Exciting News
I know two posts in the same day - but the topics are so different that it felt funny mashing them together into a single post.
First item of news is one of my best friends from high school is getting married! She is the first one from our group of friends to do so - meaning she is the first one to get involved with something so permanent! I am very excited for her - I only wish she had known the guy a little longer.. It also means I will have to jet in from Regina to attend the wedding!
Second item of news is my Mexico/Kitimat/Vancouver friend Kristine heads out to Cameroon in September to volunteer with a program there! I am so jealous but I definitely wish her the best. She needs to collect school supplies and toys (and funds) so if anyone wants to help out or has school supplies they would like to get rid of please do not hesitate to contact me!
I just got back from Whistler... Mom and I spent 3 nights up there as a girls-out mini-vacation. We participated in an EcoTour with ZipTrek which ment using zip lines to cross the Fiztmonds creek between Whistler and Blackcomb - that part was very exciting. But the eco-tour was interesting too; according to our guide our population is growing at the same rate that we are using our resources. When the lines meet (and cross) we will be facing a critical point - if we don't slow the rate that we use - we could be headed for some serious trouble... It makes some food for thought!
Make Poverty History and Ladysmith Black Mambazo
On the last day of FolkFest in Victoria I had the privilege of seeing, not only my friends gumboot dance, but Ladysmith Black Mambazo from South Africa. They have been fusing the disparate yet spiritually resonant traditions of Zulu and Christian gospel music and it is a great mixture. Anyway at the beginning of the concert a handful of people threw their
Make Poverty History armbands onto the stage. One at a time each member of Ladysmith Black Mambazo reached down and placed the bands are their arms... for the rest of the concert the white bands sat in contrast to their dark skin. I thought that was very cool - making poverty history is something we can all get behind!
Live 8; G8; Be Gr8
Dan Ackroyd and Tom Green - do they even remember the last time they were in Canada?? Yet they were selected to be the MC's of Live 8 Canada in Barrie. Great the face of Canada to bring awareness to poverty is a less than funny comedian and a cone-head. It wouldn't have bothered me so much - the music was great - but the MC's kept interrupting... First they went after Rex Murphy's Opinion piece in the Globe and Mail. They read out the end of it - so it was out of context - got everybody in the audience to boo and they yelled about him being complacent.
Complacent: adj, Contented to a fault; self-satisfied and unconcerned. There are many words that could be used to describe Rex Murphy but complacent isn't one of them. His Career is built of being concerned, his dis-contempt for our government is what keeps him being invited back, his ability to make people think or disagree it what makes good media. Just because he doesn't jump with both feet behind a bunch of concerts whose ability to raise awareness is less than perfect, doesn't make him complacent.
Before Live 8 when was the last time Tom Green thought about poverty? Does he even know what the G8 is? To be fair it's not his fault - all the 'awareness' the Live 8 concert was suppose to raise, still didn't stop a Canadian Woman from asking "who's that guy?" as she stared at the live feed of Nelson Mandela in confusion.
In a way I agree with what Live 8 tries to do. Everyday people - especially young adults don't really pay attention to politics - ask around - most people couldn't name the countries that will be present at the G8 summit. But, people like Hollywood, they like actors, rock stars are more interesting than politicians; if we need to gather famous people together so everyday people realize there's more to the world than SUV's, palm pilots, and reality TV - then lets do it!
I just wish that the artists and speakers, from Madonna to Richard Gere, hadn't been offered their thank you gifts - valued at over $1000.
The awareness has been arisen - go out and do something! Donate money to World Food Program; Write, e-mail or visit your local representative; Volunteer at a shelter to end poverty at home. Live 8 was a start let's take some real steps to make poverty history!!!
Puke and other nasty things
Why do underage kids who find someone to by them alcohol feel the need to drink it all at once? I mean hasn't anybody ever taken the time to explain that a Mickey and a half in a little over an hour is a bad idea. And why do all the kids come out on Canada Day? I was volunteering with my first aid organization on July 1st getting set to see the fireworks and listening to great music. I should have known better - problem 1 - fireworks are at night; night is dark and thus people drink. I missed the fireworks again this year because at approximately the same time the first rocket went up our underage drunk started to puke - and he continued for the duration of the show. I could really have done without seeing all of that rum and coke again!!
Something else I found gross was how much damage fake nails could do. A fight broke out between two girls and before the police could break it up GirlA managed to inflict some serious damage. GirlB had chunks of skin missing from her elbows and hands, and long scrape marks down her neck. Who would have thought that French manicured gel nails would cause so much damage?
To be fair I was impressed with one thing over the night though, the efficiency of the police. I am not suggesting that I agree with them overstepping their boundaries by pulling buses over and pulling the alcohol off the bus, but they are efficient. If a fight broke out and one or two police officers noticed; within 20 seconds there were at least 15 cops present to break it up! That is necessary especially when you have families down for the festivities as well.
