What happened on February 27 th?

Elephants at the Toronto Zoo

Okay time to rant again. I remember in 1989 the announcement of the ban on Ivory sales and the attempt to stop ivory poaching. It was a big media show, there was a huge bonfire where they burned tons of Ivory. The African Elephant population had been driven down from 1.3 million in 1979 to 625,000 in 1989. Over 200 elephants a day were being killed by hunters for only their Ivory with their bodies being left to rot. So countries that belonged to Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species agreed to put a stop to the worldwide trade in Ivory. Everything seemed to be getting better and the story went off the high profile radar... or the cause celebratie of the day.

Then I found today’s stories online.. From Australia, Canada, the US and the UK. Poaching of the African Elephant for its Ivory has risen to an unprecedented level since the 1989 ban. We are pushing a beautiful animal to extinction in the wild. I want to take a trip to Africa to see these creatures in the wild. I want my grandkids to know that these creatures are still walking the earth. Man has driven thousands of species to extinction over the last 40 years, my life time. This has to stop now. Stop hunting for pleasure, stop hunting for sport, and stop hunting for profit. Look I know how to hunt, I know how to shot, I choose not to because I have no need. If I needed to hunt for food for my family, believe me I would have no qualms. But hunting for profit is wrong. The problem is that if there is not a market then there is no need to hunt, but there is a black market and this species is being driven to extinction by our greed. 23,000 Elephants were killed in 2006... Did anyone here about the massacre at Zakouma National Park in Chad? I sure as hell didn't see any reports, because we all thought that everything was hunky dory we forgot about the problem, and now it is worse. We have to slow and stop the extinction of the African Elephant. This is the responsibility of everyone. Now we just have to figure out how we can help. One of the first steps that we can do is not buy Ivory when we go on holiday. We can boycott any store that is trying to sell Ivory (it's illegal to import ivory into Canada). We can raise awareness to this problem by talking about the poaching and making sure that the elephants don't become a cause celebre again

On a lighter note, Heroes was on last night on NBC and on Sunday on Global (the idiots put it up against the Oscars). I missed most of last weeks show (Stan Lee did a walk on as a bus driver, Eldest and I were going was that Stan Lee?, Wife is going who?, you had to be there).. I got to see Isaac try to shot Peter, but hit and kill Simone. And Mohinder is running around with Sylar (Sylar is pretending to be someone else). Sunday I got to see Bennet being shot by the Haitian .. wtf???? When I got home from TaiKwonDo last night I forgot to watch NBC at 9pm, Wife was watching Two and a Half Men. At 9:30 we remember Heroes is on .. so we missed a half hour .. which is a lot for this show .. Wow .. read the plot outline at Wikipedia. The only thing I can say is Wow!, this is the best show on TV .. Bennets bosses want Claire, they now control Matt Parkman and radio active man. The Haitian is an outlaw, Bennet lies to protect Claire and his position blaming the Haitian for hiding Claire.

Next weeks trailer was enough to make me watch, I'll miss TaiKwonDo if I have to .. Simone is seen standing with blood on her chest and she says something like "So are you going to kill me again", can Peter transfer his power?, is Simone a hero? Wow. I have to go online tonight and watch the show at the Global website.

What happened on February 20 th?

My Kids

I just realised that I haven't talked about the kids in a while. They are all doing very well, other then growing up. As I mentioned in a email to a friend lately Eldest is turning 15 and is such a pain in the butt, Middle is turning 13 and is becoming a pain in the butt, and youngest just turned 7 is just to cute to be a pain in the butt.

Eldest is adjusting to grade 9, but any suggestions or help we might offer or want to offer is not right, because in his eyes we just don't understand him or his life. Crap, that the same shit I feed my parents. Is it just a cycle that God puts us through to punish us for our past indiscretions? No really, Eldest is doing well, what with the talks with the psychologist and the medication we have gotten him to focus on events around him. He is no longer a target for bullying, in fact some of his worst tormentors last year have become friends this year, because he is now able to not over react to situations. I'm very proud of him. I just have to get him to stop tormenting his sisters, trying to get a girl friend (I don't remember being this desperate), bugging me till I yell and being such a general pain in the butt for the fun of it.

Middle is as I said almost 13, !a young woman!, if you know what I mean. How many Dad's out there chat with their 13 year old daughter about her period. (creepy, but I'm doing it) The only thing I stress is the I will break the legs of any guy who touches her. (I try to leave it at that point, I want to say "when you don't want to be touched, but I just don't want her to be touched until she is 30) She talks to her mom about guys, not to me (which is a good thing). She is having a good year as a goalie, had a great game last week, stood on her head for her team. They won as a team, which was great. School wise has been a problem, she seems to miss a lot of what is being said to her, so her work and marks are suffering. She is making mistakes that should not be happening, so I am taking her to the doctor for a check-up this week.

Youngest is another thing altogether. She is the baby and can get away with anything, which pisses the other two off. She wants to do everything and be involved in everything. My mother calls her Ms. Diva, always the center of attention. She is going for her orange belt in a week. She does her pattern so well, that Sensei wants to get her into a advance class. But she is involved in so many other things she can only get to class once a week. Life with her will never be boring, I just dread her as a teenager.

For me life is good. Trying to control what I eat (ususally fail) but am going to TaiKwonDo at least 3 days a week. Putting on muscle mass but not losing weight. I have my blue belt test next week .. I have to know Saifa ... learning it slowly. Only so much you can teach a old horse. Wife is good, working to hard, trying to rest but never getting enough sleep because of her damn husband who snores (me). Trying out breath right strips right now .. other than this cold I have they seem to work.

