 
| On A Wind and A Prayer Nope, that's not a spelling mistake in the title. "Wind" is just the right word, because I'm talking about the wind turbine at the Canadian National Exhibition grounds. Mainstream opinion has been that "a profitable wind turbine didn't have a prayer", but last week Windshare's shareholders held their annual meeting, as usual, in a Baptist Church and got some good news. Toronto's Windshare project has sold about two gigawatt hours to the grid — enough to power close to 280 homes for a year. That means it's time for some cheques to be handed out. $4 for each share owned will go, among others, to the Daily Bread Food Bank and Foodshare, which will collect $4,000 each. An anonymous donor bought the shares for the Food Bank and then handed them over, hoping their gift would result in long-term profits. It begins to look as though they've achieved their end. There are problems to work out, like finding sufficiently windy locations to make the turbines workable, but Ontario is up for the challenge. To date, four companies have been chosen to develop five wind power projects here in Ontario, generating a collective 354.6 megawatts of green power: Last fall, the government's Bill 100 restructured the Ontario energy market, and set targets for alternative energy; clean energy to contribute to the grid. While Canada lags behind European adoption of wind power generation at the moment, it is making headway, says Robert Hornung of the CanWEA. David MacLeod, president of Windshare, told his group the project has displaced about 300 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions. Cleaner air for all of us to breathe, and a little extra food into the bargain, for those of us who need. This project sounds good, no matter which way you look at it. Making Crime Pay? A Dutch court has permitted a bank robber to claim the cost of a pistol used in a hold-up as a legitimate business expense. The €2000 ($3400) cost of the gun was set against the miscreant's gross proceeds of €6750, gained during his raid on a bank in the southern town of Chaam. A judge at Breda Criminal Court duly reduced his fine by the same amount. After all, a man has to make a living! Leendert De Lange, a spokesman for the Dutch prosecutors' service said the judge had followed sound legal precedents on the confiscation of criminal assets, explaining that: "You can compare criminal acts to normal business activities, where you must invest to make profits, and thus you have costs."
This train of thought leads to some interesting possibilities before it derails completely. Based on that logic, shouldn't a terrorist, for instance, be recompensed for the cost of the explosives s/he uses in their deadly mission? Of course, if they don't think ahead they might do something stupid like strapping the incendiaries to themselves. Alas! they wouldn't be here themselves to claim those "business expenses". I would imagine, in that case, the judge (especially if you could get a Dutch judge to hear the case) would pay the amount to the terrorist's family. Keeping in mind that they did not actually commit the crime, they wouldn't have to do any time, so that would end up being cash, free and clear for them. Those explosives can really set a fellow back, you know, so we might be talking a pretty penny here, depending on how much was needed to take out their target. Just think - a martyr in the family, AND money to buy a new couch along with that big screen TV so they can watch coverage on other terrorist acts in comfort. I bet the very thought would bring a warm, fuzzy feeling to the Dutch judiciary.
Isn't everything so much better when we all play nice with each other?
Axing Aging Aubrey de Grey is an age theorist and gene database manager at Cambridge University. He's currently placing himself at the centre of a scientific maelstrom with his theories on staving off the natural process of aging. In his own words, the purpose of his work is " to expedite the development of a true cure for human aging." He elaborates by saying that the ultimate goal of his SENS ("Engineered Negligible Senescence") initiative is " the availability to the entire human race of technology that will restore them to whatever degree of youth they desire and keep them there for as long as they want." De Grey has answers for absolutely every counter-argument that can be raised, and he details every single one of them on his site. Some of them are very serious, many are very thought-provoking, and one of them, is just plain humourous. When dealing with the supposed problem of tyrants being able to live for far too many years, de Grey's response is " Tyrants who aren't aging can be assassinated just as easily as tyrants who are aging..." Questions about whether or not we could ever afford to retire; the technology being available only to the rich; and if escaping the natural process of aging is playing God are all handled by de Grey as easily as a toddler playing with their favourite toy. The last objection " is possibly the most absurd of all" says de Grey, since humankind has always worked to change themselves and their environment when they were unhappy with either. Certainly, he is right on that count. Ever since our species has walked the earth, it has been natural, for instance, for us to freeze to death in extreme cold, and yet I doubt that very many people think of themselves as playing God when they turn on their furnaces in the winter. A major problem at the moment is that medical science's advances in what de Grey terms "the war on aging" are doing little more than prolonging the years of frailty, and the suffering through those years that seniors might have to do before current technology is forced to allow them to die. He posits intriguing theories about the possibility of doing away with frailty altogether. De Grey feels sure that we are poised on the brink of making the discoveries necessary to begin nudging the age of our demise upward. He " pluck(s) the number 1,000 out of the air" as the upward age limit we could perhaps reach. It's just all too much for me to get my mind around, to be honest. What do you think? I do know one thing, however. There is one concern that de Grey has not addressed on his site, or in his theorizing. If we do reach such ages, where will we get a cake big enough to hold 1,000 candles, and how will we get them all lit without the first ones burning out before we get to the last ones? Come On Guys! The two sides in the NHL lockout met Wednesday in Toronto and again Thursday in New York without NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and union chief Bob Goodenow. Lou Lamoriello has joined the talks, however. He's the New Jersey Devils' GM & CEO, and is seen by the players union as a man who wants to make a deal. It just doesn't look like he'll be able to. Significant differences are still being cited. Management is holding out for ``cost certainty'' , but the players view that as a salary cap and have vowed they will never accept such a plan. Come on guys, can't you figure out some way to meet in the middle? There is still time for a season-of-sorts, if you do. Every team playing every other, at home and on the other's ice would do it. I know so many are saying that the game has lost too many fans with this whole labour dispute fiasco, but I beg to differ. "If you build it, they will come." Build some kind of a bridge between the two sides, and let it lead everyone back to the arenas. I don't know about fans in the States, but I can guarantee you there's plenty like me here in Canada. We're thoroughly, totally addicted to the game, and we're dying for our next fix. You build that bridge, and we'll come in droves. Please! Life or Death? In 1979, Communist China adopted the " one-child policy" in an attempt to limit their population growth. It limited couples to one child. Second or subsequent pregnancies would result in fines, pressures to abort the pregnancy, and even forced sterilization. Recently, China welcomed its 1.3-billionth citizen -- an 8-lb. boy -- and declared their controversial one-child policy a success. China's population rate has fallen from 5.8 children per family in the 1970s to 1.8 today. The charge has been laid, however, that the policy has led to a huge gender imbalance. Many Chinese favour boys and so couples abort females or give up infant girls to foreign adoption.They may also neglect to give girls proper care, causing many of them to die before their first birthday. In an attempt to counter-balance this trend, China now proposes to make the abortion of female fetuses a criminal offence. Rather ironic, dont you think? I wonder how many innocents died because of them, before they decided on this one-eighty? Pizza Puzzles Professors A recent study conducted at a hospital in Milan, Italy, has researchers scratching their heads for an explanation. Apparently, people who eat a lot of pizza (two or more 200 g portions of pizza a week) are less than half as likely to suffer a heart attack as those who indulge in its tomato sauce-covered delight only occasionally. The discovery was made by doctors who analysed the eating habits of 507 patients, and compard them with 478 other patients. Even those who eat four portions or less a month still gain some protection. Why? Who cares why? Just dial up the take-out and order another large to go! Further to Yesterday's Forecast It snowed last night. (See "The Feline Forecast" on Jan. 25)) The cat was right! Carbophobes Beware! I was out for lunch the other day with a friend, and while we were chatting over our meals, the question of carbs arose. She's much more into that kind of thing than I am, and can discuss more of the products aimed at carbophobes than I can. Today I encountered one of the latest "carb-conscious" offerings. I'll have to ask her if she knows about this one.
