An Ode to the Lamrichs!

[Editor's note: on Saturday, two of my favourite people in Vancouver the world, Kurt and Theodora Lamrich, tied the knott - at the Planetarium, and it was epic. And their reception at Main Street's Heritage Hall was equally epic and unfolded as a true representation of the couple's love and character. For example, the hashtag #TheoandKurtkiss was trending on Twitter by the end of the evening. The wedding was, like there love is, truly galactic. More importantly, it was foretold by one of William Shakespeare's little known comedic characters, Hornlet. The poem unfolds below. Enjoy!]

HORNLET: To wed, or not to wed–that is the question:

Whether ’tis proper to wait four years to marry

Finding each other, your quite good fortune

Did you take arms against a sea of troubles

And with our help, ended them. Tonight, no sleep–

No more–and when you sleep to say we end.

Marriage, tell your story together forever

That love found in you. ‘Tis a declaration

We devoutly wished. To love, to wed–

Marriage—to live your dreams: ay, there’s the rub,

For in your marriage what dreams may come

When you are nestled in your lovers’ coil,

Must give us pause. There’s the respect

To grow old together of so long life.

For you will bear the whips and scorns of time,

Th’ NPA is wrong, the Heinrich’s qualified

The pangs of bromance love, did some delay,

The insolence of Hornlet, and fiery burns

That nutted merit Lammer’s friendship makes,

When she herself might cross the hall take

View a bare bottom? What do neighbours share,

Some advice to live your married life,

Or the dread of zombies after death,

The undiscovered marriage, from you’s bourn

No traveller returns, journey you will,

And will you rather bear the love you have

And fly to places that we know not of?

This wedding does make lovers of us all (not literally, that’d be weird),

And thus the serious tone of my elocution

Is shaded o’er with a much happy thought,

Your enterprise of red hair and eyebrows

With this regard your currents intertwined

And love the name of Lamrich. — Soft you now,

The fair Theodora! — Kurt, kiss her crimsons

And we all your love remember.

- Exeunt

The Many Horsemen of the Apocalypse

Terminators and the Apocalypse (vs. Zombies and the Apocalypse)

Scary or awesome or both?

How’s it all going to end? My guess is we’re more likely to end up fighting terminators/computers than we are zombies. Here are my top reasons why we’re more likely to face off against killing machines than the walking dead.

1)      You need only to chart the exponential growth of computer chips or data storage (remember when 1 megabyte was the space for your entire hard-drive?) to get a sense of how quickly computers are being improved. How many more years of exponential growth until AI exists and then becomes “Skynetish” in its intelligence?

2)      The internet, while amazing for humans, is even MORE amazing for computers. It’s like having a mind-meld to all your buddies allowing you to share information and solve problems instantaneously. All the sudden you don’t need to build bigger and bigger computers to get the raw scheming, Machiavellian mind of a super-computer a la Terminator; you can network a whole bunch of little computers and get way more bang for your buck

3)      Our entire society is pretty much reliant on computers. Unlike zombies, which I think we’d all agree we can do without, computers and their accompanying software is pretty much the foundation of the modern information economy. Even if we saw Skynet coming (which we probably won’t) and tried to “turn off” our computers or the internet, it’d be like ripping out your heart to save yourself from a heart attack. Raw deal, no matter what way you cut it.

4)      The US government has already probably built Terminators in some high-tech lab buried under Colorado’s mountains. Yeah, they probably also have developed some sort of killer zombiesque virus too, but that’s a lot less socially acceptable than high-tech “drone” weapons systems that have already made their appearances on the battlefield.

World Enders In Their Own Words

Regardless of what the other gumbooteers here say about the end of the world, I’m convinced it’s going to be triggered by a super villain or evil-doer of note. What’s the best defense against an evil-doer?

Well, some might say a good offence. Fair enough.

How do you build a good offence? Beyond pouring trillions into a military-industrial complex you start with a foundation of intelligence. You paint a picture of your enemy’s motives and monitor their every move. Infiltrate their communications.

Get a leg up on the coming apocalypse by tapping into the thoughts of our some prime suspects.

Victor Von Doom
Why? DOOM – duh – It’s in his name. And while his tweets don’t reveal a lot of detail about his plans for world destruction they do offer a great glimpse into the twisted mind of this super villain.

