In the self checkout in a shopping mall

 When you are picking items up in the shopping mall, always check if they have the barcode attached. Otherwise, you won't be able to scan them in the self-checkout. Even store staff may not know the price, so they will have to call their manager to solve this problem.

If you are unsure of any price code, take a picture with the product name. It will help you while checking out.

I always try to pay in the self-checkout because it's more accurate. I have seen many times prices counted wrong (I mean, you had to pay extra) because of the counter person's wrong entry.

So, take your time and pay accurately.

Tara Seucharan on Organizing for Climate Justice

 I liked Tara Seucharan’s presentation and what she tried to explain to us. I have learned how to organize, recognize strength, celebrate moments and many more from her presentation. The words from her presentation that impacted me most is, “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.” ... Theodore Roosevelt.

We know that most of the time, we are in a position where we feel we don’t have any power to fight with big corporations or rich and powerful people. We might feel there is no way to solve this problem. But the truth is everyone can do something to put one step ahead to fix or achieve success. We should never lose hope. These words I mentioned above impacted me to keep hope for the good and keep trying with whatever strength I have.

From her presentation, I have also learned that every work, including all community work, intersects with climate justice, like Black Lives Matter, Social Justice, Reproductive Rights, etc. For example, many natural hazards, like cyclones, occur in black-majority areas because the government didn’t take the initiative to make that area climate-friendly.

In my climate-organizing approach, I have incorporated the “Relationship and Coalition Building” strategy Tara mentioned in her presentation. It means meeting, connecting, and learning from new people, gathering the strength of communities.

In my project, I plan to communicate with everyone in the community to make them aware of the Climate Crisis. Then, I plan to communicate with the existing community leaders of that area and exchange our opinions. Then, together, we plan to approach the government about our issues and plans.

Biography 241: Same dresses

 My mom knows how to make dresses. Sometimes, she used to buy clothes and then make dresses for us. So, in Eid, sometimes our sister's dresses match. I never felt bad for that because she used to make the dresses a little different from one to another, like adding buttons, laces, etc., but the prints were the same.

She used to make sweaters, mufflers, etc. She made a sweater for me when I was a kid. She asked me what I wanted in my sweater. I said, "A red car." (I just remember our first car in Saudi Arabia was red.) She made a couple of red cars, some flowers, and grasses on my blue-coloured sweater. I gave it to my son when he was a kid. I kept it for my grandchildren. I hope they will like it. It's actually a cardigan.

Body shape

 When you have a perfect (or regular) body shape, you don't need to worry about your dress. Anything you wear will look good or good enough. I had that kind of body. Now I miss it.

Now a day, I have a very special body shape. No matter how much I try, I won't look good or even OK. 

So, again, I stop worrying about my dress. Whatever I wear will look peculiar.

Case Study: Climate, Health, and Strategy

 Case Study: Climate and Health: Xan

It’s an unseasonably hot day, and Xan and his family are having a picnic in the park– they thought it would be a nice break from living above the Gardiner Expressway. It’s anything but peaceful, given the coughing and sneezing, and now one of the kids is feeling nauseous after swimming in the lake.

Analysis:

In this case study, the Xan family faced several health-related problems caused by the climate crisis. The Xan family was outdoors in a park and also swam in the lake, so they might have been affected by high temperatures, air pollution, and water contamination.

Climate change can be a significant threat to humans. Our case study is an excellent example of it. Rising temperatures and air pollution can affect heart attack and stroke and spread infectious diseases, including psychological trauma. High temperatures and polluted air may be responsible for respiratory issues, exacerbated heart conditions, and asthma. Some other problems may be excessive sweating, headache, pneumonia, flu, diarrhea, dehydration, stomach cramps, and dizziness.  In the case study, the family was coughing and sneezing on an unseasonably hot day. The climate crisis made the weather forecast more unpredictable. That’s why people may not know earlier that the heat would rise too much.

