Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)

It seems like Marvin Gaye was one of the few singers who knew back in 1971 about the harmful effects of humankind on the environment and decided to sing about it. Poisons, oil, mercury, radiation, and overpopulation are all man-made problems that are slowly destroying our precious planet. I like the last line of the song, however, essentially asking Mother Nature how much abuse can she take. This song relates to all aspects of Science, Technology, Society, and the Environment as science and technology have created more harmful products than man know what to do with yet society is what demands these destructive products and ultimately it is the environment that suffers from humankind's perpetual abuse. I know protecting the land and seas is something everyone cares about no matter where they come from but one rarely stops to think about their small daily behaviors and how they are part of this non-point pollution problem. Peace!

Oh, mercy mercy me

Oh, things ain't what they used to be

No, no

Where did all the blue skies go?

Poison is the wind that blows

From the north, east, south, and sea.

Oh, mercy mercy me

Oh, things ain't what they used to be

No, no

Oil wasted on the oceans and upon our seas

Fish full of mercury.

Oh, mercy mercy me

Oh, things ain't what they used to be

No, no

Radiation underground and in the sky

Animals and birds who live nearby are dying.

Oh, mercy mercy me

Oh, things ain't what they used to be

What about this overcrowded land?

How much more abuse from man can she stand?

House Plants

When I first moved into my tiny apartment in Ottawa I had no plants. The year went by and although I attempted to grow some edelweiss flowers, they quickly perished after a two week absence. This year I have been much more modest in my green selections. I have a small bamboo plant that sits by the window that requires minimal water (pictured below). My poor cat went from enjoying the outdoors of our subarban Montreal garden to being a slave to this small downtown Ottawa apartment, so for him I buy special "cat grass" which he enjoys for about 1-2 weeks until it's no longer fresh (also pictured). Lastly, I have a mini palm tree that I bought at a souvenir shop in Florida. I don't know how long it will last but I am hopeful as it's also one of those plants with little maintenance required. From time to time I buy a basil plant for food flavoring but that obviously does not last very long. At the moment I'm looking forward to finishing my degree in Ottawa and moving to a new city that has yet to be determined!!

Corny 2013

Growing up corn used to be one of my favorite vegetables; I liked it boiled, raw, on the BBQ, and even canned. As soon as it came in season I would insist my parents buy some and they would never object as the taste was so good and the price was right. The sad reality nowadays, however, is that corn is one of the cheapest and easiest foods to grow in North America. It can survive drastic changes in weather and is generally resistant to bugs as well. For that reason it is being used in a growing list of products that have absolutely nothing to do with corn such as batteries, anti-wrinkle creams (seriously), soft drinks, gum, oil, with 49% being used as food for livestock; the latter making the least sense. As a result, I have grown less and less fond of corn and don't even appreciate it on the rare occasions that I do eat it. 

Right now 90% of corn in the United States is genetically modified and its ugly cousin high fructose corn syrup has mostly replaced sucrose/table sugar as a sweetener in the food industry. Along with corn, other genetically modified crops on the market include: Soy, sugar from sugar beets, Hawaiian papaya, cottonseed, some zucchini, canola (oil), and crookneck squash. A disturbing study conducted in France last year concluded that rats fed GM corn for 4-7 months developed large tumors, organ damage, and died prematurely. Of course Monsanto has conducted other "expert" studies since then in an attempt to disprove or discredit the French study but I am not convinced. Considering that corn and/or high fructose corn syrup can be found in nearly every item in a grocery store (and remains consistently cheap) it's getting harder to avoid them in our diets.

To read a slightly disturbing article: Eating this Could Turn your Gut into a Living Pesticide Factory or more on the study linking GM corn to tumors: Food Matters

Most Processed Foods

I don't think this is surprising news to anyone who reads this blog, but lately I've been seeing a lot of my friends consuming 2-3 items on this list and it's troubling. I have to admit I have a weakness for pizza and nachos but I make sure to have them once or twice a month at the most. Being a vegetarian helps in not eating a few items on this list but one should avoid these foods for plenty of other reasons. In no particular order: high sodium levels, high calorie/fat content, little to no nutritional value, etc. I think we all know by now to avoid these foods as much as we can, but every now and then it's good to get a little reminder. On a related personal note, I recently lost a filling thanks to a frozen gummy bear in an ice-cream sundae, so I'm far from perfect!

• Hamburgers/Hot Dogs
• Cold Cuts
• Pizza
• Fried chicken
• French fries
• Milkshakes
• Specialty coffee drinks
• Soft Drinks
• Doughnuts/Cakes
• Tacos/nachos