Just kidding... I'm probably the only person who noticed what eventually became a tiny white dot in the sky as four helium balloons, twirling and tumbling, drifted over the small community in Surrey, a lost relic of some child's birthday party. One red, one white, and possibly two pink balloons, fatefully joined by ribbons (one would guess), destined to land in a yard somewhere, or on a street. Hopefully it won't land on someone's windshield and actually wreak havoc. It was moving at a good clip when I spotted it, and by the time I realised it wasn't about to disappear out of view in the time that I could get a camera, it had moved upwards into the sky and seemed to stay in the same spot awhile. Really, it was making a journey westward. Anyway. I thought it was an odd but delightful sight, and I stared at it for awhile with my binoculars after snapping some photographs. I also captured one of some birds.

a close-up crop

all i could do
was feel

feel like i needed to honour him

somehow i knew he was listening
watching
knowing that he would not be forgotten

while mourning i told someone who did not know him
who he was to us, who he was to his family,
who he loved (his wife and sons, the center of his universe)
what he loved (oh he loved his cars so much!)
and how his strong will to live helped others fight
the same battle

he won
though it claimed him in the end,
he won

for us all.

goodbye, old friend. we'll see you soon.

--------------------------------------------------------

after his memorial and on the way home, i found a penny on the floor of the bus. that morning a friend had dropped one and didn't pick it up, so i thought, alright, i'll pick this one up; it looks old, too. i turned it over and discovered it was a rare find indeed, then stopped short. it said 1940, his birth year. i think it was a parting gift from him. so thank you, old friend, for making that moment special. i'll treasure that little item forever.

i miss you.

I'm making my lunch.

Orange cheddar cheese — my favourite, but it's dyed orange and I don't know why.
White sourdough bread — I think you get the point.
Finnish mustard — really good.
Honey ham — sodium nitrate and smoke. Good luck finding any deli meat that isn't.
Tomato — here's the fun part.

I realised my tomatoes need to get eaten up. My boyfriend grabbed the usual, tomatoes-on-the-vine. That was on Wednesday. They're... not as red as they should be, and still very firm after 3 days. I did a test and dropped one on the counter. I hucked it against the kitchen cupboard, and then it fell on the lino-covered cement floor. Not a bruise. It incurred a slight slit to its skin, but that was it. I cut it, and listened... a slight crunch as I broke the skin, then I looked at it... "Oh my god, he's right," I said out loud, referring to author Thomas Pawlick. "I have to photograph this."

The Dole brand tomato has a thick, fibrous layer under the skin that is pale and gross-looking. Inside, it's watery, not juicy. It's big, and looks exactly the same as the other 3 in every regard.

Finally, a taste test: I bit into the beautiful red tomato from my boyfriend's granddad's home-grown tree. MMM... oh yeah. So good. Now for the other one... crunch, chew, chew... YUCK. It's BITTER! Not sweet, not soft, not yummy.

And I'm having second thoughts about putting it on my sandwich.

Photo documentation

large Dole tomato versus small homegrown tomato

see all that pale pith? that's not good.

less pith, darker. a RED tomato. juicy, not runny.

After lunch thoughts:
The Dole tomato's "juice" ran down my arm... every single time. I wasted a kleenex just cleaning it up (I wasn't about to drip all the way to the kitchen!). I enjoyed my sandwich with homegrown tomatoes much more.

I was just at Two EEs Farm Market getting my usual produce. It was raining and the water was dripping, or spraying, through the canopy, giving the produce a nice wash. I stocked up on apples (mostly golden delicious at 49c/lb and some gala apples), mostly for making apple crisp. I like having fruit for snacks at school as well, and grapes are good for that. I usually get green seedless grapes, nice and crispy and sweet. They were from California this time, so I eyed them suspiciously and decided to take a second look at the purple ones outside. The darker ones were from Arkansas... uh... I can't even find that on a map. The other ones were locally-grown lighter purple grapes. Small and seedless, and round.

Oh my gosh.

I got an add on MySpace from Conspiracy Clothes, which makes t-shirts with messages the government doesn't want you to know. One of them is about the dangers of fluoride, which I knew about, but the references outline way more problems than I knew.

Notice of Submission for Approval of Novel Food, Livestock Feed and Environmental Safety for Alfalfa Genetically Modified For Herbicide Tolerance from Monsanto Canada Inc. Date Posted: September 7, 2004
It was approved.

