The A.P. Reality

Let Freedom Ring!! Ecuador Grants Asylum To The Brave Julia Assange

2012-08-24T11:10:00.003-04:00

One of the biggest criticisms that plague our generation (18-34yrs if not a bit older) is our inability to sacrifice for the greater good. Despite the world-changing communication technology that is social media many of us are still afraid to speak out... or speak up for the injustices of our time. It's almost like we're thinking "well, at least our streets don't look like Baghdad" as our justification to become so complacent with our way of life being slowly eroded.

Canada is known for it pristine-like natural landscape, diversity, humbleness - for the most part. Being ostracized, threatened, and targeted isn't something anyone, much less Canadian, would be willing to risk like Mr. Julian Assange did - after all, it would be sooo out of character (see humble link). Canadian journalists would rather stick to our wasteful spending and shocking government pay raises, or some irrelevant personal choice for 18 years ago when a candidate wasn't even in power as our "scandal of the century", Nobel prize-worthy tokens of keeping our government in check.

On August 16, 2012, the Ecuadorean foreign minister, Ricardo Patiño, granted political asylum for whistle-blower Julian Assange. In a speech that only real heroes can give, Assange thanked the entire Ecuadorean government and other Latin American countries that supported Patiño's adherence to their constitution on asylum laws. See video:

Patiño's bravery is but one out of many countries finally taking a stand against America's nazi-like war on all domestic and foreign persons that dare to defy their authority.

Safe passage for Assange to the airport has been denied by British foreign minister, William Hague, making it possible for authorities to arrest him should he emerge for the embassy at all - which, of course, only goes to highlight the moral corruption that exists within Britain's government.

Brave people like Julian Assange or Bradly Manning have come to embody what freedom and free-speech truly is. No longer are they simply ideals. For each day of confinement these two men suffer... is, literally, a reflection of our deepest fears should we ever stand up... and speak out.

Free Bradley Manning! Free Julian Assange!

Never Say Never Pt 4: A Year of Clarity

2012-08-20T11:20:00.001-04:00

To Be Originally Posted On August 15, 2012

       One year today I took my blinders off. One year ago today, I sought peace. Like many people, I've always wanted to be that person that truly made a difference - if not on a global scale, at least to a few whose realities have been changed by my being a part of it.

      Today marks so many special moments in my life, but not only do I remember this day to be the nauseating stink on all the compounded bullshit I was going through that whole week, it was also the most awe -inspiring and educational moment of my whole life. Scratch that. I don't think anything could beat my reaction to learning about how animal milk is really produced: once I got home, I immediately dumped the milk that was in the fridge and sitting in the freezer down the sink. You may find that to be crazy... I call it an act of liberty.

      There are many who call the incredible documentary Earthlings a propaganda piece - a feature length movie of isolated incidences that reflect nothing of what actually happens on most "organic" farms. While the statement does hold some merit - I said some, dammit - how these animals live out their lives are not their choosing. No cow wants to be separated from its calf to be used as a milking machine, no hen wants their throat snipped and head clipped off once she stops producing eggs, and no wild animal wants to be whipped a hundred times to perform tricks for a screaming crowd. Most animals would prefer being left the fuck alone to enjoy nature's symphony and each moment of their time alive on this planet. I, being a sentient human being, am the same way.

      Aside from the series of setbacks, withdrawal systems, and frustrations that come with building new habits (i.e. suffering "the shakes" once eliminating eggs & cheese, the ridicule from others, how present my mind had to be when shopping (I really need to get back into meditating) - and the desire to go back in eating "normally" - which was generated purely from the ridicule) I have introduced so many wonderful foods to my already plant-strong diets like zucchini, sweet yam, jalapeno peppers, sweet potato, cocoa powder and - dare I say it - white mushrooms (I know their a type of fungus, but I don't eat them all the time, sheesh! I was trying them) and just recently Almond yogurt- this is more for health reasons as I don't need this as a regular staple in my groceries and I refuse to just eat the animal-derived version. Anyways!!! It's not that I have never eaten these things before, it's just that I've never cooked with them with my own two hands. And the more I learn about and try new fruits and veggies, the more substance not depravity I have in this life-after cheese experience. When I need a "cheese" fix, I buy vegan cheese slices, use salt or butter, or make use of my nutritional yeast. But thankfully, those urges are far and few between. Besides, I still make great food without the use of cheese and eating plant-strong is all about getting creative in that kitchen.

      But there has to be a few of my favourite omnivorous foods I miss dearly. I'm not gonna lie... there is. I don't own a blended, but I am the proud owner of a self-powered mini food processor and I will be looking into making vegan pesto. I'm also interested in this lentil bolognese sauce, and still in search of a good alfredo sauce recipe.

      One new addition to this journey is my eating of more raw foods. Not to imply that I am now considering a raw vegan diet. I could never, won't ever... je m'excuse, I mean, I am currently having a great time working with more raw foods, and cooking them as oppose to packaged vegan stuff and I wish to continue learning more and incorporate more of these types of foods into my everyday life.

     As I look back on some of my old entries throughout this whole one-year journey, I see so much progress in such a short amount of time that, to be honest, never happened when I was in college. I thought I knew exactly who I was and what I wanted out of life, but since graduating so many of my values, my perspectives, my heart and mind have gone under a lot of redesign - some more for the better than others. Hey, I'm still human after all. I look forward to my many years ahead as a vegetarian and all the new physical and spiritual awakenings that has invoked a moral responsibility to all my choices thus far.

      As for any newbie out there who is just discovering this way of living I have only this advice: never stop learning about the issues and how you help everyday by eating this way, remember that your efforts do matter. Take all your set-backs in stride and always keep an open mind in trying new things to stay fit, healthy, morally-sane, and comfortable.

Video Inspiration:

Best Speech You Will Ever Hear - Gary Yourofsky

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=es6U00LMmC4

Zeitgeist Media Festival & The "Lost Generation" - A Long Overdue Discussion

2012-08-13T08:32:00.001-04:00

     We live in strange, dangerous and controversial times. Company downsizing, technological advancements, and an over-educated population - all, among other factors mind you, are contributing to today's under-employment/joblessness climate that has become the new norm across all generations.

      While Canada has fared better in the tides of this great recession when compared to other countries, this continuum of long-term joblessness is creating what some economists are calling a "lost generation" if something isn't done. But can anything really be done? It's in a business' core interest to minimize as much expenses as it lawfully can, so who are we to demand more job creations on their part? Sure, we keep these companies at the status that they are by continuing to do business with them, but just like sheep, we'll keep doing so because a) they appear to be the only/best company in the marketplace for what they have to offer or b) we want to be able to afford the things we love no matter what the cost.

