Stuff

Lots of stuff has been happening with me. I was in a car accident and haven't been able to work or sit at a computer for awhile. My 49th birthday just occurred and the only thing I wanted to do I was physically unable to do so that sucked.

We finally got our chickens and I'll post some photos at a later date.

Speaking of stuff, I came across this site the other day. Please take a moment to click the banner below and have a look at the 20 minute film. It's pretty cool stuff.

$300 houses

When I can't sleep at night I watch infomercials.

I think I've seen just about every ab-busting, steam-cleaning, crows feet-erasing, pimple-blasting, infra-red-roasting, hair-straightening, ice-crushing, scrap book-decorating, jewel-dazzling, trans-fat-eliminating, hepa-filtering, cellulite-melting, drop-shipping, internet-marketing, stock-trading and real estate-buying gizmo, lotion, potion, plan or scheme imaginable.

In those wee, small hours of the morning when I'm tossing from side to side, too tired to get up but too awake to really sleep, it somehow helps to know that somewhere out there somebody else is up, just like me, but with a credit card in hand. That's kinda perverse isn't it?

There's something about listening to all those testimonials from people just like me, who've gone down 4 dress sizes, tamed their nappy heads, took 10 years off their face and made $5,000 in one day that just makes me want to believe that indeed, all things are possible. Nothing gives my REM-cycle deprived brain more pleasure than hearing their affable claims of wealth, health and happiness.

At 2am this morning, after watching the 2 previous infomercials (one on the Shark floor steamer and the other on the Cricut - which I think is really cool in a Bedazzled, let's enter my two-year old in the Little Miss Sunshine pageant kind of way and something I'd be tempted to buy if I had small kids at home), I watched one about a real estate plan to buy houses for as little as $300.



This infomercial claims that you can buy houses in the US and Canada and own them free and clear simply by paying the back taxes on a defaulted property. Of course most people don't know about this little trick but you can learn how to make your fortune by purchasing the kit that will show you how.

During the program they showed photos of all types of houses and land that people had bought for mere hundreds of dollars then turned around and made a great profit when sold for their market value. As I watched the photos of the houses all I kept thinking was, "What happened to the people who used to live there?" If, as was claimed in the infomercial, there are millions of defaulted homes up for grabs, what happened to the people who once owned them? Did the Rapture happen when I wasn't looking?


Not only did the whole thing gave me a creepy House of Sand and Fog vibe but it reminded me of shysters selling Mississippi bottom land. Fortunately for Canadians, these tax sale property schemes aren't as easy as that infomercial would lead you to believe.

Yes, the bank and finance companies do foreclose and put properties under power of sale. People do loose their homes but the whole thing is a process that takes time and the owner has right up to the closing date to pay off the mortgage. Furthermore, lest they be sued, the bank must make every effort to sell the house for its true market value. Even in the cases where a property is being sold for back taxes, that amount is the actual amount of taxes due and not "pennies on the value of the property".

This morning I wondered how many cash-strapped, looking-for-a-better-way people dialed that 800 number to charge the $39.99 to their nearly-maxed credit cards. This morning my REM-cycle deprived brain got angry. Angry thinking about all those insomniacs who got duped. Angry about all those people who lost their homes to the greed of sub-prime mortgage speculators. And damn it, I couldn't fall back to sleep!

Ashes, ashes, they all fall down...

The emerald ash borer has done some major damage to trees here in southwestern Ontario. I've read that 20 million trees are infested and will be killed by this invasive, alien species.

Just last week a crew from the township was in our area identifying trees to be scheduled for removal. Sadly, the big ash tree in the front of our house is one they have tagged. No word yet on when the cutting crews will arrive but we're not happy that we will be loosing such a beautiful tree and one which provides us with afternoon shade.

Make a Free Flash Slideshow

There is a small wood lot at the end of our lane where Lise does her bird watching. A family of red-headed woodpeckers lives in one of the ash trees in this wood lot and this tree is one of the ones marked for removal. On our stroll last night I must have counted 15 trees that have been tagged. Hard to believe that something smaller than a penny can do such damage.

My first town council meeting

Recently the township circulated a letter to area residents informing us that they were holding a zoning meeting to consider the re-zoning of the agricultural land around us to allow wind farms to be installed.

I have no problems with having wind turbines in my area. Unlike some of my neighbours, I don't think they are eyesores (I actually think they are quite beautiful). Nor do I have concerns about noise or red lights shining in my bedroom at night, or even bird migration. I figure that if birds are smart enough to learn not to fly into trees and telephone poles they'll be smart enough to avoid flying into a wind turbine. It's not like the blades of a wind turbine spin as fast as an airplane propeller.