It's the CarbZone Toffee Almond Bar from the good people at Slim-Fast that I looked at. Now I happen to be an inveterate label-reader, so I spent a while with that bar in hand, before I put it down and walked away, chuckling to myself. The wrapper shares with you the good news that this bar has only 2 grams of carbohydrates from sugars and starch. Doesn't that sound terrific? The only thing is that you can't stop reading there. You've got to look through the bottom of your bifocals and check out the tiny print too.
"As part of healthy eating this food may assist in achieving and maintaining a healthy body weight because it is portion controlled." says the label. In other words, you do not want to eat that bar as a snack. If you're weight-conscious, that bar has to be your whole meal, or you'll lose the "portion controlled" benefit, because this little baby has a whopping 200 calories to deliver. Not sounding so good, eh? It gets better still. The bar has eight grams of fat and since the chocolate-flavoured coating is made with modified palm kernel oil, that means it's saturated fat. Something else you really don't want from this little tastebud tempter.
OK, now here goes, 'cause I saved the best til last! These bars have 16 grams of sugar alcohols. Carbophobes might want to keep their distance from sugar alcohols for a couple of reasons. One is that some people report that sugar alcohols actually act as trigger foods that can cause carb cravings or binges. The other one is the loose cannon of sugar alcohols. For most people, consuming more than 20 grams of sugar alcohols a day can do interesting things to their digestive system. The only problem is that the 20 g count isn't accurate for everyone. Less than 20 can be enough to do the deed in some people, and that's why the small print carries the teensy-weensy warning: "May have a laxative effect"!
Go ahead. Unwrap that bar and take a big bite!
The Feline Forecast Years ago my youngest daughter did a project about cats and folk beliefs centred around them. One she learned about was the saying that a cat can tell you when a storm is coming. Apparently you need to scrutinize Puss when she is cleaning her face. Normally a cat will lick a paw and then rub it down across her face, usually from just above one eye. If, however, Puss licks that paw and reaches right up behind her ear to start the rub across her face, then she's letting you know that a storm is on the way. Our cat, Angel, was just performing her afternoon ablutions, and that paw went right up over her ear, repeatedly! As it happens, this morning's forecast was for a snowstorm to arrive in Toronto by this evening. I know the suspense might get to you, but try to be patient and I'll come back later to let you know whether or not our little fur-clad resident is meteorologically gifted. Tomorrow is Robbie Burns' Day. Might I wish a happy day to everyone with a breath of heather in their soul! Burns was born on January 25, 1759 into a peasant farming family in southwest Scotland. The young Robbie took up farming but had no success with it, and so he began writing poems for local circulation. He penned his verses in the language which the Brits were working so hard at that time to make a thing of the past. By so doing, he endeared himself to every Scot who ever harboured feelings against the Sassenach. That is how he has come to be so identified with the national pride of Scotland. Burns died in Dumfries, only 37 years old, from the rheumatic heart disease he had suffered from since he was a child. From the genius of Burns came much that was entertaining and as much that was food for thought, too. My favourite lines come from his " To a Louse" O wad some Pow'r the giftie gie us To see oursels as others see us I did my best to bring the value of that idea to the attention of every class I ever taught. Among his other works, Burns penned "Auld Lang Syne" and of course, the famous poem entitled "To a Haggis," in which he describes the dish as that "Great chieftain O' the puddin'-race." Everywhere a celebration of the man's life is held tomorrow, you can bet that haggis will have a position of honour among the culinary delights offered. Haggis tastes slightly like hash. It is made from the heart, liver and lungs of a sheep. To prepare this treat the organs are finely chopped and mixed with toasted oatmeal, onions, and seasonings, and then everything is boiled in a bag made from the sheep's stomach. Sound like something you'd eat? If you've even a drop of Scot in you, the answer to that question has to be a resounding "yes!" A Winter Walk My husband and I braved -23 degree cold to go out and snap a few shots today. The snow in the streets and on the sidewalks is already gritty and grey, but the snow in the parks is still pristine in its beauty. That's where we went for our walk. It was quite a demonstration of bravery for my husband to brave the great outdoors today, actually. The gentleman, you see, is form Guyana, and to him the temperatures we've been having for the last couple of days are an abomination. It is instinctive for him to huddle indoors, wrapped about in multiple layers of flannel and wool pretty much from October until April. I am not sure what the lure was today, especially since he slid in behind the driver's wheel declaring "I'm going to die out there", but accompany me he did, and I was glad of his presence.
The cold was crafty at first, holding itself in abeyance just long enough to lull us into a false sense of security, just long enough to encourage us to strike out across hill and dale. When we were a good 10 minutes away from the car, the cold made its move. Suddenly, we both became aware of a wind, throwing itself against our chests, blowing itself across our cheeks. That was when we both reached for our scarves, to pull them up over our noses. That was when we both hugged our cameras to ourselves, in an effort to forestall the moment when they would succumb to the cold and refuse to function any longer. We each got to take perhaps ten or twelve shots before our cameras gave up their frozen little ghosts. We walked only a little farther before we turned around. There were no words needed, only the tacit agreement that the cold had won, and it was time to seek the indoors again. Walking back to the car, I listened to the silence around us being punctuated by the crunch of the snow beneath my boots. My husband's boots played their snowy notes just off the beat of mine, and I thought for a moment it all would have made a perfect lead-in to Red Shea coaxing a riff out of hiding from inside his guitar.
