He's out of our lives...

WELL what I day, I guess I'm still in shock. This morning Michael Jackson died. In the background, as I write this blog, I have his song She's Out of My Life playing. It was such a shock when my boss burst into the room breaking the news. I had heard on the radio earlier that he had been rushed to hospital, but it didn't sink in, I didn't think it was serious. He's the King of Pop man. But it's real. He's gone. The King of Pop is dead.

Although I'm a bit young to have been around at the beginnings of his career in Jackson 5 and Off The Wall, I still kinda grew up with his music being played. My Mum was a big fan of his and Michael Jackson was always playing on the records/tapes and later CDs at home. It was also my Mum's birthday today, but I guess this kinda put a dampener on that for her.

Michael was legend man! His songs were transgenerational and Michael may not have got to live forever like he wanted, but his songs will definately live for forever for him, as his legacy. Especially the early songs from back singing with his brothers and the MoTown days, to Off the Wall and of course Thriller.

I'm going to end this post with a couple of vids of two of my favourite songs of his... Smooth Criminal and Black and White

My heart goes out to his 3 kids Prince, Paris and Blanket and to the rest of his family. Love you Michael always and forever xxx May you rest in peace. Peace be upon your family in this tragic time for all your fans and friends but especially for the Jackson family.

Getting back on the wagon

OK in the few months since I moved to the city I seem to have slipped into old habits. I haven't had time yet to establish a new garden to grown my on veges and I have been living on junk food lately - I guess that's what happens when u move from a small town and your new place is just down the road from maccas. I have also lapsed out of my vegetarian status and have been eatting alot of chicken lately. I feel terrible about it but I can't help it!

Anyway, the first trimester of uni is almost over (last exam this Saturday) and I should actually be studying right now but what the hell! The reason I'm resuming writing to this blog is I am really thinking how I need to get back on the treehugger bandwagon. So I'm thinking I need a new challenge to help re-motivate me. After all, the climate change problem isn't going to go away on its own now is it. Every individual action counts. Which leads me to Greenpeace's latest campaign Sign On. With ambassadors such as Lucy Lawless and Keisha Castle-Hughes, Greenpeace is attempting to recruit as many people as possible to convince PM John Key to sign on to a 40 percent emission reduction target by 2020 in Copenhagen. Have u signed on yet? The world needs us because there is NO PLANET B.

Check out the vid below:




Okay, now back to my new challenge. As you know if you've been reading my blog since the beginning, I started manaakipapatuanuku with the six-month buy nothing challenge which had mixed results - although shortterm.

Now I'm going to look to another global pollution problem - PLASTIC. The problem with plastic is that it doesn't biodegrade, it photodegrades. Meaning it breaks up in light into smaller and smaller pieces which are dangerous to sea and bird life as these micro pieces of plastic are mistaken for food. There's also the chemical/toxic make up of plastic - it's basically oil and as we all know oil is a finite resource and peak oil is another constant threat. So to do my bit I'm going to attempt to cut plastic out of by life for good. To go on a plastic-free diet so to speak. I will be following in the footsteps of other plastic-free bloggers such as Fake Plastic Fish and Life Less Plastic and trawling through their blog-chives for inspiration and tips.

It's not going to be easy with temptation everywhere in this plastic world. But alas, just like the oil age, I think the plastic-age is coming to an end. But unfortunately existing plastic is going to be overstaying in our environment for millions of years yet.

So here's to:
- saying no to new plastic (I will retain existing plastic and buy post-consumer recycled plastic items)
- finding alternatives to plastic
- pushing for a plastic recycling plant in NZ (all our plastic we put in the recycling at present is being shipped to China. We should be cleaning up our own mess not shoving it onto someone else to take care of).

Here's to a new start and a life without plastic! XD

A new life in the city

I KNOW it's been awhile since I last wrote on here. With moving towns and starting university it's been pretty hectic and I don't have internet access at home yet (I'm writing this on Campus). Anywho, for those who don't know yet I have left the meat-obsessed freezing works town Wairoa and am now residing in Wellington - Paraparaumu to be precise - commuting to Victoria University. I'm studying towards a BA in Maori and Anthropology.

One thing I've noticed so far in the vaast increase in diversity of city life and people compared to the town where everyone knows your name. There are so many different type of people here and as a result so many types of food options. For example, it's so much easier to find vegetarian options when eatting out at cafes AND fast food joints. It helps that I'm no longer limited to fish and chips, pies and Chinese takeaways too...

Anyway, this was just a quick update as I find time from my busy schedule.

-M

And now he might save Kiwi bacon...

JAMIE OLIVER ASKED TO SAVE KIWI PIGS

BRITISH celebrity chef Jamie Oliver (pictured) will soon learn about how pigs are being made to suffer on New Zealand farms.

Animal advocates say standards on New Zealand pig farms will no doubt shock the pig-friendly celebrity chef. Footage obtained from inside New Zealand pig farms is being sent to Jamie Oliver this week in an effort to add international pressure to a campaign to improve pig welfare in New Zealand.

National animal advocacy organisation SAFE (Save Animals from Expoitation) says New Zealand pig farms fall well below standards in the United Kingdom, particularly since kiwi
farmers continue to use cruel sow stalls in which to keep pregnant sows. The group says New Zealand must follow the UK by banning the use of sow stalls.

