Democracy in Action/Inaction

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0NAU

Pfft, I say! Democracy schemocracy. We are currently living in nothing less than a thinly veiled dictatorship. What I've heard some refer to as a "Harperocracy". Excellent word. *If you disagree with my first word - dictatorship - feel free to comment. I will explain. :)

Well I'm pissed off about it. Not only were civil liberties stripped from thousands of people in downtown Toronto in late June, 2010, and democracy was bashed with batons, pepper sprayed and pushed to the ground, but it's once again being stomped on. Our system seems to be broken. Law breakers are a-okay for this prime minister and his cronies!

Part of me wishes I had been in Toronto for the G20 demonstrations. I wish I had been there, standing beside fellow Canadians, speaking out for something I believe in - truly, I very well could have been amongst any of the many groups that were there demonstrating peacefully.

Most of all, I feel that maybe I could have done something about the injustices that happened that day. Injustices done to many youths who were exercising their social activism muscles for the first time; injustices to hard working freedom fighters of groups such as Amnesty International; injustices done to mothers and fathers, who spent the weekend terrified because they hadn't heard from their democratically-minded children for over 24hrs; injustices done to our forefathers who had a vision of our country that included the right to gather in public spaces as a people with a common goal; the disgusting joke of a temporary prison that INNOCENT PEOPLE were treated worse than loathed animals in; injustices done to the smaller store owners downtown due to residual vandalism from the small group of people the police AVOIDED arresting...

That weekend was an injustice to all Canadians. Yeah, you too. As I keep saying - if it's happening to anyone, it could happen to you. You know... the whole Common Fate thing?

*Tell me honestly... what would you have done? This image impacts me

tremendously. It's the infamous blockage of passage on Queen and Spadina.

These people were eventually rushed by the police and arrested. Really...

what would you have done? Comment, please.

It wouldn't have mattered if I had been down there, I'd just be more frustrated, enraged and hurt than I already am. We all got Conservatively screwed that day. I bring in the political party because it was in their hands to host this bullshit meeting in the first place. They got it WRONG.

Anyway, this news story is something we should all be up in arms over. Though from other things I've heard, two officers were charged with something? I could be wrong... but two out of 10 000 police officers seems only slightly laughable. Especially since only 6 out of the 1 100 demonstrators arrested have ACTUALLY BEEN CHARGED! Grrrrrrr...

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/toronto/story/2010/11/25/siu-officers-injuries352.html#socialcomments

But COME ON! As IF they have the audacity to cite the excuse that they can't identify the officers... HELLO!?!?! A lot of them had no identifying markers on them!! How about you charge the people who allowed hundreds of officers to go out into the streets without badges or name tags on?

Someone needs to learn a lesson. I have nothing against police officers in general, but I have something against a politically created mob mentality within the police forces that were present that weekend - and the heavy handedness that ran rampant.

I *rarely* pull this card... like extremely rarely... but it's true, so:

We have people we love over seas that are there specifically to deliver our democratic values to the populations of the oppressed and war-torn. How the fuck can we be so pious?

I have to start writing e-mails, I can feel ulcers forming.

I know you all love JFK, so here are wondrous words of wisdom from the man:

"Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent

revolution inevitable."

- John F. Kennedy

These people look like the comic revolution types, ha! Sorry if you're afraid of clowns.

I don't think the cops were. :P

Electronics... *sigh*

HURRAY! A new video from the folks at StoryofStuff.org!

(Click here!)

I have looked into who to contact about this... I am not having a lot of luck for this topic specifically, BUT! Two fairly obvious contacts come to mind:

1) your local MP (if you do not know who yours is, FIND OUT, damnit!)

2) contact the companies themselves - they all have easy feedback forms and addresses.

What I DO have for you is a link to the Greenpeace Guide to Greener Electronics. It's pretty fantastic, and full of loads of info for your electronic shopping. (It's pretty, too.)

I really suck at blogging... So as I attempt to improve my blog-skillz (mainly just frequency), I will throw this out there and try to get back into my groove. I swear I'm trying! Thanks to folks who ARE reading.

I've been slacking *so* much that I thought I'd seek out and provide a nice quote. Enjoy.