My concern was around the necessity for re-zoning and whether they proposed re-zoning to a light industrial category. The area I live in is a wine region and is also known for the type of soil we have to produce quality seed. Geographically, we are in the southernmost point in Canada. We have Carolinian forests and a climate unlike anywhere else in Canada. I moved here because I wanted to live amongst the vineyards, corn, wheat, tomato and soy bean fields. I like to see the jersey cows and paint horses as I drive to work. What I would hate is to one-day see a widget factory move in where a vineyard once was.

So off Lise and I trekked to the town meeting last night to learn more about what was going on. When we received the notice of the meeting I wrote the town clerk for more information and my request was responded to by the town planner. He answered many of my questions but since I had never been to a council meeting and hadn't had an opportunity to hear both sides of the debate, I felt it was important to attend.

My first impression was surprise at how small the council chamber was. I was glad we got there early because there wasn't enough seating for everybody who came. People were standing in the doorway, spilling out into the hall and with all those people crammed into that small room, it was hot.

The wind power company were the first presenters and I think they did a pretty good job addressing many people's concerns about the wind farm project. After they spoke and the councilors asked their questions, citizens who had asked to be put on the agenda, were given an opportunity to voice their position and ask questions.

Most of the people who came out in favour of the project were landowners who had agreed to lease portions of their land for the turbines. These folks, of course, have a vested interest as they will be receiving royalties for allowing the turbines on their properties. All but one of the folks who spoke in opposition came from a "not-in-my-backyard" place. They didn't mind the idea of wind turbines but didn't want to live anywhere near them. The one woman who did speak in opposition raised some valid points about safety and impact to the local agricultural environment and wildlife. Her arguments were well-reasoned and documented and the councilors put her questions to the power company representatives.

With amendments to increase the set-backs for safety reasons, the council voted in favour of granting the re-zoning application to allow the wind farm project to go forward. The re-zoning was actually a variance to the existing zoning category of general agriculture to allow the wind turbines as a secondary use under the existing zoning. So I'm pleased that the agricultural designation is preserved.

Witnessing this process though has been interesting. It illustrated to me how people really do fear change. Folks seem to be alright with change as long as it remains something "out there" and doesn't mean that they have to adjust anything in their lives. All of the objections I heard last night: my property value will fall, they'll keep me awake at night, I will see them from my house, this will kill the local tourism industry etc. were all examples of fear of change.

Wind farms may not be the panacea for eliminating our dependence on fossil fuel or nuclear powered generators, but it is a first step towards something more sustainable. It's one of the things we can do right now if only we have the courage to face our fear of change.

Earth Hour 2008

This is such a small thing to do and not inconvenient at all so let's just have fun with it. Tomorrow, March 29th at 8pm, just turn your lights out for an hour.

For the Bible Tells Me So

One of my favourite quotes was made by the late Erma Bombeck, "Guilt is the gift that keeps on giving." With a Catholic mom and a Baptist father and as a young adult becoming a Salvationist, I know guilt - and yes, it is the gift that keeps on giving.

In my early 30s when it became clear to me that I could not adhere to the heterosexual imperative our society demands, I stepped away from the church. Why hang around someplace where you know that they would run you out just for being who you are?

In the ensuing years I have had to find my own sense of spirituality but have often thought of all the young people, still within their churches, questioning their sexuality. I've read that suicide rates for young people who question their sexuality are much higher than the average and I often wonder if this is not because of the guilt and shame which is inflicted by fundamental and main-stream religions.

This past week while perusing the titles at the video store I came across this title:
For the Bible Tells Me So.

If you are a young person reading this who is struggling with your sexuality or a parent whose child has just revealed her/his sexuality, or anyone who has struggled with reconciling your faith with your sexuality, run to your video store and rent this film.

The Lobotomist

Last Monday I felt fine. Had a few doctors appointments during the day and later that night settled in with my local PBS station.

They aired a program titled The Lobotomist. The program was an account of neurologist Walter Freeman who devised a procedure which came to be known as "ice-pick" lobotomy. It was performed by lifting the eye lid, inserting an ice-pick, using a hammer to tap the ice-pick through the bone in the orbital socket then moving the ice-pick from side to side to detach the frontal lobe from the thalamus. Sounds like something straight out of the Inquisition eh? Well this little operation was done, ostensibly to help patients suffering from various mental illnesses such as anxiety and depression.

I was horrified and the images in the documentary disturbed me but I simply couldn't change the channel. The next morning I woke up with one of the worst head colds I think I've ever had. I was so sick I couldn't move my head from side to side without feeling the most excruciating pain and dizziness.