      Costs. So much blood, sweat and tears - no to mention our most precious resource: time - go into the things we purchase. But why should they have to? If we look at the most basic things required for people to stay alive and well today, they are the least accessible if you don't have money. The Zeitgeist Movement, founded by the conscious eye of filmmaker Peter Joseph and supported by numerous chapters worldwide aim to address this issue by jump starting the conversation about doing something different. What we understand about ourselves, our planet, and our universe has vastly changed in the last 100 years, but strangely not how we govern ourselves. Okay, it has too... but not for the better: we have several new life-threatening "diseases" with no hope of funding, er... excuse me, finding a cure; poverty so severe that images we see on those daytime "sponsor a child" ads are probably the least gruesome; and a deep competitive nature that mirrors, at best, a psychopath.

      On August 12, 2012, The Zeitgeist Movement's Toronto chapter held their media festival and global food drive. It brings together people for a common cause, and an opportunity to discuss these said issues. Sparking thought and conversation on how humanity is living up to its shared ideals, and where should we be going from here as humans being, regardless of race, creed, religion, country, socio-economics and any other category that we impose to limit ourselves from making this world a place where we all can live comfortably.

       While it is unfortunate I missed the whole festival, I made it a point not to work that day and drop off a bag of canned goods to show my support.

       Feel free to check out the TMZ's main webpage and the Toronto-chapter site if you are interested in getting involved and stay informed by joining any of their social-media groups.

Never Say Never... Journey Into Another Food Label Pt 3: Non Fromage S'il vous plaît

2012-07-07T22:13:00.000-04:00

    Why do I always say "never"? Hasn't the mantra always been to never say that? August 14, 2012 will mark 1 year since the last time I let pieces of rotting flesh of another living being dressed up in fresh spices pass through my lips and I can't help but feel truly proud of myself for spending this past year living with a higher level of consciousness.

     This journey has not been without successes and failures, and as I've stated in previous posts of the same title, the path of eschewing animal products from my life is one that I am walking at my own pace. Often times I thought vegans who were so damn adamant about being 100% consistent in their purchases and appetite - or otherwise "you're just another vegetarian/omni" - were self-righteous/over-reaching zealots. And while I am a subscriber to the Peter Singer's "Paris Exemption" only to the extent of eating something vegetarian when a vegan option is not available/preferable (i.e. basic house salad and french fries) over the past few months I have come to understand Gary Francione and vegans who share his contention with exceptions, holding them to be a slippery slope - and that's putting it nicely. And... I hate to say it but continuing to eat cheese, even on occasion did develop into something wet. My guilty pleasure of Second Cup's cheese croissants triggered a series of "just this one time" excuses for buttered bagels, 3-cheese ravioli and perogies. But, thankfully, not to the biggest slip of them all - Kraft Dinner. I don't give a damn how tight money gets sometimes, I will not subject myself to powdered cheese sauce again.

      Cheese became such an instant fix to all of my cravings between vegan meals that who knows what other excuses I would have made for myself if I kept on this way. By the end of March apathy had really did some damage to my morale. I got so caught up in trying to strike a balance between eating vegan and eating conveniently that I soon began to rely on the prepared - a decision that affects more than just myself - than the freshly prepared. Typically, I find the people who thrive the most while eating a plant-based diet are the ones who make time to actually make what they eat for themselves. Colleen Patrick-Goudreau among many other joyful vegans (as she likes to put it) of different stripes and walks of life suggest people need to make their personal health a priority in life otherwise we could lose out on living out our best lives from being sick and miserable - and yes, I'm looking at all of y'all self-proclaimed 'junk-food vegans' out there too. We need to be peeling off more skin from apples than the plastic wrappings of another veggie burger, you feel me?
I digress.

    On one hand it felt good knowing that I did not lose enough footing to fall deeper into the abyss of unconscious thinking, but the fact that I did tore my ego to shreds for being so damn weak in my convictions. I went in search on the Internet to find support from people trying to quit this addictive stuff, and while I did find many mostly-vegan or transitioning-to-vegan people who shared my struggle there was very little support; no real advice or even some damn encouragement. So to the Vegan Police who will undoubtedly troll this post with self-righteous comments KNOW THIS: remember your story - us slower progressives didn't see the truth behind dairy and eggs at age 5 like you did, okay. The older you get the harder it is to break bad habits.
     I eventually did stumble upon some advice that spoke to me, though: choose a day (a very soon date) and do 30 days. On the 31st day, if you want to indulge, so be it but look into making plans to do another 30 or 45 or 60 days real soon. If you find yourself counting down the days of when you can start eating the things you know are bad for you - not only do you have way too much time on your hands, but that's a sign of addiction. Seriously. You can tell people don't watch so much TV, don't drink so much, quit gambling... but if you tell people to quit eating cheese or dairy products in general (i.e. ice cream, yogurt, and cow milk) MANY will look at like you as if you just asked them to hold their breath forever. And that's what I generally heard for years when I first learned of what a vegan was at 16yrs old. But I did it.

     Given my last contention on the matter, I never thought that my birthday - well at least not this year's birthday - would mark my last day of indulgence. The next 60 days that followed were... Imma be honest: they were hell. I started getting easily irritated at people, the smell of cheese haunted me everywhere I went (and since 90% of food is made with dairy products, I swear you can smell the stuff through any paper or plastic wrapping), I even started to dream about Alfredo sauce. Psychologists say you never know how much you love something until you have to live without it, and something tells me that the phone calls I made to my friend twice while grocery shopping regarding my hands going from sweating to shaking from the sight and smell of cheese was an indication that my reliance on cheese as a staple in my food choices bordered on textbook signs of addiction. And honestly, it was scary seeing how a simple animal by-product influenced my preference for some of my favorite foods could drive such a reaction.
    ANYWAYZ... The 60 days came and went and while I did count every single day since my last piece of cheese, I wasn't running to another Second Cup to buy a cheese croissant as a reward. I kept it moving. The sweating and the shakes had subsided, the dreams were no more, and while the smell of it is still appealing I equate the idea of eating it to sprinkling bacon bits in a Caesar salad.

Have I been super-devout perfect since the 60-day swear-off? I've had a few hiccups, though none were cheese specific, and I've been cutting out a few junk-food vegan items I once felt I had to live off of in order to feel "normal", now I am incorporating more fresh and frozen fruits and veggies into my meals.

   It hasn't even been a year yet and I have made so many advances in trying to make plant-based foods the cornerstone of what I consume, and make compassion apart of all my interactions with people. I know that there are many who advocate an instant switch to giving all animal products, but honestly, I love the journey that transitioning offers; all the reasons for doing so and benefits gained hold so much more meaning when you make changes at your own pace and not for others. I strive to live up to my own ideals and no one else's.

Tell me, could you give up cheese? If so, would you ever?

10 Years of... Everything

2012-07-03T12:25:00.000-04:00

Hey Y'all,

     I know it's been a minute but SOOO much has went down that it was hard to find time to just sit and address them as they kept coming. But I hope you all are doing well and surviving during these hard economic times - and I will address that issue in another post.

