'sA-dE . com

Congratulations Halifax!

Apparently, the Nova Scotian city is no more. According to a transcript from the White House spokesman Scott McLellan's briefing to the White House Press Corps, Halifax isn't a city, but a province unto itself:

"Halifax and the other maritime provinces (sic) received nearly 33,000 Americans stranded following the Sept. 11 attacks. This will be an opportunity for the president to personally thank Canadians for helping those Americans who were stranded."

- from The Ottawa Sun's story on the briefing, or rather, the lack thereof.

Comments

Good grief. It's been 4 years. And he's thanking them now? Who does he think he is fooling?

Posted by heather on November 30, 2004 09:19 AM.

Most of the media in Canada have agreed that this is an almost totally pointless gesture and photo op.
The fact that the White House Press Corps didn't receive an official briefing about the nature of the visit is rather telling.
It all basically cements the idea that the President, and at least 51% of Americans, don't really care all that much about Canada. Which is fine I suppose. But if they really don't care about us, then they should stop trying to bully us into things like the Coalition of the Willing.
The visit, however, is of some importance to Canadians. Specifically those in the softwood lumber or beef industries. American policy has really hurt those areas of our economy. So, in the end, we will likely have to bend over once again and make nice so our citizens don't suffer any further hardship at Dubya's hands.

Posted by Saedigh on November 30, 2004 11:12 AM.

Would have been better if they'd asked him not to come. As long as the international community keeps putting up with the 49% of american values that is currently driving things I don't see any real change. Clearly Americians are not going to do anyting about it... sigh..

Posted by BlueNiner on November 30, 2004 08:38 PM.

Add a Comment

I, for one, do not welcome our evil Texan overlords...

The president arrives today. He is coming to Ottawa on his first ever official state visit to Canada. You know, once upon a time, Canada was considered The USA's closest ally, and any President worth his salt wouldn't have waited until his second term in office to grace his neighbo(u)r to the north with his presence. But then, this particular president isn't really worth anyone's salt, is he?
As part of his visit, the self-appointed leader of the free world will be taking a trip to Halifax to thank the residents for their compassion and generosity after the 9/11 attacks. Interesting, being that it's been more than 3 years, and any mention of anything Canadians did to aid their Southern friends in the aftermath of that fateful day was conspicuously missing from Bush's speeches. You know, the ones where he touted Great Britain as America's closest ally and friend? There are some who have said that the visit to the maritimes is basically just for the assurance of a polite welcome.
But I digress. The president arrives today, and all of Ottawa is bracing for impact. I sincerely hope that our current Prime Minister is a lot less trigger happy with the tear gas than our former PM was in BC. There will be demonstrations, that's a certainty, just like "it will be cold", because it's the end of November and we're in Ottawa. My only hope is that they are relatively peaceful, and if they do become violent, that they don't overflow into the streets of Vanier because I don't have indoor parking and don't want my car to be totalled. I am sure that most of the protesters will be peaceful, but I don't have faith that individual intelligence can overcome groupthink if the crowd starts to get really worked up.
Tomorrow should be an exciting day though, regardless.

Comments

"Shrub" as my friend Dave likes to refer to him :-) is not worth my salt, pepper, cumin, cloves, nutmeg, thyme, sage, rosmary, paprika, or any other spice in my little spice rack.

Is he actually giving any speeches or making any sort of public hand waving appearance in Ottawa? We had heard that he was going straight to Halifax for the speech (and had also heard as you mentioned, that he was doing the speech there in the hopes of less protesting and booing from the audience. Not sure where that logic comes from though - do you know?).

Posted by heather on November 29, 2004 11:48 AM.

What's the concern of getting your car beat up? Hasn't it been 'hurt' a few times already. Just kidding.

Posted by Uncle Tom on November 29, 2004 12:37 PM.

Ouch! Hehe... ah... family... feel the love! ;-)

Posted by heather on November 29, 2004 01:17 PM.

Right. How's the Audi doing these days Heath?

Posted by Saedigh on November 29, 2004 01:55 PM.

