You know, I really don't care how many seats you take up on an airline, or how much you paid for them. Chances are, the person sitting next to me paid a different price for their ticket than I did anyway. The pricing scheme of airline tickets is a mystery mere mortals will never understand. But I would like to point out that even my size 6 butt, and non-statuesque 67 inches of height, find air travel uncomfortable and airline seats way too small.

Capt Mike is a tall, gangly fellow. When he travels by air, he must sit sideways in an aisle seat and stick his knees out into the aisle to accomodate his lengthy stems. Sadly, though being tall is entirely beyond his control, it is not considered a disability. As such, he cannot ask the airline to take the financial hit of removing the seat in front of him so he can sit normally and comfortably. Were he to ask, he would be told he was being unreasonable. And he likely would be being unreasonable. But height is a genetic condition, and many would argue so too is obesity. In modern Canadian society, are we not all supposed to be able to enjoy the same rights and priveleges, whether we need two seats to accomodate length or girth?

I am sure it is only a matter of time before the Conservatives take another crack at whittling away the rights of Canadians by revisiting the legality of gay marriage in Canada. Hopefully, before you cast a ballot limiting another citizen's rights and privileges in this country, you might consider this empassioned plea, and think how you would feel if your own rights were about to be stripped away with such a vote.

Originally seen on noise-to-signal, who originally got it from a few of my days.

At sermon-time, while Squire is in his pew,
He gives my gilded name a thoughtful stare:
For, though low down upon the list, I’m there;
‘In proud and glorious memory’ … that’s my due.
Two bleeding years I fought in France, for Squire:
I suffered anguish that he’s never guessed.
Once I came home on leave: and then went west…
What greater glory could a man desire?
-Siegfried Sassoon, Memorial Tablet

During this block, I've been sitting in on a grade 9 academic science and grade 12 college chemistry, and teaching the molecular biology unit in Grade 12 university biology.

It seems that in the 11 intervening years since I was in high school, Ontario decided that (a) we only needed 4 years to get through high school (with which I agree), and (b) that "advanced", "general", and "basic" stigmatized kids too much, and "college", "university", and "workplace" don't. With this, I do not agree so much. In grades 9 and 10, kids are now streamed into "academic" or "applied" courses. From there, in grades 10, 11, and 12, they are further streamed into "workplace", "college", or "university". This is meant to represent their predicted post-diploma pathway. I can see the utility in streaming; however, the name choices of the different pathways are no less stigmatizing. Everyday, I hear kids in my college chemistry class refer to themselves as "stupid" or "dumb". I have not yet heard anyone else refer to them in this way, but they're getting the idea somewhere, right? I am certain it's a view someone has expressed to them somewhere along the way.

I can remember when I was in highschool, it was pretty much unspoken but generally understood that the "smart" kids took advanced courses and went to university, the "dumb" kids took general and went to college. It was not an opinion I held, but it was certainly the vibe you got from other students and even some adults. Kids who took advanced and OAC and then decided to go to college instead of university were seen as sort of a disappointment. I never understood that. Some of the most successful people from my graduating class were the ones who went into college programs. Of the ones who went to University, very few ended up employed in the field in which they studied. I certainly didn't.

Had I known myself and how I learn best then as well as I do now, I would most likely have chosen a more applied/hands-on program than Life Sciences. If someone had told 18-year-old Sarah that my four years at Queen's was likely going to net me a job sitting in a cubicle, you wouldn't have seen me for dust. Why it is assumed that a high IQ score means an increased ability to sit still for long periods of time is a mystery to me.

I suppose there is one disadvantage to Ontario getting rid of the 5th year of highschool though. Instead of asking 18 year olds to map out the course of the rest of their lives, we're asking 17 year olds to do so.