The CFIA and Health Canada (HC) have received a submission from Monsanto Canada Inc. seeking environmental safety approval, and livestock feed and food use approvals of alfalfa designated as Events J101 and J163, which have been genetically modified for glyphosate herbicide tolerance.

Andrew V. Uroskie, Assistant Professor of Film and Contemporary Art at Georgia Tech's School of Literature, Communication and Culture, wrote his own post accompanied by some great letters-to-the-editor.

"Who Knew International Police Cooperation Would Work Better than Big Armies Against Terror? Oh yeah- the ENTIRE PROGRESSIVE COMMUNITY SINCE SEPT 12th!"

Let me quote U2's Sunday, Bloody Sunday here: "There's many lost but tell me who has won?"

Recently, Canadians mourned 23 dead soldiers. Only 23, no problem, keep fighting, boys! Next thing you know it's, what, 34? And how many children now have no father? And how many Americans, British, Iraqi, Afghan, and other people have died in near-futile causes?

I'm reading this article about efforts in Florida, and US-wide, to make children's lunches more nutritious and (hopefully) reduce obesity. Well it sure doesn't hurt, even if it's not working that well.

It got me thinking, though, about kids whose moms or dads take them grocery shopping. Supermarket checkouts all have candy, gum, and chocolate bars from the floor to about 4 feet up — SMACK DAB in the reach of children's hands. Even if parents try to raise their kids without candy and nasty chocolate bars, what's to stop them from getting them with their allowance on the way home, or at friends' places, or at school? (I remember spending $15 one month on a Reese peanut butter cup addiction in high school.) Anyway, it's pretty easy for a kid, bored, waiting there for mom to finish up to just grab something and say "Pleaaaase can I have this?" or just put it right on the belt if they're tall enough. If mom is distracted by the tabloids and magazines, she might just brush it off and say "mhm," or maybe she's not concerned about it at all. Maybe it'll keep the kid occupied while she loads everything into the car.

This one tells me that people DO want to discuss the issues and the book, which is good news for me, because my grad project will have an emphasis on discussion.

I like how each interview and each article are different. Will We Ever Eat Well Again?

I love this comment in response to a vegetarian's response to the original poster:

Truman,

Cheers, Ed.

(Truman, unfortunately, can't simply take a joke for what it is, so you can stop reading then!)

I just tried getting my feed to show up in NetNewsWire Lite and, um, it doesn't work. Is it working for anyone else? Will try to get a different format going...

*UPDATE*
As far as I can tell, it will NOT work for users still running NNW 2.0. I upgraded to 2.11 (Lite) and it works now, woohoo.

This man is my new hero. Now Chapters, please, hurry up and ship my book!!!

I've been talking a lot about organic and home-grown fruits ("eff arr double o tee") and vegetables. I've noted that I'm doing my grad project on it. In doing some research today, trying desperately to find some blogs on related topics, I came across this interview at Gremolata with Canadian Thomas Pawlick, author of The End of Food: How the Food Industry Is Destroying Our Food Supply — And What You can Do about It.

Hands-on learning is a great way to get kids excited about food, where it comes from, and how to eat healthy. Growing up, we were given seeds for tomato plants, cucumber, etc. I enjoyed watching my mom's tomato plants grow, and then savouring the tasty fruit when it ripened. In the fall, we picked granny smith apples from the old tree (RIP). Now the effort to curb obesity in the United States has produced some juicy, fun education. Ohio farm family teaches kids nutrition

Mmm... carrot cake... ahem.

Eleven-year-old Timothy Thomas, of Norwalk, carefully seasoned his fish with salt and pepper, but he wasn't too sure about adding strips of zucchini and squash. "I'm a picky, picky eater," he said.

Still, he enjoyed learning about vegetables. "It's cool to see where it comes from," he said.

(That makes me think about the detachment between where fruits & vegetables actually come from, and where we acquire them. The grocery store has absolutely nothing to do with the farm, or my mom's tomato plants in the back yard.)

I'm going to be creating another blog as part of my grad project. It will be at http://www.erikarathje.ca/tomatoes/ I think. Don't go there yet because it's the hideous default stylesheet with no content! Anyway, I'm planning on calling it "Tomatoes don't grow on trees", and it will feature articles and my own commentary on my food and nutrition-related experiences.

Basically my grad project topic is exploring the role of industry & politics in determining nutrition & health. Ever wonder why eating a tomato feels like eating a pencil crayon, knowing the pencil crayon would have more flavour?