"It isn't pollution that's harming the environment. It's the impurities in our air and water that are doing it."

- Dan Quayle, former US vice president

Too Late For Justice

I can't begin to express my anger and frustration at the recent headlines surrounding the Omar Khadr trial. Not only should this trial never have been on the plate in the first place, but it's too late for any meaningful amount of justice to be done. As a matter of fact, the trial itself is injustice incarnate.

Even though the psychiatrist witness mentioned in the above news story link is clearly a stupid, racist fuck head, I agree that rehabilitation is less likely now for Omar. But like it's a surprise?! DUH!?! What chance would you have after eight years of your young life being wasted in a centre for all things Al Qaeda, not to mention having all of your human rights stripped from you??

Let's try something (fun game time!!!)... Imagine yourself at the age of 15. Now try to picture yourself in a war zone at this age (high school was bad enough, eh? EH?), dead bodies around you, guns firing at close range, grenade blasts all around you - one sending shrapnel into your left eye, rendering it useless for the rest of your life. Can you even begin to speculate your state of mind? Or what your actions might be?

Here is an image of Omar the day he was taken into illegal custody by the U.S. military (see below for an explanation of his injuries):

BACKGROUND!

What is said to have happened is this: firing was happening from both sides (war zone, and all), a grenade was lobbed over a standing wall and killed a U.S. soldier. Another soldier positioned himself with a good view inside, saw a man with a pistol and shot him in the head. As he approached, he saw a boy on his knees, wounded, facing away from the firing, and he shot him twice in the back. When the boy regained consciousness, he begged to be killed.

Because he spoke to them in English, paramedics rushed to save his life, only to send him to a prison of terrorists and destroy the rest of his life slowly, ruining his fixable, young mindset along the way. Only now, 8 years later, has Omar expressed admittance in causing the death of Sgt. First Class Christopher Speer. No one knows what actually happened.

The main cause of my rage? Both Canada and the United States signed and ratified an optional protocol under United Nations international law of human rights called the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict in July of 2000. The overview of the commitments we agreed to can be found here. Here's a little taste for you...

"11: To ensure that children under 18 years of age who are or who

have been unlawfully recruited or used by armed forces or groups

and are accused of crimes against international law are considered

primarily as victims of violations against international law and not

only as alleged perpetrators. They should be treated in accordance

with international standards for juvenile justice, such as in a frame-

work of restorative justice and social rehabilitation."

I don't care who his parents are, I don't care what ties he has to Al Qaeda because of them, he was a CHILD! We have laws that protect children, regardless of who they were born of or what their parents or uncles want them to do for a living. Not to mention he was and still IS a Canadian citizen, no matter which way you slice it. This was all wrong from the get go, confirmed by our own Federal Court who released a statement that Omar's imprisonment was a CLEAR VIOLATION of our Charter of Rights and Freedoms and that he should be extradited immediately - to which our lovely Prime Minister and our lovely minister of Foreign Affairs thumbed their noses (GRRRRR! I CAN'T STAND ANY OF THEM !!!!).

Of course Omar has little chance in life now... He has spent 8 years stewing in anger and being given reasons day after day to truly believe his childhood brainwashing. We can't even confirm he injured anyone! And even if he did... honestly, if someone were attacking me in a war zone, or my family, or friends, and a grenade was nearby, I can't say for sure that I wouldn't use it myself.

No quote for this one, I am spent.

Won't somebody please think of the beer?!?

It does my little heart good to know that some things I write letters/e-mails/blogs about are actually important... BPA was recently declared toxic by the government of Canada! Eat that, BPA website!

Unfortunately, we actually ARE still eating it, and drinking it too. It's going to take a while to actually ban BPA from production, but who wants to have to label their product toxic? Bit of an advertising conundrum, I'd say! (Check out the week-old story below... damn, I'm terrible at keeping up with this!)

http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2010/10/13/bpa-toxic.html

Woooooo hoo! Now, let's start getting it out of our canned goods... and beer! BPA is readily soluble in alcohol, which means it's a floatin' around in your brewski (personally I prefer bottled or draught anyway... but when all else fails, cans do the trick). Mmm, now I want some Keith's.

