I bought peanut butter today.
Is that the most exciting opening line in the history of this blog?
I noticed two kinds of Kraft peanut butter side by side: the regular kind, and the unsweetened, unsalted kind. I had a look at the nutritional information and found that the big print really wasn't the whole story, but I suppose that shouldn't be a surprise. The unsweetened, unsalted stuff had more fat (including more saturated fat) and a few more calories than the regular stuff. Sure, it had no sugar or sodium, but the regular stuff only had 1 gram of sugar and 75 mg of sodium (3% of the recommended daily intake) per serving.
Unless you're extremely sensitive to salt or sugar, or you eat copious amounts of peanut butter, I don't think buying unsweetened, unsalted peanut butter will make much difference in your low sugar, low salt diet. And based on the number of calories, I'd say the extra fat more than compensates for the lack of sugar.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Sweatshops
For a while, I've been wondering where I could find ordinary, casual clothing that wasn't produced in sweatshops. I can't just look for a "Made in Canada" label anymore because those are so hard to find (not that I did look for those labels when they were easier to find).
Recently, I got an email from Mountain Equipment Co-op saying they'd released their 2007 Accountability Report. I knew they try to get their products from ethical sources, so I decided to learn more by reading Chapter 3: Manufacturing MEC-Brand Products. The report comes across as an honest assessment. There are problems in many of the factories where they get their products, but they're working to improve things. And the Ethical Trading Action Group ranked MEC 2nd out of clothing brands in North America. Not too shabby.
Which company was in first place, you may wonder? Reebok. I was kind of surprised to see that. I expected MEC to have a high ranking because it's a co-op that isn't so profit-focused, but Reebok seemed like a pretty ordinary company with no big efforts to promote its ethical standards. I think I'll be a bit more likely to buy Reebok clothing in the future.
I ended up visiting the website where this ranking came from and I searched for "Reebok". In my brief search, I didn't find the full rankings, but I did see that Nike and The Gap ranked high too. I thought these were some of the worst offenders. Apparently they got decent marks because they are starting to report on problems at their factories and they're making efforts to improve things. I wonder if Reebok is in a similar boat.
Recently, I got an email from Mountain Equipment Co-op saying they'd released their 2007 Accountability Report. I knew they try to get their products from ethical sources, so I decided to learn more by reading Chapter 3: Manufacturing MEC-Brand Products. The report comes across as an honest assessment. There are problems in many of the factories where they get their products, but they're working to improve things. And the Ethical Trading Action Group ranked MEC 2nd out of clothing brands in North America. Not too shabby.
Which company was in first place, you may wonder? Reebok. I was kind of surprised to see that. I expected MEC to have a high ranking because it's a co-op that isn't so profit-focused, but Reebok seemed like a pretty ordinary company with no big efforts to promote its ethical standards. I think I'll be a bit more likely to buy Reebok clothing in the future.
I ended up visiting the website where this ranking came from and I searched for "Reebok". In my brief search, I didn't find the full rankings, but I did see that Nike and The Gap ranked high too. I thought these were some of the worst offenders. Apparently they got decent marks because they are starting to report on problems at their factories and they're making efforts to improve things. I wonder if Reebok is in a similar boat.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
It got published!
Several days before my last post, I sent a letter to the editor of the Edmonton Journal. It said basically the same thing as what I wrote on the blog, with a few parts left out (like the Stephen Colbert paragraph). Today I found out that letter actually appeared in the Journal on Monday. I'm still waiting for that royalty cheque.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Queer kids
I saw an interesting article in the Edmonton Journal a couple weeks ago about the hardships students face if they are gay. You can read it here (until they delete it from their website; I don't know how long they keep these articles posted).
For at least a few years, I've found myself caring more about what people go through when they find themselves attracted to people of the same sex, so I was glad to see the Journal give a voice to some gay students in this article. Because what I've learned over the years (mainly from reading, because I don't have any out-of-the-closet gay friends that I'm aware of), I do think our school boards need to do more to make sure sexual minorities aren't bullied in schools. This policy should probably include some teaching about homosexuality in schools. Like many Christians, I am concerned that such a policy would discriminate against people who believe homosexual activity is morally wrong, but I still think creating that policy is better than doing nothing.
