The ritual of Walk to School is an important one, long unappreciated.

Neither difficult nor excessively long, the walk to school has always been an excellent way to start learning for the day. In a way I am thankful I am able to participate and guide. We neither rush nor dally, allocating sufficient time to allow for the mind to wander at will. The environment, grass, trees, the weather and sky are our teaching aids. There is the important skill of safely crossing the street to learn, one which needs to be learned well. Handling vehicular traffic is also covered. There is the final wave. I then return, thinking of how to plan my day.

My parents never had the luxury of the walk. While seemingly simple and available to everyone, economics dictates this gift. We were rushed off to the sitters early in the morning, and there was never time to dally and to allow the mind to wander. We were on a schedule. Nevertheless, is the walk such an important task? Is there anything to learn from the daily journey, repeated ad nauseum?

I opt to slow down to the pace of the walked. After all, I know much of this content already, so the walk is not as important for me. Everyone progresses at their own pace, and it is best to not push nor retard this pace. Of course one can encourage progression, but to push hard only results in resentment and the loathing of the subject matter. That would be worse than not having the walk at all.

The first lessons concern being prepared for school. Are the bags well packed for the day? Is outerwear and footwear sufficient. Lace tying is a skill to be learned. Is gear in good nick? Timing is also studied: too early and there will be boredom, and too late and there will be detention. As experience increases timing can be shaved closer, but there must always be a buffer of sorts. This buffer is at this time too complex for the walked.

The environment and science is the first lesson of the day. There is the changing of the seasons, when the trees go through their life cycle. Why does the tree bear fruit only to drop it and stain our shoes? Bother! We cover animals and how they eat, raise their young and store food for the winter. Crafty things, how they learn to steal from bird feeders. There is grass and dew. The moon in the morning? Really? What is fog? Cold and warm air mash it up to create noise, which reminds us about rain gear. It’s all so complex, but with time and repetition the learning does happen.

The geriatrics make their rounds and wave. Will we get old some day, and walk around in circles all day? Though they are nice they are a little odd. We should still be nice to them. We don’t stop to talk in the morning but an afternoon chat is Ok. I don’t know why.

Crossing the street is an important skill. One bad cross and the walker can end up in the hospital or worse. Car drivers are careless. Even school bus drivers are not safe. Be wary, watch for a safe opportunity and then be decisive. Hold back, think, then go for it. It’s complex, no doubt, and needs to be learned. Other walkers refuse to learn the skill, opting to rely on the trainer for guidance, but this perpetuates dependence and therefore retards learning. Daily practice of frogger reduces but does not eliminate the risk. After a sufficient training period, you let go and pass responsibility over. It sure is difficult but it will happen sooner or later.

Drivers are not to be trusted if at all possible. Just because people have a role does not mean they will behave safely. No, people are human and will often do what is best for themselves, without thinking of their effects on others. This is a key lesson for the walked. Shouldn’t the trainer heed the sign and teach their walked to look both ways? Yes, but different people learn in different ways. Sometimes the walked get hurt. Sometimes the trainers are not very responsible.

Is it Ok for the trainer to yell at their walkers to hurry up, while the trainers stop to pick other people’s flowers? That does not seem right. Making sense of the world is not easy.

To trust the trainer and to trust yourself is also a skill to learn. Who to trust? It’s all so complex.

The journey does matter after all.

A neighbour has a couple of birdfeeders that are always stocked with birdseed. I always see local squirrels hang upside down in order to eat the birdseed, dropping excess seeds to the ground for the birds.

___There are many squirrels that use this feeding station, jumping from the neighbour’s roof to nearby tree branches, slowly shimmy backwards down the birdfeeder and hang by their hind legs. This allows them to use both hands to eat at their leisure. Maybe only young squirrels are able to feed this way.

___A possible anti-squirrel solution would be to cover the top half of the birdfeeder with a plastic bottle so that there would be no grip for the squirrel, but still allow the birds to eat in peace.

___The last photo shows that this squirrel has had some tussles with other local thugs and came out for the worst.

___Where there is a will, there is a way.

Squirrel hangs upside down to eat birdseed

Squirrel hangs from rear legs to use front paws to eat

Squirrel rest while taking in a birdseye view

___Yes, the ingredient is called cochineal, carmine (carminic acid), or E120. Because beetles are insects it is not considered kosher, halal, or vegetarian. Some people can have allergic reactions to it, as was televised by “60 Minutes”. Yes, this kid almost died of anaphylactic shock. I’m always amazed at what is put into our food that we don’t know about. As usual, Canadian labeling laws do not give you any indication of its origins. While I do not have an aversion to eating bugs (they make a great supplemental protein source), I know most other people do. Cochineal can also be used as organic ant repellent.

