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Special Laws Harm Everyone

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I have a lot of things I’ve been meaning to write about, but since this came out of the woodwork yesterday I can’t seem to keep my mind off of it. Once again we come to a place where one minority’s religious beliefs seem to be placed above all others. When this happens, we all suffer. Why? Well, let’s talk about it.

What prompted me to write this is the allegations that the Afghan government has signed a new law that allows Shi’ite Muslims the ability to rape their wives. Or rather, the wife is not allowed to refuse sex nor would she be allowed to leave the house without their husband’s permission. According to a female parliamentarian quoted in the Reuters article, it would also legalize marriage for girls as young as 9 years old, and also require a woman to wear make-up if her husband demanded it.

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Why E! & A Channel Are Losing

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After recent news that Canwest Global has placed it’s E! Channel stations up for sale, and is thinking of shutting them down if they can’t find a buyer, I decided to put in my 2 cents about why such a thing may be happening. Following further news that CTV’s A Channel, which operates a local station here in London, was shutting down it’s Wingham and Windsor stations, I realized it really needed to be done.

Speaking about E! Channel specifically, I think the network is in trouble mostly due to a large lack of quality programming. Think about it. The entire channel is based around the concept that potential viewers are so obsessed with “celebrity culture” that they will tune-in to shows like Dr. 90210, TMZ.com and True Hollywood Story (THS). I think that potential audience base has already been diluted by equally pointless shows like Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew, which airs on MuchMoreMusic. I won’t dignify them by linking to them, sorry.

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London: Go big or go home?

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As the recession rolls on and stimulus dollars come in, we ask ourselves, “What should we do?”

Should we spend? Should we save? Do we invest in long-term projects or short-term projects? Or BOTH?

The question is being posed to London councillors, and apparently most of them agree that we need to spend. The London Free Press spoke to all 14 city councillors over the weekend and apparently most of them are leaning towards investing stimulus money coming from the federal government in long-term projects that will create jobs. Apparently a favourite is centred around some expansion and upgrades that could turn London International Airport into a major access point, along with upgrades to Veterans Memorial Parkway and access the Highway 401.

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PETA Just Doesn't Get It

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I don’t believe that PETA, formally known as People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, truly understands how to get their message across in a manner that will get the general public to care about said message. No doubt they know how to shock you and put you in awe of some of the genuine atrocities against animals that happen across the world, but for some reason they turn their attention to some very odd targets in some truly bizarre manners.

The latest example: Using Ilaanaq, the inukshuk logo being used for Vancouver’s 2010 Olympic games, in their material against the annual seal hunt. Really PETA? You want to go there? Okay, let’s.

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A Sustainable Food Cycle, Part 2

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As a follow-up to my previous post, A Sustainable Food Cycle, I have done some research recently in the interest of covering some more ideas surrounding the subject. Talks from the TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) conference, pro-business magazines like Fast Company have both been covering the topics recently and I think it’s worth noting. Admittedly this entry will not have nearly as narrow a focus as part 1, but I don’t think that will really matter.

First off it’s worthy to note that Fast Company, a magazine & website all about business innovation, recently put up an article entitled the Ten Best Green Jobs for the Next Decade. The very first job listed? Farmer. Why? Because the move to a sustainable food cycle invites urban/vertical farming to be a part of the solution. Translation – we’re not going to replace the farmers we currently have, we’re going to offset the lack of supply during non-growing months. Makes sense, doesn’t it? Indeed, it may be high time for a former client of mine to realize his dream of it “being a good time to be a farmer” fairly soon. And the message that Mark Bittman, cookbook author, journalist and TV personality, has been espousing recently just lends more credence to that.

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