They have really backed you into a corner Rob

The editor of NOW magazine Michael Hollett, decided to apologize to Mayor Rob Ford as seen above for digitally alerting an image of him than putting it on the cover of an issue of NOW.How did he choose to apologise to the mayor by offering to pay to fly Rob to the Pride Parade in Toronto.On Monday I posted about Toronto's Mayor Rob Ford not being able to attend the flag raising at the beginning of pride week because of a meeting,and how it angered many people.He also said he wasn't sure if he would be able to attend any other pride celebrations it turns out that he won't be attending the parade he will be at his cottage.The cottage is near Huntsville and Michael Hollett is offering to pay for the flight as an apology.Obviously this is not an apology he justs wants the public to know that the mayor has every opportunity to attend.Hopefully the Mayor does attend and hopefully you do to.Happy Pride Week!
-D

Hats and Environmentalists...

It goes without saying, that the hats worn throughout Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding were quite stunning, and did make a large statement.
Now, the Environmental Defence group are going to try and use the same accessory to make their own statement.
The Canada Charles and Diana saw twenty years ago was much different than Canada is today. And not for the better, environmentally wise. Environmental Defence is trying to bring awareness to these changes to Canada's nature and wildlife through their project "Hats for Kate"  The group has held a contest nationwide for hat designers to create a hat portraying out country, including issues due to pollution. Eight hats have been chosen, and they are to be shown at a fashion show in Ottawa on Canada Day.

You can check out the hats and their meanings, here. Enjoy! :
http://photogallery.thestar.com/1016271

-Em

Where is your pride Mr.Mayor?

At the annual gay pride week flag raising on the 24th of this month Toronto's mayor was a no show.As the mayor of Toronto he should be there to show support to the citizens of the city he runs.This year he decided to not show up this angered allot of people who did attend.I think it is amazing when citizens of a city get together to show there support for a cause.I defiantly believe that in those  kinds of situations the mayor should come to show his belief in the unison of his city.Mr.Ford not showing up is like saying he does not support the gay community of Toronto.When Mayor Rob Ford was asked why he did not attend he said that he had a meeting with Toronto Maple leafs general manager Brian Burke and would not say what the meeting was about.When asked if he would be attending any of the gay pride week celebrations he said he would play it by day saying he was a very busy man.To busy for a vary larger amount of the population who attend these events or are gay themselves?I hope not or he may not be so lucky next time re-elections come around.
-D

Your Update on the Postal Workers Strike

Just wanted to keep you updated on the strike.Starting tomorrow Canada's red post mailboxes will be unsealed .The postal workers will be back to work. The mail will be coming out.

HELLEW AGAIN !

Helloooo world!
Have you guys missed us greatly? Did you wonder where we were?
Don't worry too much, we are back, finished school and ready for the summer!
A lot has happened in the past week or so, eh? There's been a mail strike, a few natural disasters, and a  prize winning quilt that took four years to make and costs over four thousand dollars, has gone missing!
We'll keep you posted on what's comming up!
-Em

Goodbye for Now

As a result of our exams me and Emma are taking a temporary break from the blog.We will defiantly be back by the 24th of June so that's only seven days away but we might even be back sooner.Also we are both away allot this summer so we will be trying to work something out there,but we will be posting this summer and we will be expanding a little on what we do in September including more videos!If you are struggling threw exams right now good luck we feel your pain!
-D

Healthy again

As I am sure many of you know there was a shooting in Arizona January and Congresses women Gabrielle Giffords was shot in the head. She was shot by a twenty-two years old man named Jared Loughner who has been charged. For along time things were unsure and she was in a coma. But today she was released from the hospital and is in good health. At the bottom of the article in The Globe and Mail I got this information from many supporters of the congresses women gave their love and support. Her story really is inspiring and I hope all the best for her rehabilitation.

-D

Postal Workers Strike

The Canadian Union of Postal workers want a better contract. Tonight at midnight 15 000 workers will walk of the job in Toronto and Montreal, this is a pre-planned strike that will last at least twenty-four hours. About 50 000 workers have been involved in the strike the last two weeks but the areas have been rotating.The union and the crowns corporation are having trouble negotiating.Hopefully this will be solved quickly and fairly before any more Canadians lives are effected.I'll keep you guys updated on the strike and negotiation attempts.
-D

Cleaning as a Community

The Richekieu River in Quebec is currenlty epxeriencing the worst flooding it has seen in over one hundred fifty years. Thousands and thousands of homes and offices have been flooded, forcing many to evacuate their homes. The government will have to pay over $40 million to repair certain damages, and the flooding is still continuing to get worse.
Throughout this miserable flood I find it very impressive to see the community comming togerther to solve the issue. On Saturday in a town south of Montreal, over one thousand volunteers began clearing areas together and cleaning up their town. And today that number more than doubled, the turn out was so large that it was apparently difficult to find something for everyone to do!
-Em

Gay Pride Parade

Saturday afternoon thousands of people took part in the annual gay pride parade  in downtown Edmonton.Allot of the people who took part noted that this year there was an increase in children's attendance.I think this is great children are learning that being gay or any form of gay is OK and normal for many people.If we can get those values into children at a young age I honestly think the bullying will eventually cease to exist as they get older.Edmonton pride week lasts till June the nineteenth I urge you to go and bring your kids!
-D

The Price is Never Right for Illegal Zoos

Lynn Gustafson runs a private zoo called GuZoo, in a little town outside of Calgary, which features not only domestic animals, but wild life and exotic pets.
Several complaints had been made regarding the Zoo to government officials in the past as well as the Alberta SPCE,  and more reciently Zoocheck, an animal protection lobby group from Toronto has made a report stating that in come cages at the zoo haven't been cleaned regularly, and had week old feces in them. Furthermore, cases were made stating that the animals only recieve fresh water weekly.
Zoocheck sent their information to the retired game-show host and animal activist Bob Barker reciently, who in turn protested to the governemt saying that all animals currently living at GuZoo need to be protected and relocated.
Just last week the governemt of Alberta revoked the permit of GuZoo due to "difiencies in all categories of its operations" giving Mr. Gustafson a sixty day "decommissioning period" where he may not open the Zoo to the public and must begin to close the Zoo for good, including finding homes for the animals.
However Mr. Gustafson is denying all claims and is trying to change the Zoo into a Petting Zoo in order to escape the closing.
-Em

Libya

From my previous post you may know that me and allot of people thought that Gadhafi would be out by now but the war is still raging.The Canadian government has made plans to keep their planes in Libya for the next three and a half months.Its scary to think it will last that much or longer when I'm sure people want him to just give in already.The continuation of their mission in Libya's will coast us 60 million.Gadhafi has told his soldiers to rape the women and has even given the Viagra.He has now added mass rape to the many charges that will be layed against him.Hopefully this will be resolved soon with no more bloodshed I just wanted to give you an update on Canadian involvement.
-D

Caf Cookies Be Gone...

