Episode 28 - Marijuana & Ontario's LCBO

The Government of Ontario is ready to be your marijuana hook up, holler if you hear me! Ontario is the first province to outline a plan addressing the Federal government’s coming legalization of marijuana. The LCBO model will be employed. Ontario will set up new, dedicated storefronts for marijuana distribution, and run the online distribution for approved government growers. Join Crew Roundtable as we discuss how this affects existing Ontario dispensaries, and compare models for beer and liquor sales in other provinces.

All this and more in another fantastic episode of “Crew Roundtable”!

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Episode 27 - Has The TTC Failed Toronto?

The Toronto Transit Commission was named the Outstanding Public Transportation System for 2017 by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA). We at Crew Roundtable are beside ourselves in disbelief, just like the loyal listener that suggested this topic. Join us as we dive into the seedy underbelly of the ttc, identify the body that gave out this “award”, and have a rocking good time back from summer break.

All this and more in another fantastic episode of “Crew Roundtable”!

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Episode 26 - Super Nintendo Classic Edition

The SNES Classic has just been released and the Champ who runs the camp, SAL CHAMP, father of the Crew Roundtable, has one!  Join us as we review the SNES Classic, confirm if Nintendo addressed the shortcomings of our review of the NES CLASSIC, and wonder about if there is any steam left in the Nostalgia Game Train – Toot Toooooot, All Abooooooard! All this and more in another fantastic episode of “Crew Roundtable”! Subscribers get the latest and greatest episodes automatically!  Subscribe on iTunes, Google Play, and wherever fine podcasts are distributed.  We are also available on YouTube for listening at your desktop and working around pesky office firewalls.

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Episode 25 - Romance vs Stalking

Have you ever been in love?  Have you ever done something to “win” the love of another person?  Join the Crew Roundtable as we explore “grand romantic gestures”, primarily carried out by men trying to woo women.  We explore why Hollywood movies glorify this behaviour, what message these films send to kids, and the point where romantic feelings turn dark and become inappropriate stalking. All this and more in another fantastic episode of “Crew Roundtable”! Subscribers get the latest and greatest episodes automatically!

Subscribe on iTunes,Google Play, and wherever fine podcasts are distributed.  We are also available on YouTubefor listening at your desktop and working around pesky office firewalls.

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Episode 24 - Summer Vacation 2017

Welcome to the Summer Vacation episode of the Crew Round Table.

In this episode, the Skelton Crew discuss plans for summer 2017 as we take a summer hiatus. Don't fret, The Crew will be back in the fall rested and recharged with fresh new content.

Even though the Crew podcast will be on histus, the feed will continue to deliver content all summer long. Don't forget, about our sister shows HOT TAKES WITH GINO and JR TALKS TO PEOPLE.

Have a great summer!

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Episode 23 - Facebook Crimes and Misdemeanors

Most people these days have a Facebook account.  Some are still active and some have since parted ways with the social media giant.

Ah Facebook, the granddaddy of social media that we all love to hate and hate to love. So many people get annoyed with the postings and behaviours of others.

Recently the “Skeleton Crew” sat down to air their grievances about what annoyed them about Facebook.

And grieve they did.  From oversharing, to food pictures to birthday wishes for people no one knows about.  Unfriendings that no one heeds to “Let me Google That For You”.

So many Facebook irritants, you’ll be hard pressed to not find at least one that’s pissed you off.

Come along for this rollercoaster ride of rants.  If we’ve missed any, please tweet at us @crewroundtable or email us crewroundtable@gmail.com .

Only subscribers get the latest and greatest episodes, so subscribe on iTunes, Google Play, or wherever fine podcasts are distributed.  We are also available on Youtube for listening at a desktop.

All this and more in another fantastic episode of “Crew Roundtable”!

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Episode 22 - Are Solar Panels Still Worth The Effort?

Solar panels are the crown jewel of clean energy, turning free sunlight into electricity with minimal wear and tear. But are they worth it? The best solar panels money can buy have a maximum efficiency of 34%, but those that are available to the general public have much lower efficiencies.

Couple that with a huge initial investment and a recently halved purchase rate for the electricity they generate and prospective solar panel customers are left wondering if it is worth the investment and hassle to have them installed. In this episode of the Crew Round Table, the “Skeleton CREW” discusses the short history of residential solar panels in Ontario, and what the impact of the lower purchase rate for electricity generated will be.

All this and more in another fantastic episode of “Crew Roundtable”!

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Episode 21 - The Internet of Things

More and more “dumb” devices are gaining network connectivity and are connecting to the internet.  This theoretically increases convenience for us by routing controls and monitoring through our phones.  Yet there is a growing concern that the Internet of Things, or IOT, has a darker side.  From simple issues beginning with higher electricity usage and longer and more complicated setups, to security issues such as poor or non-existent software security and bug fixes and patches.

