Who's to Say?

Picture provided by flickr.com

A rather intriguing motion on a rather controversial topic was recently defeated in parliament. The motion was brought forward to have a study done on when life actually begins as it is defined in the criminal code. An article was published on cbc.ca detailing the motion which sited that currently in Canada life is considered to begin when a child has fully left is't mothers body, the study was intended to determine weather or not life begins before this point. This topic is a touchy one for most people as it directly leads into the discussion of abortion. Perhaps that is the biggest reason parliament voted down the study, the majority of politicians have no desire to even discuss such a topic, let alone take a definitive stand in the discussion.
Now there are plenty of opinions on the subject. Plenty of arguments both ways, leaving people to be pro choice or pro life.  I'm not here to try and make a point for one side or the other, since frankly the beliefs involved in this debate are so strongly for one side it is nearly impossible to change. Especially in a short space, such as a blog. My goal is instead to ask how much the government should truly be involved in making such a crucial decision.
Although I recognize the government's role in protecting the safety and well being of the public, I can't help but wonder how much control they should have. With such a life changing situation, there are so many different circumstances that each individual faces. It seems to me that having one broad rule that regulates every person without examining their specific situation is short sighted. In criminal cases we take each case under review individually, but only after charges are laid and it goes to court. It is never reviewed before hand for the specific case. In my mind I believe it is unjust for the government to have the power to pre determine the fate of individuals and their lives without taking into account the different circumstances of the people involved.
After seeing this motion not go through it's safe to say the government is set on not involving itself in the individuals who face this issue, but it does make me wonder if at some point they will.

Debt: Are we learning?

Everyone knows the importance of saving money for uninvited situations that may bring about large unexpected expenses. Although many of us know that life can surprise us for good and for bad, very few Canadian households are financially prepared.

According to TD Bank which just released its quarterly report, Canadian household debt has reached an alarming rate of more than 150% of disposable income! It has risen considerably in the past years along with government debt and GDP. (CBC news, September 18, 2012)

What possible reasons could there be for such a high imbalance? And what are the repercussions for Canadian households, small businesses and our overall economy?

This could be devastating for everyone especially if the US economy goes for another tumble and the European Union continues to flop. If people don't have extra credit available if the economy continues to deteriorate, the flow of capital will be hindered. When people aren't spending, businesses don't make money. When businesses don't make money they lay off employees which means even less capital moving around. It's a viscous cycle and everyone needs to be prepared for it one way or another.

The problem is that it comes down to consumption. We love the fruits of our labour a lot more than we should and don't recognize the direct damage of frivolous spending. It's why we put purchases on our credit card and "worry about it later". Most people are guilty of this from time to time, I know I am.

Maybe we can blame the banks a little for over-extending credit to the public or the media for promoting consumerism. But, we really need to blame ourselves and learn to live within our means. It's easy to get sucked in to the idea that having nice things and gadgets makes you a better person. It's depicted everywhere; in our music, movies, advertising, television, etc.

It's not just Canadian households either, our government has been consistently posting trade deficits. This is a direct result from importing more goods and commodities than the amount we export. The government is working on balancing this deficit but this will mean cutting back.

If we don't learn to adapt and manage our money better as individuals and as a nation, it could mean major cut backs in the future for some of our most cherished social programs such as: health care & education. We need to learn these lessons from our neighbour downstairs, the United States. They are currently treading on thin ice as a direct result of overindulging and overspending by their people and government.

So then... What's the solution?

It's simple, we need to live within our means but maybe that's easier said than done. Personally I believe  we need to set-up programs to further educate our public about the importance of financial planning.

Occupy The Food System!

Organic Farmer Lawsuit Against Monsanto

Photo Credit: Lily Hoads

One would have to be living under a rock to have not heard about the Occupy Wall Street movement over the last year. But now we have a new movement starting “Occupy the food system”, brought to us by Willie Nelson and the 99%. For those of us unfamiliar with Willie Nelson, he is a famous singer/songwriter, as well as the president of the Farmer’s Aid Foundation. Willie was likely unaware of the implications that his song “crazy”, recorded years ago, would have on the current situations of American farmers.

 It truly has become crazy with over 300,000 organic farmers, organic seed growers, and organic seed businesses beginning a lawsuit against Monsanto. The lawsuit addresses the bizarre but not recent issue of Monsanto harassing and threatening organic farmers with lawsuits of "patent infringement". This “patent infringement” is threatened if any organic farmer ends up with any trace amount of Monsanto’s genetically modified seeds on their organic products. Nelson recently made a request to the national Occupy movement, to declare an "Occupy the Food System" action against Monsanto and other monopolised farming giants such as Tyson.