When the current grade eight students were touring my high school last week, the majority of them were quite excited about the school's extracurriculars and trips, the gyms and the caf, but nearly all of them squealed when they were shown the caf cookies the size of my head.
However, when they get to their first day of high school in September there won't be any caf cookies at all, the entire menu is going to be different.
The new School Food and Beverage Policy is to ensure that all food and beverages sold on school premisis in Ontario for school purposes (so for bake sales, sport events, cafeterias, pizza parties, banquets, vending machines, etc) must meet a specific nutritional standard. This is in order to promote student health and healthy eating habits and a healthy school environment. In order to comply with this newly instated policy, many schools need to switch up the menus in their cafeterias and in their vending machines.
-Em

the dangers of tater tots

I always know that the frozen tater tots that you cook in the oven are full of unhealthy chemicals, but now we are in danger of chocking on the little things!Kidding yes if you are one of the many people who read the conservative parties announcement on Stephan Harper choking on a tater tot then ending up in a hospital its not true.A hacker or group of hackers actually broke into to the conservative party website to make a joke.I know this is bad but well watching it on the news I laughed, after the scandal with the group of hackers stealing personal information from Sony and other companies it seems so harmless.There are suspicions that these two hacking jobs are somehow linked but at this stage its just speculation.Yes I know this is not exactly news worthy but it made me laugh so I wanted to share it with you.On the other hand the hacking into Sony and other companies is news worthy because its scary to think of what these people have the ability to do.
-D

Page Protest...

A couple years ago I had the chance to be involved in a program in the provincial government called the Page Program, where I got to work as a gophor in the legislature collecting and delivering water and documents for the members of the house. All of the protocol was quite formal, we were to bow at certain areas, sit at others, stand and face this way and that. One page in federal government went against all formalities however and spoke her mind this past friday.
During the throne speeches the twenty-one year old page walked to the middle of the Senate and held up a red stop sign saying "STOP Harper" on it, right in front of the present members of Parliment and television cameras.
She was immediately dismissed from the Senate, and she lost her job as a page. However she caught the attention of many Canadians and even the American film maker Micheal Moore was made aware of her efforts and he infact has offered her a job.
 -Em

Peace Talks

Before I can bring you up on the current issues I want to make sure you know the past of Israel and Palestine's conflict.A group called the Zionists in the late 1800s decided to colonize the land that is Israel and Palestine.They were Jewish and were trying to make a place for Jews to settle,at first there was no conflict.But as time grew on and more Jews came to settle some had the wish of the land becoming a Jewish state which started to worry the indigenous people.When Hitler came to power and many countries refused the Jewish refugees many many fled to Israel/Palestine.The result was fighting beginning too emerge with the fear that the Jews would take over the land.In 1947 the United Nations tried to fix the problem but were pressured and made the wrong decision.They split Palestine up they made 55% a Jewish state even though they by far had less of a population and owned only 7% of the land compared to the Ingenious peoples.A war broke out and Israel conquered 78% of Palestine then they eventually took the other the last 22% and a little of Egypt.A peace treaty was made in 1993 were some territories were supposed to be given to Palestine but this did not happen so there was an uprising.There is still allot of conflict.Israel is currently considering a French Mideast peace bid this would be peace talks arranged by the french.Hopefully the peace talks happen and we will begin to see progress soon.
-D

Fit For Summer!

My sisters and I had great fun kayaking at the cottage today, and then they had a little too much fun and decided to knock me into the water. My jeans and sweater were absolutely completely soaked but it was surprisingly warm, I did not turn into a emmasicle what-so-ever. Which can only mean one thing: it's almost swimming season!
I'm sure you're already grumbiling that swimming season actually means bathingsuit season, and I'm sure some are grumbiling about extra winter weight. But with the warm weather it's really simple and not to mention environmentally friendly to get fit outdoors!
In an hour the average 150lb person looses:
510 calories running
300 calories walking
300 calories canoeing
620 calories swimming (lengths)
230 calories kayaking
270 biking
480 playing soccer

To check out how many calories you burn for your summer activities visit:
http://www.healthstatus.com/calculate/cbc

-Em

Props to ANTHONY E. WOL

I know this is bad but I tend to roll my eyes at articles written by adults about teenagers but today one got my attention in a positive way.In The Globe and Mail yes that seems to be the only newspaper I quote there was an article called "How do I get my grumbling, lazy teen to help around the house"? This article talks about the struggles of having a lazy teen, it talks about if they did not get in the habit of helping out as a child changing their habits is near impossible.I agree, I think that teens have to motivate themselves by seeing their parents struggle instead of by being constantly yelled at.They had a great idea if after repeatably asking g your teen to do something they still say I 'll get to it the article says to try standing there until they do it.Jackpot I don't know about the other teenagers out their but this would work for me,I would hate to have my mother just stand there and watch me I would get up and just do what she asks.They said to do this as an alternative to lecturing or saying something like don't speak to me that way that's my moms favourite because it states that,that will just promote arguing and we teenagers love to argue.Parents out their I would consider the idea,and for all teens lets try to help out more I will at least so we can rub it in their faces!
-D

...And They're Off!

Winnipeg postal workers have officially announced that they're walking off the job this Friday as they're fed up with the union not going far enough to meet their concerns. Employees are still demanding even higher raises than the latest offer fron Canada Post, which bumps the previous $18 and hour to $19 an hour. Representatives fron Canada Post says that the means simply aren't there to  meet these demands due to the decrease of mail in this electronic age.
All regular mail will stop in Winnipeg now. This will even have an effect on UPS and FedEx in rural areas, beacuse in most cases Canada post carries the deliveries the last few kilometers. Hoever, 9000 employees have volunteered to still deliver welfare cheques and social cecurity cheques for those who need them.
-Em

Social Pariahs

I read an article this evening on the idea that students who are social outcasts in school will do better in life.This article reminds me of how confusing and often incorrect labels can be, you can't label people certainly not teenagers.Teenagers are constantly changing and going through stages,therefore they are not the thing to label an I feel that categorizing peple into groups like emo's,nerds,punks and gamers is incorrect.This is an expert from Michael Kesterton's article "Outcast teens may be better prepared for life" from The Globe and Mail.

Rejoice, social pariahs

“Many popular students approach graduation day with bittersweet nostalgia: excitement for the future is tempered by fear of lost status,” Alexandra Robbins writes for the Los Angeles Times. “But as cap-and-gown season nears, let’s also stop to consider the outcasts, students for whom finishing high school feels like liberation from a state-imposed sentence. In seven years of reporting from American middle and high schools, I’ve seen repeatedly that the differences that cause a student to be excluded in high school are often the same traits or skills that will serve him or her well after graduation. … Geeks profit from their technological know-how. Emos benefit from being empathetic and unafraid to display emotion. Skaters, punks and others who pursue their arts with fervour benefit from the creativity they’ve honed. Gamers have learned both problem-solving skills and the ability to collaborate through collective intelligence.”

First I would like to point out what is a popular student?Someone who everyone knows or someone who everyone likes or is it someone who likes everyone. There is no one in high school who knows everyone but there are people who everyone in their grade talks about but that's not necessarily a good thing.I would like to point out that their are many different social groups just because people like a person in their own group and they have lots of well known drama doesn't make  a person popular.In my definition someone who is popular is someone who is well liked by all groups this is not usually the prettiest party girl/boy in the school its usually someone who trys to get along with everyone and is outgoing.I also disagree with this hole social pariah thing to me that's someone who is socially awkward and has little to no Friends. There are many skaters and geeks who have many friends and are happy.So for a minute lets pretend the article didn't mention all those labels and just mentioned social pariahs those are usually people that have some kind of bad social skills.But not always some times they look a certain way or have a mental disease that causes high school students to avoid them which is completely unfair.But those who don't are usually some form of mean because I got to tell you a whole entire school is not going to attach someone no matter how strange or unattractive if they haven't been mean,but I'm sorry to say that sometimes they get it worst for what they have done because they are considered uncool.If someone has friends but high school is bad for them I wouldn't ever call them a social pariah because they have friends and I can promise you that everyone has been bullied in one way ore another.Sadly if someone is shy,strange,rude or really loud those are some qualities that probably will not help someone in life.Qualities of someone who is isolated are not being a skater,being smart,being a gamer or being artistic.I defiantly don't agree with this it is stereotyping.