Come on, BPA, why can't you be more like other chemicals?

"Not all chemicals are bad. Without chemicals such as hydrogen and oxygen, for example, there would be no way to make water, a vital ingredient in beer." - Dave Barry

Let's sharpen some teeth...

And claws!

I found a blog I want to share! (Link below.) I'm kind of a law/policy nerd, especially when it comes to environmental law. It's wonderful that an ignorant bastard can actually serve jail time for disrespecting our resources and natural environment! Makes me all warm and fuzzy inside.

But how effective are our environmental laws in the grand scheme of things? I feel our laws are truly progressing in Canada - case in point: a waterfront property in Belleville, ON that was home to a Bakelite plant (one of the very first plastics to be mass-produced.. hurrah!) and was discovered to be leaching contaminants into the Bay of Quinte. Owner Jim Sinclair was fined $690 000 and served 4 months in jail! :D That wouldn't have happened 20 years ago, therefore, there has been progress.

But our environmental laws and protection acts are still being circumvented by big companies through legislative loopholes and government leniency. A an example of such a project currently in planning stages aims to build a highway through sensitive marshland near Windsor, ON. Guess who it's backed by? Our current federal government has offered cash-strapped Michigan $550 million to help with tendering the project.

Protecting animals and wilderness is becoming a popular thing to do in this country - haven't you seen all of the celebrities on TV advocating for marmots in B.C.? Donating to not-for-profits is fabulous, but what tools do WE the citizens have to protect our resources and ultimately ourselves? What is our legislation really doing for us?

Check out what environmental lawyer and blogger Dianne Sax has to say on the matter:

http://envirolaw.com/endangered-species-act-teeth/

What do you think?

"If constitutions of granite can't save the planet, what's to become of us?" - Tragically Hip (from the song "Save the Planet")

Blarg Not Blog !

Instead of a well thought out, reasonable post about an interesting, albeit serious, issue for my long overdue blogging, today I will entertain you with a story. Welcome to my world! (And to my bedroom and my ingenious indoor clothesline. Everything in my room smells like freshness... and no, I'm not afraid to show you my undergarments.)

As I had spent a lot of time outside today in the renewed heat of late summer, on my knees in dirt, trying to gingerly find turtle eggs so that the construction folks who are widening a road don't potentially kill two clutches of them, I decided I deserved some cool off time. Instead of sitting in the warm laundromat this evening waiting for the laundry to be done, I went across the street to the terrible, yet very cool (temperature-wise) Coffee Culture cafe with my book ("The World Without Us" by Alan Weisman... yes, I'm still reading it. Other books keep jumping into my lap!).

Though everything there is terrible, I figured their plain vanilla ice cream can't be *that* bad, and I was very hot. Seeing in the advertisement there are three choices of container (two cone types and a paper dish), I went up to order a dish so I didn't get my book sticky. This is how it went, and my thoughts along with it... [ ( ) these are thought bubbles, haha] :

Dude: Hey can I get something for you?

Me: Hi! Yeah, can I please have two scoops of ice cream in a bowl? (ooo, maybe they have REAL bowls?)

Dude: A bowl?

Me: Yeah. (You know, a hollow, half spherical object one eats dribbly foods out of...?)

Dude: For here?

Me: Yes... please... ? (huh? Oh, I guess they must have REAL bowls then... excellent!)

* Dude goes to scoop the ice cream.*

Me: (Maybe I haven't given this place enough credit after all!)

*Dude sets down a styrofoam cup full of ice cream in front of me.*

Me: (?) *moment of silence* Do you have any... bowls...? Like a... bowl?

Dude: Well... I guess not...

Me: Yeah, I didn't really want styrofoam... see, the picture shows a paper serving dish up there.

Dude: *looks up at the big picture as he clearly misses the bigger picture altogether*

Weird. We don't even have those kinds... BUT! The good part about that is, it's lighter than a bowl, and you can just throw it out...

Me: (.........................................)

See... well... that's the thing, I don't want to throw it out... this *points to the cup* will never go away.

Dude: *light streams from his facial orifices as someone flips the switch*

Ohhhhhh! Oh yeah... so, it's $3.65.