It was late afternoon as we headed back up the hill to our car. The shadows were stretching themselves out across the woods, and the sun was making scintillating prisms dance across the surface of the snow. I took a last look back, before we got into our car, and I understood. The cold is an entity, a spirit of the winter season. Miserly by nature, like the Scrooge of the sub-zero world, it is possessive of the beauty that sparkles its way through the woods on a day like today. That's why the first day of sun after a storm is often such a bitterly cold day. The cold wants to hoard for itself every glittering jewel created when the sun shines on a snowflake. It does not willingly share winter with the likes of such mortals as people be. A Quarter Century Later Toronto is being blanketed by snow today. The weather station is calling for us to get 15 cm or more of the white stuff. My youngest daughter is in heaven! Being a true daughter of the north, she rejoices in the winter. I always have, too. There is no more beautiful season, as far as I am concerned. We are not in a "snow belt" here in Toronto, so when the winter blesses us with a blanket of white, we go out to welcome it in person. B.C. (that's "before children") I used to go cross-country skiing all the time. I have not been on my skis in almost a quarter century, but today, I nestled my boot toes into those bindings, and set out. (I started out 32 years ago on Karhu waxable skis. I used to give them a tar coating on a regular basis, and wax them before (and sometimes during) every outing. Does anyone do that any more?) My daughter was with me, on the skis that we gave her for her birthday this year. We skied along the snow-mounded sidewalk for one block and then into a park that is near our home. While we made our way along, we saw not even one other person out celebrating winter's gift of snow. There were one or two pedestrians, hurrying to get in out of the storm, and no-one else. Doesn't everyone know? The best way to get through a northern winter is to get out into it! It was a joy to be back on my skis again, and I thank my daughter for reconnecting me to a pleasure that I had come too close to losing. A Five-Year Ban for Desrocher The Greater Toronto Hockey League has made its decision. Desrocher has been slapped with a ban that will keep him out of the arenas for the rest of the season and the next five years to come. The idiot himself was not at the hearing and was not represented, either. He had been told things would go ahead whether he was there or not. Desrocher can apply for reinstatement at the end of the 2007-2008 season. Before granting that though, a special committee would first have to be satisfied that he had modified his behaviour and would not to be a threat to other parents, players or coaches. J.J. Lyon, an assistant coach on the team, thought the ban should have been longer. I agree with Lyon. Why not make it a ban for life? Then the decision really would do what league president John Gardner claims when he says, " This confirms our no-nonsense attitude — once is too often." A life time ban would go a long way toward proving that statement to Desrocher and all the other morons like him. Be Ah-fwaid! This is cute. Seems the giant company, Teilhard Technologies, (come on, you remember them? I mean, who hasn't heard about Teilhard?) is out to let you know, you don't mess with Teilhard! Need a little reminder of just who the hell they are? Well, it seems that theyre the company who went and applied for a patent on a "SYSTEM FOR TRANSFORMING AND EXCHANGING DATA BETWEEN DISTRIBUTED HETEROGENEOUS COMPUTER SYSTEMS" (exact wording taken from their website) We're talking something that's already been around for a while. Some moron down at the patent office simply stamped the papers to give ownership rights to a johnny-come-lately. Now Teilhard wants to charge others a fee for using their "intellectual property". I'll be the first to admit it - I ain't no computer guru, but my understanding of all this is, Teilhard has basically taken out a patent on sending office memos. That's not why I'm writing this though. Let me get to my point. I went to their website to see for myself what someone else had told me about, in the midst of a whole lot of laughter and guffaws. It's true. Teilhard does what damn few others do, and lists their "legal team" right up front and centre. I assume that's to make sure everyone gives them the proper respect. It's kind of like telling others that you play their way or they'll take their toys and go home. Then, they'll come back and get their lawyers to beat up your lawyers. What is that, guys? Why do you feel the need to TELL EVERYONE you have a legal team? Doesn't everyone? They just don't all shove the news in other people's faces. Alright, alright, if you really have to get that news out, then I think you could do it more effectively then you do right now. Consider using some animation. I can see it now. Visitors to your site scroll down the list of fascinating facts to learn about your business, and find themselves looking at a teensy-weensy neanderthal, brandishing a cudgel and making menacing grunts. When they click on the wee wild man, they find themselves being introduced to your legal team. You have to admit, it would pack more punch than what you've got there now! Pearls of Wisdom from the President of Harvard Thank heavens we have sages like Lawrence Summers, the president of Harvard University, to enlighten us women (read as dumb bunnies). Here we've been wandering about in the dark, trying to find the reason why there is such an underrepresentation of women in science and engineering. All we had to do was ask Mr. Summers to show us the light. Summers revealed the truth Friday, at a two-day, invitation-only conference of the Cambridge-based National Bureau of Economic Research that drew about 50 economists from around the country to discuss women and minorities in science and engineering. He told the 50 American academics present that people " prefer to believe" that the reason there are fewer women in science and engineering is due to social factors and discrimination, " but there are things that need to be studied." These "things" include the innate differences between the genders, apparently, and the fact that women are just plain lazy and unmotivated, as proven by the fact that " women with children are reluctant to put in the 80-hour work weeks needed to advance to top positions in math and science." Apparently, Nancy Hopkins, walked out of the conference during Summers' speech. Yes, she is a Harvard graduate and a professor of biology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, but she's also a hothead, obviously. She once led an investigation of sex discrimination at MIT, and she really didn't have to do that. All she had to do was to admit that her gender is lacking in ability and motivation and then she could go back to MIT, and play nice. Hers is supposed to be the nurturing gender, after all. How can she pretend to be the nurturing type when she keeps making waves and hurting the fine feelings of all those intellectually superior males who tolerate her presence in their workplace? Research does show that girls excel in math and science until they reach Grade 6, but it also shows their achievements in the area lag after that. Instead of the paranoid suspicions Hopkins and others like her try to instill in the minds of women, they could better spend their time on more important issues, like the science of cosmetics, or the tricky math involved in doubling muffin recipes. Prof. Susan Ganter, executive director of the Association for Women in Science in the U.S., who claims that social and environmental factors hold women back, can let go of those fears now, and get back to the things that should be uppermost in a woman's mind, like having dinner on the table when her man comes home from his day out changing the world. Yes, the number of women offered senior positions at Harvard has dropped each year of Summers' three-year presidency. Last year, some suggested we should say "only four" out of 32 tenure offers in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences went to women. Now we know the correct phrasing is "four!!!", and we can all be astounded at the benevolence exhibited by Summers in allowing any of the intellectually inferior creatures to hold such positions in the hallowed halls. A Woman to be Reckoned With I love finding stories of women who were heroines, ordinary women who found the courage to do what had to be done in the midst of unordinary times. I happened upon such a story today. The heroine of the tale was the Comtesse de Milleville, born Mary Lindell in Surrey, England, in 1895. During the First World War Mary served with the Secours aux Blessés Militaires, a division of the French Red Cross, and was decorated for gallantry under fire. She was awarded the Russian Order of St Anne by the last Czar of Russia and also awarded the French Croix de Guerre with Star. She married a French nobleman, Count de Milleville, and lived in Paris When the Second World War came, Mary could have rested on her laurels and avoided involvement, but a person such as Mary often involves themselves, without ever having planned to, because they can not stand idly by and be a witness to injustice. The story is told that Mary was at a cafe with her teenaged daughter when she saw a man walking along, looking dazed and confused. When she realized she was looking at English military boots, she also realized she must spirit him away somehow, before he attracted the attention of the omnipresent Gestapo soldiers. She managed to connect the man with those who