-D

Portraits if Honour...

In 1970 Dave Sopha was involved in a car accident that left him seriously injured with a broken back. Whilst recovering he discovered his artistic talents, and from then since he has been an avid artist.
When hearing about the deaths of three Canadian soldiers due to a roadside bomb in December 2008, Dave became inspired to form some way to insure that these soldiers and all the others who lost their lives are remembered.
6500 hours of painting later, Dave has created a 3 metre by 12 metre mural dubded "Portraits of Honour" which includes the faces of all 156 members of the Canadian military (soldiers, sailors and air crew) who passed away in Afghanistan since 2001.
Today the mural was unveiled in it's specifically designed trailor, and has already scheduled more than 100 public viewings across Canada. Donations from these events will be given to Service club Kin Canada, in order to help the women and men of the Canadian military who come home physically or emotionally injured.
-Em

Green Exercise

I read an article in The Globe and Mail today called "Why exercising outdoors is better than hitting the gym".I also read an article about elliptical and quad machines coming to parks.The the first article said exercising outside is better because of the fresh air and the scenery to distract you so you work harder.It talks about studies that show "green exercise" is better than exercising in a gym.I don't think the article meant put gym equipment outside I think it meant hike,run,bike,canoe or one of the many other active outdoor activities.I have my doubts about these outdoor exercise machines but I do see its benefits for those  who can't afford a gym membership.I also like the idea that people will take their kids to the park and be able to workout and watch them.I got to tell you I am a little worried about maintenance issues,people stealing or braking them.But I all together think they are a good idea even if all they do is remind people to be active when they drive past these parks.
-D

The Inside Ride

Newspapers are nearly always depressing. The big headlines tend to be very negative, featuring a disaster of some sort, whether it is is a hurricane, a robbing or a car accident. It's rather rare to find positive news in much of the media, and I think it's time for that to change.
I would assume (and hope) that everyone reading this blog knows a thing or two about cancer (the  uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells in the body) that it it quite common (1 in 44 Canadians are diagnosed with cancer within their life time) and that it kills many (on average 205 Canadians will die each day from cancer) but instead of giving you more examples of the horror of this disease, I'd like to tell you about how thousands of students across the country are working together to help cure it.
Coast to Coast Against Cancer Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to raising funds to support children living with, and beyond, childhood cancer through research, peadiatric oncology camps and programming. Eight years ago groups of adults began cycling across Canada to raise money for this cause, and since then over eleven million dollars have been donted to the organization.
In order to get students aware of the cause and involved in the solution (without having to join in and bike all across the country) a program called The Inside Ride, has been established. Over a hundred stationary bikes are brought into schools where teams of six students each take a turn to bike over a two hour period. The cyclists are sponsered by friends and family members and of course all 100% of donations go directly to the cause! Teams can dress up in costumes and there are awards for those that are the most original, and for the team that manages to go the longest "distance" on their bike (as according to the bike's perdomiter)
It should be oodles and oodles of fun!
I can't wait!
-Em

Slave Lake

Two weeks after the fire in Slave Lake its citizens are returning.Slave lake,Alberta had a fire two weeks ago that destroyed more than 400 homes and businesses.7000 people who fled because of the fire are finally coming home.Allot of people aren't going home though their homes have been destroyed but some are returning to see the damage.Now they have to deal with all the garbage and rubble.But it is still a happy note for the citizens who get to return home.
-D

Beer Tents Be Gone!

For the past little while, the provincial government of Ontario has worked towards relaxing alcohol restrictions and laws within Ontario. It was announced on Friday that next Wednesday, June 1st, the new laws, and changes to certain laws, will be enforced. Acording to John Miner of the Toronto Sun, certain new, more relaxed rules include:

• Drinking will be allowed outside of beer tents at festivals and events.
• Special events, such as weddings or charity fundraisers, can serve alcohol for an extra hour until 2 a.m.
• All-inclusive vacation packages can be sold in Ontario.
• Business owners can give a complimentary drink to customers to celebrate a special occasion, such as an anniversary.
• Street festivals can allow people to leave a bar or restaurant with a drink in hand, providing conditions are met to ensure public safety.
• Boat tours can begin serving alcohol before the boat leaves the dock.
• Businesses that are not mainly in the food and alcohol business, such as spas and art galleries, will be able to apply for a permit to serve alcohol during a special event.

Miner, John. "Ont. To Ease Liquor Laws as of Wednesday." The Toronto Sun, 27 May 2011. Web. 27 May 2011. http://www.torontosun.com/2011/05/27/ont-to-ease-liquor-laws-as-of-wednesday.

 

-Em

Don't Give Up!!

When we are little we dream Big we not only want but plan to be princesses, presidents, movie stars, singers, athletes, models, writer and billionaires, were does that go? The saying eternal optimist is kind of an oxymoron like Microsoft works. We start of with big dreams then quickly loose them. Christopher Gardner: You got a dream... You gotta protect it. People can't do somethin' themselves, they wanna tell you you can't do it. If you want somethin', go get it. Period. Tomorrow I am running in a student council election, I'm not popular I'm not a beauty queen, a cheerleader, a jock or even funny I never thought I should even bother running but tomorrow I am still going to get up in front of my entire school and try anyway,cuz if your not going to try your not really living? So next time you feel like giving up on your dreams remember you can become a princess look at Kate Middleton (not saying that's the only reason she married him). Look at all the billionaires in the world who got rich on doing things they love like Ellen. Or even the singers who were bullied in school like Miley Cyrus PS most actors say they were not at all popular in high school. Or the athletes that fought against all odds to be were they are today. There is also my personal hero Elle Woods’s yes I just put that out there on the Internet but she so amazing you have to admit. Anyway all I'm saying is don’t give up I know that when I walk into that gym tomorrow morning there is a high chance I will embarrass myself and loose, but I'm doing it anyway and so should you!

-D

Modest Needs...

A few weeks ago I began reading Me to We:  Finding Meaning in a Material World, a book written by Marc and Craig Kielburger with contributions from many other leaders and inspirational people. I especially want to share with you the mission of Keith Taylor.
Years ago Keith was thinking of how to fulfill his dream of becomming a philanthropist, and he began thinking of how people have helped him out in his life. He reflected on times in university and in his first apartment when he really just could not pay the bills on time due to complecations such as an unexpected car or house reapair, when his friends and family helped him out. With this idea in mind, Keith began an organization called Modest Needs.
Modest Needs started out as a web site where people could contact Keith explaining their current financial difficulty, whether it was a sickness in need of mediacation or desperate house repairs, and Keith would find a way to get finances to them. Now the award winning organization has expanded greatly, financing new charities, living grants to those who are physically unable to work, and of course still donating to individual households to help them to break the cycle of poverty.
For more information you can visit: http://www.modestneeds.org/
-Em

Be careful!!

 Most teenagers in North America are on Facebook.Facebook yes is great for many reasons but can have its risks.Many teenagers and even adults tent to over share on Facebook which can be very dangerous.I think allot of the time as teenagers we don't think of the consequences of what we put on the Internet.We view facebook as a safe secure network but at the end of the day we need to remember it is still the world wide net.When people trash their parents,friends,colleagues,employers and other students its out there we have to remember it can be copied past and sent.There have been incidents were peoples employers have read what they said about them on facebook and fired them.There are police officers who make accounts and watch people the suspect of crimes until the leak something incriminating,this has actually led to arrests.I have seen many photos of my peers drinking,doing drugs,half naked or even naked trust me guys its not a good idea.Next time think before you post because once its out there you can't get it back.
-D

Threats of an Empty Mailbox...

