Turkey Trivia

Canada will celebrate Thanksgiving soon, on Monday October 9th, to be exact. We set our date for it earlier than they do in the States, but no matter. A great many of us are alike in our inclusion of turkey on the day's special menu, so I thought this might be a good time to toss two fascinating fowl facts at you.
First, if you've bought a frozen turkey, you'll need to thaw it before you show it the inside of your oven. How long to let the bird thaw out its giblets? The general rule of thumb is to give it 24 hours in the refrigerator for every five pounds or 2 1/2 lbs weight. That would mean if you were cooking an eleven pound bird, you would need to let it nest in your fridge for approximately four days before you toss it in the roasting pan.
The second morsel of turkey talk is one that sounds like something Rick Mercer would earnestly question some Yank about on his "Talking With Americans" satire.
An American Thanksgiving tradition since 1947, each year the President of the great U.S. of A. will actually "pardon" a turkey presented by the National Turkey Federation. The bird will then be sent to live out its years on a historical farm, where it can chill with the surviving, previously pardoned main dishes.
I have just got to ask, what the hell is the turkey being pardoned for? With George W. it's easy to guess. Tom Turkey would be pardoned for being way too much smarter than the prez, but what the heck was it for with some of the other oval office biggies?

Shut Your Mouth, Randy

I'm referring to the dweeb on the staff of the Los Angeles Times, sports editor Randy Harvey. The reason he should shut up? He declared hockey to be a niche sport not worth the time or money for reporters to cover NHL games.
You know what? It's Canada's sport and there is a multitude of us here north of the 49th who are sooooooo happy that the season opening is just around the corner now. It's anything but niche for us. Whose idea was it to start a team in all those grapefruit towns down south? Not ours. Whose idea was it to send a hockey team to the Olympics from climes south of the true north strong and free? They can't freakin' win against the Canucks anyway.
Why don't Harvey and his ilk just stay home and peel another orange while they sit and watch some muscle-bound footballers bash each other's brains? Mammoths fighting over where they're going to touch a ball to the ground is their national sport.
Leave the hockey to us. Leave the hockey coverage to us. We love the game. It's in the very blood of any true Canadian.
It's anything but niche up here.

STEPHEN LEWIS SIGNS UP IN SUPPORT OF GULUWALK

Stephen Lewis, UN Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa, has joined GuluWalk as one of the 10,000 reasons for hope in northern Uganda.

Stephen Lewis is reason number 1,574. What number are you?

Sign up today at www.guluwalk.com.

“The phenomenon of the "night commuters" in northern Uganda is so surreal that it almost defies description,” explained Lewis. “It has been one of the world’s worst crises facing children, and every effort to bring attention to the impact this war is having on children is commendable. The GuluWalk is an imaginative project that will bring a ray of hope to the future of the children, and the communities of northern Uganda.”

As a politician, diplomat and international envoy for humanitarian efforts, Stephen Lewis has dedicated himself to improving the lives of others. As Canadian Ambassador to the United Nations from 1984-88 he chaired the committee that drafted the five-year UN Programme on African Economic Recovery, and from 1995-99 he was Deputy Executive Director of UNICEF at the organization’s global headquarters in New York.

Lewis has served as the UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa since 2001 and in July of this year, he began a one-year term as McMaster University’s first social sciences scholar-in-residence, where he will serve as an instructor and researcher linked with the Institute on Globalization and the Human Condition.

Stephen Lewis is now one of the 10,000 people who will be the message of hope this year for the children of northern Uganda; and the concept is simple:

Get 10,000 people to each raise $100 and walk on Saturday, October 21, GuluWalk Day.

The math is pretty simple, too: 10,000 people x $100 = $1,000,000.

That’s $1 million to provide education, rehabilitation and youth support programs for the children of war-torn northern Uganda.

Join Stephen Lewis, Sarah McLachlan, Steve Nash, Lt-Gen Romeo Dallaire and GuluWalkers worldwide on Saturday, October 21, and be part of this unique awareness event and innovative online fundraising initiative for a generation of children who are being left behind.

Stephen Lewis is number 1,574. What number are you?