Cobra Commander
Why? Cobra shares exactly what he’s up to. Half the time it’s destabilizing governmnets and working to undermine society, the other half it’s chasing ladies. Meaning this intel is about 50% gold when it comes to heading off hell-on-earth.

Darth Vader
Why? Literally a world ender. Alderaan was a peaceful planet, so just think of what he might do to a planet like ours if he gets his hands on another fully-functional battle station.

And to follow on that note, @Deathstarpr is working the spin on spinning planets out of orbit

The Terminator
Why? If we’re worried about technology taking over the best place to start is with technology from the possible-future where it already has… that makes sense right?

Editors note – I agree with Michael on this observation that Terminators will likely end the world…

The Apocalypse Project Begins!

CarlosVanVegas - Mayan Calendar

The world as we know it will end on December 21, 2012. There, I said it. Exactly how this is going to happen is debatable, but planetary alignment is a part of it. And there are a few theories (zombies, more zombies, meteors, robots, God, Mother Nature, nuclear war, aliens, nuclear-zombie-dinosaur-terminators) regarding how we will meet our end. And several “survival guides” and “tip sheets” and “disaster kit lists” are also available for all of your post-apocalyptic-planning needs. And this is why The Daily Gumboot team is excited to bring you The Apocalypse Project. Because such a thorough and comprehensive assessment of how humanity will end, how you can survive, and how you can re-build – or newly build – your post-apocalyptic community ever been written.

Until now.

Ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to The Apocalypse Project!

Over the next seven days, our international team of correspondents will answer the following questions:

  • Are you talking about civilization ending or the world ending?
  • How is the world (or civilization or whatever) going to end?
  • Who are these “Mayans”? And where is their “Mayan” country? Can’t we just attack it or something?
  • Are “Mayans” like zombies? Because it seems like zombies are going to be a big problem pretty soon. What are your tips for dealing with a Zombie Apocalypse?
  • What about robots and technology? How are they – or is it – going to rise up and destroy us all?
  • You write about the Sun a lot. Will that have something to do with it?
  • So the world is ending, what skills do I need to survive?
  • What are some good tips for growing food in a post-apocalyptic hellscape? What about Detroit?
  • In the post-apocalyptic world, how can I be a leader of people? Like Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games.
  • Why can’t we all just hop on a plane and go to Earth 2?
  • According to String Theory, we all live in alternate universes at the same time. So, does any of this really matter?
  • When civilization as we know it crumbles into oblivion, will people still be nice to each other?
  • I hear that John Travolta, Richard Branson and Rain (the Korean pop star) all have bunkers. Where are they and how can we infiltrate them?
  • How will your bloggers’ “superpowers” build “community” in this post-apocalyptic world?

Courtesy of ian on Flickr

All these questions (and more) will be answered during the next week. From zombies to terminators to Gaya to supervillains, we will chronicle the Earth’s possible potential probable definite demise. Don’t worry. We’ll also talk about how you and your community can survive and thrive (before, during and after) the apocalypse. Oh, and Kurt is going to interview John Connor (the leader of The Resistance).

Hey, Twitterverse, all I can say is this: you’re welcome.

Enjoy the apocalyptic edutainment!

I Said ‘Macbeth’ at the Theatre and Disaster Struck

I went to see the Vancouver Playhouse’s production of Red, a play about Mark Rothko at the height of his fame. This is not a review of that play. This is a story. There is a full review of the play in the Georgia Straight in case that disappoints you.

Mark Rothko via http://victoriatopping.blogspot.com/2011/04/rothko-moment.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As far as communities go, the theatre community is a superstitious bunch. The most well known display of this trait is the taboo of saying good luck to a performer before a show. They would rather be told to break a leg. This one I know but, somehow, after 3 years of living with a theatre major and the daughter of an actor, I failed to learn or at least failed to retain any knowledge of another famous theatre taboo; the “Scottish Curse”. As I read out the stage credits of the lead actor, I learned my lesson. Among his credits was a stint in Macbeth.

In my own defense, if this curse is such a big deal actors should not be able to list the play among their credits. As far as I am concerned, that is just asking for trouble. Doesn’t everyone read the program aloud to their friends?

A little Googling after the fact has since taught that the antidote is a quote from Macbeth for someone to say, “‘Angels and ministers of grace defend us.’ Then the offender must leave the house, turn around widdershins (counterclockwise) three times, swear and knock to be readmitted.”

