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4 comment(s)

Billboards offensive

To The Editor:

In and around Moncton there are signs marketing the transition of the CBC Radio One radio signal from AM to FM.

Although I am excited about this switch, I am overwhelmed by the marketing tactics. Two things have been done that I and many others find offensive.

I believe that the marketers of this campaign were deliberate in using the font for the "l" for "flick it" to join with the "i" to be visible from a distance as a "u."

I believe that the marketing of this was done to draw attention to the sign with what would appear to be a swear word from a distance.

First I would like to mention that you do not "flick" from AM to FM, you push a button. Although the word "flick it" is a good slogan, the fact that CBC used a different font for the "l" goes beyond the needs of a government funded radio station.

I know this might seem mundane but to have this "flick it" all over Moncton looking like it does is not appropriate and has caused me some serious thoughts about "switching" to another radio station.

Brian Stockford,

Lutes Mountain

(Via e-mail)

Smokers should sue government

To The Editor:

So the Graham government wants to spend millions of our dollars suing the tobacco companies because they "hid" how addictive cigarettes were.

I for one would like to know when they did this, as when I started smoking 41 years ago I knew how addictive they were!

So maybe I and all the other addicted smokers should sue the government for allowing us to buy this addictive substance and for taxing the same for all these years.

They benefitted from my addiction, so therefore they are culpable!

I believe this is as logical as the government's position. Any lawyers out there care to take my case?

Laurie Clark,

Dieppe

(Via e-mail)

Everybody should appeal taxes

To The Editor:

I have been reading in your paper about the rising and unfair boosting of property assessment via which this government is stealing millions of dollars from property owners.

It's like the Auditor-General and the Ombudsman say, telling the citizens of New Brunswick that the appeals process is unfair. To have an appeals process that is poorly understood, stacked against the property owners is unfair. And furthermore I don't think too much about the statement that Scott "Skip" MacGregor, Chairman of the N.B. Assessment and Planning Board made in your paper that Bernard Richard should keep his mouth shut about the province's appeal process and assessments.

Leaving all this said, I personally have appealed my tax assessment before and won. Everybody thinks it's a big process, but it isn't. All you have to do is appeal your property tax assessment and eventually an assessor will come and give you a pile of baloney, so if he doesn't bring your assessment down go to the next step to the appeal board. You will be called in front of three or four men and plead your case. If in doubt, call your Ombudsman for guidance.

Now I would suggest that all home owners appeal their tax assessment, and don't pay your bill until the appeal is over. Think about this: if all home owners refuse to pay their tax bill, what do you think the government can do?

Nothing except sell your property at auction. But you have one year to redeem your property. So don't let them scare you.

Joseph P. Gould,

Dieppe

(Via e-mail)

Not enough ticket choice

To The Editor:

On Sept. 11, 2007, the World Curling Federation announced that the 2009 Men's World Championship would be coming to Moncton. As an avid curler of 10 plus years, I was ecstatic at the prospect of seeing some of the world's premiere curlers in my hometown.

In 2002, my husband and I had the opportunity to attend the JVC Women's Skins game at the Beaver Curling Club, and I can say that there's nothing like a live event for excitement. Not having been able to go the 1999 World Curling Championships at Harbour Station in Saint John, I was looking forward to finally seeing in person all of the sights and sounds of such a wonderful international event.

Anxiously awaiting the announcement of ticket sales, I was severely disappointed when the box office finally opened for this event. Ticket sales will be full event passes only, with no sales for individual draws. This means that to see a couple of round robin draws in the evenings and the semi- and final games, we would have to spend between $500 and $800 for the two of us. So much for that idea!

A quick check on both the 2008 Women's and Men's World Championship websites lists the choice of full event, various mini packages, day passes, and individual draw tickets available. Individual draw prices range between $15 for early round robin games to $30 for the final.

Why the Moncton committee chose to exclude the options, I'm not sure, but what I am sure of is that there are other curlers and armchair curlers out there as disappointed as me and my husband.

Not everyone is able to commit to the price or time of attending all 24 draws.

It would have been nice to have the choice at least.

Guess I'll have to root for our Canadian team in whatever games are televised. That is if I can still afford the cable bill by then . . . but that's another rant altogether.

Monica Jaillet,

Irishtown

(Via e-mail)

NBLC maturing with whiskey

To The Editor:

The New Brunswick Liquor Commission has finally graduated to maturity.

For the first time in their long history, the new store on Vaughan Harvey Boulevard (Sobey's) has five different brands of Irish Whiskey (only Irish has a "e" in whiskey).

In the past they only had two brands, the third brand Tullamore Dew just came on board in the last few months.

Now they have two single malts, for a total of five.

If you are like a lot of whiskey connoisseurs today who ignore Irish brands in favour of Scotch, give them a try. Oh so mellow. It is distilled three times (Scotch two times).

The name whiskey comes from the Irish Gaelic, water of life.

Slainte.

Peter Rafferty,

Riverview