Blind to the Real Issue

I volunteer regularly at the CNIB, where I work with adults who are either visually impaired or totally blind. We share a lot of laughter, but I also see glimpses of their heartbreak. Some of them are grandparent age, mourning the fact that the sight of the faces they love is gradually being lost to them. AMD is robbing them of one more look at a beloved spouse or a precious grandchild.
Some of them are younger. One gentleman I have the privilege to work with is in his mid-thirties and the father of three, the youngest of them being just six years old. This man is usually to be found smiling as he tackles whatever challenge the class throws at him, but he has also spoken to me through his tears while he explained that he can't make out his children's faces any more. It hurts him to know he will not see what his children look like as they grow.
I come away from a day there with a feeling of how enormous a hurdle visual impairment is, and how incredibly lucky a person is to be spared that in their lifetime. I come away wishing that medical science could do more to help, wishing I had a magic wand to be waved over my friends in exorcism of the demon that besets them.
I have not come away prepared for the incredible greed that I just learned about, or capable of understanding the depth of callous disregard for suffering that the drug company Genentech is indulging in. They are blocking access to a medicine that can cheaply and effectively save thousands from the descending darkness of macular degeneration.
Current treatments for the condition include drugs that only slow the progression to vision loss, but Genentech has at hand a drug that has returned sight to patients with only one or two injections. Why are they dragging their feet on making it readily available for this use??
Philip Rosenfeld, an American ophthalmologist became aware of Genentech carrying out animal studies that showed potential in eye conditions, using the colon cancer drug, Avastin. Rosenfeld says Avastin "truly is a wonder drug" in the treatment of wet macular degeneration.
Rosenfeld has published his results and a website has been created in the U.S. to gather the experiences of doctors worldwide who have used the drug for this purpose. It has been successfully injected now into more than 7,000 eyes, at low cost because the doctors are able to "split" one phial into dozens of doses. That is where the problem with Genentech arises.
Go to the company's home page and you'll see them refer to themselves as the "company that is making a difference". They boldly claim "we commit ourselves to high standards of integrity in contributing to the best interests of patients". Could that be why instead of applying to license Avastin for this use, they are applying to license Lucentis, the specific component of Avantis effective for the eye condition? Could their high standards of integrity explain why the product they want to market is going to be marketed at ten times the cost per dose of Avastin?
I didn't want to just assume I knew the correct definition of integrity, so I went to my ominpresent dictionary and looked it up. The entry in said lexicon informed me that integrity is to be defined as adherence to moral and ethical principles. I flipped the pages next to ascertain the correct definition of ethics and found that it is a system of principles that deal with the rightness and wrongness of certain actions and the goodness and badness of the motives and ends of such actions.
Now I am going to make an assumption or two. I am going to assume that none of those involved in the decision to go for the dollar sign instead of for the "best interests of the patients" actually has a family member facing the despair of going blind. If they had, it might inspire a little change in their approach, don't you think?
I am also going to assume that everyone involved in this disgusting display of a cavalier attitude toward suffering they could alleviate is totally unbothered by ethics. I am going to assume they are amoral purveyors of a lie. They care nothing for the best interest of anyone other than themselves. They lose sleep over nothing other than the content of their bank accounts.
There is no objurgation sufficient to fully express the moral culpability of their actions. There is no exoneration possible for this contemptible group of money-grubbers. They are trying to claim that their actions are based on concern for patient safety and suggesting that there is little proof that the drug actually does what Rosenfeld and his colleagues say it does. What about those who see now, after being treated with it? If there were only two or three of them, the case might be made that the data was insufficient, but the number of those treated with success is constantly rising.
My question is, why doesn't Genentech update their website? They should reword their claim of concern for the patients to read more like "we commit ourselves to high standards of personal gain and promise we'll try to get around to concern for the patients as long as it doesn't interfere with out profit margin".
At least the honesty could go a little way toward justifying their claim to integrity.

"Thieves Can't Steal What They Can't See"

If a thief can't see what there is to grab, they're not going to be able to grab anything. At least, that's the theory behind the fog machines now being used as a deterrent to theft. Marketed by Concept Smoke Screen - Security Smoke and Alarm Systems in the UK, they're making their way to U.S. retailers in increasing numbers.
If the system is triggered by someone breaking and entering, it will take just a minute to create a dense, nontoxic fog that completely obscured vision. CVS Corp. had installed the device at one of its drugstores in Florida, to test its efficiency. Wanting to help with the testing, I suppose, a criminally-minded type broke in, triggering the fog machine. Apparently, the would-be burglar panicked and groped his way out of the store without taking even one item. Since the system is linked to an alarm that summons the local constabulary, any break-and-enter artist trying their luck in an establishment boasting one of these pea-soupers might be well advised to follow the example of the thwarted Florida felon.
It all sounds almost too good to be true as a foil to revenue loss, but there are some worries about a possible downside. John Feretich, head of security Rainbow USA, which has installed some of the devices is worried that the local punks might hear about them and feel obliged to set them off by throwing rocks at store windows.
I don't think needing to have their insurance policy cover the cost of new window glass would be enough to stop places of business from purchasing this new form of peace-of-mind.
Think, for instance, of bank staff who would no longer have to worry about staring down the barrel of a gun pointed at them while someone demands the cash. All they would have to do is hit the floor and let the fog do the rest. They'll soon be demanding the devices at their work place, en masse.
I would imagine this is a product with a bright future.