My companion looked at me aghast but did not call for any angels or ministers. I didn’t turn widdershins even once. So, naturally, disaster befell the production.

 

http://www.revitalizedesplaines.org/2009/11/now-on-youtube-1982-des-plaines-theatre.html

 

A gigantic screen that was used as a vehicle to change between scenes fell off it’s runners and the play had to be halted while four people tried to coerce the sail back into it’s tiny crevasse without dropping it onto the rapt audience in the process.

 

This could be chalked up to going to see the first preview of a show, but I did say the word and then…could it really be coincidence?

 

I overheard someone behind me say that it rid the theatre of its magic and mystery when things went wrong with the set. I don’t know that that was a negative thing for me. Particularly, since it was a play about the visual arts and the very next scene contained a reference to the adverse effects of bringing up the lights on a stage set. The line was apt but inaccurate. The lights up, behind the scenes moment gave the production a more physical presence. It gave more importance to the stage and set than the magic of a performance without a hitch would have allowed it to have otherwise.

 

Perhaps I will use this weapon strategy again the next time I attend the theatre. Watch out!

2012 Year of the Dragon

Image

Chinese / Japanese Character for DragonRyuu

Update:  This drawing might not make much sense unless you’ve seen the kanji (chinese character) for dragon, so I’ve included it below:

 

 

Handel’s Messiah at the Orpheum

Composed in 1742, Handel’s Messiah has become a cultural fixture of the Christmas season. When I heard that some of my family planned to see the Vancouver Chamber Choir & Symphony Orchestra’s performance of it I recognized the name but didn’t know exactly what it was. I knew it was a classic that I wanted to experience for myself so I jumped at the chance to do so.

 

Image: Tourism Vancouver, Orpheum Theatre

The performance was at the Orpheum Theatre on Granville Street. This was my first time inside the Orpheum so I just need to briefly gush about the iconic building. The red and gold fixtures and the mural on the vaulted ceiling make it difficult to imagine this was ever a movie theatre, but the old photos on the walls are both proof and nostalgic reminders for visitors like my Mom, who remembers seeing movies there when she was young.

 

The baroque epic is composed of bouncing vocal rounds interspersed with soloists reciting what are almost comically repetitive choruses. You get the sense that they really want to make sure you now what they are talking about. Except for the soprano who sang in a pitch so high that what she sang couldn’t compete with how she sang it. Handel’s own habit of customizing the lyrics for each performance has become a part of the living tradition. While a live musical performance is always unique, it is not always intentionally so. I love the idea of a composition that was written over 250 years ago with the intention of performing it differently for each occasion. It makes the occasion more exciting for the audience, and the performers.

 

Handel was super rich. He still ranks in the top 5 richest classical composers. Messiah is just part of what made him so plentiful of resources. Handel is credited as being the first to write English language oratorios. An oratorio is a sort of no frills no gimmicks opera that cut out all the typical expenses that made Operas so unprofitable, such as costumes, sets, and star performers.  Mostly unknown performers on a simple stage created a vocal symphony so compelling that record-breaking audiences have attended since the first performance.

 

The ease and low cost of staging the show combined with the incredible popularity with audiences made Messiah the most profitable performance of it’s time and it remains one of the most performed pieces in the world to this day. This was a great opportunity to get out and enjoy one of the city’s best venues and one of the world’s most popular pieces of music and, to top it off, the tickets were only about $30. Halleluia!

Exhibition Unites Energy with Art and Motion

[Editor's note: sometimes Kurt and I get pretty darn busy with work, life, and Kurt's lifelong plan to ensure that Johnism becomes the ideology of the next 100 years. For these reasons, we will occasionally copy and paste press releases from cool organizations and call them "blog posts" - right now is one of those times].

VANCOUVER: eatART presents an exhibition illuminating the connection between art and energy through photography, paintings, performances and art-in-motion at the Great Northern Way Campus on December 15th.

Exhibits include interactive touch sensitive sculptures, a wearable walking machine, the first walking electric vehicle, and a 50 ft electromagnetic snake.“We define energy as the exertion of vigour or power, and the vitality and intensity of expression,” said said Emily Hamilton, Curator and Co-executive Director of eatART. “Energy manifests through art through mood, emotion, movement, materials, narrative, connection with the viewer, and sources of power and light.

eatART is a volunteer-run charity organization that provides space and support artists, performers, engineers, and robotic sensationalists to gather, network and collaborate. “We give artists the opportunity to demonstrate their explorations of energy and sustainability, promote their message and to gain exposure,” added Ms. Hamilton.