     ANYWAYZ...Today is a very special day, not only for my significant other but for me as well - 10 years of well... I'm not too sure. See, we're not exactly lovers but we're not exactly friends either and since breaking up about 5 years ago, we've sat comfortably between FWB and a real relationship. What that place is I'm not going to lose sleep trying to define, but I can't help wondering if it will ever manifest into something more grounded, more rooted.

    To try to accomplish the same feat with someone else at this stage of my life would be hard. And by that I mean... if you were to stand my 15-year-old self and today's me beside each other, I am almost an entirely different person - and I'm still a work in progress - and it would be even more difficult to meet a person that wants to walk with after understanding that journey. Don't get me wrong, my story pales in comparison to what a lot of other sistahs go through by the time they lick 25 - but I wouldn't say I was fed with a silver spoon either. So I am grateful. Not too many women who have been in or is currently in a relationship with a man for this long can claim their biggest issue between them (still!) is defining it - and after 10 years there's usually WAY more complicated factors to consider.

      I don't know why my quandary even surprises me - I am a curious case to deal with so it's wise for any man to tread carefully. My special somebody has seen the very worst of me and still chooses to stick around, and for walking that fine line between the real world and my reality with such endurance makes him more than just a whatever to me. He is hope, he is kindness, he is my north star, the blanket that keeps me warm in winter, the thought that quells my fears when I am so uncertain. He is someone I cannot define because... well, he's my everything.

So here's to another 10 years and more of, well... everything.

Milestones... A Dream Deferred

2012-01-31T12:07:00.000-05:00

     This year will mark my 25th birthday, which means I will be officially old enough to say things like "back in the day". Now I will suffer the blank stares from youth looking at me when I become nostalgic over memories of Mr. Dressup, A Diff'rent World, Ghost Writer, and Boy Meets World, and be mocked for being 'ol school.

     Growing up in boring suburbia, I had envisioned my 20s to be an exciting time. Like most people, not just 20-year-olds, I figured I would be working in an industry that really showed off my best character traits that catered to or provided a means for my thirst for adventure, and earn enough for retirement. But sadly, that isn't the case. The dynamics of today's world have changed sooo dramatically that it rarely matters if you are highly educated or not; most entry level jobs within any given industry are so menial that anyone with a high school diploma can do it, yet they still require a post-secondary education. Making good money in today's world is, well, really a waiting game... and luck. To ask for that pay raise, or go full-time, or even step into a higher level of management you got to ask when sales are doing well (so forget about asking during January or February), keep track of who in the company whose position you want - or can at least do just as well - who is fucking up (i.e. taking long lunches, abandoning their shifts, needing time off too often etc.) as these are all scenarios where you can come in and kiss a lot of ass, er, show off your level of commitment - though, you too have been half-assing your whole tenure the entire time - and put forth a basic case to move up on the rat-bitten financial ladder.

That's right, everyone! We live in a world where the idea of living peacefully with others is a concept that is often laughed at and reduced to personal associations with the "hippie" sub-culture rather than a logical step toward a more civil society. It's not enough to simply aspire to have a career, you got to be cut-troat about getting it. Only those who lie and cheat prosper, and those who don't... get exploited but still have their integrity. Which side are you on???

    Hardly a week goes by without me feeling restless about my life. I am nowhere near this dream of being a career women that past generations seemed to so easily slide into by my age. Complete with a marriage, a kid, a pet and a dental plan. And, yet, sometimes I find myself thinking why these milestones matter. Are they my own desires or ones that are pressed upon me by society. Could my life be just as fulfilling without marriage, kids, pets or dental plans, or is that just an excuse for complacency?

     I am not ashamed to want these things, no matter how imposed these ideals are, but I want to achieve this standard of living with integrity, compassion, and sound work ethic. I want to live a life where all my creative and philosophical energies are continuously put towards making this world more peaceful, more modern... more civilized. If I achieve nothing else in this brief moment in time I call life, then I can finish the mile without the stones.

What do you think? Is expecting certain things to happen in your life because of your age an outdated concept? Or are they just as relevant today as they were 60 years ago?

Never Say Never... Journey Into Another Food Label Pt 2

2012-01-22T08:05:00.004-05:00

Lets recount shall we? Since discovering the hell that is factory farming - or livestock farming in general - in early May of 2011 I've went from being a full vegan (which lasted for about 4 days) back to white-meat-only and seafood, to being a pescatarian, to a full vegetarian by August 2011. What a rapid change, huh? By October I gave up eggs, but on occasion still ate cheese and consumed things with honey.

Like cheese, I don't go out of my way and pick up honey when I do groceries, but I also don't go out of my way to avoid it either. By that I am referring to the vast array of cereals, sandwich spreads, and beverages which contain honey as a natural sweetener. As I am to understand, there is a "great divide" among many vegans, whom on one side, see the continued consumption of honey as a grey area, if not an exceptional option, of ethical concern while a majority find it a failure of living up to the highest ideals of what veganism is ALL about. I, of course, lend my support to the former, though, on certain conditions. To me, I find the business of beekeeping not as severe in ethical weight as oppose to the horror faced by cows, pigs, poultry, fish and now horses in the U.S. for every second the clock ticks. Oops! There goes that bias again, someone pass me a mirror. But seriously speaking - bees live a far more natural life than other animals. Yes, I understand that a small portion of female honeybees' reproductive system is exploited to harvest more bees, and their bounty is taken away from them which is still a grievance much like a calf drawn away from its mother so humans can take their milk, and for those reasons I think vegans make an excellent argument. But I don't endorse the general demonizing of all beekeepers. Since most hobbyist typically leave more than enough food for their bees in the winter to survive on, and only sell honey (not its wax or combs for its use in other things) as a secondary means of income, I don't see any ethical dilemma: bees live lives that are relatively undisturbed until it's time to harvest - a stark difference when you compare the ever-full conveyor belts and tanks of fully-conscious land and sea animals. In fact, I would take a gamble in saying that the significant decline in honeybees worldwide may stem from the food mono-cultures and pesticides that humans have decided with their purchasing power they want harvested in abundance - not by the conditions of beekeeping. So if you want to give the little guys a break, please start growing your own nuts, fruits and veggies.

First Read: Why honey is NOT vegan
Then Read: Meet my beekeeper

Currently, I have no need to buy honey right now - though if I did, I would support a local hobbyist beekeeper (which is for more environmental reasons than ethical). I am taking the time to explore the vast array of vegan alternative sweeteners (rolls my eyes) that abolitionist vegans won't stfu about. Yes, I will admit I do like agave nectar, and for the price and size that I purchase it for coincides with how much I actually do use - though I still think it should be much cheaper, and I end up using a lot in my teas - but I look forward to trying brown rice syrups, Stevia etc. etc. But know this: I won't intentionally avoid honey if it shows up in an ingredients list; there are just way too many good cereals to pass up on just to avoid that 1 sweetener. So bee it. I maybe willing to give up cheese one day, but not honey. Like I said before, I'm not really attached to dietary labels, but if I were asked I would say that I identify as a lacto-vegetarian only because I fail in being a consistent vegan by eating cheese croissants once in a while but eschew every other dairy derivative such as cream cheese, sour cream, ice cream etc. This may be as far I am willing to go... but, you never know.

