Ann Coulter visit sets off furor LOND ...

Ann Coulter visit sets off furor

LONDON, Ont. – American conservative firebrand Ann Coulter won’t be in London until Monday but already the dust is flying.

Local activist and one-time NDP candidate Megan Walker says of Coulter, “She’s venomous . . . She crosses the line and promotes hatred and violence.”

Walker’s comments provoked a response from a woman instrumental in bringing Coulter to London, Mary Lou Ambrogio, whose group, the International Free Press Society, is paying $10,000 for the appearance, the balance of Coulter’s fee coming from an American group that promotes conservatism in young women, the Claire Boothe Luce Policy Institute.

read more http://www.torontosun.com/news/canada/2010/03/20/13300156.html

[Via http://obennation.com]

Mariners Reach

Ok, it is not Nova Scotia, it is New Brunswick, but Mariners Reach is a great scenic location for building a home.

See and download the full gallery on posterous

Posted via email from Nova Scotia

[Via http://yimvmd.wordpress.com]

Canada has more economic freedom than the United States: The Heritage Foundation

The conservative Heritage Foundation, no friend of socialism, has ranked Canada ahead of the United States in economic freedom, at 7th and 8th place, respectively.

From their 2010 Index of Economic Freedom, the top 10 countries with the most economic freedom in descending order are:

• Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Switzerland, Canada, United States, Denmark and Chile.

Ranked by Business Freedom, Trade Freedom, Fiscal Freedom, Government Spending, Monetary Freedom, Investment Freedom, Financial Freedom, Property Rights, Freedom from Corruption, and Labor Freedom, Canada beats the U.S. on 7 out of 10, ties on Investment Freedom, and falls behind only on Government Spending and Labor Freedom.

Particularly embarrassing to the U.S. should be Canada’s ranking of 90% for Property Rights versus 85% for the U.S., given that the U.S. Constitution explicitly provides for just compensation for the taking of property, and the Canadian Constitution does not. Instead, it leaves property rights to the jurisdiction of the provincial legislatures. Even the Chinese Constitution provides for compensation for the taking of property, whereas Canada’s doesn’t.

[Via http://fauxcapitalist.com]

Predator Drones On U.S.-Mexico Border

Predator drones will be employed to track illegal immigrants on the Mexico-California border. The high tech plane, an unmanned aerial vehicle or UAV, typically used in military combat, has become an important tool in the border war. Called the Predator, it’s designed for surveillance and can spot someone carrying a backpack from an altitude of 19,000 feet. Drones are already used on the border of Texas and Arizona. Electronic tracking equipment looks for illegal immigrants crossing into California.

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Nigeria Religious Riots Kill More Than 200

Obama Illegal Afghanistan War

Obama Remains Silent As Scores Die In Nigeria

Violence (WARNING GRAPHIC VIDEO)

Obama Ignore Nigeria Killings, Like Clinton

Did With Rwanda (WARNING GRAPHIC VIDEO)

The Afghanistan War

Military Deaths In Afghanistan

Obama Afghanistan Plan?

Liberal’s Anti-War Hypocrisy.?

Obama’s Keeps Silent About The Afghanistan War

US Soldiers Shoot Bomber, Grenade Explodes In His

Hands (WARNING GRAPHIC VIDEO)

[Via http://emptysuit.wordpress.com]

Vintage Baby

I made this card a while back and haven’t had the chance to post it – so here goes!

The base is So Saffron and I layered it on the bottom with More Mustard and on top with So Saffron Designer Paper. I really love the tone-on-tone effect of these colours together. The designer paper has been sponged with a decor stencil from Elegant Trio stencil set (using More Mustard ink) and the edges have also been sponged.

The bottom layer is Sweet Pea designer paper which was again sponged and I also stamped over the pattern with the Very Vintage jumbo wheel and So Saffron ink.

Along the seam where to two designer papers meet, I adhered a More Mustard layer which was punched with the Eyelet Border punch and tied over some 5/8″ Chocolate Chip grosgrain ribbon. I added a big bow and on it a More Mustard button and a tag from Tiny Tags which I punched out with the Medium Jewelry tag punch.

