The Weather with Connor

by Zara Zrudlo Intersectionality

is a term that has become more common in the past five or so years. It was coined even before that by scholar, writer and activist Kimberlé Crenshaw. While the term is common, there are a lot of conflicting definitions. So, what exactly was Intersectionality intended to mean?

Intersectionality is a way to bring people’s overlapping identities into the light. A person can have multiple identity factors that influence how they experience life based on their race, socioeconomic status, gender, Indigeneity, sexual orientation, age, ethnicity, religion, disability, etc. We can use intersectionality to design better policies and social systems that take into account the entirety of people’s identities. For instance, policies that promote women’s rights are very important; however, they may not help a gay, Japanese woman with a disability. That policy would only address the female part of a person’s identity, it wouldn’t combat the ableism, homophobia and asiaphobia that person experiences. Therefore, the policy wouldn’t reach and

Let’s use a Black woman applying for a job as an example. She doesn’t receive the job even though she has twice the qualifications that the other applicants do. She asks the company about it, wanting to know why. They simply tell her that she isn’t qualified enough, which doesn’t make sense. While she is there, talking to the company, she gets a look at the employees. There are a ton of white women, and a few people of color who are men. However, there are no women of color. The company is too big for it to be a coincidence. She tells the company this, but they tell her that she doesn’t make any sense. There are people of color working there, and there are women. But there are no women of color, no people with those two overlapping identity factors.

Creating policies that combat transphobia or policies that combat racism won’t be as effective as creating policies that combat transphobia and racism together! Otherwise, people who are trans and Latinx won’t feel the positive impact of the policies.

Looking at someone’s gender and race as things that can overlap rather than two completely separate things is the root of intersectionality. For instance, in the media, when you see people who are 2SLGBTQIA+ most often, they will be white. Taking intersectionality into consideration in hiring practices, and in the way we act around other people, is really important.

Especially if we want to live in an aware, equitable and safe world.

Some people interpret intersectionality as changing the social hierarchy. This is definitely not true. Intersectionality is about removing any social hierarchy so that there is no ‘top’ or ‘bottom’. It can help everyone can feel safe, heard and supported. It doesn’t require the people at the top to sacrifice anything or to be trampled on by others.

Intersectionality simply asks us to be aware of the way that multiple identities can overlap and increase discrimination for people. It asks us to view the world differently and acknowledge our privilege. That can be an uncomfortable journey, and make sure to talk to people or reach out for help if you need. However, just because it’s uncomfortable doesn’t mean we shouldn’t go there. If we leave the problems of discrimination alone, they will only get worse. We have to learn, we have to go to the uncomfortable places. In summary, people who have multiple identities, (such as being 2SLGBTQIA+ and being a part of a racialized group) face discrimination from both of those together. They face more discrimination than someone who is part of a racialized group but is not 2SLGBTQIA+, or someone who is 2SLGBTQIA+ but is white. We need to structure society and build government policies so that those with multiple identity factors are included and not left on the margins.

Hello, everyone! Welcome back to another week of The Weather with Connor. This week, I just wanted to talk about one thing. That big destructive ice storm back in the first week of April that wreaked havoc across the region. I’d like to talk about that ice storm on April 5 and the days leading up to it, knowing it was coming as a forecaster.

For at least five days ahead of that storm, most (if not all) weather models had that ice storm happening. At the time, I didn’t think anything of it, mostly because it’s not uncommon whatsoever for models to show a big ice event multiple days in advance, only for it to not happen at all. Besides that, though, everyone involved in the weather knew a storm was coming that week, even if it was just going to be regular rain.

April 3 then comes around. That’s a Monday, and two days from the ice storm arriving. At this point, models are still locked and loaded, showing a major ice storm impacting the region before a switch to rain. For models to be showing the same outputs and timing for ice, I started to sound the alarm in my brain that this is probably going to happen. It was at this time I started making Facebook posts well

Good nutrition for adults and the elderly

submitted by Saman Shaikh, RD., M.Sc. Leeds, Grenville and Lanark DHU

Good nutrition is important for adults because it provides energy and nutrients to maintain health, and helps prevent chronic diseases such as heart disease and diabetes. Being informed about nutrition, and practicing and building skills for balanced eating, can help you overcome challenges with eating well, such as deciding which foods to choose or not having enough time to prepare meals.

