Ignatieff and the Canadian establishment(s)

By John Geddes - Monday, August 31, 2009 at 6:50 PM - 29 Comments

This week’s issue of the New Yorker features a profile of Michael Ignatieff by Adam Gopnik, who writes from the perspective of a fellow Canadian who has known Ignatieff for many years. Gopnik is always well worth reading, and here brings particular feeling to the question of what might lure a successful Canadian expat home.

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Two TV-Related Articles Worth Reading

By Jaime Weinman - Monday, August 31, 2009 at 6:34 PM - 5 Comments

1. David Simon, creator of The Wire (aka “TV for people who claim not to own TV sets”) says that television as a medium has “short-changed itself” because of advertising, and that “only when television managed to liberate itself from the economic construct of advertising was there a real emancipation of story.” I pass that along with a certain reluctance, because I think it’s basically poppycock.* The way Simon describes it, it sounds like the equivalent of saying that theatre has short-changed itself by the need to have between one and four intermissions, and not until the intermissionless Man of La Mancha did the art form really liberate itself. It’s an even odder argument in a time when HBO is being outdone by other cable channels that do have commercial interruptions. But Simon made a great show, one that probably couldn’t have been done on a network with advertising, and anything he says is on the subject is of interest. (And having argued that the over-abundance of commercials and the shrinking of running times is really hurting network TV, I’d never argue that commercials can’t have a negative effect on content. They do all the time, not just in terms of the way stories are told but in what advertisers are willing to accept.)

2. Yet another article on TV-on-DVD music rights. They pop up every few months, but this one, by Daniel Frankel of The Wrap, is very readable and goes into more detail than usual about exactly how you clear music for DVD. One thing he mentions that I hadn’t really understood before is that the big studios often try to over-compensate for previous mistakes in the way songs were licensed, seeking to “license music into perpetuity, paying for regions and timelines that, in many cases, they don’t need.” The only way to make it even close to affordable is to enter into licensing agreements for DVD that are limited to a few years and a few places — kind of like the way these songs were cleared for the original broadcasts and no longer.

*Do people still say “poppycock?” They should. It’s a great word, descriptive and sounds like it could be dirty even though it isn’t.

Evolution

By Paul Wells - Monday, August 31, 2009 at 6:01 PM - 54 Comments

“That’s why we have to reform EI. Improving eligibility will bring help to workers who have paid in but don’t currently qualify. It is also the most effective, rapid and targeted form of stimulus the government can offer our economy right now…

“One-hundred-and-fifty-thousand more unemployed Canadians on EI mean 150,000 more Canadian families spending on food, rent and transportation. It means money flowing into communities that have been hit the hardest by this recession. That’s the kind of immediate, targeted and effective stimulus we need right now…

“Red tape has paralyzed federal infrastructure spending, and billions of dollars are being held back by the federal government from municipalities that are desperate to get shovels in the ground and to start creating jobs. We can help those communities directly, right now, by improving access to EI.”

— Michael Ignatieff, National Post, May 23

“EI reform is not an issue universally popular with caucus members. Some MPs argue that their constituents would rather hear about job creation than insurance for lost jobs.

“’EI is an important issue but it’s not the only issue,’ House Leader Ralph Goodale said, repeating the refrain for emphasis. ‘EI is one of the issues. It is not the only issue.’”

— Globe and Mail, today

Dick Cheney strikes again

By John Parisella - Monday, August 31, 2009 at 5:33 PM - 9 Comments

It did not take long for politics to resume its usual course following the moving funeral services for Sen. Edward Kennedy. On the Fox News Sunday show, former vice-president Dick Cheney threw another salvo at the Obama administration over Attorney General Eric Holder’s decision to name a special prosecutor to investigate specific cases of torture by CIA. Cheney called John Dunham’s appointment an intolerable political act by Obama and claimed to be deeply offended by the decision. He added that Obama is pursuing a course that will make America more vulnerable to a terrorist attack. Holder’s decision is undoubtedly controversial, since many on the left would have preferred a full-blown investigation that would certainly have included Cheney. Those on the right—led principally by Cheney and, to a lesser degree, the congressional Republican leadership—counter that Dunham’s investigation will affect morale at the CIA and will make future administrations hesitant to take actions to safeguard American security.