Speaking of trees and fruits, my 11.5-year-old Macintosh/Spartan apple tree finally bore fruit that I picked and sampled this afternoon. I don't think they were quite ripe, or at least the small one that I happily ate, but it was DELICIOUS, tart but sweet, and crunchy! I've never liked those apples so I'm glad I enjoyed it. I touched and thanked the tree, and graciously said goodbye to its browning, leaning grandeur as it may not survive the winter. My mother gave it a good shook at some point (trying to push it over, I was informed today!), which she says shocked it into bearing fruit. (You can also give a wisteria a death threat that will make it bloom.) It gave 5 or 6 and I ended up with 3 in the end. Mom says that it's a sign it's going to die. :( But, I planted it from seed, and it was a good tree. It gave me its final (parting) gifts. Thank you, old friend.

I don't think I can bear the picture and thought of my dad taking a chainsaw to it and slicing its trunk and limbs. I think that... I should like a piece of it made into something, even if it's just a 1"-thick ring that I can put on the wall or something. I think, though, that that would make me very sad... knowing it was part of a living tree once, MY tree. If we can use its branches and trunk as much as we can and make something from it, grant it some honour, I'll be grateful.

What do you want to see on my portfolio website?
More content? Less content? Newer content? Blog access and snippets on the front page?

What do you want to see on my blog?

Please share your ideas, comments, and suggestions with me. My work, after all, is for you!

I do the web & graphic design, and I guess you could say some marketing! for the Coquitlam-based non-profit Society for Community Development. This year marks the 10 year anniversary of two very successful community-oriented events.

The Spirit of Community Awards honour and celebrate members of our community who have demonstrated exceptional commitment to building healthy communities through their acts of leadership, generosity, volunteerism, and support.
The ceremony will take place Thursday, October 12th at 7pm, at the Inlet Theatre (100 Newport Drive, Port Moody). Admission is free.

Taste of the TriCities is a community-building, mouth-watering event! Local restaurants will be showcasing their most popular foods or signature dishes, and thanking loyal patrons for their support. The variety of culinary delights include Mediterranean, Chinese, Italian, and North American cuisine.
The event happens Tuesday, October 3rd, 2006 at 6:30 pm at the Executive Hotel, 405 North Road, Coquitlam. Tickets $20 in advance, $25 at the door.

More event info here.

Click on posters to view them in larger format.

Walking home on Friday, I spotted some incredible clouds stretching across the sky. It's pretty flat where I live — god, I miss the mountains! — which makes the sky all the more fascinating. By the time I got home, took some shots in the back yard, and decided it was still worth it to capture the sky from where I'd been walking, the clouds had drifted over quite a bit. They were overhead before, which made it all the more majestic. Anyway, here's what I got...

On the way back, I saw some more interesting, wispy clouds and stopped to take a photo. I figured I should probably stand in the shade, so in the shadow of "my" house, I looked up to the left of my target and saw something amazing! I guess if I'd tried I might have seen a halo, but oh well.

Stepping back for a sunlit shot, blindly!

MMM!!!

We were given some peaches from a fruit stand/store near Keremeos, BC (close to Penticton & Osoyoos — yeah, I've never heard of it, either!). Ohhh my. I just ate a nicely ripe one, and it was DRIPPING with juice and flavour! Unbelievable!

The last peach I had tasted like nail polish remover, if one could taste a smell, and it was absolutely awful. This peach, tonight, is what peaches are supposed to and do taste like! You know when you enjoy it incredibly so that it's a real peach, and not some combination of pith and chemicals.

Mm, mm, mm, mm, mmm!

We were also given home-grown potatoes and tomatoes. I can't wait to sample them. The home-grown grapes we tried were incredible, too. Currently I am also enjoying plums from my parents' front yard, and friends have enjoyed them, too. When I get a house, I want fruit trees!

Featured in this week's 24 Hours newspaper is a series on environmental toxins. Today's was "Toxic nation, toxic families." Tests done across the country revealed that, "of 68 possible toxic chemicals tested for, a staggering 39 were detected in our children." The amount of toxins in children were higher than their parents! For more information, including helpful tips, suggestions on how to improve the health of your home environment, and a petition, please visit Toxicnation.ca

What I'm doing to reduce my risk of cancer and other diseases, by making healthy choices (according to the list on the website above, plus some extras):
- replacing my polycarbonate (#7) Nalgene water bottle with polypropylene or polyethylene
- choosing steel and cast iron over Teflon
- choosing fresh and frozen foods, or foods canned in glass jars, instead of canned foods in tin
- using biodegradable, natural dish soap, and avoiding cleaners with chemicals and antibacterial formulas
- opting for wax paper and safe plastic containers instead of plastic wrap, especially in the microwave
- using the stove and oven instead of the microwave whenever possible
- choosing natural materials (cotton, linen, solid wood)
- using The Keeper cup (women only!)
- avoiding store-bought microwaveable popcorn and movie theatre popcorn; using instead organic popcorn kernels cooked in a pot over the stove, with real butter

It's a good thing I didn't save Part II for pictures of clouds for today because there aren't any, that I can see! There is a temptation for another walk this evening.