Birthday presents, online shopping orders, bills and letters may all be delayed if Canada's unionized postal workers go through with their threatened strike. All 45000 postal workers are planning to walk off the job, starting this Friday at 12:01 am, the first strike since 1997's two week long period.
When the previous agreement (which covered over 50 000 postal employees) expired this past January, many workers began demanding wage changes, benefits, staffing levels and a change in working conditions.
Currently negotiations are being made, but a strike is still possible, until a collective agreement is established.
-Em

Banning Hugs

I have a pet peeve of when people see the negative of good things and their outlook ruins it for everyone.That is exactly what schools are doing in Canada,The US, and Britain they are actually banning hugs.When asked for a reason many schools had a similar answer this is on that is from The Globe and mail,"that extended embraces are a gateway to make-outs and sex in the halls, or that they choke corridors and distract in class." Really?!We are taught as young children hugs are good but as soon as we hit puberty we are no longer able to hug the opposite sex, what kind of message does that send out.These schools are trying to stop public displays of affection by banning everything including hugging but the only thing they are really accomplishing is making hugs into something sexual which they are almost always not.Its not just co-ed hugging but also hugging your best girlfriend is not even aloud!Way to make it all dirty administrators now teenagers all over North America are questioning the Innocent hug.I'm a high school student and I know for a fact that hugging and kissing at school is not what jams the hallway its groups standing around and talking.Yes occasionally people will make out in the hall and in if a teacher wants to go up and tell them to stop all power to you but a hug,are they serious!My favourite part of this is the sex in the halls bit,what school do these administrators work at it sure isn't mine people don't even have sex in the bathroom!For people out their who haven't been to high school in awhile or haven't gone yet there is no sex in the hallway!Most teacher close the doors in class and its not people hugging in the hallway that distract us its our fiends hopping up and down mouthing check your cellphone.Whoever said that quote are they even working in high schools at all? Imagine sex in the hallways jeez sex in the hallways were do they come up with that stuff and they say teens are sexual!I absolutely think this no hugs in school thing is ridiculous.It seems to me that administrations are two lazy to walk up to two kids making out which happens like once a month tops FYI and say hey you kids cut that out! Or heaven forbid they could just walk by and ignore it!Let us have our hugs!!!
-D

Camping Out for Change...

With the long weekend and beautiful weather finally here many people plan to head up north with the family and go cottaging or camping. This is extremely different from the popular form of camping going on in Spain.
For the past week hundreds of tents have been pitched and thousands of people have been in Madrid, Spain's capital. Their cause? To protest certain economic policies and the issue of unemployemnt within the country. This far protests have been fairly unviolent, but the demands of the protestors have not been adressed.
We'll keep you posted as this continues!
-Em

Teen Mom Is It A Bad Influence ?

There are two t.v's shows called sixteen and pregnant and teen mom that have sparked some controversy. Many parents feel they are bad influences on teenage girls.The girls on the t.v show are struggling with school,bills,family issues,some even drugs and the fathers.When I hear that these girls are only doing this for fame I can't help but think they are getting paid a little and if I were them I would want any help I could get.Before anyone goes around thinking oh these girls are getting pregnant to be on this show, I would think about the fact that they are kinda be used by MTV I mean years from now that might look back and regret the t.v show.When I watch this show I defiantly don't have the urge to go out and get pregnant or start a pregnancy pact like some parents think.I actually think this show is yes entertaining even though the drama can be too much for me sometimes and I have to change the channel, but also kinda makes me freak out at the idea of getting pregnant.I think that the show acts as a protection against pregnancy because every time you watch it sex becomes less and less appealing.Some of these concerned parents back their beliefs up with evidence like some girls are watching this and decided to get pregnant and I think that has more to do with those girls then the t.v show.I'm not an expert but I think that as long as you communicate well with your children and they have good self esteem they won't look to have a baby for love.Also the parents who are concerned enough about their children to raise this issue probably are attentive parents who can recognize signs and just have to remember to talk to their kids about sex and how to prevent pregnancy.But that's just my opinion.
-D

Hard Copy? Or Hard Drive?

Amazon announced this morning that they officially sell more ebooks, than print books. The ratio reaches 100 print books for 105 e-books, and this is supposed to continue to rise, especially considering that this year the sales of ebooks have trippled all of last years already.
However, these changes in purchasing may not necessarily be better for our environment.
Yes, e-books are paper free, saving our woodlands and protecting the eco-system which is a major bonus over paper books. However, the energy consumption throughout production and use of these computers may be far worse.
An e-book reader uses more energy in its manufacturing process than a book does, and again uses a great amount of energy to be disposed of safely and properly due to the toxins and rare substances used in production, where a print book does not. E-book readers require even more energy to be read where print books need absolutely no more energy outside of production. The KTH Royal Institure of Technology has even said that after 10 minutes of reading you use more carbon to run the computer than it did to create the print book.
A lot of work and effort is still being put into developing a paperless reading method, but until then a e-book reader will not be on my Christmas wish list, but nor will I be shopping at Chapters.
If I`d like a book the surely more environmentally friendly way is the library.
-Em
 

Oranamental or Instrumental

From when we our born to the day we die there are set things for us whether we are boys or girls. When we are little girls we are already being set up to see our bodies as ornamental instead of instrumental. This is mostly done by our toys for example Barbie’s, you dress Barbie up and make her beautiful this encourages girls to view their bodies as something too decorate not use. We have princess dress up not to mention that fact that we have beautiful princesses thrown in our faces constantly at an early age. Its no wonder that women tend to play less sports and have less physical jobs. Not to mention females tend to spend more time on their appearances than males. Boys on the other hand are given toys at a young age like fire trucks, police cars, tools for building; sports equipment and construction work based toys. These toys encourage boys to be more active and see their bodies in a more instrumental way, as something that can be used in a physical way rather than decorative. My question is with all these same toys still be catered to boys and girls why is it that its becoming more of a reality that all girls play some sort of a sport or that more females are taking physical labor jobs? Why is it that men are becoming more decorative when it comes to their bodies? Times are changing does this mean one day toys will no longer be catered to gender and little boys all over the world will get the wonderful experience of cooking brownies with a light bulb.

-D

Modern Day Slavery, In Canada

Slavery was abolished in the United States in the1860s, and thought to be non existant in Canada in modern day. I was shocked however to read of a woman in Vancouver today. This 57 year old woman got in contact with a 21 year old woman in Africa and promised her a job in a salon if she were to move to BC. However, the woman stole her passport and other legal identification papers shortly after she arived and forced the young woman to come live and work for her. She ended up working at LEAST 18 hours a day, every day, managing the house-hold, cleaning, washing, cooking, gardening, she washed the cars of visitors. She was only given table scraps to eat, and was only allowed to rest when the rest of the house hold was already fast asleep.
For months and months this woman lived like this not knowing that it was unacceptable, but once she learned how wrong her treatment was she escaped to a local womens shelter for help. Her "employer" now faces several differnet charges.
-Em

Toxic Makeup

I had no idea how dangerous it was to put on makeup in the morning.Did you know that its quite common for there to be harmful chemicals in your makeup.Call me clueless but I seriously thought there were strict laws to prevent us from harsh chemicals that can make us sick in everyday products like makeup.The David Suzuki foundation is bringing light to the fact that these "dirty dozen"harmful chemicals are found in 80% of the most common makeup products.These "dirty dozen" are 12 chemicals that are linked to cancer,reproductive disorders,severe allergies and asthma.These are the products that many women and the occasional man use every day! The David Suzuki foundation is trying to get stricter laws for labeling of the chemicals on these products so we know whats in the products we are buying.Its hard to believe that America spends roughly eight billion dollars a year on cosmetics that could be making us sick. Queen Elizabeth the first died because her own makeup was poisoning her,I hate to think that 408 years later women can still have a similar fate.