It should be noted that Dunham is already investigating the C.I.A.’s destruction of tapes that reportedly featured some of the most abhorrent tactics in the agency’s arsenal, including water boarding. These interrogations were performed with the encouragement of senior officials associated with Cheney, and Dunham’s initial investigation was authorized by President Bush’s last attorney general, not the Democrats. All Holder has done is widen the scope of Dunham’s investigation. He has not in any way made Cheney or his cohorts the subject of it. Granted, the findings may be damaging to people like Cheney, but it is unlikely to result in a full-scale probe of the Bush Administration, complete with show trials into its conduct of the war on terrorism. It is for this reason that the left is not satisfied with the Holder move. Continue…

John Baird decries irresponsible Japanese election

By Aaron Wherry - Monday, August 31, 2009 at 3:45 PM - 24 Comments

Oh, not really. But in case you were wondering what the Transport Minister had to say at a press conference here in Ottawa this morning, a few excerpts from the transcript.

It would be irresponsible to interrupt our important work on the economy with an unnecessary election … the last thing, the very last thing this country needs is an unnecessary election … You know, election threats and election posturing and political posturing, I don’t think is what the economy needs … We have got to stay really focused and what that requires is the government to be on the job, every day, making things happen and that is why an unnecessary election is I think the last thing that the country needs … we have been working very hard with premier Dexter’s government, very well in Nova Scotia, recently approving a good number of projects to go forward and we are working the same in British Columbia, but they were delayed by a good number of months because of the political instability that elections generate. You can’t negotiate those types of things during an election campaign. You can’t make announcements during an election campaign and frankly both provinces took a considerable number of months after the election was over before a new cabinet was sworn in and a new minister was appointed …  I think, you know, backing down from triggering an early election that nobody wants is positive and constructive and that is what I think Canadians want … We have seen some positive signs in the auto sector. I think that has been good, but we are not out of the woods yet and I think that is why Canadians want all hands on deck, fighting for our economy and not – and not precipitating an early election.

This week’s travel news

By Bruce Parkinson, Takeoffeh.com - Monday, August 31, 2009 at 3:27 PM - 0 Comments

In The Customary Way
As reported in London’s Telegraph, writer Nigel Richardson was surprised to receive a call in his Phoenix hotel room as he readied for bed after an 11-hour flight. It was ‘Brad,’ Nigel’s waiter from dinner in the hotel restaurant. Brad enquired as to whether the meal was satisfactory and then informed Nigel that “being tired and all,” he may have “forgotten to express his appreciation in the customary way.” Translation from weasel-speak: “Where’s my freakin’ tip?” Like a good WASP (or ‘like a lemon’ as he puts it), Nigel got dressed again and paid off Brad. He had forgotten to leave a tip, but thought that perhaps Brad had exceeded the polite boundaries of entitlement with his phone call. Like a good Brit, Nigel blames Americans for raising tipping expectations in certain destinations to the point that it “amounts to a stealth tax on Western tourists and distorts local economies.” He makes a good point about economic distortion: in places like Cuba, even the lowliest and laziest tourism industry employee can earn more than a doctor if they can separate visitors from even a small amount of cash. At a Jamaican all-inclusive this year, TakeOffeh.com witnessed a virtually continuous shakedown of guests, to the point where the head bellman scoffed at a US$2 tip for moving one bag less than 20 metres. “You can’t buy nothin’ with this,” was his retort. I’ll give you a tip, buddy… Continue…

Police search backyard prison in Jaycee Lee Dugard case

By macleans.ca - Monday, August 31, 2009 at 3:12 PM - 1 Comment

Around 20 officers used rakes, shovels, chain saws and cadaver dogs to search the backyard property of the couple charged with kidnapping and raping Jaycee Lee Dugard—as well as a neighbouring property, which used to be kept up by suspect Phillip Garrido. “We do consider it a crime scene,” said a spokesman for the Contra Costa County, California, Sheriff’s Department. Dugard, who was kidnapped in 1991 at age 11, was held captive for the last 18 years. And the investigation has renewed debate about why police did not uncover the backyard plot earlier. In 2006, a neighbour’s girlfriend called police after spotting tents and children in the backyard of Garrido’s, a registered sex offender. The responding officer did not discover the secret compound. Dugard was united with her family on Tuesday—accompanied by the two daughters, sired by Garrido, that she gave birth to in captivity. It will be a long road to recovery. “Jaycee has strong feelings with this guy [Garrido]. She really feels like it’s almost a marriage,” said Jaycee’s stepfather. Phillip Garrido and his wife pled not guilty last week to 29 counts, which include abduction, rape, and false imprisonment.

