Trashy's World

Well, at least they have come clean on their 1950′s styled position!

Go team!

International Co-operation Minister Bev Oda said the government would consider funding family planning measures such as contraception, but not abortion under any circumstances.

“We’re saying that we’re using the definition in our discussions of family planning, which does not include abortion,” Oda told reporters on Monday in Halifax, where she was meeting with her G8 counterparts.

“We’re not debating abortion; we’re clarifying family planning.”

Thanks Bev for ignoring the reams of evidence that prove the connection between all possible choices regarding family planning and maternal health.

Liberal MP Bob Rae said the government has taken an ideological stand on the issue.

“They just reopened the abortion debate,” Rae told reporters outside the House of Commons. “We are saying to the countries that are the poorest: ‘We won’t apply the law that we have in Canada’.”

NDP MP Paul Dewar said the government has caused confusion with its lack of clarity ahead of the G8 meeting and that its position will cause problems with other G8 members at this summer’s summit in Ontario’s Muskoka region.

“It’s just unusual to see the ignorance of a government that claims to be a member of the G8,” Dewar said.

Tweet This Post

the study that spuriously linked vaccines to autism has been withdrawn!

NOW, I’ll be waiting for all of those anti-vaccine types to start screaming that the pharmaceutical companies had a hand in this… conspiracy theorists are gonna have a  hey-day!

Tweet This Post

I had a bit of a scare yesterday.

It was decided yesterday morning that it was a good day to introduce the youngest (2 yr old) subunit to skating. After all, if he is to lead the Leafs to victory in 2035, he should learn as soon as possible, right?

Typical Canadian family’s day: off to Canadian Tire, find some skates for the little guy, sharpened the other three pair and we were off to one of the many community rinks in the City. This one is particularly family-friendly as it is a long oval that encircles a full-size hockey rink.

Three of us lace on the blades – I stayed in boots for the first 20 minutes or so as I find bending over whilst holding up a toddler while on skates is way too hard on my lower back – and off we went. I was quite proud of the two kids. The smaller one did OK for his first time out. He fell down a lot and laughed about it. And my 6 yr old had a blast too. Until she hurt herself a bit later, which was right after…

I was a complete and utter moron…

First time out this year, ice that not free of ruts – calls for a take-it-easy kind of skate. Get used to the feel again, right?

Nooooooooooooooooo… not me….I have to be a big twit and try to show off in front of my kids! One second I am cruising along at a fair clip (well, for me), and the next thing I know I’m on the ice, seeing stars and momentarily unable to move! Scared the living crap outta me! Scared the living crap outta my wife and kids too! And the guy on the rink – who were all asking if I was OK. Apparently my head sounded like a 2X4 smacking the ice. My 6 year old asked if I was dead.

Once I had regained my senses, my head ached, my jaw was outta whack, my right elbow was killing me. I felt like I had just been hit by (the latest Leaf) Dion Phaneuf.  The look on my spousal unit’s face was unsettling as it seemed though she was expecting to be looking at a corpse!

Needless to say, I didn’t argue when she said that we get outta there and to the hospital tout de suite.

And here’s a funny thing about hospitals and head injuries: you don’t wait for long before being seen. I was registered and into the Urgent Care area within 20 minutes. Saw a nurse 10 minutes after that and a Doc a little bit later. After a series of tests he thought it best that I get a CT scan to ensure there wasn’t any swelling or bleeding. Who says that the health care system doesn’t work?

A while later, the Doc reported that all was clear and that I could go home. But I should expect headaches for a few days. He was correct.

The lessons learned here?

• Don’t be an ass your first time on blades your first time out for the year. Take it slowly.
• Get to the Doc if you do bang your head and lose consciousness – even only for a few moments
• And, sigh, wear a helmet. My head is quite obviously as hard as a piece of granite but the force of the noggin hitting hard ice can, and could have done some serious damage.

Tweet This Post

ob⋅ses⋅sion

/əbˈsɛʃən/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [uhb-sesh-uhn] Show IPA

–noun

Couples newly in love are often said to be obsessed with one another.

Sports fanatics are obsessed with their team and follow every win and loss with The Unwavering Faith that their side will eventually prevail.

Some are obsessed with their jobs, their cars, clothes, or political ideology, or cats.

