GorillaOffTopic, Everything But Gorilla Trades

The Gorilla had the opportunity to go on a short vacation last weekend and what he observed at the resort was interesting, considering and was a direct reflection of how bad the economy is right now. To start, the trip was planned well in advance, but although tickets were purchased months in advance, the cost for two round trip tickets from Fort Lauderdale Florida to Nassau, Bahamas (only a 35 minute flight) was still upwards of $800 U.S. dollars. In the past, these tickets- purchase just one month ahead of time- would have cost the Gorilla only around $400 U.S. dollars.

But wait- the Gorilla thought the price of gas had gone down! It has, but that price decrease has not yet “trickled down” to the airlines. (Give it a couple of months folks!) Upon arrival at the Nassau airport, a noon arrival yielded almost no one at the airport, except for those of us on this small flight. The normal hustle bustle of the festive Nassau airport was nowhere to be found. If you have ever been to Nassau airport, then you know that there is a steel drum band playing as you arrive (yes, in the airport itself!) and Bahama Mamas are served just as you pass through customs; literally just as you pass through if you so choose to get one. (And although the Gorilla is not a big drinker- when he arrives in the Bahamas, all bets are off!)

But, no. The feeling of “normal” had certainly been absent on this particular trip and it was an eerie tell-all of just how badly the economy in the U.S. is affecting tourism abroad. The Gorilla should have been clued-in when the resort offered him a free oceanfront room (normally about $600-$700 U.S. dollars per night.) for three nights! (Hey, the Gorilla is no dummy and knows when to take a good deal!) Now this offer is normally reserved for those who do a lot of gambling (the Gorilla does minimal gambling) and would usually never incorporate a room as palatial as the one the Gorilla was given.

Even though, in this case the resort definitely lost money on the Gorilla, most often times, these resorts are “betting” on the fact that people will lose a ton of money gambling, which would obviously far exceed the cost of this fabulous room. Normally, it is a win-win for the resort. But, the Gorilla digresses! The point is, the resorts are desperate! How bizarre to walk through this normally packed casino, and find it almost empty.

However, the moral of this story is that if you want a cheap and affordable vacation, now is the best time ever to take it. So many resorts are practically giving away rooms, food allowances and more in the hopes that you will come and spend money at their establishment. So, yes times are economically tough for everyone, but if you do get the opportunity to take a short get-a-way somewhere, it could cost you a lot less right now than you would have believed. Happy Traveling!

If you plan on writing a book about the mob, which chronicles all of its activities and dirty little secrets, than it might be a wise idea to go into hiding shortly after said book is published.  And that is just what author Roberto Saviano, 29 did. Ever since the release of his best selling book “Gomorra,” the Naples mafia has been threatening to kill him by Christmas. Hmmm. Imagine that; you write a book about the most violent organization in Italy, exposing many of its illegal activities and members, and they want you dead? You don’t say! But yes, it’s true.

The book, based on the “Camorra,” which is the name of the mob in Saviano’s hometown, has been so successful that it has been made into a hit movie about mafia brutality. Saviano has been in hiding for almost 2 years, ever since the Camorra found out about the success of his book and decided that he needed to be punished. The author has needed 24 hour police protection and bodyguards to protect him at all times. The book has sold 1.2 million in Italy and has been translated into 42 languages. Now that it has hit the big screen, it is up for an Oscar and that has mob bosses enraged.

After a tip from a mob insider, it has been determined that there is now a “hit” on Saviano. But Saviano says it is the readers of his book that are frightened of the Italian Mafia, and it is they who created the demand and the popularity of the book. The book explains the extreme brutality that goes on in the mob and how the “Camorra” has it’s” fingers in every pie” in Naples, including drug trafficking and even waste disposal. 

“It’s the readers who have frightened the crime bosses, not me,” said Saviano.  Well now that’s not very nice! Throw the people who bought your book right under the bus why don’t you? No, it is YOU, the author of a best selling expose tell-all that ticked off those guys, Mr. Saviano!  Listen, if the Gorilla knows one thing, it’s that you don’t mess with the mob! And you certainly don’t write a book about it if you do! No offense, but this isn’t the brightest guy around. But regardless, hopefully the guy will make it through this alive even if it his outlook is grim!