___It is interesting that “60 Minutes” omitted to tell us of the long history of this dye and its stellar safety record. There was much sensationalism in the story, as if this was a new additive used by evil food manufacturers to poison us all. So much for unbiased reporting.

Female cochineal are flat, wingless, 5mm long, oval shaped scale insects. Dried and crushed they make an all natural, deep red dye for food and cosmetics

Apparently this is not a Female cochineal beetle, 5mm long, ground up is used as a red dye in food and cosmetics, but a scarab beetle. Cochineal are scale insects. For those entomologists that wrote nasty emails to me condemning me, may you have a lifelong case of phthirus pubis.

Cochineal red was used by the Spanish in the 1500s

___This dye and food colouring has a colourful history, and sure is old school:

Cochineal and its close cousin carmine (also known as carminic acid) are derived from the crushed carcasses of a particular South and Central American beetle. These popular colorants, which today are used to impart a deep red shade to fruit juices, gelatins, candies, shampoos, and more, come from the female Dactylopius coccus, a beetle that inhabits a type of cactus known as Opuntia.

Dactylopius coccus was the source of a red dye used by Aztecs and Mexican Indians for centuries before the arrival of the Spaniards. Those indigenous peoples would collect cochineal insects, briefly immerse them in hot water to kill the beasties and dissolve the females’ waxy coating, and then dry them in the sun. The dessicated insects would then be ground to a fine powder.

The Spaniards immediately grasped the potential of the pigment, so these dried insects became one of the first products to be exported from the New World to the Old. Europeans took to the beautiful, bright scarlet colour immediately both for its vibrant hue and for its extraordinary colorfast properties, ensuring that boatloads of cochineal insects would make the trans-Atlantic trek.

Cochineal beetles exude a sticky white substance. Female beetles suck juice out of cactus

___Of course manufacturers are not going to alert you with “beetle guts” in their ingredients list, so there are many other names for it. Is this unethical or are we just not educated enough?

Most consumers are unaware that the phrases “cochineal extract”, “carmine”, “crimson lake”, “natural red 4″, “C.I. 75470″, “E120″, or even “natural colouring” refer to a dye that is derived from an insect. One reason for its popularity is that, unlike many commercial synthetic red dyes, it is not toxic or carcinogenic…

Carmine is one of the very few pigments considered safe enough for use in eye cosmetics. A significant proportion of the insoluble carmine pigment produced is used in the cosmetics industry for hair- and skin-care products, lipsticks, face powders, rouges, and blushes. A bright red dye and the stain carmine used in microbiology is often made from the carmine extract, too. The pharmaceutical industry uses cochineal to colour pills and ointments.

___You learn something new everyday. Science is so cool. I appreciate how organic compounds can be used in our food. This proves that bugs can be safely eaten. When I see bugs being eaten in Thailand it intrigues me. It is comforting to know that we all eat bugs on a daily basis and just did not know it.

Addendum Mar 28 2012: Crushed bugs give Starbucks Frappucino its pretty pink colour: This is so funny because it is NOT news. Ditto Starbucks bugs vegan with Frappuccino dye made from ground up insects, but for those allergic to the insects, at least there are some substitutes that are being used.

My brothers in China have purchased 2 Philips brand compact flourescent bulbs from Walmart China, one which burned out after only a month and another which burned out in less than a week. These bulbs should last for 10,000 hours, or over 6 years. His case is well documented.

___He paid 30.80RMB each, for a total of 61.60RMB, for which he received 1 month and 1 week’s worth of light, all in an effort to be more environmentally friendly. Due to terrible quality control in Philip’s China factory these bulbs were shipped to Walmart stores in China, where my brother purchased them and was cheated. That is a lot of money to lose.

___I purchased GE compact flourescent bulbs here in Canada, similar to the ones pictured here. The older version of these bulbs were rated for 14,000 hours. At 8 hours a day, 7 days a week, they should last 5 years. I kept my receipt. After only 2 years my bulb burned out, so I called up GE in Canada, and explained that my bulb burned out prematurely. They sent me a coupon for a free replacement bulb.

GE Compact flourescent bulb, Made in China

___The compact flourescent bulbs pictured here are the newer version of the same GE bulbs but rated at 10,000 hours. At 8 hours a day, 365 days a year they should last me 3.5 years. They were purchased at Walmart, here in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. If they burn out prematurely I will call GE for free replacements. These bulbs are made in China, where my brother lives.

___I hope that my brother in China can either return his bulbs to Walmart for a full refund or he can call up Philips in China and get free replacements for his bulbs. It is bad business for Philips to sell bulbs in China that are of bad quality. Philips has a world wide reputation as a high quality manufacturer, but when my brother in China gets cheated, then why should I here in Canada purchase Philips products? Maybe I will also get cheated?

