Merry Christmas, Seasons Greetings, Happy Holidays...

...whatever might be your salutation of choice. I have a few friends to whom I'm not always sure what to say, but they're generally non-confrontational enough that it doesn't really matter (because we're friends, isn't that the point?) It always seems to be a big issue in the media around here every year, letters to the editor and columnists weighing in. I can recall attending a Guiding District meeting (years ago, when I was actually still a leader not a "member at large" or hanger-on or whatever I'm classified as now), where one of the Brownie leaders was complaining that she couldn't do any Christmas stuff with her unit because she had a number of Jewish girls in the group - another Brownie leader from a different unit piped up that her solution was that they did Christmas stuff in the spirit of learning about it (rather than forcing it down others' throats), and they invited some of the Jewish moms to come in and do Hanukkah stuff as well, as a learning experience for all. I thought that was a brilliant solution, including everyone rather than ignoring what is important to people for the sake of trying not to offend others. Just because I wish you "Merry Christmas" doesn't mean I'm trying to convert you to Christianity against your will (which is ludicrous anyway, seeing as I'm really not religious) - it just means I want to give you good wishes for this season.

I couldn't help thinking of the song The Christians and the Pagans by Dar Williams (album = Mortal City), that I first heard years ago when she played at the Edmonton Folk Music Festival (I think I'll have to start going to that again, BTW - lots of good times, good music, and very broad definition of folk music). It's a humorous song, with a good message for this time of year:

So the Christians and the Pagans sat together at the table,
Finding faith and common ground the best that they were able,
Lighting trees in darkness, learning new ways from the old, and
Making sense of history and drawing warmth out of the cold.

On an unrelated note, I was chatting with someone the other day, who asked if I was freaked out by something that was said ... I replied that because of all the crazy things I've seen and heard in my job, nothing really freaks me out anymore, but I had forgotten about this, so I guess I was wrong. Some friends who live in Spruce Grove were talking about this case last week at dinner, how there were lots of rumours but no one ever did anything, how all the students thought this teacher was the greatest (and perhaps still do) ... how could anyone abuse their position of power so enormously?

"He was extremely well liked, he was an excellent teacher and a lot was overlooked because of his excellent personality," the mother of his older victim said Tuesday.

Colby Cosh points out how overuse of the tradition of flying a flag at half-mast has "ruined the ceremonious pleasure of the flag for everyone", with which I would agree.

And still more off-topic, Andrew Coyne is blogging again - hooray!

I was sad yesterday...

The "Ultimate Hockey Mom" (as our local paper put it), Phyllis Gretzky, passed away the other day from complications of cancer, and I was sad yesterday. It makes you realize how important Gretzky (or hockey in general?) is to Canadians when we all seem to care so much about his family too... (though I recall one of the comedy shows joking about this a while back, probably when there was the TV movie about Wayne's dad, just can't find the clip).

I think yesterday was also my annual "feel guilty at Christmas because we have so much and others have so little, so why are we buying more stuff"-ruminations; normally I guess I'm busy working and don't have so much time to think about it. It's typically the time when I wonder if I should instead be going to a Third World country to do volunteer work or to change my life in some such meaningful way ... but I never do. (well, I guess I changed my life by vowing never to be so busy again at work that I can't keep in touch with friends and family, that's meaningful).

And I'm a bit angry today - looks good for Canada around the world, doesn't it, when a guy who nearly killed another player gets selected for the Olympic team, way to go Bert.

More film reviews...

well, at least short snappers...

Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself (2002, director Lone Scherfig) - Wilbur keeps trying to commit suicide so his brother Harbour has Wilbur live with him for a while, Harbour falls in love with and marries Alice, but Wilbur starts to have feelings for Alice as well and finds a reason to live... sounds overall depressing to describe, but quite uplifting in the end. I found myself wondering if it was wrong to laugh at Wilbur's ineffectual suicide attempts and therapy sessions, and if it was wrong to be happy for Wilbur in the end (there was somewhat of a moral dilemma and twist involved). I enjoyed it very much.

Les Triplettes des Belleville (2003, animated) - I loved the song "Swinging Belleville Rendezvous" when I heard it at the Oscars (nominated for best song and best animated film that year), so had it on my list of movies to see eventually. Then when I became interested in cycling and realized that this film was about cycling (to a certain extent), I thought I have to see this. Plus, I'm kind of on a Canadian-kick right now and this was a Canadian -French-Belgian co-production... I found the pacing a bit strange at times (maybe I was biased because the librarian warned me of this when I borrowed it), but it was interesting overall. Madame Souza's grandson, a cyclist, is kidnapped during the Tour de France, so she has to rescue him with the help of the Belleville triplets singing group. I thought the exaggerations within the animation were fascinating - the skin and bones cyclists (except for their huge leg muscles), the really large size of everyone in Belleville (which seemed to be symbolic for the excesses of the western world I thought), the cycling scenes (especially when Champion is training up a steep hill and seems to barely be getting up it - but his grandmother behind him on a tricycle has no difficulty). I couldn't help but think of Michael Rasmussen, winner of the King of the Mountains jersey in this year's Tour de France, when Champion was weighing his food at dinner (plus the "skin and bones" aspect).

Les Invasions Barbaires (2003, director Denys Arcand) – Another Canadian film, since it won the Oscar for best foreign-film I thought I should probably see this. And since it was a continuation, 17 years later, of Arcand’s film “The Decline of the American Empire” from 1986 I thought perhaps I should see that first. I couldn’t actually get through Decline though, found it boring and not funny (supposed to be a comedy) – maybe it just seemed really dated, I’m not sure. So, I started into the Barbarian Invasions with great trepidation – but I really enjoyed it. It raised interesting questions about the meaning of one’s life plus end of life issues like euthanasia; and it was pertinent to the issues facing our Canadian health-care system when Rémy’s son Sébastien is paying for him to have tests done in the US and bribing officials to get his father a private room on an unused floor. It also raised issues about the quality of palliative care when Sébastien had to go to the street to get heroin to help his father cope with pain. The scenes with the narcotic officers were quite amusing, as was the scene when the doctor did his entire visit and examination but then it became apparent he had no idea who the patient was (you’d think everyone would know who was on the special floor); also the depiction of the unions and the hospital administration was hilarious. Very strange to me to see Mitsou in a dramatic-type role though – “Bye Bye Mon Cowboy” started running through my head…

Long Way Round (2004) – Not exactly a film but a TV series/DVD, about Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman’s motorcycle trip from London to New York via Europe, Ukraine, Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Siberia, Alaska, and Canada. I really enjoyed this, not just as a travel or adventure show (maybe my 1/8 Norwegian explorer heritage was coming out), but to see their struggles and emotions as the trip became quite difficult. It was also fascinating to see the different people they encountered and how friendly and helpful the majority were – there’s so many awful things reported in the news these days that you really tend to distrust any strangers any more, and yet they often had to depend and rely on total strangers to get through. The UNICEF bits were quite informative and touching, makes you realize how lucky we have things in Canada (or the “developed world” in general).

Skiing medal haul this weekend for Canada...

(trying to stay away from politics for a while, 'cause I'm sick of them all :-) )

First there was Beckie Scott taking the silver in the women's 10 km XC-ski freestyle World Cup race in Canmore on Thursday.

Then, on Friday Erik Guay became the first Canadian to win multiple medals in Super G with a silver at Val Gardena. He followed that up with a bronze in the downhill the next day (and rookie Sherry Lawrence made the Olympic team by finishing 11th in the Val d'Isere downhill).

Plus, Beckie Scott won the 15 km XC-ski classical World Cup race at Canmore yesterday, and Sara Renner came 6th for her best-ever distance result.

Then today, Francois Bourque came third in the men's GS at Alta Badia, and Emily Brydon came 3rd in the Super G at Val d'Isere for 3 Canadians in the top 10/4 in the top 16.

So maybe, those predictions of the COC that Canada would be on top of the overall medal count in Vancouver in 2010 aren't so unbelievable after all...

(addendum - Beckie and Sara came 2nd in the team relay in Canmore today as well!)

Martin confused over Iraq?