Yesterday was the anniversary of 911. Before the Gorilla could write about the seventh anniversary, since the events that played out on that tragic day, he wanted to observe some of the events of the day and observe the mood of our great country to see how Americans paid tribute to the tragedy. The mood seemed solemn today, as towns all over the country held remembrance services and memorials calling to mind the over 3,000 victims who lost their lives.

The flags were raised, songs bellowed throughout the city streets as choirs sang, impassioned by the memories of those who fell victim to the terrible acts of terrorism, which befell our great nation on that day in September 2001. Today, as in years past, victim’s names were read aloud. Names that may mean nothing to you, or they may mean everything to you if they were part of your family.

 Some were business people, whose offices were located on the higher levels of one of the two twin towers. They were stockbrokers, lawyers, bankers, consultants, administrative assistants, port authority workers, health care administrators, shipping company employees and more. Many more of those who never worked in the building perished as well.

As many as 350+ firefighters, paramedics, and police officers lost their lives trying to save others. Some carried out the injured one after the other and kept going back in for more until they themselves never returned. The victims were people of all ages and all walks of life. They were fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers, sons and daughters, aunts, uncles and cousins. They were nieces and nephews. They were friends. They were business associates. They were employees. They were employers. They were each and every one of us- they were part of our American Family- no matter what nationality they were.

And one thing is for sure; they did NOT deserve to die that fateful day at the hands of terrorists. The Gorilla was touched as the names were read aloud. Some even sounded familiar- like someone the Gorilla would know from town, maybe another father from his son’s school or a friend from work. If you attended one of the many city services, you may know that feeling yourself. People all over the world– not just in the U.S. - gathered today to remember those who died and those heroes, who gave their lives to try and help save others.

Let us not forget- that despite their efforts, we are free nonetheless, and we have prevailed despite the evil and we are still a nation brought closer by this tragedy. To all of those who died on 911, may God bless your souls! “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.”

When thinking of whom our modern day heroes might be, one image instantly comes to mind for the Gorilla: Nelson Mandela. He is a hero amongst heroes, and he spent 27 years in an African prison to earn that title- although that was certainly not his plight. His plight was to end apartheid in his native South Africa, and when he stood up for the cause, he was thrown mercilessly in jail for it. “I was not born with the hunger to be free. I was born free” Mandela said in his autobiography. And he never swayed from that belief or backed down to anyone at anytime.  Eventually the reign of white supremacy in South Africa ended and Mandela was finally released from prison and the world watched the jubilant celebration of millions of South Africans, who had been liberated at last. Nelson Mandela celebrated his 90th birthday today and many dignitaries from around the world were there to join in the celebration of the man, the hero, and the icon. But the legend isn’t only known for his anti-apartheid campaign, which continued when he was released from prison in 199,0 when he led negotiations that ended decades of racist white rule. He is also a staunch advocate for AIDS awareness, literacy, and fights against poverty. In fact, even at his 90th birthday party, he was calling on the nation’s wealthy citizens to share with those who are less fortunate and who are losing their battle against poverty. “There are many people in South Africa who are rich and who can share those riches with those not so fortunate who have not been able to conquer poverty,” Mandela said.  

Many people ask the Gorilla who his hero is, and although there are many athletes the Gorilla looks up to and admires, he can’t help but think of the man who truly personified strength of character and true integrity. A man who was not going to let his own personal fears reign supreme over the truth of what he knew was the right thing for himself, his people, and his country. He said in his 1994 inaugural speech (a quote from Marianne Williamson) “As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” And in his case that certainly held true. That is truly what a hero represents, and the world should be grateful for having had Nelson Mandela in it for all of these 90 years. Happy Birthday Mr. Mandela!

