West Wing Wednesday Night #24 March 10 2010

In the midst of the spring weather and the Olympic festivities, do note in your calendar an important date that is coming up – in less than two weeks, on Wednesday March 10^th, you are reconvened again for an evening of wide-ranging discussion (minus secret handshakes and special uniforms ;-).

February salon’s love-hate-machines topic generated lots of discussion both on-line and in person, and did not give us enough time to consider another topic I had been wanting to explore – Barry Schwartz’s Paradox of Choice and the related issues of analysis-paralysis, the affluence syndrome, etc.

I have also been postponing an oft requested topic to time it in honor of the Paralympics – so the time has come to have a discussion on disability and society. Marginalization, poverty, incredible innovation, power and humanity – the spectrum is fascinating and many elements are intrinsic to our present and future. BC has created great initiatives like the Planned Lifetime Advocacy Network (PLAN)  that led to innovations that all benefit from – for example the TYZE website  that creates virtually a real community around people hit by a challenging situation. Yet so many challenges remain, including the very definition of what we call disability! And in the meantime, have a look at this amazing video that a friend of WSW sent me

March also marks the end of a three year journey for Shauna Sylvester’ Canada’s world – AWESOME work, Shauna!!! The timing of this is fascinating in its juxtaposition to us in Vancouver experiencing the world in our own home for the Olympics. I was surprised at the number of comments on how un-Canadian are the pride and patriotism wave we are witnessing. Maybe, just maybe observers are wrong and this is the New Canadian way?

Last but not least, between budget, proroguing, economy, The Colbert Report filming in Vancouver – we will have plenty of tragi-comedy to explore! Then again, we never know where the conversation will go – which is part of the fun, isn’t it?