Not only does this lawsuit debate the issue of Monsanto potentially ruining the organic farmers’ pure seeds and crops with the introduction of Monsanto’s genetically modified  seeds anywhere near the organic farms, but additionally the use of  Monsanto’s Roundup herbicides, further contaminating the nearby organic farms. This is an interesting tip of the scales in favour of the cherished farmers of America considering that not long ago Monsanto made it a practice to take organic farmers to court, with the claim that these farmers are attempting to steel Monsanto’s patented seed.

The farmers of course don’t want anything to do with the contaminated Monsanto seed in the first place. Genetic modification and use of heavy pesticide are far from organic… the whole reason they are certified organic farmers. They even have to go to extreme lengths from keeping their crops from being contaminated by spending allot of extra money and land for buffers which are hardly effective in deterring the contaminated seed from being swept in by the wind. But to add on to all of the trouble they go to grow organically now they have to worry about being sued by the very monster they detest. At this point, they even have to resort to not growing soybeans, corn, cotton, sugar beets, or canola what so ever. 

As of yet there is no rulling on the pending cases against Monsanto, but It will be very interesting to see how it all turns out, if the American Farmer underdogs will finnaly make a comeback against the monopolized giants of the agricultural world, or if their voices will be silenced by expensive lawyers and out of court settlements. Several documentaries have been made concerning this issue, specifically regarding Monsanto's unethical practices. You can find two of the documentaries as well as a youtube video of Willie Nelson and his wife reading a poem wrote in solidarity of occupy bellow:

FoodInc

The Corporation

Poem By. Willie Nelson

Jesus saves....at the end of every level

Jesus Saves....  with a CIBC investment account! Here's how to get yours....

How many people have either heard, or told, a religious joke?  They come in many forms and many varying degrees of offensiveness, depending on the audience.  Even some of the most offensive ones we may shake our heads at the teller of the joke, commenting about crossing a line.

What makes these jokes funny or in bad taste?  To me, it's all about the intentions of the joke teller.  I've always appreciated someone who is able to poke fun at themselves or their beliefs and I expect the same from most of my friends.  The intent of the message is more important than the message itself and how it's presented.

In our culture, it's usually deemed acceptable to dress up like the man pictured, and even poke a little fun at our own beliefs in good fun.  It encourages debate and conversation, leading to learning more about each others views and religions.

Some people create propaganda that is a barely veiled look at their own hatred or racist views, and try to pass it off as "just a joke" if it gets taken the wrong way, or as ":free speech" if it really creates an uproar.  There are many examples of this in the past few years.  There was the Danish editorial cartoonists, who drew  pictures of the prophet Muhammad in a series of cartoons, or the video this year, "Innocence of the Muslims".  Both were deemed offensive, but had very different intentions.  The funny thing is, the "movie" that has sparked riots and deaths in many middle east countries, doesn't even seem to exist, except for a sequence of scenes with bad acting and terrible production values (Hollywood Reporter, Sept.28 ,2012).  Nobody has been able to even verify the existence of a full length movie, but just the rumor of it was enough of an excuse for extremists to rise to action.

I think that if people choose to interpret the intentions of the message, rather than find the worst possible way to take it, there would be increased acceptance and tolerance among religions, rather than perpetuating stereotypes about certain beliefs and assuming everyone from that culture shares those views.

What Lies Beneath

What Lies Beneath

Not many people, regardless of their religious followings, realize the impact religion and religious pilgrimage has on the economy. Religious pilgrimage is an estimated eight billion dollar marketplace annually. For all those who assume religion is solely a spiritual quest, you are sadly mistaken. This form of religion (religious pilgrimage) fuels many economies around the world, including San Giovanni, Italy (Saint Padre's Pilgrimage Site). In the early 2000's pilgrimage brought the town approximately 56.8 million in revenue. (Religious Sojourns fuel multi-billion dollar business- Holly Ellyatt) This revenue includes tourism and merchandise sales. Branding and advertising have also become a major factor in modern day religion.

