modern life vs. human nature

I came across this video with help from my friends at GOOD Magazine. I never really thought about pens before..well..except today when I became frustrated again because a supposedly new pen ran out of ink. I knew it was almost new because there were no chew marks on the end of it. At the time I was thinking what a waste it was to use cheap, crappy pens. Then the phone rang. End of thought. Then I got an email from GOOD. The answer to my almost question.

Wow, I heart the internet.

It brings innovation right to your brain.

Oh, but of course you are going to ask how much? $1000 ea. No. $8.00 per pack of three (or $2.66 per pen) and I bet that quality is better than that cheap Bic or Paper Mate pen you might be looking at right now.
enjoy,

DBA 98 Biodegradable Pen from DBA on Vimeo.

Ok, this blog is called modernature because it is about “modern society” and “human nature”. It is the delicate balance between North American culture and being a healthy, happy human. When I say North American culture I mean the pervasive views and values of us, North Americans. As someone trying to live an intelligent, fun, healthy and rewarding life I am always looking at our culture and trying to understand what components of our culture work toward this end.

In recent months food has become an important topic for me because I want to eat to give me the most amount of energy and nutrition. I have personal motives for this and avoiding cancer is one. Now, if you had to ask which food item comes up the most in our North American culture I am sure most of you would agree that hamburgers are high on the list. In a way, hamburgers, like Coca-Cola, seem to occupy a dominant place as signifiers in our society. What do they signify? Who really knows but they are just everywhere all the time. You can’t avoid seeing a Coke symbol or a hamburger ad. Like this one below. And btw wtf?

So I did a very simple Google search about beef, our beef, that is to say North American produced beef. I was shocked. Quite simply the beef we eat is, how to do I politely state it,..hhmm….crap. More precisely I would say given the research I would compare a hamburger to a chocolate bar…or even a chocolate bar stuffed with estrogen shots, dead animal fat, steroids and hormone injections. This may seem crazy to some of you because it was to me. I mean really? How can it be that bad? Well, quite simply beef is the victim of bad government policies and corporate greed. That’s the part that wasn’t shocking. I know most of you don’t want to read a complicated list of the life cycle of a cow and the process of what happens to it as it gets to the grocery store where you pick it up because it’s nice and red, so I’ll give you the short version.

Almost all of the beef you see in your grocery store comes from feedlots owned by giant corporations. They feed the cows corn, which by the way is simply bad for cows. Cows were meant to eat grass. Their stomachs are particularly built for it. So, in order to keep the cows from getting sick and dying from corn they shoot them full of antibiotics and steroids. The steroids are meant to fatten them up faster so they can kill them before they really get sick and die. The reason they are fed corn is because corn is the cheapest thing they can feed them. Based on government policies that pay farmers to produce more corn than we will ever need the price of corn stays low and it piles up. So it makes every other food source seem expensive by comparison. What we end up with is a nice, juicy looking hamburger. Sounds yummy doesn’t it?

I haven’t even talked about the environmental damage that goes along with beef production. Hint: the pollution from beef production has more effect on our air than cars. More on that later. I’m hungry.

Once I read through this information I decided I wasn’t going to eat “industrial beef” anymore. It’s quite easy because most hamburgers taste like crap anyway. I am not a vegetarian either but I sure feel better and I don’t have stomach aches anymore.

Enjoy!

Below are some fun facts that I pulled from a good article. If you really want to know all the details there is a great book called The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan. I am only on Chapter 4 and I am amazed.

“using animal carcasses as animal feed is still a widespread practice that unnerves many public health officials.”

The beef industry also uses antibiotics and steroids as a means of boosting weight gain for economic reasons. Unfortunately, overuse leads to residues in beef that compound the worrisome problems of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and antibiotic allergies in humans. Similarly, estrogen-type steroids used to stimulate weight gain leave trace amounts that result in hormonal imbalances in humans who consume the meat, evident as early sexual maturation in women and feminine characteristics in men.

Grainfed(corn) beef has about half the vitamin and mineral content as grassfed beef.