P.S more information at
http://www.cbc.ca/news/story/2010/10/19/suzuki-dirty-dozen.html
http://www.davidsuzuki.org/issues/health/science/toxics/dirty-dozen-cosmetic-chemicals/
-D

Shoes To Shew Sickness....

I am already getting very excited to get to work and help organize this TOMS event! It should be a lot of fun to decorate our own shoes, and of course, it's for a great cause! I'm just hoping that you all understand this cause completely.
Dana has already explained the lack of footwear in many parts of Africa, and how we can donate shoes through Shoe4Africa or buy a pair of TOMS and automatically have another donated. I'm sure you all understand the basic reasons why these shoes are needed, to keep feet warm and to protect feet from harmful things we can step on, of course. But not wearing shoes can actually lead to many diseases and deaths:
Podoconiosis: is thought to be caused by walking on red clay soil and due to this a certain type of bacteria enters the foot and plugs local lymph nodes causing the foot to swell, itch and burn greatly
Schistosomiasis: Is caused by walking through contaminated water. Parasidic worms enter through small cuts or scrapes in the foot, lay eggs and then travel through out the body, and can particularly harm the liver, lung and bladder. This condition is very popular with school aged children.
Tungiasis: Is a disease that over 42% of children in Nigerian children are infected with. It is a parasidic flea that enters the foot from the sand. Painful swelling as a result of the parasidic flea leads to fibrous cysts.
Hookwork: Is an intestinal parasite that can enter through the foot, travel through one's veins to the heart and then the lung, where they are coughed up and swollowed into the intestines. (Is that an intense procedure or what?)  They attatch themselves to the bowel wall and suck blood, causing animea, abdominal pain, diarrhea and weight loss.


And all of these diseases?
They can be prevented by wearing shoes.


I really hope that you guys spread the message and are able to help us to make a positive difference in this issue.
-Em

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!

Studies show that sleep deprivation is a serious problem in North America.Whether the cause is too long working hours,clinically not being able to sleep,t.v addictions,stress,depression,to much caffeine or a busy schedule its a major problem.The whole I'll sleep when I'm dead idea could make us exactly that dead allot sooner, this could be prevented if only we simply sleep well we are alive.Try not having caffeine past 8:00 am or schedule in eight hours of sleep instead of the occasional power nap and 4 hours of sleep.Also avoid alcohol and late night meals.Being more active and evening considering taking supplements can help you to get your beauty sleep.This information is from The Globe and Mail if you want more there is more information on their website. Two things that the importance of is constantly overlooked are water and sleep!Drinking water will help your skin,hair,health,energy level,sharpens of your mind and help you loose weight.Also sleep helps your immune system,boots your metabolism,clears your skin,keeps you smart and much more.
-D

TOMS

Toms is a shoe company with the slogan one for one. What does one for one mean? It means that with every pair of shoes or toms bought a pair of shoes goes to a child who needs them.
Cute right I have a pair of the ones in the middle.Five years ago in 2006 an American traveler named Blake Mycoskie went to Argentina and found out that allot of children there don't have shoes.So he started TOM'S now he has expanded and he brings shoes to children who need them all over the world.When I went on their website I found out allot of facts about the importance of shoes I didn't know about.A major cause for disease in developing nations is contracting them threw bear feet.Also allot of schools have set dress codes and if you can't meet them you cant go to school, allot of families can't afford shoes and therefore can't send there children to school thus continuing the circle of poverty.Also without the protection of shoes children can get cuts on their feet which can become badly infected.I have eight pairs of shoes and just think some children have none, how many do you have?Thinking about making your next pair of shoes TOMS how about hosting a "Style Your Sole" party and buying plain white canvas TOMS.What is a "Style Your Sole" party its  a TOMS decorating party.Where you order a bunch of plain TOMS and decorate them,don't worry each pair of plain TOMS are $44 so there not super expensive that's not including shipping sadly.Anyway I plan on doing this with  my friends if there interested consider I already have all the fabric paint and other supplies but if you don't threes always Micheal's they have great stuff. If your worried about expenses how bout working out a cost for everyone based on what you need and shipping cost so your not stuck with the Micheal's and food bill. The trick is planning way way ahead then bugging your Friends till you know whose for sure coming also you gonna want to order at LEAST 2 WEEKS AHEAD.
-D

from Ms.Lazy

This post is for Emma.I want to apologize for my laziness, originally I pulled Emma into doing this blog with me than expanding into videos. Emma's pet peeve is people who make commitments and don't live up to them and that's exactly what I've done here and for that I'm truly sorry.For those of you who don't know Emma she is the kindest person I know, and seems to never get mad.But I'm pretty sure I have made the one person who seems to be evolved pass anger just that angry at me, which means I have truly messed up.
I could come up with a million reasons for letting you and myself down,but you deserve better than that.So all I can say is I will seriously put an Emma effort into this from now on and try not to let you down if you will still have me as a blog partner that is.
-D

Renovations...

Hey guys!
So yesterday it turned out that we weren't able to sign into BlogSpot in order to do our post. Some issue has been popping up so BlogSpot had been busy renovating and taking care of this problem. We just wanted to let you all know, just incase we're locked out in the future, and aren't able to write.
-Em

Spain Shakes x2

Each year there are hundreds of earthquakes in Spain, though none of them tend to be felt. Today however two earthquakes hit southeast Spain today, with a magnitude of 4.5 and 5.1, these quakes were not only felt, but they demolished certain buildings. Eight people have been killed as a result of this, and forty have been taken to the hospital. As a precaution for addition tremors, thousands of peole have been relocated to emergency shelters In addition to this 350 troops have been sent to help local rescue teams search for those injured.
-Em

"If you wanna make the world a better place/Take a look at yourself and then make a change". Micheal Jackson. I think that to make positive improvements in your self first you must make goals based on who you want to be and what you want to accomplish.Then make plans to reach the goals and act on them.But I believe you need to know yourself before you can know who you want to be.These are some links to tests that will tell you things about yourself you might not already know.

http://www.personaldna.com/tests.php

http://kisa.ca/personality/

http://www.bgfl.org/bgfl/custom/resources_ftp/client_ftp/ks3/ict/multiple_int/index.htm

http://literacyworks.org/mi/assessment/findyourstrengths.html

-D

Live Like A Lululemon Bag

Lululemon pants are extremely comfy, their sewaters extremely warm, and their bags? Extremely wise.
Some of the phrases I can find on mine:
-The pursuit of all happiness is the source of all unhappiness
-That which matters the least, should never give way for that which matters the most
-Do one thing a day that scares you
-Sweat once a day
-Don't forget to breathe
-Jealousy works the opposite way that you want it to
And of course:
Do it now, do it now, DO IT NOW!
-Em

Protest Against Violence

In Mexico City, on Sunday thousands marched in a silent protest against violence. Journalist Javier Sicilia  organized this march, as a result of his sons death because of violence. More than 34 600 have died because of the drug wars since December 2006 to December 2010.Since then many have died as a result to this ongoing problem.The protesters are asking President Felipe Calderon to bring in troops to end the drug wars.The protesters are demanding new plans to end the violence because the old ones have failed. The major goal is for a peace pact to be signed in Mexico's most violent city Ciudad Juarez.
-D

Another Nuclear Notify...

