It's Over, Finally!!

At least for two years until the summer Olympics and it starts all over again. I don't know why the Olympics rub me the wrong way, but they sure do. Somewhere in the deepest heart of Africa is a big termite mound which holds more interest to me than do the entire Olympic proceedings.

I'm sick of all the hype preceding and during the games. I'm tired of the "get to know your athletes" commercials. I'm disgusted by the amount of money that gets dropped into the whole thing. But, what frosts my hide most is probably the sudden surge of "patriotism" when Canada wins. Case in point, today's men's hockey game between the US and Canada. Whoopty-frikkin-doo. I've heard and read so many comments from people who say they are so proud to be Canadian. Really?? Just because some professional athletes (only two of which actually play in Canada) - who get paid obscene amounts to skate around and hit each other - get together and win a game, and now you're a proud Canadian.

You want to know why I'm proud to be Canadian? You weren't going to ask, but I'll tell you anyway.

1. Fredrick Banting and Charles Best discovered insulin for the treatment of diabetes. Something that actually has an impact on real life.

2. David Hubel and the mapping of the visual cortex in the brain.

3. Willard Boyle developed CCD's (Charged Coupling Device). Huh? These are the little babies which convert light into digital information. Most commonly used in digital cameras, camcorders, and are also used in telescopes.

4. Aug 20, 2009. The world's first simulation-based brain surgery performed in Halifax. Doctor's took an MRI of a patient's brain and were able to rehearse the removal of a tumor before actually operating. Now, complex neurosurgical procedures can be practiced and tailored to specific patients.

Accomplishments like that make me proud to be Canadian, not a bunch of winter sports. Who cares how fast someone can skate, or ski, or ride head-first on a sled down a huge ice track? Want to make an impact with the olympics? Cancel them and put all the money which would've been spent into something useful like cancer research, housing projects for the homeless, solutions to help end hunger, disaster relief efforts...

At least then there'd be something good to watch on TV.

Restoring My Faith in Stupidity

On Saturday, Trevor and I had the great opportunity to see Tory and Grant from Mythbusters (awesome experience, see Dawn's page for more photos). They came to the University of Lethbridge as part of the "Science Happens Here" event hosted by the Science Alberta Foundation. Apparently, the Mythbusters have had a partnership with the Foundation for a few years now. Who knew?

Anyhow, that's not the stupid part. We showed up to the University just after 5:00 because rush seating started at 6:00 for the show at 7:00 and Trevor wasn't about to take any chances (we were 3rd in line). After an hour of Trevor checking my watch every five minutes, they opened the doors and he was off like a greased pig to get seats at the very front. This is a picture of the seating after about thirty minutes:

Now for the stupid part. There were about eight to ten seats in each of the first two rows which were reserved for University staff who were helping with the event (the Chem department put on a really cool opening act). We were on the second row right beside the reserved section, as close to center as we could get. No word of a lie, with the bleachers and floor seating packed (see photo), four or five groups (not just individuals, but groups of 2-3 people) came all the way to the front wanting to sit in the reserved section. Did they honestly think that the best seats in the house were still vacant when nearly every other available seat was taken?!? Did they stand at the very back and think, "Oh look, awesome seats at the front! No one has spotted them yet, I'd better grab them right away!" And since they were groups of 2-3 people, obviously it didn't occur to anyone else in their party that maybe there's a reason the best seats in the building are still available. Trust me, I'm not sitting off to the side out of the kindness of my heart. After the second or third time, I had to remind myself that pointing out the fallacies in their decision-making paradigms would not be setting a good example for my son.

"You're going to need to talk slower, I don't speak Stupid." I don't know why people get offended when they find out they're stupid, but they sure don't seem to appreciate it. Not like it's my fault...