What do you think? Do you have a high esteem about your diet, or could you do without the food labels? Does honey help or hurt the cause for veganism?

Never Say Never... Journey Into Another Food Label Pt 1

2012-01-20T10:23:00.004-05:00

    Never say never. As stated before in my last entry much has happened during my hiatus. As a new vegetarian, I continuously sought out more nutritional informational to make sure I wasn't overloading my diet on some things, and depriving it of others. From time to time, though, I would browse through peoples online testimonials of their reasons for going vegetarian or vegan. One would think after six months of progressing into a vegetarian diet these stories of awakening and transition would lose their luster - after all, my reasons to forgo my contribution to the misery of up to 45 billion land animals worldwide, minimize my ecological footprint, and protect myself from certain impurities that can lead to life-threatening diseases were reflected countless times in their statements. Instead, they continued to be a source of inspiration, but more importantly, a mirror to my own certain biases toward some land animals' plights, and not others.

    Cage-free. Free-run. Organic. As an ovo-vegetarian, I wanted my purchases to reflect my convictions. I really believed that as long as I bought from farmers who allow their hens to live in a comfortable environment nothing was ethically wrong with eating eggs; hens lay eggs - period, so if I want to include it into my diet i figured I could at least get 'em from farms with small flocks that were still organic and free-run. I was even willing to pay extra for those types of eggs in support of that conviction. I went to Wholefoods and searched online to find a couple of local farmers that produced such types that fit this criteria, but their websites were rather plain and didn't give me much insight. So, rather than leave this subject alone and living in blissful ignorance, I continued to seek information regarding small flock farms. Turns out, a small flock is typically 500 of 'em still crammed wing-to-wing in a large house. Needless to say, thereafter, I could no longer in good conscious eat eggs ever again. Keeping 500 hens pent-up their whole lives - cage-free or not - coupled with the inhumane euthanizing of newborn male chicks and the practice of de-beaking was way more than what I was willing to compromise in my ethics on animal exploitation. So in late October 2011, I gave up eggs for good.

     This was by NO MEANS an easy thing for me to do. It was second-nature for me to just crack a few in a pan, sandwich it between two slices of toasted bread and call it a breakfast. But now that eggs were no longer a breakfast option for me anymore, I didn't know what I was going to do. It sounds ridiculous but... I was nervous and scared. I scrambled (get it) the internet for some quick and easy breakfast ideas. Tofu scramble was okay, but I was growing tired of it, and I found the cream of wheat to heavy when combined with my other breakfast favorites like toast and cereals. It was my good friend who suggested I get back into eating hash browns. I swear he is a genius. Initially, it was a trial-some 30 days going without eating eggs (constant cravings, envy, even borderline psychosis occupied that period) but by December those symptoms had waned. I started to experiment more in the kitchen and now enjoy a plethora of options in the morning.

     So had I officially become a vegan? Not quite... at least if you put me up against another vegan by abolitionist standards. Though I managed to kick eating eggs for good, I fell back into the block cheese cycle. Now, when I do groceries, I don't intentionally pick up block cheese or ANY dairy product, but when I am out on the street and I am in a Tim Hortons or Second Cup I don't necessarily deny myself the addictive pleasure of cheese bagels or croissants either. At first, I felt guilty every single time (still do sometimes, I won't lie) for my lack of will power in resisting the hypnotizing allure of cheese, and I tried to curb this habit by only indulging once in a long while, but, still, the guilt creeps in. Fortunately, the more I read about transitioning to a vegan diet, the less I gave myself hell for it. I realized that my intention was to give up cheese for good someday and that I have to respect myself for going about it at my own speed, not others... and certainly not for some social title. I do my best to avoid it... but I don't deprive myself of it, if that's what I want - which is, thankfully, not often. As I learn more about nutritional yeast and non-dairy cheese sauce recipes, just like the hashbrowns, I'm sure living a life after dairy cheese will soon become second-nature ;)

Allow Me To Re-Introduce Myself... New Years Resolutions

2012-01-12T15:09:00.001-05:00

WOW! It has been a long time. So much stuff has occurred in the world since I last posted, and so much in my world has as well. Even now, as I write I'm still going through my madness, but I felt compelled to start doing what I love best - writing!!

So, in the spirit of celebrating a brand new year I want to re-introduce the A.P. Reality blogspot with a short series of posts that will get this blog all caught up on past events while at the same time remain current. So I don't overwhelm myself but become to complacent, I will try to post stuff bi-weekly or monthly, but there won't be huge gaps between posts anymore. Cool? So let's do this damn thang!

Re-Intro. Part 1 - 2012 Resolutions
Happy New Year! Just in case you haven't heard that phrase for the billionth time these past two weeks, but hopefully (in some weird train of thought way) leads you to think about your resolutions. Last year, I had several but one ambiguous goal I wanted to maintain throughout 2011 was to take myself more seriously. If you asked anyone from my high school or college years that knew me personally will screw their face with a look of confusion and think "Ashley, take her self more seriously... um, that (chick) needs to lighten up once and a while." Seriously, that's what they'll tell you. But what a lot of people don't know about me is... I sometimes lack the great talent of following-through. By that I mean I can be a self-starter, but I am a bad finisher; my interest in something tends to burn out if I am not progressing quick enough - which is typical of someone who is a Fire sign - and more often than not my seedlings of new endeavours bloom only into buds, not flowers. So 2011 was suppose to be a year of change, and I did change: I completed my novel; I changed my eating habits, my self-esteem improved, I really put myself out there in the industry for which I went to school. I struggled every step of the way, of course, but as many great leaders of the past will tell you "without struggle, there is no progress".

This year, in the wake of so much higher consciousness among the masses, I want to strive for a better me: become more financially independent (i.e. getting off of the crack credit card), take my writing more seriously, getting involved with an NGO or social advocacy group, learn Spanish and find a better job ... among a few others that I may write a post on (Stay tuned).

Some people eschew New Years resolutions because they find it a waste of time and think "c'mon, who really sticks to them by the end of January?" I used to say the same thing, believe me. But last year I was determined to see them through because I wasn't getting any younger and I felt I was slowing sliding into a rut, and it hadn't even been a year since I graduated from college. The difference now is setting these resolutions are goals that I actually WANT to achieve, not because I feel like I have to.

What are some of you New Year resolutions? Do you ever stick to them? Let a girl know, huh?