In human history, obsessing has played a large role in charting the course of events. Napoleon and Alexander, with their obsessions over territory; Hitler, with his warped obsession with the Jews; Dubya, with his obsession about the terrorists… (1)

Big time decisions and big time players. The paths of human histroy were spurred on by these obsessions.

But obsessions need not be world-changing.

Little kids are great at the obsession game. My son has lately been obsessed with YouTube videos – particularly one called Firetruck. He loves this simple vid that was clearly produced by some Dad for his son.

And now I have that song going over and over inside my head. And you do too if you clicked on that link.

You’re welcome.

I was reminded of the immense power of obsession the other day when my eldest sub-unit realised that her beloved Blackberry was dead and not likely to be revived without an “up to 6 week” trip to the shop.

Yikes!

She was next to hysterical! Over a phone! A phone! I mean that there were tears, anger, frustration… all rolled into one crazy, almost 17 year old, 5’8”, blonde kid who has 50% of my DNA!

Needless to say, I was extremely worried about this. It couldn’t just be a phone that was causing this distress. There had to be something else! What else was wrong? Was it serious? Could I help in some way? These were the thoughts going through my head at 3 am on the night following the tearful call.

Then, on the bus to work the next morning, I mentioned this to a fellow bus rider who is also a blogger that lives in my ‘hood. After telling her the sad tale and flapping my arms around a bit, she was like:

Meh. Chill. This is normal for a teenage girl.

And I confirmed this with a couple of work colleagues. It’s not really that unusual for a teen to freak out over something that to me is quite mundane.

This seemingly obsessive behaviour over a piece of communications equipment is not something that someone of my generation can really relate to. A phone to a teen – especially and teen girl – is more than a phone; it is a lifeline to her friends. And a teen’s friends are EVERYTHING! Bar none.

So going without a phone is going without that vital lifeline that secures a teen to the things that matter most to her. It’s not the phone per se; it is the isolation that goes with it.

Ah. I think I get it.

My daughter’s obsession with her Blackberry is every much as deep as:

• My obsession with Leafs and their (endless and futile) quest for the Cup,
• Harper’s obsession with a majority government
• Christians’ obsessions with myths, and
• Canadians’ obsession with the weather, and
• Tiger Woods’ obsession with, uh, you-know-what

What are you obsessed with?

1. Or whatever it was that powered that tiny, tiny mind.

Tweet This Post

Just a quick tip of the cap to everyone involved in the delivery of the H1N1 vaccine at the Jim Durrell Centre yesterday.

Expecting chaos yesterday morning at 7:45 am, I packed drinks, snacks, reading materials, ensured my mp3 and cell was charged, dressed warmly for the inevitable wait outside in the cold and flurries… etc. I was prepared for anything!

Except for an efficiently-run process…

After all of the media accounts I had heard and read in the past few days, I had expected disorder to reign, a long wait and cold feet. But what I got was, chronologically:

7:45 am : a nice greeting at the door, shown to a seat inside (?!!)

8:00 am: told that wristbands would be distributed shortly

8:15:  moved to another waiting where wristbands were distributed by a very enthusiastic and funny gentleman

8:45: given wristbands and, after staff ensured that they were firmly affixed to my wrist, I left the building.

Total time elapsed – 1 frickin’ hour!

So fine, they got the wristband thingy right… surely things wouldn’t be as smooth at the appointed time of 5 pm?

But again, I am happily surprised. We walk into the arena at 4:55, are greeted with a smile, documents checked and all-injected and outta there after the obligatory wait in the designated area by 5:20.

Wow.

This whole business may be a bit wheezy elsewhere, but on this particular day and in this particular place, they sure knew what they were doing!

Tweet This Post

There are still a lot of misconceptions out there about the H1N1 vaccine. Confusion about the vaccine in general as well as more specific concerns about the adjuvanted vaccine versus the non-adjuvanted vaccine.

I’m not talking about the Jenny McCarthy lunatic fringe element. The Squid-dude and I have dealt with that in a past posting.

I’m referring to some sane and normal individuals asking some sane and normal questions about the vaccine.  After all, if you are going to put this stuff into your kids’ bodies, or your own, then you should understand a bit about what is in the vial, correct?

So – here are some realities and myths about the vaccine in general and the adjuvanted vaccine more specifically:

1. The H1N1 flu vaccine will give me the flu.

FICTION

This is a common myth that doctors battle every year. And the H1N1 flu is being made the same way that seasonal flu is manufactured. The flu vaccine is created from killed virus, so there is no way to transmit flu from the vaccine.