In last night's debate, on the issue of sending Canadian troops to Iraq, Paul Martin insisted that he had never suggested doing this nor even considered it. Stephen Harper quoted a page from the former American ambassador's book that stated otherwise. Later in the evening, the Liberals issued a press release claiming that Stephen Harper was lying - yet the press release quoted the section from Celluci's book stating that Paul Martin had in fact contemplated sending Canadian troops to Iraq (so, in essence, they confirmed Stephen Harper's point rather than making one of their own). News release and quotes from the book and the debate at Inkless Wells.

(addendum - Liberals later tried to clarify, via Inkless Wells again, that they were differentiating between the initial invasion of Iraq and sending troops afterwards, I'm not sure most Canadians really care about the difference).

(Oh, and I was trying to be a dutiful citizen last night by watching the debate - even played "Give 'Em the Boot Bingo" - I wish that "fundamentally" was on the card multiple times because Martin certainly says it a lot!)

A politician I respect, and a comedian I love

I was going to write solely today about Ed Broadbent's comments today in the Journal (and I'm sure other CanWest Global papers), about his frustrations over the years with our current electoral system and discussing other options besides first-past-the-post. I have always liked and respected Broadbent (maybe because I "came of age" during the Mulroney years...), even if I don't always agree with some of his party's policies (remember, I'm supposed to vote for the Bloc!). I was sad when he retired, happy when he "unretired", and sad that he's leaving again. I too am frustrated with our electoral system - it really doesn't matter who I vote for (election prediction coming), I'm in Alberta so I can already tell you that my MP will once again be Conservative Rona Ambrose (who is a very likable and intelligent person, regardless of what you think of Conservatives in general).

But then, I read something that I also had to mention today - trust Rick Mercer to find a way to liven things up even though his show's on break until after Christmas. You may have heard about top Liberal aide Scott Reid's criticism of the Conservative child-care plan, saying that the proposed child-care allowance could be used by parents to buy "beer and popcorn". Angry outrage has now included a petition at kidsnotbeer.com. But, now Rick Mercer has decided to protest the obvious "anti-beer agenda" on his blog, and he has created his own petition at http://www.beernotkids.com/. If you remember Rick's last petition, I think this one will be bigger than Stockwell Day changing his name to Doris - I just wish his show was on this week so that we could see Mercer rant about this...(I had no luck in trying to find the Stockwell/Doris rant clip online...)

“Give’em the Boot” Bingo

Thanks to the NDP website (via Warren Kinsella), here's a game to play during the leaders' debate on Friday when you're thinking to yourself, "Didn't Paul Martin say that last time?" - cross off each phrase on the bingo card as he says it during the debate. Featuring such Paul Martin specials as "Make no mistake", "I've got to tell you", and the recently-famous "fundamentally".

More non-mainstream sports

Congratulations to Beckie Scott and Sara Renner for winning gold and bronze in the cross-country skiing World Cup race in Vernon yesterday (Scott also came 2nd the day before), looking good for next week's World Cup races in Canmore Alberta (I wanted to go but something else came up), and also looking good for the Olympics. Maybe this time Beckie will get the experience of actually standing on the gold-medal podium at the Olympics instead of having to wait a few years before doping disqualifications gave her the gold medal.

And way to go, Brad Gushue and team for winning the curling Olympic trials. Obviously it was a good decision to add the experienced Russ Howard (pretty much twice their age as Gushue's only 25) to the team, and great to see that they can get along and work together well despite the age difference. Congratulations to Shannon Kleibrink of Calgary as well for winning on the women's side.

Movie Review

One thing I've realized over the last few years is that there have been movies I wanted to see but either didn't have anyone to go with or never got around to seeing them. So, I'm trying to take some time now to watch some of them. I'll post some comments here about what I've watched.

Someone recommended to me a film from 2002, Man Without a Past by director Aki Kaurismäki. I watched it the other day - the basic story is a man travels to Helsinki to find work, and is mugged right away causing him to lose his memory. He leaves the hospital after being presumed dead, and works to recreate a new life. Some thoughts I had during and after watching:
-my first reaction was with the initial mugging scene, made me think how “violence” in other movies/TV shows is often camouflaged or indirect or sugar-coated somehow in that few/no details are actually shown. (I was a bit concerned at that point about what the rest of the movie would be like). It was a similar reaction actually to when I attended a junior hockey game in Red Deer and we sat in the corner near the boards, it was a lot more violent from that perspective, as was watching the Grey Cup on TV from the overhead cable camera. I guess it’s easier to watch if you aren’t reminded how violent it truly is, does that make me a hypocrite to watch hockey/football?

I loved the humour in scenes such as meeting Hannibal the “attack dog”, the Salvation Army band on the couch listening to rock music (and slowly starting to get into it/move with the music), the lawyer suddenly appearing to the police station and getting him out then giving him a cigar, the bank robber later apologizing and asking a favour. (and for some reason, when the SA band was singing their Christian songs then a mention of there being strict rules about music … I thought about the propaganda state of North Korea and the constant mentions of Kim Jong-Il/Kim Il-Sung, in a humourous comparison sort of way).

The idea/theme of being alienated or stigmatized because you’re different in some way (e.g., job agency wouldn’t help because no name, police assumed he did something wrong, even the doctor didn’t put much effort into his care before declaring him dead ;-) ) and falling through the cracks of bureaucracy as a result strikes a personal chord for me. There is someone I know who could be so bitter about how his life has turned out (because of mental illness in this case) and yet he isn’t and instead he finds joy in small things like finding 4-leaf clovers or watching lightning storms. (just like the people in the movie, on the fringes of society living in their containers/dumpsters yet all seem friendly/helpful/hopeful, using phrases like “going out for dinner” and dressing up to go to the soup kitchen.)

Also the recurrent idea of starting over/a new life/doing things differently hit home personally – obviously there was M, who went forward rather than trying to figure out the past, but also he was able to help others do something different (Irma to experience love, the SA band to widen their musical horizons, his neighbours to experience a concert nearby). The ending has a twist I won't reveal here - ask me if you'd like.

I really enjoyed this movie and it made me realize how perhaps I've been missing out by really only seeing Star Wars/Lord of the Rings/Matrix and similar over the last few years.

A Nobel Laureate speaks ...

Harold Pinter has used his Nobel lecture (via video) to deliver an attack on US foreign policy. A writer at the Guardian describes how the speech "relied on Pinter's theatrical sense, in particular his ability to use irony, rhetoric and humour, to make its point."

The most humorous aspect I found (full text of speech here) was when he volunteered to be a speechwriter for President Bush and came up with this potential TV address:

'God is good. God is great. God is good. My God is good. Bin Laden's God is bad. His is a bad God. Saddam's God was bad, except he didn't have one. He was a barbarian. We are not barbarians. We don't chop people's heads off. We believe in freedom. So does God. I am not a barbarian. I am the democratically elected leader of a freedom-loving democracy. We are a compassionate society. We give compassionate electrocution and compassionate lethal injection. We are a great nation. I am not a dictator. He is. I am not a barbarian. He is. And he is. They all are. I possess moral authority. You see this fist? This is my moral authority. And don't you forget it.'

Why Oilers' fans boo Mike Comrie...

(...as explanation for our actions in Vancouver while watching the Canucks-Coyotes game with friends a few weekends ago).

This article in today's Edmonton Journal reports on the top 100 richest Canadians. At 79th is Brick furniture store founder Bill Comrie, father to former Oiler and current Phoenix Coyote Mike Comrie:

Another Edmontonian on the list, the Brick's Bill Comrie is listed in 79th spot this year, down from his ranking of 72 last year, with estimated assets of $471 million, down from $479 million.

Seeing as Mike was considered a "hometown hero", I guess it really rankled when he didn't play well then couldn't agree on a new contract so demanded to be traded. I mean, I can understand you want to make it on your own and not rely on your dad, but the average person probably just sees him as not your average greedy pro athlete but an exceptionally greedy one, coming from a family with that kind of money.

And in other hockey news, I really hope Mario's ok...

Paul Martin's campaign

From a journalist covering the Paul Martin campaign, this description and photo expressing his feelings (while he was stuck watching Martin read to kids at a school).

So happy I'm in tears...