The earth’s atmosphere is full of greenhouse gas emissions, which is not news. But did you know that it is believed that a potentially large percentage of it could be coming from those cute, chubby, mooing beefsteaks we call cows? Silly yes, but entirely true! It has been widely known for decades that animal waste has contributed methane to the greenhouse effect, but not a lot of attention has been paid to its potential effects. Until now, carbon dioxide emissions received most the credit for its large contribution to the earth’s greenhouse effect, but scientists in Argentina have decided to take a closer look at cows, and what they may be contributing.  Argentina is one of the world’s biggest beef producers, with some 55 million cows grazing on its famed Pampas Grasslands. And Methane, researchers say, is 23 times more potent than carbon dioxide in trapping heat in the atmosphere and can be found in animal waste, landfills, coal mines and leaking natural gas pipes. Researchers say the slow digestive system of cows makes them a producer of methane so they found an effective way to measure just how much that could be. The researchers attach a red plastic tank to a cow’s back and connect it through a tube to the animal’s stomach, and scientists say they can trap bovine burps and analyze them. (Yes, the Gorilla did say “burps”).  “When we got the first results, we were surprised. Thirty percent of Argentina’s (total greenhouse) emissions could be generated by cows,” said Guillermo Berra, a researcher at the National Institute of Agricultural Technology. It’s simply unbelievable that a cow, weighing around 1200 pounds, could emit that amount of methane-equal to almost 1000 liters- daily. Scientists are now working to develop new diets for cows that will make it easier for them to digest food. They are working on testing out alfalfa and clover and trying to move away from grains. “We have done a preliminary study and have found that by using tannins, you can reduce methane emissions by 25 percent,” said Silvia Valtorta of the National Council of Scientific and Technical Investigations.  

Wow! You’d think that someone would have figured this out a bit sooner! Let’s just hope they don’t find any greenhouse gas emissions in Gorilla burps. Can you imagine them trying to put a tank on a Gorilla’s back? That one could be costly!

The Gorilla talks a lot about different issues regarding animals simply because he considers himself an advocate for them, and he wants to draw attention to animal rights. The Gorilla, being a primate himself, knows well that the animals cannot speak for themselves and cannot defend themselves and so we have been appointed as their advocates, their defense, and their voice. It is our duty as humans (and primates!) to take action when animals are being abused, hurt, or exploited.  The Gorilla would like to draw some more attention to the continuing saga playing out in Japan over the massive number of dolphins that are being brutally killed for their meat. When we think of dolphins, we think of a beautiful caring creature- one that has been a caretaker of sorts of its human counterparts. It is an animal that is considered to be as intelligent as any of the higher primates (such as gorillas) and as compassionate as some humans. We think about Flipper, and many of the fun, funny, and intelligent creatures we see at Sea World. A dolphin is a creature that is eager to please humans, is completely harmless, and deserves our respect and protection.  Unfortunately, in Japan, these wonderful creatures are regarded to many as food and only as food. To the fisherman in Taiji, Japan, dolphins are a business; a way of making a living and something to be hunted and slaughtered for meat. After all, it’s a 400 year-old tradition in that country. Who are any of us, to come into their lives and their home, and tell them to stop? Actually, who are we NOT to? Just because something is a tradition, should that make it somehow acceptable?  There are many barbaric “traditions” that have existed for hundred, even thousands of years in different cultures, such as burning women at the stake who were considered “witches” or genital mutilation in women in some cultures. In the present day, we know better, and much like these unacceptable traditions, there is no need or excuse for the slaughtering of dolphins. In the small town of Taiji, there are only about 3,000 people and many of them eat dolphin meat. The dolphins are hunted daily there. The fishermen drive them into bays or alcoves and then hook them with a large barb and let them bleed to death. The fear they feel is apparent and the screams and cries can be clearly heard form a distance, as the entire alcove turns red from the blood. These are intelligent creatures. They know what is happening before it happens. It is cruel and inexcusable-not to mention extremely unhealthy to consume the meat.  Dolphin meat contains extremely high levels of mercury, making the meat a health risk to certain individuals. Thankfully, that may be the one saving grace for these creatures. Ric O’barry is a retired dolphin trainer from Miami and has worked with the animals his entire life. He now resides in Taiji, where he has regularly borne witness to the daily slaughters. He often disguises himself so that he doesn’t appear to be a Westerner so that he can film the hunts to draw attention to them for groups like PETA and for the Japanese government. ”This here is ground zero for the largest slaughter of dolphins on planet Earth,” says O’Barry, who trained five dolphins to play “Flipper” on the TV series of that name. “It’s absolutely barbaric and it needs to stop. It takes a very long time to die. They bleed to death. And some of them are dragged in the boats with hooks while they’re still alive,” he says. “Many of them are gutted while they’re still alive.”    Unfortunately, there are larger questions of culture and perspective. It is not just about how inhumane it is. Many Japanese are puzzled at the Westerners’ outlook on the hunting. They don’t understand how Americans could slaughter a chicken or a cow and give them a hard time about killing dolphins. Japan has been feeling the heat for many years regarding its massive whaling industry as well, so they are no strangers to controversy when it comes to the fishing industry.  The new President of Australia is outraged by the industry and is trying to make changes in the laws that protect whales from slaughter. Meanwhile, although most Taiji city officials defend the right to slaughter dolphins due to an age-old tradition, many Japanese citizens are opposed to the practice and are steadily fighting the battle to have it stopped. One of Taiji’s local city councilman is trying to put a stop to the consumption of dolphin meat in local schools- after all bottlenose dolphin meat contains 12 times more mercury than blue fin tuna — high levels of mercury in fish can cause health problems in pregnant women and young children. The councilman even plucked one of his own beard hairs to have it tested for mercury and found that it contained seven times as much mercury as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency considers safe. Could this be the saving grace for these wonderful creatures? Let us hope that it is!

