tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-167070072011-12-19T23:09:34.082-07:00Musings of a <b>Canuck on the Run</b> about politics, culture, transfusion medicine, the Internet, and just about anything....<p> <i>Words are flowing out like endless rain into a paper cup, they slither wildly as they slip away across the universe....</i> (Lennon &amp; McCartney) <a href="http://www.patletendre.com/universe.html">More...</a></p>Bluthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06234734730501396268noreply@blogger.comBlogger371100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16707007.post-36060868598138785602011-12-18T19:03:00.003-07:002011-12-19T23:09:34.163-07:00

I'm struck by the recent deaths of people who lived life the way they wanted to, regardless of consequences, and how it fits with Buddhist ideas. One Buddhism principle is to live in the present as that's when life happens. Seems to be a Doh! but many people ignore it. Instead, they endlessly fret about the past or focus on the wonderful life they will have in the future, once retired, assuming

Bluthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06234734730501396268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16707007.post-86422486853660735312011-12-03T17:17:00.004-07:002011-12-03T17:31:56.934-07:00

Pathologist error happened elsewhere: Winnipeg pathologist's work under scrutiny Botched breast cancer tests in Newfoundland And now significant pathologist error has hit my city: Edmonton pathologist misread prostate cancer biopsies (2 Dec. 2011) Edmonton prostate biopsies prompt review of 1,600 tests (2 Dec. 2011) Apparently the pathologist was substituting for another doctor over the summer.

Bluthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06234734730501396268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16707007.post-29866221709527853272011-08-12T16:49:00.005-06:002011-08-13T01:01:07.704-06:00

I love soccer ('football' outside of NA) and the FIFA Women's World Cup in July was a delight to watch. Amazing how much entertaining drama such international events can generate. It's taken awhile, but I'd like to offer some musings on the tournament, particularly the play of the Japanese and American teams and my reaction to chants of USA! USA! Germany, arguably the best women's team in the

Bluthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06234734730501396268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16707007.post-25198008004376465712011-06-05T17:57:00.000-06:002011-06-05T17:57:06.871-06:00

Why did CBC broadcast Jian Ghomeshi's 30-minute interview with Stephen Harper about the PM's love of hockey before the 2nd game of the Vancouver-Boston series? It gave the 'pygmy PM' a kazillion $ worth of free publicity. Was it to ingratiate CBC with Harper who threatens to axe Canada's national broadcaster?

Bluthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06234734730501396268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16707007.post-58590258579870576212011-04-29T16:01:00.003-06:002011-09-13T17:33:03.225-06:00

The rise in the polls of Jack Layton and the NDP in the run up to Canada's 2011 federal election has made Henny Pennys of those whose world order is threatened. Witness 'Layton as PM a frightening scenario,' an editorial in the Calgary Herald, reprinted in the Edmonton Journal. However, contrary to the editorial's headline, the sky does not fall in when the NDP forms governments. Unfortunately,

Bluthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06234734730501396268noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16707007.post-85790391685679745152011-04-29T16:01:00.002-06:002011-09-13T17:25:01.701-06:00

Stephen Harper's Tories create nasty attack ads that hurl personal insults at Michael Ignatieff and distort reality for their partisan goals. One ad implies that spending time living and working outside Canada is unpatriotic ("He didn't come back for you." - Robert Fulford's take). Nothing about Liberal policies, just a personal slur. That's our PM, folks. I wonder if hockey fan Harper would

Bluthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06234734730501396268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16707007.post-71003247649637243502011-04-29T16:00:00.000-06:002011-04-29T16:00:48.567-06:00

Albertans tend to vote overwhelmingly Conservative to the point where the province is sometimes derisively called Albertastan. The name is a take-off on the many one-party "stan" states in central Asia, mostly former Soviet republics. Sadly, many Albertans take the view that people who do not vote Conservative are not only misguided but also dangerous and unpatriotic. Such intolerant views would

Bluthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06234734730501396268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16707007.post-8024347626200462592011-04-29T15:59:00.000-06:002011-04-29T15:59:38.499-06:00

On 26 April 2011 articles in many Canadian and foreign papers reported that Canadian PM Stephen Harper had a campaign stop in Asbestos, Quebec in which he supported allowing Quebec's asbestos industry to export its product abroad: Canada labelled 'immoral asbestos pusher' The World Health Organization estimates that more than 107,000 people die of exposure to asbestos annually. Quebec's asbestos

Bluthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06234734730501396268noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16707007.post-6998584829683600152011-01-24T19:56:00.002-07:002011-01-24T20:09:24.566-07:00

