Smoke and Mirrors

Friday, we headed to The Thatch pub on Hornby Island for dinner. Friday is the only day that we can go because the ferries run later. Although they have some great jazz on Fridays, we hurried back to Denman Island for the Ian Tamblyn concert at the Hall. I remember listening to him in the late 70's. I came across this you-tube of one of his songs about saving the BC "raincoast". It made me realize how lucky I've been to have experienced the close encounters I've had with whales, dolphins, and bears. The BC coast is a truly unique place that deserves to be free of development forever.


On April first, all British Columbia pubs, restaurants etc., will be truly smoke free. That means no more of those "smoking rooms" that really didn't work. Stores in B.C. will no longer be able to display cigs or cigars. The next step may be to start surcharging our public health insurance system for those that wish to continue the habit. After all, life insurance premiums are considerably higher for smokers, why not health insurance?

I like the Olympics. While the Olympics are taking place, my TV is usually tuned in. But I'm not so sure I'll be watching this summer when the events take place in Beijing. I no longer buy any Chinese made products, if at all possible. The message that the world should be sending China is blurred by corporations clambering to capitalize on the huge consumer base and brutally low paid labour force. Basic human rights are overlooked if you can pay your bills. It turns out that china also has a virtually unknown export to Canada.... and it lands right in my backyard! Look at the label... if it says: "Made in China", see if there's an alternative, and pay the difference.

For Spring Break, we've mostly been childless. Tyler came to visit for a few days on the weekend and we tapped into the labour source on Friday with a "site clean up". Thanks Tyler. We ended the weekend with a Salt Spring Island, mussel feast. For the most part, we eat as vegetarians. Red meat is now a once-a-month affair and seafood, perhaps once a week, (and for the most part locally caught). The biggest hurdle for me to become a vegetarian is my love of seafood..... OK, and cheese.

While we're told that the atmosphere now contains more carbon dioxide that it has in the last 600 thousand years or so, we assume it's man's increased carbon emissions. One has to wonder if there would be a problem had we not eliminated 54% of the world's forests in the last 65 years.. While writing this blog, we coincidentally received this link from Fireweed relating to the subject. Check it out.

As our ferry rates are about to increase, yet again, I wonder what BC ferries does with all that revenue. This picture pretty much sums up the mismanagement of funds.