Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Dear Mr. Harper:

            Last night I dreamed that the oceans had turned to Jello.  Everything under the water was stuck, like chunks of pineapple in fruit salad that was a sad shade of gray.  I woke up with a post apocalyptic feeling that always seems to follow bad news.
             The list of disasters around the world is endless.  Drought, floods and increasing numbers of hurricanes are all signs that Mother Nature isn’t happy. We’re a little full of ourselves about life up here in the North, snuggled safely between the rocks and trees.  But last week’s windstorm was eerie.  It gave us all a taste of what much of the world experiences seasonally.
            To quote hip hop artist, Nelly, “It’s getting hot in here.”  Nine countries hit new temperature highs last summer, causing devastating floods in Pakistan and elsewhere.
There aren’t many credible scientists who dispute global warming.  Those who are work hard for their supper serving the interests of industries that are major pollutors. It’s also hard for governments to ignore the pleas (and the cash) of big business, especially when so many families benefit from the work. The Alberta oil sands are a good example.  The system for extracting oil is much less efficient than regular oil wells, creating high carbon emissions for less result.  But the world is so energy hungry that the jobs created by it pay well.   
We all want prosperous communities. 
But in the attempt to keep the economy moving (and get re-elected) most governments choose to ignore the disasters awaiting the planet.  There’s some lip service, but no one is doing anything significant to halt carbon emissions.  We need serious investment into energy alternatives.   We need stricter environmental laws that big business has to follow.  If the financial incentives are there, the results will be amazing.  Its not too late.
           
   
           

Saturday, July 2, 2011

Flin Flon Culture Days, Alive and Well


Culture days is a celebration of all things artistic.  We paint, we sing, we attend community events that bring us all together.  We dance and sometimes, we cry. 
Last year’s song by K’naan, Waving Flag, was a HUGE success as our dance pick.  Most of us aren’t that coordinated, but we all danced and clapped with joy as we made our way down Main Street.  Different songs speak to different people, but that one spoke to all of us.  So what now?
            For 2011, I’m proposing Michael Buble’s song, Hollywood.  This choice is not the favorite, but here’s why I like it.  The tune is amazing and fun, as is the voice.  Here, in the lyrics, is why it fits.

‘So don’t fly higher, for your fire, put it in your head, baby Hollywood is dead, you can find it in yourself.  Keep on loving what is true and the world will come to you, you can find it in yourself.’

Each of us is an artist, though we may not paint, or write, sing or play an instrument.  We all dream, we dance in the shower to the Black Eyed peas, we sing into our hairbrushes (yes, even at 57.)  We create things every day, whether it’s an essay for school, a project for work or a braid in a child’s hair.  We are all artists.  We find what we need inside ourselves, when we love what is true. 

When we dance down Main Street, we’re celebrating so many things.  We’re saluting this amazing country that we live in.  We’re acknowledging the artists who add an extra dimension to our world, bringing colours and insights and emotions we’ve never imagined or experienced.  But mostly we’re celebrating each other.  As friends and neighbors, we're dancing in unity, flowing and laughing as we move together.  Our eyes meet and we smile, acknowledging just how amazing this experience is.  Hollywood may indeed be dead.  But Flin Flon is alive and well, and we're rockin' it! 

Let me know what you think!  Let’s get a dialogue started.