Like many of you, the Gorilla is an avid horse lover, so when he heard the disturbing statistics about them, he was shocked and saddened. Over 100,000 horses were cruelly slaughtered in the U.S. last year. You may assume that these are old or lame horses that have no use any longer, but your assumption would be wrong…dead wrong!  Over 91% of the horses sent to the slaughterhouses each year are perfectly fine, young, healthy horses and many of them- disturbingly- are foals from the PMU or Premarin drug farms. Premarin is a women’s menopause drug, which is made from the urine of pregnant mares. Once the mares give birth, many of these foals are sent to slaughter, without ever having a chance at life. In addition, many of the horses slaughtered are retired race horses, who are by no means lame or old.   And the slaughter is the cruelest, most painful and terrifyingly scary death, one could ever imagine. Horsemeat cannot be sold for human consumption until the horse is bled-out (many are still alive during the process), so without going into the gruesome details, use your imagination. And to make it even worse, each horse must watch the horses before it be killed in this way. Once slaughtered, the meat is then sold to European countries and other countries, often times, for human consumption. It is a cruel and unnecessary evil that many states in the U.S. have outlawed, but in too many other states in the U.S., it is still perfectly legal.  Currently, a bill is pending that may outlaw altogether the slaughter of horses. The American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act bans the slaughter of horses in the United States and causes it to be illegal to transport horses to other countries for purposes of slaughter. So how does the largest slaughterhouse in the U.S.- Bel-tex- in Fort Worth, Texas handling the proposed bill? Well, as you can imagine, not well. The company, whose grisly slogans include, ”Eat and Drink American” and “The Best Color for a Horse is Fat,” is fighting the bill. Texas happens to be the “horse- kill” capitol of the United States with both of the largest slaughter plants located there, including Dallas Crown in Kauffman, and Bel-Tex in Ft Worth.  Many people aren’t aware of exactly just what goes on in the big money (blood money) industry of these U.S. slaughterhouses, and it is about time it is put to a stop once and for all. And don’t be fooled by the “over-population” myth that has had a lot of press and hype- mostly from the slaughterhouse industry- in order to create justification and need. It is simply not factual. There is simply no overpopulation of horses in this country and any horse that needs to be euthanized due to age, behavior, or illness, deserves to be done so humanly, responsibly, and gently. There is still an industry for horse carcasses. The remains are used for various reasons and do not need to be consumed by humans.  

