Botany Wall Of Shame

Well, I am starting a Wall of Shame for people who show that they have no clue about plants in general. I will be totally fair and I'm not going to expect that the general public will know what is a rostellum, however, I will expect a certain level of knowledge from people. My disclaimer being said, I will point to a certain article that I read in a newspaper yesterday.

OK have you read it?
Now, lets play the Sesame Street Game. What is not like the others?
Did you guess?

If you had said "what the ****? Squash isn't a root vegetable!" you win 10 points! Now, if you don't eat squash, you wouldn't know that, but if you scroll down to the very bottom, you see...
SHE IS A DIETITIAN! (Don't they have to know what the hell they are eating?!)
I mean, if you had perused the vegetable area of supermarkets and seen squash you would know that they are not root vegetables!
Oh Well... here is another letter to the editor coming up!

I'm Back!

Whew! Well, so much for my little hiatus. It turned out to be over 1 month long, and I still haven't finished all of my work due to some technical difficulties over the break:

- my netbook is now running Jolicloud, a Linux based OS. This is working remarkably well considering I went through at least 4 different Linux systems before I found one that actually worked well.
- new computer with Windows 7 is having difficulties with compatibility... *sigh*. Why am I not surprised?

Thank you all for being patient & hello to my new readers. I really do post more than this! Promise.

Ramming My Head Against A Brick Wall. Again.

Now I know that where I live is relatively cut off from the rest of the world (for various reasons), but frankly a lot people here have their heads stuck up their asses.

What is right with this picture? They are not watering mid-day.

There is a reason why Albertans are called the Texans of the North. A large number are uber-conservative &/or wackaloony religious (we have our own ‘creation’ museum by Big Valley), and are intolerant of ‘others’. Lots of Albertans also believe that both water & gas will continue to flow forever and that any claims to the contrary are conspiracies by the government to drive up prices. Many people were surprised when one of the refineries nearby was damaged in the huge storm in the middle of July and many PetroCan stations were without gas for weeks (Quel horror!).

However, there is one thing about them that I am absolutely pissed off about. I’m talking about watering their lawn in the middle of a 30 C day. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Just thinking about this makes my blood pressure rise to dangerous levels. First of all, I hate the thought of watering the lawn on the best of days. Xeriscaping is a great gardening method where planting drought resistant plants will decrease the amount of time you have to spend in the garden working and reduce water bills. Also, collecting rain water is another method of reducing water usage. (And here I feel as if I’m talking to a brick wall ‘cause I’m sure that most people have heard this ad nauseum.) But, I have seen over and over and over and over and over homeowners with their sprinklers going at 1:00 pm with over half the water being evaporated without even hitting the ground.

I’m at a loss at how to stop this (Other than posting a sign on their lawn in the middle of the night saying “Spank me. I’ve been very naughty. I water my lawn at noon”. Which probably won’t make them stop, but it sure will make me laugh as I bike/drive by.

Another way to stop this would be to use drought resistant grasses. Available now at Rona’s/Home Depots around Alberta are eco-grasses that are mixtures of drought resistant grasses that would be great alternatives to Kentucky Blue grass. Researchers have also been working on blue grass hybrids that will be drought tolerant, but retain the desirable texture of Kentucky blue grass. But whether these hybrids will be cold tolerant enough for Albertan users is another question altogether.
So please, please, please STOP watering your lawn during the day, and try not to at any other time. No more excuses or you could end up with that sign on your lawn.

USDA/Agricultural Research Service (2009, August 30). Creating The Ultimate Drought-Resistant Lawn/Pasture Grass. ScienceDaily. Retrieved August 31, 2009, from http://www.sciencedaily.com­ /releases/2009/08/090830100514.htm

Search & Rescue Insurance SNAFU

I volunteer for Search & Rescue. ERSARA to be exact.

And currently ERSARA is in discussion with SARA (Search and Rescue Alberta) and the Government of Alberta over insurance issues which has been brought to light because of a horrific event this past winter where two skiers went out of bounds and one died.

