Bits & Pieces

Good morning, good afternoon, good evening and good night - where ever you are!

Today the rain has finally stopped after leaving us a wet long weekend but I shouldn't complain as we had some gorgeous weather for the last couple of weeks. In fact, when it started raining I couldn't remember the last time we had a rainfall but figured it would be good for the land. So it's already Thursday and this is the first time I've had a chance to think about writing something for the observations this week.

It's been a couple of busy weeks and its only going to get busier. As I think about everything going on I'm also perusing over some articles and stories today on different websites, magazines and papers to see what the world is talking about. I haven't had cable television for at least six years and its been wonderful without it, but we recently signed up for it since we both work in the media world of television and advertising. I must admit I'm in love with the Knowledge channel and Discovery, amazing programming that doesn't leave me numb. Although there is just a flood of reality garbage on the tube I must admit that once in a while as I flick up and down the channels, a couple of minutes of Flavour Flav's love life (pimp life) cracks me up. Last night Inked had my attention as they open up a new tattoo shop in a casino. Opening night had celebrities like Dennis Rodman, Robin Leach, John Salley, and the guys from NSync (lol) show up for some tattoos.

Immigration is hot news too and not just in America. I was speaking to a friend just today who drove down to the US from Vancouver who had the usual difficult time crossing the border. It seems just because she is originally from Colombia but still has a Canadian passport, she gets red flagged all the time as a possible drug czar threat. Down south the immigration bill nears passage in the US senate where they estimate there are 12 million illegal immigrants residing. Here in Canada our lovely government has been sending Portuguese immigrants packing back to their homeland too, recalling my own childhood memory of close family friends who also had the same fate back in the 1970's.

I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that I was starting night classes again and I'm now in week three and just loving it. I'm really enjoying the magazine writing class. Basically the first part of the class is lecture and discussion and then the second part is a workshop. Everyone has two articles to write during the course and everyone reads them and critiques them as you move through the rewriting stage and eventually get it ready to publish. I handed in my first story last night and it will be critiqued in two weeks. The story is about a close friend's account of his frustrating and painful time in a hospital recently. The second story which has to include an interview is going to be about the Young Men's Adventure Weekend Society.

Some of you may remember from my Observations from the 19th Floor my excitement about being part of the great weekend a couple of years ago. Well I am part of the 2006 team and my first meeting is tonight. For those of you who don't know about it please check out the amazing website by the very talented phreeagent, Dorian Leslie, at www.ymaw.com. In a nutshell, YMAW is a weekend of fun and teamwork; encouraging a spirit of responsibility and honour in young men's lives, through positive relationships with each other and with adult men. A group of us get together each spring and start putting together the event for young men from the ages of 12-17. The weekend is nothing short of exhilarating, inspiring, challenging and empowering - oh yeah - a ton of fun!!

This years event takes place July 14, 15 and 16 somewhere in the wilderness of British Columbia! I encourage anyone out there reading this who knows someone in this age group to check out our website and contact us to be part of this great experience.

Thank you for checking out another edition of Observations from the Island.

peace.

Stroke It To The West

My brother is the type of guy who always finds his way into special events. Whether he gets free tickets from someone or ends up knowing the security guards, one way or another he gets into the big show. Whenever he does go to one of these shows he ends up calling me from the venue to put me within earshot of the main event via the cell phone. When he saw Van Halen recently he called me during the song "Jump". When the Edmonton Oilers played the Red Wings in Detroit during the playoffs there he was on the phone again amidst the major upset. The other night it was INXS during the "Devil Inside" and before that Willie Nelson of all people. The funniest had to have been when he called from a national curling championship that was televised and this time he was all over the television, "check out channel 23 man, we're the crazy guys cheering like its a hockey game." Each hilarious phone call left us in stitches with his fantastic reporting from inside the mosh pit.

So last night I was in the mosh pit for the first time since probably the Franz Ferdinand show a couple years ago at the Commodore. The Strokes played last night to an appreciative and energetic crowd at the Plaza of Nations. We hopped up and down all night sharing body sweat with the fans. The Strokes put on a great show stating that this was definitely "the best crowd so far on the tour". The music was great and the audience was pumped. On two different occassions I had this small guy jump on my shoulders and try to launch off of me and into the crowd for his turn at bodysurfing. Each time I turned around quickly wondering who the hell is humping my shoulders! Too funny. If that wasn't funny enough some other little guy got slapped across the face after thinking he could just get away with grabbing a girls breast without permission!

This time it was my turn to call my bro from a concert but with the time difference it didn't have quite the same effect leaving him a message.

Well, the long weekend is just around the corner and I can only hope that the weather stays like it has been, hot and sunny.

Mad love out to Carty and Tersia this weekend too! Peace in the east.

This has been another Observation from the Island.

The Hempress Returns

Bom dia amigos! Welcome to the latest Observations from the Island.

First of all Keli has returned from the Toronto Hot Docs Festival just beaming. The festival was excellent and Westgate met numerous movers and shakers in the documentary film industry. Stay tuned to her website for all the latest details coming soon www.plantthisseed.com. She has barely had a chance to download her festival experience as she is back on set today shooting some corporate videos. In fact, today marks our first day working together since I began my contract at this advertising agency two months ago! Looking forward to it!

