You sunk my battleship

You sunk my battleship. My favourite part is the delightful grin on the female faces, overlooking the males relaxing after a few hard hours of... not cooking?

In the news and in my head

I'm intrigued by news from UBC researchers that "Women perform differently on math tests depending on whether they believe math-related gender differences are determined by genetic or social differences", partially in light of my feelings of imposter syndrome as I completed my undergrad degree, that continue to pop up in the workforce.

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An article on the "commercialization of breast cancer" describes what I've been sensing lately - that we are being overloaded with pink ribbons. It is PC for me to say that I'm absolutely sick of seeing them everywhere I turn, from gum to clothing to stuffed animals to boxes of cereal?

I get that breast cancer is an important cause, but shoving it in my face with all the commercially available products with a pink ribbon on the package, and constant stream of fund-raising/awareness events, has cheapened the cause to me.

For every Yoplait Source yogurt purchased by a consumer, Ultima Foods, which owns the licence to produce the yogurt in Canada, promised to donate 10 cents to the Quebec Breast Cancer Foundation. But the offer runs for just eight weeks, ending Oct. 15, which means that a consumer would have had to buy and then consume the equivalent of three cartons of yogurt a day during that period to raise just $16.80 for the cause.

Of course it could be argued that as long as lots of people across the country are diligently buying their yogurts, it wouldn't matter if each individual raised only, say $5. But the donations are capped at $80,000. This means that if and when the maximum donation is reached, consumers are no longer contributing to the struggle against the disease with their purchases.

Similar events have been happening as of late with red products in support of HIV/AIDS, like ipods and credit cards. This scheme, as breast cancer above, are based on consumers purchasing products.

I know that I am probably more likely to purchase a product that donates part of the proceeds to charity than not, all other things being equal. After reading the news on red products, in my head I began to consider purchasing a red ipod. $10 to charity, and I get an ipod. Sounded like a good deal. My thoughts roamed to the colour - I'd prefer another, other than red. Then my thoughts randomly moved to just giving the $10 to the charity and buying the colour I want. Then I realized I had to take a step back.

I have vaguely thought about purchasing an ipod for a long time, but I can't justify it because the less expensive, non-ipod mp3 player I own works perfectly well. I have no reason to buy a new one. I have come to the conclusion that I still don't have a good reason. I can't buy something based on false justification to myself.

When I have hit what I consider to be financial stability (full-time, permanent work), I would like to research some charities that I would like to donate to on a regular basis. When it comes down to it, the good feeling you get from helping those that are less fortunate (be they animal, vegetable, or mineral) should be enough to encourage you to help out where you can.

Carbon "neutral"

In news of the weird, "Nike Named One of the Country’s Best Workplaces for Commuters by the U.S. EPA". This raises a number of smarmy questions in my mind, revolving around shoes and sweatshops, but I don't have the time to get into them.

I love going to rock concerts, but I acknowledge the amount of energy consumption involved, as has Thom Yorke. A lot of performers have been going carbon-neutral, which sounds like the perfect solution, but here are some fairly good arguments that dispute the effectiveness of going carbon neutral. According to the calculation made for the Rolling Stones, "A staggering 90% of the total emissions are from fans' travel to and from the gigs." So try taking alternative transit to the show (walk/bike/bus), or at the very least, carpool, to the show.

Beauty Myth

I think we all know this in our heads, but the visual really drives it home.

Anything that improves a woman's self-esteem is great... but I still haven't seen any Dove models with acne.

Cycling in epic propotions

Adam sent me another video - critical mass in Winnipeg last month. Check out the downtown in my hometown and feel the epic proportions of cycling on a mass scale.

Scares the crap out of me

marriedtothesea.com

His/Her Worship

I've been quiet so far on the upcoming municipal election in Winnipeg. All I really want to say is is that nobody is forcing you to vote for the incumbent. There are other choices. You should check out what each candidate is saying and then vote for the one with the views that most closely reflect your own.

Election day is October 25th, but there are options to vote ahead of time if you're going to be busy or out of town that day. Women fought hard for the right to vote. It's our duty to get informed and make our voices heard through voting. That's not me speaking as a feminist, that's me speaking as a human being. How else do you expect change to happen?

More movement

And so the sustainable tranposrtation movement continues on. This week's Toban has more ST articles, about the terror of cycling in Winnipeg, the bike to the future report I mentioned earlier, and a letter to the editor disappointed in the article from last week lamented the lack of parking on campus.

Google video link - Epic Trebuchet Video: The Siege of Bill C-293

I know the person that made this video. Way to go, Adam!

Engineers Without Borders Canada is encouraging Canadians to sign a petition for Bill C-293 at http://www.playyourpart.ca. The Development Assistance Accountability Act will ensure that "poverty reduction is placed at the centre of Canadian aid policy".

Petitions that are sent through email forwards, i.e. "sign your name at the bottom and pass along to all your friends", go nowhere and do nothing. Government officials on the receiving end require other identification, usually address and/or phone number, to confirm that actual human beings signed it.

This campaign is important and worthwhile. The website easily lets you sign the petition properly and send it straight to your representative in Parliament. Make the effort. Fill in a few boxes and sign the petition yourself.