While I was truly sick with high fever, chills, ear aches and horribly stuffed nose, after reading blog buddy, Dr. Deb's post on the Nocebo Effect, I can't help but wonder how much our subconscious mind plays a role in our physical health.

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Judgment at Nuremberg

This morning I caught the last 45 minutes or so of the court room drama Judgment at Nuremberg. At the Teach With Movies web site it gives the following description of the film:

This movie is a fictionalized account of the war crimes trial of judges and prosecutors who served the Nazis.

"Judgment at Nuremberg" depicts a watershed event: the first trials, based on principles of justice and international law, of the leaders of a country that waged aggressive war and committed crimes against humanity. The film is a gripping, searching and provocative look at the moral issues surrounding both the actions of the accused and the process of bringing them to justice. The film also explores the issue of whether ordinary Germans bore responsibility for the Holocaust.

I have seen this movie many times before, however, while watching the movie this morning, I was struck with how relevant the film's themes are today as we contend with our "War on Terror" and are living with the abomination of such things as America's Patriot Act, detainees at Guantanamo Bay, horrors at Abu Ghraib Prison and Canada's compliance with "no-fly" lists.

Burt Lancaster plays the character Ernst Janning a German judge who is on trial for condemning innocent people during the Nazi regime. Janning is pretty stoic throughout the proceedings but as he watches the court room events unfold, he is compelled to give an explanation for his actions. In one of the most stirring moments on the film, Janning rises in court to give his statement:

"There was a fever over the land. A fever of disgrace, of indignity, of hunger. We had a democracy, yes, but it was torn by elements within. Above all, there was fear. Fear of today, fear of tomorrow, fear of our neighbors, and fear of ourselves. Only when you understand that - can you understand what Hitler meant to us. Because he said to us: 'Lift your heads! Be proud to be German! There are devils among us. Communists, Liberals, Jews, Gypsies! Once these devils will be destroyed, your misery will be destroyed.'

It was the old, old story of the sacrificial lamb. What about those of us who knew better? We who knew the words were lies and worse than lies? Why did we sit silent? Why did we take part? Because we loved our country! What difference does it make if a few political extremists lose their rights? What difference does it make if a few racial minorities lose their rights? It is only a passing phase. It is only a stage we are going through. It will be discarded sooner or later. Hitler himself will be discarded... sooner or later.

The country is in danger. We will march out of the shadows. We will go forward. Forward is the great password. And history tells how well we succeeded, your honor. We succeeded beyond our wildest dreams. The very elements of hate and power about Hitler that mesmerized Germany, mesmerized the world! We found ourselves with sudden powerful allies.

Things that had been denied to us as a democracy were open to us now. The world said 'go ahead, take it, take it! Take Sudetenland, take the Rhineland - re militarize it - take all of Austria, take it! And then one day we looked around and found that we were in an even more terrible danger. The ritual began in this courtroom swept over the land like a raging, roaring disease. What was going to be a passing phase had become the way of life.

Your honor, I was content to sit silent during this trial. I was content to tend my roses. I was even content to let counsel try to save my name, until I realized that in order to save it, he would have to raise the specter again. You have seen him do it - he has done it here in this courtroom. He has suggested that the Third Reich worked for the benefit of people. He has suggested that we sterilized men for the welfare of the country. He has suggested that perhaps the old Jew did sleep with the sixteen year old girl, after all. Once more it is being done for love of country. It is not easy to tell the truth; but if there is to be any salvation for Germany, we who know our guilt must admit it... whatever the pain and humiliation."

Here is Lancaster's brilliant performance:



Spencer Tracy played the head of the tribunal, Judge Dan Haywood. Throughout the movie as he interacts with the German people and in particular in his interactions with the widow of an executed German officer, played by Marlene Dietrich, you can see his struggle to understand the evidence of the atrocities presented in court in light of the warmth and nature of the Germans he meets. He can't seem to grasp how a people with such love of life and song could allow such things to happen and claim they didn't even know they were happening. I see Janning's statement as the point where this juxtaposition becomes clear to him and this chilling realization is reflected in his comments at the trial's verdict:

"Janning, to be sure, is a tragic figure. We believe he loathed the evil he did. But compassion for the present torture of his soul must not beget forgetfulness of the torture and death of millions by the government of which he was a part.

Janning's record and his fate illuminate the most shattering truth that has emerged from this trial. If he and the other defendants were all depraved perverts - if the leaders of the Third Reich were sadistic monsters and maniacs - these events would have no more moral significance than an earthquake or other natural catastrophes.

