November 9, 2013 · 11:21 pm

Rick Mercer's take on insurance companies – Funny and true

 

You know when the comedians start joking about something it is usually a societal norm. Take a look at Rick Mercer’s October 9, 2013 insurance segment attached below. Click on the arrow on the right of his screen to go back to Oct. 9th. The title is “Insurance Brokers” -although it is really the insurance companies, not the brokers doing this. I will argue that insurance brokers align individual clients with insurance companies trying to get their customers the best policy. The brokers themselves are not responsible for what these giant corporations do to their policyholders.
 
This is a post from my sister Jokelee’s blog. She fought and won a long battle against her insurer and has written a book to assist others.
To order my book from my website go to: http://www.deniedbenefitclaims.com

 

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November 7, 2013 · 6:10 am

Minutiae #2: The Importance of Red Beads

ImageI have beads that I like to wear. Big, bold, red beads. There is nothing about them that is shy. I like the way they cling to my neck, just so, not quite a choker. I stand straighter when I wear them. I swagger when I walk, sashaying down the hall, hips swinging, lips painted dark red, a sound track playing in my head, something smoky and jazzy. They make me feel irrepressibly fashionable, maybe even a little French, Dutch definitely. I love these beads. They’re my transformative beads.

I went skating the other day and I remember removing them from my neck and placing them in a shirt and putting them down. And when I came home I knew instantly that I didn’t have them. Panic paralyzed me. I felt like screaming because I knew they were gone.  Bereft. I never really knew what that word meant until I felt it and then I knew. Bereft. I was bereft. My beads have not re-appeared. I don’t think they will. They have been blown into the universe to serve on someone else’s neck.

My mom wore those the last time I took her to the cancer clinic. I watched as she got weighed in. Her formerly statuesque self small and shrunken. She leaned against the scale to keep upright. I saw those red beads glisten in the light and I remembered better times when she had worn them. Those netter times when she wore smart shirts with the buttons left open just so and big belts around her then womanly waist, sexy, with red beads around her neck.  We came home from the clinic and she announced to everyone who passed her from the car port to her apartment that she was dying. And someone brought us a bottle of wine and we drank it while she  wore those large bright red beads. Those happy beads. I loved those beads.

 

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November 5, 2013 · 4:28 am

The Four Tribes of Climate Change (via the Tyee)

I haven’t done a comprehensive scan but there don’t seem to be  many general news sources  that do a great and consistent job of covering climate change.  But there are two that I do know of – the first being the  The Guardian UK who does an excellent job but there’s also an online site right  here in Vancouver  called The Tyee that does a great job of covering the issue and trying to educate people about what it is and its impacts. As someone who is currently known to put people in comas talking about saving elephants and the planet, you can only imagine my delight at this story. It’s probably en par with finding out that the British are sending the army in to help fight against poaching in Kenya.

So without further ado, check out this juicy story posted here  offered by the mighty Tyee.  A big thanks to them and the Guardian for taking on the challenge for talking about and  trying to educate others on what is  the most important issue facing us today. If there are others out there and I’m sure there are, let me know who they are.

The Four Tribes of Climate Change

More than ever, influential subcultures shape our response to global warming. Which do you belong to?

By Geoff Dembicki, Today, TheTyee.ca

FourTribes_600px.jpg

People have always disagreed about climate change. But for two fleeting years starting in 2006, it really seemed like most North Americans had accepted the climate narrative pushed into the mainstream by Al Gore and Lord Nicholas Stern: that in global warming humankind faced its greatest ever challenge, but solving it would make us all richer and stronger.

That worldview was so compelling, you may recall, that itwon Gore the Nobel Peace Prize and elevated environmental worries to the top of North America’s political agenda. It also caused Canada’s Conservative Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, to assert in 2007 that global warming is “perhaps the biggest threat to confront the future of humanity today.” Well, we all know what happened next.

