Map: World Food Statistics

Part of the Food for 9 Billion project

This map of World Food Statistics compiled by the Center For Investigative Reporting, the U.S.’s oldest non-profit investigative news organization, is the most fascinating set of visually-presented data I’ve seen in recent memory. You can compile this information yourself as the sources are all publicly available, but this javascript map does the work for you in a simple way, allowing you to compare countries with a mouse hover rather than scrolling through tables of data. Roll over any country for a snapshot of its food situation. Compare countries by using the drop-down menu.

As you can see by the screencap of Canada’s stats, it includes other data such as water resources (ours is HUGE) and CO2 emissions. We are among the top 10 emitters of greenhouse gases per capita.

Another interesting statistic to compare is percent of income spent on food. The USA spends a relatively small percentage of income on food (6.4%, less than any other country on this map), yet three-quarters of Americans are overweight, one-third are obese, and 8% have diabetes. There is obviously something very wrong with not making food a priority, especially because it affects health directly.

I love statistics, but even if the mere idea of stats puts you to sleep, the information provided in this map may surprise you. Check it out.

via The Better U Foundation

Possibly related posts:

1. Food World Tour Krisanne and I went from Korean BBQ last week to...
2. World Health Organization Indicators Comparing Cuba, Canada, and USA I travelled to Cuba on a week’s notice and went...
3. Coming Up For Air (OK, Food) Plus A Sunset I did tear myself away from the computer once yesterday...
4. Where Art Meets Science Meets… Food Photos of Day 2 of #ArtSciCamp with marshmallows and people...
5. My Love Affair With Food With the colder winter we’re having, I can’t stop eating…...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Al Jazeera correspondent Veronica Pedrosa, whose family was forced into exile by the Philippines’ Marcos regime, confronts Imelda about her past.

Possibly related posts:

1. You Know You’re Getting Older When… … you see the same dubious — and I use...
2. BC Day Oh goody, here it is, BC Day and aside from...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Early this morning, Jack Layton, leader of the New Democratic Party and the Official Opposition in Canada, died of cancer. Whatever your politics, there is no denying Jack Layton loved Canada and worked tirelessly to make it a better place. On August 20, less than two days before his death, he addressed a letter to the whole country, including others with cancer.

http://www.ndp.ca/letter-to-canadians-from-jack-layton

I’ve posted some excerpts. Clicking on anything will link you to the whole letter.

Canada will miss you, Jack.

Possibly related posts:

1. Happy Birthday Canada! July 1 is Canada Day, but I wanted to post...
2. Cross-Canada Run Update I look at this video and I can’t help but...
3. National Gallery of Canada A couple of photos taken at the National Gallery of...
4. “Oh… Canada” By Classified I like the heritage bit at the end (which has...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

view of Oslo from Holmenkollen

I’ve been thinking about Norway since I first heard the news of the bombing yesterday in Oslo, then the shootings at the youth camp in Utoya. I’ve been reading accounts from the youth about their experiences, stories of rescue and terror. I’ve been watching the death toll climb, in horror. It’s difficult to imagine such heinous acts of violence taking place in a country as peaceful as Norway. It’s home to the Nobel Peace prize. The news stories coming out of Norway are usually about their sweep of medals at the Winter Olympics or the Nobel Peace prize, not about bombs or children getting gunned down.

Vigeland Sculpture Park, Oslo

Reading the news updates is both mesmerizing and appalling. I try to read a variety of news outlets to get the full story and avoid the article comments (most of them are baseless rants), but yesterday on the walk home I stopped at a pizza shop to watch the BBC news on TV because I don’t have one at home. At that time some of the major media fingers were pointing towards Islamic terrorist groups, but since then more information has come to light refuting those claims. Homegrown terrorism is no less disturbing, however, it may in fact be even more disturbing.

Like Canada, Norway is a northern country with a small population and a wealth of nature. It is not a country of conflict or political tension. In my continuing fascination with people of the north (my 2007 birthday trip was to Iceland), it also happens to be the country I chose for my birthday trip in 2008 and thus I have an affection for it. I turned 36 in Oslo. I couchsurfed in Oslo twice, and hired a car with my German friend, Berit, to travel west. If I’d had more time and I was alone, I would’ve driven all the way up to the Arctic Circle. Next time.

westward-bound

Myrdal

I’m going through my photos again (I’ve only uploaded a small batch from that trip) so I can think of Norway the way I remember it, not the way it looks in the news right now. The country will recover from this senseless tragedy, but for now there are many, many grieving families in Norway and my heart goes out to them.