CBC News

Former Israeli Prime Minister faces years in jail

By macleans.ca - Monday, August 31, 2009 at 3:11 PM - 0 Comments

On Sunday, Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was formally indicted on three counts of corruption. The indictment—which accuses Mr. Olmert of fraud and breach of trust—crowned the criminal investigation that forced Olmert to resign from office last fall. If he is convicted, Olmert could face years in prison. The charges themselves relate to acts committed when Olmert served as mayor of Jerusalem, before he became prime minister in 2006. One charge alleges that Olmert used state money to finance private and family travel. Another involves more than $600,000 that Olmert purportedly received from a Long Island, N.Y., businessman—in exchange for promoting the man’s business interests in Israel. On Sunday, a media adviser says Olmert is ready to plead his case in court: he is “convinced that he can prove his innocence once and for all.”

The New York Times

Take that, lawyers/bankers/politicians!

By kadyomalley - Monday, August 31, 2009 at 2:59 PM - 41 Comments

Canadians still have more respect for journalists than for practitioners of your respective professions, according to the latest summertime-and-the-polling-is-easy survey from Angus Reid — 58% of them, in fact, compared to 48%, 47% and 30%. (Note to my fellow fourth estate denizens: Let’s do our best to break the 60% barrier next year!)

'Complicit in the abuse of a Canadian citizen's rights'

By Aaron Wherry - Monday, August 31, 2009 at 1:42 PM - 17 Comments

The Globe and Mail editorial board laments the government’s decision to appeal the Federal Court ruling that Omar Khadr be repatriated.

Justice Minister Rob Nicholson is taking the Canadian government out onto a weak limb, in its appeal of a court order on the issue of Omar Khadr’s repatriation from the United States. It is weak legally and even weaker morally. There is no serious principle worth defending.

Here is the victory Ottawa seeks: that the Canadian government can be complicit in the abuse of a Canadian citizen’s rights abroad – up to and including torture – without a court ordering that it do its best to bring that citizen home.

Whether the case is winnable is beside the point. Is it really a victory worth fighting for?

Mind you, the Canadian government’s official position is—or at least was, at last check—that the United States did not participate in torture.

Do you believe the war in Afghanistan can still be won?

By macleans.ca - Monday, August 31, 2009 at 1:18 PM - 4 Comments

UPDATED: The torture files: The leaders speak!

By kadyomalley - Monday, August 31, 2009 at 1:05 PM - 91 Comments

UPDATED: SCROLL DOWN FOR THE LATEST RESPONSE

Okay, so this is actually something that ITQ has actually been meaning to do for a while, but for some reason, she never seems to get around to it, probably because after reading a few pages of back-and-forth bickering over what Ignatieff is or isn’t, or was or wasn’t, saying in his voluminous pre-political writings on torture, she almost always ends up so darned tired of the subject that she never wants to hear the words “lesser evil” again.

Like a bad penny, though, it keeps turning up, which is why this seemed like as good a time as any to make the effort to find out where all of the various federal party leaders stand on the use of torture and/or coercive interrogation, if only so we can finally move onto the next stage of the debate, whatever that turns out to be. And so, last night, she dispatched the following query to the Office of the Leader of the Opposition, on the theory that she may as well start with the leader at the centre of the controversy:

What is Michael Ignatieff’s current view on the use of coercive interrogation/torture by the state against suspected terrorists?

Despite the fact that she was enroute to Sudbury, OLO press secretary Jill Fairbrother responded with remarkable haste:

His current view is the same view he held as a renowned human rights expert who helped author the Responsibility to Protect: he is opposed.

ITQ then asked if it was fair to say that Ignatieff’s 2006 essay for Prospect Magazine — yes, that essay — stands, to which Fairbrother replied by repeating the last three words of her original response: “I would say he is opposed.”