Why chemistry? Good question. Had I not been sitting pretty much where you are 15 or so years ago, I would probably try to convince you that chemistry is important by listing a bunch of the trivia you might be expected to memorize by the end of the course — that the structure of a Buckyball is a geodesic dome, that there really is a compound called “megaphone”, or that dihydrogen oxide is lethal when inhaled in small quantities, but not when ingested — you know, things you’d really only find useful as a future contestant on Are you smarter than a former Canadian comedian? Maybe I’d rhyme off a list of glitzy, high-paying careers that require at least a basic understanding of chemicals and their interactions — forensic pathologist, pharmacist, high school science teacher. Perhaps I’d even try to lure you in with some sort of exciting, exploding demo — potassium in water, for example. As a final plea, I might even try to appeal to your inner hippie, and tell you how chemistry is all around you, that it makes you one with the universe — the Eggo you burned for breakfast, the Sun in the sky on your way to school, the Post-It you used to remind yourself to bring your gym clothes home for a wash, the bubbles in the beer you’re much too young to drink.

I am not going to do any of that.

No, instead I am going to tell you the short, simple truth. To be blunt, I think chemistry is awesome.

The universe is big. Really, really, really, mind-numbingly big. To even try to think about how immense it is could quite probably cause your head to explode. To figure it all out, we’ve had to cut it up into more managable, bite-sized pieces. The Biologists look at all the living things, many of which are pretty slimey; the physicists look at all of the non-living things, a lot of them way too far away to actually see; and the chemists... they get to see the really fun stuff. Chemists see the whole picture.

Chemists understand why your Eggo burns when it gets stuck in the toaster and someday, fingers crossed, will build a better, burn-resistant waffle. It was Chemists who figured out why the Sun’s rays damage your skin and a way to protect you from UV while still giving you that nice, healthy glow you want for March Break. If that weren’t enough, Chemists can always be counted on to come up with the coolest party tricks — google “how to freeze a beer in seconds” if you don’t believe me. See? Awesome. Oh, and we get to blow stuff up, too.

So, how does all this translate into why you should study chemistry? These are all reasons why chemistry is important to me, why I found it interesting, right? The real reason that I think you should study chemistry is not what you learn, but the way you learn it. Trends in the periodic table? You’ll probably never need to know those beyond your grade 12 final exam. But the skills that learning those trends taught you — problem solving, critical thinking, looking for patterns, making an educated guess about what’s going to happen next — those things will stick with you for a long time, even if you never take another chemistry class again. Those are the skills of successful people, whether they’re doctors, soldiers, plumbers, or even high school science teachers. And that, dear student, is what makes chemistry truly awesome.

Kickin' Cranberry Sauce

1 bag fresh cranberries (~3 cups), rinsed and whole
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup orange juice
1 cup sugar (raw or white)
1 fresh jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped

Combine sugar, orange juice, and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil.
Add cranberries and jalapeno pepper, and continue to cook until liquid has reduced by ~1/2 and cranberries have mostly popped.
Transfer to a sealed container and let sauce set in refrigerator overnight.

Gorganzola Beans

Don't let blue cheese scare you off this savoury side.

4 cups green beans, cleaned and stems removed
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp chopped walnuts
1/4 cup crumbled gorgonzola or Danish blue cheese

Preheat oven to 375 F.
Spread green beans evenly over bottom of greased, non-stick baking dish.
Dob with butter, and season with salt, pepper, and balsamic vinegar.
Bake for ~15 min, stirring occasionally.
Add walnuts, toss, and continue cooking for ~10 minutes.
Toss with cheese before serving.

Cranberry Walnut Stuffing (for in the bird)

Some people worry about eating stuffing that's been cooked in the bird. As long as the bird hasn't sat stuffed for an extended period of time before going in the oven, and proper kitchen hygiene and handwashng has been followed, in-bird stuffing is both safe and delicious.

Half loaf of Italian bread, torn or cut into bite-sized pieces
1/2 cup white wine
1/4 cup olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 tsp savoury (or to taste)
1 tsp rosemary (or to taste)
1 tsp thyme (or to taste)
2 tbsp chopped walnuts
2 tbsp dried cranberries

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl, and toss well. Ensure bread is well moistened with wine and oil.
Cover, and refrigerate overnight.
Stuff loosely into cavity of bird just before roasting.