For the centre image, I stamped the buggy from Puns from the Past in Chocolate Chip craft ink and sponged the edges with So Saffron. I adhered this to a More Mustard layer and distressed the edges.

To finish the vintage look, I took my Chocolate Chip marker and Spritzer tool and spritzed the entire card.

Thanks for stopping by!

Products used on this project – CLICK HERE to buy them NOW!

Cardstock: So Saffron, Whisper White, More Mustard.

Ink: So Saffron, Chocolate Chip craft, More Mustard.

Stamps: Puns from the Past, Tiny Tags, Very Vintage Jumbo Wheel.

Accessories: 5/8″ Chocolate Chip grosgrain, Earth Elements buttons, Medium Jewelry tag punch, Spritzer tool, Eyelet border punch, Elegant Trio decor stencils, Stampin’ Sponges, Sweet Pea DSP, So Saffron DSP, linen thread.

[Via http://artisticavenger.wordpress.com]

Paralympic Winter Games kicks off in Canada

Paralympic Winter Games kicks off in Canada

QĐND – Sunday, March 14, 2010, 21:39 (GMT+7)

The Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games officially opened in the Canadian province of British Columbia on March 12 night (local time).

As many as 35,000 spectators and officials, including Governor General Michaelle Jean and Prime Minister Stephen Harper, attended the opening ceremony, which was organised at BC Place Stadium.

A two-hour show featured a cast of 5,000 people performing music, dance and songs around a theme of “One inspires many”.

A new flame lit the cauldron here just twelve days after the Winter Olympic flame was extinguished. The Paralympic torch relay arrived in Vancouver on March 10 for the final leg of its journey before the start of March 12’s opening ceremony in Vancouver. About 600 torchbearers are participating nationwide.

The Paralympic torch was carried into the stadium jointly by Betty and

Rolly Fox, parents of Terry Fox, a forever-young Canadian hero who died in 1981 at 22 after running — on one leg — 5,300 kilometres in 143 days, to raise funds for cancer research.

Fox’s attempt to run across all of Canada was foiled when his cancer

returned, but today millions of people in 30 countries take part in an annual Terry Fox run.

The Paralympics, which run from March 12-21, features 1,350 athletes, trainers and support staff from 44 countries and regions.

The athletes will compete in five sports and 64 medal events, including wheelchair curling, ice sledge hockey, Alpine skiing and the Nordic skiing encompassing biathlon and cross-country skiing.

Source: VNA

Source: QDND

[Via http://myvietnamnews.com]

Blogtrotting - Welcome to Kingston

I just recently discovered the BlogTrotting site, after I read my friend Jessica’s post about Austin, Texas, and I thought it was a great idea so I signed up. Having said that, I probably should have considered the fact that I don’t necessarily live in the most exciting city in North America, let alone Canada, or even Ontario. But it is my hometown, and I’ve lived here almost my entire life, and it most certainly deserves a visit.

So here are some basics about my hometown: *It is located in South Eastern Ontario, surrounded by beautiful Lake Ontario, and is a major port to the Thousand Islands

*Kingston was the first capital of Canada, and is the home of Canada’s first Prime Minister, Sir John A Macdonald (who is also buried here) *The population of Kingston proper is approximately 117,000 and approx. 153,000 when including surrounding townships *It is also known as the “Limestone City” because many of the local, historic buildings are built from the local limestone. * Do you need a little education? Queen’s University, one of the oldest universities in Canada, and most beautiful is also located in Kingston. It’s a gorgeous campus, filled with many smart profs that will be sure to stress you out for as long as you’re there (yes I speak from experience). Along with my alma mater, you will find St. Lawrence College and R.M.C. (the Royal Military College of Canada) – Canada’s only military university. Kingston is also home to the oldest high school in Canada, K.C.V.I., again my alma mater.