To top it off, it was the same terrible tasting tripe as the rest of their "desserts", just smoother and frozen. Ugh, but at least it cooled off my stomach... ha!

I was so ashamed to be sitting there reading a book about the things that will be around long after we're gone, while one of the very relics in question is holding my bland, sugary treat for the day, that I actually hid it on the seat beside me.

Maybe it makes me crazy to some of you, but I actually CAN'T throw styrofoam in the garbage. I physically cannot do it. So there.

That's my first real rant about pretty much nothing. But it's also a quick glimpse into my brain. Fun times? No? :) I'll leave you with a thought that says it all for me in these days of dreaming of autumn coolness... soon enough, friends, soon enough!

"What dreadful hot weather we have! It keeps me in a continual state of inelegance." - Jane Austen

Munir Sheikh: A Light in the Fog

SCORE ONE FOR THE GOOD GUYS!

I normally don't speak so glowingly about public servants, however the more I read about the census scandal, the more impressed and delighted I am that Munir Sheikh exists.

The former Cheif of Statistics Canada has got the right stuff (insert NKOTB dance sequence here). In all seriousness though, it's so refreshing to see someone take a stand for what is simply right; not what got them more money, or more esteem. Though, arguably, this has increased Sheikh's esteem in the eyes of many - and if it hasn't for you, it should. This man deserves a hero cookie!

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/100810/national/tories_census_scrubbed_1

In the news story I just posted, it explains the back story of the cancellation of the long form census in greater detail, giving examples of correspondence between Industry and Sheikh. Our current government is so used to reprogramming their robots that they weren't counting on a purely human act to mess with their plans.

Public servants are hired by the government and are to act as minions, but only in the sense that they are supposed to represent the government that the public elected. Considering less than 40% of all votes cast (which probably only REALLY represents about 20% of all Canadians, since a lot of us didn't vote at all), to completely overhaul public services to reflect the ideology of the reigning Conservatives is WRONG. Plain and simple. In other areas of policy, we Canadians have been duped, tricked, and told to sit down and shut up. Sheikh stood up for us. Dramatic sounding, but the truth.

I'm going to take this opportunity to write a THANK YOU E-MAIL! I have already contacted StatsCan to see about getting a contact for him... if I get one, I will be sure to share on here!

I also rarely dig inspirational, patriotic quotes... but what the hell? Make the best of each great moment, right? ;) (Anth, this one is for you!)

"Our hopes are high. Our faith in the people is great. Our courage is strong. And our dreams for this beautiful country will never die." - Pierre Trudeau

Particulate Polymer & the Full-up Fish

I think I should start a band with that name! It would be sort of tragic though, full of angst... and would have to entail a lot of thrashing about in faded plastic outfits. It would probably be all the rage amongst the ever growing hipster population - I could make a killing!

Then again, you could get a free show of the real deal without the $80 charge I'd insist upon at my concerts. All you need is a trusty boat, access to the north Pacific, and time to watch the ocean.

In his book "The World Without Us", Alan Weisman speaks with experts in all fields (from engineers to biologists) to paint a reasonable picture of what would happen to the world if we were to disappear. No nuclear holocaust, no mass starvation, we just simply disappear.

Unfortunately, the only infinite legacy that we can foresee leaving behind? Plastic. I understand that plastic is useful and has actually done a lot for this world. But plastic hasn't been around long enough to accurately determine the affect it's really having on ourselves or our ecosystems.

Having said that, and keeping in mind the North Pacific Gyre, I want to get down to the nitty gritty.

The problem with lightweight plastic and plastic that floats (which is all of it) is that a lot of it that isn't recycled ends up in the oceans of the world: it blows off trucks, out of landfills, drops out of your hand/purse/bag, carried by storm drains, ETC.

Then those plastics break down into smaller and smaller pieces. It is working its way up the food chain in the bellies of tiny microorganisms, fish, jellyfish, and in turn, bigger fish, that cannot pass the debris. If it's small enough, the plastic can go right through, but fish have big mouths! And then our feathered friends become victims.

