Archive for March, 2010
Variety’s Child and the Paralympics
As a proud Aunt I’m about to share with you great news. Our family is so excited, but first you must know how it came to be. One Olympic party came to a close and another celebration started, the Paralympic Games. Many determined athletes are competing right now to represent their country and in my opinion to help us realize that nothing is impossible. It may not get as much coverage as the Olympics but there is just as much enthusiasm and joy, disappointment and dreams fulfilled every day that passes.
My niece Callie, is participating in the closing ceremony! She is going to be on a sit ski and her father will be right at her side. She came into this world 1 lb 4.3 ounces but she has a mighty spirit, designed to battle through and we are blessed to know her. That infectious smile warms everyone that comes in contact with her and though she can’t communicate verbally she is expressive in so many other ways. Just like any other little child she has friends she has met at school and her cerebral palsy has not stopped her from trying horseback riding, swimming and skiing.
Callie was recently featured in the Variety Clubs Lotto pamphlet with the customized van that was donated to my sister and her husband. This is a such a good organization and we can’t thank them enough for all that they do for families everywhere. Callie is making her mark already in this world in large part to the hard work of her parents but also because of organizations such as Variety. I want to focus on the remarkable gifts that come from knowing children like Callie and the many people who make it possible for them to participate in life in a way the rest of us take for granted.
These Paralympians, know this. Not to take anything for granted. I see the value in supporting the organizations who assist children and adults to participate in sport, no matter what their ability level is. There have been many miracles and we truly still don’t know what the human body and brain can accomplish until examples are brought forth such as these. Callie is a symbol of that to me. I don’t know yet what she may say about what she has done in her short years with us, but I bet when she gets to finally communicate she’ll have a lot to share. One of those stories will be the day she sat on a sit ski and sailed down a slope for the Paralympic Closing Ceremony, Vancouver 2010.
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Food Inc Documentary
I want to share with readers a documentary called Food Inc. Many of you may have heard about it or even seen it and now with its Oscar nomination for best Documentary Feature many more will too.
What struck me most about this documentary is its ability to give us a broad view of the food industry. Right from the beginning the viewer was given a sense of the marketing tactics designed to make us feel comfortable with the food we are consuming. Pastoral lands, sunny, happy, healthy pictures found on the wrappers and boxes of various products giving us the impression its coming from humble family owned farms. We come to understand how different that is from the reality of the food industry itself.
My limited understanding of where are food comes from was surely expanded within minutes of pressing play on the DVD player. I was plunged into the conditions of animals; chickens, pigs and cows but not with a shock agenda but just the reality. The reality that is born in part due to consumer demand but more so from, what I gathered, was a corporate take over of food production, manufacturing and distribution. The four players in the US market appear to have set the the target to become bigger, faster and care little for anyone who may come in the way of their business plan.
We are given a clear view of the treatment of people who work in the factories including illegal immigrants or farmers who by choice or coercion partner with the big corporations. It was astounding what goes on behind the scenes to which you and I are so far removed as consumers. As poorly as the animals can be treated, so to is the human being. Intimidation, muzzling, life ruining, fear mongering, callus tactics to keep people in line and money directed where it needs to go….up the corporate food chain straight to the share holders.
One man’s story, a seed cleaner Moe Parr, really pulled on my heart strings. The Monsanto Company, who now owns the patented gene in 90% of America’s soybeen seeds, went after this older man fiercely in court. Without going into any further detail, it was an eye opener into just how far these companies will go and its not pretty. Barbara Kowalcyk who lost her two year old son to E. coli, received no proper response from anyone even though a trace lead directly to the company that provided the tainted meat. All of this has prompted her and her family to become safer food system advocates.
What about what’s in our food? Wow! that was a whole other surprise. I thought I was quite well versed on my food labels but what I knew didn’t even scratch the surface. Touching on health concerns like diabetes, other illness and death associated with products we consume weekly truly put things into perspective.
Not surprisingly, none of the companies would be interviewed. Given how they respond to criticism through threats and litigation while keeping everything hidden from the public, we should have deep concerns. There were many brave people who did speak up in this documentary at great personal/financial risk. There were individuals who also gave us hope for the future such as Joel Salatin of Polyface Farms and others who provided reasons to take a trip to the organic section of our grocers. Loosening the strangle hold these companies have on many people and small business/farmers, comes through an informed buyer.
Again, this not what I call a full throttle “anti” anything film. Instead I found it to be informative. It is as balanced as it could be without corporate voices stepping out of their shadows to truly reveal themselves. It was holistic in its approach; shining a light on the food industry and the results of decisions made for us and by us. The next step upon seeing this film is changing the way food is produced, how we shop and making better choices for each meal.
I must emphasize it was well researched and did its best to give us a reason to care. Its not going to scare you completely away from food but it will give you some insight into the lack of transparency, principals and values that factor into the food industry itself.
If you are into documentary film as I am, you may want to go rent this one and see for yourself.
Texting while driving
As my husband set out late last night to play hockey I said, ” Be careful there could be a lot of people driving home from celebrating the Olympic closing day and may be drinking and driving.” What I see more often though is those texting while driving and of course the cell phone users.
British Columbia has made it illegal to use these devices while driving, everything must be hands-free, but still you see the losers who disregard the message being sent. Using cell phones while driving is dangerous! Texting while driving is dangerous and insane!
Just the other day I saw a young woman texting while driving. Head hunched down with fingers going, she did the head bob where she looks up and down to determine what is happening on the road versus what is happening on the screen. I debated on rolling down my window and shouting at her when we were at the stop light but didn’t. Maybe I should have, I don’t know.
What I do know is, we need to take this very seriously. There is nothing being said via phone or text that is more important than human life. Too many people have died from such activity and its time to realize it must stop. Oprah Winfrey has taken this issue on with a pledge sheet the public can sign. This is the one woman in the US I feel can make a substantial difference.
People know how I feel about the proliferation of tech devices infiltrating our every moment. A previous post took a humorous look at this; I told the story of sitting on the toilet listening to a woman on her cell phone in the bathroom stall next to me at Ikea. Ridiculous! Equally annoying is people texting someone else while having a conversation in person.
How about those that stand at the store counter paying for their items while still on their phone; no recognition of the sales person/cashier…how rude! Mothers and fathers pushing the baby carriage while texting or on their phone I often said ” I wonder if when the child is listening whether they think everyone talks to themselves.” Then there is the family dog trying to go for his/her happy walk with the owner immersed in a text or phone conversation. It is sad that we have lost the ability to be in the moment and how many beautiful things one missed while walking along.
It is time, if nothing else, for us to take these things out of the cars! Full attention must be paid to the task at hand for personal and public safety, it is a no-brainer. It gets bad when you have to add cell phone operators and textors to the the other hazards such as potential drunk drivers and weather/road conditions.
Stiff penalties are needed. Right now it is $167 fine and 3 points on your driving record, I advocate for an increase in that fine and possibly other measures if you are found to have caused an accident. It has been said the 117 people die every year in BC from not paying attention while driving, hundreds more are injured. If we know somebody who still doesn’t get the message, should we let them know how we feel? I love my family and friends and I truly don’t want to ever have to lose them to an accident especially one related to texting, emailing or cell phone use. It is senseless.
Next time I will roll down that window and say my peace, I don’t have to be rude, I just have to say “if you care about yourself and others you will put that device down and just drive to your destination safely.”
Do you care about this issue and have you made the change to hands free or no devices in your car?
Testing Text Message Driving Video