Have you been a bad boy (or girl)? If you happen to break the law, then you may end up in one of the 9 institutions located in and around Kingston – yes, we are famous for having the most federal correctional facilities in Canada. Seriously, though, isn’t that a pretty penitentiary?? That definitely deserves at least a banner I think.

* It’s good enough for Bryan Adams to be born here, then it’s good enough for you too dammit! There are many well known individuals who are from Kingston and/or make their home here including several NHLers and musicians. They include: Don Cherry, Doug Gilmour, Kirk Muller, John Kay (Steppenwolf), The Tragically Hip, Zal Yanovsky (The Lovin’ Spoonful), Sarah Harmer, and Dan Akroyd. There are also many notable authors that live or once lived in Kingston, and being a book lover, I can absolutely appreciate this. Some authors you may recognize include: Helen Humphreys, Diane Schoemperlen, Robertson Davies, Merilyn Simonds, and Steven Heighton. * What to do, What to do I will admit that although I am not a fan of winter ANYWHERE, I do really enjoy the warmer months in Kingston, because there is always something going on. There are many festivals that occur every year, that bring in thousands of tourists and we try to attend as many as we can. Our favorite is the Busker’s Festival, but we also enjoy the Blues festival, the Jazz festival, and Febfest. We also enjoy attending theatre, the Kingston Symphony and other musical events at the local Grand Theatre and KROCK Centre. And for the outdoorsy types, there are many beautiful trails to enjoy, as well as fresh water sailing, diving and golf. Well, that’s as much Kingston as I’m willing to share with you over the internet. I hope you enjoyed your short, but filled-with-love tour. If you’re ever in my little city, let me know and I’ll let you buy me a drink. Cheers.

[Via http://mommymaria.wordpress.com]

National Pride Online

Why do so few companies in Canada actively promote a .ca domain name?  Have we no sense of pride?  For the record, I have two websites (including talkinghead.ca) that both use Canadian domain names.

You don’t have to look far to find a big company that promotes its .com domain name over a .ca.  Shame on the likes of Scotiabank and The Bay.  Shame.

Why do they do it?

It is just too easy.  Not only is “dot-com” a major part of pop culture but it is also only two syllables and rolls off the tongue more easily.  Perhaps the extra syllable in a Canadian “dot-C-A” makes it unpalatable to marketers trying to establish an online brand.

Shining Beacons of Canadiana (found in occasionally unusual places)

The once proudly Canadian-owned Future Shop still plugs it’s Canadian roots with a patriotic red colour scheme and it’s FutureShop.ca website.

Chapters and Indigo.  Prior to Indigo’s acquisition of Chapters Bookstores, their online property was Chapters.com.  Now that Indigo has a near monopoly on retail book selling in Canada, their merged website appropriately reflects the Canadian heritage and ownership of both companies.  Chapters.com, Chapters.ca, indigo.ca and even worldsbiggestbookstore.ca all reroute your browser to the unusually cobranded domain chapters.indigo.ca.

Even Americans playing in the Canadian sandbox tend to keep their Canadian sites separate, using .com for the US property and .ca to distinguish its Canadian site.  Online powerhouses like Amazon and Yahoo use the top level domain to distinguish their sites.  American Electronics retailer Best Buy, owner of Future Shop, also has stores and a website in Canada on a .ca domain.

Are companies that push dot-com being un-Canadian?  Or is it simply better for business?  You tell me.

© 2010 http://talkinghead.ca

[Via http://talkinghead.ca]

happenings..

here’s a photo I took the other day while out shooting a few things for Toronto Life. I’ll have a number of new things to post after the April issue of Toronto Life drops (which i believe happens next week!) but they’ll have to hold off till then. keep an eye out for the April issue and for my photo creds.

[Via http://devinjeffreyblog.wordpress.com]

Iggy blows it again

Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff made the following statement  in 2002 when he was still calling himself an American. In those years he used “we” several times referring to himself ..until the cynical Liberals brought back the saviour and parachuted him to the leadership of the party.Then he backed off what he said in 2002:

When I looked down at the West Bank and the settlement like Crusader forts occupying the high ground at the Israek security cordon along the Jordan river closing off the Palestinian lands from Jordan I knew I was not looking down atb a sate or the beginnings of one but at a Bantustan one of those pseudo-staes created in the dying years of apartheid to keep the African population under control.