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Cheney: “I knew about the waterboarding”

By macleans.ca - Monday, August 31, 2009 at 12:35 PM - 7 Comments

On Sunday, former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney blasted the Obama administration for its decision to investigate the abuse of prisoners by CIA officials. A week ago, a federal prosecutor was appointed to study the abuse. In a FOX news appearance this weekend, Cheney took the opportunity to defend a range of interrogation techniques employed by intelligence officers under Bush’s presidency. “I knew about the waterboarding,” Cheney asserted. “Not specifically in any one particular case, but as a general policy that we had approved.” Mr. Cheney also suggested that the inquiry was “intensely partisan, politicized,” and “clearly a political move.” On Monday, a 2004 report assessing the CIA was released under a court order. It detailed techniques that ranged from staging mock executions, to threatening to sexually assault a detainee’s relative.

The New York Times

How To Save Network TV

By Jaime Weinman - Monday, August 31, 2009 at 12:16 PM - 5 Comments

Josef Adalian talked to a bunch of anonymous “executives and agents” about how to save network TV, and heard five basic suggestions:

1. Stop the obsession on [sic] single-camera comedies and shift to multicamera half-hours.
2. Give creative types a real, substantial stake in their shows.
3. Get rid of at least one layer of network/studio oversight of shows.
4. Step up investment in new technologies.
5. Find a way to better harness talent found on the Internet.

Of these, #1 is a common-sense idea that networks/studios are already starting to follow (having realized yet again that single-camera comedies are more expensive and less popular); # 5 is the type of magic-bullet suggestion that rarely works (it’s a bit like if ’60s TV was trying to save itself by trolling for talent from Theatre of the Absurd); #4 is more of a long-term investment.

That leaves # 2 and # 3 as the most interesting of the bunch, though notice that such suggestions appear to be mostly coming from agents, who want their clients to get more money and influence, rather than network executives, who still haven’t accepted that their own inflated power is doing more harm than good. The fact that every show has to go through multiple notes stages, from multiple executives, is widely known to be a big factor in causing a lot of network TV to be so bland, yet nobody really seems to be able or willing to do anything about it.

Adalian says that “some networks have already done this by merging studio and network operations,” but that may not actually be a big help, since studio notes often tend to be more of the practical kind, helping the producers keep the show on budget. The real problem arguably is that shows have to get several different kinds of network notes, from several different executives. The obvious solution is for networks to go back to the model whereby one executive could make most of the decisions about a particular show; the producers deal with executive X; if he likes them, they go ahead, and if he doesn’t like them, they change stuff. (Producers who were active 20 years ago note that as a big difference between then and now; back then, getting a show made was more a matter of convincing one person, rather than 10.) In a sense what we are seeing now at the networks is not so much a sign of their lack of confidence in TV writer/producers, but their lack of confidence in their executives, the fear of trusting one exec to be responsible for a particular show.

I’m also intrigued by the agent who suggests that it would be cost-efficient for networks to give creators a financial stake in their shows. It’s a self-interested suggestion, obviously, but a plausible one: the huge budget over-runs of today’s network shows might be less huge if the producers had more of a financial interest in making sure the shows come in under budget. I don’t know if I buy it completely, but I applaud the agent for coming up with a way to argue that it’s in the networks’ own self-interest to give the writers a better deal. That’s some good agentin’.

Update: Come to think of it, there is precedent for the idea of TV harnessing talent from the internet, and it’s the relationship of movies and television. At first the movie studios tried to keep their medium totally separate from television, but then they gave in and started making feature films with TV stars as well as making movies based on TV plays, as well as bringing in more directors who had started in television, some of whom helped revitalize movies with techniques they had learned in TV (John Frankenheimer, Robert Altman). So you could see TV getting an influx of talent and ideas from the internet. The problem is that the internet is still not as big or important a producer of original content as TV was in the ’50s, and there still isn’t as deep a talent pool to draw on.

'A regrettable use'

By Aaron Wherry - Monday, August 31, 2009 at 12:16 PM - 16 Comments

Foreign Affairs objects to the CIA’s use of Transport Canada research in designing interrogation methods.

Canada’s Foreign Affairs department says it’s aware of reports that Transport Canada material has been used by the CIA. ”This is a regrettable use of a publicly available document intended to save lives,” the department said in a statement to CBC News.

Mind you, the Canadian government’s official position is—or at least was, at last check—that the United States did not participate in torture.

“Can we beat the pandemic?”