Wall Street collapsed. So did climate talks in Copenhagen. Americans elected a Congress more polarized than any other in U.S. history. Cap-and-trade legislation fell to pieces. Activists declared war on Canada’s oil sands. Harper’s government declared war on activists. Media mostly ignored a global boom in climate-saving technology. And humankind’s carbon emissions continued their inexorable rise.

It now seems improbable that a single, compelling climate narrative could recreate the environmental zeitgeist of 2006 and 2007. Instead, four influential subcultures have risen in the intervening years, each with its own story to tell about the limits and opportunities of a warming planet. Taken together, they represent the fears and hopes of a generation living through tumultuous global change.

 Read the rest right here.

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October 29, 2013 · 4:13 am

PAWS – 3 Lovelies Find a New Home

Some of you may know this story already but three lovelies from the Toronto Zoo found a new home at the California sanctuary PAWS (Performing Animals Welfare Society). Here are some great videos that show the elephants travels and arrival at PAWS. Quite the story.

 

Bob Barker donated generously to ensure their safe travel to their new home in California.
PAWS

Since 1984, The Performing Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) has been at the forefront of efforts to rescue and provide appropriate, humane sanctuary for animals who have been the victims of the exotic and performing animal trades. PAWS investigates reports of abused performing and exotic animals, documents cruelty and assists in investigations and prosecutions by regulatory agencies to alleviate the suffering of captive wildlife.

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October 26, 2013 · 6:36 pm

Minutiae #1 – Happiness

I think it’s the small things that matter. Life is less the big strokes than it is the smaller ones sometimes even the tiniest of moments that fill you with inexplicable laughter or happiness. I think of them as minutiae – small, tiny, jewels that reverberate through you for longer than the moment they are uttered.

These were my small things this week:
Minutiae #1
Speed skating practice takes place at dinner hour so I’m always hungry. I arrive early where I usually meet my speed skating compatriot Cristian. He’s hungry too. We talk mostly about cake. Butter creams, mocha, chocolate, we take a dip into pie (apple but lemon meringue trumps all pie) and then we veer back to cake. Beautiful, rich, creamy delicious cake. This week when I arrived he looked at me and screamed “CAKE” and then I screamed “CAKE” and then we killed ourselves laughing. That was it. I love that he is a kid and that our age difference means nothing because in these moments we’re both kids.

Minutiae #2

My sister of Don Quixote fame saves animals too. I haven’t talked to her for a while because she’s been away. But then this week there was an email with the subject line “Hoi” and first sentence – “Bees three days ago elephants today.” That was it. And it made me laugh and laugh and it filled me up with something more – one tiny small step for something I care about. I love that it’s the first thing she communicates to me in weeks. Sisterly morse code.

Minutiae #3
Dave tells me Mount Etna has erupted and we’re both in awe because we have seen Mount Etna and a small piece of her volcanic matter was carried home with us when we visited Sicily this spring. But more importantly, the moment he announced it I jumped up and told him exactly what volcanic eruptions do to the stock and flow of carbon in the atmosphere. I’m not sure who was more shocked me or him. But the shock/awe/weirdness made us both laugh uproariously. What the hell? English/artsy girl can learn science.

Minutiae #4
I had a realization this week that I LOVE my climate change course and I’m forever grateful that I am slowly overcoming my fear of not being able to understand science. And now this whole cool new world has been opened up to me and I see the world in a different way. Thanks world!

Minutiae #5
When people pop into your life out of the blue who are extraordinarily generous. As though they’re popping in to say, keep going, nudging you, reminding you that you are on the right path. And it’s the feeling that you’re seen. Wow, now that feels good. Generosity. It’s as important to receive as it is to give. Dave had this happen to him this week and I had it happen. And it feels good.

Minutiae #6
That Hannavas Nirom my London niece likes me enough to say she hopes we can celebrate our birthdays together some day. And I hope so too.

Minutiae #7
Probably the world knew that Bob Barker was an animal rights activist but I didn’t. And how cool was that, that he donated generously of his time and $1 million of his own money to help three elephants in Toronto’s zoo to go to a better home at the PAWS sanctuary in California.

