Archive for the ‘Social Commentary’ Category
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.
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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?
Standards for the News
Privately, I have received questions about my trashed post…” What was it?” or “Why did I do that?” I explained about the coverage of the death of the Georgian Luger Nodar Kumaritashvili and how I felt anger towards the station(s) that aired the images of his crash. My post was reflective of that and was originally titled Shame on CTV.
I had spoke with CTV back East and in Vancouver, expressing my disgust right after it was aired. I was informed by one station that due to an overwhelming amount of calls and emails from the public it was going to be removed, but it continued. The Vancouver CTV station apparently still felt it was “news worthy.” They don’t want to censor their news.
I had thought about it so much, I felt that by venting the way I did on my post I would be forever reminded of the image. What I have learned is that taking away my own post was not going to help me process my feelings nor protect anyone from remembering the sadness of the event. From people I trust very much I received the message loud and clear… I don’t need to shield anyone, including myself, from what I feel. It was my authentic voice.
So, this is what I want to say as the talk lingers about the tragic loss of life on opening day, the lack of compassion and forethought shown by the media and the subsequent arguments brewing on the safety of the track itself.
On such a beautiful day where millions of people tuned in to celebrate the Olympics; to see people they know or admire, to be apart of history in the making whether near or far, to commit into memory or be there in person we relied on the media to make a choice as to what was important for the public to see. That day they made a bad choice!
There has to be standards, some respect and common sense applied to the news and indeed the media at large when covering what is clearly a horrific accident. It did not take me a second to realize this poor young man was dead or at the very least severely injured. It did not happen in front of our eyes so that the cameras could not cut away fast enough, they had time to assess its “worthiness.” In the end, there was no need to share it with the world in the way they did.
What is the public right to know? How far does the media need to take a story in order for us to be properly informed? At what point do we say, “enough!” This doesn’t fall under the statement “if you don’t like it change the channel,” I wasn’t given that opportunity. This wasn’t some stupid TV show or movie where we see hundreds of images of fake death every half hour, this was real. Maybe, that is it. Maybe because we so much fake death, the news team thinks we are so desensitized, we can handle the real thing. Well, I’m not.
I have seen death up close and its not pretty. I make an effort to shield myself from over-exposure to such imagery because I don’t want to have file after file in my head of such dark human experiences…real or imagined. The news media needs to police itself better and truly answer “what is the justification?”
Find a better way to break a story rather than relying on shock value. In fact, value the viewers more, the family of that young man and protect any integrity left of the station itself. Some things do need to be censored, we don’t need to see everything all of the time. There are things in life that are far too disturbing and hurtful which serve no purpose when they are shown to an unsuspecting audience. The media has to recognize this fact and act accordingly.
Now, as they open up whether the track itself was designed poorly, we are sure to see a media frenzy of speculation and blame. We lose site of the loss of life, the viewers are deflected to another drama and therefore maybe there is some thought that we will forget their role in exploiting this tragedy.
I thank those who made me realize that I can’t escape just by deleting a post, I was upset about the coverage, I felt terrible for the family and I felt frustrated upon calling the stations. It was great to hear so many viewers were equally disgusted and that gives me great hope. Taking the time to make our feelings known is the only way to ensure this happens, shall I say, less frequently as I know that our culture may not allow for the shock and horror news to truly bite the dust. I ask that we all hold the stations accountable, we are not unfeeling viewers. For CTV viewers Vancouver, contact 604.608.2868.
Transport Canada vs Terrorism
As the Olympic athletes, fans and media descend on our fair city of Vancouver and many Vancouverites prepare to leave, the airport is making sure security is ready for all those would be terrorists. We have been on alert since December when Detroit and Northwest Airlines inadvertently played host to a nut case that decided to load his underwear with more than the traditional package sported by males. As a result we Canadians were only allowed to carry on the essentials; medications, canes, wallet, laptop and camera. Good thing that we are more safe but our luggage isn’t, as some passengers have complained.
Besides the suspected terrorists in the midst, the ever present baggage handling thieves are having a hay day. Funny, they tend to strike more often than terrorists but nobody has managed to thwart their criminal operation. Maybe instead of just body scanning the public as we embark on our travels they should body scan all the baggage staff. Make sure nothing is strapped to their bodies, in their bags or purses, like say…our precious jewelery, gifts or expensive camera.
I hate the body scans and intend not to offer my body up for low level radiation and view. I know it’s minimal risk, but I have heard that a lot. Like when we have product recalls, medication lawsuits, household contamination removal, all sorts of previous “minimal risk of exposure” stuff. While security inspects our bodies and rejects our rights I can’t keep wondering where was the debate on this issue with citizens? We think other countries are living in a dictatorship, maybe there is more of that going on in our own back yard than we are willing to admit.