South Korea's Online Shame

Here's a shameful little stat for you. A government sponsored survey has shown that 2.4% of South Korean aged 9 to 39 need counseling for their addiction to online gaming. 9 years old?
The problem can even reach fatal proportions. Last year, seven people died from deep vein thrombosis (caused by sitting inactive in front of the monitor for too long), heart failure or exhaustion, while feeding their habit. Even those too young to know what a computer is can suffer, as shown by the involuntary manslaughter charges brought against a couple in their 20's who left their 4-month-old infant alone at home while they went to a neighbourhood internet cafe to play World of Warcraft, staying there from 4:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
The question is why Korea seems to be so hard hit by this addiction. A government-funded agency that provided counseling to 2,243 people in 2003 saw the figure more than quadruple to 8,978 in 2004. Some are trying to claim that Korea is such a stressful place to live, the populace turns to these games as a get-away from the stress.
Certainly, South Korea is one of the world's most wired countries, with 3/4 of all households having high-speed broadband internet connections compared to 1/3 of American homes. That may facilitate the addiction, but it doesn't explain it.
It might be the celebrity status of professional players who can earn $100,000. a year. Maybe young Koreans dream of becoming such a player, the way many a north american youth might dream of the NBA or the NHL. I don't know.
Maybe it's just one more indication of how few people know how to see the beauty in the sunset, or feel the joy of the breeze on their face. Maybe it bespeaks the number of those who must have personal gratification at all times, and totally lack an understanding of how volunteering time and effort to help others feel good could help them feel good, too.
I can't explain it, but I know it's a bloody sad state of affairs.

Cana-nese?

I have a problem with this past summer's evacuation of Canadian citizens from Lebanon. Specifically, my problem is with those who hold dual citizenship. When the hostilities began, they began demanding that the Canadian government take immediate action to get them safely out of the country. There was much criticism of how the evacuation was handled, and the perceived lack of speed with which it was accomplished.
OK, so whether it was done exactly to their liking or not, it was done. The bill came to a total of $85 million, and it's being paid out of your pocket and mine. Although the usual procedure is to ask citizens to reimburse the cost of their evacuation, for some reason this is not being done this time. That leaves us stay-at-homes emptying out our wallets to save people who seem to feel that Canada is not quite good enough for them. You see, approximately 7,000 of them have gone right back to the region since the weapons have been laid aside.
If any of those saved from the fighting were holders of sole citizenship, I'm glad we got them out. I feel bad for anyone caught in the middle of such a situation, but we can not save the whole world, so if any of them hold dual citizenship my sympathy begins to stretch a little thin.
No. I say - one or the other, folks. Are you Canadians, or aren't you? If you really feel a need to retain your Lebanese citizenship, then take up permanent residence there, and forget Canada. If you really want Canadian papers, however, then I think it's time to kiss Lebanon good-bye.
Before you start accusing me of hating the Lebanese, I should tell you that I feel that way about absolutely everyone who comes here. Welcome to our shores. Stay and make yourself a better life. Become part of us, but don't try to be a chameleon, changing your colour whenever the mood strikes. Make a decision and jump down on one side of the fence. You can't walk the railing forever.
If someone feels the need for Canadian citizenship, then I would assume they would also feel the need to contribute to the society on an ongoing basis. What about paying taxes, people? I'm sure the deal could be worked out with other governments to facilitate the tax collection.
Suggest that to most dual citizenship holders and the screams of protest will deafen you. Suggest to them that they can't reasonably expect the full services afforded to taxpayers without paying the ante, and the screams will probably even go up a decibel.
I just don't think you can have it both ways. I don't think it should be allowed. Be Canadian, if you want. Be Lebanese, if you want. Just understand there is no such thing as a Cana-nese.

The Latest Update on Guluwalk

‘UGANDA RISING’ FUNDRAISERS IN SUPPORT OF GULUWALK


GuluWalk has teamed up Uganda Rising, a Canadian produced, directed and written documentary, and will be hosting screening fundraiser events and panel discussions with internationally renowned speakers across North America.