We don’t know whether the Xan family took necessary skin protection. Because of the climate crisis, the earth’s air layer of protection is in danger. That’s why exposed skin is at more risk of diseases like skin cancer.

At the same time, the climate crisis can cause water pollution. The water could be contaminated with harmful chemicals or germs, making the kid feel sick. Some water-borne diseases are Legionella, Hot tub rash, Norovirus, Shigellosis, E. coli, Giardia, and Schistosomes. If you swim in contaminated water and accidentally ingest some of that water, there is a risk of contracting severe stomach infections; among the possible effects, there may be diarrhea, skin rashes, ear pain, cough or congestion, and eye pain. This could be why the kid feels nauseous after swimming in the lake. Global warming is also responsible for the rise of the lake water temperature. This situation helps to raise insect-borne diseases.

Sometimes harmful industrial chemicals like Ammonia, chloramine, and copper are emitted with lake water, which may cause people to feel sick.

A possible strategy to deal with one of the health impacts identified:

In case study # 3, we found three kinds of Climate Crisis problems: water pollution, air pollution and high temperatures. Today, we will discuss what strategies we can take for the extreme heat.

-          I should adopt energy efficiency policies to reduce the demand on the electric grid during the heat wave. Stop using unnecessary lights, use energy-efficient lights, and turn off all electrical machinery when not in use.

-          Buildings may combine heat and power systems or rooftop solar power.

-          We have to identify the vulnerable population. Then, we plan keeping all populations in mind, like opening cooling stations during extreme heat weather, especially in areas where people work in warm temperatures or open directly under the sun.

-          We need to install a green roof for water retention.

-          Planting big trees which give shade on sidewalks and parks. This will also help to reduce polluted air and balance the environment.

-          Federal government should give grants and loans to update building projects and other climate-friendly strategies taken by scientists and environmentalists.

-          Federal agencies should provide climate data and information to the local planner and policymakers to assess the risks and opportunities.

Biography 240: Fire Alarm in a cold region.

There is a school in Saskatchewan. It was winter, and snow covered all outdoor floors, ground, and fields. At that moment, the fire alarm rang in the school. As prepared, all students, teachers, and workers came out as they were inside. They didn't have warm clothes, and some didn't even have shoes on their feet. A few lucky students had a break outside, so they wore proper winter jackets and boots.

A kid who had a jacket hugged his teacher as she was shaking in the cold. The vice principal saw this and asked that kid to hug students who needed warm jackets. The boy then hugged a student. When the student became calm, he went to hug another student. This way, the boy kept hugging people and trying to make them feel better.

After getting the green signal, all students went to the school again.

Roses in Toronto

 After moving to Canada, I first stayed in Saskatchewan. You know, in Canada, especially in Saskatchewan, they only have a few months to grow flowers outside. But still, I found they planted several colours and different kinds of flowers at their front end. I recognized very few of them because I came from a tropical country.

Then, I moved to Ontario. I found many known flowers in the front garden of the house, mainly roses. They plant lots of different kinds of roses at the front end. They look bigger and more beautiful than I have seen in Bangladesh. They have less fragrance but are strong enough to stay in comparatively cold weather.

Ice Rain in Toronto

 From my observation, one impact I want to discuss here is road blocking with the tree branches. After the ice rain, the branches of the trees became very heavy. So, in many places, it broke and fell the road, which blocked the road. If the roads were blocked, no one could go anywhere, and no emergency vehicle could enter the community. This is a huge issue. Tree branches also fell on cars and houses; there were many injured people. An ambulance cannot rescue people if the road stays blocked. People also can not go somewhere to buy food or collect any emergency supplies.  

My strategy is that, as we know what could affect ice rain, the city should be prepared to collect branches and clean up the road right after the storm. If possible, they will also bring a helping hand from the neighbouring province so that the action runs quickly and efficiently. Then, the rest of the rescue mission can be run properly.