The Golden, BC Search and Rescue group has officially suspended their operations because they were unable to handle the claim of the remaining skier who is suing them for not rescuing him or his wife. I want to make clear that the reporting has been inaccurate. According to this CBC story back in February, Golden Search and Rescue refused to research the area after the first time they just “unreturned rental skis and missing persons reports at the resort”. Actually, that would be a first, search-wise. I think that would be the resorts job (esp. the unreturned rental ski bit. Mmmm…… I’ve never been trained to look through paper records before.) And then, according to the reporter, the SAR team told the RCMP the case had been looked into before, so they didn’t look again.

First of all, all Search and Rescue operation must be initiated by the police, and are usually coordinated by the police as to where to look, since they receive all information related to the missing persons, etc. They received all information regarding where the SOS’s were located and therefore were the only ones to task the Golden SAR to where to look. An assigned officer is usually always at the search base, and is always updated on where the teams have looked, which quadrant the teams are currently searching in and discussing with the search managers where the teams will look next.

This is a horrific event, I agree. However, the skiers went out of bounds (and they had to know they were going out of bounds, because there were multiple signs warning them) and not only that, they left SOS signs & then walked away!!!
Helicopters repeatedly found the SOS signs but couldn’t find any people. After 10 days they were found, and sadly the wife had passed away by then.

I know the husband is angry and probably is feeling some survivor guilt (why did she die and not me, etc.) but he needs counseling, NOT a lawsuit. Golden SAR just does not have that kind of power to search wherever and whenever they want. We are told (before being accepted into the SAR team) that we CANNOT search without prior go-ahead from the required authority. If we do, we are just any other civilian. No WCB (workers compensation board), no insurance (if our group is lucky enough to have this), no backup. Also there is no affiliation with any SAR, no equipment usage (if that equipment belongs to SAR, of course you can use your own) and no other help.

This is symptomatic of a deeper problem. Why are people that had no responsibility in the accident being punished & why are the very people who were solely responsible allowed to blame (and punish) everyone else?! What happens when a hikers or a child goes missing in the Golden area this summer? They cannot call SAR because of their inability to work because of this lawsuit.

I don’t believe fingers should be pointed at any one agency. Yes, there were communication problems, and yes, mistakes were made, but no one is perfect. Mistakes were made by the skiing couple, mistakes were made by the RCMP, and mistakes were made by SAR. But really, will a lawsuit help anything? No, it will punish volunteers who will no longer feel like volunteering and all of the good that they have accomplished in the past will be forgotten.

Now, I know mistakes will occur in the future (human nature & murphy’s law, ya know), so if you can, please contact your local MLA and MP and tell them that you want SAR Volunteers to be insured. Tell them that you want them in your community for when something goes wrong. We help when someone goes missing and when disasters happen (some ERSARA members helped with Hurricane Katrina, and lots helped with the Pine Lake Tornado). We are a valuable asset to any district and we need support.

Search and Rescue is a unique volunteering community. We are on call 24 hours a day, EVERY day of the year and sometimes we may risk our lives to save yours (we’re not supposed to though). We cannot choose who we help, and we cannot help at all unless we are called in by the police. So please, support your regional Search and Rescue teams, follow signs and use your freakin’ common sense!!!!

http://www.ersara.com/
http://www.saralberta.org/
http://www.sarvac.ca/
www.nss.gc.ca/site/index_e.asp
http://www.aema.gov.ab.ca/

My little Seedling on the ERSARA Quad

And they wonder why I'll never get married...

First of all, I will give you a brief history of what had occurred this past week. I attended a wedding of a [female] cousin, with whom I do not speak with often. I assume it’s because when she found “god”, I was not worthy of her esteem, or maybe I just got into too much trouble as a teen. Anyways, at the ceremony & reception the priest had quoted Carle Zimmerman, and I am not sure if it was in the intended way or not. Apparently C.C. Zimmerman was a ‘celebrated’ sociologist that specialized in family patterning and the specific quote was from his book Family and Civilization (1947) in their wedding ceremony. Zimmerman supposedly states in the book, the following are the reasons of societal break-down in past civilizations were always preceded by the following familial patterning:

“Marriage lost its sacredness [and] is frequently broken by divorce;
Traditional meaning of the marriage ceremony is lost;
There is increased public disrespect for parents and authority in general;
An acceleration of juvenile delinquency, promiscuity and rebellion occur;
There is refusal of people with traditional marriages to accept family responsibilities;
A growing desire for, and acceptance of adultery, is evident;
There is increasing interest in, and spread of sexual perversions
and sex-related crimes.