One Year Later: A Rude Awakening to a Better Me

2011-09-27T12:07:00.002-04:00

18/09/10

See this pic. Yeah, that's me about year ago. The aftermath to having asked my uncle to take me to the barber to cut my 3yrs- and-3mth-old Sisterlocks off. I wont even tell you how much they cost, but compared to other bloggers, I paid SIGNIFICANTLY less and I only had to sit for 11hrs (Technically 12hrs, 'cause my loctician did take a break). I was getting so frustrated with having them, so along with my feelings of relief of freeing my hair from the bondage of locs, I also felt like a total idiot because I had just spent good money ordering the Nappyloc tool - that I only used once. Argh!!!

27/09/11

       I keep the damn thing because I feel like I may never know when I just may want to start loc'ing again, but then I think about the effort in trying to keep it lint-free and I don't let my memories manifest into anything more. Like most women who get this trademarked 'do, I felt that even the standard-sized set that I had put in, was still too small! I had a hard time keeping it moisturized despite my best efforts and by that time I had started learning about how to to maintain loose, natural tresses by watching Kimmaytube and wanted to embark on that journey instead.

      But altering my hairstyle wasn't the only thing that would change in the year to come. That "Big Chop" jump-started a lot of maturing I needed to do. From organizing my finances - thanks to Canadian money-guru Gail Vaz-Oxlade (gotta buy her book soon) - to getting to a level of consciousness about the world that has shifted all of my values since I was young. And of course, learning to love myself.

      The rude awakening of not getting into Grad school made me consider other career options (more on that later), and a good friend told me to use this time to reflect and really define myself - don't hide in school unless you know for sure that what your studying is something you are truly passionate about. So, during the summer of 2011 I set aside my crippled ego, and I finally came to terms with every facet of my young-adult life. I looked at my spiritual beliefs, my diet, my carbon footprint - all of it, and I defined it by myself, for myself. Of course, there were sparks of inspiration from the outside world, but the follow-through in doing my own research has led me to being the woman I am today: a happier person, a healthier person. Not only is my perkier self (gosh i hate to say it like that, and at all) is taking a positive toll on my personal life (I don't struggle to smile anymore, it's like second-nature now), but also in the work place. Call it good karma, I don't know, but I'm now interning at a film distribution company and I have much more energy that is even surprising ME! I skipped breakfast and I didn't start feeling tired until 12:00pm (I rolled out of bed around 6:30am). For the first time ... I don't know, since puberty I guess, I am really enjoying my life... despite all its hardships. I feel good in the way I vote with my dollar when I make a purchase, the guilt-free feeling and amount of stored energy when I sit down to eat, and my increased involvement in social causes. I love it all.

Now...

Ovo-Vegetarian vs. Veganism

     I know it's not good to say "never". I said that about 1% milk once, then I started drinking 1% milk and loved it. I said that about salt-free butter, then I started eating started buying salt-free butter. And of course, I said I would NEVER be a vegetarian - my best friend is a non-preachy lacto-ovo-vegetarian and not ONCE during our 14-year friendship did she pressure me into switching. I would ask her questions and she would give me a straight answer - no long-winded story. Now look at me. One dumbass Vegan Outreach pamphlet later, and a single viewing of Earthlings and I'm leading a mostly-vegan lifestyle. Will I make the full switch? That is my Ovo-vegetarian dilemma - as I find eggs to be a natural and delicious source of B12, despite such cruelty involved. But I always tell people, my vegetarian diet is based mostly on my health and the environment and I try to do as much as I can to curb my carbon-footprint. But I would be living a hypocritical life if I tout my environmentalism and still contribute to an industry that is a cause of greenhouse gases. The body can store 3 -20 years worth of vitamin B-12 before one is deemed deficient, so... I have concluded with my conscious that if I am going to eat whole eggs still, I have to buy free-run and organic and not make it a staple in my diet. The months where I do go without eating whole eggs, I won't avoid in other foods that contain them- like mayonnaise, or egg noodles (I am also finding more and more foods that contain only egg whites - a waste of a good egg IMO, but still lower in bad cholesterol). If I choose these egg-based foods I am not consuming as much eggs and I have variety in my food.

So the question remains: will I ever go vegan? I will not say 'never', instead, I'll just say.... not today. Simply having a dairy-free diet is still eating mostly vegan stuff and still having the positive benefits of a healthier diet. I don't like pill or powder supplements, and I don't eat fungus either, so eating eggs for B12 is as much dietary restriction that I am willing to undergo for the sake of my health, planet and animals as of right now. But like I said... becoming a vegan... I can't ever say 'never'.

Burnout: The Importance of Volunteering and Life Balance

2011-09-10T08:23:00.001-04:00

The greater good. I am a person who believes in self-sacrifice for the greater - not in the most dogmatic way, but where it can be done. It's a core reason why I am now vegetarian, and a blossoming social activist. I have a strong desire to see some positive change in this world, hopefully in my lifetime, and a part of me feels that I can with just having that virtue and being around people. A smile, a hug, words of gratitude, gift-giving, sharing, supporting, honoring the best of us - all those things are priceless, and we can practice each day of our lives.
I hope that this daily ritual of kindness bleeds into our social fabric that currently capitalizes on individualism, personal desires, and greed in a degree that is not even humane. Let me clarify: there is nothing wrong with being your own individual, but to hold your own self-interests so high that it supersedes humility is - I find to be - self-indulging in the most extreme and dogmatic way. Thus, you submit yourself to always fueling your desires, living a life of dissatisfaction, and suffer when that desire isn't fulfilled, or worse, when it's not fulfilled in a timely manner.

When people confide in me, or I in them, about feeling the pressure to being the best in everything - whether it is from family or from themselves, I think about how that has become the sad reality of being an adult. And it's because people today value feeding their own egos than seeing the value in humane virtues and practice. Since we live in a system that thrives off of competition, we are "forced" to put living humanely to the side. Hell, even trust often has to be earned in the same way money is acquired: labour. But I remember a few teachers telling me this: our paths to attain our goals will always be different, but we get there [sic]. Yes. Often times, it takes a journey to fully appreciate what you really want in life, what you really want to do with your life. I have friend whom I have known for years who are active members in something community-related or vegetarian, but I only started getting involved and practicing this year. I don't feel guilty for never starting sooner, because if I did so just because, I wouldn't understand why I was doing it. I would just be satisfied in feeding my own ego from the people who would praise me for being just like them. And yet, as ironic as it may be, one still loses their sense of individuality by striving to be part of the masses in that self-indulgence of feeding one's ego. Weird, huh?

But let's step back for a second, because being in good spirits and practice all the time, isn't a perfect formula for life's woes. Humanity may be a social creature, but anyone can attest to the NECESSITY of having "me- time". Can I get a "word up!" on that? This may be biased coming from a centrist, but balancing your time, not taking too many convictions to the extreme, and being okay with doing what you can is important. Outside from my internship and work, I am also a social activist. Today marks the inaugural TZM - Toronto - Global Food Drive at El Gordo's Fine Foods in Kensington Market in Toronto, Canada. We are collecting non-perishable foods for Scott's Mission food bank, so if you are in town come drop by and take part in the festivities in our gratitude for your donation. And learn something new.