At the very least, I hope all Christians could agree that kids should not be picked on and bullied for fitting gay stereotypes or for having gay parents. And I hope most of us believe that out-of-the-closet homosexuals still need to be treated with proper respect and dignity. Nikita Rowsell's old guidance counselors need to stop telling people they made a choice to be a target, and start standing up for the people who are hurting. I'd like to encourage other Christians to learn more about the experiences of homosexuals from homosexuals themselves, and support anti-discrimination efforts, with some reservations. I don't think this requires compromising our own morals on sexuality. If we just stand by and let others be persecuted because we're afraid to face some public ridicule ourselves, I don't think we're being very Christ-like. Yes, we probably will need to stand up for ourselves, but let's not let that stop us from standing up for people different from us
And since I don't have any out-of-the-closet gay friends, I'd like to start a search for a new gay friend, much like Stephen Colbert's search for a new black friend. Please leave your applications in the comments. (Just kidding.)
For at least a few years, I've found myself caring more about what people go through when they find themselves attracted to people of the same sex, so I was glad to see the Journal give a voice to some gay students in this article. Because what I've learned over the years (mainly from reading, because I don't have any out-of-the-closet gay friends that I'm aware of), I do think our school boards need to do more to make sure sexual minorities aren't bullied in schools. This policy should probably include some teaching about homosexuality in schools. Like many Christians, I am concerned that such a policy would discriminate against people who believe homosexual activity is morally wrong, but I still think creating that policy is better than doing nothing.
At the very least, I hope all Christians could agree that kids should not be picked on and bullied for fitting gay stereotypes or for having gay parents. And I hope most of us believe that out-of-the-closet homosexuals still need to be treated with proper respect and dignity. Nikita Rowsell's old guidance counselors need to stop telling people they made a choice to be a target, and start standing up for the people who are hurting. I'd like to encourage other Christians to learn more about the experiences of homosexuals from homosexuals themselves, and support anti-discrimination efforts, with some reservations. I don't think this requires compromising our own morals on sexuality. If we just stand by and let others be persecuted because we're afraid to face some public ridicule ourselves, I don't think we're being very Christ-like. Yes, we probably will need to stand up for ourselves, but let's not let that stop us from standing up for people different from us
And since I don't have any out-of-the-closet gay friends, I'd like to start a search for a new gay friend, much like Stephen Colbert's search for a new black friend. Please leave your applications in the comments. (Just kidding.)
Thursday, September 04, 2008
Miscellaneous thoughts
Two weeks ago, I reformatted the hard drive on my four-year-old laptop computer. (Don't worry, I backed up all my important files first.) I reinstalled a bunch of stuff and restored my documents, photos, music, and stuff. The computer is running better than it has in at least three years.
Last weekend I went camping in Banff. Camping can be a lot of fun even if it snows a bit. Fortunately we had one day of good weather anyway, and we spent part of another day at Banff Hot Springs, which doesn't need good weather. I posted some photos here.
A friend who I saw during the camping trip claims most of the people who contributed to the UN's climate change report aren't actually climatologists, and that most climatologists don't think humans are significantly contributing to climate change. I want to look this up and see if there's some evidence to refute that. But so far I've been too busy (having fun) or lazy. So do any of you know if this is true? And am I arrogant for thinking he's wrong about this (and some other things) even though he's more well-read and a more skilled debater than I am?
Last weekend I went camping in Banff. Camping can be a lot of fun even if it snows a bit. Fortunately we had one day of good weather anyway, and we spent part of another day at Banff Hot Springs, which doesn't need good weather. I posted some photos here.
A friend who I saw during the camping trip claims most of the people who contributed to the UN's climate change report aren't actually climatologists, and that most climatologists don't think humans are significantly contributing to climate change. I want to look this up and see if there's some evidence to refute that. But so far I've been too busy (having fun) or lazy. So do any of you know if this is true? And am I arrogant for thinking he's wrong about this (and some other things) even though he's more well-read and a more skilled debater than I am?
