On my hard drive are a few apps for avoiding Internet advertising. For me, they don’t work.
Over in London in February, I was amazed at how often commercials interrupted my feed. A coincidence? A British thing?
Back home—maybe I have a worm on my hard drive—the great number of interruptions continued. I conclude that Youtube is stupid, or it’s advertisers are.
Here’s the thing: Budweiser—which knows better than to advertise on Youtube—is a big national brand, selling in fifty states, big enough to consider pooling some of their wealth to hit just one state. Or region. Hit it hard, and then, with enough big bucks, turn it into a Budweiser monopoly. Imagine: everyone in all the bars choosing Bud, and all the young people turning drinking age becoming lifelong fans.
With big grins, the executives put their plan into action.
Here’s the lesson: with big frowns, folks were going up the counter and snarling at the bartender, “Give me anything but Budweiser!”
Bud learned. They know better than to hammer their commercials at people on Youtube’s schedule.
… …
… …
Sean Crawford
With a bottle of Rickard’s Red
In my bubble bath,
Watching my favourite political former armed forces nurse officer on YouTube,
Belle of the Ranch.
(Horses, not cows)
March
2026
Sad Update: Speaking of Belle and the armed forces, in the United States when they bring the bodies back they do a thing called a “dignified transfer” where you wear your dignified funeral clothes. We don’t have it in Canada, but it sounds like a common sense thing.
Fox “news” covered the event—and they refused to show the Chief Executive Officer of the United States wearing merchandize that he sells, namely a glaring white base ball cap.
If I were a U.S. citizen I would immediately cancel my Fox subscription because when Fox was caught showing old footage instead, they claimed it was inadvertent—and still did not air an honest shots of Donald Trump in his white ball cap, because the base for Fox and MAGA would know that men remove headgear for church and solemn moments.
The reason veterans like myself are humble is that we know that things are always a snafu: situation normal, all fouled up. Of course we forgive and forget. But not cowardice in a leader, and not Fox. Not for this. I am writing this at a coffee shop trying to keep my cool, and failing. Eyes damp.
Further update: I e-mailed a U.S. professor, who sometimes comments here, an old cutesy redneck anecdote about myself—but then soberly said that in light of Fox (the patron saint of rednecks) News dishonesty I could no longer bring myself to honour the redneck parts of me.
“Even a bigot hates a liar.” In U.S. terms, my identity must now be like a regular Joe in a swing state: I must drop my happy redneck ways, and I will say so to my redneck friends.
