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February 2nd, 2012

Cancer Sucks. And so does Pink-Washing.

Back in October, which is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I shared my thoughts on pink-washing in a post called “Don’t Drink the Pink Kool-Aid.”

In it, I questioned all the pink ribbons being slapped on everything from cell phones to chocolate bars; and wondered out loud about corporate profit-teering from an illness that is hurting so many of us. I didn’t have any easy answers, and instead decided that rather than promote one of the many pink campaigns landing in my email box from PR firms to share some tips for early prevention.

With the Susan G. Komen Foundation in hot water, the issue of pink-washing is top of mind with many bloggers. For me, with a good friend preparing for chemo, cancer has been on my mind daily. So when I came across Annie’s most excellent post at PhD in Parenting titled “Cancer Sucks, Pink is Profitable, and Cures are Magically Blameless,” I had to share it with you.

She starts her post by admitting “that I haven’t always questioned pink washing as carefully as I should in the past.” This, I’m sure, we can all admit to. It feels good to buy pink … to feel like we’re contributing to a worthy and important cause.

However, she concludes, with the help of a documentary titled Pink Ribbons Inc., that pink is only profitable if it focuses on finding a cure–not prevention. Her words:

The bulk of breast cancer research money in past years has gone into researching a cure. In the movie, they note that only 3 to 5 percent of funds go towards prevention of breast cancer. In Canada, around 6.5 percent of money raised goes towards research into risk factors and risk reduction. Why is the number so low?

Is it because the prospect of a cure generates hope and therefore attracts more research dollars?

Is it because the focus on the cure doesn’t upset any corporate sponsors that may be contributing to the cause?

Is it because preventing cancer may dry up the enormous cash cow that pink ribbon campaigns have become?

And yet, more than anything, we need to find out why cancer rates are high and what we can do as a society in terms of prevention.

While this is not a real campaign, it represents the pinkwashing dilemma: does supporting breast cancer research make up for toxic products?

This image is not from a real campaign but illustrates an all-too-familiar corporate dichotomy. Image source.

Let’s demand accountability in exchange for our donation dollars.

To read more on this issue, please check out Annie’s post in full here, as well as by visiting Breast Cancer Action.

Edited to add: No, I’m not being a spoil-sport when I don’t play along with your “what colour” bra are you wearing meme on Facebook. It’s a f*cking terrible idea, people! (And you know I rarely swear on this blog, so I’m pretty serious here.) Please read this post at Toddler Planet to understand why.

And another thing I’d like to add as well: As one reader as been so good as to share, the Komen story has evolved since I wrote this post. There’s a lot I didn’t know about this organization. You can learn more by reading this post by Jessica Gottlieb. I warn you though, it might make you feel like vomiting.

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January 25th, 2012

Another Attempt at a Front Hall Vignette

When Hubby sees me poking around the front hall trying to put together a vignette (you can see my first attempt here), he just cracks up. I am not a patient person and have little tolerance for anything “fiddly” and yet, I just love doing these vignette things. Strange but true.

I had gathered a few special things:

In the background is a print that Hubby gave me after Stella was born, titled Mother and Child. The boxed book box collection is Griffin and Sabine trilogy. The wooden box is a “treasure box” that my parents gave me as a child when they returned from a trip to Egypt. And the carved wooden owl was a gift from my mother-in-law.

I tried a variety of combinations and none of them were entirely pleasing to me. There just seemed to be something missing. See what I mean?

Hubby came to my rescue though. He said he knew exactly what my vignette needed.

So he added his wallet and a lighter.

Magical, isn’t it? :p

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January 3rd, 2012

My Bedside Table Books: January 2011

A while back, Stella (my nine-year-old daughter) and I added Amazon widgets to the sidebar of this blog — take a gander over on the right-hand sidebar of the blog’s homepage. We didn’t have any ambitions of getting rich off of our 4%, but rather to share what’s on our respective bedside tables as fellow bookworms.

I don’t know about you, but I just love poking around people’s bookshelves and knowing what people have cracked open and set their minds to. So I thought I’d return the favour, so to speak.

This month, I will update my widget to show the following books that are currently sitting bedside — some waiting patiently, some already started.