Some facts, as gathered and studied by Algalita Marine Research Foundation:

• Merchant vessels toss about 639 000 pounds of plastic overboard every day.
• Around 80% of all mid-ocean, floating plastic, was originally discarded on land.
• At 1000 miles across, there is 3 million tons of plastic in the North Pacific Gyre alone (a number that was recently corroborated by the US navy) - and that's only *visible plastic on the surface*!
• There is six times the amount of plastic on the ocean's surface than plankton.
• 5.5 quadrillion (250 billion pounds) of raw plastic pellets, called 'nurdles', which are turned into water bottles, tables, combs, are manufactured annually... and are also found on beaches and in the ocean.

What is to be done?

Well first of all, find out what is recyclable in your municipality/region. I am certain that most of you will have a few plastics that your municipality isn't interested in (because for some reason, it won't make them money to pick up... disgusting!). If they don't take #5 plastic, don't buy ANYTHING in #5 plastic containers. If they don't take plastic bags, don't use ANY plastic bags.

Next step, write your Member of Parliament, and ask why your area isn't recycling certain plastics. Explain your concern. Even write your mayor.

I've been really trying to watch packaging too. Excess isn't necessary, and if something arrives in the mail in excess packaging, I let the company I ordered from know it!

These issues take some effort and obviously aren't super fun to think about, but it's necessary. Choices we're making as consumers are becoming less about being smart and more about moral imperatives - I truly believe that.

Everything finds its way to the water, and in turn, finds its way to us. Keep it in mind, folks!

"Would you like your BPA with that? I MEAN! Your receipt?"

After the initial discovery of BPA in baby bottles, organizations like the Environmental Working Group (EWG) started to test common objects for the substance. Turns out, it's in more things than we ever could have imagined.

What is BPA? You hear about it all the time, and see "BPA FREE!" boasting on product stickers. Bisphenol-A is a chemical that is used in making plastics and epoxy resins stronger. It's also used in coatings and such. It is also a known endocrine disruptor, causing early puberty in mice and rats and sex changes in fish. Why do we use animal testing? If they are affected, we will ultimately be affected.

The newest discovery is fairly shocking to me: BPA has been found in relatively large quantities in and on our paper receipts. Yup! That same receipt you held with your lips as you put your money in your wallet after your most recent purchase! In one case, a McDonald's receipt from Connecticut was tested and contained 13 milligrams of BPA. That's roughly the equivalent of eating 126 cans of Chef Boyardee ravioli (one of the highest tested canned products for BPA content).

To read the full article, and get links to the offending receipt companies: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/stores-giving-out-bpa-tainted-receipts.html

What the hell is wrong with us? What good will it do if we take it out of bottles when we keep it in canned goods, and then add it to something we handle on a daily basis?

I was even more disgusted when looking for information on the chemical, I stumbled upon the Bisphenol-A website (www.bisphenol-a.org). They claim that there are no health impacts on humans. Mainly due to the fact that "Safety assessments of BPA conclude that the potential human exposure to BPA from polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins is more than 400 times lower than the safe level of BPA set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. This minimal level of exposure to BPA poses no known risk to human health."

HELLO!?! First of all, the amount of polycarbonate plastics we are exposed to on a daily basis (in everything... drink containers [pop cans, cheap plastic cups], food containers [lunch containers, canned goods], MP3 players, laptops, TOYS!, sunglasses, ETC) is an insane amount. If we were only to touch one item with BPA in it everyday, maybe the total wouldn't be so bad for our health. But as with all things, it ACCUMULATES.

Are we learning nothing? We need to stop chemical companies from influencing what is allowed to be in our foods, in our homes, and on our receipts.

There is a meeting through the UN Food and Agricultural Organization coming up this October in Ottawa to discuss the safety of BPA in food packaging, and I STRONGLY encourage you to write your MP and/or Health Canada to tell them how you feel about BPA. If we step up the pressure early, something might actually get done!

The address for Health Canada's Health Products and Food Branch "Bureau of Chemical Safety":

bcs-bipc@hc-sc.gc.ca

And, while you're at it, why not annoy the buggers pushing for the continued production of over 2.8 million tons of BPA per year? Ask them why they are for the possible poisoning of our society?

http://www.bisphenol-a.org/contact/index.html

"In this now universal contamination of the environment, chemicals are the sinister and little-recognized partners of radiation in changing the very nature of the world—the very nature of its life." - Rachel Carson

If it ain't broke, don't fix it... scrap it?

