One Use Packaging vs Refillables

Our grocery stores are pushing the sale of reusable cloth grocery bags as one way to battle the needless use of plastics. Okay, this is a good thing.

Then walk through that same grocery store and count the number of products sold in plastic containers. Even fresh produce is often packed in plastic. Fresh meats sit on their little styrofoam trays, wrapped in plastic.

So, isn't this just a breath of fresh air and a common-sense good idea?

Read the Globe and Mail article here.

If a grocery store in my town were to leap onto this kind of program, they'd have my loyalty for life.

Dr. Zëus Spotted

Stratford, Ontario ... May 26, 2008

Dr. Zëus Spotted in Stratford, Ontario

Famed blogger and photography rock star, Dr. Zëus, was spotted this week at the prestigious Stratford Shakespearean Festival premier performance of Romeo and Juliette. When asked for comment on the Festival, living in Stratford and the meaning of life, Zeus responded, "I just wanted to poop on the red thing over there then this broad grabbed me and picked me up! I'm just a little dog, so what's a guy to do?"

Stratford locals were out in droves to spot the stars and celebs showing up for the premier performance of Romeo and Juliette. When Zëus was spotted, the theatre was all but forgotten in the rush to get his pawtograph and touch his silky white fur. Dr. Zëus has gone into seclusion today to recover from the emotional trauma of the throngs of adoring fans swarming him.

Dr. Zëus' press agent said today he may reappear at the park this afternoon for walkies.

For more on Dr. Zëus, his philosophy of life, his observations on the world, good recipes and reviews of dog food, check out his blog here.

See the Beacon Herold article here.

Culling Swine in Ontario

Letter to the Editor, The Toronto Star:

In response to the article of April 24, 2008: Meat Prices Rising with Grain

In light of increasing food costs perhaps Mr. McCain, Agriculture Canada and the Canadian Pork Council can explain to the Canadians who will be bearing the higher cost of food in the very near future why they have engaged in a program to reduce the breeding swine in Canada.

The program, called the 'Cull Breeding Swine Program' states as one of it's purposes, to "assist Hog Producers to address the current market situation of low hog prices, higher feed grain costs and a stronger Canadian dollar by helping to return the industry to a competitive position".

Simply put, this program proposes to pay farmers $225 for each breeding swine that is slaughtered and disposed of, but is not sold for human commercial consumption.

If I understand this correctly, as this is a government sponsored program, it is tax dollars that will be used to compensate the farmers for removing breeding stock and reducing the supply of pork to Canadian consumers thereby raising cost of pork to the taxpayers. The same organizations supporting this program currently underway, are in the news today discussing the imminent increase in food prices.

Surely in a world where we are predicting that millions will die from starvation this is not a program that should even be considered.

Our Canadian farmers are suffering as much or more than any of us from rising fuel costs, rising fertilizer costs and rising costs of living in general. I am positive more suitable programs can be tabled to assist the farmers and at the same time protect Canadian consumers.

A PDF of this program can be found on the Ontario Pork website at www.ontariopork.ca. It is listed under "What's New" and is dated April 9, 2008.


I wrote this letter last night / this morning around midnight. The Toronto Star article I am referencing is here.

The PDF with the details of this obscene program is here.

I've been thinking for some time now that our world is going crazy ... well going crazier than ever before. I had the opportunity to listen to Stephen Lewis talk to us on Earth Day this week and though nothing he said surprised me, the way he said it was so vivid that it frightened me.

It is time for us all to stop talking and start acting.

• Be informed.
  
• Take a stand.
  
• Write a letter to the newspaper.
• Write a letter to your MP.
• There's an election coming soon ... get involved.
  

Military Wives

Here's an excellent article by Christie Blatchford of the Toronto Globe & Mail with some insight as to the inner strength of our military wives (and husbands) of our troops in Afghanistan. It's hard and dangerous to be in the front lines of the military. And it is hard, in a different way, to be the one who stays home.

How about a toast to the stay-at-home spouses of our troops.