I've mentioned here before that I'm not actually working at present, that I left my family practice after October; in January I will start doing locums to get a more flexible schedule/better hours/avoid burnout/etc. I also mentioned that we're hoping to start a family. I've told friends how the two are actually connected - it's been over two years since we started trying, figured maybe the stress of my prior job wasn't really helping - sometimes you start to lose hope (especially after an "almost" in October). Well, my hope is restored today in that I finally got an appointment at the Fertility Clinic for January (we've been waiting since August, I was thinking I wouldn't get in until April or something, didn't want to bug them too much because I've seen how sometimes that actually backfires on patients - yes, the squeaky wheel gets the grease at times, but other times it gets you a bad reputation and being put at the bottom of the pile, sorry to say). So, hopefully it won't come to that - but Plan B is now securely in place and I feel very hopeful and happy right now.

(I never meant to get so personal here - oh well, it feels good to say something somewhere to someone).

Double-standard in media political reporting?

Oh, no, it can't be! But Toronto Sun columnist Lorrie Goldstein argues (fairly convincingly) that there is an obvious pro-Liberal media bias in the coverage of the federal election campaign. Which is probably why I read more than just the mainstream media. I might actually be a Liberal were it not for Paul Martin and the party's seemingly entrenched corruption and sense of entitlement, the "natural governing party" if you will (I hope I'm not starting to sound like Rex Murphy...) Of course, as I mentioned a few days ago, I should be voting for Duceppe and the Bloc (only problem being they don't run in Alberta).

Did you remember?

Today is the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women. I remember it being very scary, as a 2nd year undergrad science student with a number of female friends in engineering, to hear that so many women were murdered at a university in Montreal simply because they were women.

Peace, order and rocky government

After calling Canada "cool" in 2003, the Economist has a less favourable article about Canada, due to "three very real threats to Canada's welfare that require energetic attention: the "threatening weather systems'' of western alienation, Quebec separatism and deteriorating U.S. relations." (from the CanWest Global article about the article). An interesting viewpoint and summary of current Canadian politics, I thought...

This part actually represents part of my concern and dilemma in terms of Canadian politics right now:

But the affair points to a deeper malaise in Canada's politics. It is worrying that the Conservatives are considered unable to win even when the Liberals are laid low by scandal. Long periods of domination by a single party are not good for the health of any democracy, let alone one in which power at the national level is highly centralised. Canada's prime minister enjoys remarkable powers of patronage: it was, for example, Mr Martin who appointed Canada's glamorous new governor-general. He also controls appointments to the Supreme Court and the Senate. Such a system would matter less if there were more frequent rotation in government. Why is there so little?

Finding an Angle In Every Shot

This is an interesting article in the Washington Post about presidential photography, media manipulation and propaganda...

CFL's worst-kept secret - Goodbye Jason, and thanks!

It's official today, Jason Maas has been traded to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. While I think it's great he'll get the chance to be a starting QB, we'll miss him as he's a class act (and we wouldn't have got to the Grey Cup without him). To Ti-cat fans, take care of him, please!

Torstar buys 20% of Bell Globemedia

Details in this article (found via Antonia Zerbisias's blog) - this means that the parent company of the Toronto Star (Zerb's employer), now owns 20% of one of their rival newspapers, the Globe and Mail (as well as CTV, TSN, etc). Hmm... look what happened to another media conglomeration.

Why I like to read

Some recent gems I've noted in my local paper and other sources, I wish I could write like this:

Todd Babiak, in an Edmonton Journal review of the Grey Cup halftime show the other day:

The Grey Cup is one of few national traditions we have left, along with doing poorly in the Olympics and voting for idiots.

Dan Barnes, in the Journal Sports section today, about Gilles Duceppe's idea that Quebec should get its own hockey team for international tournaments:

Hockey, strangely enough, acts as the catalyst that brings all Canadians together, regardless of linguistic preference and proficiency, in their love of the game and disdain for Todd Bertuzzi. And Sean Avery. And the Bruins' third jersey.

He went on to refer to "the official language of hockey, a mix of cliches and expletives".

And Monte Solberg weighs in on the Joe Thornton trade (you'd think Monte had other things to do, like campaign or something, he's only the Opposition Finance Critic...):

Trade Joe Thornton?
Sure why not, and why don't you also just pull my heart from my chest and tap dance on it.
I'd be less shocked if you went to the fireplace, grabbed the poker and stroked me across the forehead.
Let's see here. Joe is the heart of the Bruins, and I bleed Bruin gold and black, all of which explains why I am laying in the fetal position on the floor in my furnace room, right beside the pile of oily rags. Say it aint so Joe.

In his next entry (back to campaigning), he mentions the trade again,

But I had a good three or four minutes of sleep and now feel like I could run to Boston where I would like to track down Harry Sinden and Mike O'Connell and peel them both like bananas.

Finally, from Inkless Wells , it seems politicians are missing the real issues - dog-attacking squirrels in Russia.

Random thoughts late at night...

I went from sleeping lots (too much I thought) in early November when I was first off work, to waking up early (like 5 am) in the mornings and not being able to get back to sleep, to now staying up way too late and sleeping in late again. I guess for now it doesn't matter much, but I'll have to get more disciplined about sleep schedules before going back to work next month...

There were 2 articles in today's paper that I found interesting, both about scientific studies, and as it turns out, both summarized in this one article from the Chicago Tribune. The top part is about how caffeine has been found to specifically help with short-term memory (I like the part about how Americans consume three times the world average for caffeine and the writer's implication as to why):

Now a team of Austrian researchers using advanced brain imaging technology has discovered that caffeine makes people more alert by perking up part of the brain involved in short-term memory, the kind that helps focus attention on the tasks at hand.

And Americans seem most in need of concentrating their thoughts, since their average daily consumption of 236 milligrams of caffeine, equivalent to more than 4.5 cups of coffee, is three times the world average.

The bottom part of the article describes how researchers "found that marijuana smoking may increase the risk of schizophrenia in people who have a genetic susceptibility to the disease." For those of you who know my family history, you'll realize why this is of interest to me. (edit - no, I'm not a pot-smoker worried about developing schizophrenia - just wondering about someone else...)

And, on an election note (besides the Conservatives' promise to reduce the GST), I found this "VoteSelector Quiz" at PoliticsWatch.com. Yes, it's from last election, but I don't think the party platforms have really changed that much to make a big difference. You answer a number of questions and they tell you which party/leader your views are most closely aligned with. So should I be concerned that each time I've gone through the questions, I'm most closely aligned with Gilles Duceppe and the Bloc Quebecois ???

(BTW, thanks to anyone who's actually reading this - if there's anyone other than my dad, my husband, Geri and Kara ;-), please e-mail to let me know or leave a comment).

Way to go Eric!

Canadian skier Eric Guay came 2nd in today's World Cup Super-G in
Colorado!

(another of my non-mainstream sports that I follow - at least this one gets TV coverage in Canada)

Grey Cup memories, Election coming ...

The Grey Cup game was fantastic - and the Eskimos even won, in overtime. Some highlights of the weekend:
-talking to other fans on the harbour cruise we took Friday night (everyone in their team colours of course, even if their team wasn't in the game!).
-the Save-On-Foods shopping cart drill team in the Grey Cup parade (original and hilarious idea, seeing as I think every pipe band in BC was also in the parade it was good to have something different).
-the groups of fans in the parade, like the Fritos Fandemonium winners, the BC Booze Brothers and the Box J Boys from Hamilton. The Box J Boys chanted "Thank you for waiting" as they were the last entry in the parade and we were watching towards the end of the route - plus they did the Ticat Cheer "Oskee Wee Wee...", at the end when someone then yelled out "Arrrr-gooos" they responded "Suck!" without any hesitation.
-the Cheerleader extravaganza - well, actually for me it got a little repetitive, but Ed enjoyed it. The Eskies' guys (the only cheer/dance team with guys because they're the only team that does acrobatic stunts) did their own little dance number - the females in the crowd loved it.
-seeing the excitement on Ed's face as I took a photo of him with league MVP Damon Allen.
-the game itself - heartstopping excitement at the end of the 4th quarter and into overtime. And Ricky finished the game and was named MVP!