Any chance you can keep him in Ottawa for say...the next four years? It would really help my outlook on life over here in Michigan. Hehehe...at least he didn't win our state! :-)

Posted by Matt on November 29, 2004 02:16 PM.

Thank goodness he didn't win our state either... it's a small consolation. Of course - we're still waiting for a governor over here. I can't wait until I am eligible to vote in this country.

Posted by heather on November 30, 2004 09:18 AM.

Why my car looks great except for that damage that is getting fixed next week (I was rear-ended on election day).

As far as the politics ... I tell the "reds" when they complain, "you voted for them ... you deal with it"

Posted by Brother-In-Law on November 30, 2004 11:14 PM.

Add a Comment

Happy Thanksgiving (again)

Happy Thanksgiving to my American friends and family!

Sick of turkey? This year, why not try a turducken? Yes... that was a hypothetical question...

Comments

Turducken used to be the traditional "John Madden on CBS" Thanksgiving Day NFL Game main course. Chicken inside a Duck inside a Turkey. At the end of the Thanksgiving Day game you'd get to watch Madden carve into the turducken and much merriment would ensue.

I love this quote from the recipe you linked to:

"What is magical is the way people eating your Turducken will feel about your food!"

I tell ya - there's nothing magical about feeling like vomiting... BLECH!

No turducken for ME, thank you very much.

Posted by heather on November 25, 2004 12:58 PM.

Greetings from Michigan! As a fellow Farker (how I randomly found your site), I must say that turducken will be on my T-giving table next year! Nice blog by the way.

Cheers,
-Matt

Posted by Matt on November 28, 2004 08:17 PM.

Add a Comment

Saedigh's Christmas Wishlist

Dear Santa,
How has your year been so far? I guess things are getting pretty busy for you now, right? I see that they've already set up your little grottos in most of the malls. That must make for a pretty hectic schedule. Do you find yourself double-booked very often? Do the elves have a hard time keeping up? I suppose you could always threaten them with outsourcing their jobs to garden gnomes, but I guess that wouldn't really be in the spirit of the season now, would it?
This year I have taken up some new hobbies, and suffered a great loss, so my Christmas list pretty much reflects that. Let's get to the bad news first: My stereo died. No, don't worry, it wasn't one of yours. I got it at Future Shop in grade 11. Anyway, the CD player is completely fried. The radio still works, but there's only so much CBC a girl can take, you know? Anyway, I can play music on my DVD player, but the problem is that my TV is mono, not stereo. So I guess I would like one of those cheap home entertainment speaker sets so I can hear Radiohead's Hail to The Theif in full stereo glory (if I ever find the CD again.)
Now for the good news. I have taken up running. Unfortunately, Canada is pretty darn cold in the winter months. I guess I don't have to tell you that though, right? (By the way, is the North Pole still Canadian, or are you a Dane now? Will the reindeer have to be quarantined before they can become EU citizens?) Anyway, I would like some gear for running in the cold weather that will ideally double-up as cross-country ski gear. I hear lightweight, synthetic layering is the key. A gift certificate to The Running Room or MEC would probably be the best bet, since it's been a while and you've probably forgotten my size.
I look forward to seeing you on the 24th. I'll make sure there are some carrots for the reindeer (and a parsnip for picky Vixen). Hopefully I can convince Mom to make some shortbread, too. I know you're watching your weight, but it is Christmas, right?
Take care, and season's greetings,
Saedigh

Comments

So... what's on your wishlist for this year?

Posted by heather on December 5, 2005 01:59 PM.

Add a Comment

Unintelligible grumblings

How can you be so stupid, yet have a PhD in molecular biology? Wait, scratch that. How can you be so stupid, yet be capable of surviving your morning commute?

Two different authors sent me back their proofs this morning. Both of them completely neglected to follow clear instructions, rendering their corrections completely useless to me. Tell me, were my responses harsh?