Here's a link to Front Line Army Wife blog. It's excellent and I suggest you take the time to have a look ... especially endearing is the Guppy post.

Inflammatory Breast Cancer

The following is copied with permission from Susan at Toddler Planet - a brave and tenacious mother/wife/woman fighting this terrible disease. Many thanks to Susan for sharing her journey with us and bringing more awareness of IBC to us. Here's wishing for a full recovery for Susan and women everywhere who have to fight this monster.



We hear a lot about breast cancer these days. One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetimes, and there are millions living with it in the U.S. today alone. But did you know that there is more than one type of breast cancer?

I didn’t. I thought that breast cancer was all the same. I figured that if I did my monthly breast self-exams, and found no lump, I’d be fine.

Oops. It turns out that you don’t have to have a lump to have breast cancer. Six weeks ago, I went to my OB/GYN because my breast felt funny. It was red, hot, inflamed, and the skin looked…funny. But there was no lump, so I wasn’t worried. I should have been. After a round of antibiotics didn’t clear up the inflammation, my doctor sent me to a breast specialist and did a skin punch biopsy. That test showed that I have inflammatory breast cancer, a very aggressive cancer that can be deadly.

Inflammatory breast cancer is often misdiagnosed as mastitis because many doctors have never seen it before and consider it rare. “Rare” or not, there are over 100,000 women in the U.S. with this cancer right now; only half will survive five years. Please call your OB/GYN if you experience several of the following symptoms in your breast, or any unusual changes: redness, rapid increase in size of one breast, persistent itching of breast or nipple, thickening of breast tissue, stabbing pain, soreness, swelling under the arm, dimpling or ridging (for example, when you take your bra off, the bra marks stay – for a while), flattening or retracting of the nipple, or a texture that looks or feels like an orange (called peau d’orange). Ask if your GYN is familiar with inflammatory breast cancer, and tell her that you’re concerned and want to come in to rule it out.

There is more than one kind of breast cancer. Inflammatory breast cancer is the most aggressive form of breast cancer out there, and early detection is critical. It’s not usually detected by mammogram. It does not usually present with a lump. It may be overlooked with all of the changes that our breasts undergo during the years when we’re pregnant and/or nursing our little ones. It’s important not to miss this one.

Inflammatory breast cancer is detected by women and their doctors who notice a change in one of their breasts. If you notice a change, call your doctor today. Tell her about it. Tell her that you have a friend with this disease, and it’s trying to kill her. Now you know what I wish I had known before six weeks ago.

You don’t have to have a lump to have breast cancer.


P.S. Feel free to steal this post too. I’d be happy for anyone in the blogosphere to take it and put it on their site, no questions asked. Dress it up, dress it down, let it run around the place barefoot. I don’t care. But I want the word to get out. I don’t want another young mom — or old man — or anyone in between — to have to stare at this thing on their chest and wonder, is it mastitis? Is it a rash? Am I overreacting? This cancer moves FAST, and early detection and treatment is critical for survival.

Thank you.

From Just One Sheet of Paper

Okay, so I've been spending (ah, wasting?) a little too much time on the internet lately. But this is really worth checking out.

Hirshhorn Modern Art Gallery

A Little Off the Wall

Amidst war, famine, human rights abuses, looming recession and a myriad of other woes, let us break now for a moment of silliness. My body can feed 9 cannibals. Find out how many you can feed.


How many cannibals can my body feed?

Happy Easter

A belated happy Easter to all.

For those of you who also follow Roël's blog, here is an update on the career of Zëus, our Chief Executive Dog.

Zëus has been busy settling in to his new position here at Roël Photography.

We had a brief update from Zeus at the beginning of March.

Now that Zëus feels he has fully assumed his mantle of power, he is willing to share some personal and intimate moments from a typical day on the job.

Zëus is a very paws-on executive, involved in virtually all aspects of album design.




He works closely with me on the technical aspects of colour correction and retouching for all our images.




Of course, as Chief Executive Dog, his is the final approval on all quality control decisions.




I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend and enjoyed your family, friends and lots of yummy Easter treats.