A “private” security firm that trained for five days has a person that gets to sit in a room viewing passengers with complete anonymity. Meanwhile, we bare all on his/her screen; arms up, maybe doing a ballerina turn in public view. Not so comforting is the acknowledgment that they can’t guarantee such scans will not make it out to the public, though they will do the utmost to avoid such a breach of privacy. I have heard that line before, but then there is that loser who didn’t quite make the grade in security school; he sees more fun in leaking naked pics of people on the Internet. OK, maybe the scan is not sooo naked but still an invasion of privacy none the less.
These scans wouldn’t have even picked up the “powder pants” guy and what about devices up in body cavities. No! Already perfected by drug smugglers, what’s the chances things will escalate to such a perverse act with a deranged idiot who believes he is about to become a martyr. Obviously, these guys believe all of their parts will still be intact on the other side with a promise of 72 virgins awaiting them. That would be funny if that turned out to be a misinterpretation of the scriptures…
“No, we said 72 vermins will await you.” “Due to bad karma, vermin (dictionary definition coming up) noxious, objectionable, or disgusting animals collectively, those of small size that appear commonly and are difficult to control, as flies, lice, bedbugs, cockroaches, mice, and rats or an objectionable or obnoxious person, or such persons collectively, are all you get for your actions.” “In your next life I hope you will think twice before blowing up a plane.”
An interesting fact that has been talked about is the people who managed to prevent a successful attack have been the passengers themselves. Security failed but passengers didn’t! All of these measures are designed to make us all feel safer but is really lining the pockets of the manufacturers of scanners and security firms. Big expensive technological devices instead of good policing.
There has been some tongue and cheek in this post but generally I feel security is important. Where I fail to see the value is in taking away peoples rights, everything worked out unilaterally, without public consultation. Canadians aren’t the enemy and have not, I repeat not, been the gateway for terrorists. We can’t keep jumping through all of these hoops to satisfy the fears of a nation. The terrorists will always find ways to breach security, how far are we willing to go? Are they not winning if they strip us all of our own rights and freedoms? Keep us all living not in the land of the brave but of the fearful.
Message: Profile all you like, use intelligence and other means of security even before they get to the front door of our airport, but stop treating everyone as a potential suspect. We are one step away from losing what our ancestors fought for and it won’t be because of terrorism it will be due to our willingness to let our Government think for us instead of working with us.
Enjoy the following clip by Canada’s own Rick Mercer.
Sexual predator may strike again
The Vancouver police department and Surrey RCMP made their plea both to the public and the rapist himself in an attempt to stop sexual attacks on children. We learned that this predator has a history that may stem back over 15 years. He uses the same m.o. which is to ask for help and then brandish a weapon to gain compliance from the victims.
It is heartbreaking to think how many victims there may well be. Equally as hard to digest is that his rein of terror has continued this long without an arrest. However, that is not uncommon. Many rapist have a fairly extensive history before they are caught. In fact, one may never really know the extent of the victims, as so many rapes go unreported.
Not to blame the police, but the question did enter my head as to what took them so long to release such information to the public? I’m assuming it took time to collate the cases from district to district to determine indeed the same man is responsible for several rapes. There is DNA evidence for at least three cases and similar files. What constitutes enough victims to warrant public notification?
I am glad they released the video and images so as the community at large can now be actively involved in catching this parasite. As some of you may know this topic is of particular interest to me having worked with assault and sexual assault victims. Part of my work also had my partner and I providing community talks on sexual assault prevention on behalf of the RCMP. That was some time ago, but still I see the same things that frustrated me then, come up from time to time.
Rapists can remain somewhat undetected by even their closest of friends and relatives. When caught, I have seen cases that get plead down so that an appropriate sentence for such a crime never sees the light of day. Released into the community rapist and pedophiles live amongst us without our knowledge…yes, because we have to protect their rights.
I don’t believe for a minute that these guys can be rehabilitated. A sexual predator like this man can not be cured. Yes, the police should appeal to his remorseful side and hopefully he will turn himself in, but what happens after he is in custody and makes his way to court is what I’m interested in. How much time will he serve and how can we make sure he never gets out?
Raping women and children has long been a crime that can get less time than if somebody cons victims out of thousands of dollars. Fraud is bad especially if it involves the Government institutions, greedy investors or unsuspecting seniors. What puzzles me is how money trumped human life? We have all watched as some rapists victims have been released from their captors in the past year/s. History behind these guys is extensive and yet here we are dealing with them again.
If our police catch this monster we should make damn sure that we are watching the outcome of his case. It is not good enough to shake our head yet again and just feel for the little child and the family, it is time to stand up for them. Our society has too many victims of crimes such as this. No matter where you live somebody just like this guy is there, somebody who likes to prey on children or women. We need to see rape as it is; not sexual content as it is described in movies, not pleasurable as it is portrayed in porn, not asked for by what a woman or child is doing or wearing, it is a crime perpetrated against persons who have little to no ability to protect themselves.