The Hangar is the event space sponsored by the Great Northern Way Campus. Located in the Centre for Digital Media Arts, it echoes the narrative of this exhibition: an industrial past with an educational present.

ART WITH ENERGY

DATE: December 15th

TIME: 7 to 11pm, 6 to 11pm for Media

LOCATION: Great Northern Way Campus, The Hangar, map

ENTRY BY DONATION: All proceeds go to the eatART Foundation to support the artists.

ARTISTS:

  • Michael JP Hall – Realization
  • Vincent VanHaaff – Resonance
  • Leigh Christie – A New Industrial Utopia
  • Frederick Brummer – Dimension X
  • G?Bikes – Powering the Party
  • Raul Casillas – Entanglement
  • Jonathan Tippett – Prosthesis: The Anti Robot
  • mondo spider - The world’s first walking electric vehicle
  • Mark Illing – Clones are People Too
  • The Cooper Bros – Panoramic Photography
  • Titanoboa project – 50ft electromagnetic snake
  • Peter Holmes – Water Portraits

Website: http://artwithenergy.tumblr.com/Exhibition | www.eatART.org

©2009 eatART Foundation

 

99 Ways to Leverage Our Humanity – Part 3

[Editor's note: I must start by saying that what unfolds below is a team effort - thanks to everyone who has contributed to this list! So, for better or worse, many parts of the world have been recently occupied - and in some places, like Vancouver, this may or may not be coming to an end. Many elements of the Occupy Movement have issued demands. Personally, I see many problems with demands, as they imply binary-negotiating and/or unchangeable beliefs. Personally, I see more value and possibility in ideas and collaborative brainstorming - though this is a much harder process for certain. Some other folks share a love for collaboration and they have kindly offered their ideas in world-changing list-form. So, without further ado, here is part three of a four-part series that is meant to get our community thinking about how our brilliant, passionate, inspiring, adaptive, funny, delicious, healthy, and innovative humanity can make the world a better place. Thanks for the memories, everyone!].

How can we leverage our humanity to solve the world’s problems?

Here are ideas 1-25. And here are ideas 26-50. And here are ideas 51-75:

  1. Hike.  Get out in nature’s bosom.  Commune with the forest spirits.  Skinny dip.  Roll in dirt.  It’s clean.  Sit.  Listen.  Yell!  Pee your name in the snow (men only, I think).  Play capture the flag.  Know Nature.  Know Its value to you personally.  Because you can’t want to protect something if you don’t even know what it is.
  2. Cycle.  You’ll see more and feel good.  Buy rain pants and suit up.  You’ll be dry under you clothes (and naked!).  Be visible.  Cyclists are the future:  fuckin non-motorized, non-electronic cyborgs on wheels.
  3. Draw.  Not for art’s sake.  For communicating.  Long before we wrote, we drew.  On cave walls and on bark and hide.  Appreciate the symbolic nature of signs and symbols, and the miracle that allows all humans to interpret them.  Ed Emberley is a prophet.
  4. Drink.  Water.  H2O.  Its ubiquity only adds to its many mysteries.
  5. Learn.  A language.  Or several.  Or even just a smattering of words.  Knowing another’s tongue is the quickest way to break the ice and will allow you to more easily understand ‘the other’.
  6. Objectify.  Be partial.  Know that your opinions are opinions and based on what you believe you know.  Do not mistake passion for rightfulness.  Choose to be emotional; do not make emotional choices.
  7. Listen.  You talk too much.  Listening allows for ideas to reveal themselves to speakers who may not even know they have such ideas.  If you can’t listen, pretend to listen, as this often has the same effect.
  8. Keep.  Imbue physical objects with meaning.  A ring, a rock, or even a house.  We are physical creatures living in a physical world, not virtual avatars.  Don’t tear down old buildings.  Believe in ghosts and spirits.
  9. Teach.  To teach is to learn well.  Whether it be abstract or practical knowledge, by teaching it you will learn it deeper, and it will become you.
  10. Smile.  In monkeys it lowers tension and creates group harmony.  We are all monkeys.  Faking is acceptable as it often leads to the real thing.  Emotions and your facial muscles are inextriclaby linked. You can fool your own brain.
  11. Don’t.  Don’t do anything.  Eke.  Survive.  Be simple.  Learn the art of inertia.  Laziness is godliness.  The planet will thank you for it.
  12. Think critically. Do not accept things for what they are and ask lots and lots of questions.
  13. Perform. Sock puppets, Shakespeare, Improv, and Musicals are great ways to tell stories as well as tackle the pesky problem of fearing public speaking.
  14. Dance with people. And, to quote a wise man named Jim, “never let the rhythm control your dancing.”
  15. It might’ve been said before but it bears repeating: learn another language. This will help when you visit other places. And it will really help you visit communities not just tourist attractions.
  16. Have heroes and role models who exist in the real world, not the hyper-sexed and overly violent fictional worlds of so much media.
  17. Send handwritten thank you cards. First, because it’s the right thing to do. Second, people love getting mail and, let’s face it, the cards are outstanding advertising for your personal brand!
  18. Be skeptical and question authority. This doesn’t mean rebelling against anything and everything; it just means that you shouldn’t take everyone at their word all the time.
  19. Strive to be a bit more of an armchair economist so that you can understand – and share knowledge about – the complex workings of the global financial system.
  20. Commit to keeping the complex complex. Sometimes simple solutions come at the erosion and sacrifice of necessarily complex and important things.
  21. Remember that the things you own end up owning you. The only logical solution here is for you to give your things away so that they can own other people.
  22. Take off/out your headphones and/or earbuds and listen to the world around you. This will expose you to funny things, interesting things, and things that will inspire you to engage members of your community in conversation.
  23. Collaborate. Like a symphony. Working together is the only way that we’re going to pull ourselves out of this mess.
  24. Find common ground with someone who has a totally different worldview than you. It’s possible. I mean, Kurt and John do it every day on this blog!
  25. Recognize that humanity’s adaptability will see us through tsunamis, earthquakes, peak oil, and the zombie apocalypse; however, there will be catastrophic collateral damage and many of us will not survive the next 100 years. Try your best to be okay with this fact and also try really, really hard to not be a weird survivalist who makes people super uncomfortable while riding the bus…

Masthead photo courtesy of Kurt Heinrich, who is awesome.

An Appropriated Diet for a Full Life

My Dad’s favourite book of the year is Tim Ferriss’, The 4-Hour Body. At his insistence I had to check out the website where I found a bonus chapter, written by Dr. Seth Roberts, that really sent my mind on a tangent. I’ll explain it from the beginning…

“Louise and Brody build the Eiffel tower” by Gedidiah McCaughey

Dr. Roberts is a professor of psychology and a member of the editorial board of the journal, Nutrition. His work has appeared in the New York Times Magazine and The Scientist. He’s legit. The theory that captured my imagination is the basis for what he calls The Shangri-La Diet and springs from Pavlov’s psychological framework of associative learning. The idea is that our brains are hard wired from the days of hunting and gathering to stock up on calories when they detect that there is an abundance of good food.  The brain detects that abundance when it registers familiar flavours or smells. The first time we taste something, our brain has not yet made the connection between the associated flavours and the calories that are derived from their consumption. Because no association exists yet, the impulse to stock up on calories is not triggered and we feel satisfied with less. The next time we have that same thing, we subconsciously remember we like it and want more! Essentially, flavours are addictive and make us crave progressively more and more in order to feel that same initial feeling of satisfaction that a new taste experience elicits. The stronger the smell or flavour, the stronger this effect is. This is the same theory that industrial food brands capitalize on by striving to make their products taste identical each time and therefore making us crave their products at the first familiar whiff of grease or sugar.

This theory about appetite seems to me to be a very apt analogy for many human conditions. Particularly, it seems to me that our experience of time is affected very similarly. It is well recognized that as we grow older time seems to speed up. In the beginning of our lives when everything is unfamiliar and new, a few days can seem like an eternity. As we grow older and more familiar with what it is to experience the passage of time and as our daily experiences become well-worn routine, the months seem to fly by before we have the chance to even flip the calendar page and satisfaction doesn’t come as easily. The weekends seem to get shorter and shorter, and vacations are never long enough. We crave more and more time for the things that really nourish our lives but we are restricted to our standard time tables and schedules.

