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.

Food Inc. Trailer

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.

Oprah’s No Phone Zone

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

The Women’s team did the same thing just days ago and we couldn’t be happier for both our teams success. This has been quite the Olympics for all of our athletes winning more Gold medals than any other nation, we have broke a historical record too!

This city has been on fire since the beginning and I could not be prouder of being not only Canadian but a Vancouverite. I’m surprised by my reaction to all of this as I do know there are things about this event that hang out behind the scenes. However, to see the world enjoy our city and see all of us come together to make it a great experience for those visiting, I’m happy.

The energy has been electric, the faces of people throughout have been beaming and overall I believe it was helpful to take Canada to a new patriotic high. We have taken a page from our neighbours to the south that show us what that looks like to be patriotic and celebrated along side them. Wonderful, relationships developed and further solidified!

Dancing in the streets

I know, I’m on the gender bandwagon, but its me. If you want something else go to a gender neutral blog post. I’m celebrating women and sports!!

At the end of the year maybe Squire Barnes (Global TV Sports) will see fit to highlight their achievements. (still peeved about his lack of female representation) Can’t get around this one, these women are cleaning up and enjoying the results of their intense training and dedication to sports.

Yesterday, I watched as our women’s hockey team took the Gold. Today, there is some griping about them celebrating with champagne and beer on the ice after the ceremonies, whatever! Joannie Rochette, a figure skater was inspiring to watch, in the face of so much personal tragedy she still managed to achieve her goal and made everyone extremely proud. The fact that she was still competing was enough for us all, to see her skate so beautifully was remarkable. Our hearts opened with compassion in learning about her mother’s passing and then sang with her achievement. Clara Hughes, she sets the bar even higher as she has won medals for cycling and speed skating in both the winter and summer Olympics. Add in a famous Jennifer moment – Jennifer Heil the freestyle skier enjoys the nations praise with her silver medal. It’s all good!

There are more women to list here but maybe at the end of it all I will compile the list of names and raise a toast to womankind. Why?….because we in North America have been accepted into the sports world (though there is room for improvement, I’ll leave out referencing battles here) but there are women in many other countries that are still struggling to get started. Funding/support for women sports in many parts of Europe still lags behind and imagine what it is like for other less developed countries. Interest  abounds but support does not. By seeing what women can do, it may open the doors for the younger generation to pursue their dreams of enjoying a sport, representing their team or even standing on an Olympic podium.

These women serve as inspiration, role models and hope.  They are clearly worth the investment. I’m happy for all the world athletes male and female but as always get myself just a little higher when I see women breaking records and exceeding expectations.  For all the women athletes well in our past; that risked all, put up with countless stupid comments, were segregated and sometimes humiliated, pursued the dream and designed the team…Vancouver’s 2010 Olympics shows your efforts to open the door was worth it!

Babe Didrikson Zaharius was my role model when I was growing up. I saw one film about her and never forgot her name. She inspired me to run and for many years I enjoyed long distance running and many other sports. Check out the following to learn more about this great Olympian.

target="_blank">Babe Didrikson

The minute you stand in a checkout the eye can’t help but scan the magazine covers. If not reading the latest headline about Brad and Angelina or the sex lives of the chronically relationship disabled, we are most likely catching a glimpse of what the body could look like if we did……something.

Wading in the sea of bikini wearing, air brushed stars and models I couldn’t help but laugh inside about the irony of loading our carts with food only to get a dose of why not to have bought most of it in the first place. Maybe the trick is to use the time wisely as you enter the aisles of doom.

I have some ideas for the next visit on how we can go from passive shopper to workout wonder!

1. After properly sanitizing the handle on your cart (yuk!) grip it hard and release, grip hard and release, repeat… do at least 3 reps of ten.

2. In the vegetable section, with bag in hand, lunge toward the back of the fruit and vegetable sections with a strong reach. Lift back leg slightly off the floor and reach forward. Not only will you get a stretch into the leg and arms but the freshest fruits and vegetables are placed at the back anyway.

3. Squat down, tighten that butt as you reach to the lower shelf for that can of green beans. Just doing a quick bend over doesn’t cut it, feel those buns contract and release as you squat for each item.

4. If your laundry soap comes in a plastic container with a handle, do three quick bicep curls per arm.

5. This is more of resistance training….avoid the cake aisle. Realize the happy wishes and icing colours are just trying to draw you in, resist I say. Take that opportunity to tighten the abs and release, tighten, release.

It is important to realize that all those supposedly happy, weightless, tanned, perky breasted, wrinkle free, washboard abs, buns of steel, yummy mommies and models are not much different than the rest of us. Except, they have a good plastic surgeon, an overpaid physical trainer, in house chef or the finances to buy better, magnified body image pressure, good technology  to air brush the flaws and enhance the appeal, the best hair, expensive makeup to cover everything, regular spa treatments and a wardrobe stylist so they don’t have to think about what to wear.  Other than all of that they are just like the rest of us.

Maybe it would be fun to explore what it would be like if magazines were covering men:

Lose that beer gut, From couch bum to tight buns, Exercise your way back into that Speedo (OK, bad visual), Minding your midlife spread, Burn off those sympathy pregnancy pounds, Lose your remote control lose weight, How to perk up your pecs.    —– Of course each magazine would have the tanned twenty something year old guy on the cover.

I’m not mocking being healthy that is good, but it is even better to be a great human being. So, here are the tags for my mock magazine:

You don’t need flat abs to accomplish your goals

Size only matters if you let it

Fake anything is just that, “fake” – finding your authentic self

The minute your born you’re dying – fighting age is a waste of energy

Live life in the temple you were given.

So, next time we all walk into that store, cruise the aisles and get spit out at the other end for a walk down body image lane; take a deep breath and know you don’t have to buy what their selling.

target="_blank">Dove Evolution