could facilitate his escape back to England, and thus was launched the career of one of the most respected resistance personalities of the Second World War. After her initial contact with those involved in saving stranded Allied fighters, Mary began organizing her new escape line, the Marie-Claire Line, based on the Hôtel de France in the town of Ruffec. The town was a centre of the French Resistance during WW2, and a rallying point for allied pilots escaping occupied France and returning to England via Spain.Once a group of 5-8 Allied military men had been shepherded to the hotel, Mary would take them to the Pyrenees herself and hand them over to mountain guides. Mary did not make her way through the war unscathed, however. There was a price to be paid for her involvement, and payment was exacted more than once. She was imprisoned once for a period of nine months. Her son Maurice was arrested, and once his identity was confirmed he was severely beaten in prison in an effort to obtain from him information about his mother. He revealed nothing and was finally released after suffering a great deal of physical abuse. Later, her other son, Oky, was also arrested and beaten to obtain information. Oky revealed nothing, but unlike his brother, he was deported to a concentration camp, and never heard of again. Finally, in November 1943, Marie was arrested again by the Gestapo, and this time deported to Ravensbruck concentration camp. She lived out the rest of the war there. After the war, Mary was awarded a second Croix de Guerre by the French government, and continued to live in Paris, until her death in 1986, at the age of 92. Her story has been told in the book "No Drums, No Trumpets" by J.B. Wynne, and made into a Hallmark Hall of Fame movie, "One Against the Wind" starring Judy Davis as the Comtesse. Hers is certainly a story that bears repeating so now that I've seen the movie, I've got to get my hands on that book! For Teachers February is around the corner. You're probably looking for special lessons to plan for Black History month and Valentine's Day. Look no further! You'll find Word Exploration assignments here that are more than just a usual spelling list. Add in the "Everybody's History" assignment for a new take on the month of February, and be prepared for you and your class to have some fun. These exercises involve math, art, language skills, research and computer literacy, and will help your students to take pride in their own cultural and racial backgrounds, while they explore the ideal of inclusion for all. Go to " Lesson Plans" and have a look! The Zero-Tolerance Fairy Tale Last Sunday, here in good ol' T.O., a coach benched a nine year old hockey player for a few shifts for missing practise. Pretty normal for a kids' game. The father, however, couldn't quite seem to see the justice in it. He reacted by reaching over the glass and grabbing the coach by the throat. Witnesses who attempted to stop the attack were not immediately successful, and the dad held on until the coach blacked out. Bradley Desrocher, the 47-year-old hockey dad, was charged with choking and released on $2,000 bail after appearing in court yesterday. The incident raises questions. One of my own is, why was he released? He had to be peeled off that guy's throat.Why is there any question about where he should await trial? Let him wait behind the bars he asked for when he wrapped his hands around in the choke hold. Another question many are asking is just how useful the recent Hockey Canada ad campaign "Relax, It's Just a Game" has been. Because of mounting concerns about escalating violence by parents in the minor leagues, Hockey Canada launched their mass media campaign in November 2002 to encourage parents to take a good, hard look at their behaviour at kids' games. The TV commercials showed kids getting furious with their parents in absurd situations, or the parents doing the same, like the one where a mother explodes at her child for not pinning the tail on the donkey, first try, at a birthday party. The problem is that these ads are mostly just preaching to the converted. The parents who really need to get the message are not getting anything at all from the campaign. John Gardner, president of the Greater Toronto Hockey League, says parents like Desrocher pay no heed to the anti-violence campaign. He's right. Peter Donnelly, a University of Toronto professor of sport sociology says parents let dreams of their children playing in the NHL cloud their judgment. Sounds like at least half of a justification for the behaviour, doesn't it? Bullshit. Those parents are the grown-up extension of kids I have taught year after year. They are raised by parents who have no understanding of the concept of discipline. They are allowed to think, or even outright taught by their parents that the world revolves around them. They are thoroughly indoctrinated with the belief that gratification should be instantaneous, and that anything that takes longer is not worth the wait. These parents are all too often aided and abetted in their efforts to raise a sub-human by the schools. Gardner speaks of the Hockey League's attitude toward these violent types and banning them from the arenas. He says" To me, it's zero-tolerance.Once is too often." Now let me see ... where have I heard that line before? Oh yes, I remember now! It's the school boards who say that. They claim that to be part of their board policy. Bullshit. Been there, done that, and got the goddamn T-shirt. They do not enact their own policy. Kids are allowed to get away with infringing on the rights of others, left, right, and centre. I can speak to this issue from personal experience, having been involved in it more than once during a career that spanned decades. Just last year, I was threatened with personal harm by three of my students, and there wasn't even one suspension handed out. There was nothing done, other than a "talk". Any one of those up-and-coming criminals knows how to play the game. They sit still while they are being given the "talk", and that's all it takes. Situation over, for them. The next minute, they are free to get into whatever else they choose, knowing there will be no real consequences. The problem is, that for types like those kids last year, the stakes grow bigger as they grow older. Ask any teacher to comment on Desrocher, and they'll tell you they wouldn't have wanted to have him in their classroom. You can safely bet your life savings he was a classroom bully. Just by coincidence, I went back yesterday to visit the school I left last year. Now hold on to your hats, 'cause here come a real big surprise! I walked by the principal's office and guess who was seated in front, waiting for the principal to "talk" to them? Come on, just take a wild guess! You got it, those same gems from last year's fiasco. Did they look upset at the ordeal they were about to face? What do you think? They were laughing and up out of the seats, horsing around with each other. You can tell that they're really learning valuable lessons on how to manage their behaviour. You want the parents to be different at the hockey arenas? You've got to back the whole thing up. Take it back to the schools and the homes, and figure out how to get it done differently there. If you can mange that, there will be countless parents and kids who will be eternally grateful to you. Me? I just want to wish you good luck. Martin, We Hardly Knew You I was watching a TV program about the slain civil rights leader the other day, and they showed footage of him on the night of April 3, 1968, addressing the people the night before he was assassinated. " I've looked over, and I've seen the promised land. I may not get there with you, but I want you to know tonight that we as a people will get to the promised land. So I'm happy tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man.", he declared.Then he was helped to a chair. He looked so very tired, so used up and exhausted by the demands of the cause, but he was ready to go on, nonetheless. I can not watch that scene without being moved to tears. I do not have the faith he did and sometimes I am so unsure that his vision will ever come to pass. Today was Martin Luther King Day in the U.S. King would have turned 76 on Saturday. He was cut down when he was only 39. His son spoke today at a commemorative service at Ebenezer Baptist Church, where his father preached for the last eight years of his life. Martin Luther King III asked the congregation to remember his father's legacy of peace, and to remember his message of compassion. So much of what was done today was dignified and worthy of the man being remembered. There was, however, a glaring exception. A Las Vegas television weatherman referred to slain civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. as "Martin Luther Coon King" on the air. The weekend weatherman was fired after he made the on-air racial slur about Martin Luther King Jr., station officials said. Rob Blair of KTNV-TV was delivering a Saturday morning forecast when he said: " For tomorrow, 60 degrees, Martin Luther Coon King Jr. Day, gonna see some temperatures in the mid-60s." Blair apologized during the station's 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. Saturday newscasts. " On a weather report earlier this morning, I made an accidental slip of the tongue when talking about the Martin Luther King holiday, and what I said was interpreted by many viewers as highly offensive. For that I offer my deepest apology. I in no way intended to offend anyone. I'm very sorry." Slip of the tongue? No. Truly, deeply offensive? Yes. Is it just me, or is anyone else getting just a little weary of morons out