Great idea...
Please check out the website and watch the video. You MUST watch the entire video.
http://www.cheatneutral.com/
Friday, January 16, 2009
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Recipe for Disaster
I saw this film tonight at Bloor Cinema. It's about a family in Finland that decides to give up fossil fuels for a year. This means no cars, planes, and switching to renewable energy (all easy enough, really), and not buying anything made out of or packaged in plastic. That was (in my opinion) the hard part. It seems easy enough to avoid plastic and not buy over packaged goods, but this family gave up all plastic altogether, which proved to be challenging when shopping for toilet paper, toothpaste, etc. There was a Q&A session with the filmmaker via Skype after the film was shown.
They made many changes in their lifestyle, not just for the one year but long term. It was the husband's idea and the wife wasn't as keen, but I liked how they involved the children in the project and were very open with the kids about climate change, doing it in a way that was fun for the kids and not stressful.
They were an example of actually making real changes in your life to reduce your carbon footprint (note that the film is focused on carbon and doesn't really discuss many other environmental issues).
Living in Toronto and getting around fine by bus and subway I personally have an enormous dislike for car culture and get annoyed when people just can't seem to live without cars. I understand that the infrastructure in many areas is so built around driving (which also makes for a very classist system) that it is difficult for people to live their lives without cars. When you're used to driving everywhere its hard to make the decision not to. But if someone took your car away, you would find alternatives, adjust, and do just fine. Yes, some people actually do need their car, but most people don't but aren't willing to make the personal sacrifice to give it up. Anyways, this film is aimed at middle class suburb dwellers, so if you think you can't do it, then watch this film and see people who are. Also, biodiesel itself has led to many environmental problems not discussed in this film, so please do reasearch on that yourself and note that the film maker carefully sourced his biodiesel.
They made many changes in their lifestyle, not just for the one year but long term. It was the husband's idea and the wife wasn't as keen, but I liked how they involved the children in the project and were very open with the kids about climate change, doing it in a way that was fun for the kids and not stressful.
They were an example of actually making real changes in your life to reduce your carbon footprint (note that the film is focused on carbon and doesn't really discuss many other environmental issues).
Living in Toronto and getting around fine by bus and subway I personally have an enormous dislike for car culture and get annoyed when people just can't seem to live without cars. I understand that the infrastructure in many areas is so built around driving (which also makes for a very classist system) that it is difficult for people to live their lives without cars. When you're used to driving everywhere its hard to make the decision not to. But if someone took your car away, you would find alternatives, adjust, and do just fine. Yes, some people actually do need their car, but most people don't but aren't willing to make the personal sacrifice to give it up. Anyways, this film is aimed at middle class suburb dwellers, so if you think you can't do it, then watch this film and see people who are. Also, biodiesel itself has led to many environmental problems not discussed in this film, so please do reasearch on that yourself and note that the film maker carefully sourced his biodiesel.
Easy chickpea soup
Here is a quick and easy soup that I made for lunch today. I generally don't follow recipes when I'm cooking and just throw together food using whatever ingredients I have that will work well together. I'm not going to indicate how much to use of what, since it really doesn't matter. Just throw it in a pot and heat until the potatoes are cooked through.
Vegetable broth (low sodium vegetable boullion cubes are my favourite, and wayy cheaper than buying cans or tetra packs of broth)
Potatoes
Tomatoes
Carrots
Onions
Chickpeas (I also used fava beans)
curry powder
I also like to make cabbage soup, its very simple but also delicious:
vegetable broth
cabbage
onion
carrots
potatoes
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Reflections on the strike at York
CUPE 3903 (the union representing contract faculty, TAs, GAs and RAs at York University) has been on strike for 10 weeks now. Being a York student myself, I strongly feel the effects that this strike is having on my school year, and at this point know that I will not receive the same quality of education this year as I expected when I payed my tuition and signed up for courses. However, these are my very own teachers that are on strike, and they are the reason why I answer "I love it" when people ask me if I like York. No, I don't like York because of the admin or the campus, I love it because of the wonderful professors, course directors and TAs (the latter two are members of CUPE 3903), the open minded course material they present us with, and the wonderful people I have met here. Many of my courses are taught by contract faculty, and it is sickening that they are a prime example of the casualization of labour - they have to apply for their jobs EVERY YEAR! Such short contracts for people who selflessly dedicate themselves to their work shows an utter disregard for human dignity and quality of life.
I may not agree with all aspects of this strike, and I too have become frustrated by the lack of progress being made, but we must remember that there are two sides at the bargaining table, and York university is every bit as responsible for our loss of education as the union is. I'm sure most 3903 members don't want to spend their winter standing around in the freezing cold at picket lines, yet York has flooded its website with propaganda and new releases with titles such as "Does CUPE 3903 really want to settle?" (Which has dissapeared from the media release archive, but I clearly remember it.)
