Here in Canada, (as with many other places) our yard, like most others, has a lot of squirrels. And, during this year+ of lockdown, we have had plenty of time, in our backyard (eating, reading etc) to watch our neighbourhood squirrels, chipmunks, birds, rabbits and other visitors. So, for the end of the week, here is what someone else (nobody we personally know, to be clear) having some fun with his backyard squirrel visitors. Squirrels are definitely far smarter than I ever realized. Happy Weekend! π
Here is Part #1
And here is Part #2…
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Looking for zero-waste, plant-based or sustainable items? Check out the MennoAdventures online store! There are always lots of great deals to be found, with our many amazing partners! Happy browsing!
Some of you may remember hearing parts of his story several years ago. Now, Hassan Al Kontar has written a book about his experience, since he was welcomed into Canada as a refugee. I haven’t read the book yet, but it is on my e-reader, waiting for me to start (hopefully soon!)
Here is a bit of an update – and his perspective on what he has learned, as a refugee, and in a pandemic.
A group of volunteers, headed by Laurie Cooper of Whistler, B.C., learned about Al Kontar’s plight and organized on his behalf.
Cooper dubbed herself Al Kontar’s “Canadian mom.” She crowdsourced money for him, helped him navigate the asylum system, lobbied the government and co-ordinated with air travellers around the world to hook him up with food, money and supplies β including, of course, his much beloved coffee.
“They restored my faith in humanity,” he said.
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“That’s why my story is not only the Syrian war story. It’s also [about] a country called Canada and people called Canadians,” he said. “Because of them, I am now permanently safe.”
In addition to working on and speaking on refugee related issues, now that he is safely settled in Canada, Al Kontar has also spoken with the CBC of the impacts of the pandemic, and the related restrictions, especially as they started relatively soon after he had arrived in Canada.
The key to resilience and survival, he says, lies in having empathy for others. During the first couple of weeks of the pandemic, Al Kontar opened his door to find a bag of snacks that an anonymous person had left for him. He took this as an inspiration to volunteer at a food bank.
“If we are going to manage to beat this virus it’s through this kind of behaviour,” he said. (Bold mine)
It is imperative that we change our systems (including ending wars, actively and seriously addressing our climate crisis etc), so that people are never forced to flee their homes, and make difficult choices. At the same time, there remain countless reasons why people may want to – or need to – leave and resettle somewhere else. It is, without a doubt, our job to welcome others with open arms, every time. It is the right thing to do, and we need to find ways to be welcoming and inclusive, every time. π
More details:
BBC Hassan al-Kontar: Who is the man trapped in an airport helping now?
Globe: I was a Syrian refugee, trapped in an airport. Now, Canada is my home β and this is what that means to me
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Looking for zero-waste, plant-based or sustainable items? Check out the MennoAdventures online store! There are always lots of great deals to be found, with our many amazing partners! Happy browsing!
After a brief delay (from when we actually got the MennoAdventures IG page set up), everything is now (hopefully) working correctly, and everything that posts here (on the website) should now also show up on IG!
Some of the older posts will be shared over, for reference, and everything new should show up every time there is a new post. Please check out the page, if you are interested, and consider inviting others to follow (on IG, other social media, or here on the website) as well. The more the merrier! π
Have a great day!
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Looking for sustainable, zero-waste or plant-based items? Check out the MennoAdventures online store. Looking for more info or resources? Check out the website!
As with most things in life, we can not resolve problems until we fully, honestly admit the truth. Whether it’s the Middle East, COVID, the climate crisis, an inter-personal issue or anything else, we can’t fix what we don’t acknowledge. With honestly, hard work and determination to face problems head-on, we can create a better world. π
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Looking for zero-waste, plant-based or sustainable items? Check out the MennoAdventures online store! There are always lots of great deals to be found, with our many amazing partners! Happy browsing! π
This is a lovely story, from the LEGO headquarters in Denmark. While one act like this does not make up for bad policies, or replace the need for good policies, symbolically, it is a great step in the right direction, towards greater inclusion, recognition of diversity, and acknowledgment of gender and sexuality as more than how it’s been represented in the past.
In the βspraying roomβ at Lego HQ, tiny figurines are layered with bright, glossy paint before being placed on a rainbow-esque arch. The result, a waterfall of colour with 11 brand new minifigures striding purposefully towards an imagined brighter future, is the Danish toymakerβs inaugural LGBTQIA+ set, titled Everyone Is Awesome.
The colours of the stripes were chosen to reflect the original rainbow flag, along with pale blue, white and pink representing the trans community, and black and brown to acknowledge the diversity of skin tones and backgrounds within the LGBTQIA+ community.
In addition, as noted in the article, the company has started selling their marriage sets separately (as opposed to a man and a woman, together in one box), so that couples can choose any two individual pieces that best represent their relationship.
This is one more step, in the right direction, for inclusion, welcoming for all, and a greater respect for the full range diversity within humanity. Let’s hope that these symbolic steps lead to both more similar changes, as well as real-world, actual policy changes – including full rights for everyone, and an end to all discrimination, whether based on gender and sexuality, or anything else.
Looking for zero-waste, plant-based or sustainable items? Check out the MennoAdventures online store! There are always lots of great deals to be found, with our many amazing partners! Happy browsing!
Along with resources and lots of great info, you may not know that Menno Adventures has a new and improved online store experience, complete with access to countless sustainable items, through various partners.
No matter what you are looking for to guide your sustainable goals, one of our amazing partners probably has it! In fact, they might even have things that you didn’t know could help you on your sustainability journey. Ordering couldn’t be easier – all you need to do is go to the Menno Adventures website, browse the categories under the online store, find the partner(s) you would like to check out and click on their link. From there, you are redirected to the partner store, where you can browse and order. Ordering and shipping all happens directly through the partner website, the same as any other online ordering experience.
Whether you are looking for clothing, tech (compostable phone cases), food and related items or other sustainable solutions, you will (hopefully) find what you are looking for here. π
What difference does it make to order through MennoAdventures?
It saves you the work of researching and finding great stores that sell amazing, sustainable items. All the work is done for you – and there are lots of great options, all in one spot! π
Plus, by clicking on the link on the MA website, before continuing on with your order, with one simple click, you are helping support the work that this website is doing.
What cool things can I find in the online store? Lots of great things (all sustainable, plant-based, mostly zero-waste), including, among many other great options…
Each of the partners in the MA online store has amazing products – and there are often sales or discounts that come up as well (too many for me to list here…). So, check Menno Adventures often, see if any new partners have been added, click on the links and enjoy the amazing selection of sustainable, zero-waste and plant-based options that they offer! Know of others who might be interested? Please share widely in your circles. Have a great weekend!
The list of things that have led women to be labelled “difficult” is far too long to list here… Instead of telling women to “be less difficult” or asking women to simply accept negative labels as the price to pay for being smart, assertive or speaking out against systemic problems, it’s time to rephrase how we identify smart, assertive women. So many of the traits that men get praised for are seen as deficits in women, in too many places, throughout history and around the world – while so often people (especially men) are praised for being aggressive and bullying (behaviours that nobody should be doing). Let’s put an end to that! And, in the interim, as women, all we can do is embrace the label as a sign that we are probably doing something right. To be clear, this doesn’t mean that all behaviour (regardless of gender) is good when others say it’s difficult – just that women tend to be over-labelled as difficult for anything that is not completely passive…π
Women, what is your craziest/best/most frustrating story of being called “difficult” for being, smart, assertive, good at your job, working to change systems or anything else? Share your stories below, in the comments. π