But this trial has shown that under the stress of a national crisis, men - even able and extraordinary men - can delude themselves into the commission of crimes and atrocities so vast and heinous as to stagger the imagination. No one who has sat through this trial can ever forget. The sterilization of men because of their political beliefs... The murder of children... How easily that can happen!

There are those in our country today, too, who speak of the "protection" of the country. Of "survival". The answer to that is: survival as what? A country isn't a rock. And it isn't an extension of one's self. It's what it stands for, when standing for something is the most difficult! Before the people of the world - let it now be noted in our decision here that this is what we stand for: justice, truth... and the value of a single human being!"

The verdict is indeed chilling and Tracy delivers it with the aplomb and skill of a seasoned actor:



But while the performances of all of the actors in this film were stellar, it is the themes of the film from which we can draw meaning and which rung a bell for me today.

In a post-911 world we too live in a "Fear of today, fear of tomorrow, fear of our neighbors, and fear of ourselves." We too have leaders who would tell us, "There are devils among us. Once these devils will be destroyed, your misery will be destroyed."

In our fear to be thought of as less patriotic, in our fear of once again being targeted by those who hate us, many sit in silence and say, "What difference does it make if a few political extremists lose their rights? What difference does it make if a few racial minorities lose their rights? It is only a passing phase. It is only a stage we are going through. It will be discarded sooner or later."

But this way of thinking only perpetuates the very evil from which we seek to protect ourselves. In our paralytic fear we've allowed the very principles upon which our democracy was founded to become corrupted. I think these last few word's of Judge Haywood's verdict should be not only etched in our hearts and minds but retained to galvanize us to rededicate ourselves to the principles we have held so dear:

"A decision must be made in the life of every nation at the very moment that the grasp of the enemy is at its throat, then is seems that the only way to survive is to use the means of the enemy, to rest survival upon what is expedient, to look the other way, only the answer to that is: survival as what? A country isn't a rock. And it isn't an extension of one's self. It's what it stands for, when standing for something is the most difficult!"

The Dog's in big doo doo

Somehow, the National Enquirer got hold of a tape of a telephone conversation Duane "Dog" Chapman had with his son. In that conversation The Bounty Hunter apparently used the "N" word several times. Now A&E has put a hold on further production of his television show.

Ok, I'm not saying that it's ok to use derogatory language and yes, Mr Chapman should be contrite and be made to understand how such language is hurtful to others. What bothers me is not so much that he uttered the offensive word but that this was supposed to be a private conversation between him and his son.

Time and colour blindness

Last year, in my blog post Speak your mind even if your voice shakes, I wrote about an incident that happened at Pride where the emcee made a comment in reference to a Black performer about "not seeing colour". I received a couple negative comments in response to that post and couldn't help but think of that incident and the responses I received here when I heard an interview of Nigerian writer, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, on this morning's The Current on CBC radio.

Towards the end of the interview she speaks about her experience of coming to study in the US. When asked if she was surprised by the evidence of institutional racism in the US she said it was eye-opening for her. She said that she didn't know she was Black until she moved to the US and that living in the US means knowing that one is Black and that Blackness comes with so much baggage. She goes on to say that she believes that America's approach to race and class isn't honest, that there is a myth that everything is alright. She says that the myth that we live in a colour-blind society is a lie and that we shouldn't pretend that race doesn't matter. Hmm, looks like I'm not the only person who feels that way. You can listen to her interview by clicking here. You will need Real Player installed on your computer to listen to that file.

******

Today, October 24th, is Take Back Your Time Day. Take Back Your Time Day is a project organized by an alliance of academics called the Simplicity Forum and members of Cornell University's Center for Religion, Ethics and Social Policy.

From the website at www.timeday.org:

TAKE BACK YOUR TIME is a major U.S./Canadian initiative to challenge the epidemic of overwork, over-scheduling and time famine that now threatens our health, our families and relationships, our communities and our environment.

Some of their mottos are - More time, less stuff. Time is a Family Value and Medieval peasants worked less than you do.

Religious school funding

I admit, I attended Catholic schools right up until high school. When we lived in New York, my mom paid tuition but when we moved to Ontario mom had the choice of sending us to the public school or the Catholic school as both were funded by tax dollars.

This funding of Catholic schools and creation of a separate school system dates back to the 1800s yet Ontario is the only province in Canada which still funds Catholic schools. In November 1999, the United Nations Human Rights Committee found Canada in violation of the equality provisions of that Covenant by virtue of Ontario's discriminatory school system. So in this upcoming election the Tories say they will fund "faith-based" schools.