Now we're into a federal election campaign, Warren Kinsella had a good column in the National Post today about why the Liberals should lose (even though he's a Liberal).

(addendum - non-football highlights included crab ravioli, French onion soup, and the calamari sandwich at Feenie's)

It's not easy for the refs...

Poor NHL ref Don Van Massenhoven - first he was there in Detroit on Monday night when Jiri Fischer collapsed, Fischer's heart stopped and they had to postpone the game; then Van Massenhoven was hit in the face with a puck last night in Florida and required seven hours of reconstructive surgery. Ouch!

Pay your Visa bill with pennies...

That's what Don Rogers in Kingston did, to protest that his bank has moved its credit card processing to the US. His concern is one of privacy - because a US company is involved, US authorities can now gain access to his personal information under their Patriot Act.

So he paid his bill online in 985 installments, and his next statement was 35 pages long and half-an-inch thick!

Similar concerns about how the US Patriot Act could affect Canadians were raised last year as well, when the BC government planned to sign a contract with an American company to take over management of health records (MSP and Pharmacare).

The Cycling World Waits...

...for the results of Roberto Heras's B-sample testing for EPO, which were supposed to have been released today - but there has been some sort of technical problem and they have to repeat the test, so no results until Friday. Some of the Spanish articles (that broke the news sooner than anything in English) seem to say that Heras's side is calling for his testing to be stopped because the tests are invalid.

This whole issue around Heras is a key one for cycling, because he's such a big name - some have suggested it's a no-win situation (ie. either cycling will lose further respect and sponsorship if he's positive, or if the B-sample is negative it shows that the tests aren't fully accurate and it sets back the anti-doping efforts). A good summary was in the New York Times today (wow, non-Lance-Armstrong-related cycling news in a major North American paper!)

I guess the cycling world will have to wait some more ...

A quote ...

I found this quote the other day, it was one the chaplain used at Darryl's memorial service in trying to understand what had happened, and I found it comforting:

Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing. - Helen Keller

Contemplations on life and the internet...

Last night, as I had trouble falling asleep after the exciting CFL Western Final (see other entries on this below), I pondered why I spend a lot of time on the Internet. I realized that a lot of it is because I like to read, and obviously the Internet supplies an endless source of reading material. (I also have a ton of books on various topics that I'm currently reading or mean to read soon - from triathlon training, to the 2005 Tour de France, to Music Therapy, to stress management, to "In Praise of Slow", to "Why French Women Don't Get Fat" ... maybe I should put up a reading list on the sidebar...)

In a broader sense, I guess it reflects a desire to learn more about the world, from different perspectives.

I then realized that my internet activities are likely the logical follow-through on my prior hobby of radio. I think I was probably about 10 years old, living in Vancouver, when I discovered that my AM radio could actually pick up radio stations from other cities - Victoria, Kelowna, even Seattle. With more practice and experience, I learned the best times to listen and how to adjust my antenna to pick up even further stations. I then branched out into shortwave radio listening as well ... many an afternoon spent listening through a ton of static, trying to pick up a station ID from a signal that I suspected was a rare or exotic find, only to discover it was something common (BBC/VOA/Radio Canada International etc.) in a different language. I also enjoyed listening to newscasts from different countries - I thought it was fascinating that the BBC had different news stories than the local media (my first introduction to media bias, I guess). And one of the highlights was when I could actually hear an internationally significant event take place on radio - like when I listened to Radio Vilnius at the time when the Lithuanians were rebelling against the Soviets, and their radio station was broadcasting from a secret exile location.

Anyway, I guess my interest in hearing news from other sources and learning more about the world has transferred from radio as a source to the internet. And probably it's the same sort of fascination at learning about things that caused me difficulty and frustration in a full-time family practice medicine situation - I'd love to talk at length with a number of my former patients, hear their perspective on a variety of things (including their health), but fee-for-service universal healthcare in Canada doesn't really allow for that (or at least I would have been chased out of my clinic for not making enough money/seeing enough patients, rather than voluntarily leaving).

So now I regularly read a number of news sites, blogs (see sidebar), and Google News to keep up-to-date on topics that interest me. It's useful having somewhere to share information when I find something interesting, so I guess that's partly the purpose of this blog (and the Daily Peloton forums).

(and I guess the whole point of this exercise was to justify to myself the amount of time I spending surfing the Internet... no, I mean reading about world events and other interesting topics).

Jason and Ricky ...

Ricky's going to start next Sunday - which is probably good, as Jason pointed out last week, Ricky doesn't have the experience Jason does in being a backup/coming off the bench:

"I'd very much understand the reasoning for it (Ray starting) and agree totally with it," Maas said. "I'd probably feel that's the best scenario because Ricky has started 19 games and got us here and I'd definitely go with that."

But I like Terry Jones's angle today ...

Call it the Legend of Jason Maas. It's now grown into a story of magical, mythical, memory-making tell-your-grandchilden-about-the-day proportions.

The team player of all team players put his name on a game last week to get the Eskimos here and yesterday put his name on an even bigger game to get the Edmonton Eskimos back here this week to play in the 93rd Grey Cup game.

Go Esks!

Ja-son Ja-son !!! Part 2

Woo-hoo! We made it to the Grey Cup! (a big bonus since Ed and I planned to go to the Grey Cup game anyway - bought our tickets at a time, in the summer, when it didn't look there was any chance for the Esks to be there...) Two weeks in a row the Esks pulled their starter QB Ricky Ray to put in Jason Maas and Maas fires up the team to get the win. Wonder who'll actually be going to Hamilton for next year (there were rumours that Maas will be traded there ...)

A Relief...

Today I did a demo of our electronic medical records software for a doctor and 2 staff from another clinic - it went really well, I think. The reason I even mention this is because this is really the first formal training session of any kind I've done in a year - I'm on leave as a Girl Guide Trainer at present, and still think my stress levels would get too high to do a Guiding training right now, but it was reassuring to realize that I can do "training" in general without too much stress. (Other than procrastinating a lot before properly preparing for today, and a bit of anxiety this morning, it was fine).

So now I can go and read my new book, "The 2005 Tour de France", that arrived today. (Makes me think of something Jerry Seinfeld said when we saw him live a few years ago - he commented on how strange it was that after people watched a sports event live, they'd have to rush home to watch the highlights on the news as if to prove that what they saw really did actually happen - and then they'd read all the stories about it in the paper the next day, to prove that what they saw in the highlights and live really did happen ...)

Ja-son Ja-son!!!

This is what I and a girl in front of us chanted on various occasions this season when Ricky Ray seemed to be struggling, as Edmonton Eskimo season ticket holders in upper Section F (the Lieutenant-Governor section - right above Normie Kwong on the Eskimo Wall of Fame). Too bad the coach didn't do something last week, when we lost and ended up 3rd instead of 1st going into the playoffs - but at least Maciocia realized that he had to pull the highest-paid player in the CFL in order to get something going.

So, from being down 23-12 at the half, we went on to win 33-26 thanks to Jason Maas, the backup QB who was actually the starter last year (when Ray tried to make the NFL). (And I guess also thanks to Sean Fleming for making 6 of 6 field goals or we wouldn't have even been able to come back).

It was interesting last weekend watching the documentary "The Inner Circle" about the Eskies' 3 QB's, how friendly they are to each other - yet competitive.

Anyway, on to BC Place next weekend and the Lions ... then hopefully the Grey Cup!

Thoughts on Remembrance Day

I joined a choir this fall, as I hadn't been in one since UAMC then our med students' choir, and missed it - so I joined the Cosmopolitan Chorus of the Cosmopolitan Music Society. We had our first concert last Sunday, Lest We Forget, a Remembrance Day tribute. The choir members got to sit in the choir loft at Winspear the entire time, even though we only sang in the second half - I didn't realize prior to the dress rehearsal that afternoon how many others were involved besides the Cosmo bands and chorus - Tommy Banks not just as MC but also played/conducted, a piano concerto with Michael Massey, the Vimy Ridge Academy Pipe Band, and several solo vocalists. Very patriotic and well-received by all the veterans (and others) in the audience. I feel absolved of any guilt for having to work on Remembrance Day previously (the last few years I never even managed to be anywhere where poppies were sold - but I have one this year).