In this context it is logical that humans strive to perpetuate the feeling of satisfaction that a first experience produces.  Drugs have been used throughout history as a tool to do this. The desired effect being to alter human perceptions, arguably in order to experience the familiar in a new way and ultimately recreate the initial satisfaction of what was once new and novel.

Another tool we can use to break us out of the monotony of our daily experiences and alter our perceptions of the world is art. Consider how a new song can make a routine commute seem fresh again, or an unexpected piece of public art can transform a familiar city or landscape. Art has the power to make us reassess our surroundings and experience them like new again. It can also be the stimulus that makes us reassess our assumptions and see the familiar in a new light. This is why art is such an essential part of a full life experience. It alters and enriches daily experiences and offers an alternative to monotony. In a Big Mac world Art provides the nourishment that makes your life feel fuller longer.

So, there you have it. That is one insightful diet book. Thanks Dad!

 

The List by Occupy Vancouver

Focused Capture - Flickr Creative Commons

[ This is copied from the Occupy Vancouver forum on 'Demands' -- apparently the working group meets every day at 5:30pm at the Ice Rink @ Robson + Howe.  These demands will be ratified by the General Assembly sometime soon. I'm hoping to check it out in the next few days to confirm the support for this list. ] 

Rough Draft of Demands

There has been a call for a broad over-reaching demand that sums up the rest of the demands and is easily quotable in the mass media:

We demand the creation of a just and sustainable society.

Of course people will want to know the specifics of such a demand.
With that in mind we have created this list of “sub-demands” which more clearly outlines what exactly we mean by our one demand.

Economic demands

1. We demand that the wealthiest 1% pay their fair share by the closing of tax loopholes such as dark pools of liquidity and employer-side payroll taxes. Progressive taxation principles must prevail, income from capital must be taxed at the same level as wage income.
2. We demand that the banks be nationalized and limit interest payments to 1%. The Board of Directors of the Bank of Canada and top tier of management must now include at least 50% representatives for Labour/wage earners and the balance must contain a mix of academics, as well as business people. The mandate of the Bank of Canada must now include the pursuit of low unemployment in addition to low inflation. (An alternative demand to nationalization of the banks is: “We demand a cap on interest rates at 5% plus prime.”)
3. We demand that crimes committed by banks and corporations be prosecuted more rigorously – a dedicated justice fund for white-collar crimes must be created. Canadian corporations must also be held accountable for crimes (such as bribery and pollution) committed abroad.
4. We demand that all income tax for those who make less than the living wage be eliminated.
5. We demand that a “ministry of whistle-blowing” be created with the power to protect any whistle blower – corporate or otherwise – from harm of any kind. We need to be able to safely call attention to injustice. Previous failed attempts to do this should be learned from.
6. We demand a higher minimum wage – one that equals a living wage. Those unable to work due to disability or infirmity should have a guaranteed income which will allow a dignified existence.
7. We demand that Canada pulls out of all free trade agreements – including repealing NAFTA – which are actually “investors rights” agreements and have little to do with trade. We demand an end to future attempts at “free trade” agreements and/or the North American Union. All monopolies – national or international – must be prohibited.
8. We demand that EI payments for people not eligible to receive from the program be eliminated.
9. We demand that supply management of agricultural products be ended.
10. We demand that the federal government keep out of private sector union negotiations.
11. We demand the prohibition of self-regulation by large-scale industries.