Berit & Justi in western Norway

Vigeland Sculpture Park

Possibly related posts:

1. Norway’s Incredible Sky I am slowly, ever so slowly, sorting through my photos...
2. Thanks For A Great Birthday, Norway! Thanks to everybody here for the birthday wishes, they made...
3. At Large in Oslo, Norway We arrived safe and sound from Bremen and are staying...
4. Norway Or Bust! Time to go to the airport! Share this: Pin ItShare...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Calling all Canadians who also believe it is important to have a public broadcaster! Please sign the online petition and spread the word…

Possibly related posts:

1. Counselling And Support Referral Resources In Toronto As part of my participation in a University of Toronto...
2. Colour Management Support For Firefox 3 I use mostly Firefox and Safari, but if there’s one...
3. DIY Tech Support & There’s No Way I’m Driving to Brampton Through This Snow I fixed two major technical issues that have been bugging...
4. Stong’s … I just phoned to give them my credit card...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

I wish I had more time to write a proper review, but I’m working through a backlog of editing and will instead post the trailer as a placeholder for all the other things I want to write on the subjects of education, unions, government bureaucracy, and economic divisions. Check out the trailer and visit the official site below:

http://www.waitingforsuperman.com/

Even though I’ve got piles of editing to do, as soon as I found out earlier today that Waiting For Superman was playing at my neighbourhood repertory cinema, I knew I had to put everything aside to see it. It’s what I call a “linger film”, a movie that sticks in my brain long after I’ve watched it. I was completely engaged through all 102 minutes of the film (plus the credits), and the ending is every bit as dramatic as a fiction feature film. I guarantee Waiting For Superman will move you, even if you’re neither American (I’m not) nor familiar with the American public school system.

Possibly related posts:

1. Waiting For The Window-Washers [Charlie and Douglas at The Brides' Project, March 16] …...
2. Waiting Room Patient lounge at the radiation clinic. We're here every day,...
3. Waiting Room Tidbits Since David has radiation on a daily basis, the waiting...
4. Reality in a Box Last night David and I watched “35 Up”, part of...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

This is a low-res camera (Canon A520), but you can just make out that there are two police officers with binoculars on top of the Fairmont Royal York Hotel. They have a tent set up, too. I missed a motorcade going by on Front Street, but it’s not as if I’d ever find out who’s in it, anyway.

The atmosphere is very strange downtown around The Fence. First of all, it’s become somewhat of a ghost town compared to the usual hustle and bustle. There was still a rush hour the last few days, but because there are fewer cars it is eerily quiet — taxi drivers told me they avoided the fence; there is noticeably less honking. There are fewer pedestrians and cyclists, fewer bike couriers, and a major police presence. And it’s not ordinary police presence, either: the officers are all wearing riot gear and watching everyone very carefully. It’s enough to make a person feel a little paranoid.

TD Bank even removed all their deposit envelopes from their downtown branches. Why? So nobody would be able to deposit anything — money wouldn’t be able to accumulate in the machines and nobody could possibly deposit any dangerous materials. I only know this because someone at work tried to make a deposit today at the TD Centre, and there were no envelopes in sight.

This morning the CEO announced that most of The Firm would be working from home tomorrow — HALLELUJAH! — which means I can actually sleep past 5am, but in the afternoon I have to pick up equipment for Saturday’s wedding. Which means I have to trek across town through the G20 Summit zone again. Barring any sort of naturally- or unnaturally-occurring disaster, I should be able to get there within the two hours I’ve set aside to reach the place before it closes, when normally it would take me half an hour, tops.

You know what? It makes last summer’s 40-day garbage strike look like a walk in the park.

Possibly related posts:

1. A Contest I Want to Win There’s an online charity auction taking place at work and...
2. Ganache Is French For ‘Chocolate Cake With Fewer Syllables’ My title for this photo in Flickr: ganache is French...
3. Tamil Protest Video: Toronto, May 10 via Torontoist on Twitter When I was driving home later...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Maria Corazon “Cory” Sumulong Cojuangco Aquino
(January 25, 1933 – August 1, 2009)

Possibly related posts:

1. Maria, Full of Grace I saw Maria, Full of Grace earlier this evening and...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

via Torontoist on Twitter

When I was driving home later than usual from The Brides’ Project, I had to continue along Lakeshore because the police had blocked off the ramp to the Gardiner Expressway. Now I know why.

Check out the full Torontoist article or the Toronto Star for more photos and information.

Possibly related posts:

1. Toronto Subway Dance Party I heard about this Improv Everywhere event that took place...
2. Toronto’s 175th Birthday Cupcakes Last week Toronto turned 175 years old, and to celebrate...
3. Gardiner Expressway Squigglies My drive home from the Brampton Flight Centre takes around...
4. Canada Day Fireworks On account of my knackered body and peeling face from...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

And secondly, The Corrigan Brothers offer up irrefutable evidence that there’s no one as Irish as the 44th President of the United States (JFK was the 35th):

Well, in any case, Obama will be adding some much-needed colour (green?) to the Big White House for at least the next four years. It’ll be interesting to see what kind of political satire emerges in the meantime.

The karaoke version is here if you want to know what the heck they’re singing.

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.