See, I've got a problem with that. I don't believe the education I got was any better than my playmates who attended public school. Apart from the catechism classes, we all learned our alphabet, how to count to 10, tie our shoes and break the graham crackers on the line. I don't believe we need more than one publicly funded school system.

Of course I think that parents should be able to choose what type of education their children will receive so if they want their kids to get "religious instruction" with their ABC's, then send them to a private school - not one publicly funded. I'm for giving parents who wish to send their kids to a "faith-based" school some sort of tax credit to help off-set the additional cost.

What's sort of hypocritical about the Catholic schools these days is that you don't necessarily have to be Catholic to attend one. If the numbers of Catholic children enrolled in these separate schools declines to a point where keeping the school open is in question, they will allow non-Catholics to attend in order to boost their enrollment numbers up to the level to qualify for government funding. I have friends who teach in the separate school system and tell me that in some schools the non-Catholics outnumber the Catholics. So tell me, what's the point in having and paying for two different school boards? In my mind religion has no place within a publicly funded education system.

What was the big deal?

Sure, our numbers may be growing but out of a population of 33 million there are only a little more that 7,000 married same-sex couples in Canada. So what's the big deal? Did the sky fall or something?

According to Statistics Canada's latest census results, gays and lesbians are marrying more than straight people are. The number of common law, single parent and same-sex couples are surpassing the "traditional family" here in Canada. Stats Canada says that more straight folks are choosing to "shack up" rather than get married. Hmm, makes you wonder who holds the moral ground here eh?

Breaking it down

Sometimes you gotta break it down into terms people can understand.

Blame the mother

You know it was Pride Week in Toronto when the media starts resurrecting stories postulating the causes of homosexuality. This past week's CBC story, Younger brothers more likely to be gay, basically says that a man is more likely to be gay if he has older brothers. They think that some sort of in utero autoimmune response may be at play but, of course, they are not sure.

There have been a lot of theories put forward over the years beginning with the “overbearing-mother-absent-or-distant-father” theory. Since then we have been told various hypothesis. One points to an excess of male hormones in the womb affecting sexual orientation. Another, which focuses on twins, speaks of childhood gender nonconformity to explain why one brother plays with GI Joes while the other likes to play with Barbies. How the hypothalamus region of the brain is stimulated by body odors is another area of study to explain the difference between straight and gay. The oddest study I've come across, apart from the one citing the length of ones ring finger, particularly in women (curiously known as the "Finger Papers" - no shit) as a possible indication of sexual orientation, is the one linking differences in the function of the inner ear to the sexual preference of women.

Ok, is it just me but doesn't it sometimes seem like people are trying to find the “cause” of homosexuality much in the same way they look for cures for cancer? Am I the only one besides Timothy Murphy who questions the rationale or ethics behind these types of studies?

What would happen if they were to find out that “gayness” is caused by a gene, or pregnant women smoking pot or death rays from Mars? Living in a world that presumes heterosexuality, I can only venture to guess that the next step would be to find a cure or way to prevent homosexuality.

My problem with studies like these is that they work from the assumption that heterosexuality is “normal” ergo, any other sexual orientation is not. That's like saying being Christian is “normal” while any other spiritual belief is not. Or being white is “normal” while being a member of the world majority is not. Awfully presumptuous don't you think?

Personally, I find my life more interesting when I presume that everyone I meet is gay. That way I can feign sympathy when they disclose they are not and secretly blame their mothers.

Here's some food for thought:

21 Questions for Heterosexuals

1. What do you think has caused you to be heterosexual?

2. When and how did you first decide you were a heterosexual?

3. Is it possible your heterosexuality stems from a neurotic fear of people of the same sex?

4. If you've never slept with a person of the same sex, how do you know you wouldn't prefer it?

5. Isn't it possible your heterosexuality is just a phase you may grow out of?

6. Isn't it possible that all you need is a good gay lover?

7. If heterosexuality is normal, why are a disproportionate number of mental patients heterosexual?

8. To whom have you disclosed your heterosexual tendencies? How did they react?

9. Why do heterosexuals place so much emphasis on sex? Why are they so promiscuous?

10. Do heterosexuals hate and/or distrust others of their own sex? Is that what makes them heterosexual?

11. If you were to have children, would you want them to be heterosexual knowing the problems they'd face?

12. Your heterosexuality doesn't offend me as long as you don't try to force it on me. Why do you feel compelled to seduce others into your sexual orientation?

13. The great majority of child molesters are heterosexuals. Do you really consider it safe to expose your children to heterosexual teachers?

14. Why do you insist on being so obvious, and making a public spectacle of your heterosexuality? Can't you just be who you are and keep it quiet?

