Friday, March 31, 2006

Was 9/11 a trick?

This is the most incredible documentary on 9/11 I have ever seen, it basically explains, in intricate detail, how 9/11 was completely staged to fool the world. It claims the Twin Towers were demolished as a controlled explosion (and has the footage to prove it), planes never crashed into the Pentagon, and that the entire affair was an elaborate ploy by the American government. Watch it, it is intense! It will make every paranoid hair in your body stand on end.

Loose Change

Wednesday, March 29, 2006

Pardon Services Canada

Thank you to Pardon Services Canada for being our first partial corporate sponsor for our Alaska marathon. Pardon Services Canada has generously donated $2500 to our fundraising efforts to raise $11,000 for leukemia in exchange for online public relations.

If you are a business interested in supporting our marathon to raise funds for leukemia, lymphoma and Hodgkin's disease, please click on Mike's fundraising page or Maria's fundraising page

In other fundraising news, Maria and I will be putting on two concerts in May.

May 4th - The Media Club (695 Cambie St)

There will be four great local indy bands - don't miss it.

the bluegreydots
The Parallels
The Spinoffs
Jesse Weigand

$10 at the door, or call 604-987-8401 to get tickets in advance.

May 26th - The Marine Club

Bands TBA

See you there!

Tuesday, March 28, 2006

Seal Clubbing: The Thin Edge of the Wedge

It’s all over the papers right now, the annual cull of seals in the Maritimes to keep the population in check, obtain pelts, create jobs, or whatever reason they do it for. There has been a lot of back and forth, but the reality of the situation is a baby harp seal pelt goes for as much as $70, and brings some $20 million to the economy. What has most people worked up is the increased limit from 5000 seals last year to 325,000 this year. It’s a touchy issue, primarily because seals are cute, and no one likes to see cute animals get clubbed, particularly pop icons like Paul McCartney, Bridgette Bardot and Morrissey. Morrissey (of the Smiths) has refused to come to Canada to play any dates on account of the annual tradition.

It has been called a ‘cull’ because it keeps the population of both the seals and the fish it feeds on at a sustainable level, however, I heard an interview with a spokesman from WWF WWF this morning who denied this, claiming that the impact that seals have on the fish stocks is negligible.

But the question still stands. Why do cute animals have any more rights than ugly ones? Cows have traditionally been killed in a rather barbarous way, as have chickens with the de-beakings and all. Fish die in rather torturous ways. Why the seals? Because they are cute.

To some this is hypocritical, to others a brilliant publicity opportunity.

From an animal-rights activist point of view, seals make for a great focus point. If the public can get stirred up about cute little seals it is the thin edge of the wedge to get them more concerned about other animal rights atrocities. Even this can be argued to be the thin edge of the wedge for humanist issues as well. If one is opposed to the torture of animals for fun and profit, what about the treatment of humans? Regardless, it is a kick start to a certain compassion for living creatures that can possibly be extended into a wider humanitarian view. Of course this does assume that animal rights activists are looking to preserve all life as we know it.

Monday, March 27, 2006

Save the trees with wooden chopsticks

The Chinese government has introduced a tax to wooden chopsticks in an attempt to save their forests. Chopstick tax

The idea is to both protect the environment and reduce the discrepancy between the rich and poor.

It is estimated that 200 million people in China live on less than $1 US a day!