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October 20, 2013 · 5:41 pm

Dr. Sheldrick Wildlife Trust: two minute film that introduces hand-rearing of orphaned elephants

This is a two minute film that introduces the work of the Dr. Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in the rescue and hand-rearing of orphaned elephants, so that they might ultimately enjoy a life back in the wild when grown. Please share.

The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust :: Crowdrise from Village Beat on Vimeo.

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October 14, 2013 · 7:45 pm

Chemi Chemi: Dr. Sheldrick Foundation Birthday Surprise

All year Dave and I have been on a rather single-minded campaign to raise money so we could adopt/foster an elephant for my sister’s family. All year I have warned anyone who is still around to listen – no prezzies, no anything for anybody not even kids. Mean auntie. All present money was put in our ‘elephant collection’ jar along with money raised from recycling bottles, extra birthday money and money raised from selling things. When my sister recently told me she had found a gift for me I looked at her steely eyed – ‘I SAID NO GIFTS – ELEPHANT MONEY ONLY). “Too late” she said equally steely eyed.

photoSo when they arrived the other night for dinner and deposited the gift bag in front of me I announced I would open it tomorrow. “No auntie T, OPEN IT NOW.” said the girls. So I did. And I saw the awesome homemade card that I usually get and treasure. This one had a beautiful baby elephant on it. “Awwwww – he’s so cute.” and I flipped over to the other side where I saw the letters “Chemi Chemi” which means spring.

photo-1“What a great card.” I said – “But it’s more than a card auntie T”. More than a card. Slow realization. They had adopted an elephant in my name. I have been so single-minded in my determination to foster an elephant for the girls that it never occurred to me that they could do the same for me. Wow, and here he is.

So why do I want to do this so badly and why elephants? I want to do it because it started with the simple fact that I’m not a great gift giver and when I buy things I always feel like it’s a big waste of money.

And I don’t want to waste money. And increasingly I don’t want to waste time. And like Bill Maher, my deep empathy lies with animals. And within that empathy lies the harsh reality that animals are entirely unprotected and live at the whim of people. I hate that.

As I get older I feel myself becoming increasingly more focussed on things that I feel need to get done. To use what I have to make a difference. That’s what I want to do. I’m aware that all wildlife is under attack – gorillas, tigers, lions, bears, polar bears, wolves, whales, dolphins, tuna, rhinos, dogs, cats. But I can’t do it all. So I need to focus. So I’ve focussed on elephants. Gentle, intelligent, social animals that are being hunted to extinction.

So baby steps. There are a lot of organizations that are doing a lot of great things to develop awareness and protection for animals. There’s a whole community of amazing people doing great work. The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust is dedicated to the protection of endangered species – rhinos and elephants.By adopting an elephant and by having an elephant adopted for me I want to help tell their story.

2272010832-pic7So here he is: Chemi Chemi – found at 8 months entirely on his own. He was monitored for half a day and then it was decided that he would be rescued. He was brought to the lodge given water and an attendant for the night. The attendant fed him and spoke soothingly and the little calf settled down. The rescue plane came and took him the next day at dawn. Three Keepers and rescue paraphanalia helped ensure a smooth trip for the little guy. He arrived at the Nursery where he was allowed to meet the 19 other orphaned babies who embraced him immediately. He took to the milk bottle immediately and was taken under the protective wing of Olare the recognized matriach. And that’s the story of how Chemi Chemi was rescued. He was found alone because his family was the victim of poaching, and considering what he had gone through, according to his keepers and attendants, he is doing amazingly well.

You can find out about the fostering program right here.