Compare this with his motherhood lies last week about Israeli Apartheid week when he sated that those particiapting in the week were ”attemting to demonize and undermine the legitimacy of the Jewish state.”

Iggy of course was bitten badly  during the Lebanon war and the Israeli lobby almost decapitated him.Once bitten , twice shy. Read this nonsense. It’s no wonder even with Harper  at the helm the Libs can’’t challenge.

“On university campuses across the country this week, Israeli Apartheid Week will once again attempt to demonize and undermine the legitimacy of the Jewish state. It is part of a global campaign of calls for divestment, boycotts and proclamations, and it should be condemned unequivocally and absolutely.

Apartheid is defined, in international law, as a crime against humanity. Israeli Apartheid Week is a deliberate attempt to portray the Jewish state as criminal.

The activities planned for the week will single out Jewish and Israeli students. They will be made to feel ostracized and even physically threatened in the very place where freedom should be paramount — on a university campus.

Let us be clear: criticism of Israeli government policy is legitimate. Wholesale condemnation of the State of Israel and the Jewish people is not legitimate. Not now, not ever.

The very premise of Israeli Apartheid Week runs counter to our shared values of mutual respect and tolerance, regardless of nationality, race or creed. It is an attempt to heighten the tensions in our communities around the tragic conflict in the Middle East.

On behalf of the Liberal party of Canada and the Parliamentary caucus, I urge all Canadians to join with us in condemning Israeli Apartheid Week, and to reject, in principle, all forms of anti-Semitism, racism and intolerance, both within this country and around the world.”

[Via http://theologyinthevineyard.wordpress.com]

Young professionals have the highest probability of immigration to Canada in 2010

In view of the fact that Canada is rated one of the best places to live in the world, it's no wonder that the selection of some 250,000 immigrants living in Canada each year. If you add the cost relatively low standard of living, good health and education and a well-paying jobs – it sounds like the land of your dreams.

If you have decided to move to Canada, there are several ways to do it. For example, the business immigration, immigration class family, the experience and classImmigration. However, persons who qualify under the criteria of the skilled working class, the highest probability of their dream to live, like Canada are the plans concerning the adoption of 101,000 new skilled worker immigrants in 2010 and the province of Quebec is the larger percentage of them.

The important thing is to be done before considering the application for immigration to Quebec to see if you qualify for this program. People who speak French, have work experience, higher education, a job offer fromQuebec, an employer or relatives who live in Quebec have the highest chance of qualification.

Presenting the next step in the process of an official application for immigration. This is where professionals can help. You can ensure that all documents for immigration to fill in for the preparation of candidates for the interview and the status of your application.

After applying immigration is successful, you must decide whereto regulate themselves through the life and work space and improve your skills in French. Once in Quebec, you need an official integration, which will obtain information on the documents needed to rent an apartment and include your children seen in school. If necessary, he go to a course in French. During the first, there are plenty of free information sessions that immigrants new to say how quickly adapt their lives, Quebec,introduce the values of society, Quebec and the details of everyday life.

My Links : mayan 2012 true End of The World 2012 Nostradamus Prediction

[Via http://mayan2012true.wordpress.com]

Garmin nvi 765/765T 4.3-Inch Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator with Traffic - $184.99

The nuvi 765T offers full preloaded coverage mapping for the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. Featuring a number of handy routing and communication features to an already impressive list of specs, including a 4.3-inch widescreen display, text-to-speech capabilities, media player, and FM transmitter for transmitting audio–including directions and MP3 music and audiobooks–from the device to your car radio. List Price: $499.99 Price: $184.99 You Save: $315.00 (63%) Expires Mar 9, 2010 Date Published: Mon, 08 Mar 2010 08:00:00 GMT Visit Address Link: SB Link Address

Please click on the following link to visit this daily featured deal.