After over 2 months of waiting to see what will happen and wondering when we will be going back to class, I will be extremely dissapointed if the union does not get a fair deal. In that case, all of this would have happened for nothing and it will likely occur again another year if the problem isn' t solved. I am not blindly supporting CUPE 3903, and feel that both sides need to be heavily questioned at this point in time, but I am hoping this will be resolved in CUPEs favour, because without teachers, my education at York amounts to very little. York has made a new offer, which is a least a step forward in bargaining. I'm not going to comment just now over the issue over pay increases, but York's new offer doesn't even begin to address the issue of job security. Opening 22 new full time positions only benefits the lucky few who get promoted to YUFA, and does nothing for the rest of the contract faculty left in CUPE 3903.
So once we hear the result from the supervised vote which is going to take place, we will know if we're headed back to school or if we're doomed to keep waiting for a solution. In the meantime, for those of you that are frustrated by the strike and are trying to 'take action', please try to use problem solving skills that demonstrate that you are actually capable of rational thought. Spray painting insults on picket line shelters, yelling rude comments at picketers, and displaying acts of violence are not going to make this strike end. Picket lines can be dangerous places for strikers, as some people choose to comfront the individual (even though the union member may not even agree with all aspects of the strike, but still has to show up for picket duty). With many cars trying to get through and some drivers allowing their anger to affect their self control, incidents do sometimes happen where cars will even hit picketers.
Apparently Todd from the Dean Blundell show on 102.1 the Edge somehow found it suiting to take matters into his own hands and raise a ruckus at a York picket line. His behaviour was dangerous and inexcusable. I can't beleive that he got away with this in an Edge vehicle and it was broadcasted live on air. He uses intelligent language such as 'douchlords' to describe the actions of the union, and shows an inability to think for himself as he does whatever his buddys on the radio tell him to do, going as far as to threaten to punch a picketer and insulting individual strikers with no restraint, many of his insulsts having nothing to do with the strike and being personal attacks.
Go to http://www.edge.ca/DJsandShows/DeanBlundellShow/Audio.aspx and click on Todd at York Dec. 2-08 to listen for yourself.
I may not agree with all aspects of this strike, and I too have become frustrated by the lack of progress being made, but we must remember that there are two sides at the bargaining table, and York university is every bit as responsible for our loss of education as the union is. I'm sure most 3903 members don't want to spend their winter standing around in the freezing cold at picket lines, yet York has flooded its website with propaganda and new releases with titles such as "Does CUPE 3903 really want to settle?" (Which has dissapeared from the media release archive, but I clearly remember it.)
After over 2 months of waiting to see what will happen and wondering when we will be going back to class, I will be extremely dissapointed if the union does not get a fair deal. In that case, all of this would have happened for nothing and it will likely occur again another year if the problem isn' t solved. I am not blindly supporting CUPE 3903, and feel that both sides need to be heavily questioned at this point in time, but I am hoping this will be resolved in CUPEs favour, because without teachers, my education at York amounts to very little. York has made a new offer, which is a least a step forward in bargaining. I'm not going to comment just now over the issue over pay increases, but York's new offer doesn't even begin to address the issue of job security. Opening 22 new full time positions only benefits the lucky few who get promoted to YUFA, and does nothing for the rest of the contract faculty left in CUPE 3903.
So once we hear the result from the supervised vote which is going to take place, we will know if we're headed back to school or if we're doomed to keep waiting for a solution. In the meantime, for those of you that are frustrated by the strike and are trying to 'take action', please try to use problem solving skills that demonstrate that you are actually capable of rational thought. Spray painting insults on picket line shelters, yelling rude comments at picketers, and displaying acts of violence are not going to make this strike end. Picket lines can be dangerous places for strikers, as some people choose to comfront the individual (even though the union member may not even agree with all aspects of the strike, but still has to show up for picket duty). With many cars trying to get through and some drivers allowing their anger to affect their self control, incidents do sometimes happen where cars will even hit picketers.
Apparently Todd from the Dean Blundell show on 102.1 the Edge somehow found it suiting to take matters into his own hands and raise a ruckus at a York picket line. His behaviour was dangerous and inexcusable. I can't beleive that he got away with this in an Edge vehicle and it was broadcasted live on air. He uses intelligent language such as 'douchlords' to describe the actions of the union, and shows an inability to think for himself as he does whatever his buddys on the radio tell him to do, going as far as to threaten to punch a picketer and insulting individual strikers with no restraint, many of his insulsts having nothing to do with the strike and being personal attacks.
Go to http://www.edge.ca/DJsandShows/DeanBlundellShow/Audio.aspx and click on Todd at York Dec. 2-08 to listen for yourself.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
The disposable is dispensable
Paper cups strewn on the earth
Trampled and tired
Dirty and dull
Their fading label
Wasting away into shreds
Trees are cut down
Landfills pile up
For the short lived life
Of this disposable cup
Thousands of people daily
Line up for this treat
Is it really necessary?
