Thursday, May 8, 2014

environment/ Project Eleven27/ #Bring Back Our Girls



May 4 Environment: I was reading in the Metro on Apr. 25, 2014 “Energy plant to stop burning medical waste.”

“An Oregon county commission has ordered an incinerator to stop accepting boxed medical waste to generate electricity after learning the waste it’s been burning may include tissue from aborted fetuses from British Columbia.”

My opinion: They’re going to stop burning medical waste, so that’s good.  I will give them points that they are burning waste to make energy.  That’s good for the environment.

Amanda Todd: I was reading in the Metro on Apr. 24, 2014 “Dutchman could be extradited before trial in Holland.”  Aydin Coban, 35 had “surreptitiously capturing webcam footage of British Columbia teen Amanda Todd and dozens of other victims around the world” can be extradited in Canada.

Coban is being accused of extortion, internet luring, criminal harassment and tow counts relating to child pornography in Todd’s case.

My opinion: There is some justice here now that he’s being charged.

Sexual assault: I was reading in the Metro on Apr. 24, 2014 “Athlete speaks out about friend’s suicide” by Jessica Smith Cross.  “Rolandis Woodland was a wide receiver at the University of Missouri when his close friend, Canadian swimmer Sasha Menu Courey, was allegedly raped by one or more football players and later took her own life.

Woodland goes on about how if you have a problem, go to the coach and he will fix it.  You feel invincible when you’re on this big athletic team.  There is an investigation, but no arrests.

My opinion: This is sad.  But at least it’s in the news so people know about it.

Buffalo Bills cheerleaders: I was reading the Metro on Apr. 25, 2014 “No ‘jiggling’ in the end zone.”  The Buffalo Bills cheerleaders won’t be making any more appearances.  Two days earlier, 5 former cheerleaders sued the company and NFL team.  One of them said they had to take a ‘jiggle test’ so the boss can see their physiques.  They are seeking unspecified back pay and legal fees.

My opinion: Yeah, well I hope those cheerleaders get their money and pursue other careers later on.

Charity:

Project Eleven27: I was reading in the Metro on Apr. 23, 2014 “Weaving change.”  Laura Seigal  is a Canadian designer and worked with India’s artisans and created Project Eleven27.  It’s to create 1, 127 scarves, one for each victim of the fatal building collapse in Bangladesh that happened on Apr. 24, 2013. 

40% of the sales of the scarves sold on Apr. 24, 2014, the will benefit the charity.  It will also be donating 25% of proceeds to Sreepru Village, an organization in Bangladesh helping the families affected by the collapse.

Pepe Heykoop: I was reading in the Globe and Mail on Apr. 24, 2014, “Aesthetically edgy, morally sound” by Matthew Hague.  Heykoop is a Dutch designer and he created a paper vase.  His business model helps people in Mumbai.  They live in severe poverty. They are a group of 700 people (or 120 families) and each vase is hand made by them.

“Through his paper-vase project, Heykoop currently employs 80 women for an average of €10 a day. Over the next six years he hopes to raise the rates to €15 a day (or more, depending on India’s rate of inflation) and employ 200 to 300 people. It could effectively raise the entire Pardeshi community out of poverty, allowing families to get health care and housing, and for the children to go to school.”


Giving money: I was reading in the Metro on Mar. 19, 2014 called “Random act of kindness.  Stranger hands couple, 2 others $50 bills.”  June Bond got two $50 bills from a stranger while she was smoking a cigarette on her porch. 

The man had dark hair, salt and pepper beard and didn’t look rich.  He then gave out two more $50 bills to two women in a nearby parking lot at a convenience store.

Bionic Eye: I was reading in the Metro on Apr. 24, 2014 called “Man regains some sight with tech eye.”  Roger Pontz has retinitis pigmentosa since he was a teen and spent years mostly blind.  He then got surgical implantation of a “bionic eye” where he can a little eyesight to see his wife and grandson.  He is one of four people who received this artificial retina.

Consumerism: I was reading in the Edmonton Journal Style section on Feb. 21, 2014 about librarian’s style.  They interviewed Geoff Manderscheid and he says: “I often feel guilty when I’m shopping.  It’s kinda frivolous and stuff.  So I always make a beeline for the sales rack.”

James Wallman: I was reading in the Metro on Feb. 5, 2014 “Stuffaholism Kills” by Paul Sullivan.  He writes about the book “Stuffocation” by James Wallman.


May 7 Rob Ford: I read that Rob Ford is going to rehab.  That’s good.

Alison Redford: I read that she’s going to work as the backbench MLA for the riding of Calgary- Elbow.

May 9 Abortions: Today I read in the Metro “Opponents of abortion can’t run as Liberals.”

Justin Trudeau says: “As a party, we are steadfast in our belief…that it is not for any government to legislate what a woman chooses to do with her body, and that is the bottom line there.”

My opinion: Yeah, that’s right.

#Bring Back Our Girls: It’s been a few weeks since 300 Nigerian school girls were kidnapped.  They are being sold into slavery and marriage.  I read in the Metro today “Edmontonians rally for Nigerian schoolgirls: ‘Bring back our girls’”.  I also signed a Amnesty International Petition that I also put up on my blog.  Sign it too:


India gang rape: I read in the Metro today “Lhokbani, Indonesia.  Alleged rape victim faces court-ordered beating.”  A 25 yr old widow who was raped by 8 men who allegedly found her at home with a married man in her house.  They beat the man and doused them with sewage and told the police about it. 

The head of Islamic Shariah, Ibrahm Lateif says They may be caned 9 times for “violating religious law, pending an investigation.”  He said they admitted they had sex earlier. 

Police have arrested 3 of the 8 men and are looking for the others.  The criminal charge of rape is up to 15 yrs.

Baby boom: I read in the Metro today “No baby boom after the bust this time around.”  It mentions like the Great Depression and the 2008 Great Recession, the birth rate still hasn’t come back up.  It’s good if you don’t want an overpopulated planet.

It’s not good for the economy because “up to a third of it to more people joining the workforce each year.”

Vanity plates: I read in the Metro today “Vanity plates free speech, U.S. court rules.”

“David Montenegro- who in 2012 legally changed his name to ‘human’- said he thought police officers who might pull him over and have to type “COPSLIE” (license plate) into their computers would amount to ‘the perfect situational irony.”

My opinion: So you’re doing this to be funny?  That reminds me of an old blog post of mime:


License plates: In Edmonton, I saw this one: "DECOR8T" (decorate.)

I was in the car a lot on my vacation, but in Calgary, I saw a lot of personalized license plates:

4SOCCER       GIRLIE 7         MASCAR
BRIAH            INEEDLE        AMYNAH
ROTEWGN     DOLFIN1

I really liked: "REDD2GO" (ready to go on a car is a good message.)

I saw a yellow car with the license plate: "NOTMELO." Oh yeah like: "Not mellow yellow." That's fun.

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