Not only did the preacher quote these general guidelines, he told the congregation, ahem, I mean those gathered to celebrate the joyous occasion what Zimmerman REALLY meant by those words and in fact went through each section and described what he had meant and what god had intended for his ‘children’. (I have doubt if that is really what Zimmerman said, but I refuse to buy the book).

He meant those people who divorce; those that don’t believe in the bonds of marriage, and who do not marry; wives who do not listen to their husbands; those that fornicate outside of the bounds of marriage, whether married or not; children who do not respect or follow what parents or authority say; people who rebel against morality; homosexuals and people that practice other sexual perversions are the cause of societal decay and this has been shown time after time in multiple civilizations and it all starts within the family.

Then in the course of 30 minutes there were 4 separate prayers, further preaching, etc, etc, etc. In which I think all of our family was offended by something or other (I have a couple of lesbian aunts, an aunt who refuses to get married to her boyfriend, half the family is atheist or agnostic and me who can't listen to authority if it bit me on the @$$). If we weren't offended over the whole judgemental nature of the wedding, it was by the reception and dinner where the family was so far back that we were almost outside the tent.
Anyways, I have been doing some research on the venerable CC Zimmerman, and I will report if I find anything of value.
I know what some of you are thinking “it was your COUSIN’S wedding after all, its up to her”, & I was prepared for the whole god & church thing (she is a missionary after all), but this was being talked at for 1 hour about how we all are going to hell, and we will take all of civilization down with us! That was going a bit far in my estimation & no way to win new converts. Other than praying that this marriage works out 4 times in less than an hour & not even counting the reception & dinner (Maybe the preacher doesn’t think it will, LOL).

Alberta - Rape and Pillage

On a road trip this last weekend, to one of the most beautiful places in the World (not just Canada, eh?), I saw the most disgusting view. Alberta sure knows how to welcome guests as we show how to rape and pillage the land that we are only borrowing from our future.
If I was smart enough, I would have gotten the camera out and taken pictures of these horrible sites, but I will next time to show what is truly there.

h.t. to http://www.geocities.com/alta_sailing/wab_destinations/wab_destinations.htm

I've got to admit, the picture is not exactly what I saw, as we were travelling on the other side (on the road, not water, ha ha). Also, this picture looks better than what I saw, as Saturday morning there was smoke spewing out of the stacks. Before the actual plant came into site, I thought there was a brush fire as there was smoke everywhere.

So, now your thinking, oh what a whiny tree-hugger. Can't stand a little smoke, etc. But we also saw strip mining. It wasn't on the scale of Ft. McMurray's tar sands, and I have no clue what they were mining. But there was no other reason for these marks a large quantity of land. We also saw grasshoppers, and "urban" sprawl (if you can call Hinton or Edson urban...). Garbage found in the trees, on the snow, and on the road.

These would not bother me if these were anomolies, but they are symptomatic of the larger problem of massive extraction from the land and pollution of the air. Once in Jasper there were many animals seen as well as beautiful vistas. (I will post nicer pics tomorrow)
But you would think that the Albertan Government would want visitors to our Province to see pristine views and beautiful landscapes from Edmonton to Jasper instead of grasshoppers every 20 meters. Every time someone (National Geographic to name one) writes an article, tells an international panel about Alberta, the politician argue that it isn't true and we are taking it out of context (ie. it's only in Athabasca). However, it is time to understand that we cannot continue taking for granted what we have.

OK or Not? Bragging

Alright, I have to brag. Just a little.

My little Seedling had a hockey tournament over the weekend and did great on Sunday. Walked away with Gold in the Atom B division. Also scored 2 hattricks on Sunday (4 goals in one game, three goals & an assist in the other).

And I asked her if she would like to call Auntie & tell her (her Aunt also plays hockey), & Seedling said she did not want to brag, because no one likes to be around a bragger. I thought that was a little sad, as she worked hard in both games, and deserved those 7 goals & 1 assist.

When is it OK to brag?

I know these are not my accomplishments, but I am extremely proud to be her Mom. She works hard for these & deserves them (the amount of practice she puts into her sports is amazing, not school work though... mmmm). I want people we care about to be proud of her too!