A friend recently asked why I left Facebook (FB). Many have written about their FB dilemma, and why they leave, join, leave, join. Several things bother me about FB - here's a few: 1. Privacy: Ongoing privacy issues with its app developers (they get your info then can sell it to others). FB keeps backing off when caught but the young geeks in charge really do not get the privacy issue and I do

Bluthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06234734730501396268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16707007.post-80109123537387261612010-12-26T16:57:00.000-07:002010-12-26T16:57:50.357-07:00

The holiday season seemed like a good time to get a trivial language matter that has bugged me for awhile off my chest. Have you noticed how when the police (or any group) investigate a possible crime or issue, the media invariably report that the matter is "under investigation"? Why do they never say that something is being investigated? Using a similar grammatical construct, some examples of

Bluthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06234734730501396268noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16707007.post-11546237281956152292010-09-27T16:03:00.000-06:002010-09-27T16:03:57.438-06:00

Gary Lamphier's column of August 18, 2010 ('Cash Store rings in new phase of success') failed to elucidate how companies that charge high interest rates for short-term loans operate nor provide details of the legal troubles of Cash Store, which once operated as Rentcash and Instaloans. Indeed, Lamphier's column reads as a promo for Cash Store. All he reveals about the business and its

Bluthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06234734730501396268noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16707007.post-29337457042424062802010-08-07T17:28:00.009-06:002010-08-14T18:55:50.051-06:00

Canada's National Post has many columnists who deal in the realm of ideas. Despite often disagreeing with many of the NP's thought merchants, I read them all.Today this column by George Jonas caught my eye:A strange way to promote understanding (George Jonas, National Post, 7 Aug. 2010)In writing about the decision of the Cordoba Initiative to build an Islamic cultural centre, including a mosque,

Bluthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06234734730501396268noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16707007.post-68242046712189227712010-07-12T16:48:00.005-06:002010-07-12T17:14:43.977-06:00

Sometimes, and I hate to admit it, I am ashamed to be Canadian:Health orgs call on governments to ban use and export of asbestos from Quebec mines (5 July 2010)Cancer Society urges Quebec not to provide loans to asbestos mine (29 June 2010)Another example of 'geld uber alles.' Reminds me of people moaning about poor American tobacco farmers losing a living and how the US government subsidizes an

Bluthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06234734730501396268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16707007.post-82345554808524233822009-03-20T11:46:00.008-06:002010-09-28T13:43:53.198-06:00

Sometimes you read something in the paper that requires a response. This column on Alberta's oilsands qualified: "Oilsands a poor excuse for world-class bogeyman" (Gary Lamphier, Edmonton Journal, Feb. 28, 2009) Lamphier's column reminds me of this argument commonly used by apologists everywhere: Yes, the war in Darfur is awful. And deadly. And ugly. And it creates a pressing humanitarian crisis

Bluthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06234734730501396268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16707007.post-20808836489099810722009-02-22T18:33:00.009-07:002009-02-25T17:34:53.678-07:00

Why is the political right always so wrong? Latest example concerns Alberta's oil sands development. Have you ever seen the oil sands? Take a look and weepAlberta politicians like Premier Ed Stelmach brag that Obama is "speaking Alberta's language":"Balancing the environment and the economy, investing in carbon capture and storage and technology. They're all things that Alberta has been talking

Bluthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06234734730501396268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16707007.post-68864392283773264832008-12-05T17:35:00.021-07:002008-12-11T15:57:05.727-07:00

Canada is in the midst of a political crisis: A most un-Canadian caper (The Economist, 4 Dec. 2008)It's true that Canadians did not vote for a coalition of Liberals and NDP headed by Stephane Dion (a decent man but weak leader who Canadians rejected in the Oct. 14 election) and supported by the Bloc Québécois. Neither did we vote for right wing doctrinaire (old Reform Party/Alliance)

Bluthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06234734730501396268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16707007.post-26629792957687028292008-11-24T16:17:00.014-07:002008-11-24T19:38:51.128-07:00

Just caught this on BBC News about a 3-year research project in California:Online time 'is good for teens'Complete details at Digital Youth ResearchThe researchers also wrote a book based on their study: Hanging Out, Messing Around, Geeking Out: Living and Learning with New Media.The authors conclude that adults should help children engage with digital media, thereby spending more time online

Bluthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06234734730501396268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16707007.post-20740084528258446902008-11-23T20:19:00.009-07:002008-12-01T18:22:41.840-07:00

Sometimes the news makes you want to weep for the state of humanity. How can this happen in the 21st Century? Just a few examples - I could have cited 100s.Acid attack on Afghan girls (13 Nov. 2008) Raped 13 year old Somali girl sentenced by Islamist court & stoned to death (12 Nov. 2008)Controversy over "honour killing" in Pakistan (28 Oct. 2008)Trauma of Pakistan's rape victims (9 Mar. 2007)'

Bluthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06234734730501396268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16707007.post-79128881967003285022008-10-29T21:41:00.003-06:002008-10-29T21:59:24.088-06:00

Note: The Oct. 27. 2008 issue of the Edmonton Journal has a shorter version of this blog entry in its Opinion section.In his column "We lack strong presence in Ottawa. With an NDP member elected, will Edmonton be punished?", Todd Babiak wrote, "The fact that this is a serious concern for any thinking person is worrisome for the future of democracy in this part of the country, which is in

Bluthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06234734730501396268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16707007.post-79610901447711554072008-10-19T17:54:00.007-06:002010-07-04T18:17:29.181-06:00

Another follow-up to Canada's Oct. 14 election and the winning of Edmonton-Strathcona by the NDP's Linda Duncan.The Edmonton Journal editorial of Sat. Oct. 18 was headlined Jaffer served city well and paid tribute to Rahim Jaffer's time as an MP. After acknowledging that "No one should be taking anything away from Linda Duncan and her team of committed volunteers, who made a bit of history

Bluthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06234734730501396268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16707007.post-51236572723410095282008-10-19T17:05:00.013-06:002008-10-20T12:06:47.830-06:00

Note: The Oct. 20. 2008 issue of the Edmonton Journal has a shorter version of this blog entry in its Opinion section.Canada had a national election on Oct. 14, 2008 and this blog is a follow-up to that event. It was triggered by an entry in the Edmonton Journal's Sound Off! section on Thursday, Oct. 16 by someone identifying herself as Jen. As background, in the past few elections Alberta, an

Bluthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06234734730501396268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16707007.post-19399797767448681542008-06-15T15:45:00.011-06:002008-10-29T22:11:36.672-06:00

I just finished watching several tribute shows to Tim Russert, the host of the NBC Sunday talk show, Meet the Press. Being a political junkie, MTP is one of the Sunday morning shows I regularly watch. Two things struck me about the tributes to Russert:1. How much air time was devoted overall to remembering him, which probably rivaled that of a president. Why so much time is an interesting

Bluthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06234734730501396268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16707007.post-84418338014192408652007-04-25T18:36:00.000-06:002007-04-26T10:16:13.978-06:00

Ever since learning to drive at age 16 I have always driven cars with manual transmissions. Getting an automatic was simply not on. Learning to drive in Winnipeg (aka Winterpeg) where winters were brutal, I have never forgotten the many times my Morris Mini-Minor (looked just like this right down to the colour) or VW Beetle got stuck in snow drifts and I got out by gently rocking the car back and

Bluthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06234734730501396268noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16707007.post-31919523361907318622007-04-24T17:02:00.000-06:002007-04-24T17:25:21.645-06:00

When Boris Yeltsin died April 23, 2007 his obituary on the BBC website began:"Boris Yeltsin will be indelibly linked to the creation of democracy in Russia. By facing down the tanks outside the Russian Parliament, he showed that popular opinion could conquer authoritarianism."The occasion of his death reminded me of a few truly wonderful moments associated with freedom and overcoming adversity.

Bluthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06234734730501396268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16707007.post-48788553343762939882007-04-23T16:03:00.000-06:002007-04-24T16:17:02.175-06:00

I have decided to get this blog going again after a bit of a hiatus. Part of the problem was wanting to write longer pieces with the result that writing often seemed like too much work so I never started.No more. I'll try my hand at short snappers. Here's the first.A high turnout was expected in the French presidential election on Sunday and voters did not disappoint. Turnout was almost 85%, the

Bluthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06234734730501396268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16707007.post-1156026513072356222006-08-19T16:18:00.000-06:002006-09-22T12:33:53.470-06:00

Canadian Stephen Lewis's five-year tenure as UN Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa ends in December 2006. In a CBC interview in answer to a question on why he was leaving, Lewis acknowledged that it was not his choice, that the UN was probably tired of "apologizing for Stephen". In my view Stephen Lewis's "sin" is telling the truth even when it is uncomfortable. His departure as Special Envoy

Bluthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06234734730501396268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16707007.post-1133913675946279762005-12-06T16:46:00.001-07:002008-10-29T22:14:00.282-06:00

December 1 is World AIDS Day and every year, despite the advances, HIV and AIDS continue to be major challenges for mankind:Number with HIV highest yet HIV on rise in Canada AIDS updateSince its appearance in 1978, AIDS has had a profound effect on the blood industry, requiring screening questions and new expensive tests. Transfusion-associated HIV infection is now rare in the West but continues

Bluthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06234734730501396268noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16707007.post-1133903105781487332005-12-06T13:25:00.002-07:002009-07-17T10:11:04.836-06:00