I digress. So... yeah, with so much on the go, it is possible to suffer from burnout. You can't always be at your perkiest and people should compassionate enough to understand that. So balance is key, I feel so much better doing a lot of things that I've never done before this year and I am coming to appreciate the time it takes to get there. Don't stress people, it may take until your 40yrs or 70yrs young to finally live out your unapologetic, authentic life, but you'll get there. We all do.

What always burns you out? Family, school, job? All three? Let me know in the comments below.

Summer of 2011: A Season of Personal Change

2011-09-04T09:32:00.001-04:00

    What does it mean to be yourself? Though the answers to this important question are many they all carry the same underlying premise: being yourself involves accepting yourself. For 16 years - and counting- I've had so much trouble accepting myself. For years, I pressured myself for perfection and punished myself whenever I didn't succeed - which, unfortunately, was often. For over 16 years I was my own worst enemy, not my own best friend.

     After much trials, I made significant progress in managing my mentality but I had settled into apathy regarding other crucial elements that make up one's character: principles and spirituality. And I didn't like that at all. As the new year of 2011 wore on, I met interesting people that challenged the heart of every value and perspective I had ever held of life, respectively altering some forever and leaving others well intact after much consideration. This crash-course of clashing philosophical ideas was the catalyst I think I needed to really look at myself in the mirror and really think critically about what it is that I valued in life, and what I valued in my own. If I am wrong about anything else, this, I know, was for certain: I stand by my convictions. And at the same time, anyone who knows me knows that I am not one for dogmas. Part of being a holistic scientist is to control one's ego. I hate being wrong, but I cannot deny scientific facts, so I must open my ideals to different types of study and sciences to help explain the things of this world that are unexplainable.

    For years I've sought for a truth that was universal; a single concept that was so unifying that no one could deny its validity. But it was only this year did it finally dawn on me that "truth"is too subjective to be understood objectively. Truth is still a shared understanding of a concept of the times. And one day that concept will be replaced with a new one. So if there was any "universal truth at all" it would be that ideas, concepts, and philosophies are just as mortal as we are - though what sustains them allows them to last much longer than the average human lifespan.
     With this central truth in mind, I had to define my own, no matter how "ignorant" it may be to some, and quit pretending to identify with existing ones for the sake of fitting in. To continue leading such a life would be less than authentic, and thus, would be no "life" at all.

    When I was younger I used to stammer when I read aloud and somehow, after I began taking Judo at my local YMCA which involved 15 min. of meditation, it went away. I was only 9 or 10 years old, I had no idea how to meditate, I simple closed my eyes and let my criticisms of the whole practice swirl in my brain. But once I felt the words easily escape my lips when called upon to read during class, eventually I looked more into the art of meditation to solve a lot of my other developing issues. As I entered my teenage years and I learned the importance of being mentally present at all times - or, simply, being conscious of everything I did- to truly live each moment of life. When I meditate, I pay attention to my breathing, and often shift my focus around to feel the surface on which I was sitting, the bones in my fingers, every beat of my heart etc. And for someone who had recurring bouts of depression, this practice made me appreciate being alive, despite crappy circumstances.

    Everything is a a process, every life is a journey, so as I trekked through mine, I stumbled in having never continued to habitually meditate as a form of mental and spiritual therapy. But there comes a point when the soul gets tired of being stuck in a cycle of misery, and a fight-or-flight mentality kicks in. As 2011 dawned, I knew this would be the year I would stop running. I would make use of the cards I have been dealt and fight for myself to live a happy life. With the help of old friends, and new ones, historical mentors, soul searching and lessons taken from my guidance counselor, I learned the most important lesson in life this year: self-studying. Taking control of your own understanding of this world and universe has never been so empowering before, especially with the topics being printed today and having access to a wealth of online information you can cross-reference with other sources. If I knew it was this easy to self-educate myself, I wouldn't be in so much debt. But I guess we pay for someone to explain the main concepts without having to read these books ourselves, so I appreciate the service of post-secondary education.

    As a result of meditation, and rediscovering the practice of being conscious in everything I do, I decided to take control of my life and start contributing to my community. People who talk to me, know how I feel about the environment, religion, politics, economics and education. Many will disagree with my centrist views on some things, but not on others, and like I said before, my "truths" are only a reflection of how I feel today. Ideas and values evolve... and I'm quite sure mine will too as I age.

    If all the things I had planned to do this year never get realized, I am most proud of the time I took this great summer to rediscover myself. It wasn't easy, but nothing worth doing ever is.

    It's sad that summer is ending, but autumn is just another chapter of this world and mine. And I hope it to be just as life-changing as summer was.

Which season did you experience a significant change, good or bad? What defines your happiness?

Environmental Vegetarianism

2011-08-23T11:38:00.005-04:00

I was raised on eating meat. Even when I was small I wasn't so naive to not think my burgers did not come from a cow, I was only ignorant to never questioning if killing animals was right or wrong. Which for many don't seem to mind because of the texture and protein derived from it, and from the time you are very small you learn about "the circle of life" and dinosaurs. But for me, that was the biggest conundrum: I always felt T-Rex dinosaurs were always in the wrong in feeding off of herbivorous animals, yet that same sentiment did not extend to the "normal" diet of humans beings.
Why does grass-fed beef taste better? Well, it's because these cows actually eat food that their bodies were designed to digest properly... it's a plant-based diet. So outside of just fat that the T-Rex was getting when he ate the Brontosaurus, he was also getting the plant nutrients of which the Brontosaurus had so well built in his system over time. But... to each his own, right?

For me, since watching the life-altering documentary and being a passionate environmentalist, I made a commitment to eliminate animal products from my diet and the majority of my lifestyle as a means to reduce my contribution to climate change - less demand for meat, less meat needed to be supplied. But I have to be honest with you, because I wasn't raised as a vegetarian - just like most people - giving it up is NOT an easy thing to do... or at least I find it hard to do. It's like smoking for 20 years and quitting cold-turkey, the habit of eating meat is so ingrained in our psyche of what it means to feel full. But because I want to eventually become a vegan and never lapse, cutting down my meat in-take TAKES TIME. It takes patience, self-discipline, and self-education, and honestly, any small reduction for the demand of these kinds of industries and their need to over-breed and cause more suffering and environmental damage, the better.

