This news story has been going on for a few days now. Maybe I'm missing the point, but I don't understand why people feel like going on a hunger strike is going to make any difference to world issues. I think there are so many other ways to bring attention to causes and that doing a hunger strike is sort of selfish in a way. It screams "look at me" rather than "pay attention to my cause".
It also blows me away that people are surprised that things like this don't end well. Like she's shocked that after twelve days her muscles are weak and she could barely stand. Good Lord... that happens to me if I eat lunch half an hour late!
Here's the story from People:
It was a 21-day fast that fell nine days short. But in the final hours, Mia Farrow knew, "I couldn't do it."
"I just got weaker and weaker," the 64-year-old actress and humanitarian tells PEOPLE of Friday's end to her hunger strike to draw attention to Darfur. "I lost about 13 lbs."
Though she was determined to continue, she was instructed by her doctor to immediately stop due to severe health risks. "My doctor visited on Wednesday and told me to have sugar immediately because my blood sugar count dropped," Farrow says. "He said I could go into seizures."
Struggling to maintain energy and strength, she found it too difficult to stand up. "I got up out of bed and went down to my knees. My muscles were aching," Farrow said.
Farrow, UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, began her hunger strike on April 27 to protest the Sudanese president's expulsion of 16 aid agencies in Darfur, causing a million people at risk of starvation.
"I was very disappointed," she says. "I am a very stubborn person and very determined. I had modified my goal from 21 days and really hoped that I would reach my goal of fasting for 16 days, which is the number of aid agencies expelled."
During the past 12 days, Farrow stayed closed to her bed and passed the time watching films. "I watched Schindler's List all the way through. Then I cried and cried," she says. "I got very emotional at the drop of a hat. I would perk up when my granddaughter came over. I'd play with her a little and that was great."
Slowly back to eating food again, she has been eating oranges and drinking soup to regain her strength. "I feel so much better with the food in my system. I feel so much more peaceful," she says. "While a million people in Darfur are facing starvation, I have the ability to end my fast. These people do not have that option. If I have any use at all, it is to speak for them."
One of my favorite things about going to the gym is the people watching. I'm one of those people that could sit on a park bench and watch people go by all day long. I love seeing the crazy things people do or the things they do when people think no one else is looking.
I went to the gym this morning (I know, ambitious for a Friday morning) and decided to bike. I picked a spot where I could see CNN (gotta keep up with the Santa Barbara fires, you know) and started pedaling. There was a lady on the bike two bikes away from me. Before I go any further, let me explain how my gym is set up. They have a row of the normal bikes (the ones that have the seats that make your butt hurt) and in front of that a row of the "recumbent bikes" (the ones that I feel like don't count as a workout since you're practically laying down while you pedal). Needless to say, I was on the normal bikes. This lady was doing the same... for about the first 15 minutes of my ride. We both had our ipods on and I was pretty focused on my ride.
The then climbs off the bike and hobbles about 2 feet. I looked up because her sorta slow movement caught my eye - I was worried she was gonna drop. Instead, she moves to the recumbent bike, sets herself up and starts riding again. By now a guy has come and started riding the bike on the other side of me. I go back into my little zone for a little while. I happen to also be one of those people that looks at other people's stats while I'm working out. If you're next to me, I can't help but compare what I'm doing to what you're doing (call me competitive?). So I look over, and the lady is chugging along at a whopping 65 RPMs. Compare that to the 98-106 that I'm doing while hill climbing.
Here comes the best part. All of the sudden, I hear off key singing. Keep in mind that I have my ipod on and it's up pretty loud because I like to block out the music that the gym is playing and the grunting of the guy next to me. I start looking around (as does the grunter) and finally figure out that it's the lady in front of me. Seriously, who sings at the gym? No wonder she's biking so slow... I can't bike and sing either! The guy next to me and I look at each other and can't help but start laughing. She sang for a good 15 minutes while also stopping anyone who walked by to compliment them on their shoes.
So entertaining!
My friend Liz told me about this commercial and now every time it comes on TV, I laugh my head off. It's the commerical for the new Jack in the Box mini sirloin burgers. I think my favorite line is "Herding cows the size of schnauzers, but they're cattle".
I don't know if you've also heard the follow up radio commercial, but this lady calls into Jack's "show" and asks him to sing the song. He's reluctant, but relents. When he finishes, she tells him it sounded better on TV. Hilarious!
Wow, Britney Spears lipsynchs? No way.... And to think I paid $60 to see her "live"...
http://www.tmz.com/videos?autoplay=true&mediaKey=f469d2d8-fd61-4dd5-bc03-a39d9ae233b9
I'm pretty much convinced that speaker phone is just about the worst invention ever. You see, it sounds like a really great idea. You can put the phone down, not have to hold it up to your head and do other things with your hands. Therein lies the problem. In our fast-paced, high tech world, we love to multitask. I'm as guilty as the next person. We talk on our phones while driving. We eat breakfast while we dry our hair. We watch TV while we play on the computer. That said, speaker phone takes it a little too far.
1. Sometimes people don't tell you you're on speaker phone. This is not generally an issue for me, but what if I wanted to talk about someone's birthday present? Or something personal? Maybe you just want to talk crap? It just sucks not knowing who's in the room.
2. People multitask... and you can hear every bit of it. Typing in the background. Doors opening. Bags crinkling. My favorite is when people set the phone down on the counter and make dinner. And do things like rattle cans around. It's just plain annoying and it is totally loud. If you don't have time to talk to me, don't answer the phone. Or tell me you don't have time. Or get an earpiece. So many options!
3. The phone cuts out. If one person is talking, it's almost impossible to interject. And the person talking has absolutely no idea.
4. Speaker phone + speaker phone = disaster. This combination takes all three items above to the extreme. It's virtually impossible to hear the other person and to hold a normal conversation.
In summary, my fellow Americans, I beg you not to use speaker phone unless absolutely necessary. Do it for your friends. Do it for your coworkers. Do it for your country.