I want the system to hold rapists fully accountable, tougher sentences. If they ever do get out, let the public know. Screw their rights, that was forfeited when they raped children and women!
Here is the link to the appeal made by police, sketches and information.
Sexual Predator targeted kids for 15 years
Also, my previous post from July 2009 which was in reaction to the rape of one of his victims.
Social Media
Today, I attended a Chamber of Commerce meeting with a guest speaker whose expertise was in social media. Clearly, there is a lot to learn especially if you are a business. Conversations and community building has come a long way and just when you think you are tapped into this community something new comes along.
There is a whole lot of different names to go with this media world, some of which only made sense to me after he explained what they do. Slideshare, Digg, Ning, Scribd all were under my radar until listening to this speaker. I also learned where not to devote my time as a business owner, some things lean heavily to certain demographs and may not be suitable.
I’m not on Facebook, as I keep hearing conflicting information about the effectiveness and privacy issues. Outside of finding long lost friends is it worth my time? In fact, many times when I talk to people it is in the context of finding old buddies or ex partners where it appeals most. Now, I couldn’t do my job or be the friend I am without being a people person, but somehow I felt Facebook may just open me up to a whole lot of people I care not to know. Having said that, if there is a compelling reason to get my message out further and Facebook was the best avenue, I, like many others may go that route.
Did you know that Canadians are the biggest user of Facebook? I found out that people over 65 are growing in numbers as users of the site. (Guess they don’t have to worry about what pictures they put up after they retire)
Twitter, interesting. A colleague of mine says she has found it quite useful, I may need to explore it but again I’m undecided. I enter into all these areas with great hesitation and questions – Who is looking? What is the benefit? Do I need to know you or you me? Is what I have to say worth it? Is this just adding more to my under-developed but over-exposed techno mind? Thus causing a large amount of stress as I find the time and the inclination to be “socially” in touch. Tweet ….”in my office debating whether to tweet or not to tweet.”
Then we have to use social media measurement tools, now I’m using tools to track who is tracking me. My head is spinning, how am I going to facilitate, write, coach/counsel, have personal time with all of this? Apparently, everyone has time for their job, marketing, blogging, facebooking (?) , tweeting and being Linkedin.
Then there is “followers” now that would have been considered very cult like years ago but now we encourage and rejoice in the number of followers we have and we follow too. Sure we are not handing our flowers or shaving our heads and there is no compound except if you count this box we are all happily typing into everyday. It is a shared experience for sure, we are sharing a lot of personal things like one big happy family, just not our money. If you make more money from any of these sites it is all yours!
Yes, it was quite the learning experience for me today. Great to be informed, off to do more research on all the social media sites and will try to pick those that keep me connected but not too much. I need a life.
Caring for Haiti
This has been an incredible time in history to watch the compassion and concern that pours from the world towards Haiti.
Many in the entertainment industry using their status to encourage people to send money. Leaders making the decisions to send in troops and from there commanders coordinating the logistics of getting around in a damaged country. Doctors and nurses working around the clock with limited instruments, medicine and light. All the rescue personnel coming together with the goal of saving lives. Pilots and crew flying people and cargo in and out of Haiti safely and frequently.
It is without a doubt so hard to see what has happened and we know that it will take a long time for recovery but what we are learning is how closely are spirits are connected. We are not that different from each other and in times of great crisis we are blessed with the opportunity to be reminded of this.
It appears the miles and borders can’t separates us. We are so fragile and need each other. The images will continue to pass by us over the coming days and weeks but we must be vigilant in not letting this go under our radar to soon. There is great suffering and desperation which will play out and it may be hard to judge whether what we are doing with our aid is getting through. People are going to try to survive in any way they can and so would we if we were in their shoes. Our hands must extend to Haiti and to all those who suffer in this world, we are the fortunate ones and it is at this time when I am acutely aware how important it is to give.
Charities need our help and I don’t know if you experience this but when I give, my heart benefits. Just as much as they benefit from my time or money, I benefit too. So, to my readers. Love more, laugh more, hug someone today, smile at someone you don’t know and most of all give. This is a movement to raise the consciousness of the world.
How has the tragedy in Haiti affected you? Has it moved you to think differently about life?
Hope for Haiti
It has taken me time to process what is happening in Haiti right now. I have long since learned that sometimes a story or event needs time to unfold so as to better understand it. Our Internet explodes with everyone talking about the earthquake, researching or contributing to Haiti.
Each night since the earthquake hit I found myself, as I climbed into bed, silently realizing how lucky I truly am. I thought about the thousands of people who were going through another night wandering the dark streets, with no food, water or anything else but the clothes on their back. No comfortable bed like I was about to lay down in, no partner to hold or child to kiss goodnight.