I love Labour Day. Why? Because it postpones back-to-school one more day! This year, I'm getting a little lucky as my first class isn't until Thursday, but it's a long day. My first day ever at Emily Carr involved a class from 9 - 12, and then another from 6 - 9pm. Harsh! When you don't know anybody, that time can be pretty lonely, so I spent it reading my art history text and enjoying the lovely weather from my perch on a swing. Ahh, the perks to school on Granville Island: playgrounds, shops, cafes, the ocean, and plenty of warm spots to relax. If I end up waiting around for procedural events tomorrow, I imagine I'll indulge in some swinging.

The sun is creating a delightful glow in my kitchen, which looks a little something like this:

This evening I went for a short walk in the neighbourhood. I didn't want to go inside when I got back sooner than expected, so I admired some clouds and decided to take photos.

"Fat Factors", by Robin Marantz Henig. Posted by Andrew V. Uroskie.

This article is about the role of gut microbes and viruses in determining a person's weight. The researchers concluded every person's menu of microbes is different, therefore the way in which they use calories varies, as well.

"A diet has a certain amount of absolute energy," [Jeffrey Gordon] said. "But the amount that can be extracted from that diet may vary between individuals -- not in a huge way, but if the energy balance is affected by just a few calories a day, over time that can make a big difference in body weight."

It is a long but very fascinating article that provides insight into the complexity of obesity and its causes.

I enjoy taking baking and fruit to school for my morning and/or afternoon snack. Months ago, I saw a friend eating a granola bar and thought, gee, it would be pretty cool to make my own to bring to school. I've finally found a recipe with ingredients I had on hand, and that I agreed with. (No "quick oats," no margarine, no non-stick sprays, no fake peanut butter.) I realised I don't have honey or icing sugar.

I'm not talking about beefed-up wrestlers, unless Monster Trucks counts as a wrestling match.

Found this on Wired News (be sure to read the comments!). A truck that gets 7-8 miles per gallon in the city, and fills up at US $100. Yikes! Say hello to the 2007 Dodge Ram SRT10.

The NYTimes car reviewer says it best about the 2007 Dodge Ram SRT10: "This truck could be more politically incorrect only if it ran on whale oil and panda tears."

Truly one of the great sentences in the history of auto journalism, by Ezra Dyer, in describing a 510 horsepower pickup that got between 7-8 miles per gallon during his test drive. Not at typo.

(Note the ironic typo there, and subsequent typos... oh well, spellchecking has yet to be sophisticated enough to get rid of some of mine, too!)

Read the full article here, extremely entertaining even for a girl who is completely disinterested in trucks. It's just so well-written and witty!

Someone commented on the Wired post:
"I still cannot figure out how buying suv makes the price of gas go up. It seems that gas was cheap though the 70's and car makers were building cars that got 7-8 mpg, not trucks mind you, cars... and it was most of them. I would imagine, if I had to guess that gas prices are increasing due to short supply, greedy oil companies, instability in the middle east, and the US's refusal to build any new refineries. "

Short supply thanks to gas-guzzling vehicles since the 70s, maybe? Hopefully not anymore, thanks to the Governator! Way to go, Arnold! Now, Mr. Bush, Mr. Harper, and Mr. Gordon Campbell...

When I moved my blog over from Blogger to here, file names were changed without my realising it. Everything with a - was changed to an _ and the character 1 added at the end. Some file names had words removed from them. Anyway, please, if you come upon an archived page in error, do go back to my blog and search for it. Also, please update your links if you can. Thank you for your understanding.

Two men are alive today thanks to gene therapy, "using genetically modified versions of their own immune cells." Posted on BBC News.

This sounds kind of scary, but to be honest, chemo sounds far scarier.

Also scary: "Malignant melanoma is the most serious type of skin cancer with 8,000 new cases per year in the UK and approximately 1,800 deaths."

