Photo Radar Almost as Unpopular as OC Transpo: Survey

By: Keegan On

As the photo radar debate rages on in Ottawa City Council, the public’s opinion on the matter becomes increasingly clear. A recent survey, conducted by a public interest watchdog group, found that the photo radar proposal is nearly as disliked as Ottawa’s most reviled organization: OC Transpo.

“It’s incredible” says Maggie Petra, Head Researcher at Whatyouth Inc., “In the Ottawa region, OC Transpo has always acted as a steady constant for our studies. The scale for virtually every study we conduct goes from the near universal dislike for Ottawa public transit, all the way to the revered Bluesfest. Few events, projects, or issues, have received as low of a score as the photo radar motion has.”

The near record-low rating came as a shock to some, surpassing reviled topics such as the Monument to the Victims of Communism, the Mike Duffy Trial, and the Toronto Maple Leafs.
“Clearly we have underestimated the intense dislike for the project in its current state” said City Council member Rich Carrally, “In light of this rating, I am going to propose that we take another look at this legislation and find a more popular solution. City Council is committed to getting this done as fast as possible...well, not too fast...as fast as legally acceptable”.

Next week, we will have the results of a new public opinion survey in light of the city approving 20 new red light cameras in Ottawa.

#110 - Colin White

On the show this week, we sat down with Colin White, an urban sketcher who has made a name for himself by immortalizing everyday Ottawa landmarks with beautiful, unique artwork. We discuss work as a freelance artist and graphic designer, preserving and restoring community landmarks in Ottawa, as well as Colin's attempt to turn his work into a steady income.

Here's a piece Colin did of Boushey's, which closed after 70 years in business this summer! See more of Colin's work at colinwhite.ca.

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Sponsor -
This episode is also brought to you in part by Audible.com. Visit audibletrial.com/ottawhat today and get a free audiobook and free 30-day trial, and feel good in helping support the show.

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Links:
colinwhite.ca
Support Colin's work on Patreon
@colinwhite on Twitter

Food:

Side Launch Brewing - Dark Lager

Fake News No Longer Funny: Poll

By: Keegan On

Readers in search of a laugh may soon have to look elsewhere. This week researchers at Carleton University published a study that proves what many have suspected for years: that the golden era of satire news is dead. The study, which was conducted over six months, asked 112 participants to rate various comedic media from “hilarious” (ie. Bill Cosby in The Cosby Show) to “appalling” (ie. Bill Cosby in real life).

Of the comedy formats that were judged, satire news articles came in last, scoring slightly less than prop humour and wedding speeches. Conversely, researchers found that new forms such as $5 comedy specials scored very well, and classics such as “videos of people doing stupid things and getting hurt” remained popular.

Many people are not surprised in the slightest by the rankings. Audiences will always laugh at videos of a cat acting like a person or a song full of puns, but fake news will continue to struggle to be not unbelievable enough. Furthermore, satirical news sites have a long history of causing outrage and angering their readers. When asked for a statement, an editor at Ottawhat? News stated “That’s a terrible idea for an article,” adding, “Don’t write that up, Keegan.”