Uganda Rising: An evening in support of GuluWalk, will take place from Winnipeg to Washington, D.C. and will be hosted in select cities by some of the most notable experts on the conflict in northern Uganda including:

• Dr. Lloyd Axworthy, Former Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister and current President & Vice-Chancellor, University of Winnipeg
• Betty Bigombe, Ugandan Peace Negotiator
• Allan Rock, Former Canadian Ambassador to the United Nations

The events are geared towards raising awareness, educating a North American audience on the conflict in northern Uganda and promoting action in the form of GuluWalk.

GuluWalk 2006 is a one-day worldwide event, focused on raising awareness, support and a push for peace for the abandoned children of northern Uganda. This year’s GuluWalk will take place in over 75 cities in 15 different countries worldwide.

In addition to the public events listed below, Betty Bigombe and GuluWalk co-founder Adrian Bradbury will take part in a panel discussion and a private screening of Uganda Rising for Canadian Members of Parliament (MPs) and their staff on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Monday, October 2. Media are welcome to attend this event and can reserve their seat via email at media@guluwalk.com.

Uganda Rising: An evening in support of GuluWalk (Event Dates & Locations)

September 27 – Winnipeg, MB (Eckhardt-Gramette Hall) with Dr. Lloyd Axworthy
September 27 – Cincinnati, OH (Main Street Cinema / Tangemen Univ. Centre)
September 27 – South Bend, IN (Mishawaka-Penn-Harris Public Library)
September 28 – Kitchener-Waterloo, ON (Princess Cinema)
October 3 – Ottawa, ON (Bytowne Theatre) with Betty Bigombe
October 5 – Calgary, AB (Plaza Theatre)
October 5 – Halifax, NS (Ondaatje Auditorium)
October 9 – Washington, DC (Lisner Auditorium) hosted by UgandaCAN, with Betty Bigombe
October 11 – Toronto, ON (Bloor Cinema) with Allan Rock & Betty Bigombe
October 16 – Vancouver, BC (Ridge Theatre) with Betty Bigombe
October 17 – University of Delaware (Smith Hall)

Please note: New York, NY & Montreal, QC screening fundraiser dates TBD

For complete listings of all of the worldwide ‘Uganda Rising / GuluWalk’ events and to reserve your seat online, please visit www.guluwalk.com/events.

The Miniature Earth

Hit the "PLAY". Nothing more need be said. (Source: The Miniature Earth)

Seeing Red

A campaign was started recently by family members of soldiers from Petawawa, Ontario, who are serving in Afghanistan. Their idea is to get everyone wearing red on Fridays to show support for our troops.
I think the politics of the whole situation should be off to one side here. Whether you think it's right for them to be there, or not, the bottom line is that we do have troops there and the ultimate sacrifice is being made by some of these women and men. They need to know that people at home care about them.
They've been sent there to try to help with the restoration of peace,to try to help the everyday people experience the joy of normalcy again. The fact is that some of our people have been cut down while doing such things as sitting in peaceful talk with village elders or just passing out candy to children.
Obviously, to don something red on a Friday will be to wear the colour of our flag's maple leaf, but it could also be more than that. It could be to show solidarity with the mothers and fathers, the daughters and the sons of the war-torn region - all of whose blood runs red when they're cut down, the same as our soldiers. If you wear red on a Friday, it would be because of the ordinary people there, not the extremists.
Maybe wearing red on a Friday - and it can be something as small as a red ribbon like the ones that will be allowed to members of the House of Commons - could be a good first step toward drawing a little closer together with all our brothers and sisters in Afghanistan.

The Idiot Files Revisited

Obviously, the ranks of the card-carrying members are already swollen beyond belief, but they've all got to shove over just a little and make room for a few more.
The first one we have to fit in there is Pope Benny, after his idiot utterances in the speech he made to Regensburg University professors recently. Quoting from a medieval text, Pope Boo-Boo cited the passage referring to the teachings of the prophet as "evil and inhuman".
Duh.Obviously, this is a man who really understands diplomacy.
He also understands how to play word games, as evidenced by his non-apology. Either shit or get off the pot, Benny. If you're going to offer an apology, make it a sincere, personal one. Don't skirt the issue by substituting a Vatican-released statement of "regret".


The next membership goes out to German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who defended the Pope by saying that the pontiff had merely been calling for dialogue with other religions.
Great call to the round-table, don't you think? There's nothing like remarks which would clearly be interpreted as confrontational to get a nice little chat going.
Duh, again.


Not to be outdone by the christian morons, the muslims have immediately stepped forward to present some idiots for the club, too. I am speaking now of those who are protesting the insulting speech with acts of violence. Gunning down the Italian nun as she worked in the Somali hospital will do absolutely nothing to right the perceived wrong. Neither will throwing Molotov cocktails at churches in the West Bank city of Nablus. A generous helping of stupidity all round!