One hundred per cent grass-fed beef is generally more expensive due to higher production costs per kilogram, and it tends to be tougher. However, organic and chemical-free producers that are not 100-per-cent grass-fed offer excellent value, are BSE-, antibiotic- and steroid-free, and provide superior nutrition compared to conventional beef products.

The Truth about Beef

The most costly meeting ever to take place in Canada is over. What did we get?

Businesses lost money.

The city lost money.

Taxpayers lost money.

Stephen Harper lost friends. Here let me explain….

“Hey guys check out my country and my cops! Sweet eh? Well you all know that our country didn’t get hurt as much as all of yours in the recession..right? Well, it didn’t!  Your all invited to come on over see. (I mean, really it’s just because we sell a lot of trees, oil, uranium and all that other natural resource stuff that we chop down or rip out of the ground but whatever..it’s there so why not? Oh, and we have a serious bank act that protects us from idiots in the financial markets..but I had nothing to do with that but whatever again…I’m still the guy..well almost.  I only have a minority government but whatever again..these chumps just don’t know how to handle me so I still get to do whatever I want.) Pretty sweet eh! Oh, and by the way you guys you should..you know..listen to me..cut taxes, cut deficits, stop spending frivolously, umm…do free markets, break down borders, increase GDP and ah..oh yah..cut interest rates, and spur yer economies..ummm..err…spur..get it? I’m from Calgary, we have cowboys there..ok..you look a little bored. Have you ever tasted Calgary beef? It’s awesome!  It’s also the best city in the world! Oh no we’re in Toronto right now..well..the premier suggested it..can you believe that?..I just told the police to mess people up so this city is so screwed. Don’t worry. They’re dicks here anyway. The mayor? Oh, what’s his name? He’s not invited.  Have I told you that we just sold a bunch of oil fields to the Chinese government for a stupid amount of money? High fives bitches!”

So you know how we all hate braggers…people rubbing our faces in it…the smarmy smart guy telling you how the world really works? Our prime minister is “that guy”! I could just see the Italian PM leaning over to his aid and saying “You thought we had douchbags back in Italy? Get a load of dis guy!”

enjoy!

I saw this picture on the Greenpeace website then I read further into the Greenpeace site and I thought “what a beautiful site!” It’s like the The National Geographic but with a conscience.

Anyway, this picture is of the “burn off” of oil from the spill but I couldn’t help thinking that we have such vast amounts of technology at our disposal and yet these extremely rich oil companies could only think of burning the oil (which causes even more pollution) as a solution. WTF? Seriously, is it me or is this the dumbest idea ever? I could just imagine the meeting they might have had:

First BP executive: “Well, what about bombing the spill with nuclear weapons?”

Head BP executive: “No, we’re saving those for the Iranians.”

Second BP executive: “What about emptying out the Gulf so the oil sinks to the bottom and then putting water over it?”

Head BP executive: “Too expensive. ..and I think the Gulf is connected to the other ocean…the Atlantic one if I remember correctly.”

Third BP executive: “What if we gathered up a whole bunch of catfish and fed them steroids and growth hormones and then got them to suck up all the oil?”

Head BP executive: ” Good idea but our mind control techniques haven’t worked well with humans yet so I’m not sure how we could convince catfish to eat oil. They’re not that dumb.”

Head BP executive’s assistant: “Well sir, we almost convinced people we were a clean company so our mind control techniques are starting to work.”

Head BP executive: “Hmmm..good point but still we need to find the cheapest, dirtiest and most destructive way to get rid of this oil. After all, our shareholders depend on us to make them money by all means necessary.”

Christian BP executive: “Well, Jesus would say that we better do the right thing or we’ll all burn in hell!”

Head BP executive: “Jesus Christ that’s brilliant! We’ll burn the god damn oil! Son, you just earned yourself a 2 million dollar bonus!”

Enjoy…the humanity!