Although it has not been greatly publiscised reciently, great efforts in Japan are still being made to help recouperate the country, and it's public. Part of this, of course, includes dealing with the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant.
Currently the radiation levels have dropped within the Fukushima plant, with the help of a ventilator that was instaled on Thursday. If this continues to improve, workers will be able to re-enter the facility in order to stabalise the reactor.
Meanwhile it is being contemplated whether or not to re-open the sister plant, Fukushima No. 2, a four reactor power station. In addition to this, Prime Minister Naoto Kan is reviewing the country's policy regarding nuclear energy, and the plan to construct 14 more nuclear power reactors. 
-Em

Because Looking Like Po Can Destroy Your Skin...

I had a great chance to hang out with some polar bears and some giraffes today as my art class and I took a field trip to the zoo to "sketch" some animals. It was a perfect day, not hot, not cold, but perfect for crops and t-shirts. I have to say that my newly aquired sunburn is a perfect accessory.
As if.
Not only will I look like Po, the red teletubbie, for the next few days, but this will have an effect on my skin for years to come.
When our skin is exposed to the sun's ultraviolet rays the structure and functions of our skin cells are damaged.  Too much exposure to the sun can cause skin cancer, which is the uncontrollable growth of abnormal skin cells, if it's not dealt with it can spread to other tissues and even organs.... Goodness, this sounds like the inside of a doctor's office pamphlet, but the thing is not many people are changing their ways regardless of the publicity of this issue. Last year alone two million people in the United States were diagnosed with a form of skin cancer. Yes basal cell, and squamous celled skin cancers can be fairly east to treat, they can be cut out (ouch), lasered out (ouch) and dealt with afterwards dealt with a topical cream that caused the bullet-hole-like spot to puss and blister (yuch), but last year 12, 000 people died from cases of melanoma.
It can be easily avoided too. Stay cool (and subburn free) in the shade, slap on some sunscreen with an spf of atleast 30, half an hour before going out (and make sure it's waterproof if you go swimming, if the sunscreen comes off it's of no use to you, and it pollutes the water and harms the fish) or even wear a pair of pants or a t-shirt over your bathing suit at the beach! It may not be glamorous, but neither is skin cancer.
-Em

What Do You Want to Have Accomplished By Twenty

Today I read an article in the paper about the youngest member of Parliament I automatically thought twenty-seven? Nope nineteen years old!Pierres Luc Dusseault is the youngest person in history to ever to be elected into Parliament. He was elected monday night to the NDP.The next youngest are reasontally elected twenty year old's Mathew Dube and Chambly-Borduas of the NDP.Not only are there twenty year old politicians but there are sixteen year old philanthropists. Like Mathew Conley,Salina Dharamsi and Roxane Fortin Lecompte all award recipients of the top twenty under twenty. Most of the individual who have won this award have started their own charities well still in highschool!It makes me feel incredibly lazy. Not only them but there is Craig Kielburger who started his own charity free the children at twelve.Its very inspiring to read these young peoples incredible stories I encourage you to go online and read them for yourself who knows maybe you could be the next Craig Kielburger.
-D

Freedom of Speech

On World Press Freedom day we celebrate freedom of speech and journalists. This year for the first time there will be a Global World Press Freedom Day conference held in the U.S. Why is it so important to celebrate this day, because freedom of speech is an important human right. Especially right now when all around the world freedom of speech is being taken away. This year more than last because of situations in some parts of the Middle East, Mexico and many other countries freedom of speech is been taken away. In many parts of the world there isn’t freedom of speech to be taken away. It’s so important to celebrate this day to honour all journalists who face physical abuse, verbal abuse, dangerous situations, detainment and even death. That is why we at teens view want to remind you to take this day to be thankful to those who work hard to bring us the truth.
-D

Because Domestic Abuse is Unacceptable...

My friend Dana Kirkham and I reciently entered a contest called "Canada's Next Top Young Philanthropist" our entry was a movie based on our cause and different ways we hope to help create a solution. Starting this saturday you guys can vote on which cause or entry you would like to support. The top ten will be able to attend a conference with Canadian philanthropists, one of which will recieve ten thousand dollars to go towards the solution for their cause.

The cause we chose was domestic abuse, because it's universal, it can and DOES happen everywhere, and it tends to go unnoticed until it's too late.

Some straight facts regarding domestic abuse:
-In Canada over 51% of women over the age of 16 have experienced at least one incident of physical of sexual assault
-Every week in Canada at least one woman is killed by her partner
-Less than 10% of incidences are reported by abused women
-Up to 360 000 children are exposed to domestic violence annually in Canada

-58, 486 women and 36, 840 children sought refuge in one of 473 shelters across Canada between April 1st 2003 and March 31st 2004

For more information, to hear about our plan of action, and to see how you can get involved, the link here is for you: 

http://www.youthgive.ca/entry/4375693-Because-No-One-Deserves-Abuse?offset=0&sort=upload 

more later,
-em

Nearly Something to See on CSI

This February a previous manager at Outdoor Adventures Whistler applied to WorkSafeBC to be compensated for the post-traumatic stress he suffered from work. I assume that most people agree that their work place is stressful, and high maintenance, and that they too should apply for this compensation. But then again, they weren't made to slaughter a hundred sled dogs on the job.
The company's owner claims that all the dogs were sick and old. The SPCA BC however, is not buying it.
This morning the organization announced that a team of anthropologists, vetrenarians and forensic experts will be digging up -by hand- the bodies of these sled dogs to test tissue samples, shell casings and bone fragments. They are looking to find evidence to support charges for animal cruelty under the Criminal Code.
This is to be the largest and most complicated investigation the SPCA has ever preformed, and definately one of the most expensive with a $225 000 price tag, which will be paid for by the SPCA and the provincial government.
-Em

 

Election buzz

When I was tens years old and Canada was having our 39th election I was watching a debate between the main Canadian parties and heard Jack Layton and decided there on the spot I liked him best. Now five years later I don't make such important decisions quite so quickly. But it seems that liking Jack Layton is common among young people sadly for him allot are too young to vote. Yesterday I saw a cartoon on the front of a magazine, it was Jack Layton drawn as a Jack in the box. I believe that cartoon did a good job of representing why young people like him because he's energetic, excited and seems to be happy. He has won allot of young people over, but those young people are mostly too young to vote so the don’t get too involved in politics they just see him and automatically like him. It’s the young adults and teenagers that are interested in politics that really do their research and then usually like conservative or liberal. I thought it was important to mention Jack Layton because of his success so far in this election and explain to any possible adult readers his attraction. I think that the reasons he’s doing well or at least well for a non-conservative of liberal party id that more young people are getting excited about getting out there and voting. Since most young people are attracted to energetic people naturally they are drawn to someone like Jack Layton who they feel is an upbeat politician worthy of more seats. I on the other hand have no idea who I like but suggest to any new voters like my big sister to do more research then he seems like an energetic guy lets make him PM.

-D

And We Complain for Rain?