The Vatican, collectively is also standing in line to join the numbnut club.They clearly demonstrated their worthiness for inclusion when they announced their decision to send envoys to meet with political and religious leaders in Muslim countries. Says the Vatican, the envoys will "explain the poop's speech".
What's to explain, eh? Unless you're going to declaim, "The guy's braindead.", you shouldn't waste your time.


Other morons jostling for position in the League of Idiots are the leaders of a village in the Indian state of Rajasthan who ordered 150 men to dip their hands into boiling oil to prove their innjocence after food was stolen from a local school.
OMG. Do these peabrains really not understand that the only thing that will be proven is that boiling oil can deep fry anything, including human flesh?


To read all about the last mental midgets insistent on inscribing their names on the membership roll, check out this.

Congratulations, Mayann!

Better late than never, right? She was sworn in on Sept. 7, but I just learned about it, so I am saying my congratulations today. They're going to Mayann Francis, the daughter of a man called a staunch Garveyite, and Nova Scotia's first African-Canadian Lieutenant Governor. Francis says she believes her "spirit can climb as high as (she) wants it to." It is to be hoped that those will be words of portent for the black community, coming as they do at a time when there is talk of taking a step backward by opening black-centred schools. Francis never separated herself from the rest of the society in which she lived. She has instead worked at being part of it all, and forcing any recalcitrants to accept her and all others, without reservation, as she did in 2003 when she spoke out against an award-winning advertising campaign. Although the campaign was supposedly designed to promote Nova Scotia, it did not include Aboriginal people. Blacks or new immigrants.
She is only the second African-Canadian vice-regal to be appointed, following Lincoln Alexander who held his position in Ontario from 1985 to 1991. A few more stalwarts like her and we could soon be offering our congratulations to our first African-Canadian Prime Minister.

Got You Buffaloed?

I'm back! Having been away for a while in Sudbury, I returned today to my usual routine, which means at least a quick stop here. I brought something to share with you, so you can't say I never give you anything. This is one of those somethings really worth the getting. You can use it at the next staff meet & greet you're invited to. It'll help you impress everyone there, especially if you make sure you go with the explanation down pat so you can supply it on demand.
When that first awkward silence descends and no-one seems to know how to get the party up and running, put on your very best nonchalant face, and leap into the breach. Ask if anyone knows a good example of a classic "garden path" sentence, one which might damn near go beyond human ability to parse structure and meaning. When your enquiry is greeted with blank stares, fill in the void with an insouciant smile and a smooth recitation of the following:

Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo

Be forewarned. There will be those who will challenge your knowledge, who may even question your very grip on sanity, but if you have followed this link, and prepared aforehand, you can withstand all verbal onslaughts and emerge the hero of the piece.

Please ... you don't have to thank me.

Saving the World

At last we can relax, knowing that someone is out there selflessly dedicating themselves to making this world a better place. I am of course referring to the Muttawa, the religious police of Saudi Arabia.
These loyal servants of right, ever on the lookout for acts of moral turpitude have singled out a great threat to the spiritual welfare of their countrymen and are hot in pursuit of the perpetrators thereof.
The Muttawa are now targeting cats and dogs, evil practitioners of immorality that they are. That's right.
Previously, the Mutts (do you think they would consider changing their name? this one has a real ring to it!) might have had to squander their precious time on such trivialities as whether or not a woman was properly veiled. Now they have something they can really sink their canines into - the pursuit of four-footed miscreants, out to destroy the morals of the nation. Deciding that the aforementioned animals, when kept as pets, could single-handedly (is paw-ed-ly a word?) lead the faithful away from Allah, the Mutt brigade seem to have forgotten a very important kibble-sized bit of Islamic tradition. The story is told that the Prophet so loved felines, he allowed one to drink from the water for his ablutions, BEFORE he used it to wash himself for prayers.
Can we ever, ever expect such people to join us in the here and now?

Don't Quote Me!

Have the last couple of days got you feeling like you missed something? Like everyone else knows more than you do? Whatever the circumstance that might have prompted your momentary self-doubt, I have a cure for it. Just read a few of these quotes, and you'll come away feeling like Einstein. If you do feel better after reading these, and you'd like more, head off to this site for an incredibly complete list of quotes from everyone you can think of, and lots more that you can't. Why not bookmark it and use quotes indiscriminately to annoy the hell out of friends and family?