This week the “Skeleton CREW” discusses whether this newest technological advancement is all it’s hyped up to be or if we should just steer clear and keep our dumb devices dumb.

Episode 20 - Cashless Society

Convenience for the customer frequently means additional costs for the retailer, but increased convenience sometimes translates into increased sales.  Along with increased convenience come the risk of fraud and theft.  With the recent arrival of Android Pay into Canada, the “Skeleton CREW” discusses the wide variety of cashless payment systems, their pros and cons, and the argument on still having cold hard cash in your pocket.

Episode 19 - How did Black Lives Matter get Toronto Police banned from Toronto Pride Parade?

WARNING: Five straight white guys discussing a topic couched in Race and Homosexuality in 2017 – Can we possibly check our white privilege long enough to be unbiased? Listen and find out!

Black Lives Matter Toronto, [or BLMTO], had a sit in with roughly two dozen people in 2016, blocking the Toronto Pride parade route. This demonstration was over uniformed police involvement in the parade. The parade was brought to a standstill, until the Chair of the Pride organization signed a pledge to exclude Toronto police from the parade, and Toronto police withdrew. In 2017 a motion was passed at the Toronto Pride organization’s Annual General Meeting which bans official Toronto police involvement in ALL future parades. BLMTO claims this as a huge victory for marginalized communities.

In this show we examine who is “Black Lives Matter”, and what is the relation to BLMTO? Was BLMTO right to disrupt the parade in 2016, and force the uneasy examination of how police have related to the non-white non-straight members of our society? What exactly is Pride Toronto, and from where does it get funding? Who voted to carry the motion that Toronto Police are forever excluded from participating in one of the largest Pride parades in the world? And who called Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau a white supremacist terrorist?

All this and more in another fantastic episode of “Crew Roundtable”!

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Episode 18 - HMV Canada is Bankrupt: What's the future of retail music stores in Canada?

 
LISTENER SUGGESTED TOPIC: The closing of HMV in Canada.

The closing of HMV in Canada was a devastating loss for music lovers.  The final song, however, has been playing for quite some time.  Digital music downloading gained popularity year over year for more than a decade, and the old “bricks and mortar” stores never truly answered the success of companies like Apple with their iTunes online music store.  Digital downloads became the primary revenue stream for recorded music globally in 2015, overtaking the physical sales of albums and CDs.  Some retailers saw this inevitable change and adapted, but HMV did not get the right business mix, and is no more.

In this show we examine the effect of HMV closing on the Canadian retail music scene, reminisce about our favorite HMV memories, and look at how other retailers are filling the void.  How does Sunrise Records continue to grow their physical store presence despite the shift to digital downloads for pop music? Why have book retailers not been crushed by digital book downloads, and is the comeback of vinyl records the saving grace of music retailers in Canada?

All this and more in another fantastic episode of “Crew Roundtable”!

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Episode 17 - Ontario Organ Donation: Organs for the Rich and Cute first?

There are about 6000 people waiting for organ transplants in Canada, according to Canadian Blood Services. 250-300 people died in recent years while waiting for organs.  In Ontario, we have close to 2000 people on waiting lists for organs.  Some have taken to private campaigns to find suitable donors outside the official list of those waiting for transplants.

In this show we examine the moral and ethical obligations of donating organs, being a “living donor”, respecting family wishes after death, recent high profile organ donation campaigns, and the “cute factor” inherent to all public calls for action.  Do you know how to become an organ donor in Ontario?  Are you aware of people campaigning for their own organs to “jump the queue”? Should the state make it MANDATORY to harvest your organs upon death?

All this and more in another fantastic episode of “Crew Roundtable”!

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Episode 16 - Celebrity Politicians: Bane or Boon to Responsible Voters?

Is there anything inherently bad about celebrity politicians? The USA has plenty of celebrity politicians, but in Canada… not so much. Kevin O’Leary is looking to change that by becoming the leader of the Federal Conservative Party of Canada. Is he just a slightly more genteel version of Donald Trump for Canada? Celebrity politicians seem to seem to flourish in times of hardship. From time to time the voting public craves a tough-talking celebrity “outsider” who will come in to clean up government.

In this show we examine the idea that being an “outsider” is beneficial to celebrity politicians. We ask if governance is a specialized discipline like plumbing or masonry? Does one have to put in time at lower levels, become part of the machine, and build political favours to get anything done in government? What do celebrity politicians do well, can they help generate interest beyond single issue causes, and will Canada follow America’s lead by electing a reality TV millionaire to the highest office in the land?

All this and more in another fantastic episode of “Crew Roundtable”!

