Hunter/Gatherer

It's hard to imagine that in the 21st century, there are still hunter/gatherer societies that exist in the world.

Indigenous tribes that have never been in contact with "the outside world", let alone the technology, symbols, mores and folkways that govern our lives.


Photo credits: Brazil National Indian Foundation (Funai)

So when I first saw these aerial photographs on the BBC News website of an uncontacted indigenous tribe in Brazil, I was mesmerized by their stark outward appearance and their reaction towards the plane circling above them.

According to Survival International (a worldwide advocacy group for the rights of tribal people), more than half the world's 100 uncontacted tribes live in Brazil or Peru. And they're under constant treat of extinction from disease and land loss due to illegal logging and lack of immunity against viruses such as the common cold. 

Photo credits: Brazil National Indian Foundation (Funai)


With our powerful technology coupled with our never-ending demand for land, it may be inevitable that these few remaining hunter/gatherer societies will encounter members of our society.

And then what?

Proponents of integration will argue that their way of life is best left in the "stone age" and that they would be better off living in a society that can offer a higher standard of living thanks to our technological "perks".

Ethnocentrism aside, is there anything to learn from studying these technologically simple societies? What do we stand to gain from researching a society that some would consider "inferior" to our own?

According to Sociology / John J. Macionis, Linda M. Gerber. - 6th Canadian ed. hunters and gatherers spend much of their time in search of game and plants to eat. And since they are at the mercy of uncontrollable events such as storms, droughts, accidents and illnesses, everyone must work together to raise everyone's chances of survival (85).


Photo credits: Brazil National Indian Foundation (Funai)

Which means everyone's work is equally important, regardless of gender. And while men and women perform different tasks, for the most part, they view each other as equals when it comes to socioeconomic importance (85).

And given their close ties to the natural world, they may hold the knowledge in unlocking the mysteries of homeopathic medicine and perhaps the cure for many of our pathogenic challenges.

We can stand to learn a lot from these hunters and gatherers by thinking more in terms of cultural relativism instead of ethnocentrism. But regardless of the level of technology, we all rely on the resources of the earth to sustain us. And unless we take the necessary steps to nurture and preserve our natural resources, the hunters and gatherers won't be the only ones facing extinction.

The Stone Angel



Photo Credit: http://digitalcollections.mcmaster.ca/

By MARGARET LAURENCE

Reviewed by JAMES RHA

Set in the fictional town of Manawaka, Canadian author Margaret Laurence paints a revealing picture of the impact of a lifetime of rancor and uncompromising pride through the eyes of a fictional character, Hagar Shipley.

Told in a first-person point-of-view, the reader is taken on an emotional journey that flips between past and present, as Hagar reveals intimate details of her stormy marriage, the death of her son, brother and husband, her failing health and eventual hospitalization.

Throughout the novel, Laurence executes her craft with remarkable insight and honesty as she introduces the reader to the inner workings of a mind full of disdain, suspicion, and unresolved pain.

Laurence's ability to create a three-dimensional character was evident from the myriad of emotions that I felt towards Hagar Shipley. As the story unfolded, I felt sympathy over the "senseless" death of her son, shock at the magnitude of her hostility towards Doris, respect for her resolve in carrying-out her "plan", and admiration for her final attempts at reconciliation with her son Marvin.

We live in denial of our own mortality. And like many other works of fiction that embrace the theme of carpe diem, The Stone Angel is a good reminder that no one has forever and that love is very democratic.

How much of it you receive is directly proportional to how much you give.

Ronnie.

One of the first lessons that I learned as an actor, is to never judge the character you are playing.

No matter how ridiculous or absurd or heinous his actions, thoughts or mannerisms might be, to cast judgement on your character would be counter-productive to your pursuit in bringing truth and understanding to his objective.

Photo credit: blog.movieset.com

So when I was given the role of "Ronnie" in a scene from the movie Little Children, my ability to follow the aforementioned tenet was immediately put to the test.

Scene from the movie "Little Children" - Ronnie's Date.

In the movie, Ronnie (played by actor Jackie Earle Haley) is a registered sex offender and a pedophile. He was recently released from prison after serving a sentence for indecent exposure. And after moving-in with his mother and becoming the neighbourhood pariah, Ronnie now faces the daunting task of trying to become a "good boy".

Which in the end, produces disastrous results.

Prior to getting this scene study, the only thing that I knew about pedophiles was that they liked to have sex with children, and that they're probably the most viled and despised people within our society. Even amongst other criminals within a correctional facility, they are reportedly kept in segregation for their own protection!

Photo credit: http://www.sealeta.com/

And given the fact that children are viewed as being innocent and in need of our constant protection, it's little wonder that news reports about pedophiles invoke such a highly-charged emotional response from the general public. Let's face it! We want them put away for life, or in some cases, even worse!

But what is pedophilia? What causes it? And more importantly, what (if anything) can be used to treat it? Or is it something that can even be treated?

According to an article published in the medical journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings, pedophilia is a clinical diagnosis usually made by a psychiatrist or psychologist. The article states that a pedophile is, "an individual who fantasizes about, is sexually aroused by, or experiences sexual urges toward prepubescent children (generally less than 13 years of age) for a period of at least 6 months."

Now the article (which can be viewed HERE), is written BY physicians FOR physicians. So even though it contained a lot of medical terminology and references to various studies, I did manage to learn the following about pedophiles and pedophilia:

Not all pedophiles act on their urges and/or fantasies. In fact, some of them experience either interpersonal problems and/or great emotional distress because of this. But, the ones that are identified either by the police and/or the medical community, generally act upon their sexual fantasies because they don't find it distressing enough to seek treatment on their own.

