Author: dave Page 67 of 75

My good friend Melanie has a post today about a very cool story in the Montreal Gazette about quantum physics.

“Not my cup of tea,” I can hear you saying…but wait. The subjects of this story make it cool. And their work is going to have an impact on the Internet – maybe on everything we do.

So go ahead, take a look. And remember, this is the 100th anniversary of Albert Einstein’s amazing achievements, so don’t be surprised if more of these “physics” stories crop up from time to time.

Andre Picard has long been one of my favourite writers at the Globe and Mail. He’s been covering the public health beat for a long time and he does an exceptional job. His analysis of health issues is often right on, from my point of view. Today, his column is about the growing gap between the health services that Black Americans receive compared to the white majority. Some of the evidence he cites is startling:

Steven Woolf, director of research in the department of family medicine at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Va., calculated that between 1991 and 2000, a staggering 886,000 deaths could have been prevented had African Americans received the same care as whites.

But Dr. Woolf and his team didn’t stop there. They calculated that technological improvements in medicine — better drugs, new medical devices, improved surgical procedures — averted 176,633 deaths in the general population during that same period.

What this means, practically speaking, is that five times as many lives could be saved by correcting the disparities in care between blacks and whites, than in developing fancy new treatments.

“The prudence of investing billions in the development of new drugs and technologies, while investing only a fraction of that amount in the correction of disparities, deserves reconsideration. It is an imbalance that may claim more lives than it saves,” Dr. Woolf said.

Although Picard doesn’t come right out and say it, there are obvious parallels to Canada. One can’t help but wonder whether Canada’s aboriginal population suffers similar inequities in this country, despite our supposed equal access to health care.

Picard’s column notes that February is Black History Month, at least in the US. Let’s hope that stories like this start to get the attention of our leaders, instead of things like the hockey lock-out or the debate over same-sex marriage. There are real, life and death issues in this world that are crying out for some serious attention.

Not long ago, President Bush held one of his rare news conferences. One of the reporters he singled out to ask a question has been exposed as a “fake.” This is an interesting story, and looks at a lot of stuff about journalism, the White House and the blogosphere. Read what Tim Karr of MediaChannel.org says about the issue. Tim’s blog also contains lots of links to other stories about this.

This is an interesting story for journalist-types and PR people. Of course, it’s also just a great bit of sleuthing…with a real slimy side coming up as well. Did people go too far in “outing” this guy? Comments?

First, if you sometimes come here from my website you’ll notice that things are kind of quiet over there. I hadn’t checked it lately, but when I looked today, I discovered that someone had been tampering with some of the pages. Not sure exactly what’s going on, but I’ve put things on hold for awhile. I’ve been planning to redesign it anyway, so this seems like a good time to do that. I should have it back up in a few days.

Second — Even though it’s warming up around here, this has still been a winter with lots of snow. So in the “If you can’t beat them, join them,” spirit, I offer you a website about snowflakes! That’s right…everything you ever wanted to know, and a whole lot you’ve probably never even thought about before.

Third — I’ve been thinking about cell phone etiquette lately. The other day, I suffered through an entire bus ride into Toronto with a woman divulging emarassingly explicit details of her personal and professional life to an entire bus full of passengers. And the wierd thing is none of us did anything. When someone is talking so loudly, for so long, you’d think that someone would say something, wouldn’t you? And yet…nothing. It’s not the first time I’ve noticed that either. I wonder if it has something to do with the fact that it might be us needing to talk (loudly) on the phone the next time…

But today, riding on a city bus downtown, I was surprised to look around me at the many students who were chatting away on their phones. But I couldn’t hear any of them. They were all speaking into the things, but in voices that didn’t carry. Yet none of them seemed to be having any trouble with their conversations. I wonder if it’s another example of “native” vs “immigrant” technology users. That’s a term that’s been coined to describe kids who have grown up with high tech, as opposed to those of us who have discovered it as adults. It’s often applied to things like Instant Messaging, SMS on cell phones, etc. Not sure what I think of it (there’s a lot of dissenting opinions on the subject) but it’s an interesting notion.

OK, I admit it. I like conspiracy theories. I love the way that some people can take just enough fact, and start weaving together their own speculation with “what if?” scenarios, to come up with a really plausible theory.

The computer/Web world is full of these theories. Part of it comes from the phenomenal success (and subsequent jealousy/envy/admiration) of people like Bill Gates and Steve Jobs. And a lot of it is because so many incredibly bright and talented people are working in that world every day.

One of my favourite writers about the technology world is Robert X. Cringely, who writes a weekly column that I never miss. I’ve written about him before at least once. Probably more.