there letting their true idiocy, their careless insensitivity show, then glossing it over with a lame apology? Blair knew damn well what he was going to say. He intended it, just as he intended to offend and hurt by it. No-one buys your meaningless sham-apology, Blair. You're disgusting garbage, not worth quite as much as a fresh pile of excrement. No slip of the tongue there, either. I meant to say exactly that! An Error in Royal Judgment By now I'm sure you've heard all about the less-than-great choice of a costume made by the 20 year old Prince Harry, to wear to his friend's party. In case you haven't - the youngest of Diana's sons went to the costume party wearing the uniform shirt of a Nazi soldier, including the swastika armband. There was, of course, a public outcry and Harry responded with an apology. It should be noted that the apology was not given personally by the young Prince. Instead, it was delivered by a palace spokesperson. Shouldn't he at least have given one himself? There are those who are willing to accept this second-hand apology and others who say it is not enough. Some of the leaders of Britain's Jewish community say Harry should take part in the upcoming Holocaust Memorial Day activities and tour a concentration camp to get an idea of the reality of what he was joking about by wearing what he wore. I say he has dishonoured the memory of two of the women in his own family, as well as that of all those who died at the hands of the men who wore that uniform 60 years ago. During the bombing of London, the royal family were offered safety in Canada. They did not leave Buckingham. As his own great-grandmother, the "Queen Mum" put it. "The princesses could not leave without me. I would not leave while my husband is still here, and the King will never leave." They chose instead to share the danger so many of their subjects had no choice but to endure. I am sure Queen Mary hated the very sight of those shirts. Harry's mother, Princess Diana, worked hard during her life to help many who had been victimized by life feel safe and accepted. She wanted to accord them a feeling of dignity and respect. Look at her response, for instance, to AIDS sufferers. At a time when the rest of the royals shuddered at her actions, she refused to wear gloves while shaking their hands. She went further and accepted hugs from them. Now her son, with one ill-thought-out action, has done anything but accorded that dignity and respect to the thousands who still weep over the memory of what was done to them and theirs by the men wearing those shirts. Many feel that although Harry was born to a life of privilege, he was also born to one of responsibility, and that he owed the Jewish community more sensitivity than that. I say what he did in donning that uniform was inexcusable. I say he knew it was stupid and guaranteed to offend before he did it, and that he should have known better, especially by his age. My husband says," "He's just a kid. He lives in a fish bowl, with the media waiting to pounce on his every move, and hoping he will make mistakes. Stupid actions on Harry's part sell more of their newspapers than anything he does that is positive", says the spouse. " He's only a kid. He made a mistake. That's all." I'm not so sure. What's your take on all this? It's 12:30 a.m. and I'm sitting here typing, needing to ease my mind a little before I can head off to bed. Just got back from visiting with an old friend, a dear frined. She was diagnosed just this fall with MSA, multisystem atrophy. The " prognosis is poor". Phrase it another way - best case scenario is a post-diagnosis survival rate of seven to ten years. The condtition can, however, move along more rapidly. She told me tonight that her doctor was asking her to decide how "aggressively" she wanted measures to be taken when she gets to the final stages. It scares her that he is already asking that. She cried and I held her, joining in the tears. What a vicious thief this syndrome is. It has come creeping in while no-one was looking, and it means to rob me of a dear friend. It means to rob her children of their beloved mother.There is no way to stop this stealthy menace. What can I do? Rest in Peace, Bob Yesterday there was a report that Rita Marley had announced plans to have her husband's remains exhumed from Nine Miles in St. Ann, Jamaica. Supposedly, she intended re-interment to take place at Shashemane in Ethiopia. Later in the day, the Marley Foundation denied she had said that. During his life, he had spoken of wanting to move to Ethiopa, it is true. He never did, though. He always returned to the place of his birth, and his own actions should speak loudly, even after his death. People say many things that they never really, fully intend. It is also true that when he went to Africa, he went with great expectations, and came away heartsore from the reality of what he saw there. Perhaps that was why he himself never brought to fruition his own talk. The man is unofficially a national hero in Jamaica. If his widow wants to do something now, she should bring pressure to bear on the powers that be to have him officially declared such. She could work more to honour his memory, but she should leave his remains alone. Leave him to rest in the bosom of Jamaica, in the land that gave him birth. Let his spirit continue to shine out from there over the rest of the world, just as it did while he was still with us. Addicted to Joe? Now that we've touched on the delights of coffee (see Jan. 12) let's look into its dark side, caffeine addiction. Caffeine can affect brain function, hormone balance and sleep patterns, and it has been implicated as increasing your risk of osteoporosis, diabetes, ulcers, PMS, stroke, heart disease and certain types of cancer. Doesn't sound as innocent as that first cup in the morning looks, does it? "Might as well face it, you're addicted to love!" Tina Turner and Robert Palmer have both moaned and ground their way through these lyrics, but their versions both end with being addicted to love. Truth is, those lyrics, with only one or two word changes, are perfect descriptions of what you might face if you try to kick your dependence on caffeine. Let me show you... Your lights are on, but you're not home
Your mind is not your own
Your heart sweats, your body shakes
Another cup is what it takes
You can't sleep, you can't eat
There's no doubt, you're in deep
Your throat is tight, you can't smile
Another cup is all you need
You like to think that you’re immune to the stuff, oh yeah
It’s closer to the truth to say you can’t get enough,
You know you’re gonna have to face it,
You’re addicted to joe
According to Roland Griffiths, a drug dependence expert from Johns Hopkins School of medicine in Maryland, headaches, foul moods, fatigue, dry mouth, reduced concentration, and sometimes even muscle aches that mimic flu symptoms are all withdrawal symptoms that one out of every two people will encounter if they try to kick the habit. If you are considering withdrawal, for whatever reason, you need to be forewarned. Depending on how much you normally imbibe daily, these symptoms can begin to hit in just a matter of hours after that famous "last cup"! If you know what you're dealing with it can be easier to handle it. At least you won't need to scurry off to the doctor for any prescription or patch. All you need to do is make a trip to your supplier and buy some decaf along with your usual favourite. Plan to kick this habit with a gradual approach. Don't go it cold-turkey or you might find yourself in the middle of migraine-like headaches. Instead, start tomorrow morning with that first cup. Make it with a little of the decaf mixed in. Measure, so you know how much you used, and stick to that amount for a couple of days, for every cup you drink. After that first couple of days, up the amount of decaf and drop the amount of the hard stuff a little more. Repeat this procedure until your whole cup is decaf. (Alternatively, you might consider a switch to a chicory-based beverage.) If you make it that far, be warned though. With no more caffeine addiction to blame, you'll need to find another excuse for your moods now! Melitta Bentz and Her Filters Do you drink coffee? If you answered yes, then there's a very good chance that you have used Melitta filters and coffeemakers. They are, after all, used in 150 countries worldwide, and two thirds of american coffee drinkers make their brew using the drip preparation method.They have Ms Bentz to thank you for that great-tasting cup of coffee they use to start their day. In 1908 Melitta Bentz was a young hausfrau in Dresden, Germany. She was fond of drinking coffee, but tired of the results she got from the routine of wrapping the loose grounds in a cloth bag and and submerging it in boiling water. The shortcut of boiling the grounds right in the water gave no better a result. Both offered bitter-tasting coffee. One day, the inventive Melitta ripped a sheet of blotting paper from her son's schoolbook and cut a circle from it. She poked holes in the bottom of a brass pot and stuck the paper circle in the pot. Her reasoning was that pouring boiled water over the grounds, and letting it filter through the paper to a cup below would trap unwanted sediments and give her a better tasting, less bitter coffee. She certainly was right. On July 8, 1908, Melitta Bentz received a patent registration for her "Filter Top Device lined with Filter Paper." Her husband was so impressed with the whole idea that he hired a tin smith to produce his 35 year-old wife's coffee pots for sale, and in 1909, they brought their wares to sell at the Leipzig Trade Fair. They sold more than 1,200, calling them "coffeemakers", and so the Melitta Company came into existence.By 1912 they had added their own line of filters. The company has continued to flourish and grow, but how many of its loyal customers know that when they talk about their "Melitta" they're evoking the little hausfrau with a taste for fine grind? Diabetes and Vitamin D On this day in 1922 , Leonard Thompson became the first person to be successfully treated with insulin, at Toronto General Hospital. Although the insulin offers those afflicted a way to control the previously fatal disease, the question of why anyone develops it remains. One theory currently being propounded is that a lack of Vitamin D may play a part. People in Finland, who have one of the world's least amounts of sunshine also have the world's highest incidence of Type 1 diabetes. Results were recently released from a study conducted tracking 10,000 children. Researchers found that the children given regular doses of the vitamin were about 80% less likely to later develop Type 1 diabetes than those who did not get enough. Since food, other than fortified milk and cold-water fish like cod, does not provide much of the vitamin, we have to get out in the sun to get it. A particular molecule in our skin reacts with ultraviolet rays to kick-start our production of vitamin D. We in the northern climes, however, already get less sun exposure than those in southern climes. The winter sun in most of Canada is useless to us since the ultraviolet light it provides is not enough for us to generate Vitamin D. When we do go out in the summer, we usually slather on the sunscreen, and even an SPF of 8 will reduce D absorption to practically nil. It can be a conundrum. What's the answer? Be sure you drink fortified milk (check for names like Lacteeze, if you're lactose intolerant) and consider asking your doctor about taking a supplement. Since medical science is now looking into a deficiency of D as a tie-in to cancer, diabetes, hypertension, osteoporosis, multiple sclerosis, and inflammatory bowel disease, you want to be sure your D levels are up. Drug-Free Migraine Relief Here's a great one for you! If you suffer from migraine headaches, there's a good chance you've tried every remedy on the books to find relief. Maybe you've been lucky and found something that works, or maybe you're still looking. Any drug you use for relief can come with a list of possible side-effects and some are pretty damn expensive, but here's a remedy that has absolutely no side effects, and is totally free. The magic cure? Sex! I bet your doctor hasn't recommended this one! Apparently, an orgasm is all you need. Serotonin is a powerful vasoconstrictor produced naturally in your brain and released during orgasm. It causes constriction of the dilated blood vessels in the brain that were causing your migraine. Voilà, pain gone! Here's something else you'll like - 20 minutes of sex for a 145 lb (66 kg) woman will burn about 93 calories, which is more than she would burn in 20 minutes of leisurely cycling! So switch that old saying just a little and announce "Yes, tonight dear! I have a headache!" Itay Gets Tough At 12:01 a.m. on Monday January 10th, one of Europe's toughest laws against smoking in public places went into effect. Italy has become the third European country, after Ireland and Norway, to bring in a smoking ban. According to health officials, smoking kills 80,000 people every year in this country of 58 million inhabitants. Those who have been forced to be passive smokers by the nicotine addicts do not want to become one of next year's 80,000. Says Italy's Health Minister Dr.Girolamo Sirchia, they can smoke "in the street or at home, but not right next to people who cannot tolerate being poisoned." Smokers number approximately 18 million, obviously a minority in the total population, but they do have a majority of morons within their ranks."The law is exaggerated, and it's based on a terrorist approach I don't agree with," says Claudio Ferrari, a 27-year-old archaeologist – and smoker – from central Rome. Give me a break on this one , please. Terrorist? Maybe Mr Ferrari should spend a little of the righteous indignation he is wasting on this issue on something that really counts in life. Maybe he could volunteer to do something like disarming land mines planted by real terrorists. That way, if he dies, his death won't be such a total waste as one from cigarette-induced lung cancer is. Many bar and eatery owners are on the smokers' side. These people are the ones who are too greedy, shortsighted, and stupid to see past the money slapped down today on their tables by the smokers. They fear that if they help to enact the ban by calling the police when someone lights up, that customer won't return tomorrow. They don't think it through past the end-of-the-day totals. If they lose some patronage, it might make paying their bills a little tight for a while. No-one's arguing that. Most people, however, love to meet friends and go out for a cup of their favourite libation. Conversation in a cafe setting always seems that much better than around the kitchen table, with the dinner dishes staring at you from the sink. Their customers will come back. Maybe not all of them, no, but that might be because some of the "no-shows" have since been admitted to the hospital and are now sporting oxygen tubes. Why would the bar and eatery owners want to join them there? Exactly how far does an owner have to carry customer loyalty? It seems to me that having them join you at the cafe would be 58 million times better than you joining them on the cancer ward. The Thai Hockey CLassic A group of about two dozen Canadian ex-pats are going to be lacing up this Sunday to play a hockey game on a rink on the 8th floor of a Bangkok shopping mall. They're hoping the game will help them raise money for the Thai Red Cross to rebuild homes for the tsunami victims. They want: *Some NHL players to support them or even come to Bangkok. *Beer companies or others that normally sponsor Hockey Night in Canada to give the charity game some corporate support. *Donations from Canadians and Americans to help Thais affected by the tsunami. *Prime Minister Paul Martin, who is scheduled to be in Thailand next weekend, to attend the game Apparently, after the tsunami, people in Canada e-mailed the players to ask how they could help. The group came up with this game as the way to get that help there. Make a little noise, people! Pass the word around about this game, and join the players' cheering section. From the Bestseller List I just finished reading the novel "The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd. Ladies, it's an absolute must-read!
Set in South Carolina in 1964, it tells the story of Lily Owens' 14th summer. Lily lives with her cold, repressive father who offers her nothing in the way of affection. She has to seek it instead from the hazy memories of her mother, who died when Lily was only 4 years old. Her "stand-in mother" Rosaleen, is a black woman who worked as a picker in the peach orchard owned by Lily's father, until Lily's mother died. Then her father called on Rosaleen to come to the house instead, every day, to cook, and clean, and to mother his daughter. The black woman and the white girl had a comfortably caring relationship that was threatened the summer President Johnson signed the civil rights bill, giving the vote to blacks. Rosaleen is determined to register as a voter. She and Lily walk to town together, on Lily's birthday, and that's when the world turns upside-down for the two of them. Rosaleen falls afoul of the worst racists in town. Thrown into jail, where she is beaten and left with a concussion, she is transferred to the hospital. When Lily's father tells her that the racists Rosaleen took on are likely to kill her, Lily concocts a daring plan to rescue her. Their flight from Rosaleen's tormentors takes them to Tiburon, South Carolina, where they meet kindness and acceptance in the guise of three sisters who live together in the "big pink house". The bees kept by August, one of the sisters, figure heavily in Lily's life and her journey to self-understanding. She encounters everything from tragedy to first love along the way. August, especially, mentors her and helps to guide her through the quagmire of hate that she must cross before she reaches the quiet shores of peace and forgiveness.
The sisters initiate Lily into their own very special take on christianity. It is a blend of catholicism and goddess worship that immediately sounds a siren call to Lily, even though she was raised as a good Baptist, who would have no tolerance for Catholics and even less for the concept of the divine as female. The religion they practise would sound the same call for so very many women, world wide, if they were once given an introduction to it. In one scene, in particular, the women share a kind of communion service that puts the catholic church to shame. The catholic church will not give their precious communion bread to anyone other than Catholics. No matter if the visitor to their service is a christian, and no matter if Jesus himself was open to all, they still set limits on the availability of their communion. Their whole church is based on exclusivity. Other christian churches, such as the United church, will at least welcome any visitor to their church to take communion with them, so long as they be christians. All of them, however, need a clergy to bless and/or distribute the communion. The catholic clergy (and others) must be exclusively male. Females blessing the host? The world would come to an end! In all the churches, the ordinary person is deemed neither capable nor worthy to ready the communion.