"Whenever I watch TV and see those poor starving kids all over the world, I
can't help but cry. I mean I'd love to be skinny like that, but not with all those flies and death and stuff." A lesson in compassion uttered by Mariah Carey

"Smoking kills. If you're killed, you've lost a very important part of your life," Just try to argue with these pearls dropped by Brooke Shields during her interview to become Spokesperson for a federal anti-smoking campaign.

"I've never had major knee surgery on any other part of my body," declared Winston Bennett, University of Kentucky basketball forward, probably in answer to enquiries about a possible lobotomy.

"It isn't pollution that's harming the environment. It's the impurities in our air and water that are doing it." Al Gore, Clinton's Vice President, while they were working to expand Americans' Right to Know about environmental hazards in their communities, a task he obviously took to heart.

"We've got to pause and ask ourselves: How much clean air do we need?" Lee Iacocca. Alright, the man was the former chairman of Chrysler Corporation, but don't try to suggest any business involvement giving rise to that question. I am quite sure he was more than above all that.

"If we don't succeed, we run the risk of failure." Bill Clinton, 42nd President of the mighty United States.

"Traditionally, most of Australia's imports come from overseas." announced former Australian cabinet minister Keppel Enderbery, a man who would certainly know!

Pass On the Pop

The average American now drinks 18 ounces of soft drinks a day. Sugar sweetened drinks have become the highest source of calories in the American diet, replacing white bread, the former king of fat.
Some people have begun turning to sports drinks instead, thinking they have found a healthy alternative, but they may not realize that it's very little different than glugging a coke. Powerade hits you with 10 calories an ounce, only two behind coke's 12 calories an ounce.
Back to that 18 ounces a day. If that's the pattern of your pop habit, you should know that would add about 7,000 calories a month to your intake, which could mean a two pound a month weight gain.
Need another figure or two before you pass on the pop? David S. Ludwig can supply you with some. He and his colleagues at the Harvard School of Public Health have conducted studies and found the odds of becoming obese increase by 60% for each can a day of sweetened soft drinks.
Soda drinkers also run a higher risk of developing diabetes. Ludwig explains that people who drink lots of fruit juices don't run the same risk because of the difference between the naturally occurring sugars and the man-made high fructose corn syrup used so much in soft drinks.
Another little nugget to be aware of in the soft drink world is its effect on bone strength. Because it is often consumed instead of milk, especially by teenaged girls, data is now emerging that shows a startling trend. Teen girls who imbibe pop regularly, especially dark pops like coke Pepsi and Dr. Pepper, are five times as likely to break arms and legs in their teen years as girls who are not pop drinkers. Picture these young ladies a few decades from now, entering the osteoporosis years. Ever growing public health care costs, here we come.
Passing up on the soft drinks and opting for a glass of juice or water instead, or maybe even a little old fashioned moo-juice might be one heck of a good idea.
The question is how do we get that idea past the advertising campaigns and into the public consciousness?

Out Damned Spot! Out I Say!

So saith the conscience-stricken Lady Macbeth in Act V Scene I of Shakespeare's Scottish play as she is watched by her waiting woman and a doctor. They have found her sleepwalking about the castle, absorbed in her desperate attempts to wash away the blood of the murdered Banquo from her hands.
Obviously, no-one told Lady Macbeth about the U of T study just published in the journal "Science" under the article title "Washing Away Your Sins:Threatened Morality and Physical Cleansing". Conducted by Katie A. Liljenquist and Chen-Bo Zhong, the study consisted of a series of four experiments that involved students at Chicago's Northwestern University. The findings showed that "physical cleansing alleviated the upsetting consequences of unethical behaviour and reduced threats to one's moral self image". The article's authors noted that "ethically compromised individuals experienced an increased desire to cleanse themselves" and dubbed the observed psychological benefits of a good scrub-down the "Macbeth effect".
Lady Macbeth bemoans the fact that "Here's the smell of the blood still. All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand". If only she had been able to talk to G.W. Bush. He could have told her, all she needed was a good ol'-fashioned bar of soap.
I bet he goes through a dozen a day.

DUI and the Parish Priest?

