The stupidity. It hurts.

Currently, in my northern North American country, we are very concerned about swine flu. It's a reasonable concern as since it emerged back in April, it has actually killed people, children, in this country. It is very sadly affecting some of the most under-served people in this country, especially Aboriginals who live in areas with poor infrastructure, the worst. Our government has guaranteed that everyone in this country who wants it, can be immunized against swine flu, beyond the usual flu shot. There are huge line ups for people who are at risk (pregnant, small children) that are shortened by people who actually are not at risk but want the shot. Or even line up to sell their ticket for a later immunization. I actually belong to one of the 'at risk' groups due to a long term chronic condition, but because I actually don't see many people in my usual hermit like existence and feel other people need it more than I, I'm waiting to get mine. But I will, just as I always get the usual flu shot because I both don't have the time to get sick, I also don't want to deal with possible complications.

Our society seems to work in extremes. There are so many people worried about getting the disease and going to quite extraordinary measures to get their shots, while there is a still small but very vocal group of people who refuse to do so. I actually posted around this time last year on my utter dislike (I could use stronger words but I do try to remain civil) for people who are anti-vaccine protesters. No matter if they think it causes autism (no), PTSD (no), are a means for the government to control you (Really? Okay then...), they seem bound and determined to disregard all the good that vaccines have done in this world. So many diseases have been nearly eradicated, so many children's live have been saved but if people bought into the hype that vaccines are dangerous, those diseases very easily could (and have) return. And a hype is indeed being created, creating the illusion that we're not sure how good vaccines really are.

Somewhat alike to climate change however, a lot of people are actually unaware that in the scientific and medical community, there is no debate. Vaccines save lives. There is a very small risk of an adverse reaction, but there numerous studies have completely dismissed any idea that vaccines can actually cause the syndromes it has been linked to. Yet, when this issue is reported in the news, a lot of journalists feel as though they need to present 'both sides' for it to be a true investigation. This however just creates more undue confusion. Wired recently published a great article on vaccines and the fear around them (check it out), and the author of that piece, a woman named Amy Wallace, presents the actual scientific perspective and even offers a handy dandy guide for winning an argument about vaccines. Unsurprisingly, she was immediately attacked for drinking the 'Big Pharma' juice and um, ACCURATELY, depicting the anti-vaccine lobby as one filled with reactionaries who are quite keen to ignore actual facts. Some of the leading voices in this field have also done a wonderful job of raising the level of debate by calling her a number of misogynistic names. I had my attention drawn to this by the ever wonderful Dr. Isis and one of her colleagues at ScienceBlog (which I spend waaaaaay too much time on), has commented (again)waaaay more intelligently on this subject than I can here.

I'm aware that this post is a wee bit more serious than usual but if I'm going to make it through a month of blogging I can't just complain about living with my parents, drinking and accessories.

A preview of upcoming posts though:

Tomorrow: making vodka pasta sauce

Wednesday: how do we feel about sweater vests?

On life transitions

Since moving back home, at time I have felt some confusion as to what life stage I actually do exist. There are moments when I whine about when dinner will be ready, pout about turning down the TV and sigh when am told to clean up my room, despite having thought to myself just that morning that I really do need to tidy. Clearly, I am still a child. Then, I pour myself a glass of wine with dinner, which I picked up most of the ingredients for while running errands. I appear to be a young adult. Over dinner with the wine, we can sometimes discuss real estate I am considering buying, my full time job I am about to start, and I also this weekend attended a party in the suburbs where people my age have houses and babies. Could I actually be a REAL grown up? I don't know if I like this.

So I make up for maybe being a grown up by going shopping in holey genes and perusing expensive purses that I don't need but will buy anywise thanks to my real job. I also really appreciate the fact that the fridge is generally filled without much effort on my part and that I did NOT have to write a rent cheque today, despite it being the first of the month.

On the thesis front, I have received all my reviews, everyone passed me (yay!). I'm currently working on the not too difficult suggested revisions and hope to have everything totally complete by the end of the week. Wish me luck!

(P.S. as it is indeed November, I'm going to try this NaBloPoMo thing, we'll see how long my attention is kept so maybe see you tomorrow!)

On travelling with your parents

This is my dear daddy and I at the Spanish Steps in Rome. Throughout the trip I had been trying to teach him the art of the 'self-taken photograph', and this was the best of the bunch IMHO. So it had been a while since I had taken a real trip with my parents, going all the way back to second year of my undergrad, nearly 5 years ago (Ah'm getting OLD). I've certainly

grown up since then, my parents have changed as well but it was a bit of an experience nonetheless.

I first realized how things had changed when we were just in the airport. I've actually done a fair amount of flying this year, and have gotten pretty good at the airport rigamarole. My liquids were already stored in a clear bag, I could remove my electronics and coat in less than 30 seconds, all the while being unfailingly polite to all the security people. It seems that I've also gotten very accustomed to being on my own while I travel, and so often had to slow down from my usual pace to let the parents catch up.

Speaking of catching up, above is one of the many pictures I have of my parents being about 50-100 metres ahead of me on the street (or in Piazza San Marco in this instance), I having stopped to take a picture, appreciate a vista, buy a cannoli. While I'm the more high strung one in the airport, once I'm at a site or place I try to take it all in, while my parents.... we near jogged through parts of the Vatican (budding lines left and right, I've never seen my Dad so pushy in my life) while my parents ignored thousands of years of artefacts to be sure we saw the Map Room.