The Meaning Of Children

The Meaning of Children by Beverly Akerman

I wasn’t sure what to make of this book when I first heard the title and saw the cover. I thought perhaps it was a non-fiction piece when Annie from PhD in Parenting suggested a few of us head out to the author’s reading when Akerman, a Canadian writer, was in town. But it is actually a collection of 14 short stories — each unique in its own tale and perspective. Katherine Hewitt of the Globe and Mail sums it up nicely: “Each story is an independent experiment, with varying results. But the sum of its parts is positive.” I really enjoyed this book. If you like short story collections a la Alice Munro style, I think you will too.

Enchantment: Art of Getting People to Do What You Want

Enchantment, by Guy Kawasaki

I picked up Enchantment to participate in the Business Book Club that Karen at The Media Mesh started up. I haven’t started the book yet, but I’m really interested to participate as soon as I can get it read. Mostly, I’ve been wanting to read it because I admire everything that Kawasaki has achieved — he founded Alltop.com, held a key role at Apple, and is the author of 10 books. Not too shabby, eh? The book has become a sort of touch point in marketing circles, and I’d like to understand all the buzz.

The Hundred Dresses (Voyager Books)

The Hundred Dresses, by Eleanor Estes

I was inspired by a recent post by Andrea on her blog A Peek Inside the Fishbowl to start up a Mother-Daughter Book Club. I reached out to a few girlfriends who had daughters the same age as Stella and shared the idea and they immediately jumped on board. For our first book, one of my friends suggested The Hundred Dresses because, although it was originally written in 1944, it touches on the timely topic of bullying.

One Day, by David Nicolls

I had started to read the book Sarah’s Key but was really finding the material too emotionally disturbing, so I reached out to my Twitter folks for a “light reading” suggestion. I can’t quite remember who suggested this One Day, but I picked it up and couldn’t put it back down. It seems I was not the only one who read it compulsively, as this NY Times review attests, and now it is being made into a movie with Anne Hathaway. It is an interesting take on the classic Ross-Rachel long suffering, unrequited love story.

The Wealthy Barber Returns

The Wealthy Barber Returns, by David Chilton

If you’re of my vintage, you’ll recall the original Wealthy Barber book, which was released in 1989 and was a hit with its story-telling format for finance lessons. I recall this book, handed to me by my parents I think, as a welcoming way of learning about managing your own personal finances. I’m about 3/4 through this book of Chilton’s and I’m finding it just “okay.” I suppose if I was a young person who was just starting out and needed to learn the basics, I’d appreciate it far more. But as it is, I am not gleaning much in the way of new insight and his jokey humour is starting to wear on me. However, Chilton’s approachable style to finance remains a breath of fresh air, and I’m definitely getting some good reminder notes.

Okay, so let’s be real … I have way more books than this stacked up high, teetering away on my bedside table (it’s a bit of a “problem,” says Hubby), but I am going to take a rest here. So tell me, what’s on your shelf?

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January 1st, 2012

2011: The Year That Was (Part 2 of 2)

In continuation from yesterday ….

July 2011: By this time, our family had moved into a new home while simultaneously welcoming overseas family to Canada for the first time. It was busy, but we had fun! We shared as much of our area with them as possible, including Canada Day in downtown Ottawa and a visit to Toronto. A sense of relief was also felt by Hubby and I as we settled into our new neighbourhood and adjusted to the change. In total, I published 6 posts in July.

August 2011: Making hay while the sun is shining, I spent some time in the Land O’ Lakes with girlfriends and our family took a camping trip to Algonquin Park. August is also Stella’s birthday month and we celebrated her 9th birthday with friends and family. Last year before she hits double digits! In total, I wrote 10 posts.

September 2011: We managed to decorate Stella’s bedroom in the new house — as per the promise we made her before moving. (The rest of the house remains fairly untouched to this day! *sigh*) I did some mild ranting about the Back-to-School push to buy-buy-buy as well as what I saw as the declining state of Canadian Business magazine. And last but least, I hatched a crazy idea for my 40th birthday called “Month of Me.” In total, I published 9 posts.

October 2011: This month was a wild ride! My 40th birthday was going to take place in October and I decided that the entire month should be a fun, guilt-free time where my priorities and desires would always come first. I didn’t have the time to write about everything that happened in October, but it included a ton of lunches with girlfriends, two blogging conferences, a trip to New York City, time with my Hubby, a massive Thanksgiving dinner outside with all of my family, and a messy celebration at 4 Cats Art Studio! Phew! In total, I wrote 11 posts.