OK, here's a question. If a country's population is overwhelmingly of one particular religion, and way too many people there are dying on the roads because of drunk drivers, how could you tie that all in together to try and reduce the death rate?
Prosecutors in Poland, where the above set of circumstances currently holds true, have come up with this proposed step. They have approached the Catholic church to ask that parish priests read out the names of drunk drivers from the pulpit on Sunday mornings. The hope is that such a move might help shame the drunk drivers into sobriety. The church has not yet responded to the request. I think their answer should be a resounding "YES!"
I remember when I was just a little girl, and my mother would take me to church every Sunday. I would sit there and watch the lines of people as they walked back down the aisle after receiving communion. The church's head usher always stood out for me, because of his face as he made the return trek. He would have such a look on his face of piety beyond belief. Often as not, he would raise his eyes up and lift his clasped hands upward, too. He gave quite the performance, every Sunday, and it didn't just end inside the church either. Once mass was over and the congregation was filing out to the parking lot, he would continue his pious ways. The parking lot was narrow and crowded and getting out took time and patience from everyone. You had to be ready to wait your turn, unless you were the big man himself, Mr. Head Usher. It was a giggle to watch when a slow mover got in front of him. I would count the seconds before he would roll down his window and deliver his message of peaceful patience. Gone was the look of piety, to be replaced by a look of redfaced anger, as he bellowed out, "get your fucking car out of my way".
This scene played out over and over. If the priest had just once called his name from the pulpit and quoted his parking lot utterances, Mr. Ever-So-Important might have been shamed into mending his ways. It would have been worth a try.
The same is true in Poland. It would be worth a try. It might save the lives of enough parishioners who could then continue their church attendance and their contribution to the collection baskets.
If they simply can't think of any other reason to acquiesce to the prosecutors' request, maybe the priests could do it for the tithe.

Today is the birth date of Good Queen Bess, aka Elizabeth the First of England. Quite the lady. A little Elizabethan trivia ... did you know that one of the states is named after this English monarch? The state of Virginia was named for Queen Elizabeth I, and a queen of expansionism she was, indeed. Got a minute to spare and not much else to do? Click here and read a few more facts about Gloriana herself.

