I'll hit you with challenges 15 & 16 before I rage blackout entirely. Lets just say I hate baby boomers and money grubbing, jack ass capitalists. I want to smack someone with a shovel right now. But anyway... onto challenges ...
15: Check out some real life, every day heroes. We all know police officers and firefighters and military service men/women are heroes. But, if you will, I ask that this week you broaden your definition of hero. This weekend, Canada held it's own gathering in Ottawa to protest the Keystone XL pipeline. You can check out all the details of the Ottawa protest here http://www.ottawaaction.ca/ and here http://www.greenpeace.org/canada/en/recent/Hundreds-gather-on-Parliament-Hill-to-tell-Harper-No-to-Tar-Sands-/ and about why the tarsands pipeline is pretty much the worse idea we've ever come up with as a species, check out here http://www.grist.org/list/2011-08-24-heres-the-video-that-will-convince-you-to-go-to-the-tar-sands-po. But, let me break it down for you in a nutshell anyway.
Extracting oil from the tar sands will environmentally destroy all surrounding areas.
Areas of cancer around sites where oil is extracted from tarsands has SKYROCKETED. Generations of people will have horrible health effects.
The pipeline will travel through several states in the US, putting MILLIONS of people at risk of leaking pipelines, in addition to destroying all of that environmental land too...
The pipeline WILL leak. This corporation has YET to produce a pipeline that doesnt.
The tar sands will put 46million tons + of carbon dioxide into the year every year.
All of those bullshit studies on Canadian television and elsewhere that claim the tarsands are safe are seriously, 100% extreme bullshit. It damages soil, water, air, and HUMAN HEALTH. THERE IS NO IFS, ANDS OR BUTS ABOUT IT.
If this pipeline goes through--it's game over. Seriously. There will be no recovering. Millions of people will be affected. The emissions produced from the tar sands will send global warming into overdrive. Millions of people could DIE.
President Obama has the power to STOP the Keystone XL pipeline. Now, Obama hasn't exactly been a hero for the environment. Quite the opposite in fact. But even Rolling Stone thinks Obama needs to stop the pipeline: http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/environment-ten-things-obama-must-do-20110914
Now, here is where the heroes come in. The people at the Ottawa protest today, and those at the protest in Washington DC at the end of August, willingly put their lives on the line and risked arrest in order to stop this pipeline. Many of them were young--risking future employment, careers, and ability to support themselves with their arrest. They did it for free. They saw that this was an evil, and they got to the protest site as quick as they could. All to stop this pipeline and save MILLIONS of people from devastated water supplies and generations of sickness and cancer.
They stepped up. And they deserve recognition.
16. Okay, this one is slightly less rage filled. Challenge 16 is to not buy any new clothes for a month. Now, for some of you, this one is really easy (it's a hairflip as my friend would say). Whereas for others, this one will be really tough. But, you can always borrow clothes, or buy used ones, so it's not as much of a challenge as it seems on the surface. And it's only for a month. People waste a ton of fashion, when there are lots of ways to be stylish without constantly buying new clothes. For proof positive of this, please see the following: http://www.theuniformproject.com/
Okay. Challenges issued. I'm off to Sweeney Todd my rage away. Jokes, of course. Maybe...
<3 Manic Panic
Monday, September 26, 2011
Monday, September 19, 2011
Let the Ocean Off the Hook: Part 2
In keeping with Neptune's Nachos excellent challenge 13, I present to you, challenge 14:
Stop polluting the oceans.
In addition to fishing the oceans to death (the ocean's death AND our own as a species), the ocean is also a beacon of plastic and other general trash. Our trash. Our idiot trash. Our idiot trash that also poisons the ocean to near deadly levels. Ocean acidification is also a disasterous problem.