By macleans.ca - Monday, August 31, 2009 at 11:16 AM - 3 Comments

The Canadian Medical Association Journal says that Canada needs to modify its swine flu pandemic plan so that H1N1 vaccines can be fast-tracked to high risk populations such as pregnant women, youth and sufferers of chronic diseases. In an editorial released today called “The H1N1 vaccine race: Can we beat the pandemic?”, CMAJ warns that Health Canada’s regulatory process for licensing the shots will slow down their availability. Part of the hold up is due to the fact that the vaccine is being rolled out with an adjuvant, a substance that increases its immunological response. The adjuvant needs to be more thoroughly reviewed than if the vaccine were alone. So CMAJ suggests that the vaccine and adjuvant should be reviewed as a package or for Health Canada to speed up review of the vaccine only so that it can be delivered to high risk groups. The editorial acknowledges that the vaccine may not be as effective without the adjuvant, but says it’s important to immunize the most vulnerable individuals as soon as possible. CMAJ says that the vaccine should be available by early October, and the vaccine-adjuvant combo by mid-November. “Time is running out,” CMAJ says.

Canadian Medical Association Journal

NHL players gas union boss

By macleans.ca - Monday, August 31, 2009 at 11:09 AM - 0 Comments

The NHL Players Association has sacked its executive director, Paul Kelly, adding to the sense of chaos and intrigue surrounding the once-mighty union. The not-so-invisible hands behind the move are a pair of unlikely bedfellows, according to reports: former star player Eric Lindros; and Buzz Hargrove, the sometime head of the Canadian Autoworkers who’d been hired as an “interim ombudsman” by the NHLPA to review Kelly’s 22-month performance on the job. The ombudsman post had previously been held by Lindros, who left last February after deciding he couldn’t work with Kelly. Kelly, meanwhile, had been brought in to replace former head Ted Saskin, who’d been accused of monitoring players’ email accounts. The Boston lawyer was seen as someone who could restore players’ faith in the union. Yet he too was found wanting, evidently. Some reports suggested he was seen as too cozy with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and others at league headquarters. Question is: seen by whom? The current players of the NHL? Or Eric Lindros?

The Hockey News

TSN

Matador comes back at 67

By macleans.ca - Monday, August 31, 2009 at 11:08 AM - 0 Comments

Frank Evans, or “El Inglés” as he’s called on local billboards, has been fighting bulls in Spain for more than 40 years. An old rugby injury forced his retirement four years ago, but now he’s back in the ring with a new
titanium knee. “It’s okay if you stop because you want to but when it is because of injury it feels a bit like your girlfriend has left you,” he said. He sunk his sword into two bulls on his comeback night, killing both
to raucous applause and a display of white handkerchiefs of approval from the audience.

The Guardian

Disney buys Marvel

By macleans.ca - Monday, August 31, 2009 at 11:07 AM - 0 Comments

Disney announced today that it is acquiring Marvel Entertainment, the comics giant founded by Stan Lee. To get Marvel, whose most famous and marketable characters include Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, the Incredible Hulk, and even a few who haven’t been made into big-budget movies, Disney paid $50 per share or approximately US$4 billion. But it’s worth it, says Disney chief Robert Iger, because “we believe that adding Marvel to Disney’s unique portfolio of brands provides significant opportunities for long-term growth and value creation.” In other words, there are lots of superhero movies that haven’t been made yet, and Disney wants to make them. There is no word yet on what this means for Disney’s own successful line of comics (including the popular Donald Duck and Uncle Scrooge titles) and whether those will be taken over by Marvel. But one thing’s for sure: if Spider-Man thought Mr. Jameson was a tough boss, wait until he tries working for the Mouse.

Reuters

Historians grapple with data overload

By macleans.ca - Monday, August 31, 2009 at 11:05 AM - 0 Comments

In the past year, more technical data has been collected than in all previous years since science began, the Wall Street Journal reports—but as digital documents pile up, how will they be preserved? Today, scientists collaborate over email, Google, YouTube and Facebook, just to name a few, leaving few paper trails behind. Meanwhile, technologies that store the data (think floppy discs, for example) quickly become obsolete, making retrieving the information a challenge. Never in history have we been able to generate so much information, and lose it so quickly, experts say: in fact, computer users around the world create enough digital data every 15 minutes to fill the US Library of Congress. With research projects growing ever bigger, the problem’s only intensifying. Take, for example, the Sloan Digital Sky Survey in New Mexico: in its first two days of operation, it gathered more data than in all previous history of astronomy. And the Large Hadron Collider, in Geneva, will create enough data to fill 1.7 million DVDs every year. How to save all this information in a way that will make sense to future researchers? Japanese researchers recently unveiled a memory chip that should last for centuries, and in April, U.S. physicists revealed the design of a digital device that, in theory, could store data for a billion years. “Digital information lasts forever—or five years,” says RAND Corp. computer analyst Jeff Rothenberg, “whichever comes first.”