It's crunch time here on the island as we prepare for the next three days as we will be at a big conference downtown filming these corporate videos and working together. Tonight I also start a new class, Writing for Magazines, which I'm really looking forward to. Next week I start the next course in the Business Management program too so I'll be in classes heading into June. Then it's summer time! The sun is out in all its glory and its shaping up to be a gorgeous week here in Vancouver.

I really didn't have much to write about today, I'm just thrilled Keli is back home.

Thanks to all our friends back in Ontario too - Carty, Tersia, Julie, Wendy, Beth, Rick and everyone else who contributed to an incredible week.

This has been another Observation from the Island.

peace,

Planting the seeds

Well, about a month ago I restarted my observation musings and turned them into the Observations from the Island blog. In that very first post I mentioned how this year I was determined to take control of all my writings and begin to edit, assemble and prepare everything for publishers. With the marvelous Westgate attending the documentary festival I spent this week beginning the process. There has been so much to read, reread and write only to re-write that I have had barely anything left to write for the observations.

Judging from the many responses I received it sounds like the subject of oil, rising gas prices and our climate rang a chord with readers. Since Keli left to Toronto to pitch her film Plant This Seed it seems there are more and more stories developing that only emphasize the importance of her film and others like it. In big news this week, North Dakota recently became the first state to issue licenses to hemp farmers. Gas wars are already beginning in the South including a boycott against Exxon in Beeville, Texas. There is one idea currently circulating that believes we can help bring oil prices down if we stop buying from the top two companies, Exxon and Mobil, for an entire year! In Canada it would be Esso and Petro-Can (thx Brad). Read the sample chain letter below and get involved too! www.breakthechain.org

So while we are on the subject, Keli is having an amazing time at the documentary festival in Toronto. She has met with a ton of people all across the industry and making great contacts. She's planting seeds. Seminars, films, film parties - it's been go-go for the young filmmaker and we look forward to hearing her stories. She was recently interviewed about her film. Check her out at www.pitchpage.com in the production section and if you haven't checked out the preliminary website we currently have up now for our funding drive come take a look www.plantthisseed.com

Lastly, for an unbelievable laugh check out Stephen Colbert as he speaks his truth at the White House Correspondents Dinner. Have a great weekend! www.thankyoustephencolbert.org


This has been another Observation from the Island


SAMPLE CHAIN LETTER TEXT
Subject: RE: Gas prices

I hear we are going to hit close to $3.00 a gallon by the summer Want gasoline prices to come down? We need to take some intelligent, united action. Phillip Hollsworth, offered this good idea:

This makes MUCH MORE SENSE than the "don't buy gas on a certain Day" campaign that was going around last April or May! The oil companies just laughed at that because they knew we wouldn't continue to "hurt" ourselves by refusing to buy gas. It was more of an inconvenience to us than it was a problem for them. BUT, whoever thought of this idea has come up with a plan that can really work. Please read it and join with us!

By now you're probably thinking gasoline priced at about $1.50 is super cheap. Me too! It is currently $1.97 for regular unleaded in my town.(California) Now that the oil companies and the OPEC nations have Conditioned us to think that the cost of a gallon of gas is CHEAP at $1.50- $1.75,we need to take aggressive action to teach them that BUYERS control the marketplace....not sellers. With the price of gasoline going up more each day, we consumers need to take action. The only way we are going to see the price of gas come down is if we hit someone in the pocket book that WITHOUT hurting ourselves. How? Since we all rely on our cars, we can't just stop buying gas. But we CAN have an impact on gas prices if we all act together to force a Price war.

Here's the idea:
For the rest of this year, DON'T purchase ANY gasoline from The two biggest companies (which now are one), EXXON and MOBIL. If they are not selling any gas, they will be inclined to reduce their prices. If they reduce their prices, the other companies will have to follow suit. But to have an impact, we need to reach literally millions of Exxon and Mobil gas buyers. It's really simple to do!! Now, don't wimp out on me at this point...keep reading and I'll explain how simple it is to reach millions of people!!

I am sending this note to about thirty people. If each of you send it to at least ten more (30 x 10 = 300)... and those 300 send it to at least ten more (300 x 10 = 3,000) ... and so on, by the time the message reaches the sixth generation of people, we will have reached over THREE MILLION consumers! . .

If those three million get excited and pass this on to ten friends each, then 30 million people will have been contacted! If it goes one level further, you guessed it..... THREE HUNDRED MILLION PEOPLE!!!
Again, all you have to do is send this to 10 people. That's all. (If you don't understand how we can reach 300 million and all you have to do is send this to 10 people.... well, let's face it, you just aren't a mathematician. But I am... so trust me on this one.) How long would all that take? If each of us sends this email out to ten more people within one day of receipt, all 300 MILLION people could conceivably be contacted within the next 8 days!!!

I'll bet you didn't think you and I had that much potential, did you?
Acting together we can make a difference. If this makes sense to you, please pass this message on.
PLEASE HOLD OUT UNTIL THEY LOWER THEIR PRICES AND KEEP THEM DOWN. THIS CAN REALLY WORK. YOU KNOW THEY LOVE HOLIDAYS AND SUMMER TRAVELERS.

END CHAIN LETTER TEXT