___The internet makes the world smaller. While I am separated from my brother by half the globe and a time difference of 12 hours, I will not purchase any Philips product here in Canada until my brother in China can resolve his Philips issues. I ask that others In China, Canada and around the world to also not purchase Philips products. I think this is only fair.

___It’s magical that a sprinkling of 5 cm of new snow can transform our landscape, and with it the spirits of our neighborhood. New snow is pristine, covering everything with a whitewash of, well, white. It’s as if some gigantic bottle of baby powder was evenly sprinkled on everything. A landscape of white greets your senses, with only a hint of green showing from our evergreens, who have the ability to partially shed their coat of snow.

___Snow, when fresh fallen, is white. Each particle has a unique internal crystalline structure, formed through their travels by a combination of wind, temperature, and available water. One could say that their uniqueness alone is something to marvel. Take an area of 300 square kilometers, drop 10 cm by 300 square km of snow on the area, and ensure each and every snow flake is unique. Who designs these structures?

A wonderful snowscape. Are you paying attention?

___Fresh fallen snow filters the air, leaving it fresh and pristine. Snow blankets the dull browns and pale greens of grass. It covers eyesores such as blotches of displaced dirt, stains of excess road salt, and windblown pieces of plastic or errant garbage, thus reducing visual clutter and allowing better focus. The white scenery, the crisp clean air, and the muffled sounds, leaves one with a unique and wonderful feeling. I’d say it is a Canadian feeling.

___There are many of us that are simply too busy to pay attention. We carry on about making more money, buying a bigger house or car, how to finance it all, or how to get away from our mind’s octopus and entanglement. I once wondered if you walked around downtown Toronto’s Union Station in a pink bunny suit during the morning rush hour, would anyone notice? I suspect not. I would predict that you would get run over by the hordes of business suits running to get to their office and plug into their computers. Yet this morning, Mother Nature is, very politely, seeking our attention by blanketing our environment in white. Will we pay attention?

Green has to be the dominant colour for Greenpeace, for what other colour could they choose?. Grenpeace stands for the environment, after all, and without green you have environmental destruction. Their logo is written in thick green, hand printed, informal and playful. The top right header has a background colour of green, and most of their links are green. Green is the dominant colour on their vessel. How can you not be drawn to their vessel, replete with their trademark rainbow and dove. This ship glides peacefully through a narrow channel with a frame of lush green trees. It is positively idylic, and if we all joined the movement, the world would be a so much better place for our kids and ourselves.Their site and their cause really brings you in. Green IS Greenpeace.

In terms of content, displayed prominently not once but twice, is “Take action”. Sign up. Donate. The message is to be proactive and do something positive now. The very important current issue is front and centre, so you cannot miss it. The bright orange, which contasts with the green, works to attract the eye and lure you in. There is the lovely photo in the centre of the page that shows you the destruction that Greenpeace fights against. Your eye is drawn to the photo, which carries you down the road lined with trees that will take centuries to grow back. The accompanying text provides explanation. As a marketing tool the website works, and works well.

In terms of web usability, there is current news displayed in one box, very prominent and easy to find. There are places to search, and to login. Overall the site is simple, clear, very understandable, but effective. Colour contrast and brightness contrast are high, allowing for easy reading. Almost all text is mixed case, which allows you to quickly scan words. The site has pleasing colours and two photos, which provides a target for your eyes.

Greenpeace UK conveys the essence of their organization, is an excellent piece of marketing, and has great usability. In my view it functions as a top notch website.

Let’s join up!

Note: This site is run by a Drupal CMS. Just check their source code.

Maybe we should call them winter carrots because of the resemblance. The kids want to eat them.

Large icicle at front door

Large icicle at front door

Icicles at security light

Large icicle at side door

A whole lot of snow has fallen in Toronto, and I’ve been shoveling once last night and twice today. While the temperatures are -4C and the snow is fluffy, it looks like around 20cm, which builds up and becomes heavy. It is not cold outside.

Gonggong's bicycle snowed in

The trees have snow but not ice.

Icicles by security light

We have some icicles growing from various parts of the eavestrough that are melting, so there’s a constant drip, drip onto the snow outside. They will freeze solid tonight. The kids want them to eat, but they’re too high up and when you crack them off you don’t want to be underneath when they fall.

Treehouse snowed under

Note the snow accumulation on the second story of the treehouse is over knee deep, and this is only from snow accumulation from last night.

It is days like these that I really do appreciate living in Canada. There is variety and beauty. Yes, I could be living beside a volcano in sub-tropical climes looking out to white grey fluff covering my bike (volcanic ash), but I prefer the real stuff.