15. How can you ever hope to become a whole person if you limit yourself to a compulsive, exclusively heterosexual lifestyle, and remain unwilling to explore and develop your homosexual potential?

16. Heterosexuals are noted for assigning themselves and each other to narrowly restricted, stereotyped sex-roles. Why do you cling to such unhealthy role playing?

17. Even with all the societal support marriage receives, the divorce rate is spiraling. Why are there so few stable relationships among heterosexuals?

18. How could the human race survive if everyone were heterosexual like you, considering the menace of overpopulation?

19. There seem to be very few happy heterosexuals. Techniques have been developed that could help you change if you really wanted to. Have you considered trying psychotherapy or even aversion therapy?

21. Could you really trust a heterosexual therapist/counselor to be objective and unbiased? Don't you fear he/she might be inclined to influence you in the direction of his/her own preferences?

China Rises

The CBC recently aired a documentary titled, China Rises. I don't know if anyone outside of Canada saw this 4 part documentary but it had me enthralled and a little bit frightened.

The documentary examines China's politics, economy, environment and society through the lives of various Chinese individuals. I had so many thoughts and feelings while watching their stories but the feeling that sticks with me the most is amazement.

China's economic growth is nothing short of amazing. To see the sprawling factories, the rags-to-riches stories and the sheer enormity of their industrial complex is staggering. Anything that can be made by the hand of man is manufactured in China. In a land where you can pay a worker 60 cents an hour for a 12 hour day, it's no wonder North America is loosing all of its manufacturing jobs - how can we possibly compete?

This economic boom comes at a heavy price though. As big (geographically speaking) as China is, it doesn't have very much arable land. A good proportion of what it does have is being expropriated to industrial and residential development. The documentary took a look at the city of Shanghai. The skyline looks like something out of a Buck Rogers serial! Thousands of skyscrapers, glowing in neon conceal those unfortunate enough to be displaced in the development boom. Never was the difference between the "haves" and "have-nots" made more apparent.

Beyond the cities, fishermen can no longer earn a living because the rivers which had sustained them for generations are so polluted there are no more fish. Farmers irrigate their fields with waters laiden with chromium and other toxic by-products of the factories. Most of the produce is so tainted that it wouldn't pass the safety standards of Europe or North America. Not only are the crops contaminated but China's water supply is disappearing to the point that desert is encroaching on once-fertile land.

That the Chinese are eating poisoned food and are loosing their reserves of water is not the frightening thing. What's so frightening is that many of those who would be in a position to do something about it simply shrug off the environmental destruction as a cost of prosperity. What I understood from the interview of one woman in the documentary was that she seemed to think that the harm to the environment was a small price to pay and once the country had grown sufficiently, they could then address environmental concerns. Sound familiar?

Am I afraid that China or any other country for that matter, will destroy the earth? Nah. We can't destroy the earth. We can though, make it uninhabitable for humans. The earth will endure. Whether or not we do is another story.

It's the end of the world as we know it

I'm reading an article titled, The American Empire Meets Peak Oil, in the latest issue of Canadian Dimensions magazine and I'm getting depressed.

The article explains how the British Empire's economic expansion, and I would imagine the Industrial Revolution, was fueled by coal. Much of the teeth of the British Empire was lost with the shift from coal to oil. Since the US had its own source of oil, after the Second World War, America really began to build its economic empire.

Today, just about everything in our economy depends on oil – manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, electricity, agriculture, transportation etc. Here's a quote from the article: “Our vehicles, our roads, our cities, our power plants, our entire social organization has evolved on the promise of an endless supply of cheap oil.” Without oil, everything will eventually come to a grinding halt.

We've all heard that the world's supply of oil is shrinking, but what most people don't realize is that it is estimated that the world's oil production will peak within the next ten years. If we intend to continue to live the standard of life we have been living, something's gotta give.

Just today I was forwarded another article titled, 2006: The Year of Oil Collapse? which predicts the demise of the American economy. The writer explains that the reason for the recent housing boom is an attempt to strive for normality in an environment of increasing insecurity. He says despite these efforts, “fundamental comforts were what many Americans actually stand to lose in a reality-based future.” It is this, the inevitable loss of our fundamental comforts, which I find most distressing. Not just for myself, but for my children and their children.

I am reminded of a PBS program, Affluenza, which aired in 1998. The program describes Affluenza as:
1. The bloated, sluggish and unfulfilled feeling that results from efforts to keep up with the Jones. 2. An epidemic of stress, overwork, waste and indebtedness caused by dogged pursuit of the American Dream. 3. An unsustainable addiction to economic growth. 4. A television program that could change your life.

