Regret to inform...

I am posting to inform you that Red Canuck passed away on October 13, 2009, in Vancouver. He had added me as a contributor to his blog as he started his terminal decline so that I may communicate with his readers after his death. He died peacefully, surrounded by his family.

In addition to being an excellent physician, and an excellent man, he was my big brother and best friend. Navigating through life without his wisdom and expert counsel is an inconceivable task, but one which I now have to face. He once told me how fascinated he was by the nature of the online community. Although he knew many of you only through cyberspace, he gained a sense of some of your personalities and was deeply touched by the comments left on his last post.

RC blogged anonymously because he felt it would be unprofessional for his patients to be made aware of his political opinions and observations. Although that is obviously no longer a consideration, I will respect his view and not write his name here. As many who follow this blog know his identity, I would still like to mention his request that you not send flowers. He preferred that in lieu of flowers, well wishers consider contributing to cancer research.

RC's blog showcased his belief in progress through humanism, rational thinking, and the scientific method. Perhaps one day science will offer us a world in which even the most aggressive cancers cannot deprive us of such a sharp wit and keen intellect. Red Canuck, you enriched the lives of all who knew you. Rest in Peace.

Good Night, And Good Luck

Some of you who have followed this humble blog since its inception may have known that I was lucky enough to have survived a run-in with cancer a few years ago. Although I won that little battle back then, it appears I have lost the war. Cancer is a rather merciless predator, and despite the best efforts of a wonderful group of colleagues, it has returned. This time, I am told, it is terminal.

It has been a wonderful trip, filled with joyous memories, painful tears, and the brilliant heartache that comes from a life of boundless experience. I have lived only 35 years, but I have lived them well. And so I have no regrets, but that I couldn't longer and better know the girl I love - my miss giraffe.

To friends and foes in this odd little "blog world", I wish you nothing but success and good health. And I remind you that, despite whatever small differences we might have, we are all sailors on this same raft.

Good night, and good luck.

UPDATE: Thank you so much to all who have written such kind words in the comments and on their blogs. It reaffirms my faith in humanity that such generosity of spirit can be found amongst people who have never even met each other. Your thoughts and prayers have touched me deeply and are much appreciated. I would be remiss if I did not give a special thank you to my colleagues and to the hematology/oncology staff who have worked tirelessly on my behalf. Finally, please drop by the Canadian Cancer Society webpage and donate if you can. Research today is the cure of tomorrow. And, even more importantly, please consider adding your name to the Bone Marrow Donor Registry...it costs nothing, and you could quite literally give someone the gift of life.

Keep Smiling!

A Few Tears Ago...

Well, Dr Roy is at it again. The man whose blog is a full-time shrine to Oberbefehlsleiter Harper is concerned that Jon Stewart is a little too partisan. And he takes care to let us know that he doesn't find Stewart all that funny. Shocking, that. Presumably, he prefers the comedy stylings of washed-up 80's SNL reject Dennis Miller. If you're reading, Roy, here are a few observations:

• It's Breitbart, dude, not "Breibart". If you're going to cite a source, no matter how rancid, do them the courtesy of spelling their name correctly.
• "That holly wood is very liberal is no surprise". Hollywood, the town, is a single word that starts with a capital H. Holly Wood is a porn star. She may well be liberal, but I really wouldn't know.
• "It's hilarious that stewart said he wanted more civility in public discourse , when his show is just an obamessiah worshipping anti GOP commercial." OK, Roy. Let me explain this to you. Stewart is a comedian. He doesn't claim to be a political pundit, and he regularly refers to TDS as a "fake news show". It's his job to be irreverent. So there is no hypocrisy or contradiction for him to suggest that those people who claim to be pundits, demonstrate some civility rather than just yelling talking points at each other. Secondly, I doubt you have any problems with execrable hacks like Hannity, Limbaugh, and O'Reilly running hyper-partisan GOP-worshipping, anti-Democrat commercials, do you? And lastly, Stewart pokes fun at idiots on both sides of the political spectrum. It's not his fault that most idiots gravitate to the GOP.
• Read my lips: "S-P-E-L-L-C-H-E-C-K-E-R". That is all.
  