His latest column talks about the Mac Mini one of Apple’s latest offerings. But what makes this latest column really fun is the stuff that some of his readers offer, about how Steve Jobs is going to take over the world.

Read it yourself here.

And remember — it could be true…

Although I majored in English, I’ve always been a bit of geek at heart. One of my favourite classes in first year University was Physics. Our text was “Physics for Poets” and it was a great and fascinating look at the history of physics, especially in the late 19th and early 20th century.

That’s why this year’s 100th anniversary of some of Albert Eintsein’s greatest work is interesting to me. And if more people think about it, they’ll realize why it’s important to them too. The world would be a different place if not for Einstein. He was one of the last century’s most influential thinkers, and perhaps one of the most influential of all time.

There are a lot of places on the Web where you can find out more about Mr. Einstein, but this Wired magazine article is a great place to start. It’s a fascinating look at one of the most amazing periods in science.

Check it out, fellow geeks.

I wasn’t sure I was going to write this note.

Yesterday was the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, which was marked by a sombre gathering of world leaders, survivors and liberators in Poland.

While I watched the TV coverage and read the newspaper stories, I was struck by my own ambivalence. I knew it was important. And I knew it was historic and I felt that I should be more, I don’t know, reverent, perhaps, or shamed, or saddened. But to be honest, I found myself thinking of it as just another story about horror.

Ironically, there was a movie review in the Globe and Mail on Friday which talked about using kids as stars of horror movies, and how we’ve become so blase about it, that it takes a lot to shock us now.

After reading about the horrors of Auschwitz and struggling with the undercurrent that the world didn’t really learn from what happened and that similar atrocities continue, I decided that my own words were not adequate. So I went searching for stories that talk about the reality of those camps. And, as usual when one starts looking through the Internet, I discovered some fascinating places.

I invite you all to take a moment to look through the links I’ve found below. They are just several from thousands that are out there. I’m sure that once you get started, you’ll find plenty more for yourself.

I’ve got three specific suggestions for you.

First, look at this essay, which puts the death camps into the context of the times and digs a bit deeper into the kind of work that went into the Final Solution.

Second, look through The Auschwitz Album, an amazing catalogue of photographs from Auschwitz. They were taken by a German photographer and are among the very few actual images of what went on.

Finally, listen to this heartbreaking testimony from a woman who worked in Kanada, the part of Auschwitz where the belongings of those killed in the gas chambers were sorted.

There are no words to describe what I feel after spending some time looking back over time at those events so long ago. But my ambivalence has disappeared.

We must remember what happened in those death camps. And we must always struggle to prevent similar events in our own time.

Truly it has been said: ‘all that is needed for evil to triumph is that good men do nothing’.

–Kofi Annan

Update – Looking back on this post 9 years later, some of the links are stale, so I’ve updated them, where I could.

Call me naive, or the kind of person who likes putting their head in the sand, but this morning I’m feeling like the world is too much with us. Here are the four main stories on the front page of the Globe and Mail on-line edition, under “Breaking News.”

A Jewish revival in Poland without any Jews

No survivors in Iraq helicopter crash

Chrétien demands Gomery step aside

PM won’t delay same-sex bill despite MP anxiety

This is the news of the day. Not a happy story in the bunch. Now, I’m not saying that we need happy pills or something like that, in order to make it through the day. (Although the idea has merit.)

But I’m finding that more and more these days I feel like I don’t get enough good news. The world is a tough place and today’s modern media means that I hear a lot more about it than I ever did before. But there are lots of places where life is going on just fine. In fact, people are happy. Good news stories are out there. Heck, even the Globe has a few, like a story about the origins of pizza. (I’d link to it, but it’s only available to Insider subscribers, for some ridiculous reason.)

Who decided that “bad” is “news?” Why are we tantalized by stories of disaster, horror, sickness, etc., but seemingly bored by stuff about regular, day-to-day activities? Regular is, well, regular. And that’s not much fun.

About now, I imagine you’re thinking, “This is going nowhere. I’m bored.” But bear with me. I may not have a brilliant thesis on the go, but I hope to make a few connections that will at least keep you awake.

Last night, on The Daily Show, with Jon Stewart, his guest was Seymour Hersh. Now, for those of you who aren’t media junkies, you may not know that Seymour Hersh is a legendary investigative journalist with The New Yorker. He’s the guy who simply doesn’t keep step with the rest of the media out there. Last week, he published his latest article, which outlines the plans within the White House and the Pentagon to invade Iran. Naturally, it has been met with the usual response from “official” sources, but without outright denials. It’s worth reading.