Deal Address Click Here

[Via http://shoppingbagger.wordpress.com]

Hair and There.

Fort Worth Flu & Canada Chemo Update:

The Fort Worth Flu-Man (or as he has been calling himself, after 4 days without a shower, “President of the Clean Hair Club”) is slowly on the mend. He actually managed to stay out of bed for most of the day and while his stomach is still a bit “off”, he is managing actual meals. Well, if a steady diet of soup can be considered meals…

I am so glad that he is feeling better. In all our years of marriage, I don’t think I have ever seen him so ill, and the last time he missed more than a day of work was way back in the early ’90’s, when he hurt his back. This is a man who just never gets sick, so this has been a rather unnerving experience.  I can’t help but feel that this is his body’s way of forcing him to take a break. He has been training for a very long time, what with all the triathlons, marathons, half-marathons, century rides, etc. (not to mention the 70.3 Ironman of last autumn) in which he has competed in the last 14 months. And I don’t think it is a coincidence that this illness comes right on the heels of the Cowtown Marathon, and at the end of a six-week stretch in which his life has been turned sideways by my absence.

But his illness has afforded a few light-hearted moments, at least for his wife. I tend to be the uninhibited partner in this relationship, and it is not at all unusual to find me wandering semi-clad around the house, and yes, I admit, around the yard as well (we do have an 8 foot privacy fence, after all….) But Doug is usually a little more modest than that. So it was with much amusement on Saturday afternoon that I looked up from pulling weeds in the garden to find my sick-as-a-dog husband standing in the middle of the yard, talking on the telephone – clad only in his underwear. In the midst of an animated conversation with the other star of this particular post – my mother – he seemed oblivious to the fact that, while it is seasonably warm, nonetheless it is still only early March, and definitely not underwear weather…. Just another little strange moment in my current life.

As for the the other star of this post, well, she is coping as well as can be expected with the current round of chemo. She, of course, is not well – but to date, she has not experienced the violent sickness of the first round. Each round brings with it a few more lessons and a little more experience with handling the side effects, and though excelling at chemo really isn’t a goal most people want to attain, knowing what to expect if you have to endure it is really is helpful.

I am so happy that my aunt, Carm, is staying with her through this round. My original plan had been to be there for every round of chemo, but when those plans fell through this time,  Aunt Carm stepped up to the plate and made it so much easier for me to leave without worrying. And it is doubly appreciated considering that Doug is sick – the worry on two fronts would have been unbearable.

When I left, Mom had lost a lot of her hair and was considering cutting off the rest. She suggested that I cut it for her, but I was leery, afraid I might hurt her. Aunt Carm, however, was comfortable with the task, and Mom reports that she now has no hair at all. Which is a good thing – it makes wigs and scarves more comfortable. Apparently, it is also a lot more comfortable to be bald than it is to be balding – I hadn’t realized, as I’m sure most people don’t, that losing your hair during chemo makes your scalp very tender.

So, that pretty much sums it up. One man getting ready to wash his hair. One woman now past losing hers. And both of them working on getting better.

[Via http://paythepiper.wordpress.com]

Banality 2010 - Canadian Federal Budget

There’s only way to make a Canadian Federal budget exciting, and that’s to read Andrew Coyne’s inevitable diatribe concerning it’s existential threat to national solvency. After the government became born-again Keynesians with January 2009’s budget, Coyne  himself said his prayers for conservatism. So instead of a shocking betrayal of the ideals he supports, Coyne interprets what happened Thursday as the descent of those ideas into oblivion. For him there aren’t many smiles to be had right now.

Despite this entertaining flogging, what interested me more than the ideological perspective was a note of consensus I recognized along both the left and the right, specifically between Coyne’s writing and Progressive Economist Erin Weir’s take. Both used words such as “empty”, “recycled”, “flippant”, and a “whimper”, and bore less anger than contempt and disappointment. While there were certainly major differences in opinion, both sides agreed that the budget generally lacked direction.