Flu season coincides with the cold season so people frequently confuse the common cold with the flu. Also, in some cases, people who get a flu shot can still get the flu, but they may get a much less severe form of the illness and, most importantly, they’ll have a decreased risk of flu-related complications — especially pneumonia, heart attack, stroke and death — to which older adults are especially vulnerable.

2. Wearing a mask will protect me from flu.

FICTION

Except in certain health care settings, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) does not recommend wearing a face mask. They have a lot of shortcomings for infection control. They’re only good for a short period of time and as soon as they get moist, they become ineffective. They also do not fit tightly enough around the face to prevent small infected droplets to get through. The best advice is that if you’re sick, stay home. Stay away from sick people and make sure to keep your hands clean and practice good cough etiquette by coughing into your sleeve. Still gross – as discussed by XUP, here.

3. Hand sanitizer is as effective as washing my hands.

FACT

They are an effective way of cleaning your hands of germs. Doctors use them and they’re commonplace in hospitals.

Ashton referenced the CDC, saying, the influenza virus is destroyed by heat. In addition, several chemical germicides, including chlorine, hydrogen peroxide, detergents (soap), iodophors (iodine-based antiseptics), and alcohols are effective against human influenza viruses, if used in proper concentration for a sufficient length of time. Wipes or gels with alcohol in them, for example, can be used to clean hands. The gels should be rubbed into hands until they are dry.

4. I am sneezing, have a sore throat and a cough, so I have H1N1 flu.

FICTION

No, you need to also have a fever. Coughing and shortness of breath are common symptoms, but also vomiting, fatigue, muscle soreness and diarrhea.

Ashton cited the CDC saying the symptoms of novel H1N1 flu virus in people are similar to the symptoms of seasonal flu, although vomiting and diarrhea has been reported more commonly with H1N1 flu infection than is typical for seasonal flu.

The CDC studied the hospital records of 268 patients hospitalized with novel H1N1 flu early on during the outbreak. In this early subset of cases with significant clinical data, fever (93 percent) and cough (83 percent) were the two most reported symptoms. This is not surprising since cough and fever were part of the case definition. Other symptoms were shortness of breath (54 percent), fatigue/weakness (40 percent), chills (37 percent) and myalgias, also known as muscle soreness (36 percent).

5. If the rapid flu test comes back negative, that means I don’t have H1N1 flu.

FICTION

The CDC reports that many of the rapid diagnostic tests may miss many cases of the H1N1 flu, Ashton said. The overall sensitivity ranged as low as 40 to 69 percent. So, she said, the first result may not be the most accurate. The CDC recommends that clinicians use their judgment based on the patient, and prescribe Tamiflu if necessary.

Q1. What is the difference between an adjuvanted and non-adjuvanted vaccine?

An adjuvanted vaccine is a vaccine that includes a substance that boosts an individual’s immune system and increases their response to a vaccine. An unadjuvanted vaccine has no “booster” element.

Adjuvanted vaccines are included in common vaccines such as tetanus and Hep B.  The adjuvant in Canada’s H1N1 flu vaccine is made up of natural ingredients such as water, squalene oil and vitamin E.

Q2. When was the last time Canada used an adjuvant in a vaccine?

Adjuvants are not new. They have been used for several decades to boost immune response to vaccines.  Many of the commonly used vaccines in Canada contain an adjuvant.  However, they have not previously been approved for use with influenza vaccines in Canada.

Q3. Are adjuvanted influenza vaccines safe for use?

The adjuvant used by GSK has been tested in approximately 45,000 people around the world and has been evaluated by Health Canada and other regulatory authorities as part of the review of the H5N1 vaccine in the pre-pandemic period.  No significant safety concerns regarding the use of the adjuvanted vaccine were detected.

In June 2009, the WHO held consultations on the safety of adjuvanted influenza vaccines to review and discuss known and theoretical safety concerns and prospective vaccine safety evaluation.  The outcome of the WHO consultation was that no significant safety concerns or barriers to evaluating or using adjuvanted vaccines for the current H1N1 virus were raised.

Clinical studies have been designed to study the risks and benefits of using both adjuvanted and unadjuvanted vaccine against the H1N1 flu virus, and Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada are working closely with other national agencies to implement appropriate post-market monitoring.

Q4. Does an adjuvanted vaccine pose a risk to pregnant women?