As an adult, you can foster good nutrition by:

• Choosing a variety of vegetables and fruit, whole grain foods, and protein foods that you enjoy

• Reading labels to help you make good food choices

• Planning your meals and snacks in advance. Choose some recipes to prepare and make a grocery list, so that you have everything on hand when you need it

• Preparing for busy days by prepping ingredients in advance, making and storing meals in the fridge or freezer to have on hand, or cooking in double batches so that you can save leftovers for quick meals

• Having ready to eat or grab and go snacks like vegetables and fruits available, or by carrying a reusable water bottle

• Eating meals with others if possible. This can give you a chance to connect with family and friends, and share your food culture and traditions

• Being mindful. Enjoy the food you are eating without distractions and listen to your body’s hunger and fullness cues

• Making healthy drink choices, including water, unsweetened lower fat milk, or plant-based fortified beverages

• Remember that healthy bodies come in all shapes and sizes. Eat a variety and balance of foods, and focus on overall health rather than body size.

• Good nutrition is also important for elderly people because it can help keep you healthy and strong as you age, which can help you maintain your independence and quality of life. Eating well as you get older can also help you prevent or manage chronic diseases, and it can help keep your bones and muscles strong.

Here are some ideas for eating well for seniors:

• Enjoy a variety of nutritious foods, such as vegetables and fruit, whole grain foods, and protein foods

• As we age, our sense of taste or smell can change. Try different herbs and spices for flavour instead of adding salt. You can also change the temperature or in advance of the storm, so people could prepare themselves for later in the week.

Tuesday, April 4, was the day before the ice storm would come in. This was the day I posted my big forecast for the event, stating that a damaging ice storm is on the way. I knew this wouldn’t be a fun storm for a lot of people, and that tree damage and power outages were all but guaranteed. Fun fact, that forecast eventually was seen by just shy of 45,000 people.

And so here we go with April 5, which will now be forever known in my head as The Ice Storm of 2023. Everything happened right on schedule. An early morning arrival into the Ottawa Valley, and then a mid morning arrival for the rest of the Eastern Ontario region.

This storm was absolutely spectacular, I’ve never seen anything like it in my life. For basically the entire ice portion of the storm, which was the morning and a little bit of the early afternoon, it was a continuous thunderstorm. Thunder-ice, actually. I have never heard a thunderstorm during a major freezing rain event like that. I was totally astounded.

Of course, during a thunderstorm, precipitation is coming down at an extremely heavy rate. Usually it’d be rain, but in this cause it was the ice, which made the ice accumulate on trees incredibly fast. That’s another thing I’ve never seen in my life, how fast that ice accretion happened. In only three hours, from 8:30am11:30am, there was already about 15mm of ice on tree branches. 15mm in itself would be a bad ice storm, but this only happened in three hours, with multiple hours left in the storm. texture of foods to make things more interesting

Around the Winchester area, freezing rain lasted until 3:00 or 3:30pm that afternoon. It poured for the entire time, and the ice ended up accumulating 10mm more onto the tree branches, for a grand total of 25mm of ice at my home in Winchester.

From about 1:30pm onward into the evening, all you could hear outside around town was trees snapping. There were full trees, big tree branches, really just any branches on trees coming down from the heavy weight of the ice. My backyard of trees looked like it had been hit by a tornado. Also, Winchester was very lucky not to lose power during this whole situation, which many of us were thankful for because of sump pump reasons.

Make no mistake, this was absolutely the worst ice storm in Eastern Ontario since the Ice Storm of 1998. I’m not comparing the two, 1998 was obviously worse with 100mm of freezing rain in a lot of the region, I’m just saying this was the worst ice storm since. It’s definitely the worst one of my life, being that I wasn’t even born yet in 1998..

An incredible late season event. And what happened the week after? It was summer outside. 30 degrees on Thursday, April 13. Funny how that works, isn’t it? Spring can be wild sometimes!

• If dental changes make certain foods difficult to eat, try choosing or preparing foods differently to make them easier to eat

• -Stay hydrated, and choose water, unsweetened lower fat milk, or plant-based fortified beverages

• Plan and prepare your meals when you have more energy. Choose some recipes and shop for what you need so that you have everything on hand. Prep ingredients ahead of time, make and store meals in the fridge or freezer, and cook in batches so you can use the leftovers later

• Due to changes in lifestyle, you may only need to prepare food for 1 or 2 people, so keep this in mind if you’re used to cooking for more people

• If you’re not used to cooking, choose simple recipes with few ingredients, which require little or no cooking.

• Eat meals with others if possible. Try joining a diners group, eating with a neighbour, inviting a family member or a friend over, or planning a potluck with friends

For more information, visit healthunit.org, call us at 1-800-660-5853, or connect with us on Facebook and Twitter. Also visit Canada’s Food Guide at Canada.ca/foodguide.