Lies, damn lies, statistics and the police

The police budget and crime stats are heading in different directions, but that won’t stop the police from doing what they can to protect their turf – and why wouldn’t they? How can we keep the fear and money flowing? PsyOps and hoaxes can help.

The jumble of charts and “performance” statistics in the Toronto police presentation to the budget committee Thursday left at least one new city councillor scratching his head.Toronto’s major-crime rate has declined 27 per cent since 2005, but the police budget has risen by 37 per cent, noted John Campbell, who represents Ward 4, Etobicoke Centre.

via Dropping crime, rising Toronto police costs raise questions about officer numbers | Toronto Star.

The new upper middle class – public servants? In Canada, yes.

The $100,000 club: Who’s really making big money these days

Canada’s new upper class: firefighters, police officers, teachers

Eddie Francis, the mayor of Windsor, Ont., can count the number of murders his city has seen in recent years on one hand. Windsor recorded a single homicide in 2011, after famously going more than two years without one. But the border city is making headlines for another reason, and it’s hardly a source of civic pride. The number of Windsor police and staff who took home six-figure incomes came close to doubling in 2012. In January, an arbitrator awarded the police a hefty 12 per cent pay hike over four years, retroactive to 2011. As a result, 40 per cent of the force took home more than $100,000 last year. Crime may not pay. But in Windsor, fighting it sure does.

Future of media

Good podcast discussing the future of TV and radio.

Andrew Krystal shares his unique view on many subjects / The Leafs fire their coach / The future of commercial radio and televsion / The lousy weather.

* Duration: 1:53h

* Published: 1/7/15 9:00:00 AM

* Episode Download Link (103 MB): http://humbleandfred.podcastaccelerator.com/january-07-2015.mp3

* Show Notes: http://www.humbleandfredradio.com

* Episode Feed: Humble and Fred Radio – http://www.humbleandfredradio.com/podcast.xml

Tricky phone scam

Got a call tonight…

I too received a call tonight and have never had anything to do with Westjet. If anything Westjet is a victim, not a perp. The number cloaking where a local number displays fooled me. The owner of the number had no clue what was happening. Never give out personal info out over the phone and you’ll be fine. Don’t externalize your own protection and use your own common sense and you will be fine.

http://blog.westjet.com/westjet-warns-phone-scam/#comment-1769432431

Tintin and Degrelle – the ironies of history

This was certainly one of my favorite comic books. What an interesting history to its author and where his stories originated from.

The Adventures of Tintin is one of the most popular comic book stories ever. Its author Hergé, the pen name of the Belgian artist Georges Remi, published the first story in 1929 and left the last unfinished at his death in 1983.

via Tintin and Degrelle – the ironies of history.

h/t Seu Bobo