As for poppies, according to Colby Cosh and Bourque Newswatch, it would seem that the Legion has trademarked the poppy symbol and is forbidding anyone from posting it on a website, even with the purpose of promoting poppy sales and remembrance of our veterans. Interesting ...

I was intrigued to read in the paper earlier this week how in Newfoundland, the true "remembrance" actually takes place on July 1, when they commemorate the battle of Beaumont Hamel in 1916 - out of 780 Newfoundlanders there were 684 casualties:

In Mary Walsh's corner of the country, Nov. 11 plays only a supporting role in the annual ritual of wartime remembrance. The real commemorations -- the genuine acts of tribute and sadness -- take place in Newfoundland on July 1, when the rest of Canada is having a party and setting off fireworks.

At the national ceremonies today in Ottawa, the mother of Marc Leger was the Silver Cross mother - he was one of the four soldiers from Edmonton Garrison who were killed in a friendly-fire incident in Afghanistan. And apparently, there were no World War I veterans at the Ottawa ceremony today - there are only 5 left in Canada with an average age of 103.

And I just saw an interesting interview on TV about why there would have been so many poppies during WWI - a botanist from UBC mentioned how poppy seeds lie in the ground for up to 100 years if undisturbed, so it was likely all the disruption to the ground (bombing, digging graves) that brought the seeds up to the surface and caused so many of them to germinate.

IN FLANDERS FIELDS the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

Fall can be nice... even in Edmonton

The temperature in Edmonton today reached a high of 17 deg. Celsius today - needless to say, all the snow from Sunday has melted :-) I went for a 5 km run in early afternoon, when it was 14 C (already above the predicted high of 12) - then when it was even warmer I thought I'd better take advantage of it and go for a bike ride as well. I'm not sure I've ever ridden my bike in November in the 20 years I've lived in Edmonton...

(unlike usually when over the winter I lose both leg muscle strength and cardiovascular fitness/endurance, I think that 2 months of being sedentary for September-October due to injury then other health issues have led to my losing only the cardio this time - both on the run and bike my legs felt great, but my heart rate was skyrocketing!)

Unfortunately, this weather isn't supposed to last - high of -1 C and snow on Sunday, maybe I'm actually glad the Eskimos don't have a home playoff game...

Music Therapy

I took a Music Therapy course last month (no, I'm not planning to change careers entirely): "Introduction to Music Therapy/MUSC 0195", noncredit, four 2.5 hour classes at Grant McEwan Community College (oh wait, sorry, they're just called "MacEwan" now, guess "community college" isn't hip and cool now that they can offer Bachelor's degrees).

This is an area I've been interested in and intrigued by, the effects of music on health and well-being. My music teacher in BC had mentioned something once about experiments she had done in university. Also, I've had personal experiences where I've seen music definitely having a beneficial effect in others:

-my grandfather at his 90th birthday party, frail and with cognitive impairment from Parkinson's disease, yet he joined in the singing of "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow" as best he could (don't think he realized we were singing it about him);
-a piano student I had who I think was struggling with school and wasn't doing well at piano lessons either, so instead often we'd improvise and create music simply to have fun as I figured it was probably more important to have a good experience with music than to pressure him to learn exactly by the book
-my grandfather (again) coming to the hospital bed of my grandmother in ICU on life support and he tried to sing to her (even though he couldn't really speak well).

These are just some of the experiences that had left me wondering more about what uses people had come up with for using music in a structured therapeutic setting.

The course was very interesting - there aren't many music therapists in Alberta, and no training programs (it's actually a 4-year degree program), so little knowledge of the field amongst other health care professionals and facilities who might actually make use of it. The official definition, from the Canadian Association for Music Therapy (CAMT):

Music therapy is the skillful use of music and musical elements by an accredited music therapist to promote, maintain, and restore mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual health.

We went through various applications of music therapy, and learned about different components (music listening, improvisation, creative music therapy, and recreative music therapy). Overall, I think it is a good resource to know about for my future practice experience.

I have some thoughts about how music therapy pertains to Arts Trainers within Girl Guides of Canada, but that will have to wait until another day...

Road Trip...

I took a road trip today to check out the Anthony Henday extension that opened today from Lessard Drive (45 Ave) to Terwillegar Drive. Seeing that since the summer, we've basically tried to avoid the Whitemud/Calgary Trail and Calgary Trail/23 Ave intersections (plus Calgary Trail itself) by turning south on Terwillegar off Whitemud, continuing south via 156/170 Streets to Ellerslie Road and taking Ellerslie out to the QE2 (and back north again if we're going to South Edmonton Common, heaven forbid) - this is great news that they got the extension (and new bridge across the North Saskatchewan River) open ahead of time.

And after driving it, all I can say is... sweet. Four minutes from Terwillegar to Lessard Drive (where I had to stop at the light), 8 minutes total from Terwillegar back home (compared to at least 20 minutes when we had to go all the way around and across Quesnell). You can see where the freeway and bridge are by looking at this Google satellite map.

Interesting how the 2 cars in front of me and the one behind (and probably more) did exactly what I did - when we reached the end at Terwillegar, we turned north over the interchange and then went right back onto Henday to go back to where we came from...

Rick Mercer's back!

Tonight, the Rick Mercer Report starts its new season on CBC - one of the few TV shows that I make a point of watching (along with 24 and The Amazing Race - 24 doesn't start until January, and the family edition of the Amazing Race isn't as good as the usual ones IMO).

Who else could get Anne Murray, Susan Aglukark, Jann Arden, Evan Solomon (CBC Sunday Report), Steven and Ed from BNL and Gord Sinclair from the Hip (among others) to all appear in a spoof ad for the fake CBC documentary "9 Months in April" (about Joe Clarke's time as Prime Minister)???

So, I hope with the move to Tuesdays (the show used to be called "Monday Report" for obvious reasons) it will remain successful and be around for a while.

I went to Wal-Mart...

This may not seem like such a notable item, but I usually avoid Wal-Mart for a number of reasons (both philosophical- eg. destroying the smaller stores, questionable labour practices); and also personal preference - I don't like really really big stores, that's why I usually avoid Superstore as well). But I needed something and Ed said that Wal-Mart would be a good place to get it, so I went there.

The closest Wal-Mart actually moved earlier this year, and I haven't been in to the new location at all yet - it was huge! Definitely would have a case of sensory and information overload if I had to spend much time there (though I'm sure you could find anything you needed, true "one-stop shopping", I didn't realize how large a grocery section they have) - luckily I was able to find what I needed quickly and get out. Was I really naive to expect an express line at Wal-Mart? (because there wasn't one). Does that mean that people come expecting to buy lots, or that they generally get sucked into buying lots even if they didn't intend to?

And in the end, the item I needed was the same price as it would have been elsewhere, or even more expensive if you consider that it's often on sale elsewhere and wasn't at Wal-Mart. So, I guess I won't be back anytime soon.

Internet study shows Canadians are heavy users

Apparently, according to the study quoted in this article, "56 per cent of all Canadians are online at least seven hours a week, with the average Canadian user online 13.5 hours each week".

Another interesting stat - "Canadian internet users watched, on average, 3.7 hours less television per week than non-users".

(I'll make no comment about the fact that by blogging about this I'm upping my internet hours for the week...)

Yesterday was a good day for new releases

Not only did Episode 3 of Star Wars come out on DVD, but the Tragically Hip released Hipeponymous, a limited edition box set of 2 CD's and 2 DVD's - I've been listening to the CD's and rekindling my love of Gord Downie's unique vocals and lyrics.

(I went to an unnamed store yesterday to buy these - interesting how at 11 am on a Tuesday all the cash desks were manned and everyone in line had a copy of Star Wars. I know that it was a special one-day only price, but it's only $2 more today - is it that important to get it on the first day? Mind you, I was there too...)

EPO maker to back California Tour

The newly announced cycling Tour of California next February is to be sponsored by AMGEN - the company that developed recombinant erythropoietin (EPO). AMGEN states "its sponsorship is driven by its awareness of the inappropriate use of its product." I'm sure Dick Pound and WADA will absolutely love this :-)

In Memoriam...

