• End to short haul flights and airport expansion
• Stop aviation advertising
• A just transition to sustainable jobs and transport

Their stance: We have a problem. We’re flying too much, and it’s changing the earth’s climate. Aviation is the fastest growing cause of climate change. But instead of doing anything about it, the Government is planning more flights and larger airports.

Robert Saville, partner and creative director at Mother (their advertising agency) said that polar bears were used because they are a symbol of  “the effect that  climate change is having on the natural world.”

That shock value behind such statements can be a valuable tool for drawing attention – good or bad – to the cause (BBN posting it is exhibit A) and this ad is ridiculously successful in get the message across. Kudos to them!

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The main ingredient in this beverage is taurine. For those of you who don’t know this is what taurine is, I’d like to take a moment and help clarify this for you - Slightly off topic…

Taurine, or 2-aminoethanesulfonic acid, is an organic acid. It is also a major constituent of bile and can be found in the lower intestine and in small amounts in the tissues of many animals, including humans. (wiki)

BUT Taurine can also be made in the lab…

Taurine in the pharmaceutical and lab setting is synthesized through a combination of cysteine, methionine, and vitamin E. It is naturally produced in the testicles of many mammals. Urban legends surrounding the source of taurine have included bull urine extract and bull semen. While it’s true that taurine is found in both sources, it is not the source of taurine in the pharmaceutical or food industry. (wiki)

Now let’s turn our attention to a new type of drinking about to emerge into the marketplace called Slow Cow.

It is the exact opposite of the energy drink – it is a relaxant – and boasts plant ingredients such as chamomile, passiflora/passion flower, valerian, linden and hops sodium.  It’s main ingredient is an amino acid called L-Theanine that is commonly found in tea that, according to the Slow Cow site, “increases mental awareness, helps in relaxation without causing sleepiness, reduces stress and anxiety,  improves cognition, concentration and sleep quality.”

With all the energy drinks and stimulants on the shelves at the grocer, it was only a matter of time that this anti-stimulant beverage evolved.

The site seems to really push the holistic and healthy ingredients in the beverage (claiming it to have similar effects to acupunture or a one-week vacation) , so it will be interesting to see if it appeases the health-conscious and sensitive-to-chemicals consumers in taste.

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Thoughts?

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Upon docking into the Port of Vancouver, a fin whale’s lifeless body lay wrapped around the bow of the Princess Cruise Lines’ Sapphire Princess. This is more common then you think – the underwater noise pollution projected from the ship confuses the whales making communication and navigation impossible. Tanker and large ship traffic are on the rise and so you can figure that one out for yourself. Sad…we will never truly know how many creatures of the sea will become victims of this traffic. Even more sad, the ICUN Red List has classified the fin whale as endangered as well as many other species of whales. Lovely! So we are not just poisoning them with pollution, we also plow them down with our ships.

This naturally leaves a sour taste in my mouth about cruise ships;  I’m not a huge fan of them to begin with since they spew their sewage and pollution in our beautiful British Columbia coast. Canada in particular takes the brunt of this spewing given that we can’t enforce laws on a US ships. (For further read on that, check out the original article that drew attention to the issue: Cruise on down to our dumping ground).

That said, I also know that there are some cruise ship lines that go to great lengths to encourage environemental responsibility of it’s passengers. But I’m still not convinced.

Sources: 1, 2, 3

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THIS IS EARTH DAY

To the people out there who don’t care about how much fuel they are consuming or believe that Global Warming is Al Gore’s way of getting back into the public eye I ask you to pay attention please. For only a few minutes forget about everything ON this planet and direct your focus TO the planet…

Earth is the 3rd rock from the sun. It is the only planet that contains the gentle balance of chemistry that can sustain evolution. The only one that sits close enough and far enough away from the sun that photosynthesis is made possible. This gives birth to cellular development, oxygen, ozone creation and therefore life. This planet was the right shape, the right chemical structure, on the right orbital path, and the right temperature to form the perfect environment for organisms. Earth is a miracle and its success as a breathing planet is demonstrated by its life that it has created.

Today is about bringing awareness to earth; to remind us of how lucky we are that all of the above happened so we could exist. As thinking-thinking beings we are in a place and time where we can be civilized and smart enough to create a day dedicated to earth – the one who gave birth to us all. That said, we need to remember that we are also powerful enough to destroy.

TODAY…
How will you give thanks?
How will you honour?
How will you love?

Here’s something to help you get started…

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Artyom Sidorkin from Russia was being operated on for a potential lung tumor when the surgeon Vladimir Kamashev had to blink 3 times just to be sure that he wasn’t hallucinating. During the biopsy he found a 2-inch fir tree crammed in amongst Sidorkin’s lung tissue which the tree-grower claims he never felt. The only reason he went to the doctors was because of a suspected case of lung cancer that included symptoms of chest pain and coughing up blood. Although there are skeptics out there who are pushing to prove this story false (e.g. the lack of light, water and a certain temperature, the story published on April Fool’s Day), the theory of such an occurrence is that Sidorkin may have inhaled or accidentally eaten a seed which sprouted in his lungs…

Don’t believe me? Check out this news broadcast.

My favorite stories are the ones that exude an out-of-this-world quality - such as real-life unicorns or lemurs getting high on giant millipedes and this story fits perfectly into that category….if it’s true…

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4

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This unusual looking cat was given to Dr. Bassett as a gift from the original owner for his work on Uggs’ sister (who unfortunately didn’t survive). Uggs has been wondering the halls at Exeter Veterinary Hospital ever since and has since drawn media attention and tourists when a client snapped a photo and posted it online.

He’s memorizing…here’s the youtube:

Cats like Uggs and stories like Flipper Comes In Fashionable Pink is the stuff Fairy Tales are made of!

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A white lion is prestigious, a white tiger is beautifully eye-catching, a white whale is extraordinarily rare…but a pink dolphin?!? Who would have thought!

The albino dolphin and it’s 3 other pod-mates plus its Mother was spotted by Captain Erik Rue in Lake Calcasieu in Louisiana late last year. Since the candy-floss colored dolphin is still in it’s youth, the skin is described as “glossy pink and without flaws” and, according to Captain Rue, “looks like it just came out of a paint booth.”

Unlike regular albino-skinned this lil’dolphin is not affected by sunlight but is surely an albino based on its red-eyes.

Pink dolphins aren’t as rare as I first thought either! The Amazon River dolphin: Inia Geoffrensis is also known for it’s coloring that ranges from bright pink, to brown, grey or creamy white. However, when they are excited or surprised you will see them blush in colour. (They are also are teetering on the edge of extinction currently).

*I’d also like to clarify that this is a pink dolphin and NOT a amazon river dolphin. The dorsal fins are quite different in shape.*

Sources: 1, 2,

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