It is becoming less and less about the spiritual journey and more about the publicity and potential for economic gain. I have never been one for religion and all its undoing's, but in realizing that they turn such a large profit only dampens my already dim outlook on the matter. On the upside, the economic outcome is substantial and religious pilgrimage is a much needed boost to a fading global economy. In 2011 the Vatican City State enjoyed a profit of over 22 million. One cannot help but wonder, where does all this capital go? Surely some is used to promote the church and gain a larger following, "Spreading the word of God," as some call it. Who knew "spreading the word" could cost 22 million annually. Throughout history people, priests, and scholars alike have used religion and "teaching's of the bible" as justification for war, genocide, and utter inhumanity. But since I can recall, this is the first time they have used it to turn a profit, and a substantial one at that. 

Free University Week-Can it be true?

I was searching through the Occupy Wall Streets official website, and a large title enlarged on a neon green notebook caught my eye;  "Free University Week". The Occupy Movement hosted the event this past week from September 18th through to September 21st. The goal and point of this message is to create education that is both accessible and democratic for all. Even though the event took place in New York, I think it advocates an important issue that is occurring all around the world, and especially North America.  Just recently, Quebec won a victory to avoid a 75% increase in tuition costs, and that is only one school upon many others that have not won any victories and are suffering through the increases. This is a great way to advocate the many thoughts and opinions that thousands upon thousands of students spend their daily energy worrying over. It brings together people from around the world to advocate for education as a human right and demonstrate the ability to implement free education rather than the extreme opposite, a yearly increase. It must be that somehow the government thinks that this increase is realistic for all students to afford, or even worse, is well aware that it limits many students from education but dismisses the thought anyway. 

This event is a great start to inspiring many more cities and countries to also spread the message that this is no longer going to be tolerated and something needs to be done before the drop out rate of colleges and universities shoot out the roof. This is not leading us into a functional economic system, but rather is eliminating those who can afford education which is further going to eliminate those with job credentials in the work field's. The Free University week constitutes as a great way to hopefully get other schools more intuitive on starting their own events and enhancing the clarity of the message that needs to be spread. 

Conspiracy Theories: The Illuminati and "New World Order"

Photo Credit: Derek Shumate

                                                                               

                                                          

As some may know, or have heard of the terms, the Illuminati and New World Order are two conspiracy theories that have had some recent upheaval and attention. Is it because I have spent these last few years hearing about these theories that I feel a sudden pour of information has been washed a shore, or am I just being paranoid? It especially makes me curious because these theories have been around for many decades and suddenly it seems as though mass media is catching on and placing some kind of connotation on every recent movie and song being released. 

For those of you who are unfamiliar on these conspiracy theories, allow me to break the down the gist of them. The Illuminati is a conspiracy theory which holds the belief that there is some secret "global elite" society that has or is attempting to take control of the world and all of its power. It began as a secret society under a council of five men, which represented the five points that make up the pentagram. Their alleged plan and sole purpose is to create world domination for their Lord (who this Lord is varies widely). The Illuminati is also alleged to have a strong influence on the control of the world's economic system's and a one-world religious ethic. Illuminati members are said to be among the richest "1 percent" and are running organizations such as the International Monetary Fund, World Bank, and the United Nations. They are also said to be the driving force of all control and manipulation of the school education programs, what is being portrayed in the press, as well as the political leaders of the nations. The Illuminati's most current board of elite are said to be the ones who have control of the world's major banks and I believe are the ones who had an extremely influential role in the October 2008 financial crisis in the United States. 

What would be the Illuminati's motive behind encouraging the financial crisis and playing a major role in it? The goal behind the Illuminati conspiracy would be to manage the crises of the world and eventually manipulate and brain wash the "masses" or the "people"  that a centralized economic system and one-world religious ethic will be the solution to all of the major financial crisis'. This brushes right into the term the New World Order. It is defined as a conspiracy theory which represents a new period of history that wants to have drastic change in the world and a balance of world power. It wants to involve groups of elitist people that have complete control of a single worldwide system of government. The Illuminati's proposal is not to create war and harm our world, but rather to free our world of war, all of our political strife and to eliminate poverty, hunger and disease.  I'll believe it when I see it… 

I just seem to find myself baffled by all of these allegations and ponder the real truth behind all of it.  I am curious to know what the readers think of all of this, do you think it is all just "cult fiction" and a bunch of garbage or is there some truth behind these elite groups with all of this power and money? True or not, history has proven time and again that no one world empire has ever survived, simply because of its innate flaws of greed, corruption and need for power. 

We are the 99% 

The One Year Anniversary of the Occupy Movement was celebrated this past week on September 17th, 2012. Protesters gathered to share their excitement on a successful year of bringing awareness to our worlds economic struggles.