E-mail No. 1
-----Original Message-----
From: C, Sarah
Sent: November 18, 2004 10:59 AM
To: 'Idiot No. 1'
Subject: RE: XXX PDF Manuscript proof
Importance: High

Dr. X,
I am implementing your changes, and require clarification on one point.
You have asked that on p. 6 the reference to Table 2 be changed to Table 4. Unfortunately, this is the first reference to Table 2 in the paper. Therefore, changing it will result in the tables being cited out of order in the text, and therefore the tables will have to be renumbered and their locations in the article changed. For example, since Table "4" is now the second table to be cited, it will be renumbered to be Table 2. The old Table "2" is now the last table to be mentioned in the article, so it will have to be renumbered to Table 4. Both tables will then have to switch places in the layout.
Please let me know if you wish me to proceed in this manner. Alternatively, provide me with a different location in which to cite the first reference to Table 4, ensuring that it comes after the first mentions of Tables 2 and 3. You will notice that, for your convenience, the first citations of all tables and figures were highlighted in pink text in the XXX.pdf file.

Please respond as soon as possible so that your article suffers no further delays.
Sincerely,
Sarah C.

E-mail No. 2

-----Original Message-----
From: Currie, Sarah
Sent: November 18, 2004 10:45 AM
To: 'Idiot No. 2'
Subject: Proofs for YYY
Importance: High

Dr. Y,
I have received your galley proofs, but unfortunately it appears that you have neglected to answer the copy editors queries on the copy-edited manuscript. I am enclosing a PDF of the copy-edited manuscript. The password to open it is xxxYYY. Please pay particular attention to the yellow highlighted text, and answer all of the editor's quesitons. Please provide me with your responses within 24 hours to ensure that your article suffers no further delay.
Sincerely,
Sarah C

Comments

No - not harsh at all. Very professional.

Posted by heather on November 18, 2004 03:01 PM.

I'd vote for too nice, but hey.. it's a fine balance, plus you have a built in CYA system so roll with it... it's their delay isn't it?

As to your question of how can you be so stupid? We'll having been exceptionally stupid on more than one occasion I'd have to say it's really not that hard. really... it's not... but then Kant makes a more compelling argument in his "what is Enlightenment?" (1784) essay....

Posted by BlueNiner on November 22, 2004 10:22 PM.

Add a Comment

Philosophy 101 (course exemptions: Senility 224, Randomness 305)

This is the signature file from an e-mail I received from one of my authors. This is attached to every e-mail he sends me. The whole thing. Names and locations have been changed or deleted to protect my own ass.

**********************************
Dr. X.Y. Z
Distinguished Research Professor [I don't know who distinguished him as such]
Editor, [Prestigious science journal]
Department of Biological Sciences
[Name of College Deleted]
Life Sciences Building

Who wrote these or where did they appear?

1. "Don't forget, no you, who you are and where you stand in this struggle."
2. "...a history of kitchen and bathroom doodling can give one an intuitive
understanding of population genetics."
3. "North Alabama was full of Liquor Interests, Big Mules, steel companies,
Republicans, professors, and other persons of no background." ( )
4. "I am no breeching scholar in the schools.
I'll not be tied to hours, nor 'pointed times,
But learn my lessons as I please myself." ( )
5. "If we're not follish young, we're follish old" ( )
6. "Our genomes badly need worming" ( )
7. "Meine Zeit wird schon kommen"-"My time will come" ( )
8. "Our doubts are traitors and makes us lose the good we oft might win
By fearing to attempt" ( )
9. "Beer's a food" ( )
10. "I am not aware that the tone of society [Australia] has yet assumed any
peculiar character, but with such habits & without intellectual
pursuits, it can hardly fail to deteriorate (& become like that of the
people of the United States)". ( )
11. "Thou, Nature, art my goddess, to thy law
My services are bound" ( )
12. "We can't turn back the days that have gone. We can't turn life back to
the hours when our lungs were sound, our blood hot, our bodies young. We
are a flash of fire--a brain, a heart, a spirit. And we are
three-cents-worth of lime and iron-which we cannot get back." ( )
13. "...world, world, o world,
But that thy strange mutations make us hate thee,
Life would not yield to age." ( )
14. "Men should be what they seem;" ( )
15. "I returned home, much older
after crossing the world.

Now I ask questions of nobody.