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October 12, 2013 · 4:29 pm

Poem of the Week: Waving Goodbye by Wesley McNair via Alison McGhee

Why, when we say goodbye
at the end of an evening, do we deny
we are saying it at all, as in We’ll
be seeing you, or I’ll call, or Stop in,
somebody’s always at home? Meanwhile, our friends,
telling us the same things, go on disappearing
beyond the porch light into the space
which except for a moment here or there
is always between us, no matter what we do.
Waving goodbye, of course, is what happens
when the space gets too large
for words – a gesture so innocent
and lonely, it could make a person weep
for days. Think of the hundreds of unknown
voyagers in the old, fluttering newsreel
patting and stroking the growing distance
between their nameless ship and the port
they are leaving, as if to promise I’ll always
remember, and just as urgently, Always
remember me. It is loneliness, too,
that makes the neighbor down the road lift
two fingers up from his steering wheel as he passes
day after day on his way to work in the hello
that turns into goodbye? What can our own raised
fingers to for him, locked in his masculine
purposes and speeding away inside the glass?
How can our waving wipe away the reflex
so deep in the woman next door to smile
and wave on her way into her house with the mail,
we’ll never know if she is happy
or sad or lost? It can’t. Yet in that moment
before she and all the others and we ourselves
turn back to our disparate lives, how
extraordinary it is that we make this small flag
with our hands to show the closeness we wish for
in spite of what pulls us apart again
and again: the porch light snapping off,
the car picking its way down the road through the dark.

–
A big thank you to Alison McGhee for her generous curation of these beautiful gems.

For more information on Wesley McNair, please click here: http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/wesley-mcnair

–

My Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/Alison-McGhee/119862491361265?ref=ts

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October 5, 2013 · 7:28 pm

What the heck is the IPCC and why does its report on climate change matter?

So I have discovered this great online learning tool called wildflowers Coursera. There are a number of different courses you can take that are offered by universities and I am currently enrolled in a course on Climate Change. This is also a credit course but because it deals with science I wanted to do the free online course first and then consider taking it for credit. For those of you who are life learners, I would highly encourage you to check it out. It’s extremely well done.

I read an article in the Globe and Mail recently by Andrew Weaver with the headline – “Now that climate change is beyond doubt, focus on solving it”

One of my objectives in taking a course on Climate Change is that I want to understand the global policy initiatives and the science more clearly so I can make more informed decisions on a course of action or activism.

“Climate Change is Beyond Doubt”

So back to the headline – ‘Climate change is beyond doubt’- where does this consensus come from? Well, it comes from the IPCC report that was recently released that shows that scientists are 95-100 per cent certain that humans are causing global warming. Levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide are higher than at any time in the last 800,000 years.

So what is the IPCC and why does what they report matter?

The IPCC stands for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. It was created in 1988 by the United Nations Environmental Program and the World Meteorological Organization to provide the world with a clear scientific view on the current state of knowledge on climate change and its potential environmental and socio-economic impacts.

Thousands of scientists from all over the world contribute to the work of the IPCC on a voluntary basis. This body does not conduct research but rather reviews current science, studies and papers to provide an objective assessment to policy and decision-makers.

IPCC is made up of three working groups:
– the first group addresses the science of climate change
– the second climate impacts, adaptation and vulnerability including effects on human health and the environment
– the third group addresses climate mitigation

Each group draws on a wide range of scientists that are selected by a process ensuring that a broad range of disciplines are represented.

The IPCC is one of the largest scientific collaborations ever undertaken. These scientists meet regularly and collaborate to provide the most accurate data possible for governments and governing bodies to draw on. If criticisms are leveled at the body, it’s that they are too conservative in their views.

Key findings (via Globe and Mail) m this report which was released in September 2013 are:

Global warming is “unequivocal,” and since the 1950’s it’s “extremely likely” that human activities have been the dominant cause of the temperature rise.

Concentrations of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere have increased to levels that are unprecedented in at least 800,000 years. The burning of fossil fuels is the main reason behind a 40 per cent increase in cabond-dioxide concentrations since the industrial revolution.

Global temperatures are likely to rise by 0.3 to 4.8 degrees C, or 0.5-8.6 F, by the end of the century, depending on how much governments control carbon emissions.

Most aspects of climate change will continue for many centuries even if carbon-dioxide emissions are stopped.

Sea levels are expected to rise a further 26-82 centimetres by the end of the century.

The Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets have been losing mass over the past two decades. Glaciers have continued to melt almost all over the world. Arctic sea ice has shrunk and spring snow cover has continued to decrease, and it is “very likely” that this will continue.