In essence, the show traces the history of consumerism in America and our obsession with having bigger, better and more. It cites the oil embrago of 1973-74 as a “wake-up call” for consumers and the genesis of the environmental movement. While we saw how the embargo of the 70s caused much economic turmoil, we tended to snicker at the environmentalists calling them “tree huggers” and branding them as anti-establishment throw backs to the days of incense and peppermint hippies.

For the past thirty years we have treated environmentalists with the same disdain as Chicken Little, dismissing their warnings as nothing more than, at best, hysteria and at worst an attempt to subvert the global economic agenda. Perhaps this explains why governments have not begun a vast endeavour to reduce consumer consumption, conserve oil and gas and develop viable and cost effective alternatives.

I don't know about you, but I am scared. What will be our next “wake-up call” and what if we've already received it but have been hitting the “snooze” button for the last thirty years? As I see it, the sky IS falling.

Racism, Herpes & Dog Shit

When I started this blog it was not my intention to dwell on heavy topics all the time. I have a finely honed appreciation for the absurd (perhaps as a result of too many SCTV episodes), and I wanted to share that lighthearted side of myself here. Recently however, I keep having these really good conversations around racism so I thought I'd share some of my thoughts today.

Last night, my partner and I were discussing the pitfalls of pointing out their racism to liberal friends. Because they are liberal and often well-intentioned, they really have a hard time hearing that some of the things they say or do or attitudes they have are racist. They are insulted and think that you are categorizing them with cross-burning, tree-lynching fanatics. And when that happens, it stifles any further conversation which is unfortunate because the opportunity to alleviate ignorance is lost.

The way I see it there is ignorance and stupidity. Ignorance is simply not knowing about something but having the ability or desire to learn. Stupidity is having the knowledge about something but choosing not to act on that knowledge. Ignorance is treatable. Stupidity is terminal.

People who consider themselves liberal like to think of themselves as pretty smart cookies. So when you tell them they are racist (or hold racist beliefs or attitudes), and that their racism stems from ignorance, they tend to get riled and defensive. I know that you are not personally responsible for slavery. I know that you never use the “N” word (at least in my presence). I know that you are not a cross burner. That's not the racism I'm talking about. It's the subtle words (some said in jest), actions and attitudes that betray a person's racism.

I've often referred people to a little book I picked up years ago at the Michigan Women's Music Festival (that obligatory lesbian pilgrimage). The book is titled, “Cultural Etiquette: A Guide for the Well-Intentioned” by Amoja Three Rivers.

To find Cultural Etiquette in a library click here.
To find Cultural Etiquette at Amazon click here.

Chapter 6 is titled, “Just Don't Do This, Okay?”. The first “Don't Do” item listed is my personal favourite: “Do no grab, pat, pull on, feel caress or touch the hair of a person of color, unless you have a personal, equitable relationship with him/her; unless you know them well enough to flirt with them, unless invited to do so. ... Remember, people of color are not specimens or exhibits, and this is not a petting zoo. Touching the hair is considered a very personal thing to many people.”

Amoja writes a very good chapter on ethnocentrism. My Oxford dictionary defines ethnocentric as: “regarding one's own race as the most important”. Dictionary.com defines ethnocentrism as: “The tendency to evaluate other groups according to the values and standards of one's own ethnic group, especially with the conviction that one's own ethnic group is superior to the other groups”.

As I move through my menopausal milestones and slip into my dottage, my experience has been that everybody tends to “evaluate other groups according to the values and standards of one's own ethnic group”. I think it is human nature to seek others like ourselves and to be guarded when we encounter those not like ourselves. I don't know if this is a primitive protection mechanism or simply learned behaviour but when you honestly examine it, do we not tend to associate with others with whom we can identify or share common beliefs or experiences? Of course by saying this I am not making an excuse for racist behaviour or attitudes but simply acknowledging a point of human nature.

We live in a world which seems to be sustained by continually reminding us of “otherness” - look at them, they look funny, they wear strange clothes, their food smells different, they talk with an accent, their skin colour is not like ours, their religious beliefs are mysterious etc. We are conditioned to be racist.

I remember years ago hearing an anti-racist worker saying that it was impossible for minority people to be racist. Her rationale was that since minorities had no real power in the dominant society, they could not perpetrate racism. I say that's bullshit. Let's think about this minority thing for a moment. Yes, it's true that here in Canada and the US, people of colour are in the minority. But if you look globally, people of colour actually constitue the majority of people on this planet. So why don't we call ourselves, “World Majority People”?