But is she right? I know that when other people brag, it makes me uncomfortable (especially when it is nonstop!). Also, lots of other hockey moms post on Facebook and/or Twitter everything their child does, and it becomes a little much, like "Johnny Appleseed won a game" or "Johnny Appleseed made a friend!".
I guess these would be spectacular if he never wins any games or makes any friends, but I know that he does regularly...
And this is not unique. There are many other circumstances when people brag about themselves "I partied so hard on the weekend", or "I just kicked some butt on the green".

So is it different when you are bragging about yourself? Or your child? Do people REALLY want to know how many drinks you had before passing out?

Well, all I can say is I'm glad I let someone know about her weekend. It seems that no one else will if she has her way...

Please sir... may I have spring? Warm weather?

The lowliest of the low... nothing is more overused (except Shakespeare) than Oliver Twist. I'm sure Dicken's is rolling in his grave to know the multiple ways people use his poor Oliver to affect a supplication for something they want.
.... But I'm desparate. For warm weather. For more than 6 months out of the year, there is snow crunching underneath my feet. I long for green things to see, and flowers to smell, and branches to prune. I'm sure that had Dicken's lived through a cold Canadian winter he would've written Oliver to say "Please sir... May I have some Gloves?", because who wants more... all you'll get is more snow.


What's that you say? Snow in the forecast? I should've seen it coming.

DST Part Deux - Update

Aha! I have found other opinions and background on Daylight Savings Time to reflect upon...

Built on Facts: Savings Time?

Government of Canada: Time Zones & Daylight Savings Time

Consumer Energy Report: Does Daylight Savings Time Really Conserve Energy?

Me? I thought I handled Sunday with remarkable aplomb. My seedling had a hockey practice at 7:45am. She woke me up at 5:45am telling me it was time to go (I had forgotten to change my alarm clock so we would've been late had it not been for her!). I grumpily got out of bed, dressed/brushed teeth/hair, etc in 5 minutes & still had time for a Tim Hortons Roll Up To Win Coffee.
We just made it.

So anyways, I think the best idea out of the posts is that we should have permanent earlier hours. From now on (and no changes twice a year), have the clocks roll back a couple hours so that most of us take advantage of the early daylight. FOREVER. I think its the changes that bug me (and to quote a commenter on Built on Facts; it feels like jet lag twice a year.... without going anywhere).

Starting a petition to remove Daylight Savings Time

Alright, I know it seems futile, but I am going on a strike. Until I get spring around these parts, I, I..., I.... well, I don't know what I'll do. I'm done with the endless months of winter. Combine that with a bad haircut (no I won't post pics), my cranky seedling, and midterms that just won't end, I'm not real happy right now.
I figure that should be enough to at least petition all governments to remove Daylight Savings Time. It begins this Sunday early in the morning. So we lose an hour that I won't reclaim until the fall. And unfortunately, it is an hour of sleep.
Daylight savings time began in the early 20th century. Wikipedia has a very thorough background on the history and effects of this phenomenon.

Current Daylight Savings Time In World

Blue = Daylight Savings In Effect
Red = No Daylight Savings Ever
Orange = Had Daylight Savings but got smart and Removed it

There have been many reasons why this is a good idea. But to me, I'd rather drive to school/work in the sunshine instead of not seeing it until I leave at night. And look, it doesn't even have to be a whole province! The upper right corner of BC apparently has kicked this bad habit and no longer observes daylight savings time! I don't understand why it has to be so early in the year. Why not the end of April? That way, you only have to drive into the sun's glare in the morning only once a year. (Trust me, nothing like not being able to see where you are going). I dunno, I think I am being very reasonable. Either daylight savings goes, or spring comes early...

Look where you're going you ***** jerk!

Last night, I watched the documentary "To Hell with Manners" on W-Five (CTV). Having the wonderful task of instilling this lost art to my offspring, I actually MADE my seedling watch as well (even with the parental advisory warning). If she can see how not to do it, maybe she will see the reason why there are manners in the first place. Ya know, curious kids & their perennial question "Why?".

Just a brief overview of why we have manners. We have manners in order to preserve relationships with both close and distant acquaintances (aka. to be nice). There end of history lesson. If you want more go to wikipedia.