Biography 239: Medical Condition

 In my childhood, our doctor found I had rheumatic fever. He prescribed penicillin injections. I had to take the painful injections for a couple of months. Actually, my younger sister Sonia and I took it. Our blood report showed we had a very high ESR level. Sonia had 600, and I had 800. The average level was 200. After taking the injections for a couple of months, my sister's level became normal. My one was on 400. My mom stopped giving inject to both of us.

When I was over 18 years old, another doctor tested me and said I didn't have rheumatic fever, and I never had. But due to some medical condition, she gave me thyroid tabs. Not only her following 2 doctors also gave me the same thyroid medications. I took it. I felt good. But whenever the medication finished, I started facing the same problems.

When I became pregnant, my doctor tested and said I didn't have any thyroid problem, and probably I never had.

She suspects I might have a problem in my heart. I went to the National Heart Foundation. The doctor from that organization tested and told me my heart was OK; there wouldn't be any problem delivering a child.

When I was 8 months pregnant, I was facing too many problems. One night, I had to go to the clinic for my health condition. They keep me over there the whole night. In the morning they said, now you are ok, we don't know why the problem happened. I said I wouldn't go home, and I decided to go through the C-section. After the operation, my doctor said, "Shahana, don't fall asleep; I want to show you something. She hold my son up and said, your son made three nodes with the tube, he wasn't able to get food inside. You have made a very good decision, Shahana." Then I fall asleep.

When I woke up, I looked at the wall clock. I had been sleeping for nine hours, and I was still in the operating room. My body was hooked up to the machine. Later, I got to know that my heart stopped. I had some problems with my heart, and that's why, after getting the anesthesia, it stopped working. I had to take 4 asteroid injections and many other procedures to get my heart beating again. My doctor said I was lucky that the anesthesia was from a Shohrowardy Heart Hospital. So, she knew how to handle this kind of case.

One day, I had terrible stomach pain. I went to a clinic. The doctor tested and said my liver had a small amount of fat. He gave me painkillers for that moment and asked me to keep an eye on my diet. Trust me, I am always very careful with my diet.

After coming to Canada, I had severe pain in my stomach, and then I had a breathing problem (The hospital said it was a panic attack). For both reasons, I went to the hospital, and after observing one night, they let me go home by saying I was OK now, and they didn't know why the problem had occurred.

Then I had pain in my feet and couldn't stand up in my workplace. My son somehow held me and made me walk to my car. I went to the hospital again, and they checked me. They said I had a planter fascist. I started taking painkillers and went to an orthopedic doctor. He made a new shoe for me with a machine. But my pain was still there. He said this is not only for planter fascists. You might have some other problem too. But my family physician didn't take any action for that pain. I left the job.

Later, I move to Toronto. My new doctor said I have arthritis. He also sends me to a heart specialist. The heart specialist said my heart sometimes started beating very fast and then became very low. He gave me some medication, too.

After three years, my doctor said I had to stop taking that painkiller. It will ruin my heart. I told him that without medication, I can't move from my bed, and Tylenol doesn't work on me. He checked my heart medication and said, OK, go on with your medication. But I was scared. My body is becoming more weak day by day. I had reduced my painkillers from 14 to 3 per week. Now, I am in pain for almost 24 hours. When I can't resist the pain, I start taking other painkillers.

I don't want to go to a doctor anymore. But I know I have to... I want to know precisely what is wrong with me and how to cure it. If it is not curable, at least they should tell me that clearly. Help me to live a good life.

Travel plan

 When any person or from a group of people offers me to join them on a tour, I agree and join them in most cases. Things are getting changed now. Recently, I have asked other people to let me join them whenever they plan to travel where I can fit in or request people to join my travel plan. In most cases, they denied or didn't show any interest.

I may have to travel alone. That could be the new reality. Being alone isn't bad, but feeling lonely is a bad thing. I am working on it. I am becoming used to being alone.