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Olympics and human rights
Near the start of the Olympics I saw a blog (it was on the Persecuted Church Weblog, but after a quick skim, I can't find the specific post) where the writer said if these Olympics become a train wreck, it might force some serious changes in the Chinese government, and maybe they'd show more respect for human rights. It sounded like he hoped for problems.
But the Beijing Olympics were a resounding success. Right after they ended, I read an Edmonton Journal article, which said, "Many China watchers feared that if the Olympics went badly for China, if terrorism or massive demonstrations grabbed the headlines, the country might climb back into its shell of paranoia and distrust. Successful Games, they argued, would give the leadership confidence to continue and expand the policy of openness it is cautiously embarked upon."
For the sake of everyone oppressed in China, I hope this Journal article was right. And if we look back at history, it seems like democracy and human rights tend to develop best gradually. I certainly don't want to hold back improvements, but it seems like when things change very fast, some of the oppressed become the oppressors, or society gets unstable and violent.
But the Beijing Olympics were a resounding success. Right after they ended, I read an Edmonton Journal article, which said, "Many China watchers feared that if the Olympics went badly for China, if terrorism or massive demonstrations grabbed the headlines, the country might climb back into its shell of paranoia and distrust. Successful Games, they argued, would give the leadership confidence to continue and expand the policy of openness it is cautiously embarked upon."
For the sake of everyone oppressed in China, I hope this Journal article was right. And if we look back at history, it seems like democracy and human rights tend to develop best gradually. I certainly don't want to hold back improvements, but it seems like when things change very fast, some of the oppressed become the oppressors, or society gets unstable and violent.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Olympics
The Olympics are over again. This is the most that I've watched the Olympics in years. For the first time in a long time I wasn't in school during the Olympics. Yes, I was even in school during the summer of 2004. (According to Wikipedia, those Olympics ran from August 13 to 29, so I guess my exams probably ended during that period. But then I was preparing for four months in Colorado, so I probably didn't see a lot of the games.)
I didn't sit down for hours at a time every day to watch the games, but I usually watched during breakfast and supper anyway, cutting into my normal newspaper reading time. I got to see plenty of sports that I almost never pay attention to, like swimming, diving, running, rowing, and the list goes on. I learned about a few of their athletes too.
Several years ago, I remember seeing an article saying they should stop having the Olympics. The writer thought they're too big and they've become corrupt (this was when the bribery scandal was going on). He pointed out that almost every major sport has its own world championships too.
But my experience this month is one reason why I want the Olympics to continue. As I said, I paid attention to sports and learned about athletes that I wouldn't see otherwise. Sure, we'd all pay a bit more attention to those other world championships if there were no Olympics, but not the way we watch the Olympics. Plus, those other championships are just too many, too often. When it's just two weeks every two years, it's not so hard to put some parts of life on hold to watch the Olympics.
Yes, they need to deal with their corruption, and yes, it probably is too big. But I don't think you need to cancel the whole event to fix these problems.
I didn't sit down for hours at a time every day to watch the games, but I usually watched during breakfast and supper anyway, cutting into my normal newspaper reading time. I got to see plenty of sports that I almost never pay attention to, like swimming, diving, running, rowing, and the list goes on. I learned about a few of their athletes too.
Several years ago, I remember seeing an article saying they should stop having the Olympics. The writer thought they're too big and they've become corrupt (this was when the bribery scandal was going on). He pointed out that almost every major sport has its own world championships too.
But my experience this month is one reason why I want the Olympics to continue. As I said, I paid attention to sports and learned about athletes that I wouldn't see otherwise. Sure, we'd all pay a bit more attention to those other world championships if there were no Olympics, but not the way we watch the Olympics. Plus, those other championships are just too many, too often. When it's just two weeks every two years, it's not so hard to put some parts of life on hold to watch the Olympics.
Yes, they need to deal with their corruption, and yes, it probably is too big. But I don't think you need to cancel the whole event to fix these problems.
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