I'm a huge fan of David Attenborough

One can't help but wonder at this.

Hell of a week.

Hello, my friends. I have been extremely busy of late; I just finished all of my midterms yesterday. Tomorrow I get to leave with my family and go to Mont Tremblant for the weekend to go skiing. I'm coming back on Monday. My last post wasn't much of a post. I've just been swamped, so I haven't had time to really work on the blog. I've been learning an unbelievable amount though. Last week I posted the first part of a documentary that we watched in one of my classes. The whole thing is on Youtube; it's entitled "The New Rulers of the World" by John Pilger. He's a British Journalist, and it focuses on Indonesia, but really just uses it as their example for what's going on all over the world. The worst part of what is going on in the world is that the international, World governance bodies that are claiming to be promoting wealth and equality and ending poverty are the ones creating those things and manipulating countries, information, and media to gain control over countries and their economies. Those governance bodies include the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank. These two claim to be trying to help poorer countries, but really they are enslaving them economically. Their methods are incredibly devious, and horrifying. I will be continuously trying to expose their actions for what they are. But in terms of this documentary, I was particularly interested to learn that the British and U.S. governments actively participated in a holocaust of millions of people in Indonesia. They were directly involved, according to this film and the evidence it presents. They were the masterminds of the overthrow of the strong, intelligent, leader President Sukarno, who actually founded the independent Republic of Indonesia, after WWII. The most powerful countries, through financial and military backing, supported the dictatorial regime of General Suharto, and actually participated in the massacres. He was set up for this by the IMF, the U.S. and Britain. He made a shitload of money doing it for them, and encouraged the economic harnessing of Indonesia.
The economic harnessing of countries is one of the reasons that we have it so good. I actually learned in class today that 78% of starving children in "Developing" or "Third World" countries live in countries with food surpluses; but it's food they have to produce for us. When you're in a grocery store, or a mall, think about your surroundings, and what they're designed for.
So anyway, I think "The New Rulers of the World" is a documentary worth seeing; I'll be putting many documentaries on here, so I hope you watch them and think about what they're saying. It's good to remember and keep in mind how we ourselves contribute to the inequalities and injustices and problems in the world. I for one am learning how to REALLY change my life to be more sustainable and helpful.
Next week, I have a post I'm working on about population. Until then, please don't take anything I put on this blog for fact. Check some of this stuff out for yourself, and try to check your facts, give heed to the different perspectives or sides, but try to be critical and find the truth. Also, appreciate what you have, and be thankful. Peace be with you!
Brendan

The New Rulers of the World

Hi. I'm watching this for one of my classes. I think it illustrates some of the most important issues we face, and that we must solve. This links to part one. Check it out.

Exams

I had my first midterm tonight. My next is tomorrow at 8:45 am. Plenty more coming. I just watched a tragic documentary about the South Central community garden. This movie is about the environment in that it portrays urban agriculture, something I think every city should do. But more importantly, this film is about an injustice, and the destruction of these peoples' farm. I have always wanted a commune, of my own. Or at the very least a garden. I'll start my farm someday. But for now I want to remind people that changing our lifestyles and culture is important, but with it we must take action, with solidarity. Of course, we need to oust Steven Harper from power, first of all. The point is that the tide is turning slowly towards sustainability, but global inequality and governmental corruption are things that need to end. The time is now to really look at what's going on around you. The choices we make as to where we buy things from, how wasteful we are, and how we live our lives have never been more important. But we also need to become informed people, who check our facts, research the details, and hold ourselves responsible for our own decisions. You can make a difference.
Everyone should feel empowered. You are entitled to your rights and freedoms. You are entitled to food, water, shelter, respect, work, and peace. You should be proud to live and do right by your friends, family, and community. And you should have the courage and resolve to fight for your rights.
☮

Hello

Hello! My name is Brendan Jeffery. I'm an environmental student at Concordia University in Montreal, and I've been an environmentalist since I was 8. I've never "blogged" before, but I've been learning so much that I wanted to try and spread some of the information that I've been accumulating.
The Global Environmental Crisis has been ongoing for the past half-century. It's time to take action. But people seem to be preoccupied with their lives, without making the connections between the mall and the supermarket and Walmart and environmental damage. If you're in debt, ask why you're in debt; how does this system work? Why are so many people losing their jobs right now, and not greedy businessmen who created the situation to pocket even more of the world's money? Why can we afford so much food to be brought here, imported, and packed into supermarkets? How much are corporations really doing to help the environment? Why do we need the environment, and need to save it? What is our connection with the Earth?
The internet is an incredible thing. It has allowed more possibilities and awareness and availability of information than ever before. But we must also, as individuals, work, and make an effort to be informed, and then take action. One's own life is a start.
This will be a running log of issues and the connections between the plight of the natural environment, our own culture, individual choices and actions, and the global economic machine. And what we can do about it.