The recent decision by the Conservative government to scrap the mandatory long-form census come 2011 has certainly stirred up a lot of talk within media circles... and between friends! Though it stresses one of my friends out completely, I appreciate that there is finally an issue that seems to be broadly affecting Canadians (I will get into other Conservative decisions that affect ALL OF US that have generally gone unnoticed in other posts :D).

http://www.cbc.ca/m/rich/news/story/2010/07/27/pol-census-clement-sheikh-hearing.html

I'm posting this most recent news item I could find. CBC seems to be doing the best job of throwing in all recent discussions and info from both sides. Though, since the Cons have the media on a short leash, it's hard to get anything official from their camp.

What do I think about it, you ask? Being as concise as possible, I think that if the Conservatives had legitimate concerns regarding the mandatory long-form census, they could have very easily changed certain portions. I think if they were serious about doing what's best for our country, they'd have consulted with StatsCan (they did not) before making such huge decisions, and would also try to improve upon the mandatory portion of our statistical harvest. They would not have simply gotten rid of it. That, to me, smells foul. But I'm not surprised.

They have already done irreparable damage to many pieces of legislation (without fanfare, as not to worry you with the details - kind of like census details!), what's one more blow to the country?

They are counting on public apathy to get them through. So far, it's worked wonders. We really need to wake up. Please, keep yourselves informed! Continue sending your letters!

In the meantime, heed Mr. Mackenzie King's warning, folks!

"Where there is little or no public opinion, there is likely to be bad government, which sooner or later becomes autocratic government." - William Lyon Mackenzie King

For my first official post, I'm starting off fairly easy...

From the same folks who brought you "The Story of Stuff" (an excellent, step by step explanation of where our stuff comes from, how it's made, and what happens with stuff when we're done with it), "The Story of Cosmetics" takes a look at our ineffectual safety guidelines for the products we all use *every day*. Though it's out of the US, all facts apply to us Canucks as well. Luckily, the video gives some excellent ideas for how to remedy this icky situation! So please, take five minutes and watch! (The little stick people are super cute too :D )

http://storyofstuff.org/cosmetics/

I also strongly recommend google-ing "The Story of Stuff" if you haven't seen it.

And just remember everyone - both the ladies AND the gentlemen - in the end, beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder. And if all else fails, refer to this quote:

“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and it may be necessary from time to time to give a stupid or misinformed beholder a black eye.” - Miss Piggy

What's in a name?

First of all, welcome to my new interweb space! I hope it finds you well.

I had been contemplating starting a blog for sometime now, but even more so since temporarily deactivating my Facebook account. I was all set for the blog, but it was name-less. After reading countless meaningful lyrics (mostly those from the Hip and Mr. Dave Matthews), philosophical excerpts, and reviewing my limited Shakespearian wisdom, I decided to just make one up that fits.

I'm going to use A Common Fate to illustrate issues and discussions that we should all be taking part in, because frankly, we're part of them whether we like it or not. Obviously this blog cannot include all of the pressing issues in this world, but honestly, I'm going to try my best. There is always something that can be done about any problem, no matter what your affiliation to it. And if it ends up that a person has simply spent a few minutes thinking about an issue I have presented, then my general blog goal has been met.

My most basic desire of creating this blog space is to throw a little more awareness out into the universe. I may rant, I may plead with you, or I may be boring... but it's all in the name of the greater "We". Think of it as a *tiny* link in the connection between people and lives, if you will.

Please visit often. Agree with me, disagree with me, tell me I'm a nutter, just say something! I have set the comments to anyone can comment (I hate when you have to sign up to say something pertinent), but please don't leave it as Anonymous. I want to know who you are!

I will end this one off with a quote that sums up my feelings, and reasons why I created this blog... Thank goodness for Einstein, and thank you for reading!

"Strange is our situation here upon Earth. However, there is one thing that we do know, that man is here for the sake of other men, above all for those upon whose smile and well-being our own happiness depends, and also for the countless unknown souls with whose fate we are connected by a bond of sympathy." - Albert Einstein