So, as a challenge for the week, I propose that you stop poisoning the ocean. Sound good? Excellent. However, you might not know how to do that--so I'll hit you with some knowledge.
a. Individual actions are important. The personal choices that a person make can have real effects to restore the natural balance. Change your habits, then change the habits of the people around you, and so on and so on. Reduce (or stop altogether) the plastic use in your life. Think that plastic ends up in a landfill? It doesn't. Plastic waste often ends up in the ocean, when THIS happens:
There are ISLANDS of plastic trash just floating around the ocean right now. ISLANDS. People think that when they throw something away, it goes away. But there is no 'away'. It ends up in our oceans, poisoning fish, marine eco systems, and then way on up the food chain--us. Stop using plastic. And if you must, make sure you use plastic that can be recycled--and then MAKE SURE IT GETS RECYCLED.
This, in addition, also has a lot of benefits for you as an individual. Think about it. Can't buy fast food because it's all useless, cancer petroleum coated plastic. So you don't but it. So you save 20 bucks. So you lose 5lbs. I don't see a loser here...
Never underestimate the importance of individual action...
b. ...but individual action isn't enough. Start signing petitions. Start going to protests. Start engaging in discussion with the people around you about these issues. Don't be rude. Don't be pushy. But if someone asks you, 'why won't you eat that?'. Just explain why calmy and with conviction. Remember, truth is on our side. We don't need to hire a million lobbyists to convince people that the ocean is running out of fish or that the oceans are polluted. They are running out of fish and they are polluted, It's corporate lobbyists who are trying to convince the general public otherwise. Be a solid, ocean loving, green individual, with an extra helping of activism.
c. Check out some key websites for further information. Visit and sign up on http://www.avaaz.org/en/index.php to be aware of tha latest petitions. Also join http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/ to be aware of excellent campaigns that you can join to help our oceans. Go to http://na.oceana.org/en/living-blue/ocean-heroes and sign up to be an ocean hero.
Remember: negative 'well, what difference will it make' attitudes will NOT suffice. If you are in a building, and the builing catches fire, and you cant get to the bottom exit. What would you do? Do you jump out of the second story window? Sure, it would hurt--hell, it might hurt a LOT. But you'll live. Or, do you say, 'well, the building is on fire anyway, so I'm just going to continue on as long as possible' and run up 6 stories to where there is no smoke yet? Sure, you might get another whole hour of danger free living, but when you DO have to jump---you won't make it. Not by a long shot. The strict changes greens propose now will ensure that we all survive the fall. Being green is hard. It takes sacrifice, and it sure as hell can cause anxiety. But in the end---it's worth it. A million times over.
Adieu
<3
ManicPanic
Ps. I know this is a million challenges for this week, but it's okay. You can handle it.
Stop polluting the oceans.
In addition to fishing the oceans to death (the ocean's death AND our own as a species), the ocean is also a beacon of plastic and other general trash. Our trash. Our idiot trash. Our idiot trash that also poisons the ocean to near deadly levels. Ocean acidification is also a disasterous problem.
So, as a challenge for the week, I propose that you stop poisoning the ocean. Sound good? Excellent. However, you might not know how to do that--so I'll hit you with some knowledge.
a. Individual actions are important. The personal choices that a person make can have real effects to restore the natural balance. Change your habits, then change the habits of the people around you, and so on and so on. Reduce (or stop altogether) the plastic use in your life. Think that plastic ends up in a landfill? It doesn't. Plastic waste often ends up in the ocean, when THIS happens:
Why, is that all plastic waste? YES. Yes it is.
There are ISLANDS of plastic trash just floating around the ocean right now. ISLANDS. People think that when they throw something away, it goes away. But there is no 'away'. It ends up in our oceans, poisoning fish, marine eco systems, and then way on up the food chain--us. Stop using plastic. And if you must, make sure you use plastic that can be recycled--and then MAKE SURE IT GETS RECYCLED.
This, in addition, also has a lot of benefits for you as an individual. Think about it. Can't buy fast food because it's all useless, cancer petroleum coated plastic. So you don't but it. So you save 20 bucks. So you lose 5lbs. I don't see a loser here...