But I know less every day". ( )
16. "That year all the students seemed to mutate..." ( )
17. "Clearly, advantageous mutations should be much less frequent than
deleterious mutations." ( )
18. "Education is all right, it's the people that spoil it." ( )
19. "What I shrink from, I believe, is the shame of dying as stupid and
befuddled as I am" ( )
20. "The day was made for laziness, and lying on one's back in green places,
and staring at the sky till its brightness forced one to shut one's eyes
and go to sleep; and was this a time to be poring over musty books in a
dark room, slighted by the very sun itself? Monstrous! ( )

21. "In her winter dress, as now, she was like the tiger-beetle, which, when
observed in dull situations, seems to be of the quietest neutral colour,
but under a full illumination blazes with dazzling splendour" ( )
22. "I used to love to drift along the pale-yellow cornfields, looking for the
damp spots one sometimes found at their edges, where the smartweed soon
turned a rich copper colour and the narrow brown leaves hung curled like
cocoons about the swollen joints of the stem." ( )
23. "Sixty-seven years later, alone again, in a Jackson developed beyond her
imagining, widowed, nearly all the adventures of her life in the past,
she recalled the earlier memory of solitude. Outside, her overgrown
garden, full of trees, the ground dry, yellow, waiting for rain." ( )
24. "of making many books there is no end, and much study wearies the body" ()
25. "There is commonly less money, less wisdom, and less good faith than men
do account upon." ( )
26. "God so loved the world that he made fruit flies" ( )
27. "Uniform pleasantness is rather a defect than a faculty. It shows that a
man hasn't sense enough to know whom to dispise" ( )
28. "How I want a drink, alcoholic of course, after the heavy lectures
involving quantum mechanics!" = ?
29. "I never give them hell, I just tell the truth and they think it's hell."
30. "...natural history, youth's glorious study, has, by dint of cellular
improvements, become a hateful and repulsive thing." ( )
31. "That nobody should remember me who knew me in other days, is natural
enough; but there are few people who, seeing me once, forget me now." ()
32. "Whatever my hearers might do, I myself always learned something by
lecturing. And to those who have experience of what a heart-breaking
business teaching is--how much the can't-learns and won't-learns and
don't-learns predominate over the do-learns--will understand the comfort
of that reflection"
33. Noli turbare circulos meos Don't disturb my circles
34. Nullius in verba Don't take anyone's word for it
35. "You see our pretty things are all outdoors."
36. "You're bound to get ideas if you go thinkin about stuff."
37. "None of us can cast stones, for we are all fellow mutants together."
38. "It seems to me that the earth may be borrowed but not bought. It may be
used, but not owned. It gives itself in response to love and tending, offers its
seasonal flowering and fruiting. But we are tenants and not possessors,
lovers and not masters. Cross Creek belongs to the wind and the rain, to
the sun and the seasons, to the cosmic secrecy of seed, and beyond all,
to time."
39. "...Nought may endure but Mutability"

1. "So much things to say" Bob Marley
2. "Frogs, flies, and dandelions" M. Schilthuizen
3. "To Kill a Mockingbird" Harper Lee
4. "The Taming of the Shrew"
5. The Knight's Tale, "The Canterbury Tales"
6. Matt Ridley, "Genome"
7. Gregor Mendel
8. "Measure for Measure"
9. "Green Hills of Africa"
10. Charles Darwin's Diary of the Voyage of H.M.S. Beagle
11. "King Lear"
12. "Look Homeward Angel"
13. "King Lear"
14. "Othello"
15. "And How Long", Pablo Neruda
16. "Ship Fever, Andrea Barrett
17. "The Neutral Theory of Molecular Evolution", Motoo Kimura
18. Bartender in movie Easter Parade
19. "Waiting for the Barbrians". J. M. Coetzee
20. "The Old Curiosity Shop" Charles Dickens
21. "The Return of the Native" Thomas Hardy
22. "My Antonia" Willa Cather
23 "A Turn in the South" V. S. Naipaul
24. Ecclesiastes 12:12
25. "The Advancement of Learning" Francis Bacon
26. me
27. "A Pair of Blue Eyes", Thomas Hardy
28. ¼
29. Harry Truman
30. Jean-Henri Fabre. 1879. "Souvenirs Entomologiques"
31. Dickens "Nicholas Nickleby"
32. Thomas H. Huxley "Man's Place in Nature"
33. Archimedes 212 or 211 BC
34. Royal Society motto
35. Robert Frost "The Housekepper"
36 Joad in "The Grapes of Wrath"
37. H. J. Muller, 1950
38. Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, "Cross Creek"
39. Shelley "Mutability"

Comments

Academics... they're all the same...