Pedophilia is usually long-term. While some pedophiles reported that their attraction to children started around puberty, others developed this sexual attraction later in life (e.g. 40-70 years of age).

Pedophiles can be both men and women, and they can develop a preference for a specific age-range and/or sex. They can either be exclusively attracted to children or, attracted to adults as well as children.

Getting an accurate count on the number of pedophiles in our society is difficult because few of them seek voluntary treatment, and most of the available data are from people "who have become involved with the legal system." No one knows for sure how many pedophiles are out there who have never been caught and/or who only fantasize but never act upon their urges.

Some pedophiles justify their actions by saying that it had "an educational value" to it and/or that the child had somehow encouraged it.

According to the US Department of Justice, the 5 common psychological defense patterns in pedophiles are:

1) Denial (e.g. "Is it wrong to give a child a hug?")

2) Minimization (e.g. "It only happened once")

3) Justification (e.g. "I am a boy lover, not a child molester")

4) Fabrication (activities were for research studies)

5) Attack (character attacks on the child, police, prosecutors, etc.)

Now as for the big question "What makes a pedophile?", the article states that:

"Pedophilia, especially the exclusive type, may be best thought of as its own category of sexual orientation, not something that is superimposed on an existing heterosexual or homosexual identity."

So if this is true, are pedophiles born that way? And if so, can they be converted into "normal" people through treatment?

Although there are numerous theories that are being studied, the authors of this article make it clear that:

"No treatment for pedophilia is effective unless the pedophile is willing to engage in the treatment."

And according to the findings of a couple of studies, the urges can be managed BUT, the core attraction doesn't change.

As I sit here thinking about what to type next, I find myself feeling grateful for the fact that I've never experienced the pain that comes from being a victim of child abuse or in the case of Ronnie, the torment of having to fight against something that feels so right but yet, is so wrong.

I hope that one day, medical science discovers a "cure" for pedophilia; otherwise, you might get people resorting to this type of a desperate measure:

Scene from the movie "Little Children" - Ronnie takes matters into his own hands.

Eat shit and...

So there I was, sitting on the bus, coming into White Rock Centre when all of a sudden I see this big construction sign flashing the words:

"Boil water advisory in effect. Call..."

So I go home and check the news.  And sure enough, my city is under a boil water advisory.

We sometimes see news stories about E. coli outbreaks in certain foods and/or water supplies, but what exactly are E.coli?

Photo credit: http://www.ecoliblog.com/

Well, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, E. coli (Escherichia coli) are a "large and diverse group of bacteria". Now contrary to popular belief, not all types of E. coli bacteria are harmful to humans. In fact, E. coli can be found in healthy humans and animals.

And according to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), E. coli bacteria are used as "markers for water contamination." Apparently, its' presence in drinking water doesn't necessarily mean that it's harmful to humans, but it does indicate that the water is contaminated.

Don't worry. They think it's confusing too!

But whenever you hear about news stories regarding outbreaks of E. coli infections chances are, they're referring to a type of E. coli called: E. coli O157. 

Photo credit: Dennis Kunkel

This type of bacteria causes disease by producing a toxin called, Shiga toxin (STEC). And this is where things can get really shitty (both figuratively AND literally!). According to the CDC, STEC lives in the guts of animals such as cattle, sheep, deer and elk. And humans tend to get infected by ingesting (ugh!) tiny amounts of animal and/or human feces.

Photo credit: gamesprays.com

Yummy.

Now, unless you're into a certain type of...um..."fetish", the most common ways in which we ingest this crap (Sorry, I couldn't help myself!) is by eating contaminated food, drinking raw milk, contaminated water, and even unpasteurized apple cider. But what might surprise you is that we can also become infected with STEC by eating undercooked hamburgers and/or contaminated lettuce.

Photo credit: foodpoisonjournal.com

Now it's probably safe to say that most people know about the importance of frequent hand-washing and proper food preparation techniques (e.g., cooking meats to proper internal temperature) as ways to prevent getting a nasty case of the "runs" (or worse!).

But what about dealing with contaminated drinking water?

I was surprised to find out that the drinking water in my city isn't treated. In fact, according to Epcor (our local water utilities company), our drinking water comes directly from a groundwater source called the "Sunnyside Uplands aquifer."

Photo credit: Environment Canada

According to the encyclopedia of earth, an aquifer is comprised of layers of sand, porous and non-porous rock that's located underground. When water travels from higher to lower elevations, it moves through the soil until it reaches the area of maximum water saturation. Now contrary to popular belief, an aquifer is not an underground lake. The water is actually held between rock particles, and this water is known as, ground water.

Now there's talk amongst the locals about treating (chlorinating) our drinking water. Having grown-up in a large city that treats its drinking water, I just assumed that all one needed to do is dump as much chlorine (and any other disinfectant!) into the water supply and "Presto!", you have clean drinking water!

But after checking-out the website for the EPA (United States Environmental Protection Agency), it's not as simple as that. In fact, it's a very delicate balancing act that carries with it some possible health risks.

According to the EPA, certain types of microbial pathogens (e.g., Cryptosporidium) are highly resistant to traditional disinfection practices. And disinfectants can react with naturally-occurring materials in the water to create by-products that can be harmful to humans!

So much for my previous assumption!

Although I can't say that I'm crazy about playing "Russian Roulette" with my digestive system whenever I take a drink of water, this incident has taught me some pretty interesting facts about our water supply and the importance of never taking our clean drinking water for granted.

Photo credit: jacobonipools.com

Now pass me the bleach, will ya?