November 2011: This was a busy month catching up on all the things I neglected in October! But I did manage to write a few snippets from the New York City trip and share my new-found love for home decor. In total, I wrote 10 posts in November.

December 2011: No surprise that of the 11 posts I wrote in December, 6 of them were related to Christmas. Surprisingly, the most popular of these was the first Christmas gift guide that I’d created for Coffee with Julie. (A lot of people do gift guides, so I wasn’t sure how it would be received.) But mostly I think I just succeeded in annoying a lot of faithful Ikea folks. Oops.

And now we’re here — 2012! — a whole year has passed. The easiest, but sometimes tear-inducing, way for me to see the passage of time is to look at my children. They have grown so much in the past year. My son Max went from a quiet toddler who was slow to speak to a great big boy who is now happily chatting away to us, while my daughter Stella never ceases to amaze (and amuse) us with the depth of her kindness and intelligence. Both occupy our days (and sometimes our nights) endlessly, and yet they are the source of a type of joy that makes life worth living.

Hubby and I know that the universe has been kind to us, and we are very grateful for the happiness and health of our family. We do not take this for granted, but rather we often look at each other before we go to sleep and say, “We are so lucky.” (Happiness doesn’t come easy to me, but I practice gratitude every day.) I sincerely hope that you can also share in this kind of “luck” in the year ahead, in whatever form that might take … an ignited career passion, adventures in forests, or a hobby that lights your heart.

From our family to yours — Happy New Year! — and may the days of 2012 treat you well. xox

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November 12th, 2011

Impractical Purchasing, NYC edition, part 1

As of late, it has come to my attention that I am an impractical girl. I have been stubbornly resisting this label. I like to consider myself a practical person — getting what needs to get done done, leaving the rest; buying sensible, well-priced things; leaving the rest.

Sadly, I think this might have been a case of living in suspended disbelief. My first hint should have been the fact that Hubby does not let me do the grocery shopping. His chief complaint is that I come home with nicely designed cleaning products, expensive granola, and black licorice but not enough ingredients to make a meal with. He is so picky.

Anyhow, I digress. I went to New York City and I have yet to tell you about the shopping. The Shopping! In New York City!

One of the first places where I made a purchase was in a store called Bird. Kerry had these groovy pocket-sized cards for different neighbourhoods all around New York and on this day, her card told us to check out Bird. So we did. We’re obedient that way.

Bird is one of Brooklyn’s first fashion destinations and also the very first LEED-certified retail store in New York City. It was recently voted Best Women’s Boutique in New York City by New York Magazine and Top Visionary Boutique in the United States by Lucky Magazine.

As soon as I stepped in, I couldn’t believe my eyes! Just that morning I had whined to Kerry about how I had always wanted a pair of glasses but the frames were always too expensive to justify for clear lenses. (You see, I don’t actually need glasses, I just covet them. I never needed braces as a kid either, and I wanted those too.) And yet here were a whole slew of frames to choose from — all priced at $99! Okay, I hear you … a hundred bucks is still a lot of money to spend on an accessory, but for glasses, these were a good price.

I was ridiculously excited and started jumping up and down. Kerry did her quiet shaking-of-the-head-thing-while- being-secretly-amused-but-not-enough-to-warrant-being-associated-with-me and immediately wandered to the other end of the store.

I was in heaven. Here’s me in the store, sporting the glasses that I chose:

Trying to do my best sexy librarian look.

After the thrill of this find, I immediately set off to see what other wares the store had. I picked up a great looking pair of boots. $720? Ouch, no thanks. So I went smaller and looked at the scarves. I found a beauty, which looked to be of standard material but with a bit if flair. I took a gander at the price tag: $185. I think I may have laughed out loud. Kerry insisted she’d seen the same scarf on her trip to Vietnam for $1.50. Maybe less. The store didn’t hold much appeal for us so we didn’t stay long. But I was still just as pleased as punch with finding the glasses.

Then, just this week, long after the NYC trip was over, I learned that Kerry is actually going in to have laser surgery on her eyes so she won’t have to wear glasses ever again. For her, they’ve been a necessity since age 5. For me, a frivolous joy at age 40.