Occupy Wall Street Protestors march near New York Stock Exchange, in New York City on September 17th, 2012 for the One Year Anniversary. Many protests were being organized throughout the day. Photo Credit: John Angelillo 

The Occupy Movement brings forth the many economic issues that have consumed our society today. People gather from all different cultures, ages, races with one thing in common, which is to raise a point that there will be no more toleration for the greed and extortion that the 1% has put on the remaining 99%. The 1% are claiming the world's wealth at the expense of the 99%, and the government is letting them get away with it. I am really quite moved by the Occupy Movement that is currently in motion. Reason being, I find a lot of movements are directed at a specific group of people, or races or one specific problem that has rose to the surface . The Occupy Movement has really brought together the 99% of people that are from all different countries that are of all different colour, age and gender. What greater than to bring together people from around the world, where they can feel like they are apart of something and can finally have their voices heard. After the United States voiced their concerns just one year ago, protests and demonstrations  broke out in Europe, Asia and Australia. This issue has spread so quickly because people are so concerned that their voices will be drowned out by the tidal wave of money and politics, and finally people are putting their foot down. I think that this movement is just so important in our world right now. I absolutely am torn when people say, "well what difference is it going to make, they cannot just change it themselves." Look at what one year of voices can do. It can capture the beauty of what is being created and that is to create a better world for everyone. 



For more information click here for all the Occupy Wall Street events and protests taking place. 

The Race is on...Again

The Race is on...Again

It seems to me that just yesterday the world was celebrating the election of the first African American born President in the history of the United States of America, but apparently the Democrats and Republicans have already had rallys in anticipation of the next election. In fact candidates begin primaries nearly a year before the next election. On top of this we need to take into account the fact that for a candidate to have any chance of surviving the primary race until its final confrontation at their parties prospective rally, they will need to campaign to gain support. With only four years in between each presidential election and nearly two years spent campaigning just to have the chance to run for president, it's any ones guess how any work gets done. A point shared by the likes of Comedy Central's Jon Stewart and Fox News opinion anchor Bill O'Reilly during a 2011 debate on foxnewsinsider.com (http://foxnewsinsider.com/2011/05/17/unedited-video-jon-stewart-vs-bill-oreilly-on-common-controversy/, skip to 20:25 of video)
 Although the Canadian system is filled with many of its own problems (we'll save those for another day) this is a topic where I believe Canada's got it right. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. There is no need to have an election every four years if the party and leader in charge are satisfying the majority of the public.  In Canada an election is called when someone believes they have the support of the public to invoke a change, just the way Stephen Harper and the Conservatives called the most recent election to gain a majority. So to the USA I say, take a lesson from your neighbours to the north. Spend less time campaigning and more time governing.
I may be misinterpreting the true time spent campaigning between Canada and the US because of the heavy media presence not felt from Canadian media, but their is no doubt that a four year electoral system forces politicians to campaign when there may be no need.

52 Shades of Greed

52 SHADES OF GREED

Photo Credits: Daniel Nyari, Eric Fortune, Adam S. Doyle, 

Denman Rooke, Steve Simpson, PJ McQuade & Mikkel Sommer

This visually apealing and thought envocking work is a fully illustated deck of playing cards, which was created by two art directors, and 28 artists, as well as the 99%. Many people have heard of the erotic novel 52 Shades of Gray,  the creators of these cards have satire'd the name as 52 Shades of Greed. The playing deck was created in support of the Occupy Wall Street movement which started back in September of 2011. The goal  of the deck is for people to "Learn about who and what is breaking our financial system and enjoy the incredible art on the cards!" (Marc Scheff, rockthehub.com). 

All of the proceeds made from the cards go towards supporting the occupy movement. The project has already surpassed its initial goal of $15,000 by 159%, bringing the campaign total to just over $23,700. Not only is the artwork of these cards beautiful but they also convey a powerful message about corruption. The cards depict specific corporations, share holders and CEO's that not only contributed to the financial collapse of 2008 but also have actually profited from it. Of course this profit by the 1% is at great expense to the other 99% of society. 

On September, 12, 2012  the artists and OWS Alternative Banking team have announced that they have teamed up again to begin creating a companion card deck, 52 Shades of Progress. The difference is in that the 52 Shades of Greed deck offered editorial illustrations of everything from the “bad guys” of the financial crisis, to harmful legislature and accounting tricks, while the second deck will focus on solutions, and steps everyone can take to begin to clean up our current economic environment. More news, information, as well as the original full deck can be viewed and purchased here.