Another Suicide…

I just posted about two suicides this week and here’s another awful news…

The week is ending with the extremely shocking news that culinary legend Anthony Bourdain has been found dead of what reports are describing as a suicide.

I truly don’t get it, I’ve read his memoir kitchen Confidential (2000) about his hard beginning dealing with alcohol and drugs abuse, and he seemed indestructible to me, like Superman. 

Anthony was bad ass, plain and simple! 

Pretty shocking and sad!

And regardless of Anthony’s case, if you’re dealing with depression or emotional / mental issues don’t be ashamed or feel like its a burden to ask for help… I’m telling you that.

Rest in peace, Chef.

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The Silent Epidemic

The sister of the Queen of the Netherlands has been found hanged in her apartment in an apparent suicide…

The Dutch government has confirmed that Queen Maxima’s younger sister, Ines Zorreguieta, 33, was found dead two days ago in Buenos Aires, Argentina, their homeland.

Ines reportedly suffered from depression and mental health problems.

Few days ago, American fashion designer Kate Spade also took her life. She also suffered from depression and anxiety for many years.

Suicide has been described as a “silent epidemic”: epidemic because of its high incidence and substantial contribution to mortality, and silent because of a lack of public awareness, a paucity of explanatory research, and the reluctance to seek help for suicide-related concerns. 

Depression is a nasty disease!

I read an article a while back that asked why someone would commit suicide.

They likened it to being in a burning building. No matter how much they wanted to stay the flames kept closing in and they had to jump. It was a sobering and honest testament to people who are struggling with their depression.

I hope all the victims found the peace that eluded them in this life.

Ferrari Needs To Cut The Weed

Today marks the beginning of F1 Grand Prix weekend in Montreal, the event is huge, draws thousands upon thousands of spectators, both local and tourists, alike. 

Every year the world watches closely as the races go on throughout the weekend and come to close on Sunday.

This past week, Italian car company Ferrari was ridiculed online after posting a video of Montreal’s Grand Prix events that was very obviously a video of Toronto and it’s iconic skyline featuring the CN Tower. 

Yesterday, they’ve done it again to some degree, and I’m just sitting here wondering who the hell is running their PR ’cause this is just getting silly…

Ferrari posted this poster of Montreal, Canada’s F1 Grand Prix weekend to social media, and maybe they’re currently living under the microscope, but everyone have caught something on this poster that looks a bit questionable…

Now, I know we’re super close to legalising marijuana in our country, but this is just dumb. Those are clearly not Maple leaves, the iconic symbol of Canada that is on our country’s flag. Those are cannabis leaves! 

In short, whoever is doing this work over at Ferrari needs to cut the weed.

No bible or Crucifix

Spanish Socialist Pedro Sánchez has been sworn in as the country’s new Prime Minister by King Felipe after the ousting of conservative Mariano Rajoy.

Sánchez, who is an atheist, took the oath to protect the constitution without a bible or crucifix, a first in Spain’s modern history.

Spain is a non-confessional state, where no confession is the official state religion but where the Roman Catholicism receives a special mention in the Constitution, as many Spanish speaking countries.

On the other hand the election of this new Prime Minister is pretty controversial, as he was not elected by the population.

The Socialist leader won the support of six other parties to remove that mess Rajoy over a massive corruption scandal. Yet Sánchez political party is not free of scandals either.

Anyhow, Spain is NOT a role model of anything. And regardless of Sánchez atheism, not having religious symbols around should be the new normal.

Religion has no place in government, let alone governmental ceremonies…

Something Canada do as a secular state, unlike Americans and their presidents swearing on the bible, or in case of Trump, TWO bibles!! Which he probably did if ever the first melted at the touch of his pathological lying identity. 

In short, for once, only this time, Spain did something right.

Ireland Ends Abortion Ban

Ireland has voted by a landslide to legalise abortion in a stunning outcome that marks a dramatic defeat for the Catholic church’s one-time domination of the Republic.

The Irish electorate voted by 1,429,981 votes to 723,632 in favour of abolishing a controversial constitutional amendment. The result was a two-thirds majority: 66.4% yes to 33.6% no.