Political demands

12. We demand the influence of lobbyists and influence peddlers be reduced by requiring all lobbyists and corporate representatives conduct all meetings with representatives out in the open, with records of what was said and what was spent easily accessible to the public.
13. We demand the electoral playing field be leveled by limiting each political party to equal small amounts of taxpayer money. We demand the elimination of campaign contributions entirely.
14. We demand the installation of a proportional representation system in all municipal, provincial and federal elections. We demand the adoption of Swiss-style direct democracy and Nunavut-style consensus-decision-making into all political processes.
15. We demand an immediate end to Canada’s role in the war in Afghanistan. We demand Canada pulls out of NATO.
16. We demand the government makes sure the CBC is independent from influence by powerful groups by getting enough funding so it can go commercial free so it no longer must depend on big business for advertizing, and that it becomes immune from future budget cuts.
17. We demand the elimination of the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2001, which criminalizes activities similar to the ones conducted by the French Resistance in WW2 and Nelson Mandela’s ANC in South Africa.
18. We demand Canada pulls out of the SPP – the “Security and Prosperity Partnership” – the military and economic harmonization between Canada and the United States. Canada must remain sovereign.
19. We demand the return of the long form census and an end to the practice of outsourcing census work to multinationals such as Lockheed Martin.
20. We demand that Statistics Canada and the Parliamentary Budget Office be made arms-length organizations outside the direct jurisdiction of partisans.
21. We demand that publicly funded science be made available to the public. No tax-payer-funded scientists should be gagged or censored in any way.
22. We demand that the science minister be replaced with an MP who recognizes the realities of evolution and global human-caused climate change.
23. We demand an end to all gag-orders on public servants.
24. We demand an independent investigation into 9/11 which will examine all evidence including that which would support a false-flag explanation.
25. We demand that “none of the above” be an option on all electoral ballots.

Societal demands

26. We demand – as Bertrand Russell suggested – there be two police forces – one to prove your guilt and another to prove your innocence. We demand lawyers be required to work in pairs so that a lack of resources won’t be a factor in deciding a case. (Alternative: We demand increased funding for legal aid.)
27. We demand a majority of the defense budget be redistributed to health, education and housing.
28. We demand massage, dental and eye care be covered under the health care system.
29. We demand an end to gender and racial discrimination in the workplace. We demand pay equity and employment equity. We demand equal pay for different but equivalent work.
30. We demand the right of self-determination for all indigenous nations. We demand a speedy resolutions to all outstanding land claims acceptable to all parties concerned.
31. We demand the repeal of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. All synthetic drugs and hard drugs (including cocaine and heroin) must be distributed by prescription through a pharmacist.
32. We demand that all botanical drugs be distributed like coffee beans. Human medical autonomy must now be respected by all.
33. We demand that all harmless people be protected in the constitution. If a new law is written and a new set of people are to be criminalized, the burden of proof will now be on the government to provide evidence that this new group of criminals is inherently harmful to others. This will end scapegoating.
34. We demand that post-secondary education be free with no hidden user fees. We demand that most outstanding student loans should be forgiven based upon income.
35. We demand that herbalists and naturopaths have their services covered by the health-care system.
36. We demand that judicial sentencing discretion should be preserved.
37. We demand that the omnibus crime bill be eliminated.
38. We demand that prostitution be legalized and regulated as it is in New Zealand.

Environmental demands

39. We demand that subsidies shift from fossil fuel and nuclear energy to renewable resources such as sun, wind, wave, geothermal and cellulose-based ethanol.
40. We demand that GMO’s – extra-natural genetic modification – be banned because there is no consensus that they increase yield, are safe to consume, are safe for the environment and pose no threat to global food security but there is general agreement that they allow seed monopolies and lawsuits based upon pollen drift. The patenting of life must be illegal and terminator seeds banned from sale in Canada.
41. We demand that chemical fertilizers and pesticides be phased out over the next five years while farmers learn to use organic methods because chemical fertilizers and pesticides are unnecessary and kill the soil vitality needed for human survival.
42. We demand that “open-net/open water” fish farming be banned.
43. We demand that environmental laws be enforced more rigorously.
44. We demand that soil vitality be a priority.
45. We demand that the nuclear industry be phased out.
46. We demand that the health and environmental costs be factored into the cost of each product, and taxed appropriately.
47. We demand the shutting down of the Tar Sands project.
48. We demand that fracking – hydraulic fracturing – be prohibited.
49. We demand the removal of all the red tape around the growing of industrial hemp.
50. We demand Canada pull out of the Keystone Pipeline.
51. We demand the prohibition of all off-shore drilling. We demand maximum liability on all oil spills.
52. We demand a national ban on products and packaging that can’t be recycled locally.
53. We demand a ban on factory farming or CAFO’s (concentrated animal feeding operations).
54. We demand an end to all logging in old-growth forests and an end to clear-cutting everywhere.
55. We demand protection of water rights and transparency in all Canadian water deals.
56. We demand Canada adopts the Bolivian Earth Charter.

[I will not editorialize here, other than to say that the 99% need a better marketing consultant.  Reduce, refine, simplify.  My Occupy brainspace does not have time for a debate on industrialized hemp.  Thoughts?]