Fortunately for the horses, they have us as their advocates. Don’t let them down. You can help by writing letters, sending faxes, and/or make phone calls to your Congressional representatives. In the meantime, there are fortunately, many horse rescues out there that are saving these beautiful and useful creatures from a horrible, unnecessary death. That is precisely where the Gorilla obtained his horse; a perfectly healthy 3 year-old male buckskin named “Cody.” There are hundreds of horses that you can adopt or you can even ”sponsor” one so that it may continue to stay out of the slaughterhouses. You do not have to buy one necessarily in order to help.  Horses are the stuff great Western movies are made of, and slaughtering them so cruelly, should never be allowed. After all, Mr. Ed would certainly have something to say about that one, now wouldn’t he?

Have you ever been to the desert? If you have then you have certainly felt the intense magnitude of the heat there. Like the Gorilla, you have probably even pondered the effects of all that heat, and how it could power the world with its solar energy. Well, okay, maybe you hadn’t quite thought about that aspect, but scientists certainly have- and thank goodness!  As it turns out solar power from Africa’s deserts could actually supply all 600 million of it’s poor citizens - who don’t have electricity currently- with power, and it can even be exported to Europe. This was reported by a green energy conference in Nairobi on Thursday. Today, the Gorilla was out in the blistering sun and thought about that very good idea and smiled. After all, why not?  This desert sun could possibly provide the equivalent of 1.5 barrels of oil per square kilometer, as reported by Gerhard Knies, who is project manager for Trans-Mediterranean Renewable Energy Cooperation (TREC), at a meeting of nine African states. He explained that the desert is the largest and best source of solar power and went on to explain how deserts receive 700 times more power per year than all humankind is using! Whoa, now that is a lot of power! The timing could not be better, as so many of Africa’s poor are in desperate need of electricity. Imagine how it could affect their society for the better!  And the better news is that providing solar thermal energy is simple and clean compared to extracting and processing fossil fuels (which we know is harmful to the environment and way too costly to boot). The process of harnessing the sun’s enormous power involves a combination of mirrors and pipes to concentrate the sun’s heat to boil water and drive an old fashion steam turbine. Once you have the mirrors and pipes, the costs are finished, and Mother Nature does the rest. That’s it! ] 

Currently, solar power is being used throughout the world as a supplement to the costly use of fossil fuels, but its use is limited right now. Eventually, the hope is that fossil fuels will become the supplement to renewable solar energy! Well, all the Gorilla can say is, let’s get going on this people! The outrageous costs of fuel are what is behind the movement to harness solar power, and with price of gas in Europe reaching as high as $12 and more per gallon, push has certainly come to shove. Hey, whatever it takes to get this environment healthier and cleaner is what we all want, so to the awesome innovation of harnessing solar power, the Gorilla says ”bring on the heat!”