On 2 Dec. 2005 NASA in collaboration with California space organizations announced two $250,000 prize competitions to develop technologies needed for exploring the moon and beyond. After the shuttle disasters, Challenger in 1986 and Columbia in 2003, the value of manned space travel has been questioned.This got me thinking again about the moon and where I was on 20 July, 1969 when we heard those

Bluthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06234734730501396268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16707007.post-1133855028617622492005-12-06T00:37:00.000-07:002007-01-08T02:36:04.745-07:00

The headline reads "Red Cross mulls 'neutral' emblem".They're calling the proposed new emblem a red crystal but it looks like a diamond with a hole in the middle. Apparently, the only two emblems currently recognised under the Geneva Conventions are the red cross and red crescent. Relief workers and ambulances bearing these symbols are protected under international law.It turns out that Israel

Bluthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06234734730501396268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16707007.post-1130633841557902102005-10-29T17:52:00.001-06:002009-01-05T11:01:05.098-07:00

Earlier this month I wrote a blog entry on "Wiesenthal's struggle remembered" about the ongoing presence of antisemitism.Now the old pronouncement of Ayatollah Khomeini has reappeared: Iran's president calls for Israel to be "wiped off the map"The comments have been widely condemned but not so much in the Middle East (except for Egypt and the Palestinian Authority):Iranian press defiant over

Bluthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06234734730501396268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16707007.post-1130629581211405992005-10-29T17:40:00.000-06:002006-01-07T21:06:59.573-07:00

If you haven't tried it yet, try Google Maps on your home town or a world capital that you have visited. Enter a city in the search box (e.g., Edmonton or London - it's great!) and hit SEARCH.Then select HYBRID, which brings up a combination of the street map and satellite image.Hit the + sign to zoom in or the - sign to zoom outClick and hold mouse button to navigate map (or use the arrows)

Bluthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06234734730501396268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16707007.post-1128397415257542332005-10-03T21:18:00.000-06:002006-01-07T21:07:36.183-07:00

Simon Wiesenthal has died and his passing is a watershed in the history of the Holocaust and its aftermath. He survived the Nazi death camps and devoted the rest of his life to bringing the perpetrators to justice, achieving considerable success:Obituary (BBC)Nazi hunter dies at 96Historical PerpectiveFor some reason I have always been interested in the history of WW II. Perhaps it's because so

Bluthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06234734730501396268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16707007.post-1128386965235804172005-10-03T18:28:00.000-06:002006-01-07T21:08:03.806-07:00

Have you seen the news that using cell phones on airplanes will soon be possible. Isn't that great?In-flight cellular service may spell end to an oasis (International Herald Tribune, 3 Oct. 2005)I love what Thomas Friedman (NY Times columnist and author) wrote in several of his books and said in this speech about overconnectedness:"If I'm being bombarded constantly by people wanting to get in

Bluthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06234734730501396268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16707007.post-1128380054902762132005-10-03T16:47:00.000-06:002007-01-08T02:38:12.971-07:00

Dr. Donald Buchanan (1914-1988), Medical Director of the Edmonton Blood Transfusion Service from 1949 - 1979, who did pioneering work in immunohematology (on the -D- and Fy3 phenotypes, as well as Diego and Lutheran blood groups) has been honoured as one of Alberta'sPhysicians of the CenturyDr. Buchanan was a remarkable man, and one of his most remarkable traits was that he treated medical

Bluthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06234734730501396268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16707007.post-1127184853696632582005-09-19T20:44:00.000-06:002006-01-07T21:08:55.566-07:00

PubMed has recently developed these new features:1. NCBI (PubMed) toolbarThe NCBI (includes PubMed) has a toolbar (in beta testing) for use with either Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox. If you use Google's toolbar, the NCBI toolbar is similar. Instead of choosing to search the web, news, images, etc., (as in Google), the NCBI toobar allows you to select from several databases (PubMed, gene,

Bluthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06234734730501396268noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16707007.post-1126667680171370682005-09-13T20:51:00.000-06:002007-01-07T00:53:49.992-07:00

I've been following so-called honour killings - mainly in Muslim communities - for some time. What's it about? Here's what the BBC says:Honour killings explainedAnd UK muslims condemn honour killingsYet they go on and on and on....A few examples: Palistinians Jordan Pakistan Asia Europe Now comes this from the West Bank in Palestine:Romeo and Juliet: a Palestinian tragedy My take on such killings

Bluthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06234734730501396268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16707007.post-1126661824144108282005-09-13T19:32:00.000-06:002006-01-07T21:09:52.643-07:00

If you are a healthcare worker involved in blood transfusion, check these sites out:TraQCBBSOne has loads of resources and the other a disussion forum.If you're not into transfusion, take a hike, eh?

Bluthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06234734730501396268noreply@blogger.com0