Bon apetit!

Why Chemistry?
Or How to be Awesome When You’re Still too Young to Vote

Why chemistry? Good question. Had I not been sitting pretty much where you are 15 or so years ago, I would probably try to convince you that chemistry is important by listing a bunch of the trivia you’d be expected to memorize by the end of the course—that the chemical formula for table salt is NaCl, that the atomic mass of Silicon is 28.09, or that John Dalton’s model of the atom was nicknamed “the raisin bun”—things you’ll only really find useful as a future contestant on Are you smarter than a former Canadian comedian? Maybe I’d rhyme off a list of glitzy, high-paying careers that require at least a basic understanding of chemicals and their interactions—forensic pathologist, pharmacist, high school science teacher. Perhaps I’d even try to lure you in with some sort of exciting, exploding demo—potassium in water, for example. As a final plea, I might even try to appeal to your inner hippie, and tell you how chemistry is all around you, that it makes you one with the universe—the Eggo you burned for breakfast, the Sun in the sky on your way to school, the Post-It you used to remind yourself to bring your gym clothes home for a wash, the bubbles in the beer you are much too young to drink.

I am not going to do any of that.

No, instead I am going to tell you the short, simple truth. To be blunt, I think chemistry is awesome.

The universe is big. Really, really, really, mind-numbingly big. To even try to think about how immense it is could quite probably cause your head to explode. To figure it all out, we’ve had to cut it up into more managable, bite-sized pieces. The Biologists look at all the living things, many of which are pretty slimey; the physicists look at all of the non-living things, a lot of them way too far away to actually see; and the chemists... they get to see the really fun stuff. Chemists see the whole picture.

Chemists understand why your Eggo burns when it gets stuck in the toaster and will someday, hopefully, build a better burn-resistant waffle. It was Chemists who figured out why the Sun’s rays damage your skin and a way to protect you from UV rays while still giving you a nice, healthy glow for March Break. If that weren’t enough, Chemists can usually be counted on to come up with the coolest party tricks—google “how to freeze a beer in seconds” if you don’t believe me. See? Awesome. Oh, and we get to explode stuff, too.

So, how does all this tell you why you should study chemistry? I suppose it doesn’t. These are all reasons why chemistry is important to me. But maybe, just maybe, if I’ve done this right, you’ll be tempted to find out how chemistry could be important to you, too, even if it is just for the cool party tricks.

Dear neighbour,

My name is Zeppelin. I am a Weimaraner, and I live with Mike and Sarah at XXXXXXXXX. Recently the city contacted my owners to tell them that my barking was bugging some of the other residents of the neighbourhood.

I am a young hound, and my barking and howling has been a problem for a while. When I was a puppy, I used to bark just to hear the sound of my own voice (which I think is pretty great), so Mike and Sarah took me to puppy classes and did a lot of research to figure out how to get me to stop barking so much. They did a lot of training with me, and bought me a citronella collar that sprayed a lemony scent when it heard my bark. Unfortunately, I really like lemon, so I thought that was a reward. They also bought a sonic device that emits a high-pitched sound when I bark, but it bothers my friend Dexter a lot more than it bothers me, and they thought that was unfair to him. He hardly ever barks. They have tried to keep training me to only bark in certain situations, and they thought it was starting to pay off.

Now, when they are home, I only bark if I see something I don’t like. I really don’t like squirrels, or the bat that lives in my tree. A few weeks ago someone threw a golf ball into our yard. I really didn’t like that. It could have really hurt. Sometimes I will bark at you to get your attention because I would like to say “hi” and get a pat on the head. I really like pats on the head, unless they’re from a squirrel.