The Wall Street Journal

Will they or won't they?

By macleans.ca - Monday, August 31, 2009 at 10:52 AM - 4 Comments

The Toronto Star’s Susan Delacourt reports on the man who may hold the short- to medium-term electoral fate of the country in his hands—or at least, his PowerPoint deck: Liberal party pollster Michael Marzolini, of Pollara research firm, who will be making one of his periodic presentations to the caucus as they meet in Sudbury this week. Although Marzolini insists that he’s not there simply to feed the beast—”Of my 40 minutes, I’m only dedicating 10 seconds to the issue of when to call the election,” he told the Star yesterday—it’s hard to see how the numbers he reveals can’t influence the ongoing debate within the Liberal Party over whether it’s time to bring down the government. Although Senator David Smith, who will likely be at the centre of the eventual campaign, told reporters last week that he doesn’t envision an election over employment insurance, the Star quotes a ‘senior Liberal MP’ characterizing the leader’s attitude as ‘bullish.’ Then again, that was before hearing from Pollara.

Toronto Star

Another Republican for Ignatieff speaks out – this time, under his real name!

By kadyomalley - Monday, August 31, 2009 at 10:03 AM - 40 Comments

David Akin has an exclusive interview with Missouri Republican organizer and Republicans for Ignatieff state chairman Yancy Williams, one of the (two?) R4Iers who was captured on film handing out stickers and signs to bemused passersby at the Missouri State Fair earlier this month. The whole thing is worth reading for armchair R4Iologists, but what ITQ found particularly intriguing was Williams’ explanation of how he came to be involved with the group:

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Colour-coded

By Aaron Wherry - Monday, August 31, 2009 at 10:01 AM - 32 Comments

John Baglow makes serious allegations about this government’s approach to citizenship.

Stephen Harper is going to the Supreme Court to put the boots once again to an off-white Canadian.

Can anyone now doubt that the Conservatives have managed in a mere three years to institute a tiered, colour-coded notion of citizenship in this country? And by “Conservatives,” I mean both our present government and its party base. If anyone doubts me on the latter, a good throat-gagging read of the comments collected by the major on-line media on the Suaad Hagi Mohamud case alone should put any lingering doubts to rest.

There is one level of citizenship for, say, a Brenda Martin. But there is quite another for Abousfian Abdelrazik, still unable lawfully to find a job in his own country, or to receive any kind of social assistance. Or for Suaad Hagi Mohamud, Abdihakim Mohamed …

Or Omar Khadr.

Thing is, Nay Myo Hein doesn’t look white to me. But Ronald Allen Smith does. Mikhail Lennikov too.

Thank God it’s Thursday

By Colin Campbell - Monday, August 31, 2009 at 10:00 AM - 6 Comments

Oakland County, just outside of Detroit, Mich., hasn’t had it easy in a year of recession and auto industry blues. Budgets are stretched to the breaking point and it is now considering asking employees to take a pay cut. But last fall, the county government did offer its employees one very nice break: the chance to start working a four-day workweek. So far it’s been a hit with the 450 workers (13 per cent of the county’s workforce) who’ve signed on. “The employees absolutely love it,” says Nancy Scarlet, the county’s director of human resources. How could they not? They can now enjoy long weekends all year, with no cut in pay. For vacation-starved North American workers, this is the stuff dreams are made of.

Oakland’s four-day plan originally came about as a reaction to rising gas prices last year. Workers would still work 40 hours, but by cutting a day of commuting, they’d save money, with the added environmental benefit of putting fewer cars on the road. But there have been unexpected benefits for the county too, like declining overtime payments, says Scarlet. Lately, the county has been working to convince some local businesses to follow its lead. Continue…