All evidence suggests that adjuvanted vaccines are just as safe as unadjuvanted vaccines; however there is no safety data for the use of adjuvanted vaccine in pregnant women.  The WHO’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) recommended in July that pregnant women should receive non-adjuvanted vaccine where possible, but that an adjuvanted vaccine could be used if necessary.

Q6. Is the Government ordering non-adjuvanted vaccine?  Who will it be recommended for and why?

The Government of Canada plans to purchase a small quantity of non-adjuvanted H1N1 flu vaccine (approx. 1.8 million doses) as part of its total order of 50.4 M doses.

The purchase of a small quantity of non-adjuvanted vaccine is a precautionary measure for pregnant women as no clinical data of the safety of adjuvanted vaccine in this group is available.

In these cases, should a non-adjuvanted vaccine prove to be effective, it may be the preferred option.  The WHO has indicated that it has no special concerns about the safety of adjuvanted H1N1 flu vaccines in general.  The WHO has also strongly recommended that pregnant women be immunized against the H1N1 flu virus, even if no non-adjuvanted vaccine is available.

Tweet This Post

I wouldn’t be surprised if the Harperites do try to take cedit for saving the lives of Canadians.

(Thanks to Warren Kinsella for this).

Tweet This Post

So I hear that an old busybody in Victoria got her knickers in a twist about being on the same bus as someone who dared to cough in this H1N1-sensitive world. The old busybody makes a fuss about it to the driver and the driver politely (1) asks the coughing lady to leave the bus. The sick one was quite rational about this -- I’m not so sure I would have been.

“I get the concern,” said Jenn Chapman, 41, a human resources worker. “There needs to be some precaution, there needs to be some education. But there needs to be way less hype.”

Chapman said on Thursday she was riding a bus and coughing into her sleeve, as directed by public health officials — even though her doctor has assured her she doesn’t have H1N1 swine flu.

An elderly woman sitting some distance away told Chapman she shouldn’t be riding public transit with a cough. The woman then approached the driver and demanded he take action.

The driver, although clearly uncomfortable, asked Chapman if she was close enough to her destination to leave the bus. Since she was only two stops away, she got off to keep the peace.

“What are you going to do? I was brought up to respect my elders,” said Chapman. “She wasn’t rational at that point.” (my note -- I respect my elders no more than I respect anyone else -- they have to earn it.. it is not something that is automatically endowed upon them! OK. That’s my rant about seniors…)

Clearly an intelligent person, that Ms. Chapman. She realised that she was fighting a losing battle against an irrational bitty.

Which brings me to my point: all of this hype is completely over the top.

In the past two weeks, I have counted 11 people wearing face masks on the bus or at a station. When someone coughs, at least 2 or 3 heads to turn to see if the guilty party was anywhere in close proximity.

It-is-the-FLU, people! So you say: “but this is a different strain of the flu” More deadly than others!”

Not true… this is from a Health Canada site:

Q2. I understand Canada has experienced deaths related to the H1N1 virus. Does this mean the virus has grown in strength?

There is no evidence to suggest that the virus has become stronger.

It is important to realize that different strains of influenza result in about 2,000 to 8,000 Canadian deaths a year. We must take all influenza – not just the current strain – seriously, and take measures to protect ourselves.

So. Use some common sense and stay home when you are sick. Like I am doing today, for example. I’m pretty sure that all I have is a bad cold with my usual bronchial issues… but I don’t want to spread it to my co-workers and they certainly don’t want to hear me coughing and sniffing!

But I don’t have Ebola, Bubonic Plague, Cholera,TB or even Cat Scratch Fever! I’m pretty sure of that!

But we do not need to isolate ourselves or be isolated by others if we have some symptoms that may be similar to those with the flu -- any flu! If that is encouraged, then we might as well go the full Monty and set up little communities of Swine flu infected folks. We could call them colonies. Pigger colonies. Flu flats.

Hmm… wasn’t there another disease where those infected where left to themselves on the outskirts of town…

Anyhow -- chill folks. This happens every year.

1. The driver actually was quite nice about this. Wow. Take note, OC Transpo operators!!

Tweet This Post

In today’s G&M, Lawrence Martin is exploring a topic that is along the same lines as one that I discussed in a posting a little while ago. Ignatieff and the Grits have been presented with a perfect opportunity to latch on to an issue that can define them from the ReformCons -  the American portrayal of our health care system.