The city also told Mike and Sarah that some of you were concerned that Dexter and I were not getting enough attention or exercise. Sarah recently started going back to school in Kingston, and Mike works during the day, too. Dexter and I do spend a lot more time alone during the day than we used to, when Sarah would be at home to play with us all of the time. But we do have our own dog door, a big yard, and lots of toys to play with and water to drink. Every night when he gets home, Mike takes us to the dog park for at least 45 minutes. I get to run around in the forest, and Dexter gets to play soccer...those are our two most favourite things to do. We also get early morning walks before Sarah and Mike have to leave. The weekends are the best though. Sarah and Mike get to spend lots of time playing with us then.

Mike, Sarah, Dexter, and I are very sorry that my barking has disturbed you, and also that you felt you could not approach us directly to help work towards a solution. Mike and Sarah are both quite friendly, although they are a little more shy than I am. If you have any suggestions about ways you could stop my barking, please do let them know. A phone call or a note in our mailbox is all it takes. We would like to be good neighbours, and I think the bylaw officer would appreciate us working together, too.

Sincerely,

Zeppelin
Sarah
and Mike

xxx-yyy-zzzz

The neighbourhood we went to is considered the worst/poorest/most dangerous neighbourhood in Kingston. It's definitely a rough-looking part of town, and certainly most of the people living there are on very limited incomes--pensions, welfare, disability, or employment insurance. They were also some of the most approachable, accomodating people I've ever spoken with. No one brushed us off as not having the time to talk to us. No one seemed suspicious of us being "outsiders". We spoke with mothers and fathers, employees and employers, adults and children. People who were just filling in for the day, and people who had lived there most of their lives. We listened as they told us about the problems in their community. Drugs. Violence. Absentee parents. A lack of discipline both at school and at home. A lost sense of community. Feelings of hopelessness for their children if they lived there much longer. An anger at the city for putting so many people with problems together in such a small area; for creating a place where so many children have so few positive influences or role models. No one had to pause a moment for thought. These concerns were foremost on their minds. It was as though they had been waiting for someone to come along and just ask them what they thought, and once someone, us, did--the floodgates opened.

At one point we were talking to a group of 7 young girls, all aged 12 or 13. We were asking them what sort of opinion people not from their neighbourhood seemed to have of that community. They told us how people from the so-called other side of the tracks called them trash, or told them they had no future. How they were made fun of for the way they dressed, or the fact that Children's Aid and the Police were such frequent visitors to housing development. I asked them if that made them angry or upset, or if it made them want to somehow prove all of those people wrong. The response I got from one of the girls was one of the most powerful statements I have ever heard:

"I don't have to prove them wrong. I'm not doing anything to prove them right."

It's been a hard transition though, from career woman back to student. It's a very different type of school and learning from what I remember of my undergrad years. The biggest difference is the lack of pressure. I mean, I have work to do, and I want to do it well, but not because I need to earn a certain grade. The Faculty of Education has a pass/fail system. I either get my B.Ed., or I don't. You have no idea what a huge difference that makes to my ability to learn and retain the information I am being given on a daily basis. It's wonderful. I am still incredibly busy with work, readings, and assignments, but it's because I want to be, not because I feel like I have to be to accumulate percentage points.

The classes are all pretty much set up as seminars. There are very few lectures, and lots of collaborative learning and discussion. There is zero competition. Most of the major assignments are done in groups or in pairs. The idea of collegiality is strongly reinforced in all of our classes. That is a stark contrast to the win-at-all-costs mentality that was so pervasive in the Life Sciences program.

Yes, returning to school was probably the best (though also the scariest) decision I've ever made. I just wish it left a little more time for blogging.

Teenagers are horny. They're built that way. If you think your teenaged son or daughter doesn't think about it several dozen times each day, you are either incredibly naive or raising a eunuch. If they're not having sex already, it's likely because the opportunity just hasn't presented itself yet. (Trust me. I didn't go on a date until I was 21 years old, and it wasn't because I was waiting for "the one"--I was just that big of a dork in high school.)

