Mumble Mumble

A few things to mumble about today:
I just finished reading "The Audacity of Hope" by Barack Obama. All the way through, I kept waiting for him to touch on two groups in particular, but he never did. The disabled and the first nations were both conspicuous by their absence from his book. He dealt at length with the issues he feels to be presenting roadblocks to the hope of the immingrant population; the black population; the economically disadvantaged population, and others, but he never got around to either of the two for whom I kept watch. Question: does he mean to say there is no hope for them? I think that for him, like for too many others, the first nations and the disabled just don't exist.
I also just finished listening to a segment of CBC Radio's "The Current". "The Politics of Blindness" originally aired on March 16, 2011, was a short interview with Graeme McCreath, a blind physiotherapist from Victoria, B.C. He spoke about the CNIB. I have repeatedly encountered a general attitude toward the CNIB that I find crazy-making. Mention those initials, and people get this look on their faces like they can hear celestial harp players plucking out a paean in praise of the institution. The thing is, I have also seen inside the CNIB. I have seen what McCreath alludes to in the CBC interview - the custodial attiutde of the CNIB, the pat on the head, "whaddya you mean, you don't want to learn how to cane a chair?" attitude that sends many clients away gnashing their teeth and feeling hopeless. McCreath claims the CNIB is not made accountable in any way for its patronizing handling of its clients, and I think he's not far off the mark.
Lastly, I just finished having my annual physical, and came away pleased with the results. I couln't help thinking about a former sister of mine. (I know. "Former" sounds weird but my husband's colour wasn't something she could handle, apparently. She is also a self-avowed "cold person". Put those two together, and "former" becomes just the right adjective to use.) Back to the results. I've seen 60 come and go, but there is still no mention of any cholesterol problems for me; no high blood pressure, and everything is going along tickety-boo, healthwise, thank you very much. For her, the problems started years ago. Her doctor has been pressing her to take statins and meds for the blood pressure for some time, but she steadfastly refuses. She is sure that her paleolithic diet will work magic any day now, and save her from those nasty meds. Give her even half a chance and she will proselytize to beat the band, admonishing anyone within hearing to eshew the ingestion of grains as harmful to human health. Yeah, yeah. If her hunter-gatherer diet is the only way to good health, why doesn't it take her there? I'm sorry, I think moderation is much more the key than trying to eat like cave dwellers did. Eschew highly processed foods if you have to cut out something. Eshcew high-salt and -sugar items, but don't eshcew the gym, and you should be fine. I tried to get her to come to the gym, but no go. Don't get me wrong, I don't limit my physical exertion to the treadmill. I also spend many an hour outdoors, but I combine all that regular exercise with a diet that contains, among other foods, whole grains. I don't know. It seems to be doing good things for me, and it isn't even paleolithic.
There. Mumbling all done.