While the cure for cancer research is of utmost importance, what about the focus on preventative care? (This goes for more than just cancer.) How many of those melanoma cases could have been prevented?* What about lung cancer? I think we've made good progress on battling lung cancer in terms of restricting public smoking, such as in restaurants and the workplace, but doing so in the home and outdoors in crowds or with families is still a facet to be addressed, and is the individual's responsibility.

What can we do better in terms of nutrition, chemicals, architectural pollution, and education to reduce cancer rates?

*Ironically, I was told that a certain ingredient common in sunscreen is actually carcinogenic.
Progressive researchers suggest that sunscreens do not prevent cancer, but may actually increase the risk of cancer because they encourage people to remain longer in the sun.
Ninety percent of all sunscreens contain a highly toxic ingredient called octylmeth-oxycinnamate or omc. Habitual sunscreen users have unusually low levels of Vitamin D. [Source]
A Coppertone brand 45 SPF sunscreen I got for my boyfriend last year doesn't appear to contain it, although there are other oxy-somethings I have yet to look up. I use a 25 SPF sunscreen from Aubrey's Organics.

112 of the world's thinkers
100 questions from the public
1 table
Berlin, Germany
September 9, 2006.

dropping knowledge

Seated around the worlds largest table in historic Bebelplatz square, these inspiring individuals, renowned for their lasting creative or social contribution, will engage with 100 questions out of the thousands donated to dropping knowledge by the international public.

It inspires me to desire to be more than just a designer.

Why change the world?
Because every human and animal deserves a fair chance at a life of peace, love, health, growth, amusement, and respect — no matter what their fate.

I think I just named this little fellow. He or she is a peppered cory catfish. They're quite pretty and move sort of gracefully. Incredibly cute! I've been converted to a fan of pet fish... anyway, here's one of our newest additions to our 55 gallon aquarium. Photo by my boyfriend, the fish enthusiast!

Vancouverite and Six-time City Councillor and current Director of Simon Fraser University's City Program, Gordon Price blogs about California leading the way in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

The Governor and Legislature, though from opposing political parties, have agreed to a plan that aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by the year 2020. Not quite Kyoto, but nonetheless precedent-setting for the largest emitter in the U.S. and the world's eighth-largest economy.

I say, better than nothing!

Price isn't so optimistic about BC, however:

While California acts, we as a province and nation delay. The failure to set realistic goals to reduce greenhouse gases, to establish the rules, to set up the trading mechanisms, means we will be less competitive and more vulnerable.

Thanks to my mother for sending me this link to Robert Brady's post about Monsanto and the Terminator seed. Please read the full article here.

I knew about the Terminator seed from Ban Terminator, a campaign to ban, worldwide, Terminator:

Terminators, or GURTS (Genetic Use Restriction Technologies), are a class of genetic engineering technologies which allow companies to introduce seeds whose sterile offspring cannot reproduce, preventing farmers from re-planting seeds from their harvest. The seeds could also be used to introduce specific traits which would only be triggered by the application of proprietary chemicals by the same companies. (Excerpt from Ban Terminator.)

The other, bigger problem reported in the article is the government and corporations' ability to completely control the people, farms, agricultural industries, and food supplies, GLOBALLY. Farmers who currently, and in the future, adopt the genetically modified way to increase food crops will see themselves having to fork over money in order to keep buying seeds every year — because the crops will yield sterile seeds. Oh, and, any farmers who are getting patented seeds "unlawfully," will be unable to use them the next year through their traditional methods of saving seeds. The movement would render farmers penniless. (If you've seen The Corporation, you might remember the part about farmers doing much better by traditional, natural methods.)

D&PL [Delta & Pine Land] calls the thousand-year-old tradition of farmer-saved seed by the pejorative term, 'brown bagging' as though it is something dirty and corrupt. Excuse me?

Or what about what "Kissinger said back in the 1970's, 'Control the oil and you can control entire Continents. Control food and you control people...'" Are you scared yet?

With Terminator patent rights, once a country such as Argentina or Brazil or Iraq or the USA or Canada opened its doors to the spread of GMO patented seeds among its farmers, their food security would be potentially hostage to a private multinational company, a company which, for whatever reasons, especially given its intimate ties to the US Government, might decide to use 'food as a weapon' to compel a US-friendly policy from that country or group of countries.

Food as a weapon? Who are the real terrorists here — Islamic extremists, or the US Government and their corporate friends? Think about it.