Never underestimate the importance of individual action...
b. ...but individual action isn't enough. Start signing petitions. Start going to protests. Start engaging in discussion with the people around you about these issues. Don't be rude. Don't be pushy. But if someone asks you, 'why won't you eat that?'. Just explain why calmy and with conviction. Remember, truth is on our side. We don't need to hire a million lobbyists to convince people that the ocean is running out of fish or that the oceans are polluted. They are running out of fish and they are polluted, It's corporate lobbyists who are trying to convince the general public otherwise. Be a solid, ocean loving, green individual, with an extra helping of activism.
c. Check out some key websites for further information. Visit and sign up on http://www.avaaz.org/en/index.php to be aware of tha latest petitions. Also join http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/ to be aware of excellent campaigns that you can join to help our oceans. Go to http://na.oceana.org/en/living-blue/ocean-heroes and sign up to be an ocean hero.
Remember: negative 'well, what difference will it make' attitudes will NOT suffice. If you are in a building, and the builing catches fire, and you cant get to the bottom exit. What would you do? Do you jump out of the second story window? Sure, it would hurt--hell, it might hurt a LOT. But you'll live. Or, do you say, 'well, the building is on fire anyway, so I'm just going to continue on as long as possible' and run up 6 stories to where there is no smoke yet? Sure, you might get another whole hour of danger free living, but when you DO have to jump---you won't make it. Not by a long shot. The strict changes greens propose now will ensure that we all survive the fall. Being green is hard. It takes sacrifice, and it sure as hell can cause anxiety. But in the end---it's worth it. A million times over.
Adieu
<3
ManicPanic
Ps. I know this is a million challenges for this week, but it's okay. You can handle it.
Let the Ocean Off the Hook
There actually aren’t more fish in the sea. Overfishing is quickly becoming one of the biggest global catastrophes in recent history.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 47% of global fish stocks are fully exploited, thus offering no reasonable expectations for further expansion, and another 18% are reported as overexploited.
The bottom line is: we’re exhausting one of the most volatile resources on the planet, and if we don’t stop soon, there won’t be any left. Many of the best-known species: bluefin tuna and cod, are expected to be extinct within the next few years.
We’re the stewards of the planet, and we can’t let these magnificent animals disappear from the earth forever. The ecological implications of extinction of certain species is staggering, the sudden disappearance of species like bluefin would have devastating results within marine ecosystems.
Today's fishing technology is highly elaborate. Fishing lines can reach as much as 120 km, complete with thousands of hooks. These hooks don’t only catch fish—Some trawlers reach 170 meters in length and can take on board the volume equivalent of 12 jumbo jets, and drift nets can exceed 60 km in length. These drift nets are catastrophic, sweeping up every life form in its reach: sharks, dolphins, turtles—even whales have been known to be victims of this destructive tactic.
Destructive bottom trawling involves powerful boats dragging heavy, weighted nets across the ocean floor to catch the maximum possible amount of bottom-dwelling life. Trawling decimates everything in its path, namely coral, which takes millennia to develop. Scientists estimate coral will be extinct within the next twenty years. Coral is one of the major players in cancer research, and has shown the potential to reverse the disease. Protecting this species is vital to saving millions of lives.
If extinction doesn’t scare you, let’s look at the impact on human populations.
An estimated one billion people, mostly in low-income countries, depend on fish as their primary source of food. Most of these low-income fisherman can’t compete with the super-trawlers and fishing industries of first-world countries fishing their waters. Our seemingly insatiable appetite is sending negative shockwaves through more than just schools of fish. If we continue to fish at our current rate, we’ll be facing the biggest global health crisis in history—millions of people will starve to death, and that’s not an exaggeration.
Will you let that happen on your watch?
Challenge #13: Make sustainable seafood choices and educate yourself about overfishing.
Challenge #13: Make sustainable seafood choices and educate yourself about overfishing.
What you can do:
Join Monteray Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch. Get access to pamphlets, seafood guides and apps.
Watch End of the Line, a documentary about overfishing.
Avoid supporting these stores
Monday, September 12, 2011
Nobody said it was easy...
Okay everyone, I'm feeling a little blue this week so I'll just hit you with some challenges before I am on my way.