    I care about animals. I do. I know in some places people eat peacocks and I can't begin to relay how much that offends me on the deepest level possible of my soul. Peacocks, swans, hummingbirds, Canadian geese (I can hear some Canadians booing me now on that one - yes, I know they are annoying little SOBs but... what can I say ;) these are magnificent looking creatures that should be looked upon and admired for their beauty... not eaten, plucked, skinned or what have you. However, I'm not a fan of all a living creatures, mostly bugs and reptiles. I would NEVER eat these things, but their plight is not my predominant reason for giving up meat. It's the 18% carbon footprint that I feel can easily be controlled by humanity's change in social values on what is considered a source of protein. So for the sake of the planet and my own personal health, with a small portion leaning to the rights of animal, is my reason for now practicing an ovo-vegetarian diet as a stepping stone to becoming a vegan.

     Why have I decided to avoid dairy? My own research showed that drinking cow milk has way more side-effects than in comparison to milk derived from plant-based sources. When I learned that cow milk was a factor in causing eczema... that was enough reason for me to quit it altogether. And guess what???? It's been clearing up on my skin and it's only been 3 months!! HA! No more hydro-cortisone cream! I'm Free!

     I'll keep you posted on my progress. It won't be easy, but self-sacrifice for the greater good is a call we all should not be afraid to stand up to, or be ignorant enough to ignore.

"Evil prevails when good [people] do nothing"

- Edmund Burke, 18th Century Irish statesman, philosopher and political theorist.

What are your thoughts on making the switch to a vegan or vegetarian diet? Is it too much of a sacrifice?

A Jack Layton Tribute: The Great Man I Hardly Knew

2011-08-23T07:43:00.007-04:00

For years I heard his voice, but I never listened to what he had to say. I saw his face, and I took his infectious smile for granted. Since I was a young girl I watched this very spirited man bare his soul and make case for a better choice between the two tired, LYING, and devious Conservative and Liberal parties. I always thought he was phony, but then again, I wasn't really listening to what he had to say during those economic times.

    Now, as an older, somewhat mature, young woman and college graduate, I can no longer ignore the Canadian political circus that dictates the law in this country, and for the first time this year I actually took the time finally really listen to Jack Layton and his platform, unfortunately it would be for the last time.

     Something that a lot of people who don't know about me is that I am a swing voter. Since I was 18yrs old I have never identified with any one party platform and claimed it like some socialized religious group. I am one of those people who was sold on whichever party was selling me the best ideas for my current situation. When the 2011 elections were called I declared I wouldn't even participate - I was too convinced that government can't solve public problems because they are already bought by their biggest contributors who are commonly big corporations. They all essentially answer to them. I, too, was one of those naive persons who got swept up in the reverend-like rhetoric of, now President, Barack Obama during his candidacy promising slow but sweeping change - but all America is getting right now is Conservative-like change that only takes baby steps to real reform, and I felt that this was going to be the case for this years NDP. But there was so much wrong being done in Canada in terms of social responsibility and as I looked at his platform, he was advocating mostly for social reforms more so than fiscal ones, and I liked that.

    I am a firm believer that money should never be the reason why we don't do anything that is fundamentally right. When the detached Stephen Harper makes claims how we can't afford some things, I wonder who he's referring too. I know it's not because I make very little money. But he, and a small percentage of Canadians (mostly politicians I might add) are making six-figure salaries and have literally hundreds of societal perks to further off-set their livelihood that makes it easier for them to answer the call to sacrifice. But as I also state in my other blog, Forward Thinkin', Democracy is another idea that is good in theory, but in practice it's still a dictatorship. The winner of any election is always picked beforehand and the vote is shown as a necessary formality. Why? Because governments are not what make a country - BUSINESS defines it, because business is the only vehicle by from which one makes their livelihood, not public policy. So it will always be in the best interest for politicians to serve business needs before serving its own citizens that use their sweat to uphold this inhumane economic system that is sole based on a collection of money and heartless competition.

     I digress, because I am not trying to imply Jack Layton was one of these types of people. I don't think he was. He brought to light a lot of OFTEN forgotten citizens in most party platforms: seniors and their elderly care, and youth unemployment. This would be the first time I would vote NDP this year, and if they keep performing like they are right now, they will be the party I will stick with in the next election.

    It was Jack's courageous, and inspirational tenacity during the English debate in April that won me over... and with his passing I feel... I feel... I feel I truly lost a friend. I never got to meet him in person but that is how close he portrayed himself onto Canadians - as if he was your neighbour. And to me he was.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2011/08/22/layton-obituary.html

        This link above will take you to an open letter to all his fellow Canadians in which HE WROTE his last words. What other Canadian politician in or out of office would take the time to write his last gratitude on their death bed??? Even in sickness, Jack Layton's mind never strayed from the people he chose to serve the most... and I as a Canadian can't feel anymore proud than I am of this one politician who saw the whole picture of what this great nation could be without looking through his wallet first.

THANK YOU JACK LAYTON - FOR YOUR SERVICE. FOR YOUR SACRIFICE. FOR YOUR LOVE OF THE PEOPLE THAT MAKE THIS COUNTRY SO GREAT.

I hardly knew you... and I miss you already.

Peace be with you.

Earthlings: I Made The Connection

2011-08-22T08:28:00.003-04:00

It's weird how somethings can affect us so deeply. Morally, spiritually...naturally. In everyone's life something happens to them so profound, their entire outlook on something or the whole universe changes.

Anyone who knows me understands that I am a wandering soul looking for answers to life's toughest questions: Does time have a beginning? What is the meaning of life? Can people be moral without religion? And while I've come up with my own conclusions on some of these universal topics through self-study of different schools of thought... including religious doctrines, there is something that truly leaves me dumbfounded: the human mind. Our rationalization in categorizing one inhumane act over another and calling it a 'necessity'. Maybe it's selected hearing or seeing, willful ignorance, or apathy to the natural law of our planet's interconnectedness. All I know is... I used to think this way.

I was 18yrs old when I decided to swear off pork after watching the movie Malcolm X, starring Denzel W., and 19 when I swore off red meat. I had gained a lot of weight in the first couple of years in college and I felt I could live without this source of protein since it contained more bad fat than good.

For the next 3 years I moved back and forth between white meat and red until finally I became very strict with just ingesting white meat or seafood. I was comfortable with my diet, but I played with the idea of going vegetarian. One of my best friends of 13 years is vegetarian and though I've never gave it much thought before after finding an abandoned pamphlet on factory farms ... something awoke inside. The level of empathy I had for the conditions animals had to live in surprised even ME. And anyone who knows me personally knows how I feel about babies... so that's saying a lot for something that isn't even within my own species. Still, the pamplet was based on American factory farming and I went in search of the conditions in Canada. Surprisingly I found propaganda on both sides of this hot topic: some company-owned/family-owned farms swear by their "Ol' McDonald" farm conditions that their fleet live in, and others debunking highly marketed terms like "free-range" and "cage-free" with pictures of animals only weeks old being sent to slaughter.