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Episode 15 - NES Classic Edition; NES Classic, Extra Life or Game Over?

The gaming system that single-handedly brought back the home video game market from a depression in the mid-1980s is back!

The Nintendo Entertainment System, or NES, may be the greatest home video game system of all time. Nintendo introduced the NES Classic for Christmas 2016 and retailers cannot keep it in stock! The deep pull of nostalgia has the NES Classic currently selling for $300 on Amazon! (Use the Crew Amazon links at the top of our page if you plan to pay $220 over MSRP, we'd greatly appreciate it!)

NES Classic is a mini version of the original NES, with 30 classic preloaded video games like Super Mario, Mega Man 2, and Zelda - what more could you want!? Quite a bit actually, as the Crew explore the hits and misses of this gaming juggernaut.

All this and more in another fantastic episode of CrewRoundTable.com! Subscribe using the links in the right hand column and share, share, share!

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Episode 14 - Bee Apocalypse and Vertical Farming

Special DOUBLE topic!

Where are all the bees?

Since the mid-2000s, reports surfaced about pressures on the bee population. Whole hives were found barren, farmers noticed lack of bees to pollinate their crops, and no ready solution was available. Parasites and pesticides are supposedly to blame, but is there another side to that story?

Bees are a vital cog in the agriculture machine that helps feed humanity. Toronto has become a hub of bee keeping enthusiasts to promote, protect, and grow the bee population to aid agriculture and business.

Vertical farming, on the other hand, uses no bees to produce food. A vertical farm is a completely controlled indoor growing process which can drastically increase yields of certain crops and does not rely on bees to pollinate plants.

What are the costs, is this sustainable, where is it practiced today, and is it really a closed system? Can vertical farming become a successful business to help feed humanity?

All this and more in another fantastic episode of CrewRoundTable.com!

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Episode 13: Calorie Counts On Menus

Certain restaurants and other food establishments in Ontario must now show the calories in foods they serve. Calories for all items must be prominently displayed on the menu, and when recipes change information must be updated for the public with new menus. The intent of this government decree appears as combating obesity in Ontario.

More information should help diners make informed choices, but the Crew is split on the effectiveness of this program. Is displaying only calorie counts on menus an effective way to combat rising obesity rates in Ontario? Does it place an unnecessary burden on small businesses? Is sugar the real hard evil no one wants to engage? Does the public notice or care about using calorie count information when making prepared food purchases?

All this and more in another fantastic episode of CrewRoundTable.com! Subscribe using the links in the right hand column and share, share, share!

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Episode 12: Online Dating in Toronto

Looking for Love in the GTA. Crewroundtable.com is pleased to present another listener suggested topic, online dating in Toronto!

Join us as we explore how to set up a profile, where to go on a first date, proper bill paying etiquette, and tips to make your profile stand out in a sea of faces.

What is the best way to meet people? Does online dating still carry a "stigma"? How many people use online dating? Is it better for some types of relationships than others? All this and more in another fantastic episode of CrewRoundTable.com!

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Guests on the show include TWO friends of the show; Christina (the topic suggester using #AskTheCrew on Twitter), and Colleen.

Episode 11 - Ontario Sex Education

The Ontario Government has instituted a new sexual education curriculum in Ontario schools. These changes apply to both the public and Catholic boards funded by the government.

How do these two systems teach the same curriculum with seemingly opposing views on many hot button topics? Join us as we explore; the need for a new curriculum, how it will be delivered to students, the main points of contention in the new curriculum, and what options parents have working within the new curriculum to help educate their children.

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Episode 10 - DVP Toll Roads in Toronto

So the City Council of Toronto has decided to toll, (which means tax), usage of the DVP and Gardiner Expressway for ALL commuters. Is this fair to those coming from the GTA into Toronto proper? Should the City of Toronto be allowed this taxation power from the Ontario government?

Are there any better ideas for raising revenue where Toronto is missing the boat? This topic has the Crew riled up like you’ve never heard before!

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Episode 9 - Cannabis; legalize it? Benefits??

Welcome to episode 9 of the Crew Round Table.

Are you Ready for the Legalization of Marijuana in Canada?

In 2017 the Federal governemnt of Canada will legalize marijuana. This is a huge policy shift with far reaching ramifications for everyone in Cannada. For those in the Greater Toronto Area, dispensaries are popping up on every street corner. We take a step back to discuss is marijuana medicine? Should the government control it's growth, sale, and distribution? What does the current science say about the medicinal properties of marijuana? How can people in Ontario profit from the coming legalization? Are there likely unintended consequences to this change in policy? This is the discussion the Federal Government SHOULD have had before tripping over themselves to legalize the Devil's lettuce!

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