“New Zealanders watching last night’s 90-minute programme, Jamie Saves Our Bacon, will be shocked to learn that those abhorrent farming systems are also commonplace in New Zealand,” says campaign director of SAFE campaign director Hans Kriek.

This year the New Zealand government is expected to review pig farming standards because sow stalls and farrowing crates have been found to be in breach of the Animal Welfare Act 1999.

“New Zealand cruelly confines over 20,000 pregnant sows in stalls so small they can’t even turn around. Because sow stalls are banned in the UK we are calling on Jamie Oliver to support SAFE’s call to ban sow stalls to improve pig farming standards in New Zealand. The government is unlikely to act without such international pressure,” Mr Kriek says.

SAFE’s campaign to end the factory farming of pigs in New Zealand is gaining momentum. Over 35 MPs, actors, musicians and well-known personalities such as Auckland mayor John Banks, actors Robyn Malcolm and Tammy Davis, and television personality Jaquie Brown have added their support to help pigs in New Zealand.

ACTION: SAFE LovePigs campaigners will be travelling on busy
Auckland
city buses during peak hours tomorrow (Thursday, February
26) to remind tightly-packed commuters that pigs endure similar conditions
for their entire lives.

"Pigs are massively intelligent animals"

I'M CONTINUING the pig rant a bit. I just finished watching my favourite doctor House on the telly tonight and after it finished, flicked the remote to ONE and just happened to catch the last few minutes of British chef Jamie Oliver's expose Jamie Saves Our Bacon. The programme was based UK and European pig markets and how the the UK has one of the highest animal-welfare standards in the world in terms of pig farming. But their local farmers are getting undercut by the European pork industry, who have lower standards, but offer cheaper meat.

I'm not sure what the delio is with NZ Pig Farms and how they measure up with Britain's high standards. But after watching this I would like to find out. Where do I start looking? Does anyone know any commercial free-range pig farmers, preferably in the Hawke's Bay area, that would be happy to take me on a tour? Or even where I can source some information on New Zealand's animal-welfare standards for pig farming?

Another thing Jamie mentioned, and I've already heard this before from other sources, but pigs are really intelligent, highly sociable, and very clean animals. Just watch these videos exerpts below from Jamie Saves Our Bacon:

Internet copyright law delayed

PARTICIPANTS in the New Zealand internet blackout protest have had a minor success.

Today was the day that Kiwi internet users united to black out their blogs, websites and social network pages in a bid to press the government to repel Section 92A of the Copyright Amendment Act.

It had been due to come into effect on February 28, but today Prime Minister John Key announced the controversal law would be delayed for one month, until March 27, to see if the sector could make it workable.

For the love of animals

THOSE who know me in RL would also know that just before Christmas last year I volunteered as a collected for the Save Animals From Exploitations (SAFE) annual appeal against animal cruelty. In fact, I was the only collector in the whole district. Anyway just got a letter from SAFE the other day updating on how the collection went.

The 2008 appeal raised more than $290,000 nation-wide, with a record number of 1300 collectors in 44 towns and cities taking part! Hawke's Bay alone raised $1115.20, equating to an average amount per person of $278.80. I think I raised about $180 in Wairoa, standing outside New World and Mitre 10 and at the work Christmas party.

Now I lead to my current focus for 2009. I'm not a SAFE member yet, but I have been thinking about signing up, if not just to make a regular donations or to get regular updates through their newsletter. But I do what do want to say a bit for their latest campaign, Freedom For Pigs.



It is a campaign against the factory farming of pigs in New Zealand (yes, it still happens). This is an issue close to heart for me and one of the factors that contributed to me becoming a vegetarian. You see pork was the first meat I gave up - for a number of reasons:

• Watching an expose documentary on factory farming
• Something my aunty told me about the smell of roast pork (that one really put me off)
• Babe and Wilbur (from Charlotte's Web) and other cute little movie star piggies that are just so cute
• The fact that pigs actually have a lot more in common with humans than we might think (I mean, doctors are already transplanting pigs pancreas into people to cure their diabetes so that's got to say something for their genetic make up).
• Oh and lastly, pigs are apparently one of the very few animals (besides us) that have orgasms. (I think dolphins are the other one, they're meant to be the only other animal that has sex for pleasure anyway.

So anyway, for the love of pigs please just check out the Freedom For Pigs campaign website. See what you can do to help SAFE by putting pressure on the government to outlaw sow cages so the pigs can run free.

Internet Black Out

Creative Freedom is calling for fellow New Zealander's to black out their blogs, websites, bebo, myspace and facebook and other social networking pages between February 16-23.

The Internet Blackout is a protest against guilt upon accusation laws in NZ, 'Section 92A', that calls for internet disconnection based on accusations of copyright infringement without a trial and without any evidence held up to court scrutiny. This is due to come into effect on February 28 unless immediate action is taken by the National Party.

Several people took their protests to the parliament steps in Wellington yesterday, where protest leaders handed over a digital petition which so far has received over 13,000 signatures.

You can join the campaign by blogging about this unjust law and spreading the message and blacking out your bebo, myspace and facebook profiles. Find out how to black out your profile here.