Posted by heather on November 16, 2004 03:52 PM.

Add a Comment

Blah

Only swam 32 laps today. I was feeling a little lethargic. I should make an effort to eat more protein.

Comments

Add a Comment

Research Press Swim Club: Season 2

Hello, and welcome to the inaugural meeting of the second season of the Research Press Noon Hour Swim Club. Members include: Sarah Currie....present...and....yep, that's all.
Season 1 was a far more successful season for swimming here at Research Press. I've looked at getting the highlights put on DVD, but really, who needs to see my pasty, white, Canadian winter body in digital Hi-Fi glory? Now that I think of it, maybe that's why our membership has dwindled to a mere 25% of our former numbers.
Anyway, today was my first day back in the pool since April. Or maybe May. At any rate, it was nice to get back into it. It's still very much Geriatric swim time, but I don't mind, since it means getting the medium-speed lane all to myself. (I like to leave the fast lane to the mid-life crisis, need to prove I can swim three laps in under a minute and then collapse in the sauna crowd.) Forty laps... not bad for my first day back. My goggles are a little too tight though. I think I may actually have given myself a black eye from the suction.
Hopefully next week I can convince someone to join me. Not that I am capable of talking while swimming, but having a work-out buddy can be a motivating factor.

Product Review: Tropicana Calcium Supplement
I don't drink milk. Not unless it's got chocolate in it. And even then, my tastes are particular. When I was a kid, my chocolate milk had to be "as chocolatey as chocolate ice cream." Now, it has to be PC Organics 1% Chocolate Milk. You have no idea what you're missing if you haven't tried it yet. But I digress. I haven't drunk (drank? drinkened?) regular milk since I was a little less than two. I have a taste aversion following a particularly nasty bout of intestinal upset that landed me in the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario. I don't really remember any of it, other than playing in bed with a set of Fisher Price little people, but since then milk has been a big No! My sister used to try to trick me into drinking plain milk by blindfolding me and asking me to guess how much Hershey syrup she'd added to it (when she hadn't added any), but she always got the same result: me gagging and spitting it out. I just can't drink it. Even the smell of it makes me queasy. And milkbreath or milk mustaches on other people...fuhgedabowdid. So, I need to get my calcium somehow, and what better way than orange juice, right?
Price: $2.45 for 414 mL.
Calcium content: 604 mg.
% RDI: 100%.
Taste: Just like regular orange juice.
Value: Too damn expensive to use daily, as recommended by the Orange Juice Lobby, even after factoring out the medical costs of osteoporosis. I think I will stick to calcium pills and cheese. Mmmm. Cheese.

Comments

Ah yes... the "chocolate milk" game.

Posted by heather on November 13, 2004 12:12 PM.

Add a Comment

'Tis the season

I could almost forgive The Bay for opening its Christmas boutique a week after Thanksgiving (which is in October up here).

When I was shopping last Thursday for a decent pair of pyjama bottoms, I was mostly able to drown out the carols being piped into mall.

But this is inexcuseable:

-----Original Message-----
From: [The Christmas Party Gestapo]
Sent: November 9, 2004 1:25 PM
To: M-55 Everyone; CISTI, XBS
Subject: M-55 Christmas Party Talent Show - Artistes en herbe au party
de Noël de M-55

(Le français suit l'anglais)

Hello everyone,

In preparation for the upcoming M-55 Christmas Party, we are searching
for all M-55 people willing to show off their "hidden talents" as part
of our planned "Talent Show".

We are inviting anyone and everyone to join us as a singer, musician,
clown act, caroller, or whatever you feel you can contribute to this
special M-55 talent show. Please, don’t be shy!