If you don’t watch The Daily Show regularly, you should know that it’s claim to fame is that it’s a fake news show. That’s right. Fake News. Facts are not a huge deal. The “facts” merely serve as the intro to their pieces. From there, it’s full speed ahead to whatever outrageous conclusion the “reporters” decide is appropriate.

The show’s outrageous commentaries during the recent Presidential election and the war in Iraq have earned it a huge following. A lot of Americans, especially younger ones, say they get most of their news about current political events, from watching the program. Which does give one pause for thought.

Seymour Hersh is a favourite guest for Stewart, who really seems to admire Hersh’s dogged refusal to cowtow to “offical” sources. Instead, whether it’s covering the events of Sept. 11, or the war in Iraq, or the current plans for the invasion of Iran, Hersh insists on using his own sources and telling a story distinctly at odds with the “official” version.

At one point in his interview, Stewart asks Hersh, “Do you check up on these sources? To make sure the facts are correct?”

“Of course,” Hersh replied. “Everything is checked very, very carefully.”

“See. That’s where you and I are different. We don’t have to check the facts,” Stewart told his guest.

Hmmm…that anecdote didn’t end up addressing my first thesis of this piece, did it? It wasn’t really about bad news vs. good news. It was more about the value of getting the story right, vs putting out a version that makes people laugh. In fact, that kind of goes against my thesis, because Stewart’s show is funny. He’s able to take bad news (which is most of what we see and hear) and turn it on its head and make us laugh at the absurdity of a lot of it.

At this point, I think I’ll just adopt a blogger convention and toss this whole thing over to you, the reader, to help me sort things out.

I started with the contention that bad news overwhelms good news. Then I moved over to talking about how taking another look at bad news from a silly, irreverant point of view can make us feel good about it. Now I’m wondering what that means?

Are we glossing over the significance of what we hear by trivializing it? Or do we just start to block out the bad news and only perk up when really serious stuff, like Brad and Jen breaking up, hits the airwaves?

Now I’ve really lost my focus. So if you want to add some comments to this thread, please do so. I’ll go off and give a bit more thought to the whole thing.

But you know what? I don’t feel as depressed about the news as I did when I started this little rant. And as Martha might say, “That’s a good thing.”

Today is Robbie Burns Day, (or Rabbie, as the truly enllightened insist) celebrated by Scots and wanna-be’s (like me) around the world. Or so I’m told by various Burns’ sites on the Internet, see here and here.

Now, I’m not a Scot. I’m more Irish than anything else, but I do like Scotch whiskey. So a few years ago, when I was invited to a “nosing” to celebrate the Bard’s birthday, I accepted. It sounded like a good idea. At least, once I discovered that a nosing was a whiskey tasting. It sounded even better when they told me it was going to be held in a used golfing equipment store in Toronto. What a great atmosphere. Celebrating the world’s greatest game by standing around drinking whiskey and swapping golf stories.

The format was simple. There were about 35 of us invited, and we each tossed some money into the kitty to cover the cost of the various whiskeys, some throw-away tasting glasses, and some munchies (including a haggis, I think.)

There was one other option for those attending. We were encouraged to bring a poem, or a song, or a reading, that matched the significance of the evening’s tribute to Burns, or to golf, or to both, if you could manage it.

There were a couple of keeners in the group who arrived wearing full kilts and did a stand-up job of shaming the rest of us with their enthusiasm. Fortunately, after a few warm-up “tastings” we all kind of got into the spirit of things.

I was game to add a special reading to the occasion. At the time, I just happened to be reading a book about playing golf in Scotland called “Playing Through” by Curtis Gillespie. Curtis is a Canadian writer who spent a year living in Scotland and playing some of the wonderful courses in the old country. The book is a real treat for those of us who enjoy the rich tradition of golf writing. I recommend it.

There’s a great scene in the book where Curtis is invited to celebrate Robbie Burns’ Day with a local family. As is tradition, someone read through Burn’s classic “Ode to a Haggis.” But then, the Canadian visitor is asked to read his own toast. It’s written in Burns’ dialect, and when read aloud, the results are hilarious.

Normally, I’m not much for standing on a rickety wooden chair in front a couple of dozen hooting accented fools. But given enough samples of our wonderful elixir, I am capable of almost anything, I suppose. So after imbibing enough “liquid courage” to be able to stand on that chair, but not enough so that I fell off, I grabbed my copy of “Tae a Ferty,” and adopting my best Scottish brogue, read the passages below. (To truly appreciate this, I recommend reading this aloud, phonetically, letting your best Scoth shine through. If you do it in mixed company, I guarantee, you won’t get through it without cracking up.)

Here’s to Rabbie…