Well, we both got an eyeful last night. I cannot believe some of the things that these people would do (and they are not actors). In fact, in one hidden camera at a workplace, an employee jumped over his desk and started beating his coworker over the head with his keyboard. What the ****? Since when was this acceptable? And the saddest/funniest part was that no one else (no other coworker or employer) helped or stopped the assault.

Another example was a pregnant lady taking the subway in New York. No one offered their seat. In fact she reported that people were pushing and elbowing her out of the way. I can definitely sympathize because when I was pregnant, the same thing happened here, in wonderful 'polite' Canada.

With the advent of technology, the narrator said, we have become more isolated and we think our time is more important than anyone else. Cell phones, computers, pagers, and TV are all culprits. I think Emily Post may be rolling in her grave right now.

So readers, when you are talking to someone and your phone rings, politely say "excuse me", turn off your ringer (DO NOT ANSWER THAT PHONE UNLESS IT IS LIFE OR DEATH), and say "sorry for the interruption" and continue talking to the person standing in front of you. When you are in a movie theatre, classroom, lecture hall, theatre, turn OFF your cell phone/pager/laptop because no one else cares how much you had to drink over the weekend or what guy you screwed because you were pissed. Hold the door open for the person behind you, and at all times, say "THANK YOU" (the two words that should be the first we ever learn). If we want people to remain acquaintances (remember the history lesson), we have to be polite and have manners).

So while I don't agree with the guy who gives hugs to strangers (please not me); you should smile or talk about the ******** weather with the person who gives you coffee every day. Next time you see someone being rude, do you ignore or should you comment? What have you done with someone that was intentionally/unintentionally rude to you? I need some advice, because it sure as hell wasn't in my Emily Post's Etiquette book.

Just a Little Love People...

Alright, whoever said that Canadians are the most mannered/nice people have burning pants right now, because whenever they get behind the wheel they are morons.
Just yesterday I was driving down some alleys (don't ask, its not like I patrol them), and had to move over EVERY time another car came down. EVERY TIME!!!11!!11!!!

The driver, whether female/male, young/old, etc/etc, would stare at me. Finally, I would move over. Is this some kind of Canadian chicken??! (moving verrrrry slowlllllly).

Anyways, the polite & mannered thing to do would for both of us to move to the sides (there is enough room), and each give a little wave. But no, I move to the side, and the other people either ignore me or give me a one fingered salute. Just a little wave. That's all I'm asking. My standards are super low. And yet, people cannot manage this. Where are their moms? Did they teach them no manners?

And this is in alleys! Everytime I get on the roads, I put my life & my daughters in jeopardy. People drive like friggin blind people! And this is in every major city I have ever drove in. Actually, this rant goes for States' cities too. When the population gets over 100,000 people think that they are immune or something.

Well...... I guess all I can hope for is that natural selection works........

Herbal Supplements are Bad News

In today’s and yesterday's paper, another news story about a fatality due to an herbal supplement. While not directly causing the death, this drug hidden in the "herbal medicine" caused the driver to fall asleep while driving. Meanwhile, because these supplements are not regulated to the degree they should be, there was an additional drug in there that was addictive and harmful and is not approved for sale in Canada. The irony is that this additional drug was probably added to actually make the herbal remedy work.

I love plants (obviously) and they are useful medically, but even I am suspicious of the claims made by some of these companies selling herbal remedies. Most of the clinical trials done by researchers were poorly designed, so the claims cannot be attributed to the plants. Conversely, the medicines that are appropriately made from plants have been researched, studied and have been standardized so that everytime you take that ASA (aspirin) pill, you are guaranteed to receive a certain amount of the active ingredient. The active ingredient/compound from the plant has been extracted so that instead of chowing down on a whole tree’s worth of willow bark, one or two pills can do the job.

As of yet (in Canada), there are less regulations regarding herbal remedies than normal, everyday food we consume. All ingredients on normal foodstuffs must be list in order of quantity. We have no such laws regarding herbal medicines. The actual “active herb” may not even be found in the pills, or a minute quantity is found, and the rest is filling. These amounts can vary from batch to batch, so results cannot be verified.

So until more research (by reputable scientists) can be done, please DO NOT buy herbal supplements. Even if they are famous brand names, they are not regulated enough and do not list every ingredient. This is not just a waste of your money, it can ruin your health or kill you like the man from the news story.