We're a Happy Family, Rocket to Russia The Ramones , 1977 on Sire Records.

We're a happy family
We're a happy family
We're a happy family
Me mom and daddy
Sitting here in queens
Eating refried beans
We're in all magazines
Gulpin' down thorazines
We ain't got no friends
Our troubles never end
No christmas cards to send
Daddy likes men
Daddy's telling lies
Baby's eating flies
Mommy's on pills
Baby's got the chills
I'm friends with the president
I'm friends with the pope
We're all making a fortune
Selling daddy's dope

What happened on February 17 th?

Georgian Bay Pine



Me, 44 years ago today. Crap I'm old but unchanged. Off this weekend to meet my new adopted neice. My sister, brother-in-law and the two girls have just flown in from Vancouver, and the whole family is getting together at my parents for a belated Christmas.

Otis Redding, (Sittin' on) The Dock of The Bay.
Released after he died by Volt Records January 1968, Produced by Steve Cropper


Sittin' in the morning sun,
I'll be sittin' when the evenin' come.
Watchin' the ships roll in,
Then I watch 'em roll away again.

Yeah, I'm sittin on the dock of the bay,
Watchin' the tide roll away.
Ooh, I'm just sittin' on the dock of the day,
Wastin' time.

I left my home in Georgia,
Headed for the Frisco bay.
I have nothin' to live for,
Look like nothin's gonna come my way.

So I'm just gonna sit on the dock of the bay,
Watchin' the tide roll away.
Ooh, I'm just sittin' on the dock of the day,
Wastin' time.

Looks like nothin's gonna change;
Everything still remains the same.
I can't do what ten people tell me to do,
So I guess I'll remain the same.

Sittin' here restin' my bones,
And this loneliness won't leave me alone.
Two housand miles I roam,
Just to make this dock my home.

Now I'm just gonna sit at the dock of the bay,
Watchin' the tide roll away.
Ooh, I'm just sittin' on the dock of the bay,
Wastin' time.

What happened on February 16 th?

I was trying to get this all done up this morning but work got in the way.

Carpathian Bellflower


Al Gore, SOS, MSN & Live Earth annouce today Live Earth, for July 7th (Middles Bday) a concert for the enviroment? Cool .. its to be broadcast simultaniously from 7 continents with over 100 artists. The concerts will take place in Shanghai, Sydney, Johannesburg, London, someplace in Brazil, Japan and the U.S.(hey what about a Canadian site!)

Some of the Artists are
Pharrell
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Foo Fighters
Snoop Dogg
Lenny Kravitz
Bon Jovi
Paolo Nutini
Sheryl Crow
AFI
Melissa Etheridge
John Mayer
Damien Rice
Corrine Bailey Rae
Duran Duran
Bloc Party S
now Patrol
John Legend
Black Eyed Peas
Akon
Enrique Iglesias
Fall Out Boy
Mana
Keane
Kelly Clarkson
Korn
Faith Hill w/ Tim McGraw
Ray LaMontagne
Robin Thicke
Kenna

This seems to be with the same people who brought us Live 8 .. so maybe Michael Cole can get a Canadian venue added.

---

From Nic.. Sunday is the first day of Chinese New Year ... My sign is Rabbit. (what's your sign)


2007 is neither a lucky nor an unlucky year for Rabbits. This Year of the Pig is one of change. Whether the end results are positive or negative, they will each bring you to the next phase of your life.

Famous Rabbit:
David Beckham, Brad Pitt, Hilary Duff, Bertie Ahern, Drew Barrymore, Harry Belafonte, Ingrid Bergman, St Bernadette, Melanie Brown, Emma Bunton, James Caan, Nicolas Cage, Thomas Carlyle, Lewis Carroll, Fidel Castro, John Cleese, Confucius, Marie Curie, Johnny Depp, Albert Einstein, George Eliot

Your reading:
2007 is the year of change for the Rabbit. 2007 is neither a lucky nor an unlucky year for Rabbits. This Year of the Pig is one of change. Whether the end results are positive or negative, they will each bring you to the next phase of your life.

'Star San Tai' and 'Star Jiang Xing' are the stars in your Central Palace (Central Constellation), and this will seemingly have Rabbits focus on certain needs for their relatives and community within this year. You will have the opportunity to deal with important matters or other topics, as well. In addition, you may decide to change your name to a prior one, or even one from your family's history.

Do not be disillusioned by your lack of accomplishment in 2007! The goal for you this year, Rabbit, is to focus on transformation. From the possibility of uprooting you and your family to a new location, to the possibility of a new career, change is in the air for you. You must allow yourself to recognize this so you are not frighted by how the year will reveal.

There will be no help from others this year; your energy will not allow that to happen, and this will affect many other things. From the way your tides of fortune flow; from your personal riches, to your relationships, and finally, to matters of health will all be of consequence. It is of importance that you become thrifty this year in all areas. This means you need to put aside some extra money, store a supply of provisions, and resist expending too much emotional energy. While it may be hard for you, Rabbit, you must limit how much you offer to others this year.

While this may dismay you, this year will teach you much, and will bring about a fresh drive to your life. In fact, you may even feel energized by it! 2007 is the impetus that will alter the years ahead, leading you to much luck, joy, and pleasure from 2008 and beyond.