John Turmel Joins us for an international "Cup of Joe"
John Turmel\n\n\nBorn in Quebec, currently lives in Branford, Ontario\n\n\n-occupation: Professional gambler\n\n\nAlso known as:\n\nThe Engineer, The Gambler, The Banking System Engineer, Bank Fighter Extraordinaire, TajProfessor, Great Canadian Gambler, KingofthePaupers, SmartestMan.Ca\n\n\n\nMr. Turmel was cited by The Guinness Book of World Records for holding the record for running in the most elections, and for losing the most elections. He says he has run 92 times in municipal, provincial and federal elections.\n\n\nCampaigned for :\n\n-the legalization of gambling\n\n-the adoption of "Local Employment Trading Systems" (LETS) which are interest-free barter arrangements,\n\n-the legalization of marijuana\n\n\n-He has participated in several protests outside of Canada's major banking institutions, saying that bank interest promotes poverty and starvation in the third world.\n\n\n\n-He frequently refers to Jesus as a radical debt reformer.\n\n\n- He has argued that Jesus died to bring salvation for mankind in this world, rather than in an afterlife.\n\n\n-Turmel was convicted of drug possession in March 2006, resulting from a one-man protest on Parliament Hill in Ottawa three years earlier. Turmel had taken three kilograms of marijuana to the hill, and openly smoked a joint in front of politicians and security officials. He announced plans to appeal.\n\n\n-On January 13, 2010 Turmel appeared on the CBC television show Dragons' Den pitching his Local exchange trading system scheme, asking the panel of entrepreneurs to invest $100,000 for a program which would use poker chips from a local casino as currency at local businesses in Brantford, Ontario.