In moving contrast to mainstream christianity, the sisters stage the most beautiful service that welcomes everyone and gives them all equal importance. Everyone present stands around the table in a circle, and start passing a honey cake around. The first person breaks off a small piece and gives it to the next person, saying "This is the body of the Mother". There are men present, and they are freely included. There is no exclusivity here. As the reader, you get the feeling of being privy to something emotionally personal, a rite of ethereal beauty. Lily voices the intensity present in the moment when she says "I watched with the feeling I might burst out crying". Unfortunately, such a religion will have to stay in the pages of novels like this one. It will never be allowed to spread, for too many men have too much invested in the repression practised by mainstream religions. Although it is couched in avuncular sounding terms, it is misogyny and exclusivity, nonetheless. The author gives her main character humourous lines to say, but she uses that humour to explain why such a religion as practised by the sisters will never be allowed worldwide acceptance. "I did not know one thing, really, about the Catholic church, but somehow I felt sure the Pope would have keeled over if he'd seen this. Not Brother Gerald (the minister at Lily's Baptist church), though. He wouldn't have wasted time fainting, just gotten busy arranging the exorcism."
There is no magically happy ending to this novel, but Lily does finally find her own peace, her own ability to continue making her way through life. The way that she does find will speak to the souls of women who read this book. Kidd's writings evoke passionate response from huge audiences of women, who write to her by the thousands, and keep her books on the best-selling lists. Organized religion, as it exists now, is a dissatisfying experience for too many. It leaves them with a vague awareness of something missing. They might not be able to put their finger on it, until they pick up a book such as "The Secret Life of Bees". Then they will know. Fast-Tracking Kids and Putting Out The Garbage The federal government of Canada has announced it is moving to reunite children orphaned by the tsunami with their Canadian relatives as quickly as possible by speeding up their immigration applications. Immigration Minister Judy Sgro said yesterday her department will waive certain fees that can go as high as $1,200.00 per individual for Canadian citizens and permanent residents who want to sponsor an orphaned child. Apparently, a major children's-relief group is complaining that the government may be moving too quickly to bring traumatized children to Canada. Meg Hirst of UNICEF Canada said young tsunami victims can suffer additional harm if they're removed from their home countries. " UNICEF has a policy of waiting a couple of years in order to confirm those things ..." said Hirst. Here's a question I'd like to be able to ask Meg. What do these kids do for another couple of years while you sift through red tape waiting for some amorphous kith and kin to appear? If these kids have not been claimed by any relatives by this time, then you can bet any there might be in that country are not exactly what you might call close to the children. The children have already suffered more than enough. Why, for god's sake, would you want them to remain orphaned for another "couple of years"? By the time you've finished with your official waiting period, many of them could be dead from the disease and privations in the refugee camps they had to live in. That would certainly lessen the paperwork load, wouldn't it? Let them come here sooner and begin to build a new life with people who want them now. We know you do great work for the kids, usually, but this is not a usual situation. Maybe usual procedure is not appropriate here. On a slightly different note, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) said it will temporarily suspend removal orders for 4,252 individuals facing deportation to the devastated countries. War criminals, however, as well as individuals with a criminal record in Canada and those deemed to be a risk to national security will not be exempted from deportation. Doesn't it do your heart good to think of those particular individuals being sent back to the midst of that devastation just now? Picture them having to cope with the hardships. I have my fingers crossed they can put " a rush order" on those deportations. Scrooge, Anyone? George W, whose personal worth is valued at $17 million (shall we assume we're talking U.S. greenbacks and not some third world currency?) has opened his heart to the tsunami relief effort and given a whopping $10,000.00. That's right, boys and girls, $10,000.00 ! Just for comparison, Sandra Bullock, another multi-millionaire, has opened her heart, too. She gave $1,000,000.00. Do the math. Don't you think Scrooge would be proud of ol' George? Scrooge opined about the poor and afflicted "if they be like to die, they should just do it and decrease the surplus population". I think George W. has taken this piece of fiction too literally. Molasses Bread Let's chat a bit about molasses, shall we? Molasses, at one time in its history, was used as part of a medicine to treat venomous bites. It is now a sweetener only. As such, many will immediately look down the full length of their haughty noses at it. They should know a little bit about it, first. Like anything else, molasses is not going to do you any good if you take in too much of it, but in moderation ... Molasses has some interesting contributions to make. As well as some sugar-source calories, this thick liquid also has iron, niacin, calcium, vitamins B3 and B6 to offer. It gives varying amounts of the RDA's for each one, and each is something you want. Look at B6, for instance. Did you know it assists the functioning of the immune system, and in the production of new cells? If you are a woman on birth control pills, you might be coping with a B6 deficiency. Buy a supplement, sure, but look to your diet, too. I'll give you a recipe that my whole family enjoys, but my husband especially just loves. When you buy the molasses for it, read the label carefully to make sure you are getting unsulphured molasses. It's the best grade. Buy whole-wheat flour, too. If you haven't been much of a whole-wheat flour user before, this bread could be a good way for you to ease inself into the habit. "Whole-wheat" means it is whole-grain flour, made with the entire wheat kernel, so naturally it contains fiber, antioxidants, and phytoestrogens, which may help to reduce the risk of heart disease and some cancers. Put those beneifts together with the molasses goodies and you've got all the reason you need to slip a slice of this onto your plate. Molasses Bread *2 tablespoons of malt or cider vinegar * 1 & 1/2 cups milk Before you do anything else, measure the vinegar into a measuring cup, and then fill with milk to 1 & 1/2 cups (I regularly use skim milk, which of course, cuts the calories, but you can use 1% or 2%, if you prefer) Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and then grease & flour a 9x5x3inch loaf pan. *3 cups whole wheat flour (Do not sift the flour!) * 1/4 cup sugar * 2 tsp baking powder * 1 tsp baking soda * 1/2 tsp salt Measure these into a big mixing bowl, and use a wooden spoon to stir together. Make a well in the centre of the mix. * 1/4 cup cooking oil * 1/4 cup molasses Pour the milk into a smaller bowl. Stir the oil in, and then stir in the molasses, and continue stirring, scraping the bottom of the bowl constantly, for a minute or two, until the molasses has thinned and mixed in. Pour the wet mix into the dry ingredients and stir them together well. but do not beat. Turn into the loaf pan and bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until the loaf is risen and golden brown. (I use an old knitting needle as a tester, just to be extra sure!) Remove from the oven and let the loaf sit in the pan for ten minuted before you turn it out onto a cooling rack. Serve with butter or jam. Enjoy! Great News for the Follicle-ly Challenged! Kevin McElwee PhD is a graduate of Aberdeen and Dundee Universities, Scotland. He is currently Assistant Professor and head of the Hair Research Laboratory at the University of British Columbia, Division of Dermatology, Vancouver, Canada, where he conducts basic research into hair follicle functioning, hair loss, and immunology as related to hair follicles and skin. Recently, he made a big announcement. Hair cloning is just around the corner, says the good man! According to McElwee, if a man has even just 10 healthy hairs (on average a healthy scalp has 100,000 to 150,000) left growing on his wind-swept pate, it will be enough for scientists to take follicular cells from those lonely little hairs and produce several million cultured cells from them. They would then implant those cells in the gentleman's polished dome, and before you know it - luxuriant growth would be proudly