No more Free Yule

I was going to put the yule log on my TV while we decorated this year...with some Christmas music playing in the background...simulated fire crackling away...

But when I went to the SHAW VOD to see if it was available...I was OFFENDED when it said the cost was $2.99/24 hours.

I don't know what MTS is doing this year...LAST year MTS offered 4 versions to choose from...ALL FREE.

And as far as I know, SHAWs was free last year too.

But apparently the CBC is all over this now too...here's an article they wrote about it:

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/manitoba/story/2010/12/03/mb-firelog-tv-pay-manitoba.html

and shaws is free during actual christmas. just not before.


and all the money goes to charity

charity shmarity...after all the money spent year round on crappy cable...shaw can afford to just make a donation and give everyone their free yule logs.

I agree with Ages. I don't care that a portion is going to charity.
I get tired of going to Safeway, Walmart, Subway etc and being asked if I want to donate $2 here or there for the charity of the week. They collect the money, put up a huge sign about how much they donated to charity, get the tax write off.
I donate to the charities that matter to me myself.

And shaw could just NOT provide the service at all.

Of note: SHAW IS STILL GIVING IT FOR FREE DURING ACTUAL CHRISTMAS

By then....I'll be sick of Christmas music and won't want to have the thing on anyway

ooo speakign of Christmas,,, they are not going any time soon. so count the game out.

I should be able to get the other stuff though.. but not until likely the 18thish.

USApegger wrote:I get tired of going to Safeway, Walmart, Subway etc and being asked if I want to donate $2 here or there for the charity of the week. They collect the money, put up a huge sign about how much they donated to charity, get the tax write off.

Are you sure about this? They use public donations to earn a corporate tax write off? Can't be true.

no worries

Is it just the log channel they're nailing you for? Maybe you'll be lucky, and the turkey basting channel will be free still. You do get the turkey channel out here, don't you? The one where a turkey roasts for hours, and occasionally a disembodied hand reaches into view of the camera and bastes? Win.

no turkey basting channel for you! (or anyone else around here as far as I know)

The following is from a Shaw Winnipeg employee:

DESPITE what you may have heard in the media today... the Shaw TV firelog IS STILL FREE!!!!! You can choose to pay for the Corporate firelog on VOD and that money goes to charity. But our LOCAL firelog is free - turn it
on Channel 9 the weekend of the 11th & 12th and 18th & 19th - then solid from Dec. 24th until New Years Day!! You would not believe the calls and emails we are getting!!!

it's not STILL free.

the VOD was free last year...and now they are charging for it.
whether they call it "for charity" or not is irrelevant.

If you need your Yule Log fix, view the videos on YouTube.

trebor204 wrote:If you need your Yule Log fix, view the videos on YouTube.

you tube sucks for things like that.

can't loop it..too many popup ads during the videos...and who wants a Yule Log with YOUTUBE plastered across the bottom?

apparently clicking on a search for

yule log avi


is a very very very NSFW thing to do.

Regarding getting asked for donations at the ifferent checkouts, I believe in many of the occasions the company is matching the donations, dollar for dollar.
I never thought about the fact that if they collect 410,000 from the public and toss in 10 of their own, that they are getting double the write-off.
If that is the case or if they aren't donating then they are brilliant in using their customers money for a taxable donation!

Triniman wrote:

USApegger wrote:I get tired of going to Safeway, Walmart, Subway etc and being asked if I want to donate $2 here or there for the charity of the week. They collect the money, put up a huge sign about how much they donated to charity, get the tax write off.

Are you sure about this? They use public donations to earn a corporate tax write off? Can't be true.

I asked a Safeway manager once about the signs they have up stating how much that store donated to whatever charity, he told me that the amount raised comes from the donations at the till. he never mentioned anything about Safeway matching. I am making an assumption on the tax write off, but whoe else would get the write off? They don't give the customer a receipt for their $2 donation

Yes, the store raised $X.XX because they asked their customers for it, not because they took it from their gross. Honestly, charities are a scam. If they can afford to advertise, run a contest, or put on an event, then they aren't putting your money to the cause.

Hubby used to be the fundraising manager for a national charity, and he says about 75-78% of the money raised is NOT put into charitable giving, but into the admin/salaries/advertising. So, not ALL of it is being zapped, but not much of it is going where they tell you it's going. Which isn't news, really. As someone else pointed out, we're accosted for donations so often that we're no longer giving to places that we want to give to, and resent it after a while. Want to make an immediate impact? Donate to the Food Bank. Or Salvation Army.

I wonder how many gazillions of dollars are given to charities in one way or another every year.

Wow...quite the change in discussion from a crappy Yule log to charitable donations.

I can tell you that charitable BUSINESESS (like Unicef, Cheer Board, etc.) where they actually have managers, offices, etc....DO take a huge percentage out from donations to cover their daily costs.

Other organizations though DO NOT, and are quite worthwhile to help and donate to.
Charitable groups like Lions, Rotary, Freemasons, Shriners do not have paid staff for the charitable endeavours.. Those working there are volunteers, and the day-to-day costs are covered by dues paid by those volunteers to be a part of the group.
UNFORTUNATELY, in many cases, donations made to them for their charitable functions are not tax deductible (they can't write a receipt)...however...

I DO know from experience, that the Masonic Foundation of Manitoba does write receipts for donations. Moneys from the foundation go to several causes, though mostly to Cancer Care Manitoba.
I don't know if any of you have seen the vans the Masons drive around with Cancer Care printed on them...but those are funded through that foundation and provide FREE transportation for cancer patients with VOLUNTEER drivers.

Back to the original intent of this thread, if you are a ShawTV subscriber you can have the yule log for free by going to the channel they call FRAME on 165 or the HD version on 212. Completely free!!!

yeah...during the hours they allow (which are kind of crappy hours)

And there's no option of music.

On a side note...I've been told that MTS is charging for the Yule log this year too.

How's about someone buys a copy of the yule log DVD, make a few copies and all of a sudden it's "free" again!

Hooray for free fake TV fires!



Edit: found one right here...buy it once, enjoy it forever (after ripping and converting 8 ways from Sunday and forever more) http://www.amazon.com/Original-Christmas-Yule-Log-Fireplace/dp/B0002MINTQ