is it the day after tomorrow already?

On the air this weekend I talked about Josh Hooten's editorial in the latest issue of Herbivore magazine. The gist - cutting meat out of your diet is one of the easiest and most productive ways you can fight climate change.

But Josh starts out by commenting on how global warming has suddenly become the new impending catastrophe that everyone talks about, the new trend in environmentalism. It's a valid observation. Just take a look at recent news headlines (or through my blog posts) if you want an illustration. But here are a few stories that were in the news lately:

• Wealthy are cool to global warming
• Geoengineers tackling global warming
• Study: Coal industry could face bleak future in global warming fight
• Ont. boreal forest critical in global warming fight: report

In fact, one of the main features on the CBC home page today suggests that two-thirds of the world's large cities could end up submerged in sea water if global warming continues. [psst - hey, do you believe in global warming?]

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Soothing sounds for the apocalypse...
Sadly, I'm not going to see Trouble tonight. I never have seen them live, in fact. And strangely, that wasn't even on my mind when I was rocking out earlier to the band's self-titled 1990 album.

the stupid and the obvious

In the ranting spirit of this blog's name, I have to say that I have very little patience for knee-jerk positions based on ignorance and intolerance.

I also find it ironic that a music culture that values free will and individualism as much as metal is so often unwilling to accept difference. To borrow the insightful words of my partner, metal's not really about doing your own thing; it's about wishing you could.

That is 'the stupid'. Now onto 'the obvious'...

Published in this week's online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences: an article stating that climate change will lead to the extinction of more species, particularly in the planet's more rare environments.

As a final thought for today, I'd like to take a moment to plug one of my favourite sites on the internet - Vegan Porn. Take a look. If you and I see eye to eye, you'll love it too.

cutest critter in the world and 'global warming - the great conspiracy'

Y'all should now by now how much I love polar bears, and the baby ones especially - could be the cutest animals in the world. Now you may have also heard about the baby polar bear in Germany who some animal rights activists believe should have been left to die (or killed) when his mom rejected him, so nature could take its course. Talking about nature taking its course for captive animals seems like debating a moot point to me, like the kind of argument that asserts we shouldn't keep pets. We've already muddled in nature. Sure we should try not to muddle things up even more, but stepping back and walking away from a bad job isn't going to suddenly set everything right again. Anyway, here's one of the latest articles on the little critter and his first public appearance.

An awful lot of Canadians still believe in some sort of god, but do they believe in global warming? Turns out most of them do. Odd phrasing that. Kind of puts global warming on par with the tooth fairy...

On the music front, I'm kicking myself for missing Unexpect and Tugnut in Waterloo this week but I'm going to try to make it up to myself by seeing The Haunted, Dark Tranquillity, Into Eternity and Scar Symmetry this Thursday in Toronto. I expect I'll be consoled. (Shum13 and Stereo Dynamite come through again) :)

seals, primates and rock'n'roll

The Canadian seal hunt. A contentious international issue. And I can't think of another debate related to the treatment of animals in Canada that gets as much media attention, particularly around this time of year. Here's just one of many recent headlines:

Opposing sides in seal-hunt dispute step up campaigns in Canada, Europe

You'll hear a fair amount of propaganda from both sides of the argument (and I encourage you not to shut either out), but go here if you want to read what Canadian non-profit activist group the Global Action Network has to say on the issue. I have mixed feelings about the seal hunt myself, but I highly respect the GAN's mandate:

Global Action Network is a nationally incorporated non-profit organization, dedicated to fostering environmental awareness and action. We believe that animals, the environment, and human welfare are inextricably linked. Simply put, animal abuse and the destruction of our environment has an ultimate consequence - the degradation of the human species. We achieve our mandate through education, grassroots organizing, coalition building, and political networking. Global Action Network works in seven program areas: Sustainable Agriculture, Oceans, Wildlife, Animals in Entertainment, Globalization, Animals in Biomedical Research and Companion Animals.

Which brings me to another issue that will probably slip under the mass media radar but which disturbs me rather more - plans to create new primate research centre in Quebec for the [highly unreliable] testing of vaccines on 150 to 200 non-human primates. The group Canadians for the Advancement of Health Research (CAHR) has posted an online petition where people can read about the planned centre and register their distaste for the project.

On a more light-hearted note, I stepped out of my comfort zone and went to see The Creepshow last night and had a good time - the band's fun to listen to but even more fun to watch. (Thanks to Jeremy/Stereo Dynamite!). In a bizarre twist of fate, my friend's band Luck Number Ten opened up.

as an addendum to my earlier post...

turns out I did the first hour of the show myself, raiding the new release shelf and playing a fair chunk of music I hadn't heard before, including the Take Action Vol 6 compilation. there's a tour to go along with it: takeactiontour.com.

and I just found out my subscription to the enlightening and entertaining herbivore magazine now comes in a neato online interactive version. check out the mag's main page for an explanation of why herbivore's gone web-savvy and what's happening on the print side of things. there are also some interesting (saddening?) links to info on the recent shake-up in independent publishing that brought all this about.

boys night on keew

I'm skipping out on keew tonight to tackle radio from a different angle and let the boys (Trevorkian and his Hatebreed-loving guest) take over. But here are a couple of things they might mention:

• stupid "sportsmen" who don't think tying live turkeys to straw bales and then trying to draw blood by shooting them with arrows isn't cruel (read more here)
• or the FDA deciding that cheaper cheeseburgers are more important than effective healthcare (here)

Don't forget the Thinking about Animals conference at Brock University this Thursday and Friday. It appears that the Steven Best appearance was my imagination or had to be cancelled but there's plenty more worth checking out.

cyborg love... and animal conference at Brock

Science fiction unfolding before our very eyes as South Korea works on an ethical code for robots.

Of more immediate importance, Brock University is again hosting the Thinking About Animals conference, which takes place on March 15 and 16. The theme of this year's conference, sponsored by the Dept. of Sociology and Niagara Action for Animals, is "Domination, Captivity, Liberation." Vegan meals are available for attendees, although the pre-payment deadline is passed so you might be pushing your luck there. I'm desperately trying to figure out how I can make it, particularly to the keynote by Steven Best and panel with Jody Berland. If you have the chance to go, please don't pass it up.