Browsing: Get Involved!

they loaded their skewers and coated it all in melted fair trade chocolate.

Last Thursday, over 50 people visited my house between 4pm and 8pm. Some stayed a few minutes; others a few hours. The lure? Not merely the opportunity to wish me a very happy birthday (which it was by the way, much to the relief of my husband!). No, they came for a dip in the chocolate fountain. Choosing from a wide range of fruit (fair trade or organic, of course), sweets and biscuits, they loaded their skewers and coated it all in melted fair trade chocolate. The ultimate guilt free treat.

For many there, it was the first time that they had considered the impact of their chocolate choices on those that grow the cocoa beans. The long hours, dangerous conditions, little or no pay, regular beatings - enough to put you off even your favourite brand.

Stop the Traffik organised the world’s largest fondue party to raise awareness and funds.

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Researching brand loyalty last week set me thinking. I would not consider myself a victim of brand loyalty. As any member of my family would tell you, I always buy what’s on special offer or stick to the supermarket’s own brand - which is sometimes boring and sometimes rather unusual, depending on the offers that week!

I guess chocolate is my main weakness. The main weakness for the majority of women, if my friends are anything to go by. Actually, it’s not that I often overindulge; it’s what I choose when I do. I already know all the arguments, but I still reach for the brands I grew up with. It’s just something about the taste.  A lick of a Cadbury’s crème egg takes me back to the tin of goodies under the driver’s seat in my Dad’s car. The first bite of a Double Decker prompts a flashback to my teenage years. The unwrapping of a Galaxy bar has Proustian reminders of waiting for the first signs of labour with my first child.

This week, Stop the Traffik(1) is organising the world’s largest chocolate fondue party. Stop the Traffik is a worldwide movement dedicating to raising awareness of and campaigning against the trafficking of people. Didn’t that end with the abolition of the slave trade? And didn’t we celebrate the 250th anniversary of that a couple of years ago?

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and the winner is...

The trouble with arguing with myself is whilst I often win, I almost certainly lose too.
This morning’s argument was simple, bike or car.
The bike has much to recommend it; I’d arrive at work more alert and energised.  I’d have saved on the cost of fuel, both in terms of cash and environmental impact.  I’d have been able to smile at the folk at the bus stop without worrying about looking smug.  My heart would thank me in the coming years and I’d hopefully reduce the amount of fabric I’d someday be forced to consume.
The car however offers protection from the elements (and potentially from other, less conscientious, road users) and, until recently at least, some entertainment too.  I say until recently not because the car radio has malfunctioned, or been stolen, but simply because I’ve lost the will to tune in.  The constant cycle of credit crunch assessment rotated with outrage over licence payers’ money squandered on a poor excuse for comedy leaves me cold.

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