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So, today was my landlady's birthday dinner, so I decided to join the "bear lady's" meal for the evening. Very glad I was not forced to cook this evening, because I really didn't feel like it. Let's jump into it.

A conversation generated about music downloading, and I brought up the situation in which I was nearly kicked out of school because of illegal file sharing. What Canadians are pleasantly satisfied with at the moment, but seemingly getting anxious over because of it's possible demise, is the fact that it's legal to download music. Not just your itunes and napster feeds where you pay .99 per song. I'm talking about you ares, limewire, and other free peer to peer programs that ruffle the feathers of recording artist all over. 

Do you want to know why it's free? Well, about ten years ago the recrod labels up here went to the government and demanded to receive money for the loss of sales since downloading became the hottest thing to do. Unequivocally the Canadian government went along with the request and set up this scheme. Not so much a scheme as it is a perceptive idea on the market. One the U.S. would fail to use, 1) because the Canadian's did it first, and 2) it just makes too much sense. ((This November will be a true test to my faith in government, if another Gore situations occurs... I will part farther than Canada!))

Instead of giving the record labels X amount of dollars, they give a percentage of sold blank cd's. Since they are primarily used to play burned songs, why not give money off them back. Now of course there are mp3 players, and you can't win every war, but I think that was a smart move. Good job Canucks... 

Unfortunately, like I said before, its demise could be imminent. The U.S. (because we're bullies like that) handed over a bill to the Canadian government and said "apply this." This would enforce stricter rules, no free downloading, basically be on the U.S's level. The results have not played out yet, because there is an election drawing soon.