Friday's Globe and Mail carries an extraordinarily brave and wise letter from Emily Mitchell, mother of Taylor Mitchell, the talented 19-year-old folksinger who died Wednesday Morning from injuries sustained in an extremely unusual coywolf attack on the Skyline Trail. This passage bears special note: I've noticed that the media have often mentioned that Taylor was hiking alone when the coyote attack occurred. I want people to know that Taylor was a seasoned naturalist and well versed in wilderness camping. She loved the woods and had a deep affinity for their beauty and serenity. Tragically it was her time to be taken from...

29 October, 2009

A health worker who reads Contrarian weighs in: You can add to your post that the line-ups should have been triaged—the elderly, frail or disabled, and those with infants or children under five, should have been  moved to the front.  Or, if you smartly use the polling stations, set up a few specifically for these groups. I am appalled at the description of anyone carrying an infant or using a walker having to stand in the same line I would be expected to stand in. Poor planning indeed....

29 October, 2009

Contrarian reader Colin May writes: Thank you for exposing the Fralic twit. And thanks to CBC Halifax for the Tuesday lunchtime phone-in which answered all my questions. Many of us have, or had, parents who were cognisant of the diseases which killed many children. Even I remeber the iron lung. Unfortunately we now have a new generation which has little knowledge of the risks faced by previous generations and now listen to all manner of quackery, theory, and new age nonsense. I'll have the jab because the risk is less than the risk of the disease, and as my RN wife points...

28 October, 2009

How sad that Marilyn MacKay, the Louisdale resident who spent two years in Toronto waiting for a double lung transplant, has died just six days after receiving the surgery. Her MLA, Richmond Liberal Michel Samson, apparently deems this an appropriate time to issue a news release mixing condolences with thinly veiled political point scoring....

28 October, 2009

For anyone who still needs persuading, the Michael Hoh's letter of resignation as the US State Department's Senior Civilian Representative in Zabul Province, Afghanistan, bears reading. As the Atlantic's James Fallows points out: [R]esignations on principle are vanishingly rare in U.S. government practice. It's much easier to keep your head down, protect your career prospects, and when it's over say that you had been against [failed policy xx or yy] all along. Apart from the merits of his argument, Hoh deserves respect for taking this step so forthrightly. Each person who does so creates an example for others to reflect upon. [...

28 October, 2009

The Globe and Mail's André Picard continues to talk sense on H1N1 and the mass vaccination campaign. Moneyquote: In 21st century Canada, risk is a largely unfamiliar concept. In a country of 34 million people that has nearly 400,000 births annually, fewer than 800 children aged 1-14 die each year. (Another 1,200 or so under the age of 1 die, most of congenital abnormalities.) In Canada, the greatest danger to children is falls and motor vehicle collisions. Deaths from infectious disease are remarkably few, in large part due to vaccination. [...

28 October, 2009

A very sad update: The woman attacked by two coywolves succumbed to her injuries overnight. Deepest sympathy to her family and friends for their unimaginable loss. - - - The shocking news that a 19-year-old Toronto-area woman was attacked and "very, very seriously" injured by a pair of coyotes in the Cape Breton Highlands National Park this afternoon will undoubtedly focus attention on recent reports that Eastern Coyotes are in fact a hybrid of coyotes and wolves, or coywolves. We offer heartfelt hopes for a speedy and complete recovery for the unidentified woman, who was hiking on the popular and well used Skyline...

27 October, 2009

A Contrarian reader who is also a public health nutritionist responds to our post about Fralic's foolishness: This Globe and Mail article convinced me of the importance of getting the H1N1 vaccination.  There is so much misinfomation out there, and I hold health reporter Andre Picard's coverage in high regard. Nova Scotians can find the location and schedule of immunization clinics in their District Health Region here. [On the map, click on your DHA.] I plan to take [my children] to the Baddeck clinic and get us done before the rush. Contrarian expects tomorrow's Baddeck clinic, the first in Cape Breton, to be a...

27 October, 2009

In the annals of irresponsible journalism, it would be hard to top Shelley Fralic's recent Vancouver Sun column pooh-poohing the need for 'flu shots. Consider this fair warning to all you germaphobes and nervous Nellies: I will not be getting the swine flu shot. And my hunch is that many other British Columbians of good health and sound mind will also not be heeding the inoculate-'em-all, big and small, entreaties issued this week from federal health authorities, who in an odd singsong of official well-meaning laced with hysteria are encouraging pretty much everyone to line up, in order of priority, for...

27 October, 2009

The Liberal back-room boys have convinced defeated candidate Ian McNeil to seek a recount of last week's vote. McNeil should have stuck with his own better instincts. Fifty votes is a slim margin, but he'll never overcome it in a recount. In the rare occasions when elections are controverted, voters usually punish the candidate who demanded a re-vote....

27 October, 2009
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