Your teenager probably isn't going to talk to you about what he or she gets up to when not under your watchful eye. They're probably also not going to talk to you about how they define "sex". A lot of them follow the Bill Clinton school of thought there. These are topics they probably aren't going to bring up with nosey government statisticians, either.

So, Canada, what am I driving at here exactly? Basically, just like you don't believe your teenager when they tell you Sally's mom will be chaperoning the party, don't believe the government when they tell you your teenager isn't having sex. Don't take it as a sign that you can postpone having "the talk". Don't start thinking that it's time to take the condom machines out of the school bathrooms. And don't think you raised your son or daughter better than that. Because some day your kid is going to have sex, even if it's not until they're 21, and they're going to need to know what to do and how to do it safely.

To The Honourable Lou Rinaldi, MPP Northumberland-Quinte West; The Honourable Bas Balkissoon, Minister of Health and Long-term Care; and The Honourable France Gélinas, Critic, Health and Long-term Care,

I am a new resident of Quinte West. My husband was posted to CFB Trenton in June, and since then I have been attempting to secure a family physician. The family medical clinic on base is understaffed and unable to accept new patients, despite a mandate to serve the military community. None of the local physicians in Trenton, Belleville, or Napanee are accepting new patients either, despite indications to the contrary on the Ontario College of Physicians web site. We faced similar circumstances at our last posting, Petawawa, where I had to travel 160 km to see a family doctor in Vanier (Ottawa).

My husband and I are eager to start a family in the next few years; however, it is too big a medical risk to assume without access to regular check-ups by a primary care physician. Even if I were able to find a doctor within a reasonable commute from our home, there is no gaurantee I would be able to find a pediatrician for our child.

I would like to know what the current Provincial Government and the Official Opposition are willing to do to ensure that Canadians in smaller centres or rural areas have reasonable access to family physicians. It is unreasonable to ask us to rely on walk-in clinics or the local Emergency Department for regular check-ups and non-acute illnesses. I need a physician, and I need one now.

Sincerely,

[[name and address witheld]]

Also earlier this week, two Canadian soldiers were killed by insurgents in Afghanistan. The Globe and Mail reported those stories too, but left the articles unlocked for "semi-moderated" comments. As usual, several hundred readers used the opportunity to voice their opinions on Canada's mission in Afghanistan. Predicatably, those with dissenting views far outnumbered those who fully understand and appreciate the reality of Canada's role -- that we are not, nor were we ever, there as peacekeepers.

Every time a Canadian soldier dies or is killed overseas, the Globe and Mail opens the article for comments, the majority of which have little positive to say about the job our troops are doing. I am not sure if irony is the correct word to use here. If it is, it is of the bitter variety indeed. Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan die in an effort to provide security and stability to the country, thereby allowing NGOs and aid workers better access to the people who need their support and care. Were we to listen to the majority of commenters on The Globe and Mail, we'd pull our troops out of Afghansitan... thus increasing the danger of the conditions that humanitarian organizations face, and increasing the likelihood of further aid workers becoming casualties.

I used to rely on The Globe and Mail for intelligent, accurate reporting. Now, however, they seem to enjoy stirring up controversy in their on-line forums, only opening for comment those articles they know will elicit argumentative responses. No one would dare post a negative comment about a dead aid worker (let alone three of them, and female at that), but many readers seem all too eager to speak ill of dead soldiers. I have read posts calling them everything from undisciplined to trigger-happy adrenaline junkies. It is disappointing, to say the least.

Answer: They're both willing to use the decapitation of a young man aboard a Greyhound Bus to further their own agendas.

Yep. I kid you not. PETA wishes to run an ad in the local Manitoba newspaper where the gruesome murder occured, comparing Tim McLean's death to that of the slaughter of an animal in the food industry, while the Westboro Baptist Church believes the murder is further evidence that their version of God has declared war on Canadian values, and is punishing us for our deviancies.

Congratulations, guys. I am sure you never thought you'd find yourselves in bed together, did you? Dumbasses.

(Links and emphasis mine)