It would be a natural fit for Iggy to defend Obama’s proposed program and universal health care in general. Both men are liberal,  well-spoken members of the educated class.  One would think that Obama’s team would welcome such an ally.

As Mr. Martin says:

These are rocky times on the bilateral front. Trade volumes are declining, border fences have gone up. Financial tumult has walloped America and its paramountcy is challenged, at least to some degree, by Asia’s rise. This country can’t ride its coattails as it used to.

These are big challenges for big thinkers. We expected Mr. Ignatieff to respond by unhesitatingly seeking a close alliance with a liberal President whose popularity in Canada is enormous. Mr. Obama is a busy man but surely, given his contacts, Mr. Ignatieff could have received entry to the Oval Office by now, as opposition leaders before him have done.

It is not too late to hitch his wagon to this train; but Iggy and the Libs should not wait very long into the fall sitting.

Tweet This Post

There is a painfully clear difference between the thicknesses of the security envelope that surrounded George W. and that which protects the current President. The recent presence of a protester with automatic weaponry at a Arizona rally at which Obama was speaking speaks volumes to how things have changed between the 43rd and 44th Commanders-in-Chief.

Here is some coverage of a 2002 Bush visit to (coincidentally) Arizona:

On a campaign swing through Arizona on September 27, President Bush was met by hundreds of protesters in both Flagstaff and Phoenix who addressed many issues but chiefly opposition to war. Reuters reported that, “As Bush addressed the Iraq situation in Flagstaff, a protester shouted out ‘What’s the real reason Mr. Bush — oil money?’ She was quickly led away.”

In Phoenix, police on horseback moved to reign in the protest crowd as it flowed off the sidewalks, provoking the arrest of six people, including legal observer Eleanor Eisenberg, Executive Director of the Arizona Civil Liberties Union.

And in Cincinnati:

When Bush delivered a major pitch for war in Cincinnati on October 7, up to 5,000 people protested outside the Museum Center while he spoke. When most of the crowd returned to nearby Laurel Park for a closing rally, a few hundred blocked the exit from the Museum Center. Police on horseback rode through the crowd to disperse it, and arrested six people by one account.

And here is what all the stylish folks are taking to protests where Obama is speaking.

Why is this so? Are the Secret Service under orders to let rednecks be rednecks and let it ride? Have the rules concerning Presidential security changed – as in become laxer? I doubt it. Budget cutbacks?  I hesitate to pull the race card because I think that if anything, Obama’s race would guarantee him MORE security not less due to the overt and implied threats against him because of the colour of his skin.

According to a recently published book, The President’s Secret Service, by Robert Kessler, former President George W. Bush received 3,000 realistic threats a year. The author states threats against President Obama have increased 400%.

Here’s my theory: I think the president has given orders that the gun-totin’ rednecks be left alone so the Administration does not to appear too anti-gun in the eyes of the public. In America, to be anti-gun means that you are anti-American and by corollary, anti-freedom. It is enough of an uphill battle for Obama to avoid being bogged down in the partisan quagmire that is Washington D.C., let alone being tagged as actively anti-gun. Many swing areas that voted for him would swing back to the Republicans on that issue alone.

What a marked different between my country and that to the south. Many in the United States – helped by an unbelievably powerful gun lobby – live by credos that were set down hundreds of years ago by their nation’s founders. The anti-Obama caste likes to use this national allegiance to anachronisms and myths to its utmost advantage.

Last week, a man with a gun strapped to his leg held a sign outside an Obama town hall meeting in Portsmouth, N.H., that read: “It’s time to water the tree of liberty.”

“The tree of liberty has to be watered with the blood of patriots” is a quote from Thomas Jefferson – a long dead and largely irrelevant man in the modern world.  Calling for martyrdom worked in a world of extreme violence, inequity, barbarism and Empire that was the 18th century; a world without a means to affect change without taking up arms. This world does still exist in many less-developed nations in places like Africa or the Middle East; where America is currently fighting wars against peoples that believe in martyrdom as fervently as did Jefferson. But that world is no longer relevant in 21st century America…as much as the right wing nuts would like its citizenry to believe it otherwise.

But what about the Fifth Estate, you say? That pillar of unbiased commentary that provides the necessary context to be used by the citizenry to make their own judgements?

Ah, yes.

America – grow up and smarten up.

Tweet This Post