It’s “virtually certain” that the upper ocean has warmed from 1971 to 2010. The ocean will continue to warm this century, with heat penetrating from the surface to the deep ocean.

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September 30, 2013 · 1:24 am

iWorry campaign #1Every15 Minutes is Killed for the Ivory Trade

Jisupportp11oin us for the iworry International March for Elephants on Friday October 4th.

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Why Join iWorry?

Last year up to 36,000 elephants were killed for their ivory. 1 life lost every 15 minutes.
At the current rate of poaching African Elephants could face extinction in the wild by 2025.

Join us as we peacefully march in 15 cities around the world on Friday 4th October.
You can also show your support by joining the digital march for elephants.

Support the DSWT’s iworry campaign and be a part of a global effort to protect and preserve elephants.

The iworry campaign was created by The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (DSWT) and exists to raise global awareness to the devastating impact the illegal ivory trade is having on elephant populations. Launched in September 2012, the campaign has attracted worldwide backing calling for a complete ban on the illegal trade in ivory.

As a field based organisation, the DSWT works on the front line to protect wildlife and prevent the suffering and killing of wild animals. Recognising the need for greater global awareness of the illegal wildlife trade in ivory, which is claiming the lives of 36,000 elephants annually, the DSWT launched iworry in 2012. The campaign is based on the premise that everyone has a stake in conserving elephants and that we must come together if we are to successfully educate and inform people as to the existence of the illegal ivory trade, the devastating toll it is having on elephant populations and through that, call on governments from around the world to take proactive steps to tackle this illicit trade and save elephants.

Sharing the evidence of poaching witnessed by DSWT teams in the field, iworry utilises social media, petitions, imagery, the press and public marches to create an awareness of the existence of the ivory trade and its impacts. The loss of elephants in the wild, an iconic, intelligent and social species, would not only make the world a lesser place, it would have serious environmental and economic repercussions. The iworry campaign calls on world governments to make the illicit ivory trade and wildlife crime a priority issue, to make a financial commitment to security enforcement and to impose a complete ban on all ivory sales.

Why March?

The International March for Elephants has been organised by The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (DSWT) through their iworry campaign and will be taking place in 15 cities across the globe in the single largest demonstration of awareness for the species.

The ivory trade is an international problem and one which must be recognized by Governments worldwide if we are to see any changes.

Join your local city March and stand in solidarity with elephants.

Sign up to one of our fifteen official marches:

Arusha
Bangkok
Buenos Aires
Cape Town
Edinburgh
London
Los Angeles
Melbourne
Munich
Nairobi*
New York City
Rome
Toronto
Washington DC
Wellington

*Please note – due to recent events which took place in Nairobi from 21/09 – 24/09 we have decided to cancel the International March for Elephants in Nairobi. We will hold a vigil for those who so tragically lost their lives in the attacks and also for the elephants who continue to fall victim to the ivory trade. This will be held on the day of the March October 4th at the Nairobi Nursery. More info at: http://www.dswt.org

The peaceful marches will be concluding at Government Buildings where we will hand over a letter carrying the voice of thousands of people, calling for stricter penalties and urgent global change.

Email us to register if you are not a Facebook user.

Elephant Masks

To make it clear exactly what we are marching for on Friday 4th October, we have produced an Official DSWT Elephant Mask for you to print off and wear to show your support. Please see here for a step-by-step on how to secure your Official DSWT Elephant Mask.

Placards

For those who are attending the march and would like to bring along your own placard, we advise that these are produced A1/A2 size with the following phrases:

‘Say NO to ivory’
‘Stop the ivory trade. Save the elephant’
‘Elephant Extinction 2025 – Not on our watch’
‘Join the fight to Save Elephants iworry.org’

We do not condone any offensive text and/or imagery on any placards. This is a peaceful march and all aspects will reflect this.

To download all this material, please visit http://www.iworry.org/

Promotional Material

Download the iworry poster

Get Involved

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