Family, friends pay tribute to missing climber
Paul Marck - The Edmonton Journal- Monday, October 24, 2005

EDMONTON -- Adventurer, dependable partner and co-worker, prankster, fearless outdoorsman. Those were the words friends and family members used Sunday to describe Darryl Dow, an Edmonton paramedic who disappeared last month while on a mountaineering trip southwest of Canmore.

Dow, 40, went climbing by himself in early September on Mount Assiniboine, a 3,618-metre peak along the Alberta-B.C. boundary. Dow last checked in with his partner, Susan Tremblay, on Sept. 7. In the days that followed, a massive ground and air search was launched. It turned up nothing.

There were tears and laughter at a memorial service Sunday as nearly 300 people, including many of Dow's colleagues from the city's Emergency Medical Service, filled the theatre auditorium at the Royal Alberta Museum. A multimedia presentation outlined Dow's life from childhood to his recent climbing adventures. Many of the sensational photographs Dow took himself while on his alpine travels.

His youngest sister, Janis, said his courage and zest for life inspired her, starting from when they were children growing up in Kilarney, Man. "He was always curious, talented and charming," she said, choking back tears several times. She said her brother's adventuring spirit was apparent beginning from his days as a Boy Scout. He could learn anything from reading a book and trying it out.

When he became a paramedic in the early 1990s, he loved the job, but was equally passionate about outdoor life, which he took every chance to enjoy. His EMS partner, Steve Gormsen, said Dow liked nothing better than to hike, climb, ride his bike or play volleyball. He relished every chance he had to get to the Rockies, either with experienced climbers or rookie adventurers. "I think Darryl really thought of himself as an ambassador of the mountains," said Gormsen.

Susan Tremblay's tribute to her partner was read by her children, Beau and Erica. "He was thoughtful, he was mischievous, he was funny, he was smart," she recalled.

Dow was never afraid to try new things. He took up soccer in his 30s, and admitted he was often the worst player on the field. It never stopped him from enjoying himself.
© The Edmonton Journal 2005

Other details not mentioned in above article:

City Chaplain as MC - very good at putting into words how difficult it is not knowing what happened, and wondering why this happened.

Mike Harroun read Dale Golding's e-mail tribute - both did a very good job (at reading and at writing).

Music Selections included -
"Wake Me Up When September Ends" by Green Day
"Time of Your Life" by Green Day
"Lost Together" by Blue Rodeo
"We'll Meet Again" by Johnny Cash

Lots of cycling news...

Stuart O'Grady has a new contract finally, but might miss the Tour de France - O'Grady had thought he signed a legit contract with a team just starting up, only to find that the person negotiating on behalf of major sponsor Sony-Ericsson actually had no authorization from them - hence no team at a time when all the other teams had already pretty much used up their budgets and filled their rosters. So, I'm sure he's sleeping better now that he's signed with CSC - except that their team goal would be for Ivan Basso to win the Tour, they won't be interested in helping O'Grady go for the green jersey.

(and I'm sure Robbie McEwen (R) lost no sleep over poor Stuey's (L) predicament ...)

And the ASO (organizing committee) announced the 2006 Tour de France route today. No team time-trial this year... as neat as it looks, that's actually a really good thing for my favourite team (Davitamon-Lotto) as they won't have to bring specific riders for the TTT, and instead can bring more sprinters to help Robbie McEwen and more climbers to help Cadel Evans. Plus, Cadel won't get so far back in the overall classification (GC) just because his team isn't good at the TTT.

My last day ... with an asterisk

So this was my last regular day seeing patients at my current job (the asterisk is because I still have a week or two of paperwork and cleaning my office, plus I'm on call next week). One of my colleagues asked at lunch how I was feeling - I'm not really sure, it doesn't really feel any different, maybe a bit of relief, but somewhat anti-climactic I think.

Maybe it's like when cyclist Robbie McEwen asked Lance Armstrong how he felt towards the end of this year's Tour de France:

I rode alongside him towards the end of the final stage to congratulate him and ask how he felt. He turned round to me and said "I feel hungry". I was thinking to myself "he can't be hungry for more success", and then he headed towards his team-mate George Hincapie and asked if he had any spare food.

Maybe it will sink in after a few weeks when I don't have any more paperwork to do and can get around to doing all the things I haven't had time to do for too long. Maybe it will sink in when I get more rest and I'm not feeling tired all the time like I seem to be now. Maybe it will sink in when I get to do more things for myself instead of just for other people all the time.

And then I know that all those experiences above I'm looking forward to will only be short-lived, because with our overall goal of having a family I'm quite well aware that having kids generally brings fatigue, less time for yourself, and not getting things done ... so I'll try to enjoy it while it lasts.

For now, I think I'll go make dinner for Ed instead of the other way around ... I am a bit hungry :-)

Jann Arden isn't depressing ...

Ed and I went to see Jann Arden in concert the other night at the Winspear, for at least the fifth time (I think). She played for 3 nights, and we went on the second - the morning of our concert, this review was in the Edmonton Journal. I was a bit perplexed by the review, because I had never really considered a Jann Arden concert to be a depressing event, as the reviewer (and her friend who didn't want to go even with a free ticket) seemed to think. The reviewer also commented that she wished Jann wouldn't talk so much and would sing more, which I also thought was odd - that's why we like going to her concerts, you get to hear and see her inspiring (to me) perspective on life. As our friend Lisa said (when we discussed the review before the concert), if we wanted to just hear the CD again we could sit at home for that.

Of course, Jann had to make her own comments about the review - she asked the audience whether they wanted her to shut up, no one did. She also joked about how while her songs may be depressing, she does that deliberately so that we can all feel better about ourselves. I realized why I've never thought of her concerts as depressing or "fragile", as the reviewer seemed to - it all balances out when she talks and jokes in between, and to me it's the overall package that's important. If all she did was sing, you'd never see her true personality.

(It's like a review once of a Blue Rodeo concert, where the reviewer complained about the improvisational sections they did and that they changed their songs around too much - to me, that's the band's personality and again if I wanted to hear things exactly like the CD I could just stay home).

Anyway, we enjoyed the concert very much, and you'd think we had bought our tickets together by the fact that we were only separated from Steve and Lisa by 2 seats... and Lisa went to school with one of the people in between ... small world.

Some thoughts about a friend

Memorial will celebrate life of avid climber
- City paramedic disappeared on treacherous solo ascent
The Edmonton Journal October 20, 2005

EDMONTON - Family and friends of an Edmonton paramedic who disappeared while climbing one of the highest peaks in the Canadian Rockies will celebrate his life at a memorial service this weekend.

The memorial for Darryl Dow, an acting superintendent with Emergency Medical Services, is Sunday at 2 p.m. in the Royal Alberta Museum theatre. Dow, 40, went missing in mid-September while attempting a solo ascent of Mount Assiniboine, a 3,618-metre mountain along the British Columbia-Alberta border, southwest of Canmore. Searchers scoured the area on foot and by helicopter for three days, but found no trace of him.

Dow last checked in with his partner Susan Tremblay on Sept. 7, saying he was travelling to the B.C. side of the mountain to climb. He said his route would depend on the weather. Mount Assiniboine, often compared to the Matterhorn in Switzerland, is known among mountaineers as a difficult climb with risks of exposure, rock falls and avalanches.

Dow had worked for the EMS since 1993. Colleagues called him a well-respected and accomplished paramedic.
© The Edmonton Journal 2005

Enough time has now passed that I can pass an ambulance on the road without tears coming to my eyes (I used to always try to look to see if it was Darryl or Steve when I passed an ambulance, a habit that persisted even when I knew they had become supervisors ... the first few ambulances I passed after hearing about Darryl were hard).

I had signed up for a conference at the Shaw Conference Centre the week after we heard about Darryl ... driving there I realized that the last time I had been there was the Blue Rodeo concert last spring (with Darryl there among other friends) - then I realized that I think it was the last time I saw Darryl - kicking myself for being "too tired" to go watch the Alberta Centennial fireworks on September 1 at Luc's, the last time Ed saw Darryl. Makes you realize the importance of doing the important things right away rather than putting them off (like keeping in touch with friends and family).