Challenge 11: Be the ant. Know that old story of the ant and the grasshopper? How all summer long the ant works hard to prepare for the winter, and the grasshopper is all like, 'whatever man, preparing for the future is for wussies', and then the grasshopper faces certain death while the ant is all like, 'lolz, told you!'? Well, the challenge for this week is to be the ant. Most of us are in the throws of harvest season, and the challenge is to take advantage of that! Preserve some food, so that in the winter, when you suddenly go, 'wow, i'd really love a peach right now', you can get one from your house--not from Chile. Jam, jar, freeze, dehydrate--I don't care how you do it. The 'how' is entirely up to you. Here, I've chopped and frozen about 100 peaches for the winter, so that when it's february and i've forgotten what a peach even looks like, I can toss some in a smoothie! Genius right?
As an aside, I think we all need to be ants in general. The way the world lives right now is very grasshopper-like. We're all like, 'I don't care, I do what I WANT!' *said in Eric Cartman voice* and while okay (?) in the short term, in the long term we are... well... mega fucked. Unless we change, that is. Anyway, lecture over.
Challenge 12: Be radical. Coming up are some amazing chances to put your actions where your mouth is. We have Moving Planet http://www.moving-planet.org/, Ottawa Tar Sands Action http://www.ottawaaction.ca/, and Climate Reality http://www.grist.org/climate-change/2011-09-11-fat-lady-sings-gore-gears-up-for-24-hours-climate-reality-video. The challenge this week is to check this stuff out, and get involved any way that you can. Not all of us are willing to be arrested. But that doesn't mean we can't spread the word. That doesn't mean the game is over. That doesn't mean we can't make a difference. We all have facebook, twitter, and cell phones. Everyone tell 5 people. And they will tell 5 people. Whatever, you get the idea. But sitting around is no longer an option.
Okay that's all for this week. Sorry if I was a little snarky this week, but it's been a rough week. I was called a freak more than once this week, and words do hurt sometimes--I'd take the sticks and stones at this point. But as Sergeant Lincoln Osiris would say: 'SURVIVE'. Or as Alfred would say, "Endure."
*big hugs*
<3 Manicpanic
Ps. As always, comment/post/share/send carrier pidgeons to get the word out about the blog!
Challenge 11: Be the ant. Know that old story of the ant and the grasshopper? How all summer long the ant works hard to prepare for the winter, and the grasshopper is all like, 'whatever man, preparing for the future is for wussies', and then the grasshopper faces certain death while the ant is all like, 'lolz, told you!'? Well, the challenge for this week is to be the ant. Most of us are in the throws of harvest season, and the challenge is to take advantage of that! Preserve some food, so that in the winter, when you suddenly go, 'wow, i'd really love a peach right now', you can get one from your house--not from Chile. Jam, jar, freeze, dehydrate--I don't care how you do it. The 'how' is entirely up to you. Here, I've chopped and frozen about 100 peaches for the winter, so that when it's february and i've forgotten what a peach even looks like, I can toss some in a smoothie! Genius right?
As an aside, I think we all need to be ants in general. The way the world lives right now is very grasshopper-like. We're all like, 'I don't care, I do what I WANT!' *said in Eric Cartman voice* and while okay (?) in the short term, in the long term we are... well... mega fucked. Unless we change, that is. Anyway, lecture over.
Challenge 12: Be radical. Coming up are some amazing chances to put your actions where your mouth is. We have Moving Planet http://www.moving-planet.org/, Ottawa Tar Sands Action http://www.ottawaaction.ca/, and Climate Reality http://www.grist.org/climate-change/2011-09-11-fat-lady-sings-gore-gears-up-for-24-hours-climate-reality-video. The challenge this week is to check this stuff out, and get involved any way that you can. Not all of us are willing to be arrested. But that doesn't mean we can't spread the word. That doesn't mean the game is over. That doesn't mean we can't make a difference. We all have facebook, twitter, and cell phones. Everyone tell 5 people. And they will tell 5 people. Whatever, you get the idea. But sitting around is no longer an option.
Okay that's all for this week. Sorry if I was a little snarky this week, but it's been a rough week. I was called a freak more than once this week, and words do hurt sometimes--I'd take the sticks and stones at this point. But as Sergeant Lincoln Osiris would say: 'SURVIVE'. Or as Alfred would say, "Endure."