Erin, ever the progressive, ran through his list of social issues the budget in no particular way attempts to tackle, such as poverty and the environment. He goes further to take note of the fact that the rich will be the major beneficiaries of a lowered corporate tax rate, and that environmental erosion will be a probable consequence of policy declarations such as these:

The Government is taking steps in Budget 2010 to further improve the regulatory review process for large energy projects. Responsibility for conducting environmental assessments for energy projects will be delegated from the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency to the National Energy Board and the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission for projects falling under their respective areas of expertise.

Coyne’s lengthy rant a year ago disparaged the scattered approach to spending that in his estimation also drived, practically speaking, at nothing in particular.

What if Right-Wingers are wrong in worrying about how much governments are spending as opposed to worrying about on what governments are spending? And what if Left-Wingers are foolish in believing that the state can take on every one social injustice under the sun with one budget? If so, then Stephen Harper back in 2009  could have carved his own path by committing the government to a smaller number of more demanding projects.

Instead of splitting the money up for infrastructure, tourism, EI and the like, the Canadian government could for example focus all it’s energies in finding a source of energy alternative to oil. A move like that would certainly get money out in the hands of people and invite foreign investment, but it might also transform Canada into the global authority on future sources of energy. Lefties will be put on the spot to support the greenness of it all, and Andrew Coyne might be able to keep his rhetoric in check if he knew that Federal spending had a point.

That is, unless the Tories are planning to use blandness to rocket out of statistical deadlock at the polls.

[Via http://candybaragitator.wordpress.com]

Vancouver 2010

Well the Vancouver Olympics finished a few days ago. I have to say it was a pretty good Olympics this time. Of course I’m biased being Canadian myself. I was really happy to see how well Canada did this time, a total of 26 medals. With 14 gold medals! That’s actually the highest ever in the Winter Olympics. The last record was 13 set by the Russians back in the 1970’s. So well done Canada. We rock!!

My only complaint was the coverage by NHK was kind of poor. They didn’t show many events, and mostly only showed the Japanese athletes (How many times do I need to see a feature on a mogul skier that only came in fourth place! Apparently around 10 times).  At least it was better than the last summer Olympics where they edited the events to only the Japanese athletes competing.

[Via http://insendai.wordpress.com]

Of Note: British Columbia

Contrary to what you may have seen during the closing ceremony for the Olympics (or the ‘lympits as they’re called in our house, as in what Samson is training for what he’s in his jolly jumper), Canadians are not obsessed with mounties, beavers, and/or lumberjacks. Over the next few weeks, Of Note will be featuring Canadian artists, so you can get a taste of what we’re really aboot. Where better to start than British Columbia?! I’ve never been west of Ontario, but I have it on good authority that BC (the interior of it, anyway) is a wonderful place. My goodness, if the scenery isn’t enough to draw you westward, perhaps these craftspeople will.

1. Paperclip Chandelier Tutorial from ReDesign Technologies, Merritt, BC.

2. Turquoise Rain Drops Earrings from Tomo Jewelry, Winfield, BC.

3. Organic Wool Diaper Cover from Wildflower Mama Designs, Kimberley, BC.

4. Corroded Cuff II from C.G. Whitfield, 100 Mile House, BC.

5. Modelling Beeswax from Twinkle of My Eye, Logan Lake, BC.

6. Subway Roll Inspired Sign “Vancouver–the Olympic City 2010″ from Signs of Vintage, Kelowna, BC.

7. Barnwood Earring Frame from Paradise Hill Designs, Northwoods of BC.

8. Retro Floral Dress from Paper Doll Vintage, Vancouver, BC.

9. Aqua Aura Quartz Crystal Ring from My Little Eye by elseetee, Vancouver, BC.

Enjoy.

[Via http://tinypants.wordpress.com]

The Dark Side of Israeli Apartheid Week

Beginning Monday, Canadian university campuses play host to an annual event known as Israeli Apartheid Week, where Israel is assigned the role of Jew among the nations – singled-out, cursed and harassed.