The Base Is Not Amused

Wingnut.

Gunnutz.

Oh my. What will happen when the Gunnut Base loses patience with the Wingnut Government? Grab some popcorn and find out!

Limbaugh: Gordon Brown Will Get Anal Poisoning

Sweet mother of God. Certified whackjob and unofficial leader of the GOP, Rush Limbaugh, mused on air that President Obama might give British PM Gordon Brown "anal poisoning". Now this is a diagnosis with which I'm not too familiar, but the image alone is more than disturbing. Also, what the hell does it even mean?



Limbaugh: “But the slobbering [over Barack Obama], the slobbering… this guy, folks I’m telling ya, if he keeps this up throughout the G20, Gordon Brown will come down with anal poisoning and may die from it.”

That will surely be an entertaining 911 call. But honestly, is Rush Limbaugh really the person upon whom the Republican party wants to rebuild? If so, Democrats can rest easy.

Senator Duffy Gives Speech, Stuffs Face

In case you've been wondering what Senator Fatty McDildo's been up to lately, he's been out earning his public salary by shilling for small town jerkwater Conservative candidates - that's what!

“I think senators work harder than we journalists ever gave them credit for,” he said, chuckling.

We journalists? Ho ho ho ho, that lardy clown, pretending he used to be a journalist, when we all know he was actually a comedian! Back then, he used to make funny jokes like this:

"I said 'I'm not much of a partisan.' [Duffy] said 'We've got lots of partisans, we don't need any more partisans"

But that was back when times were simple, men were men, and trans-fats were all the rage. Nowadays, the good Senator Duffy is being paid by Joe Q Taxpayer, and is rolling himself from town to town spreading non-partisan messages like this:

“The Conservative Party is not your grandfather’s party, it is the party that will take Canada into the future — you have many achievements to be proud of. [...] "What kind of work do I think Michael Ignatieff is doing? He works very hard and he is doing the work of three people — Larry, Moe and Curly,” said Duffy in a series of rapid-fire jokes. “What is the difference between a member of the NDP and a Liberal? About $500 of suit material,” went another.

Ha ha ha ha! Zinnng! Curiously, that's also the difference between Duffy and a normal-sized human being. But I digress. The point is that (pound for pound) Mike Duffy is the funniest Senator in Canada.

More Conservative Lies

Usually, when you're marginally qualified and abysmally incompetent at doing something, you don't go around publicizing it. For instance, Paris Hilton has appeared in B-movies such as House of Wax and Bottoms Up, but even she would scarcely call herself an actress. That's why it is amazing to me that Stephen Harper continues to refer to himself as an "economist". The man has been absolutely and unequivocally WRONG about every single opinion he's delivered on the state of the Canadian economy since last fall. So it was no big surprise today to find out that his January economic forecast was...wait for it...WRONG.

Canada's federal budget watchdog warned MPs yesterday that the worsening recession has rendered the Harper government's January economic forecasts obsolete, predicting Ottawa will slide $10-billion deeper into deficit over the next 24 months with near-record levels of red ink ahead.

Ouch. And that's coming from the guy who the Conservatives appointed to be the Parliamentary Budget Officer! The response was typically idiotic.

Conservative MP Mike Wallace said Mr. Page shouldn't have jumped to that conclusion and urged more focus on good news. “I believe part of the issue facing Canada and the world is we need some of the positive stuff.[...]I myself purchased two cars these past two weeks. I am doing my share."

What the fuck? How totally out of touch is this whackjob? Hey Mike, I'm sure your out-of-work pensionless constituents in Burlington will be plum fucking thrilled to hear that you just bought two new cars, you brainless douchebag. Hell, that kind of news alone might just fix our whole economy, dontcha think?

BONUS TRACK: MORE CONSERVATIVE "ACCOUNTABILITY"

On Wednesday [Page] told MPs that he's also having difficulty getting the federal Finance Department to provide him the raw financial data he needs for his analysis and forecasting.
Tory MPs defended withholding some documents, saying they've obtained a legal opinion that the confidentiality of Harper cabinet deliberations could be compromised by giving them to the office.