*big hugs*
<3 Manicpanic
Ps. As always, comment/post/share/send carrier pidgeons to get the word out about the blog!
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Now hear this!
Okay guys, enough with the small talk, let's just hit y'all with some challenges! (Ps. Comment on how you're doing so far!)
Challenge 9: Put your money where your mouth is! So, I propose that this week, you beloved readers out there donate to an environmental cause. The sum? 5$. That's it! Five tiny, baby, dollars. That's a starbucks latte. Not even, if you live in Toronto. Point is--it's a pittance. HOWEVER, it can make an endless amount of difference. So, you can give the money (should you choose to participate--and I hope you will!) to whichever environmental group you choose---but if you're not sure where to give, may I propose a suggestion?
The D. Landreth Company sells heirloom, non GMO seeds. What are those? Well, they are seeds the way nature intended, and they arent coated with chemicals or crossbred with frog DNA. They are seeds that make healthy, yummy, chemical free vegetables. And, due to a banking error, the company has until the end of the month to raise 1,000,000 dollars. Yeah, that's a ton of money, I know. However, did I mention that every little bit helps. And it does. They've already seen a HUGE response and are steadily reaching their goal. So I urge you to go and buy a seed catalogue, or some seeds! Even if you don't garden, I bet you know someone who does who would appreciate the gift!
You can check out their website and order here: https://www.landrethseeds.com/
And you can see their facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/#!/LandrethSeedCo
Challenge 10: Make some toothpaste! Alright, so, in case you were unaware, toothpaste contains, among other things, formaldehyde and triclosan. Both of which are dangerous. Both of which cause cancer, among other things. Therefore, conventional toothpaste should really be avoided. But, luckily for you all, it's super easy to make your own. And, in a pinch, plain old baking soda will do! So, the general toothpaste recipe you can use is:
1 part baking soda
1 bark liquid glycerine soap
a TINY dash of salt
... voila! Mix, and you have toothpaste!
It's better for you, better for your teeth, better for your health, and a natural tooth whitener.
Okay, challenges issued!
Best of luck my little chickadees!
<3<3 and *hugs*
ManicPanic
Challenge 9: Put your money where your mouth is! So, I propose that this week, you beloved readers out there donate to an environmental cause. The sum? 5$. That's it! Five tiny, baby, dollars. That's a starbucks latte. Not even, if you live in Toronto. Point is--it's a pittance. HOWEVER, it can make an endless amount of difference. So, you can give the money (should you choose to participate--and I hope you will!) to whichever environmental group you choose---but if you're not sure where to give, may I propose a suggestion?
The D. Landreth Company sells heirloom, non GMO seeds. What are those? Well, they are seeds the way nature intended, and they arent coated with chemicals or crossbred with frog DNA. They are seeds that make healthy, yummy, chemical free vegetables. And, due to a banking error, the company has until the end of the month to raise 1,000,000 dollars. Yeah, that's a ton of money, I know. However, did I mention that every little bit helps. And it does. They've already seen a HUGE response and are steadily reaching their goal. So I urge you to go and buy a seed catalogue, or some seeds! Even if you don't garden, I bet you know someone who does who would appreciate the gift!
You can check out their website and order here: https://www.landrethseeds.com/
And you can see their facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/#!/LandrethSeedCo
Challenge 10: Make some toothpaste! Alright, so, in case you were unaware, toothpaste contains, among other things, formaldehyde and triclosan. Both of which are dangerous. Both of which cause cancer, among other things. Therefore, conventional toothpaste should really be avoided. But, luckily for you all, it's super easy to make your own. And, in a pinch, plain old baking soda will do! So, the general toothpaste recipe you can use is:
1 part baking soda
1 bark liquid glycerine soap
a TINY dash of salt
... voila! Mix, and you have toothpaste!
It's better for you, better for your teeth, better for your health, and a natural tooth whitener.
Okay, challenges issued!
Best of luck my little chickadees!
<3<3 and *hugs*
ManicPanic
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