Free Pancakes from IHOP? Maybe.

Feb-28-2012 IHOP for Children's Miracle Network Hospitals

You may quite possibly have seen this picture shared on Facebook, via LikeACoupon. If you dig around, you can find some related links, like the IHOP National Pancake Day website and Facebook page, and Children's Miracle Network Hospitals.

IHOP National Pancake Day - February 28, 2012 - Pancake Day Details_cr

Looks good, right? All set for free breakfast tomorrow? So why did I put "Maybe" on my blog post?

The problem I have with this is that USA is all over it. A Facebook share can go all around the world. Sure, there's IHOP in Canada, but what about Children's Miracle Network Hospitals?

Let's start with IHOP. On the National Pancake Day details, the "Find An IHOP Near You" picture/link sits on an outline of the USA. This, to me, suggests IHOP is US based, and possibly Pancake Day is a US thing. The search page has a country drop-down, but the search page is not on www.ihoppancakeday.com, either.

If you go to Children's Miracle Network Hospital and try the Hospital locator under the "Partners" tab, there is no country selection, only US states. So is this a US-only deal? Looks like yes -- but actually, no. Click the "Your Hospital" tab and if you're in BC, Canada, it should take you to a page talking about the BC Children's Hospital.

.ORG is not really country specific. If you Google Children's Miracle Network, in Canada you'll probably get http://childrensmiraclenetwork.CA/ as the first search result. Looks good. And if you go there the website looks very similar to the .ORG version, EXCEPT there's no mention of Pancake Day. AND under Partners > Corporate Sponsorships, IHOP is NOT listed.
(By the way, click on Your Hospital and it can't even localize BC Children's Hospital. It just redirects you to the Partners > Hospitals search page.)
If you go back to http://childrensmiraclenetworkhospitals.ORG and try it there, you'll find IHOP under "Sponsors". So are they sponsors only in the US? -- Meaning, is this pancake deal only in the US?

Let's have one last try to confirm whether there will be free pancakes on Tuesday, February 28th, 2012, for Canadians: Let's go to BC Children's Hospital, which would supposedly benefit.

As I write this, it's 0025h on Tuesday, February 28th, 2012. The promotion is TODAY, later this morning.

...And there is NOTHING on IHOP National Pancake Day on the front page.

If you're in BC, or anywhere in Canada, Swing by an IHOP this morning if you like. And I do hope you'll get a free stack of pancakes and that you'll give a little something to the Children's Miracle Network in return. But don't be surprised if you get a blank stare.

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How much candy can you bring to America

I have a friend in the US who used to live in Canada -- so she's noticed that some things taste differently. Such as Twizzlers . And she likes Canadian Twizzlers better. So I inquired with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) as to how much I could bring: I am visiting a friend in San Francisco later this year. She wants Twizzlers -- she says the same product in the US tastes differently from those in Canada. How much am I allowed to bring into the US for her? I don't go to the US regularly and she doesn't come to Canada regularly, so I was thinking of getting her more than just a couple of bags. Here is their initial reply: You can bring the candy to the US, and there is no set limit on the amount. All you have to do is declare the food to a CBP officer at the border or airport. Mark Answer Title: Food- Bring personal use food into the U.S. from Canada Answer Link: https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/1273 Answer Title: Travelers bringing food into the U...

Life in the Lower Mainland (BC, Canada)

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