This a huge victory for women rights!

Laws against abortion don’t stop abortions from happening, they just ensure women are risking their lives and freedom to obtain them. 

The Irish women who travelled back home from around the world to vote to #RepealThe8th

I hope Argentina also vote yes next month.

What a wonderful day in history!!

Planet Or Plastic?

National Geographic magazine has just launched an informative and shockingly revealing campaign called Planet or Plastic? and it is something that we all need to see and learn from.

Many of us are aware that there is far too much plastic in our environment, and feel a bit guilty knowing that we are contributing to a problem that is too vast for us to truly comprehend. But what if we were faced with the horrifying consequences of our plastic addiction?

That is one of the aims of the magazine’s campaign as they seek to change the ways consumers use plastic.

The magazine itself is leading by example, beginning to send out their editions in paper instead of plastic. Because every change, no matter how futile it may seem, helps at some level.

The campaign has identified plastic bags, bottles and straws as problematic products, and urges consumers to take a pledge to dramatically reduce their use of them by making simple conscious choices.

Will you take the pledge?

These powerful and heartbreaking images vividly illustrate the damage that 9 million tonnes of plastic waste each year does to our environment and wildlife, and are the beginning of what will be a multi-year initiative to significantly reduce it.

Scientists and researchers from the magazine hope to fill knowledge gaps about the long-term impacts of plastic, as it dissolves into microscopic particles that eventually enter our food chain. They also aim to gain a better understanding of its journey from the source here on land, all the way down to the deepest depths of remote ocean floors.

“The photographer freed this stork from a plastic bag at a landfill in Spain. One bag can kill more than once: Carcasses decay, but plastic lasts and can choke or trap again” Image credits: John Cancalosi/ National Geographic

“Under a bridge on a branch of the Buriganga River in Bangladesh, a family removes labels from plastic bottles, sorting green from clear ones to sell to a scrap dealer. Waste pickers here average around $100 a month” Image credits: Randy Olson / National Geographic

“Around the world, nearly a million plastic beverage bottles are sold every minute” Image credits: David Higgins/ National Geographic

“Some animals now live in a world of plastics—like these hyenas scavenging at a landfill in Harar, Ethiopia. They listen for garbage trucks and find much of their food in trash” Image credits: Brian Lehmann/ National Geographic

“An old plastic fishing net snares a loggerhead turtle in the Mediterranean off Spain. The turtle could stretch its neck above water to breathe but would have died had the photographer not freed it. “Ghost fishing” by derelict gear is a big threat to sea turtles” Image credits: Jordi Chias/ National Geographic

“To ride currents, seahorses clutch drifting seagrass or other natural debris. In the polluted waters off the Indonesian island of Sumbawa, this seahorse latched onto a plastic cotton swab—“a photo I wish didn’t exist,” says photographer Justin Hofman” Image credits: Justin Hofman/ National Geographic

“By 2050, virtually every seabird species on the planet will be eating plastic” Image credits: Praveen Balasubramanian/National Geographic

Although this is a monumental tragedy, the blame shouldn’t be put only on the consumers but the producers of so many packaging, that many times is simply unnecessary. 

Check out National Geographic’s campaign here, to further educate yourself about this hugely important issue.

This Embarrassment …

US Troll Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley praised Israel on Tuesday for showing restraint as Palestinian militant group Hamas “has been inciting violence for years, long before the United States decided to move our embassy” to Jerusalem.

Addressing a UN Security Council meeting on recent deadly violence in Gaza, Haley said: “No country in this chamber would act with more restraint than Israel has.”

Yeah… How dare the Palestinians be upset that they’re being starved, brutalised, murdered, kept prisoners behind walls & having their homeland stolen!

Gaza is a concentration camp, and what’s going on over there is pretty much a mass murder by Israel. Period. 

It’s interesting how you can quote the Bible and be a cold-blooded bitch at the same time…

That so-called human being, Nikki Haley, is nothing but an embarrassment to diplomacy and a symbol of disdain, corruption, denial, ignorance and cruelty.