The columns of Margaret Wente, Christie Blatchford, Jeffrey Simpson and all the rest of the Globe and Mail's regulars can now be accessed online free of charge.

The newspaper's change in policy became effective on May 31, and includes such other popular elements as daily horoscopes, crosswords and Sudoku puzzles, as well as a suite of news-tracking tools.

Simultaneously, Globe Plus - a new paid product - was launched to provide access to three tools: e-Edition (an electronic version of all 14 regional variations of the daily print edition with enhanced browser capabilities); GlobeinvestorGOLD (to help readers maximize their investment prowess with news alerts, access to financial databases, a portfolio tracker to measure ROI, filters to pinpoint stocks to purchase and expert advice); and archive access to 100 articles per month dating back to Jan. 1, 2000.

www.globeandmail.com

There'll be something new when the Just for Laughs comedy festival's annual free event gets underway in downtown Toronto on July 23: sponsorship by Future Shop.

It'll be a first for the electronics biggie, Lisa Kurenoff, marketing manager for the Burnaby, BC-based company, tells MiC. "And with our new flagship store located right next to Yonge-Dundas Square, we will be sponsoring more events like this."

Kurenoff adds that Future Shop's sponsorship of the comedy fest will be promoted with advertising [being prepared in-house and still under wraps] plus a flyer, online presence, media and blogger relations, and the company logo will appear on all Just for Laughs elements, including contests. Kurenoff says Future Shop will also give away VIP tickets/experiences to the [indoor] gala performances.

WestJet is another sponsor of the festival, whose headliners include Martin Short, Seinfeld star Jason Alexander and Saturday Night Live alumnus - and future host of Late Night on NBC - Jimmy Fallon.

www.hahaha.com/en/festival_tmp/11

On May 29 at 8:10 pm, Channel 4 in Britain aired Honda's live skydiving ad during the first commercial pod in Come Dine with Me. The ad featured 19 skydivers spelling out the word "Honda" in the sky over Spain over about three minutes and 20 seconds. The inspiration for the initiative was the brand's newest line: "Difficult is worth doing."

Wieden & Kennedy London developed the campaign, which began with unbranded skydiving clips airing in commercial pods. Earlier this month, those ads drove viewers to the previously unbranded microsite www.difficultisworthdoing.com, where a blog shared tips on skydiving.

The initiative was reportedly the result of Channel 4's idea winning Honda's approval over 19 others. Naturally, the initiative got some attention in the mainstream press, and a Guardian blog is racking up comments on the issue.

How many views on YouTube so far? There are multiple postings on the site, and we didn't feel like adding up all the views. However, a search for "Honda live skydive" turned up results ranging from the low teens to over 5,000 as of Monday morning.

Mark Childs, VP of marketing at Campbell Company of Canada, has been named chair of the judging panel for this year's Cassie Awards, with other jurists to be announced later.

Canada's only advertising award show based on campaigns' proven business effectiveness, the 2008 Cassies will be celebrated in an evening event in Toronto on Jan. 27. There is now a media category, and the deadline for entries (filed online only) is July 21.

"The opportunity to recognize breakthrough Canadian work that delivers results is both inspiring and fulfilling," says Childs. Details on how to enter all categories can be found at www.cassies.ca/howtoenter.