The Guardian UK

This is a good list of instant apps for people who want real climate information. I liked it because you can get real information at your fingertips the next time some drunken douchbag at the bar tries to tell you that climate change is bullsh*t. Instead of punching him in the face and ridding the planet of one more dinosaur you can just show him the information you pulled out of one of these apps..which of course, he will then soundly deny while scoffing at your iphone and calling you a p***y. Here’s a hint..buy him a few rounds and introduce him to the meanest guy at the bar…then use your wits to steer him toward insulting the guy(it won’t be difficult). Then walk away knowing you have done the human race a favor.
The Guardian UK

As part of my research into sustainable business practices I came across PLA when trying to find an eco friendly sticker for promotion; yes, like the stickers people put on cars, bikes, skateboards etc. I don’t pretend that the following information is at all entertaining so beware. In consideration of this I would like to add a provocative statement beforehand; the best environmentalist is a dead environmentalist. Think about it.

Plus I came across a great quote that more eco critics should recite every night before they go to bed.

“Let’s not kill the good in pursuit of the perfect” -Eric Lombardi, Pres., Grassroots Recycling Network

So now onto plastic made from corn.

This article explains why PLA(corn based plastic) just may be better than oil based plastics.

Smithsonian.com

Here are a few key aspects of the story:

PLA is biodegradable. Plastic is not.

Supposedly they say no one has gone to war over corn. But no one asked the Native Americans is this statement was true.

According to Natureworks(ie. Cargill who worked with Dupont on PLA) who is the maker of PLA, producing PLA uses 65 percent less energy than producing conventional plastics, according to an independent analysis commissioned by NatureWorks. It also generates 68 percent fewer greenhouse gases, and contains no toxins. Considering Cargill is a multi-national corporation I would consider this information approximately half true because as we know corporations regularly use half truths to promote their product.

PLA is said to decompose into carbon dioxide and water in a “controlled composting environment” in fewer than 90 days. Controlled seems to mean really high heating temperatures that are not always available at recycling facilities.

But the manufacture of PLA does save oil and generates far less air pollution. As the article notes, a number of independent analysts believe that PLA is a good start to solving our oil dependency problem. Using less plastic is also a way to help.

In the most absurd ruling I have ever heard of in the US, 5 Republican appointed chief justices ruled that corporations could spend without limit to sway voters in federal elections. The court essentially said that corporations have the same rights as individuals to free speech.

As someone who owns a corporation I know that corporations are like individuals without bodies or morals; sort of like zombies that anyone can control. If a corporation slanders someone you cannot put the corporation in jail. You can sue the corporation but bankruptcy is an easy out if that corporation doesn’t happen to have the funds to bankroll a lawsuit. Chances are that a corporation backing a particular candidate would have a lot of money. Plus, corporations were originally created to avoid personal responsibility(lawsuits) and personal taxation.  In the simplest of comparisons if a human came over to your house and pissed on your lawn you could

1)kick his ass

2)call the police and have him arrested

3)charge him with somekind of trespass and destruction of property and

4) tell everyone you know and have them ostracized in the community.

What if a Coca Cola truck dumped 100 gallons of Coke on your lawn..killing all of your grass what are you going to do? Call the police? Sure, but they wouldn’t know what to do and would most likely say call Coke. You would have to call Coke and talk to their customer service department. Then you would have to call a lawyer and pay a heap of money to sue Coke if your grass died. After dropping $5000 on a retainer for a lawyer, that lawyer would then tell you that it wasn’t worth your time…”go buy new grass”. How about them apples? Satisfying isn’t it. Now extrapolate that to every political view you have ever held and throw them all out the window onto your dead grass, shut your mouth and go to Walmart and buy new grass.

But seriously, I don’t even think I need to make an argument why this is such a terrible idea for a democracy. But here’s an example. If I owned an oil company and I wanted to make huge profits and destroy the environment without having to deal with things like laws, and pollution I would just find a candidate that agrees or is too stupid to understand anything..let’s say Sarah Palin. Not that she is stupid or doesn’t understand much but she just makes a good example here. So me, as a big oil guy wants less environmental restrictions, less education on the pollution caused by oil and less competition from alternative sources of energy. I can now have a discreet conversation with Sarah and let her know that my corporation will put together a multi-million dollar ad campaign that will promote her if “wink-wink nudge-nudge” she does what I want, therefore saving her campaign money to spend on other things. As a bonus, I would even throw in ads to say the other candidate is a “bad man, that hasn’t done anything for the country” but not in so many words that I could get sued…because I would pay for a good ad agency that could put depressing music and poor, starving, helpless americans in the advertising. Or..even better… let’s say I was an owner of health insurance company. Think about it. Getting a healthcare bill in America is already seemingly impossible but add a few billion dollars in corporate advertising blaring at people everyday and consider the healthcare debate over. No politician will ever be able to take on a big evil corporation again without fear of never ever being elected again.