WHY DO WE TREAT THE EARTH LIKE SOMETHING THAT CAN BE GOBBLED UP AND DISCARDED
FOR A FEW MINUTES OF CONVENIENCE?
Take your disposable cup
And your disposable culture too
And replace it with something more sustainable
Would it kill you to use something more than once?
Trampled and tired
Dirty and dull
Their fading label
Wasting away into shreds
Trees are cut down
Landfills pile up
For the short lived life
Of this disposable cup
Thousands of people daily
Line up for this treat
Is it really necessary?
WHY DO WE TREAT THE EARTH LIKE SOMETHING THAT CAN BE GOBBLED UP AND DISCARDED
FOR A FEW MINUTES OF CONVENIENCE?
Take your disposable cup
And your disposable culture too
And replace it with something more sustainable
Would it kill you to use something more than once?
Friday, January 9, 2009
Persepolis
This film starts with a young girl in Iran who is living through the revolution to overthrow the Shah and introduce communism. The film is a true story and is based on a French graphic novel written by Marjane Satrapi . The film is animated using drawings similar to the ones used in the book, and follows the relationships among those dreaming of communism, the war that kills many to no benefit, the lack of freedoms in Iran, and the fear and secrecy that its residences must live with. We follow Marjane as she grows up, learns about the politics affecting her country from her relatives, many of whom have served jail time because of their beliefs, receives messages from God, moves to Austria as a teen, falls in and out of love, deals with homelessness and depression, returns home and leaves again. The dark drawings and animation are beautiful and illustrate the hearts and struggles of the characters, how Iran is part of who they are, yet the country they love and care about restricts them so much. Amongst their family and friends, they are able to live enjoyable lives, yet live under fear of the authorities. They remain committed to their political ideals and never allow the appeal of leading a comfortable life come in the way of fighting for what they think is right.
The World According to Monsanto
Explores the prominence that Monsanto has around the globe, how it is often misleading about the safety of its products, and scandals that the company has been involved in. It discusses biotechnology, the affect of 'roundup ready' crops, and the effects that Monsanto has on farmers, communities and consumers around the globe. I liked the diversity of people interviewed for the film, and how it was filmed on location in different areas that are experiencing the negative effects of Monsanto. One thing I didn’t like about this documentary was how it kept showing the woman at the computer looking up things on Google. This is effective in showing how accessible and widespread this information is (search results would show thousands of hits), however it became boring very quickly. It would be effective enough to use that method a couple of times, but it kept going back to it throughout the movie. It also made their research methods seem less reliable. Obviously they did not solely use google to do their research, and all the sources that they showed that came up on google were reliable sources, it just didn’t seem professional to consistently refer back to google, and I felt that they could have shown the documents and highlighted text without constantly showing the woman searching on google, as this would make it far less monotonous and would allow the movie to flow better. The part of the film that I found most interesting was the affects that genetically altered corn is having on traditional farming families in Mexico. They have a local and sustainable food system and Monsanto’s modified seeds are threatening their food sovereignty. I personally do not trust Monsanto one bit, and am concerned for the future of our food system. Monsanto is putting our health, environment, and food security at risk. If we let them control our food system, they basically have control over our lives. This film briefly touched on gene patents, but didn’t talk about the issue of farmers being sued if Monsanto finds plants with their gene in farmer’s fields, or terminator seeds (plants that won’t reproduce, so farmers cannot save seeds, and must rely on Monsanto to buy their seeds every year. This film showed many problems of Monsanto, yet there are even more to explore. This corporation cannot be trusted and I will write an entire blog about it later. This film served as a reminder of Monsanto’s power and made me want to start growing more of my own food.
Sharkwater
Documentary on the shark fin industry and the killing of sharks. Discusses how shark numbers are dwindling and not a lot is being done to protect sharks despite the fact that they are recognized as being endangered. The filmmaker is very passionate about sharks and has spent a lot of time with them in the water, and in this film he questions human perceptions about sharks and tries to prove that they really aren't dangerous. This leads us to ask why people are so afraid of sharks, and maybe this fear is partially why little is being done to protect these animals. The shark fin industry is ruthless and extremely wasteful (the shark is killed for its fins and the rest of the body is thrown back in the water). Why is China holding on so tightly to this 'delicacy', and why have so many other countries become involved in supplying the fins? I found it fascinating how sharks were one of the first mammals on earth (they were here 150 million years before dinosaurs), and the importance they hold in the ocean: being the top predator, they effect all life below them. Several people who are involved in the shark fin industry were interviewed, and they all come off as being extremely ignorant. One man who is a shark hunter simply kills as many great white sharks as he can, and believes that he is saving peoples lives by doing this, to prevent shark attacks. (The film also goes into great detail on how exaggerated the risk of shark attacks is). This film is a reminder of just how difficult it is to regulate what is going on in the oceans, and often laws aren't effective to protect species.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)