I could easily believe that this is a hoax or even an art project but the fact that it is a reality makes me grateful that I am alive in this consumer culture.
Monday, June 01, 2009
Friday, May 29, 2009
Friday Night Play List: In the future
I am going to go out on a limb and recommend two movies that I have yet to see. Both have gotten overwhelmingly 'Fresh' ratings on Rotten Tomatoes, but more importantly, they both focus on senior protagonists. As the Baby Boomer generation enter their twilight years, advertisers are quick to cater to such a significant consumer population, and senior citizens have become more visible in the media. Only time will tell if depictions of old age will be more like these movies or more like Grandpa Simpson.
Up (2009) - Everyone has seen the trailer with the cute old man, the cute boy scout, and the cute talking dog. What I have only heard about is the touching six minute intro that encapsulates the protagonist's life with his late wife. I fear that I will sob my way through a wad of tissue, like I did with Wall-E.
Away From Her (2007) - Twenty-something year old Sarah Polley surprised everyone with her directorial debut about a couple whose 50 year marriage is threatened by the onset of Alzheimer's. The wife's self-imposed exile into an old age home to prevent herself from becoming a burden to her husband is the stuff of my most realistic nightmares. Worth another box of tissue, for sure.
Up (2009) - Everyone has seen the trailer with the cute old man, the cute boy scout, and the cute talking dog. What I have only heard about is the touching six minute intro that encapsulates the protagonist's life with his late wife. I fear that I will sob my way through a wad of tissue, like I did with Wall-E.
Away From Her (2007) - Twenty-something year old Sarah Polley surprised everyone with her directorial debut about a couple whose 50 year marriage is threatened by the onset of Alzheimer's. The wife's self-imposed exile into an old age home to prevent herself from becoming a burden to her husband is the stuff of my most realistic nightmares. Worth another box of tissue, for sure.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Rehab for the masses
As is probably the case for the majority North Americans, I have struggled with food for the majority of my life. When faced with tasty food, I have often lacked the will power to simply stop when I feel full. My recent Kichadi fast experience has definitely confirmed the idea that the sensory rewards of food, and not satiation, is what compels people to overeat.
Dr. David Kessler, former Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, was on The Current today in a segment called "Overeating" and he equated commercial food with a drug, "optimized for bliss" with the perfect combination of fat, sugar and/or salt. Add the "emotional gloss" of advertising campaigns and you have a socially acceptable addiction waiting to happen.
As with any addiction, consumers must reprogram their routine and perceptions to overcome the problem. The strength of sensory cues (sight and smell of food) needs to be acknowledged the same way it is understood that placing bottles of alcohol in front of an alcoholic is asking for a relapse. Addicts must reprogram themselves by breaking unhealthy food's association with a positive experience ("It tastes so good") and instead link them with the negative effects ("The satisfaction is only temporary and then I'll feel bloated and guilty").
Dr. Kessler admits that the lure of food can never be programmed out completely, much like for a reformed alcoholic or smoker. However, replacing the positive stimulation of unhealthy food with a negative connotation will be easier than attempting to exert control over the desire with dieting or willpower. As Kessler states at the end of his segment, "If you want that donut, even if you know that it's not good for you, there's nothing (anyone) can do to get in the way between you and that donut (...) once your brain has been activated."
Dr. David Kessler, former Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, was on The Current today in a segment called "Overeating" and he equated commercial food with a drug, "optimized for bliss" with the perfect combination of fat, sugar and/or salt. Add the "emotional gloss" of advertising campaigns and you have a socially acceptable addiction waiting to happen.
As with any addiction, consumers must reprogram their routine and perceptions to overcome the problem. The strength of sensory cues (sight and smell of food) needs to be acknowledged the same way it is understood that placing bottles of alcohol in front of an alcoholic is asking for a relapse. Addicts must reprogram themselves by breaking unhealthy food's association with a positive experience ("It tastes so good") and instead link them with the negative effects ("The satisfaction is only temporary and then I'll feel bloated and guilty").