Of course we saw it. Everyone saw it. IT'S ON THE WAY TO THE SISTENE CHAPEL. *Breathes*

Before I left, my dear friend Anja gave me the advice to just breathe from time to time if my parents were making me crazy, which was excellent advice. While I can soak in a view or architecture for ages, by day 8 of the trip both my Dad and I were a little arted out. We were happy to go to such wonderful museums as those as Villa Borghese in Rome, but weren't studying every single picture in every single room.... unlike my mother. Pictures and plaques, you cannot tear her away. But I managed to keep my tongue and when I was done the tour half an hour before she was, I generally found either the gift shop or cafe for another cappucino.

Despite a few tense moments here and there, I do have to say that travelling with my parents was pretty fun. Did I mention they paid for the trip? And bought me gelato and cocktails? It's sad, but I can be bought with hazelnut gelato or another spritz (Venetian cocktail of white wine, sparkling water and Aperol bitter) and am very happy to be so. Between the three of us, we covered a lot of ground and saw lots of amazing things, and even had stuff to talk about at the end of the day. I shopped with my Mum and went for late night walks to the bar with my Dad. I also don't think that there were really many moments where I felt like the kid, I held my own, did my own thing here and there and we all had a good time. Just, it may be a while before we do it again....

Home safe, sick

I have arrived home from an absolutely wonderful 10 days in Italy. Venice honestly didn't seem real for a while, Florence was a marvel and I think I am still processing Rome. I however managed to pick up a cold in the last few days, blew my nose through the Vatican and hopefully didn't infect the nice retired medical anthropologist I sat next to on the plane (9 hours may be a bit too long for me). I have very many photos but I am finally getting tired so will retire to bed with some TV I've missed and will start some better updates tomorrow! Hope you had fun while I was gone!

Sunsets

I think the sunsets over James Bay may be the most beautiful ones in the world. Here is just a sampling. I am posting mainly pictures right now as I am too busy editing papers, writing

reports, putting out fires and hoping my inbox doesn't explode while I am Italy next week

(NEXT WEEK!). Anyways, was pretty. I am very lucky to have been able to spend my time in the field in such lovely places.

Back again to the North

I just spent a really wonderful week back north, in one of my favourite Cree communities, Waskaganish. Waskaganish is perched on James Bay, where the Rupert River comes to meet the bay and is really lovely. It's a smaller community, with around 1200 residents, and they are some of the nicest people you will ever meet.

I was up there to run a program I had come up with last year, of bringing some of the things we've (the scientists who I

work with) have learne

d about the medicinal plants of the Cree, to students there. Very few kids in these communities spend much time in the bush anymore and often haven't learned much of their elder's knowledge regarding plants' use and I wanted to try and bridge this gap. I've been working on th

is project on the side basically since last fall, with a fabulous collaborator from the Cree Board of Health (who contributes to a pr

etty cool blog herself all about Montreal, who also talks about going up north, check it out here). My collaborator had first run it in another community but I was still feeling a great deal trepidation to try out the idea that I've been mulling over for so long.

Luckily, I wasn't on my own, I was accompanied by my very dear labmate x-ine, who had lived in Waskaganish for 6 weeks this summer doing interviews for her Masters. She was

returning to do some follow up work and help me out with the program.

From the first day we arrived we had a blast. Fall is an incredibly busy time for the Cree, there is fish to catch, and both geese and moose to hunt. Our first afternoon in town we went

to an area known as the Gravel Pit where a number of elders live year round, and where they had set

up an area to catch and prepare some of their traditional fish. The river from which they fished however, the Rupert, has been recently dammed by Hydro Quebec and the doors are due to be closed the first week of November. This is the last season to catch fish as they always have and understandably, the community is nervous a

bout whats going to happen. However, they are also resolved to preserve as much of their traditional life as they can, and teach their skills to the next generation. At the camp I visited, there were both elders and younger people there to learn how to clean and c

ook the fish in traditional ways.

I'll leave you with a few pictures of whitef

ish cooking and prepared (it's delicious by the way) and will tell you more about my visit to Waskaganish tomorrow.

Christine and I taking pictures of each other taking pictures of each..... you get the pic

ture (ha!).

The Rupert River on a cloudy day.

Whitefish!

Cooking in a traditional meechwam.

Delicious fried whitefish, side dish of fried fish eggs and liver.

Back to the north!

Sorry for the severe lackage of posts. I've only been back in the O-town for a few weeks and they have been busy. I've been trying to purge a bunch of stuff as I absolutely cannot fit it all into my room at my parent's house, editing papers, hanging with people.... it's really nice to be home though.

I had a quick sojourn back to Mtl to give my quasi defense and it went really well I'm pleased to report! Now we're just waiting for the university to find an external reader and get my thesis processed, hopefully in time for me to start my job.

As of tomorrow though I return on my way up north, to Waskaganish, one of my favourite places in Eeyou Istchee. I'll be both trying to report on the results of my Masters, do a few interviews and run a class in one of the schools teaching kids about medicinal plants, how both their own culture and science can study plants. I hope it goes well! I'll be going up with the lovely x-ine and so am sure I'll be having a great time, and will do my best to keep you updated!