Interested persons (or if you know of someone we should consider
contacting) please call [DELETED TO PROTECT THE NOT SO INNOCENT] Thank you for your support!

____________________________________________________________________

NO! NO! NO! NO! A thousand times NO! A talent show? Are you kidding me? You expect me to shell out $7.00 (that's almost a real $7.00 for you Americans) to eat cold sausage rolls and drink tepid wine from a box, and now you want to subject me to the trolls in the basement stuttering through some Kids in the Hall skit that they can't remember the words to? (Doing comedy you can't understand is like putting that emPHAsis on the wrong syllABle.) In. Credible.

I think I feel a time-delayed case of ebola coming on. The hemhorraging will probably start at approximately noon on December 15th. What a shame.

Comments

Well - they're not doing a talent show where I work, but we did get the email notice this year our holiday party will be held at 3pm in the campus cafeteria on a thursday afternoon.

Whoopee.

Hey - it's a big deal when this traditionally has been the annual fancily-decorated-evening-dress-up-and-bring-a-guest kind of affair, and my one opportunity to buy a sparkly new dress and get all spiffed up.

Fiscal responsibility. Bah humbug.

Hey - you could wear my old grad dress, get yourself a blonde wig and do a "Madonna" lip sync as your act - that'd teach 'em ;-)

Liv ing in a ma te ri al world
(MATERIAL!)
Liv ing in a ma te ri al world

Posted by heather on November 9, 2004 10:15 PM.

Add a Comment

Cheese please

Yesterday was our 75th anniversary. We had a nice little reception downstairs where they served wine from actual bottles and there were guys in starchy white aprons walking around offering me canapés. Now, I have long held that a party isn't a party without a nifty cheese tray. It's kind of a really lame running gag that I have. If I am asked to attend a work-related function (group meeting, board meeting, committee meeting, meeting meeting....we have a lot of meetings), I usually ask "Will there be a cheese tray?". Well, it seems to have paid off. The Powers of Be heard my pleas and delivered in spades. The cheese tray provided for yesterday's festivities took up two tables. Gouda, havarti, blue, brie, chevre... huge bricks of wonderful, yummy, savoury cheese! Unfortunately, I think I may have overindulged, and could possibly have adversely affected the results of this morning's cholesterol test.

Currently reading: Eats, shoots and leaves
I can forgive the author for her lack of a serial comma in the title, because she shares my chagrin for misplaced apostrophes.

Comments

I'll have to try that line :-) Although I just realized most of my meetings are actually conference calls with external partners... "Sure - I can do a conf call at that time. But will there be a cheese tray?" doesn't really carry quite the same punch and I suspect there'd be many requests from our happy partners to have me... um... reallocated away from their projects ;-)

Congrats on the 75th anniversary - very cool!

Posted by Heather on November 5, 2004 04:48 PM.

Eats, shoots and leaves? Neato!

I am impressed, amazed, and astounded that you are reading the book.

Posted by Jody on November 10, 2004 02:45 PM.

Add a Comment

Riddle me this...

The Running Room on Bank St. has a wheelchair-accessible washroom. This washroom is located in the basement. The basement is only accessible by a flight of very steep stairs. I know this isn't irony, unless you subscribe to the Alanis Morisette School of Literary Devices, but it's something alright.....

Today is Election Day south of the border. How many people will be wearing black hoodies to the polls?

They're showing Sex and The City reruns on City TV at 7:00 pm. I caught an episode last week. The one where Carrie tells Aidan that she cheated on him with Big. I never understood the whole "Big" thing, and especially never understood why someone would choose him over Aidan.... perfect, sweet, wonderful, strong-yet-sensitive-yet-not-effeminate, calloused-hands-because-he's-a-carpenter (and what's hotter than woodworking?) Aidan.

Comments

Hey - you are able to update your blog again! What was wrong?

Well - I didn't see many black hoodies out and about. But as predicted, we don't have a president yet (actually - I guess it depends on which TV station you're watching).

Posted by heather on November 3, 2004 10:13 AM.

Well - we have our president.

All I'll say is that in 2008 I intend to be elegible to vote!

Posted by Heather on November 3, 2004 03:27 PM.

Add a Comment