The Politics of Fear

I am writing with Grover playing in the background. Needed some calming tunes after watching a Fox News Special (“Radical Islam: Terror In Its Own Words”) earlier. The right wing blogs and sites had been salivating all last week as they waited in anticipation for the programme to air last night and again today. As I expected (it is Fox after all), a load of sensationalist diatribe and propaganda aimed at demonising the “other”, keeping the populace in a constant state of fear and justifying foreign policy. I would write a long article dissecting and destroying each argument in the programme but I don’t think my employers would be very happy. Diplomatic life is very restrictive when it comes to voicing personal opinions on issues like this.

Food has always been an interest of mine, whether it’s eating, cooking or talking about it and while I definitely will not be going back to my days of gluttony, my obsession with food will always be ever present. I like watching cooking shows and have spent lots of my time home watching a number of them. Besides having to suffer as chefs prepare mouth watering dishes, I have been picking up many useful tips. For example, using the twigs of rosemary with the leaves still attached at the top as a skewer when grilling fish. This imparts the flavours right into the pieces of fish.

I came across this December feature on the BBC website. It is an interview of a Barbadian called Laurie Daniels, one of the thousands of West Indians recruited in the 1950s by the British to work on their buses and trains. It’s presented as an audio slideshow. Check it out: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6164665.stm

While you are doing that, also check this: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6310685.stm It’s an audio slideshow about the Festival in the Desert which is held every year in Essakane, Mali. I actually saw the link to the interview of the Bajan transport worker while I was watching the feature on the Desert Festival.

Putting Things Into Perspective

I got my hard cast on Monday. As expected, heavier and more uncomfortable. Positive thing about it is that it restricts to a large extent movement from calf to toes, and it is this lack of movement which is supposed to help heal my tendon.

I watched two programmes on the Learning Channel on Sunday night (or was it Monday morning?) which kind of put things back into perspective for me and reminded me to be grateful for everything I have. The first was about primordial dwarfs ("The Smallest People in the World") and it was quite enlightening. Adapting to a world not built for small people and furthermore the smallest and rarest of the two hundred types of dwarves takes character. Most of us never think about these people as we go about our lives everyday. The second one ("A New Face for Marlie") was about a Haitian girl who because of a non-hereditary genetic disorder had started growing a lesion on her face and which had over the years grown into a huge mass protruding from her face/neck. Scorned by fellow Haitians, her face engulfed by the growth which had made eating and breathing almost impossible and Haitian doctors unable to treat her, Marlie would have died if not for the help of a charity which took her to Miami and doctors there who waived their fees. The lesion was removed and she has since undergone further reconstructive surgery. So next time I feel like complaining about my foot, I will bear in mind what the Creator has blessed me with.

One of my sisters was telling me the other day that I will put on lots of weight sitting at home doing nothing and this is actually one of my fears. I am trying to eat light but I have resigned myself to some regression. Those who know me know about my rather healthy appetite (yes Mr. C I saw your comment about my eating an entire pizza in one go when I was at university), but many who have not seen me nor had a meal with me recently would be quite amazed at how much I now eat and the weight I have lost. I used to laugh when people would tell me when I was a teenager and in my early twenties that one day all the food I was consuming would catch up with me and I would not remain skinny forever. Well the trust I put in my fast metabolism was ill-founded and in the last few years I put on quite a bit of weight. I joined a gym in the fall of 2005 but was too inconsistent. That is until I saw my pics from a trip to Quito in April 2006. I was appalled and decided I needed to take some action. I don’t believe in all those fad diets etc. I think if one maintains a balanced, healthy diet of appropriate portions and exercises, then you are fine. I gradually reduced my portions, cut out the fats and unhealthy stuff, started snacking a lot on fruits and health bars so I wouldn’t be famished at meal times and tried to keep my gym attendance consistent. The result: weight loss and almost causing my sisters panic attacks when I went home last August. My sisters are from the old school- cook lots of food and feed the men and kids. When I went home in June/July 2005 I put on twenty-five pounds in a month so you know these women don’t play around when it comes to food!!!

Hopping

Using crutches is a pain!!! Since yesterday afternoon, I've dropped a pizza and nearly fell twice!!! I have been feeling like eating pizza for weeks and finally decided to be unhealty last night. Serves me right! I ate half and dropped the other half. thankfully it stayed in the box although the floor got some toppings. So there I was cleaning the floor whilst avoiding putting any weight on one foot. Rather difficult.

I decided to go into work today to finish off some stuff and try to clear up my desk. Took me just over two hours to get ready!!! Showering was a challenge!!! People at work while showing concern also saw the lighter side of things (which one of de women beat you up? somebody man like he beat you for he woman! come leh me kick you in dah foot). I bought indian food for lunch. Bought 2 sets so that I could take home some for later. Actually it should last me about four meals! Not my old gluttonous self anymore. A year ago that would have been demolished in two sittings.

My left foot hurts more than my right when I am using the crutches. It looks so easy when people walk with them. And standing on one foot is not fun either. I had to do that this morning waiting on the cab and this evening waiting on the driver from work to take me home. The latter was worse as the medical shoe offers absolutely no protection from the elements. I am dreading the trip to the orthopaedist tomorrow- its going to be bloody cold, single digits in farenheit!!!

One minute we are having spring weather and record highs in January and the next its well below freezing. Global warming or as my dry cleaner says, global destruction. Don't tell the US Government that though!!!