Dr. Kessler admits that the lure of food can never be programmed out completely, much like for a reformed alcoholic or smoker. However, replacing the positive stimulation of unhealthy food with a negative connotation will be easier than attempting to exert control over the desire with dieting or willpower. As Kessler states at the end of his segment, "If you want that donut, even if you know that it's not good for you, there's nothing (anyone) can do to get in the way between you and that donut (...) once your brain has been activated."
Monday, May 25, 2009
Like the Littlest Hobo...but angrier
After just over two years at my current position, I may be on the lookout for greener pastures. It appears that I have assumed the role of my boss's least favourite person in the office, since the previous occupant took mental stress leave. Initially, I was comfortable being the lone person to say 'no' to my boss's panic-driven initiatives, like photocopying, addressing and distributing 200+ copies of a union booklet in an afternoon for fear of being reprimanded by the union. Yet, being the lone dissenter has its downsides.
Recent drama in my workplace have included:
Recent drama in my workplace have included:
- My boss checking with my immediate supervisor regarding my workload and deciding to add to that workload without consulting me. It is worthy to note that I had just returned from a holiday, was catching up and actually had plenty to do outside of my immediate supervisor's jurisdiction. I was challenged to list all of my current projects then met with predetermined hostile indifference.
- Asking for vacation time only to be taken into a meeting where my job description was cited like a contract negotiation. When it occurred to me that my boss had made up her mind before I ever had the chance to offer possible solutions, like unpaid overtime prior to departure, I was forced to listen to the boss and immediate supervisor tag-team me with repetitive officiousness.
2009 Doors Open recap
Joe has been considering hopping onto one of the double decker bus tours of Toronto just to get an outsider's view of the city that we live in. However, the financial commitment and the shame of being seen on a tourist bus still holds us back. In the meantime, we engaged in the closest thing to becoming a hometown tourist while retaining self-respect by attending the 10th Annual Doors Open Toronto.
In mapping out our destinations, we aimed for the buildings that we would not normally have access to like the National Ballet School, the Carlu, and the Royal Canadian Military Institute. However, we were impressed by familiar yet unexpected gems like the Toronto Dominion Centre, where we were granted access to the 54th Floor Boardroom, which retains much of the meticulous Modernist style of architect, Mies van der Rohe, and Old City Hall, which I have never actually entered. Architect, Edward James Lennox aimed to impress visitors with an imposing entrance that leads unexpectedly into a bright main hall, and 110 years later, his design is still effective. I never knew that the heavy-looking building was actually hollow, with an interior courtyard, and full of large windows, to lessen the reliance on the then-untried technology of electricity.
While waiting in line for the National Ballet School on Saturday morning, fellow attendees were already relaying tales of the legendary lineup outside the Don Jail. What was a 'must see' on our list was quickly crossed off with regret. However, happy news after so many visitors were turned away from the Don Jail during Doors Open: the Don Jail will be open to tourists starting June 1 for an admission price of $20. Then, in November, the Jail will be gutted by Bridgepoint Hospital and converted into office space. Having visited Alcatraz in San Francisco, I think Toronto is destroying a future tourist attraction in its plans for the Don Jail, but gutting the Jail will be in keeping with Toronto's tradition of destroying its past for short-sighted convenience.
In mapping out our destinations, we aimed for the buildings that we would not normally have access to like the National Ballet School, the Carlu, and the Royal Canadian Military Institute. However, we were impressed by familiar yet unexpected gems like the Toronto Dominion Centre, where we were granted access to the 54th Floor Boardroom, which retains much of the meticulous Modernist style of architect, Mies van der Rohe, and Old City Hall, which I have never actually entered. Architect, Edward James Lennox aimed to impress visitors with an imposing entrance that leads unexpectedly into a bright main hall, and 110 years later, his design is still effective. I never knew that the heavy-looking building was actually hollow, with an interior courtyard, and full of large windows, to lessen the reliance on the then-untried technology of electricity.
