR24W Monitors |
Server Fractal Design Define R5 | Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 | Corsair H50 | EVGA 680i SLI | 8GB DDR2 | Sapphire HD4870 | Corsair AX750 | HighPoint RocketRAID 2680SGL | 8 x 1.5TB HDD's in RAID5 | 1TB HDD | 500GB HDD |
|22nd Jun 2012, 09:27
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Norfolk, UK
Posts: 9,642
Try something a little like a diesel skoda fabia (the older 1.9 is fast but not driven by young people so comes out quite cheap) or a 1.2L super mini (clio, fiesta, corsa etc.) just not the sport model. As soon as you've got one or two years no claims prices drop considerably.
They key to cheap insurance in your first few years driving is picking a car that young people don't normally drive as the statistics for it being involved in accidents will be more favourable.
My first car was a fiat punto (as I couldn't afford anything else) then after two years with that I had an ST170 and the insurance was less per year the the funto.
:: All your PowerShell are belong to me ::
|22nd Jun 2012, 09:32
I Mod, Therefore I Own
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Clevedon, UK
Posts: 3,607
Age: 24
Profession: Civil engineer
NCB: None
Full licence held: 1 year
Car: 52 plate Seat Leon 1.4 S
Insurance: ~£750 TPFT
Go on confused.com and put your mum/girlfriend/aunt/gran on as a named driver (NOT as the policy holder and yourself as a named driver - that's illegal), should save you about 25%. Chances are Admiral will come out the cheapest. I was getting quotes around £750 for a 1.6 Mk4 Golf, £825 for a 1.8 GTI and £650 for a 1.2 Corsa C.
|22nd Jun 2012, 09:42
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Bedfordshire
Posts: 401
Basically you're going to be stuck with a car that has 1 Lr / 1.2Lr for awhile.
Corsair Carbide 540 / Asus Crosshair V / AMD 1090T Phenom @ 4 GHz
RAM 16Gb G.Skill RipJaws Z 1.5v DDR3 @ 1600 / Asus R9 290 / Crucial M4 64Gb / 1Tb Samsung / H100i and a boatload of Gentle Typhoons / Seasonic X760w GOLD
HP Microserver N40L / 128Gb Samsung SSD / 4x 1Tb drives / AMD 6670 / Asus Xonar DG(x?)
|22nd Jun 2012, 09:46
Needs more dragons and stuff.
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Surrey, UK
Posts: 3,712
If it's any car with performance, you need to look at less mainstream insurers (ie. not on comparison sites). Companies like Sky Insurance, Pace Ward, Adrian Flux, etc.
For reference:
Car: Focus RS modified to 410bhp.
Age: 30
NCB: 13 years
Price: £422.00 pa Fully comprehensive + TPFT on any other vehicle.
XBOX Live!: Ph4lanx | Steam: Catachan
I'm an author! ChrisDamico.co.uk
|22nd Jun 2012, 10:01
Super Moderator
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Lincs, UK
Posts: 23,344
You have two features that make you less risky though Phalanx; age and NCB.
I pay £600pa for my mod-declared 106 Rallye, 8 years NCB, 25 and in a very safe postcode.
The thing that makes insurance so expensive, apparently, is the risk of whiplash claims for every accident.
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