Islamic preachers at University campuses during the anti-Jewish student week.

The whiff of something medieval hangs over this March ritual. One activist group behind Israeli Apartheid Week, the Ottawa Public Interest Research Group, refused in 2008 to promote a lecture on African development because Jewish students at the University of Ottawa happened to be organizing it.

The event had zero connection to Israel, but OPIRG said it wouldn’t partner with the Jewish students’ union due to the latter’s “relationship to apartheid Israel.”

Of all the sponsors of Israeli Apartheid Week, the participation of gay and lesbian groups is most disheartening.

Harvard University’s Alan Dershowitz reminds us that Israel is the one country in the Middle East where they’d be able to hold a gay rights sign in public and not be lynched. Criticizing Israel does not make one an anti-Semite anymore than criticizing the government of France makes one anti-French. But it’s one thing to criticize France and another to declare the French nation illegitimate and to advocate its dismantling.

For that’s what Israeli Apartheid Week is about. It is the fanatical, disproportionate focus on Israel – no other country is subjected to a week-long hatefest at university campuses – that points to something darker going on.

Source: Ottawa Citizen-Canada, Leonard Stern

My comment: Watch this video

[Via http://ivarfjeld.wordpress.com]

The Olympics - A Metaphor for Life

With the 2010 Winter Olympics now history (all over but the whining…), several of the matches were poignant reminders of how fate, kismet, destiny or whatever you believe drives the reality of the moment, regardless of whatever else you done up to this moment in time.

Nowhere (other than perhaps Chile) was it more apparent how important it is to live in the moment, as was demonstrated in the final days of the Olympic competitions. Several events come to mind: the falls taken by a few competitors on the slopes and on the speed tracks, Cheryl Bernard’s loss of the gold medal in Women’s Curling, and the all-out battle for supremacy in the Canada-USA men’s gold medal hockey final.

Cheryl Bernard and her team fought, practiced and drilled their way up the ranks to reach the gold medal match against the Swedish team skipped by Annette Norberg. Norberg, a previous two-time gold medal winner, was no stranger to the Olympic final test. Bernard was tasting her first Olympics, and by all accounts, was seriouly challenging Norberg for the gold.

This was evident right up to the last end of the extended final set with both teams tied, and with Cheryl having both the strength and the tremendous burden of the last rock. Unlucky enough not to have a house that was secure before her throw, Cheryl had to set aside everything that had been achieved before to try and confirm the final, last, defining moment of the past four years of her curling life.

Alas, her final rock was good enough, but not fast enough, to clear the house. There, but for a push of a muscle, or the sweep of a colleague or God knows what lay in its path, the sum total of all of the years gone before was reduced to an infinitesimal amount of energy in an infinitesimal moment of time, and it wasn’t quite enough.

It would easy to dismiss the loss as “she didn’t make it”, but that would be doing a great disservice to her and her team mates that brought her and the country to that “infinitesimal moment in time”. Bernard and her team mates played as the champions they are, bringing the game, and the medals, down to the moment where she had to let the stone go, and hand the outcome to fate.

I’m not so much feeling sorry for Cheryl as to how it turned out, but rather, comiserating with her that it turned out the way it did. There really was no second place in this particular competitiion and it was evident that Cheryl felt it as she made her way down the ice after the rock had ended its journey in the house. Everything was riding on that last rock, and fate did not smile on her. It was a gold medal run, but unfortunately there was only one medal to hand out.

Similarily, the Canada-USA men’s gold medal match came down to the same pair of short straws. This time Canada, via Sidney Crosbie, pulled it out of the bag in overtime at the last moment.

But the Olympics are no different than life. The sum total of all you have done may result no more than a footnote in the history of life, and lucky if it is at least that. The proverbial stepping off the curb to meet the oncoming bus lies in wait for us all. Life happens in the moment, and its in the moment that Canada’s Olympic athletes are obliged to live. That alone, should be the signal metaphor for us all, each and every day.

[Via http://editorialtimes.wordpress.com]