While waiting in line for the National Ballet School on Saturday morning, fellow attendees were already relaying tales of the legendary lineup outside the Don Jail. What was a 'must see' on our list was quickly crossed off with regret. However, happy news after so many visitors were turned away from the Don Jail during Doors Open: the Don Jail will be open to tourists starting June 1 for an admission price of $20. Then, in November, the Jail will be gutted by Bridgepoint Hospital and converted into office space. Having visited Alcatraz in San Francisco, I think Toronto is destroying a future tourist attraction in its plans for the Don Jail, but gutting the Jail will be in keeping with Toronto's tradition of destroying its past for short-sighted convenience.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
A Victoria Day Weekend for nerds
After attending a Red Eye this past weekend, it has become apparent that zombies are very fashionable right now, at least in my immediate gaming circle. In addition to the previous Red Eye favourite, Left 4 Dead, we enjoyed Call of Duty's Nazi Zombies, and Flowers vs. Zombies. The latter is a single player PopCap Game but its pedigree did not prevent it from turning members of the party into intense, zombie killing gardeners.
It is hard to say what makes zombie killing so appealing for everyone but for myself, I enjoy the guiltfree killing spree that I can engage in. The practice has all the moral satisfaction of weeding but with the bonus of the weeds being human shaped, mobile and hostile to my well-being.
When the gaming was over, Joe and I went to see X-Men Origins: Wolverine because we already saw Star Trek last weekend (and it was excellent). I am in agreement with the majority of critics that Hugh Jackman is the only strength in an otherwise mediocre movie. However, in an exchange after the credits had rolled, a fellow audience member and a theatre employee put it best:
"It was better than X-Men 3."
"Yeah. At least Brett Ratner couldn't touch this one."
It is hard to say what makes zombie killing so appealing for everyone but for myself, I enjoy the guiltfree killing spree that I can engage in. The practice has all the moral satisfaction of weeding but with the bonus of the weeds being human shaped, mobile and hostile to my well-being.
When the gaming was over, Joe and I went to see X-Men Origins: Wolverine because we already saw Star Trek last weekend (and it was excellent). I am in agreement with the majority of critics that Hugh Jackman is the only strength in an otherwise mediocre movie. However, in an exchange after the credits had rolled, a fellow audience member and a theatre employee put it best:
"It was better than X-Men 3."
"Yeah. At least Brett Ratner couldn't touch this one."
Friday, May 15, 2009
Kichadi and Iceland - The End
Technically, I'm supposed to continue my Kichadi Fast until Saturday but I intend on breaking my fast tonight with dinner. It will not be steak or something fried because I have been advised to ease back into regular food. However, even a salad sounds like flavour country right now.
I do recommend the Kichadi Fast to others, if only to gauge how many calories you consume when taste is taken out of the equation. I do not recommend visiting friends for a home cooked meal while on the Kichadi Fast. If there was a low point of this past week, that would definitely have been it (I am so sorry, Fiona).
A final note on Iceland: I mentioned previously how aloof Icelanders can be and our Hotel Bjork concierge, Oddur, was a perfect example of this. He failed to smile when we arrived and was initially all business, but was soon engaged in an ongoing joke about his perpetual presence at the front desk in the most hilariously deadpan manner. By the end, we were selling Canada to him as a vacation destination and he seemed genuinely interested. I must remember to seal the deal by sending him a Canadiana postcard.
I do recommend the Kichadi Fast to others, if only to gauge how many calories you consume when taste is taken out of the equation. I do not recommend visiting friends for a home cooked meal while on the Kichadi Fast. If there was a low point of this past week, that would definitely have been it (I am so sorry, Fiona).
A final note on Iceland: I mentioned previously how aloof Icelanders can be and our Hotel Bjork concierge, Oddur, was a perfect example of this. He failed to smile when we arrived and was initially all business, but was soon engaged in an ongoing joke about his perpetual presence at the front desk in the most hilariously deadpan manner. By the end, we were selling Canada to him as a vacation destination and he seemed genuinely interested. I must remember to seal the deal by sending him a Canadiana postcard.
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