Somehow I got roped into joining the track and field team again this year, and despite my whining and sighs I dragged myself out of bed early yesterday morning to join my team at a meet downtown. Despite our towels and umbrellas, our trackies and sweats, we were shivering so hard we felt like we were having seizures. The puddles ruined our cleats when we rain on the track, and the wind exhausted us. It was so intense that all school tents were picked up and blown away, as well as the metal-framed socker nets and all the garbage cans on premisis. It was quite miserable, but nothing in comparison to current weather conditions in southern parts of the U.S.
In the past few days 246 people from six states have been killed due to these tornados and their destruction. Hundreds and hundres of houses and buildings have been demolished into splinters, leaving many to rely on shelters stationed by The American Red Cross and the Salvation Army. Tornados are taking 25 mile paths and are reaching enormous speeds currently. A twister that hit north-east of mississippi was claimed to have winds reaching 205 miles per hour, making this the deadliest twister outbreak since 1925, and something we should keep in mind when we complain about the Canadian rain, and miserable track meets.
-Em

The Royal Wedding

Right now many people around the world are excited about the royal wedding. Honestly I don’t' really see the attraction its pretty much the same as every celebrity wedding. What has our culture come to when we ignore the upcoming election and the war in Libya to focus on a wedding for two people we don’t even know? For all we know William will never be king or worse he could be horrible. Yet we ignore everything going on and focus on this prince and princess fantasy. Sometimes I talk about things like genocide and famine and people say they just don't want to think about it right now. If not now when! When will we deal with the problems in our world, I’ll admit that allot of the times I ignore the truth but it’s not right. We owe it to the world to watch the world vision commercial get up and do something about it. We should look at a Greenpeace campaign and not only be inspired for a minute but for a lifetime. Every generation says this will be the generation to make change but the truth is everyone generation has to. We can’t pretend our issues are just another TV program that’s not real, it is real and it is time we as people stand up and make a difference.

-D

Ring, Ring...

The first ever telephone town hall mettings started today in Surrey BC at 6:30 (pacific daylight time.)
The provincial government wanted to hear the thoughts of citizens about the HST and ways to improve and change it according to the public. So, today every phone number listed in Surrey got a call (at 6:30) where they were asked if they wanted to participate, follow the promts, or hang up. This also gives the public a chance to ask the finance minister of BC, Kevin Falcon, questions regarding the new tax and tax policy in BC.
This method and technology will be used all across BC between now and May 12th, in order to connect with thousands and thousands of people. 
-Em

Obesity Epidemic

I read an article on CBC news today about an obesity epidemic demanding government attention. It said” Canada’s obesity epidemic needs legislative approaches such as taxing junk food, setting standard portion sizes and nutritional labels, and banning trans fat,” Basically researchers feel that obesity has become such a large problem in Canada that it is now necessary for the government to get more involved. Researchers say that obesity will pass smoking in preventable mortality. I don't know about you but that scares me to think of all the harmful chemicals in cigarettes yet obesity will pass smoking in death tolls. The results of an unhealthy diet are heart disease, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, strokes and many other illnesses.

Many people don't understand how common and severe these illnesses are as a result of unhealthy diets. I personally know how hard it is to struggle with weight and trying to improve your diet and it is much harder than people think. I think the government getting more involved would be beneficial to all those who are struggling or have given up.

-D

Easter Bunnies, Eggs and Gum Disease

I hope you guys all had a wonderful Easter, and a relaxing long weekend! Mine was filled with a bunch of family get togethers, and I am filled with a bunch of chocolate! Track practice tomorrow morning should insure that I won't be rolling into school this week, but I need to focus on my teeth especially!
All the sugary junk we had over the holiday can really cause damage to our mouthes. Sugar is a major contributor to tooth decay, which affects 84% of teenagers, as it is ultimately acid exposed to our tooth enamel (which protects our teeth.) We can minimize this problem by eating less sugar of course, but also when and how we eat it, such as:
-Eating suagry or starchy foods with a meal! This is less harmful then eating them alone due to the increased production of saliva, which helps to wash away the sugar and bacteria.
-It's always important to brush your teeth (with flouride toothpaste) after meals, and sugary treats, but especially before bed time because we don't produce as much saliva when we sleep (you do remember from the last point that saliva helps wash away sugars and bacteria right?)
 -If you don't have the chance to brush your teeth after treats rinse your mouth with water or mouthwash or even chew gum (sugarless gum of course!)

-We all need to check up with the dentist at least twice a year, but if we take a few precautions, we shouldn't need any more! 

-Em

And of course, because I am not a dentist, thanks to:

Lisa A Goss RDH, BS, and Charlie J. Inga, DDS. "Taking Care of Your Teeth." KidsHealth - the Web's Most Visited Site about Children's Health. Oct. 2008. Web. 25 Apr. 2011. http://kidshealth.org/teen/your_body/take_care/teeth.html.

The Poop Changing Record

Accomplishments in the Guinness World Records include most apples picked in eight hours (15830 lbs, by George Adrian in the Unites States), the largest company mascot (Duracell has six 12.6m tall bunnies) and longest ride on a theme park attraction (24h 19min on a ferris wheel, by Blaine Martin in the United States)  Today parents worldwide were trying to make their mark.
Over 10,000 people in 30 countries and 400 events, were included in the attempt to make the Guinness World Records for simultaneous cloth diaper changes. Officials are still reviewing photographic documentation before announcing the results.
 Although this event was to make a record it was more so a way to bring awareness and draw attention towards cloth diapers. In Canada over four MILLION disposable diapers are put into landfills each day where they decompose  s l o w l y .  This is about 1.7 billion, 250,000 tonnes, a year. Not only are cloth diapers a lot more environmentally friendly, they`re also waaay less expensive, they`re about $500 a year, rather than $2500 - $3000 for disposable diapers. It`s another way to be eco and wallet friendly!
Hopefully in years to come, this record will be one we can beat.
-Em

 

Earth Day

Today is Earth Day!So heres some green ideas!

1. walk,bike,carpool or use public transit
2.buy local food
3.eat organic food
4.buy used clothes
5.read from the library
6. read from ebooks
7.use compact fluoracent bulbs
8.eat less meat
9.wash clothes in cold water
10.hang clothes to dry
11.install ceiling fan
12.take short showers
13.use natural cleaning products
14.donate gently used items
15.next time if your looking for electronics choose energy efficient ones

Haiti: The Latest Leader

Michel Martelly, a popular singer and politician, was declaired the winner of the Hatian presidential elections today.  Elections intended for February 28, 2010 were greatly postponed to November 28, following the January 2010 earthquake. When no canidates recieved over 50% of the votes, a run off election was called in order to produce a majority government. This included two canidates, Mirlande Manigant and Michel Martelly, who won with nearly 68% of the votes. However voter turn out was barely 23% of all Hatians.
Martelly is to be officially sworn in as president on May 14th. His future plans include adressing the issue of land ownership and relocating 700, 000 people out of makeshift tents into permanent housing
He tweets: "Let us pick up our tools and get to work to clean up out country"
-Em

Eco-Note:
Martelly's tweets reminded me of another type of cleaning! Spring cleaning!
When cleaning your house we need to try and use biodegradable and environmentally friendly products! Or even better make your own with recipes found through this link:  http://www.care2.com/greenliving/make-your-own-non-toxic-cleaning-kit.html

Protesters In the Pen

Four protesters from Greenpeace were arrested as they occupied the offices of MPP's earlier this morning. New reactors are needed at the Darlington generating plant, which is 70km east of Toronto, and Greenpeace is protesting for the government to cosider environmentally friendly options instead of nuclear reactors. So a handful of Greenpeace representatives went to the offices of the Minister of Energy at nine this morning, chained themsleves together, held up a banner, and began their protest. According to the Press Secretary, officials were willing to talk with the activists. The Press Secretary also stated that the police were not to be involved unless the situation became unpeaceful, however no further information was released following the arrest of the four activists. 
-Em 

Eco-Note: Check out this link for 100 ways to be green! http://www.seql.org/100ways.cfm

Peoples Food Policy Projects

People’s food policy is an organization educating people how their food is produced. They are mostly educating people on the importance of knowing what’s in the food they eat. They are also trying to come up with more natural ways of producing foods. Also to help give people the right to have a say in the food system here in Canada. Both Liberal and conservative had included improving food policies in their platforms. I personally think its scary the fact that half of the time we don't know what we are putting in our bodies. I mean I saw something on the new about certain food colorings making kids hyperactive and possibly violent, I used to work at a daycare trust me hyperactive and violent are the scariest words ever when working with children. All this new information is coming out about chemicals and it’s hard to know what isn’t bad for us anymore. I think as the public we should support the people’s food policy as they help shed some light on what is defiantly a major problem. Also considering many parties have food policies in their platforms it may be a good idea to listen to their plans and see which one will make a difference an let that help you in your voting decisions.