My point here is that since we live in a society which conditions us to recognize and fear anything unlike ourselves and our experience, all people are infected with racism.

Racism, to me is like a strain of the herpes virus. There are seven strains of herpes viruses known to infect humans. I'd like to mention two of them. The first is the Varicella Zoster virus. Varicella is commonly known as chickenpox while herpes zoster is known as shingles. You ususally get chicken pox as a child but later in life the virus can reappear as shingles. The other is the Herpes Simplex Virus.

This is the virus that causes things like cold sores and genital herpes. Incidentially, for more information about genital herpes visit this link.

I'm not a virologist but I'll try to give a basic explaination based on what I remember from my university days. Virtually 100% of adult humans have antibodies for the herpes simples virus. That means that we all have been exposed to it and the virus resides somewhere in our bodies. As far as chicken pox, I don't know anyone of my age group who didn't get chicken pox as a child. So that means that we also carry this virus within our bodies.

The thing with these herpes viruses is that although we may recover from an initial episode and go on to show no symptoms, the virus lies dormant in our systems until some stressor (possible stressors include: stress, febrile illnesses, menstruation or immunosuppression), triggers the virus to resurface. Hence the cold sore popping out the day before your wedding or the bout of shingles you get just when you think you've recovered from the flu.

In this way racism is like these viruses. Even though we hate to admit it, we are infected with racism. The antibodies of etiquette or political correctness may keep our racism at bay until a stressor is introduced. I don't know a better way to illustrate this than to compel you to see the movie Crash.

“Having racism” doesn't necessarily make you a bad person. Archie Bunker wasn't a bad person, he was simply ignorant. As a matter of fact, Archie is the perfect illustration of the ignorance-stupidity thought. Watch a couple of re-runs and I think you'll understand what I mean.

Finally, in another conversation I had with a friend about racism in Canada vs the US, I told her there is a big difference between the racism in the US and in Canada. In both countries the racism is systemic but in the US they will call you a nigger to your face where in Canada, they just whisper it behind your back.

I think I like the US brand of racism better.

I say it's like dog shit. When it's out on the side walk in plain view you can step around or over it. But when the shit is hidden in tall grass, you can't see it so you're more likely to step in it. In Canada, the shit's in tall grass so you can be going merrily along thinking everything is fine when, squish, you step in the shit and didn't even see it coming.

Once in the late 80s I drove down to Daytona Beach, Florida. It was a long drive but we took our time and traveled through Tennessee and Georgia stopping occasionally for gas, food or a little shopping. I immediately became aware that in every store I visited, if I was not outright followed, I was kept an eye on by the store's staff. This has only happened to me once before on a trip to Chicago.

In one restaurant while waiting for the hostess, I noticed that all the white people were sitting on one side of the restaurant and the black people were seated on the side closest to the kitchen. When the hostess came to seat me, of course I was seated in the section with all the coloured folk. Later, when my white traveling companion arrived to join me, she asked if we wanted to switch tables and seemed quite uncomfortable when we refused. None of these incidences really bothered me as I expected to experience some of this in the US. I actually found it rather amusing and when things like this happened I made a point of engaging the person in pleasant conversation.

In the early 90s I had the opportunity to work in a Canadian community north of the Arctic watershed. (that's a whole other blog) My kids and I would spend weekends at a coworker's camp by a lake. Every weekend my friend and I would visit in the little country general store to shop for provisions and chat up the women who ran the store. I thought these women were very friendly and were nice to me whenever we stopped in. One afternoon I went to the general store by myself to use their air compressor to blow up a couple of inner tubes I brought so my kids could play with them in the lake. When I asked to use the compressor they told me it was broken and I should try driving up to the lodge and maybe they would let me use theirs. I drove to the lodge and funny, their air compressor was broken too.

When I returned to the camp with the still deflated tubes I told my friend, who by the way was white - hmm, I believe she still is - that the compressor was broken. She wondered how that could be possible when she saw someone filling their tires earlier that day. So she took the inner tubes to the general store and guess what? The compressor was working! See what I mean? Dog shit in the tall grass.

The Right to Marry

These are my friends Hedy and Colleen and their handsome son Andrew. If is wasn't for these women and six other couples (see court ruling here), stories like the one I wrote in 1993 would continue today. Thanks to them, a story like Sarah and Alex's, in Canada today, can remain fiction. Let's hope that one day our cousins to the south can one day (perhaps in our lifetime) enjoy the same right.






Furthermore, thanks to the efforts and commitment of Hedy and Colleen and the other couples, I was able to legally marry the love of my life and have a chance, just like anyone else, to live happily ever after!

So thanks gals!