It’s nothing new that when people in the U.S. want illegal prescription drugs, they order them from other countries. In fact, the list of illegal items obtained from other countries is very long! But now it seems that even a popular Euthanasia pill is available to those who want to “exit” this life peacefully, albeit illegally. According to a report from the Mexican newspaper, Reform AFP, over 200 terminally ill people from Australia, Britain, New Zealand and the United States have visited Mexico since 2001 to purchase the Euthanasia Drug, Nembutol, which is cheap and widely available.  According to the article, Mexico’s 20 or so border towns like Tijuana in California, and Matamoros on the Gulf of Mexico, are premier places to find the drug. What’s more disturbing is the fact that the pro-euthanasia group Exit International, based in Australia, is promoting this option and telling those who want to end their lives “peacefully” to consider using Mexico as an option. Exit International is a non-profit organization, founded by Dr. Philip Nitschke, which promotes the peaceful end of life alternative of euthanasia by advocating a pro-choice voluntary euthanasia/ assisted suicide to those who are terminally ill. Nitschke, was the very first doctor to administer a legal lethal voluntary injection under the Rights of the Terminally Ill Act of the Northern Territory in 1996 (the act was short-lived). Nitschke is also the author of, “The Peaceful Pill Handbook,” which disturbing as it sounds is a guide to creating your own suicide pill at home (among other things). The disturbing instructional guide can also be found on YouTube, with some clips showing step-by-step methods to creating the euthanasia pill in one’s own kitchen.  The drug Nembutol is commonly used to put down animals and is widely available throughout Mexico, making it easily accessible to those seeking it out. Add to that convenience, the fact that it is affordable as well at only $20-$40 per 100 ml bottle, and you have a recipe for disaster- in the form of certain death. According to that same Mexican newspaper article, Don Flounders, a 78-year-old British-born retiree, with a deadly form of cancer, traveled from Australia to the Pacific coast town of Tijuana to get the medicine. Flounders told the newspaper that he found a veterinary pharmacy that had a sign advertising “articles for Australians.”  Although the Gorilla understands completely, the need for those who are terminally ill to not prolong their suffering and go out quietly and peacefully, he is still disturbed by those who advocate intentional use of such drugs and methods for profit. They are capitalizing in essence, on others’ unfortunate circumstances, as well as their state of fear and vulnerability.  Should we call them “heroes” or “Doctors of Death,” just as Dr. Jack Kevorkian is called? Currently, the Mexican government is allowing the sale of these “death drugs,” making it official that you truly can buy just about anything in Mexico- even death in pill form, which in the Gorilla’s opinion, is truly sad!

What if you could choose the type of child born to you? In other words, imagine inserting certain qualities into an embryo, such as athletic ability or intelligence. It sounds pretty amazing in theory, (if you are into the Sci-Fi Network), but personally, the Gorilla finds this idea to be not only immoral, but just plain creepy.  For the first time ever, scientists have altered a human embryo, and the study is drawing a lot of controversy from some watchdog groups around the world. The groups claim that the practice of making “designer babies” is both appalling and unsettling. But Dr. Zev Rosenwaks, who is the director of the Center for Reproductive Medicine and Infertility at New York- Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, says that “none of us want to make designer babies.” Dr. Rosenwak is the author of the study and says that the work was focused on stem cells and notes that researchers used an abnormal embryo that could never have developed into a baby anyway. It is a nice argument, but the Gorilla must ask, do some of these researchers enjoy playing God?  The idea of designer babies is certainly not a new one, and the thought is that someday scientists may give parents the option of certain traits for their future child or children. Many people (including the Gorilla), find this idea repugnant, claiming that it turns children into some kind of “designer objects” and would create an “unequal” society, whereby some people are genetically enriched, while others would be considered inferior. Yes, it sounds very futuristic and cool if this was a movie, but in the real world, it could be a dangerous prospect! The study is the first report of genetically modifying a human embryo, but when it was presented last fall at a meeting for the American Society for reproductive medicine, it didn’t attract that much attention or controversy- until the London times recently published the report. The report claims that Rosenwaks and his colleagues worked on an embryo that was considered nonviable because it had extra chromosomes. Following a procedure frequently used on animals, they inserted a gene that acts as a marker that can easily be followed over time. The study claims that the embryo reportedly “took up” the gene. The goal was to see if a gene introduced to an abnormal embryo could be traced in stem cells that are harvested from the embryo. Dr. Rosenwaks says that it would shed light on why abnormal embryos sometimes fail to develop. He also says that no stem cells were actually recovered from the embryo, and noted that abnormal embryos often don’t develop well enough to produce them. Although making designer babies was not the actual “intent” of the study, it still draws controversy because of the fact that it shows that it is possible to do so, which is disturbing in the Gorilla’s mind. It seems that these scientists were experimenting with techniques that others might use to genetically modify human lives, and they are getting away with it with little debate thus far.  A London-based group called Human Genetics Alert similarly criticized the work. 

Hey, the Gorilla is for any research that can help potentially find and correct genetic defects, but that being said, there are lines that need not be crossed when it comes to altering creation. Others may disagree, and everyone is entitled to do so, but at what point is crossing the lines of science morally unacceptable?