So ultimately this means that elections will be won and lost by powerful corporations whose primary reason for being is profit. Does that sound like a good place to live? Does that sound like individual freedom? Hopefully this decision is overturned somewhere and somehow but it seems like just another step toward a sort of capitalist takeover of the largest democracy in the world.

Good bye America. It’s been nice knowing you.

This is going to start happening more often as the bigger companies try to add less toxic materials to their supply chains. There are always going to be cheaters on the supply side because there are always greedy, careless business owners. However, H&M admitted the mistakes and are trying to correct them. Am I letting them off the hook? Not really. But I’m not going to trash them today.  You can read the full story at treehugger.com.

It is interesting to note that third party certification agencies EcoCert and Control Union were fined. Why is this interesting? I’m not sure because I just realized I won’t remember these names come purchase time anyway..or will I?

Oh and I chose this picture because India is the largest producer of organic cotton.

Enjoy.

Before I begin I would just like to say that I don’t like eating. I would rather be doing something else; biking, swimming, playing sports or even working on a project. Maybe it’s because I don’t want to be fat. Maybe it’s because my Mom would force me to eat canned peas when I was young or maybe I’m missing something very important in my life..such as a cook.

However, when I do eat 75% of the time I want it to be healthy, nutritional food because I understand that good food means energy to do the things I like to do. Accordingly, I like to know what I’m eating  and if it’s crap I want to know.

So I recently watched a documentary about Monsanto. If you don’t know this company, it is a bio-tech company that now makes seeds; mainly corn and soya beans. Yes, they make genetically modified and patented seeds. Cool technology. In the past they have produced “agent orange”(think millions poisoned in Vietnam), bovine growth hormone(banned in Canada and Europe) and now genetically modified organisms(GMOs).  So although the first two items might be a little on the “holy crap, that’s some evil stuff” they seem to be working toward a nicer, gentler albeit genetically enhanced future.

Oh I forgot to mention that Monsanto has created some of the world’s most famous food chemicals including aspartame; a yummy, sweetener that causes cancer and is found in all gum and most carbonated beverages.  But I wrote about aspartame earlier so let’s move along to these franken-seeds. The patent part was the real kicker. It’s a savvy business strategy whereby Monsanto creates genetically modified seeds that are immune to it’s own weed killing pesticide so that the farmer can grow more crops with less labour. By spraying on the pesticide the farmers don’t have to hire weed pickers and therefore save money. The unfortunate part of the tale is that the pesticide contaminates everything but the genetically modified crops(or so they say). The really smart part is that Monsanto charges farmers a royalty on all crops that use GMO seeds. The crazy smart part is that when the GMO seeds mysteriously show up in farmers crops who don’t buy Monsanto’s gmo seeds they can can still charge the farmers a royalty; because Monsanto owns the patent on the seed and therefore the plant. Now , the insanely ingenius part is that through natural pollination the gmo seeds creep into other crops anyway so the farmers don’t really have a choice. So when the farmers use the Monsanto pesticide to kill the weeds it kills all the other non-gmo seed and plants as well because only the Monsanto seed is engineered  to withstand the pesticide. If that isn’t the best strategy for domination of the global food chain I don’t what is. Move over McDonald’s your methane spewing, rainforest wrecking, steroid induced cow burgers have just slid down the scale of “world’s biggest super evil, greedy pig corporation”.

So what does this mean for you and me? Well, for me it means no more soy or corn unless it is from a non-gmo crop and more so that organic and local vegetables are the way to go…even if I have to eliminate strawberries in the winter.

Here’s the link from youtube.

enjoy!

Looks like a good party..oh, wait! They’re not throwing wine on each other!