Come Away With Me

This past weekend was one we spent in Tobermory, and a perfect weekend it was, even though the last of tropical storm Ernesto was doing its best to dampen our spirits. There was so much of nature's beauty to take our minds off the drizzle that no-one cared about the intermittent rain. My camera really earned its keep, and I've created a new photo gallery so you can come away with me.
The Bruce Peninsula is the most wonderful combination of contrasts, ranging from bucolic vistas of cattle grazing and bales of hay waiting to be gathered in, to limestone cliffs and rugged stretches of the Bruce trail that will challenge you to find your footing.
We explored the Cabot Head Lighthouse and Provincial Park Reserve which doesn't present itself for your pleasure until you have driven a long stretch of dirt road that hugs Dyer's Bay. In the photo gallery linked to above, you'll see some shots taken along this roadway, as well as inside the lighthouse. If you want to get to know that building even better, you might be interested to know that the "Friends of Cabot Head" have created The Lighthouse Assistant Program where two adults can come and live in the light house for a week. If you do that, you'll be assisting the full time keeper with daily chores and activities there at the lighthouse. You can take advantage of this program from May to Thanksgiving. Bookings are now being taken for the 2007 season.
You'll also see shots taken from the lookout atop the lighthouse, and the shoreline below it. Here you'll see some of the waves stirred up by the storm making their way in to throw themselves against the boulder-strewn shore. You'll also see some plants growing amidst those boulders. I'm fascinated by how tenacious life can be in clinging to the slightest hold.
We followed road signs promising we were on our way to Britain Lake. The road ends, however, before you see the lake and I suspect it is the same as it is in so much of Muskoka. Lake access is privately owned. Still, we followed the road after it became a single-lane dirt track, and wound our way with it as it snaked through the forest, parking beside the "private access" sign. We trekked our way on foot along the Minhinnick side trail, heading for the 14 meter raised sea-stack called the Devil's Monument. Pictures taken as we made our way there will give you a glimpse of the green-clad splendour that meets your eye at every turn of the trail. It is so very peaceful along that stretch of trail that it lulls your senses and soothes you into a state of relaxation.
I stopped at one point to drink it all in, to listen to the quiet surrounding me, and realized that I couldn't hear it. I found myself being bombarded with a cacophony of adjectives thrown at me by every centre of my brain. They all vied for the privilege of describing what I saw in front of me. The amygdala wanted to couch it in aggressive terms to convey the geological violence of the Laurentide Glacier as it scoured its way across the land. The insula was insisting on terms of gut reaction to the bones of Mother Earth as they protruded their rocky essence at random through the blanket of moss that tried to cover them. Words were pushing and shoving each other in determined attempts to place themselves at the front of my awareness. I silenced them all with a stern command to stop.
Then I closed my eyes for a moment, and breathed in the verdant fragrance of the scene. When I opened them again I was just barely able to hear, there on the very edge of sound, the gently whispering breeze as it fingered the branches and stroked every leaf on the trees. It was almost a sound of lovemaking.The trees were giving themselves willingly to the zephyr's caresses, and I walked quietly away, leaving them to their pleasures. The native people felt this spot to be sacred. I can understand.
The pleasures offered by the Bruce are not all to be found in nature, however. I'd like to to tell you about a terrific place to eat, if you head up to Tobermory. Be sure to make a stop at the "Stone Orchid", 4 km south of Tobermory on Hwy.6. It bills itself as a "splash of colour for the soul" and it's got that just right. Manager Louise and owner/chef Johanna oversee an island of serenity that will leave you feeling sated in more ways than one if you make the stop. Louise says with pride, "there are no deep fryers in our kitchen" if you ask about the cuisine, and shows you a menu that boasts a variety of Indonesian dinners. We ordered the nasi rames platter and were treated to gado gado - vegetables with coconut, ginger and peanut sauce - rainbow trout, and chicken curry, among other delights. The piquant dishes tease your tastebuds as they slip across your tongue and leave your stomach happy with your choice of eatery. I complimented my dining experience with a glass of wine chosen from offerings of that included Portugese, Chilean, and South African vintages.
After you choose what to order, your next choice is how you will spend the time needed for your meal to be prepared. You can browse the "Purple Dog Boutique that adjoins the restaurant, or play the game or puzzle that each table boasts. Our table had a game of dominoes. You could also just sit back and enjoy the music being played as you anticipate the forthcoming fare. We were serenaded by the velvet tones of Lady Day and Ella Fitzgerald on a CD titled "Best of Jazz: Cool Sounds of Autumn". Louise said she bought it at the LCBO and gave me the cover to look at. I discovered that it offers a "feel good" extra as well as great listening. A dollar from the sale of each CD goes to Breast Cancer Research. By the time I was learning that, I was at the point of feeling that everything about the Stone Orchid is just the best that it could possibly be.
As we were leaving the peninsula we made one last stop, in Ferndale. The ladies at the Stone Orchid had directed us to the "Crossroads Coffee House". I was sure if they were so good at everything else, they also had to be good at recommending other places worth my time and money. Look for the coffee house at the intersection of Bruce County road #9 and Hwy. 6 and you'll find a friendly, welcoming place to treat yourself to a cup of fair trade coffee or tea served up by the very personable Gerry, a man who makes you feel more like you're visiting a favourite haunt than going into a place you've never seen before. Try some of the homemade baking or nosh on a light lunch, and you won't be disappointed.
Finally, we were down off the Bruce, getting closer and closer to home. Not quite willing to have the weekend be over just yet, we stopped at one or two more small towns before the sprawl of Toronto had us in its clutches. The last pictures you'll see were taken in the Lloydtown Pioneer Cemetery, now gently decaying its way into history. Signs posted outside the surrounding fence warn visitors to beware the unstable and crumbling headstones and monuments. The land was donated for use in 1834 by Jesse Lloyd, who joined in the rebellion of 1837 and was forced to flee to the States. Once again, I found myself looking at some of the history that I have taught in grade 8 history. It seemed an appropriate transition from our getaway back to the day-to-day reality of Toronto. We reached home happily tired and not at all averse to the idea of another trip to the Bruce.
Soon.

It's Labour Day weekend here in Canada. To celebrate it, my oldest daughter has flown off to Vancouver. My youngest daughter, my other half and I are driving up to Tobermory. We're all out of Toronto for some "getting away" time.
Labour Day celebrations first began in Canada in the early 1880's. The day became a statutory holiday in 1894. The day was first marked with each city or town staging a parade. followed by church dinners and family picnics. It has evolved over the years to the kind of day that my family and I are making of it - a chance to "get away" for a couple of days. In Canada, the day also unofficially marks the end of summer, with all the students heading back to their classrooms the very next day after the weekend. Since Labour Day is always the first Monday of September, school starts early this year.
If you're really interested in the history of the day, check your local bookstore or library for a copy of "The Workers' Festival: A History of Labour Day in Canada", co-authored by U of T historian Steve Penfold and York historian Craig Heron.

I just happened across this bit of historical trivia this morning, and I thought I'd share it with you, since it really is worth a giggle.
In 1947, a petition was sent to United States' 33rd president, Harry S.Truman. It carried the signatures of 200,000 Irish Americans and asked the president to use his influence to help end the quarter century of partition in Ireland.
The response given was quite serious, I am sure, but when read in light of today's politics, it's hard not to laugh right out loud. The U.S. government refused to take any action, saying that it does not meddle in the affairs of other countries. (emphasis my own, giggles yours)