After much internal conflict, I resolved to take steps to becoming a vegan. It was somewhat easy to give up chicken; I was just getting used to my own cooking of it without making myself sick (besides, cooking with soy chick'n strip is easier anyway). But giving up seafood and all forms of dairy was another story. In short, I have been practicing a predominantly pescetarian diet who abstains from all forms of dairy. I'm not going to lie, I have fallen from grace, but old habits are hard to break. I simply resolve and remind myself of the impact I was making with each blood, sweat, and tear-earned dollar I had. This significant change opened up my palate to more food options often found in smaller portions on my plate. And not long after, I began to enjoy getting to know all the dairy-free or mock dairy options that were available.

I began to enjoy more of my vegetarian meals throughout this summer, and limit my intake of having fish protein everyday (only had tuna or shrimp twice a week) while doing my best to abstain from dairy products. Mind you, I ain't perfect, and I have strayed a few times in this journey.

One night when I was viewing some videos about why people went vegan, one mentioned that they watched a movie called Earthlings:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHA4HNbmDLg

When Ellen Degeneres, who is married to Portia Di Rossi, was asked about Food Inc., she simply stated " Food Inc.?? Food Inc. is a Disney movie compared to Earthlings." There was some weight to her comment that struck me. And, having never seen any footage of either movie before, I decided to watch Earthlings first.

Many people nickname it "The Vegan Maker"- and they're right about that fact. This AMAZING film brought a lot of many different hidden truths to light, and I can't thank enough all the people who put the time and effort into making this movie! The suffering these animals go through in their short lives kept reminding me of the Transatlantic Slave Trade and the Holocaust - there were many people in the comments section who disagreed and found the comparison offensive... but if you're BLACK and the crux of your earliest knowledge regarding the history about your people began with the Slave trade, it's hard to NOT see the difference - Blacks were seen (and still are through their underemployment) as cheap labour. Not only West African descendants, but Latinos and Jews can surely attest to the same treatment in their own histories - when their very existence was nothing more than someone else's plaything... or machine .

So when I see a mother cow artificially inseminated, only to produce milk and all her male sons are butchered soon afterwards to make veal... I can't help but think of the breeding methods used in Slavery, and how Black women had to nurse her master's child over her own. Or the random killings of the Nazi regime at Auschwitz simply "because" when I see people hunting wildlife for sport.

It really opened my eyes. And since becoming more in-tuned with my natural surroundings this past year, growing more and more aware of my connection with the world and the universe, I have become more determined than ever to practice Veganism in the healthiest way I know how. There is no doubt in my mind I may waver, but that is no excuse to not try, and try again. Every new endeavour begins with a single step... and I want this one to be in the right direction.

Question: Have you seen the movie Earthlings? What are your thoughts on Veganism, on Animal Rights? PETA?

Band-Aid Solutions To Social Problems

2011-08-05T07:57:00.006-04:00

Have you seen this:

http://www.nationalpost.com/Vancouveris+pushing+free+crack+pipes/5190427/story.html
http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/story/2011/04/17/insite-lancet-study.html

I have a friend and he and I often go toe-to-toe on so many issues across the board. Often times, I see his point of view (and there have been times where he's convinced me of his perspective; he is a very good debater) but I couldn't see the rationale he had in favor of this crack-pipe program that exists AS WELL AS these injection sites that cater to "the shifting drug culture of our society".

He kept pushing the fact that it may not be the ideal solution, but it mitigates the spread of Hep C and HIV transmission, and it was not like the gov.'t was providing the drugs. He was right on those points: yes, a crack pipe that is less susceptible to exploding after being worn away from crack use does help... what did the article call it, "reduce harm" in the spreading of such viral diseases, but how does any of this help the addict who is still BREAKING THE LAW?????

Injection sites, free crack-pipe give away - all of it are simply band-aid solutions, and a cheap cop-out by a greedy government that finds manufacturing pipes and funding supervised shoot-up sites an appropriate use of tax-payer dollars, rather than funneling that capital into mental health facilities, research and rehab/addiction centres, family and personal counselling and more to combat the root problem of this increasingly sick and financially-stressed society.

.

Look at it this way: alcohol is a socially acceptable drug, and STILL, if you hurt someone or hurt YOURSELF, you are sometimes court-ordered to go to REHAB for their ILLEGAL MISCONDUCT, not to some designated area where addicts can BYOB just so the government can turn around and say "well ,we're not giving them alcohol, we're giving them an area where they can drink so they don't cause harm to the public. Plus, they are under supervision by medical staff just in case their liver shuts down." This is Canada's half-step, "proactive" legislation to dealing with a growing societal problem: quarantines. I tell you, people look at me funny when I say we haven't come far as a civilization. If this is not evidence, what is?

Of course, funding programs that would actually help society to be more happy and productive is seen as too logical to implement... or shall I use another politicians' excuse: too "expensive", sorry, " Not affordable" (as if the 11.5% hikes on top of MPs six figure salaries could not be sparred during these economic times - yes, they work sooooo hard, writing those legislation drafts at their computers, sitting for hours in fine leather chairs, and leaning into a mic debating for hours on end with no resolutions for months, if not years, on any priority issue).

That fantasy world is also too dangerous. See, if we don't have classes of people (which is based on the amount of one money has) then the need to compete with each other wouldn't be there, AND there would be less jobs because there are less ills in our country that would make us miserable. So if we live in a world with less misery there would be less demand for social workers, personal trainers, prescription meds for shit like ADHD etc. etc. In fact, despite such longevity and increased personal well-being, a society like that would actually have a higher unemployment rate; there wouldn't be anything to combat. So giving these addicts a safe haven to destroy themselves only keep the people (excuse me, MACHINES) that manufacture the pipes employed, cops on the streets, and enough reason to close down one more mental health facility, research centre or rehab clinic. And trust when I say this, funeral home operators are enjoying the increase in business, and government love taking their share in that inheritance tax and estate tax. That's revenue dollars that can't be overlooked.

I would throw race into it, because you can, but I'm going to let it go and let YOU meditate on the privilege of certain cultures getting our shared government to subsidize this type of crime, and consider if this new drug culture was occurring predominantly in a chronically lower-income cultural group, would these so-called "harm-reducing, for-the-greater-good" remedies even be implemented, much less a damn forethought? Or is it more likely that another prison would just open up?

The fact that these issues has to even go as high as the supreme court of Canada is absolutely LAUGHABLE. The article, itself stated that the drug culture is no different today than it was 20 years ago (and AIDS and Hep C were also prevalent during those times), so why start catering to these social diseases now? How is giving the means to practice an illegal habit curbing a social ill??? If the addict was able to smoke twice or even four-times as much crack with these new durable pipes, how does this prevent people from sharing their pipes, or even their needles when they are not at the InSite injection area? How does any of these government programs prevent PEOPLE from becoming addicts and the criminal activity that goes along with it?

The answer: It doesn't. That's the point.

Real Talk: Read the articles and let me know what you think about all of this.