-D

Because Good Planets Are Hard To Find...

Today marks the second day of the annual Earth Week! We are now only five days away from Earth Day on April 22, a global celebration founded in 1970 by Gaylord Nelson, an environmentalist and senator of Wisconsin.  
We should always try to chose environmentally friendly alternatives, but this week especially is a time to focus on greening our lives. It's a time to make new environmental commitments and plans of action. It's easy to get involved in the Earth Day celebrations, many communities have a garbage pick up event, or even local BBQs.
Regardless of your activities be sure to keep the day's message in mind, whether it's simply not using a straw with your drink, taking less time in the shower, or turning the lights off as you leave a room. A short video by yours truly of energy efficient ideas and info can be found at a link here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGyfw2cSwTs
We can all make a difference, this Earth Day make it a positive one.
-Em

Teenage Stress

Are teens today under to much stress? We have homework, school, jobs, chores, volunteering, clubs, sports and extracurricular. An article came out today in The Globe and Mail about teenagers under massive amounts of stress. The article quotes teenagers who talk about lack of sleep and social life. Some of these teens are in their last year of high school and some are in university. Today teens are under more stress then ever, for some there isn’t a free moment in the day. You know there is a problem when our backpacks are so heavy we are getting back problems at the age of sixteen. Our bodies are designed for being active all day not sitting in a classroom for seven hours then going home and spending another three hours doing homework at a desk. For some who are in grade twelve in science and math programs they do allot more than just three hours. Not to mention if you want to get into a good school all of your extracurricular like school teams, student council, clubs and volunteering. Some kids have no time during the week with everything their involved in and some adults have the misconception that we have fun in all our extracurricular activities. What’s fun about going to class then spending your whole lunch making posters, selling stuff or playing chess when you could be eating doing hw or god forbid spending time with your friends. Emma as you know does this blog with me on top of being a great student, having a demanding job, training for a twenty-three kilometer marathon, our YouTube channel, lot of clubs and much more. I have actually seen the girl running around our school with a cold going from club to club doing work for them. I got to say it’s pretty impressive I mean she deals with my lazy butt every day. We are only fifteen I can't imagine the grade twelve workload. I personally think way to much pressure is on us I mean it makes me laugh when adults say don't be so stressed you don't have to know what you want to do now except for the fact that you have to have a pretty good idea or your screwed if you don't have the right courses. So you decided to drop French but you want to go into politics oops you should have thought that earlier. So you switched to mixed math because you were told all arts programs only needed mixed three math but you find your dream arts course and shocker its not needed but highly recommend you have academic four math. So in other words no matter what adults tell you its best to pile on the work load starting in grade nine to keep your options open summer school recommender. Yes we are under allot of stress, it sucks that we get to work hard for four years only to go to harder school then get a job. My sister is an executive student council member, caption of the cheerleading squad, has a busy social schedule and is taking every science and math. She got pneumonia because she didn't have time to take care of her cold; she was so sick and still couldn’t get a break from her teachers. There are television shows when teens fake sick or pray to be sick to get out of school, how unrealistic if you get sick you deny it to the point of near death to avoid missing school and falling behind only to never catch back up again. The students you see who don't try have merely given up the fight or have fallen pray to stress which can lead to weight gain, drinking, drugs, electronic obsession and god forbid failure.

-D

Gas, Gas, Gas

A good handful of my friends have gotten their G1s within the past month or so, and have had great fun driving to and from school! They`re legal just in time for the great weather, and a raise in gas prices!
Gas prices are currently $1.37 in Vancouver, $1.35 in Montreal and are averaging $1.32 in Toronto. Fuel in the United States is becomming more expensive as well, but is still less expensive than Canada`s at $1.02 (Canadian) per litre. Prices are said to continue to rise at midnight tonight, inching closer to the all-time high of $1.42 a litre in September 2008 during a hurricaine in the Gulf. It has been stated that current gas price spike conditions are relevant to the current conflicts in Libya, and in part, the higher demand for fuel in North America.
Luckily for us however there is this new invention called the bus! Or better yet those things at the end of your legs!
-Em

Eco-Note: Protect your gas money! Protect the environment! Read the line above!

Libya

NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) has been helping the Libyans effort. NATO is a large group of democratic countries from Europe and North America. They having been a great help but now are creating problems. The countries within NATO are disagreeing on the extent they should be involved in this civil war. President Obama is reluctant to send in U.S warplanes to attack forces loyal to Moammar Gadhafi. NATO's foreign ministers are presently in Berlin trying to come to a decision on their level of involvement. As I said before in a previous article The U.S have already put a lot of money into Libya and have been active in helping protect Libya’s citizens, so it is understandable that they would want to stick to protecting instead of attacking. The Foreign minster of Canada said that Canada is going to become more actively involved and the French foreign minster is encouraging the U.S to do the same The question is how involved do we want to be, how involved do we need to be and will an attack on forces loyal to Gadhafi be successful.

Former President Behind Bars

Although he has been in hospital since tuesday after suffering from heart complications, Hosni Mubark, the former president of Egypt, is being detained by police for a period of 15 days. Once he is out of intensive care, where he now is under police protection he shall join his two adult sons, Gamal (a senior official in the ruling government party) and Alaa in prison. At the moment investigations into accusations of corruption and abuse of athority are underway.
-Em
Eco-Note of the day: COMPOST! 75% of household waste comes from organic matter, most of which is compostable. Not only would this be cutting down on landfill waste, but composting encourages aspects of the environment such as earthworm activity, filtration in air and water in the roots zone of trees and soil structure.

Debate

Today the leaders of the four main parties Bloc Quebec, Liberal, Conservative and NDP took part in a heated debated. To give you a brief idea of what happened Layton was catty, Harper was getting beat up, Duceppe was boiling over and Ignatieff didn't come off to badly. I don't want to make Ignatieff look the best or anything I mean I'm fifteen and even I saw how he was playing for the French Canadian vote and cuddling up to Ignatieff. I got to tell you for those who missed it I think your better off then the rest of us, you can just hear the highlights instead of watching the whole painful thing I mean it was like watching a bunch of teenage boys face of in the cafeteria without all the physical violence. When Layton said to Ignatieff why should you be PM you have missed seventy present of the voting in the house this year I was like wow that was like a your mama diss ouch! The whole hour was horrifying by the end of it I thought wow everyone is going to be racing to the polls to vote for one of these men, yea right I bet no one could hear half of what they were saying they were screaming over each other. I could go into all the B.S I heard from practically everyone one of those leaders but that wouldn’t make me any better then them. I will say I did like Ignatieffs bit on immigrants not to be categorized into groups but just be Canadian citizens and how we should focus on giving them equal rights. I also like Layton’s talk of increasing immigration not just temporary work visas. To tell you the truth I didn't agree with much of what Duceppe said but I give him props for pulling himself back together after he got upset. Harper did quit well considering how much he got yelled at and how he was blamed for all Canada’s problems. I got to say what I could understand was pretty beneficial to me but sadly if you want to know what happened you will have to bear it yourself or get a more educated person to re tell the events I wouldn’t warn to give you false information. To those who are voting I urge you to watch it and for those who are to young it’s still quite entertaining if you like horror films.

-D