If I was in that place, life would look so different and I might have this to share with you:
There is no job for me to go to, call to make, no distractions to shift reality or entertainment to use as an escape. No chance to call a friend or text with trivial updates. What I wear is no longer important, who I am and what I believe is inconsequential. I can vote for nothing and my money (if I have any) barely will help my cause. My safety from dawn to dusk keeps me in a constant state of stress. I am tired but I am afraid to sleep. I have nothing left as my world struggles to be rebuilt from the rubble around me. I’ve never seen anything like it and I don’t want to see anymore.
This is something that most of us will never know, thankfully this suffering may never touch our lives. However, nothing is certain and it is important that when such tragedies befall our fellow world citizens that we not lose sight of the mission.
The mission is to find a way to ease the pain, provide the necessary support in whatever way we can. To not forget at the end and beginning of each day that what we do can impact positively or negatively anyone or anything. We can provide money and aid which is so vitally needed but we must also know that this will be ongoing. It is hard in a world where there are so many who “need” and a small few who have so much power and money that could easily change the course of their lives.
Right now we raise money to erect statues in honor of people who have long since left our midst or give statues to recognize people who are only doing their jobs. Their contribution was greatly appreciated but we could have used the money for a greater purpose, one that may better represent what they stood for in the first place. We build buildings for ourselves to house so much of the benefits of being wealthy when others live in cardboard boxes. We care so much about a designer that we spend what would be someone’s yearly salary on a handbag to carry our money and beauty products. The food we throw away in one week often would feed a family. The complaints we have about our government and how they are not listening to our wants or recognizing our special interests is nothing to worry about in comparison to no honorable government at all.
I hold up hope for Haiti and all the other people who try to rebuild their lives despite natures wrath and/or man-made destruction. It is also my hope that we don’t forget that we are all one event away from such horror and all that you see around you right now will be meaningless. Only your life and your loved ones will matter in the hours and days following.
Donate to the Red Cross or any other reputable organization.
Is graffiti art?
The debate continues on the question “Is graffiti art?” Over the past week or so many people have weighed in through published media and blogging on the topic. It all stems from the City of Vancouver’s idea to remove a wall of graffiti on Beatty Street that was, in fact, a commissioned mural for the Steve Nash Foundation. Now, instead of a colourful display, it is a perfectly solid colour of blue.
The city claims it was part of their maintenance routine however since this mural has been there since 2007 one might ask “Why now?” or how about just “Why?” The common answer (not uttered by our city officials) is “the Olympics are coming to town.” In an effort to make our city more pristine there may have been a conscious choice to remove it.
Art is around this city in various ways, hard material sculptures, paintings and creative landscapes. There are mural/graffiti walls on privately owned buildings that help take a dull old building and make it eye catching. There were no offensive images or language that could be sensitive to some viewers. Having driven myself by the occasional graffiti wall it can be place that brings a smile to the face while passing time in traffic.
I’m not for those that decide to tag our fences or other private/public property, that isn’t art. That is vandalism and tagging acts like a virus as it easily spreads through the community. The kind of graffiti I’m talking about has its place in our culture and can actually curb vandalism on public spaces as few punk vandals/taggers will paint over someone’s work. There is a respect for graffiti among the artists.
Is graffiti art or is it an eye-sore? Should we remove a mural such as the one on Beatty Street and have this city “clean up” its walls before the world descends upon it? Would it have made a difference to visitors to see aliens, ants, the peanut characters and more?
Vancouver is one of the most beautiful places to live, from the glass towers to the undeniably breathtaking views. Like all cities there are also things that grace our landscape that could be perceived as ugly. I’m not seeing the justification in covering up this wall and I don’t buy the argument that it was purely about maintenance. We have lost a work of art and that is sad, plain and simple.
See for yourself and you judge?
Squire Barnes Plays of the Year
Squire Barnes of Global TV Sports regaled viewers with his Plays of the Year for 2009. Exciting stuff! There are some really talented athletes out there from soccer, hockey, golf, race car driving, skiing, bike racing/jumping, divers, tennis and so much more. I am always amazed at those that go the distance to win, risk life and limb, show their true passion for the sport to which they have dedicated themselves.
What was missing in all this excitement was – WOMEN! As always despite the existence of women in sports they apparently didn’t do anything all year that would grant them a coveted spot in his montage. In fact, the only women that made the highlights were:
- Two women who may have been playing soccer though we couldn’t see because all they showed us was one girl pulling the hair of the other.
- A female gymnast who was dismounting from the uneven bars and landing flat, face down on the mats after a failed attempt by her coach to catch her.
- A female athlete on what appeared to be a track celebrating something (we don’t know what) riding the mascot’s back which ended up with them both running into something and falling over.
That was it. Surely, a highly popular sports director such as Squire is more well rounded in his yearly sports analysis, isn’t he? Hummm…one might wonder?