displaying itself atop his head! Comb manufacturers of the world rejoice, I am sure, as do all the guys short on anything to need a comb for, at the moment. Peeved I went last night to meet a new student whom I will be tutoring. He is in grade seven, a recent immigrant here from Korea. Pleasant mannered and soft spoken, he struck me immediately as a student with whom it would be a pleasure to work. His mother wanted to show me his first term report card, and I saw that the comments his teacher made indicated the same opinion of him as mine. There was one problem, though. SHe said he never puts his hand up in class, never tries answering questions. I asked him why, point blank. He answered honestly. "Afraid, I guess" When asked to explain, afraid of what, he gave the elucidation that drives me nuts. It gets right under my skin and makes me see red. "The other kids laugh when I make a mistake." Where the hell are the teachers in the classrooms this boy has been in? The answer is so very wrong. Usually, they are right there, right up front and centre listening to the laughter, and allowing it. They do nothing to stop it. Every teacher who does that is stupid. Period. Don't try to tell me how nice they might be. "Nice" doesn't cut it. The classes need strong consistency that forbids laughter at mistakes. The students in those classes need to be freed to make mistakes. They need to be shown that a mistake is an opportunity to learn, but they'll never see it that way if they know that every mistake is an opportunity instead for them to be embarrassed; to feel unhappy. Understanding that doesn't take a rocket scientist. It only takes someone who is motivated to make the kids motivated. I've done it over and over. I've had groups who have come to my room after years of laughing at each other and I''ve helped them to change. I don't know if they all carried that change with them through their following years. I do know for sure that some of them did, and that was all the impetus I ever needed to keep going. To know that you have helped one student to change for the better, to grow, that's an incredible reward for any teacher. It was much harder work some years than others, but I did it every year. No-one was laughed at in my room for making a mistake, and everyone learned to be a little bit freer to reach for their best. If I did it, other teachers can too. The question is: Why do so many of them not bother? The Gold Is Ours! We did it, we did it, we did it! We won the gold with a 6-1 victory over Russia. During the course of this World Junior Hockey Tournament, Canada outscored its opposition by 41 to 7, and tonight we won the gold with a 6-1 victory over Russia. Once again, Canada reigns victorious on the hockey ice. God is in her heaven and all is right with the world! Just Plain Sick I just found out that there is " disaster tourism" flourishing right now in Thailand. People with morbidly sick minds are roaming the ruins and taking pictures to send to the folks back home. They disgust me, each and every one of them. They are perverted human garbage, walking about with a camera. They should have their cameras taken away and be forced to help clean up some of the corpses. Maybe someone could get a good shot of them puking their guts out at some of what they would see then - if they had the decency to be sickened by what they saw, that is. Then they should be evicted from the country and never allowed to return, on pain of death. Don't Mess With This Woman! Joyce King, a 39 year old from New Brunswick has won the women's world championship for arm wrestling at the competition held in Durban, South Africa. In fact, she won for both left and right arm! Even more, it's Joyce's second consecutive title! This "little lady" has biceps 40 cm (16 in) around, which she maintains by regularly benchpressing 120 kg (55 lbs). Her husband and two teenage kids all arm wrestle as well, and the son and daughter have taken world titles, as well. Can you imagine that family trying to settle a friendly dispute? Wish Us Luck! 3 to 1. That was the score of the semi-final game won by Canada against the Czech Republic.In spite of having five powerplay opportunities, the Czechs only managed to get two shots on net in each of the first two periods. It wasn't enough. They went down to defeat in front of a crowd of 10,206 in the arena in Grand Forks.The win sees us off to face Russia on Tuesday in the final of the world junior men's hockey championship. We last won gold in 1997. It's time to do it again. Discerning Ferlets? Fliters? Falters? Today's Toronto Daily Star ran an article entitled "Blogs give little guys a voice". In it, Brian Daly of the Canadian Press describes bloggers as "everyday people who become self'-publishers ... without the discerning filter of the mainstream media". I had a little trouble getting myself past that part about "discerning". The Gage Canadian Dictionary defines the word as meaning "shrewd, acute, discriminating". My mind was filling with images of ads for psychics, out to bilk the gullible of every penny they can get their hands on.The images of those ads, as they appear in the discering media, (after being properly filtered, of course!) were jostling up against the word, and being bounced back at me. I gave my head a shake and got those images cleared out.They were immediately replaced with the picture of interviews with people like Eminem, Madonna, Tupac, and all the other wastes-of-time with drivel where a mind should be. I think of the seriousness with which their brainless utterances is treated and the word "discerning" begins to loom larger and larger in my vision. Another shake of my head, a few mumbles about "which high and mighty elitist declared mainstream media to be discerning?" and I was finally able to continue making my way through the article. The I arrived at the bottom of the first column and crashed right into an example of discerning quality in print. The sentence reads "The big appeal to a lot people..." Read it again, boys and girls, and see if you can spot the lapse in discerning media reporting; the little slip that the discerning mainstream media's discerning proofreader missed. Excuse me for being such a nit-picker, but wouldn't you think that media that describes itself in such a pompous and pretentious manner should make sure their reporting is letter perfect? Mangia! Let me nudge you into the New Year with a recipe from one part of my heritage. My mother hails from Italia, "the boot". She came here to Toronto in the early 30's, long before being anything but English and Protestant was an indicator of potential success here. It was a hard time for her and her family and this dessert is one they could never afford. It might be one that you feel you and your hips can not afford. The name means "pick me up", however, and if you can just let your taste buds reign supreme long enough to forget the ingredients and swallow one bite, you'll understand the name. Maybe you could serve small helpings of this after a diet-menu dinner! Tiramisu
*150 g giant lady fingers (usually 2 packages) *1 3/4 cups strong coffee *1/4 cup granulated sugar * 2 tbsp each brandy & coffee liqueur *3 egg yolks * 1 lb (450 g ) Mascarpone cheese *1 cup whipping cream, whipped *2 tbsp cocoa Fit one package of the lady fingers into the lightly greased bottom of an 11 x 7 inch (2 L) baking dish. Use a glass measuring cup to combine the coffee, brandy, coffee liqueur, and 1 tbsp (15 ml) of sugar. Drizzle half of this mixture over the lady fingers and set the rest aside. Place a stainless steel bowl over very hot (but not boiling) water and put the egg yolks in it. Beat the egg yolks (electric beater is best) over the hot water for approximately 8 minutes, until the mixture is a thick foamy, pale yellow. Remove from the heat and whisk in the Mascarpone. Fold in 1/4 of the whipped cream first, then gently fold in the rest, combining it thoroughly. Spoon half of the Mascarpone mixture over the lady fingers in the dish and dust with 1 tbsp of cocoa, Layer in the second package of lady fingers over the filling, and drizzle over the remaining coffee mixture. There will be what looks like extra coffee around the lady fingers, but it gets absorbed, so don't worry. Spoon the remaining Mascarpone mix over the lady fingers and dust with the remaining cocoa. Chill 6 - 8 hours before serving. For You I want to wish a Happy New Year to eveyone who visits my site today. May the coming year be one of your very best ever! I Said a Prayer for You Today
I said a prayer for you today
And know God must have heard.
I felt the answer in my heart
Although she spoke no word!
I didn't ask for wealth or fame
I hope that you don't mind.
I asked her to send treasures
Of a far more lasting kind!
I asked that she be near you
At the start of each new day;
To grant you health and blessings
And friends to share your way!
I asked for happiness for you
In all things great and small.
But it was for her loving care
I prayed the most of all!
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