My backpacking trip in August on the Chilkoot Trail has become somewhat a bittersweet experience, in that Darryl used to always ask me about my Guiding background and when I'd be doing any outdoor trips - I hadn't really done any backpacking or similar for quite a few years, so all through the trip I was looking forward to the opportunity to tell him about it (and never got the chance). As it turned out, I got around to sending out an e-mail to a bunch of friends, with a link to my photos, and it ended up being right at the same time most of us found out he was missing ...

Dakota Fanning Becomes a Girl Scout

11 year old American actress Dakota Fanning and her sister Elle recently became Girl Scouts, following in their mother's footsteps. In July, Entertainment Weekly called her the "most powerful woman in Hollywood" because her movies over the last 4 years have earned more money ($647-million) than any other actress (Julia Roberts, Nicole Kidman, and Reese Witherspoon were next on the list). GSUSA is going to be featuring Dakota in a publication for 8-11 year Girl Scouts.

Some Thought-Provoking Flags with commentary

From Matthew Good's blog, there are some interesting pieces by a Brazilian artist. The artist has shown a number of flags, with captions to indicate what the different colours "represent". Interesting ...

A Cycling Fan's Lament

Why, oh why do I have to be a fan of sports that aren't big in North America? At least, thanks to Lance Armstrong, the Tour de France gets live/same day TV coverage here (but who knows what will happen next year now that Lance is retired).

CBC is scheduled to show coverage next weekend from the World Road Cycling Championships in Madrid - but the event actually finished today. And apparently to protect CBC's rights, an internet site that did live streaming of footage from the men's road race today wasn't allowed to show anything in Canada.

So, I had to resort to watching live text updates from several websites (Cycling News, the Daily Peloton, Eurosport) to see what happened this morning. Unfortunately Robbie McEwen, one of the favourites and my favourite, didn't win. (but I guess I can watch it next Saturday on CBC, depending on whether the CBC strike affects the scheduling).

(update - October 9 - CBC was still on strike last weekend so showed a rerun of Sports Saturday from last May ... Cycling TV now has highlights of the Worlds on their website, but can't show them to anyone from Canada because CBC still has all the rights...)

In the style of Robert Service ...

On our Chilkoot Trail trip, we were looking through the logbook at Happy Camp (i.e., the campsite after the big long day over the Chilkoot Pass) - we were amused to see the entries commenting on "amazing view", "wonderful weather - +30 C so we went skinny dipping in Crater Lake" and so on, seeing as we were fogged in over the pass with rain and a wind chill likely below freezing. So we were inspired to write this poem to describe *our* trip, and we wrote it in that same logbook (because it was still raining we decided to sleep in that morning, take our time making breakfast and taking down our tents - we didn't leave Happy Camp until 12:30 or 1 pm) :


"There are strange things done in the midnight sun" - no wait, we didn't see the sun, let's start over.

There are strange things seen when you're with Noreen, when you're hiking the Chilkoot Trail;
There is lots of pain in the driving rain when you're determined not to fail.

Four packs were snatched, a plan was hatched, and Anderson saved the day
Three were found, lying around, and we were on our way.

Marcia hiked with a pack she disliked, a Walmart special she had;
Allison sewed by the headlamp glow and made it not so bad.

In the night, Aurora would recite "The Cremation of Sam McGee";
Other hikers were impressed as they sat to rest, at the campground of Canyon City.

It's so wet and cold, Chloe's clothes smell like mold, and no she is not lying;
You'll have no fear, when Emily's orange pants are near, of getting lost and crying.

In the fog, the summit shelter was clogged by hikers seeking respite;
Laura and Jen trailed, but in the end they prevailed, the top was a welcome sight.

So here we sit, about to split, our clothes dripping on the line;
Past Happy Camp we'll still be damp, but we leave you with this rhyme.

(Written by the Victoria Potluck Link and friends on August 25, 2005 - inspired by Robert Service)

Summer activities

I never got around to posting anything about our camping trip, so now I have two actually to mention.

Ed and I went camping in Kananaskis Country (Peter Lougheed Provincial Park) in August for 4 days - great weather (it was +30 C and sunny in Calgary all that week - cooler in the mountains but still great). We did some hiking as I was trying to prepare for my next trip at the end of August - our photos are here.

This trip reminded us of prior camping trips to Kananaskis, so I dug out some old photos: our first-ever camping trip as a couple in 1993 when we did the same Mt. Indefatigable hike we did again this year (photos here and here), and a camping trip in 1996 with friends where we went whitewater rafting.

In late August I hiked the Chilkoot Trail with some Guiding friends from Victoria, as mentioned previously on this page. My photos of that trip are here.

Thoughts on Lance Armstrong

The mainstream sports media (at least here in Canada) have covered really only bits and pieces of the back-and-forth accusations over the issue of L'Equipe (French sports newspaper) claiming they have evidence Lance Armstrong used EPO in the 1999 Tour de France. Already in the last week, the UCI (international cycling federation) criticized WADA and Dick Pound for commenting before full investigations were complete, Dick Pound claims that the leak was actually the UCI president, Lance Armstrong hints that he might actually make a comeback to combat rumours but now states that he won't (and criticizes Dick Pound), and the UCI president denies that the UCI leaked anything.

In my mind, I have grave doubts about testing done for no apparent valid reason, without the consent of the athlete involved, 6 years later - if the journalist involved forged numbers onto his documents, as the UCI claims, he could easily have faked results as well. Lance Armstrong has actually put his own money into improving drug testing in cycling over the years, which would probably be a really stupid thing to do if you were actually cheating.
(and while I used to think it was neat that Canada had a high-ranking IOC and later WADA official in Dick Pound, he now comes across as embarrassing when he makes comments apparently without all the information, even other WADA officials have criticized him as well).

Andrew Coyne, in one of his now-rare blogging moments, puts forth 4 possible scenarios for what might actually have happened, and points out that in three of the four, Lance Armstrong still comes across as a winner.

Katrina - some thoughts

What's to say at this point about Katrina that hasn't already been said? There are so many points of view, and so many people that have politicized what has happened to meet their own ends. In the Edmonton Journal the last few days there has been a debate between the radio DJ's supporting a teddy bear drive for the kids of the Gulf Coast, and the columnist who pointed out that they probably need more than just our teddy bears...

For me, the following two items summarize things the best:
1) a webcomic (actually my favourite comic anywhere at the moment, other than the temporary return of Calvin and Hobbes for the rest of the year) called Todd and Penguin - in this one, the child-like Penguin shows his concern at not knowing how to help (you can follow the next few comics to see what he tries), and cynical Oscar the cat shows the indifference of many, "it didn't happen to me so why should I care?".

2) National Post columnist and blogger Colby Cosh has an interesting recap on his website.

Macleans Magazine's Ranking of Best high schools in Canada

...and the first listed under "Top Overall" is the school I graduated from 17 years ago, Jasper Place. My friends and I always thought it was good - it was amusing how as a newcomer to Edmonton (moved in January of Grade 9) various people I met expressed shock that I would choose to go to JP, because it was "too rough". How times change ...

Loyal royal Girl Guide - a Crown Princess!

The VP of the Girl Guide Association of Malaysia is also the Crown Princess of Pahang, but has participated actively in Guiding according to this article

Guiding lights in Ottawa

Two Senior Branches members from Ottawa were chosen to go on international Guiding trips this summer and were profiled in the Ottawa Sun.

Environmental Tragedy at Wabamun Lake

A CN train derailed on August 3 near Lake Wabamun , just west of Edmonton (and where I've taken 2 sets of sailing lessons in the past), spilling oil and a hazardous chemical into the lake. Our next door neighbours have a cabin at Wabamun (usually go there every weekend) and state "the summer is over".

Interesting how today in the Edmonton Journal a full-page ad of apology from the CN Rail CEO includes a link to the above site, which includes information on how to take legal action/get compensation from CN.

What I've been listening to lately ...

