February 7th, 2014 will mark the first day of the 22nd Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. Generally, when thinking about the Olympic Games, the first thing that comes to mind is international athletic competition, but people tend to overlook the global cooperative aspects that are also associated with the event. The Olympic Games have been serving as a prime example of the potential for success that exists in international collaboration since it's inception. In 1994, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) added to the Olympic Charter recognition of the importance of the environment and sustainability. Since then, it has been mandated that all Olympic organizing committees ensure significant environmental initiatives are undertaken in the planning and orchestrating of each event. Sochi's planning committee has identified some of the key aspects of environmental protection they will focus on, but environmentalists eagerly await a concrete action plan on how these goals will be achieved beyond the sustainable construction of venues, which is already underway. Host cities of previous Olympic games have also made significant promises and efforts to reduce the impact the event has on the environment. The most recent games, held in London in 2012, mandated that all restaurants within athletic venues and the athlete's village serve locally sourced food. This was only one aspect of the sustainability plan for London's organization committee. In the Vancouver 2010 Olympics, there was a focus placed on restoration of the BC shoreline, reintroducing indigenous vegetation and wildlife to the region that had been neglected for many years. This was made as part of the construction plan for Olympic venues that were located near the water. There is no question that the IOC has good intentions, and works toward international cooperation and improvements for the cities that host each event, however their efforts are sometimes misguided, and cause negative impacts following the conclusion of the games. Athens 2004 Olympics are a prime example of this, where environmental efforts were made to plant millions of bushes and trees in the city. The species chosen were not native to Greece, causing a portion to die rather than flourish, and another portion to overrun the native species populations. Similarly, the Greek planning committee put extensive funding into the construction of new Olympic venues that have now joined the ranks of the decrepit ruins the country is known for. The area of the city where Olympic venues are based has become a ghost town, lacking vegetation and facility maintenance. The occasional failure or misjudgement that causes this waste should not overshadow the tremendous effort put into the Olympics, especially in regards to the environmental considerations that are unparalleled by any other international event. Historically, the Olympics have succeeded in bringing nations together for friendly competition, in spite of opposing political agendas. It has acted as a medium to facilitate dialogue about pressing international issues in an informal and optimistic setting. To date, the Olympic games are likely the best example of global cooperation that has continued to succeed for over a century.
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I have to say, in spite of being a woman myself, gender issues have never been a primary interest of mine. Maybe that's because I've never been discriminated against for being a woman, or maybe it's so much a part of society that I've become used to being a second class citizen because of my gender. Either way, it's never been one of my top concerns, especially in Canada where women are a lot closer to being treated as equals than they are in other parts of the world. Today I stumbled across a number of articles online that were all related to women's rights and the socialization of femininity, and while I don't have a defined opinion on the broader issue, these particular scenarios were noteworthy enough to discuss. The first of these articles was called How to Talk to Litte Girls and it emphasizes how children are socialized from such a young age to value the things that are expected of them based on their gender. An alarming statistic was brought to my attention in reading this piece. It's common knowledge that girls are more prone to being self-conscious about their bodies and going on diets, but I learned that now, almost half of girls between the ages of 3 and 6 are worried about being fat. My cousin's daughter will turn 3 next month and imagining her being on a diet disturbed me enough to read the rest of the article, and reconsider the way I talk to her. The main idea being presented was that we should be encouraging little girls to be proud of themselves for their minds and accomplishments rather than being pretty. The story told by the author focuses on talking to a 5-year-old girl about reading rather than her pretty hair and dress, emphasizing the child's excitement about sharing her favourite book with a stranger. When these are the conversations we have with little girls, we are able to shift the focus of their self-worth from their appearance to their intelligence.
These two articles tied together in an interesting way, showing how the priorities instilled in young girls can shape their self-worth and alter their values later in life. In an area that is considered developed, the inequality shown between men and women from infancy through adulthood is an alarming step backward.
Canadians are proud to be patriotic all year round, but it's shown with so much more passion on Canada Day. During our celebrations of beavers, hockey and poutine, we tend to forget the areas in which Canada needs improvement. We may be 146 years old, but as a country we are young and still have some important lessons to learn. The oppression of Canada's native people has become an issue of international interest, with the United Nations citing these human rights abuses as a reason to keep Canada off the security council. One of my classes this week focused on Canada's native people, so we watched a movie called Third World Canada. The film follows a family of children who have been orphaned after both parents commit suicide on a native reserve, where the living conditions mirror those of a third world country. The class discussed current actions being taken by the government and came up with our own suggestions on how to improve life for Canada's native population. The public doesn't care enough about Aboriginal issues to pressure the government into improving reserves. This is why I believe the best solution would start with a shift in public perception, away from the stereotypical mentality of native people being alcoholics who have no interest in employment and who take advantage of their tax break. These representations of ALL native people are just as accurate as those that show all Muslim people as terrorists or all black people as criminals. Canada is quickly gaining equal notoriety for our poor environmental standings, winning the fossil award for being 'environmental dinosaurs' 5 years in a row. This is largely due to the tar sands in Alberta which involve damaging tailing ponds and excessive water usage. Canada covertly instituted a more lenient environmental assessment process by approving the annual budget this year, which sets the country back even further in environmental protection (not to mention, making my EA diploma outdated before I've even graduated). Similar discreet action was taken by the government in amalgamating CIDA with the Department of Foreign Affairs, which tied Canada's aid funding into its trade interests. These are both representations of Canada's government failing to prioritize important international issues and focusing solely on the economic benefits for the country. Generally, these may all be considered 'rookie mistakes', leaving significant room for improvement in the fields of human rights, international aid and environmental conservation. In spite of these shortcomings, Canadians still have reason to be proud and celebrate our country. We are home to international legends like David Suzuki, Terry Fox, Wayne Gretzky, Chris Hadfield, the Ryans (Gosling & Reynolds), and even the people we love to hate, Justin Bieber and Nickelback. Canada is responsible for hockey, basketball (no America, we will not let you have this one), lacrosse, insulin, the zipper, and blackberry. I won't ever fool myself into thinking I live in a perfect country, but I sure am proud to call Canada my home and native land! |