Thursday 14 January 2010

Haiti - The New Cold Front

Headlines are screaming of the aftermath of an earthquake in Haiti! I heard this morning that a natural disaster has now turned into a humanitarian crisis, that is always true. But what pisses me off about this situation is that Haiti has always been a 'humanitarian crisis'. All this attention is transient and superficial.

Where was the media when US clinical trials tested contraceptives on the women in Haiti? Where have they been in all these years of exploitation that has left an entire nation destitute? Now they want to send aid because of the devastation caused by the earthquake. There is something so very wrong with all of this. It makes me angry.

The people in Haiti have needed help for a long time, and now the 'world' will intervene, help them find the bodies, bury the dead, feed the folks on the street and all until they next cold front hits our cities. Haiti will be forgotten again, until another earthquake or tsunami.

Wednesday 13 January 2010

My Narnia

It has been cold, so cold that no amount of layers could keep it out. It was so cold that the heating in the house seemed ineffective some days. I was starting to wonder if we would have The Day After Tomorrow kind of situation. I would of course be among to first to die.

It was because of this that when I felt the cool breeze while waiting for my train I drifted off. It was a cool breeze, almost like a summer breeze (it was just the train, but it got me thinking)...what if the platform started to disappear like it did in Prince Caspian and I was transported to a Narnia of my own?

I wondered what it would be like...not Narnia, but another life...would I be married, would I have children, would I be trudging through ice and snow to get to and from work, would I be bungee jumping, rock climbing, riding horses or filming fabulous documentaries in the Galapagos islands? Would I be sunbathing on a sunny beach some place? Would I have the same people I share my life with now in this other life? Or would there be other people? What would they be like?...

It would be nice to live that other life and come back and carry on this life with memories from the other. I might appreciate what I have more...or not!

The train arrived and I got on and got back to reading...the effect of neo-liberalism on the welfare state...

When I got out of the station the cold wind hit me...reality!

Monday 4 January 2010

Little lady works


I realised today that I don't have to be pregnant the rest of my life to have people hold doors or find a seat in a crowded cafeteria. You just have to be a little lady, walk like one and don't open your mouth (if you are as loud and annoying as I am), just smile.

I wore my new coat, very lady like coat - beige with belts to make the waist look smaller with a very elegant hood. I have always been sceptical about lady like coats for the longest time and have stuck to my trusty ski jacket, often looking like an angry, messy teenager ready to shove anyone who got in my way. Winter weather gives me no reason to smile. But this little jacket proved me wrong today. It was -21 with the windchill and it passed the test! I am very impressed and it did not cost a hundred dollars either. Need I say I am very pleased.

Well anyways, wearing this coat made me feel like a lady. Or maybe pretend like one would be a more honest thing to say. I opened doors very gently (all the while smiling to myself, wondering why I was doing that) and took teeny tiny steps while walking (the slush all over the place meant I had to do that and it worked to my advantage). Everywhere I went people smiled and held the door for me and let me get to the sugar and milk at the coffee shop and one young man even let me have his seat at the cafeteria.

There is one other thing, it could also be my new hat. At just $7 it was bargain and unlike my maroon moose hat (which was wonderfully warm and loyal until I donated it to some lost and found somewhere in this God forsaken city...meaning, I have no idea where I dropped it) is also very stylish. It is worth paying attention to what you look like I suppose.

On the flip side, people may just have been nice because it is the first day back and almost everyone I ran into may be trying hard to keep their resolutions to be half decent to people around them.

All in all, it was a good day. I am giving credit to my new coat and here's to a fabulous new year to everyone.