Ed and I both really like the newest radio station in Edmonton, SONiC 102.9 (Modern Rock) (though of course now that they're more established there are getting to be more commercials...). Which led me to realize that I really like Billy Talent, a band that we heard live at the 2004 Junos in Edmonton (and on TV at the 2005 Junos) - neither time were we at all impressed, so I now figure they must have had an exceptionally bad sound mix at the Junos or something.

I got a new phone!

My husband has been bugging me to get a new wireless phone - this week Rogers started bugging me too, with a special deal in the mail (it looks like they're really trying to upgrade everyone to GSM rather than TDMA. So, now I have a Motorola v551 - I didn't really need a video phone, but I wanted Bluetooth (so I can connect from my PDA), and the phone ended up being free with a 3 year plan.

And just to bug my husband, I put a photo of Robbie McEwen as my wallpaper.

Amusing perspective on the Tour de France

... from one of the cyclists, Australian sprinter Robbie McEwen in a column for the BBC.

World Masters Games right here in Edmonton - and Triathlon World Cup.

I've spent a lot of my weekend at the opening ceremonies and my husband's volleyball games at the 2005 World Masters Games, currently taking place here in Edmonton. It was really a neat experience seeing so many people coming here to participate. I had seriously contemplated entering the sprint triathlon, but in the end was reluctant to have my first open-water swim in Hawrelak Park's lake/pond and at such a large event. In the end, it was so windy yesterday for the triathlon I was glad I was only a spectator for the Masters Games.

I did go down to watch the World Cup triathlons, as last year we were gypped out of a men's triathlon by the freak hailstorm and flooding (last year it took several hours to get home from Hawrelak Park on our bikes, mostly had to walk through knee or even thigh-deep hail while pushing/carrying the bikes). My favourites did pretty good overall:
Emma Snowsill (AUS)- 1st in the women's
Laura Bennett (USA) - 4th
Sam McGlone (CAN) - caught Morrison for 6th on the run

Greg Bennett (AUS) - 4th in the men's
Simon Whitfield (CAN) - 2nd best run for 9th overall

Tour de France

Well, the Tour de France is over for another year, Lance Armstrong has won his 7th and is now retired - unlike many who only seem to know Lance, over the last few years I've become hooked on the strategies and the multiple "races within a race". So, two of my favorites now among cyclists are on the Davitamon-Lotto Cycling Team: Robbie McEwen, a sprinter who won 3 stages this year; and Cadel Evans , who came 8th overall in his 1st Tour de France. (Interesting that they are both Australian - maybe I'm in the wrong country given that another favourite sport of mine, triathlon, seems to be dominated by the Aussies ... and I really don't actually care that the NHL/NHLPA strike was settled).

My Next Goal

I've just signed up to do a 5-day backpacking trip at the end of August on the Chilkoot Trail, in between Skagway, Alaska, and Whitehorse, Yukon. Seeing as I'm always much more motivated to exercise when I have a particular goal in mind (e.g., a triathlon or a running race), this should keep me going for a while.

(US National Park Service Site about the same trail)

As always, Mountain Equipment Co-Op (MEC) has good checklists and articles about preparing for such a trip, plus I found a good Backcountry Trip Planning form at the BC Provincial Emergency Program website.

Date with an Astronaut - for Brunei Darussalam Guides

The Guides of Brunei Darussalam recently had the opportunity
to meet with an American female astronaut.

Girl Guides of Canada Investigation of Rafting Incident in May

The report from the Guiding investigation into a sad rafting incident in May is available on the national GGC website.

HIV testing urged for all pregnant women (by US Task Force)

Hmm, this is something we've done in Alberta for years.

Why I'm a Star Wars fan, part 2 ...

Obi-Wan Kenobi: Jedi sex symbol - MSNBC.com

My Favourite Summer "Reality TV"

Guess I'll be watching this every day for the next 3 weeks, it's addictive (especially to one who watches/does triathlons - I wish I could ride that well).

NAMI StigmaBusters Alert - Tom Cruise again

As sent to me by my dad, the organization NAMI in part tries to fight stigmatization of mental illness, and sends out e-mail alerts to members/supporters about items in the popular media that are inaccurate and/or even hurtful to those with mental illness. This is the most recent alert :

"Along with the American Psychiatric Association (APA) and National Mental Health Association (NMHA), NAMI condemned Cruise's remarks in a formal statement released to the news media. He is entitled to his personal point of view, but not false facts -- particularly when they perpetuate stigma around the nature of mental illness and treatment."

Why I'm a Star Wars fan, part 1...

USATODAY.com - 'Star Wars' heroes slay stereotypes

girls worldwide say

The World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts has a new tagline, "girls worldwide say":

"The World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts has a new image. With 10 million members around the world, we are the global voice for girls and young women. We are the leading organization helping millions of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts to discover their potential. Our new image is strong, modern and inspirational. Together Girl Guides and Girl Scouts can grow the Movement and build a better world."

No Time - an interesting book

Here is an article from the Edmonton Journal (originally from the Ottawa Citizen) about a book that I recently read, No Time: Stress and the Crisis of Modern Life, by Heather Menzies, a professor at Carleton University. This article focusses mostly on the aspect of how technology has affected our lives. I found this book to be very interesting, because it had relevance both to my work, and also to my volunteer experience in Guiding. I hope that in the next week or so I will be able to post a mini-book-review here of my thoughts about this book (but for now, here's the article).

Another interesting book I've read was Blink, by Malcolm Gladwell - again, there were sections that I found very relevant to Guiding and to medicine, so I hope soon to post some of my observations here.

Updating is completed ...

I just finished going through the blog to update (mainly removing/replacing dead links, also renaming it to reflect the new broader focus - not just Guiding anymore). So, from now on I plan to use this blog more creatively (and regularly), I hope.

Recent Event photos

Both my husband and I were busy lately with a few interesting events - I did the Coronation Triathlon on May 29, and he did the Bell City Chase in both Edmonton and Calgary. You can see some photos here.

War of Words - Brooke Shields vs. Tom Cruise

Thanks to Brooke Shields for speaking out in the New York Times against Cruise's recent comments about depression and psychiatry. What might work for Tom doesn't necessarily work for everyone, and I think it's highly irresponsible (and frankly stupid) for him to use his influence to potentially harm people by discouraging them to get help for their mental health problems.

(saved article when above link becomes outdated)

Young MDs make call (against Family Medicine)

This is a good column from the Ottawa Sun about why medical students aren't choosing Family Medicine:

"In the end, the decision to stay away from family medicine was heavily influenced by this: After eight years of university and a debt load of more than $100,000, students just don't see family practice, and all the problems that come with it, as a good return on their investment."

A New Focus?

So far, I've posted only articles that I've found on the internet that pertain to Guiding. I haven't actually gone to the extent of publicizing this blog, but I may do that - I'm also thinking about posting some reviews of books that I've read, in terms of how they relate to my experience in Guiding. Of course, this all depends on having time to do these things ... but I'm more interested in maintaining a site or blog with ideas rather than simply updating the links on my other sites.

Junior Leader Dies in Rafting Incident in BC

This article, as well as this website, give more information about this sad occurrence.
"Alison, a junior Girl Guides leader and Grade 12 student at Howe Sound Secondary, was one of nine people on a raft that hit a rock and flipped in the Devil's Elbow rapids. She died at the scene." (from Canada.com article)

Article about the history of Girl Scouts

This article is from the Wakefield Observer in New England.

(no longer available in July 2005)

Brownie Waiting Lists, part 2

Another article from the UK about putting newborn girls on waiting lists for Brownies.

"LITTLE Ailisha Ryan was born to join the Girl Guides – like many other new babies in Oldham, no sooner had she arrived in the world than her name was put on a waiting list."

(saved article)

Brownies 'registered at birth'

According to this article from the BBC, Girlguiding UK has become so popular that parents are putting their daughters on waiting lists to join at birth!

(saved article)

Ontario Link Event in Thunder Bay

Here's an article from the Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal about the recent provincial Link Event. (no longer available by July 2005)

New Zealand columnist on the Scouting philosophy

This is from the The New Zealand Herald:

"Which English-language book has sold more copies in the last century than anything except the Bible?
Scouting for Boys, the handbook of the Boy Scout movement, which was first published 97 years ago next week. "

(saved article)