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PBS Junkies: Overmedicating Children

The Wiz and I are genuinely addicted to PBS. Frontline in particular.
Over the weekend, when not watching Nature shows, we caught a particularly interesting segment: Medicating Kids.
The premise is that with over 1,000,000 kids being medicated for psychological disorders that may or may not be diagnosed accurately, what sort of future are we creating, and what impacts are being had on young brains.

For the longest time, pharmaceutical companies had never tested the effects of adult drugs on children, and it was only when President Clinton *bribed* them with patent extensions, that drug manufacturers ponied up for the tests.

Now today, Fox news has an interesting article about a study that indicates US kids take anti-psychotic medicines at 6 times the rate of UK kids.

Questions come to mind:

1. Is there a relationship between the capitalism of US healthcare and the inappropriate proscribing of medications?
2. Is there a relationship between parenting and overmedicating? In the PBS show, they followed 3 families - 2 of the 3 looked like they'd been spending a considerable amount of time in the shallow end of the gene pool.
3. Is medicating a child a cop out for lazy parenting and even lazier medical specialists?

One of the girls chronicled in the PBS special was given anti-psychotic medication simply because she had *illusions of grandeur* and talked of things *not consistent with reality*. She was 4. A 4 year old girl was medicated because she had an imagination.

I'm looking for comparable stats for Canadian Children. If anyone has seen any - leave a comment!!
Technorati Tags: PBS, FoxTV, Medicating Children

testing of Scribefire

for the past week - scribefire hasn't worked.Does it work now?Did the last update fix something?

Forget the Wallet, Bring Your Finger

TNS surveyed 4,500 consumers in Canada, the U.S., Britain, China, France, Germany, Japan and Spain in February. Forty-one per cent said biometric fingerprint identification has “high appeal.”

Canadian shoppers forsee fingerprint scanning > Identity Management

I would relish the idea of fingerprint scan instead of debit card.  The ease of it all, especially in this day and age when any greaseball can pop a card reader on a bank machine or debit reader and poof, all your savings are gone.   Just a few weeks ago, a friend of mine lost over $700, right in Ontario, because of a scam like this.  Fingerprint and PIN.   Easy as snapping your fingers.:-)

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Tags: fingerprintscanning, debit, shopping

Hell Hath No Fury.... Like a Telecom Scorned

Senior bureaucrats were called upon to defend the way Peel tenders out contracts on Thursday after several telecommunication firms accused the region of unfair business practices.

Imagine that you’ve lost an RFP (request for proposal) to provide services to one of your customers.Now imagine that you decide to accuse your customer of unfair business practices. Publically, officially, and likely with some measure of prejudice. That’s exactly what Black Box Network Services and Allstream have done with the Region of Peel over the proposal of a new telephony system for the municipality. 

Avaya Canada was awarded the contract, but both Allstream and Black Box Networks are calling foul with regards to the decision making process.  Let’s take a step back:  What sort of message does this send to Allstream’s or Black Box Network’s customer base?   What sort of damage does this action have towards other relationships with municipalities? Perhaps one good thing will come out of this: structured decision making criteria.   Shame on the region of Peel for not providing it, and shame on the bidders for not demanding it. :-)

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Tags: Allstream, Avaya, Region of Peel, Black Box Networks, telecom

8 Weeks to a Greener Planet: 50 Ways to Help the Planet

50 Ways to Help the Planet  To supplement my 8 Weeks to a Greener Planet, I thought I’d share 50 easy ways to greening.  Chock full of common sense ideas, 50 Ways to Help the Planet is easy on the eyes, provides options that are easy on the expended effort to *greenify* your life. 5 ideas I grabbed:

1. Don’t pre-heat your oven
2. Turn off your computer at night
3. Go vegetarian once a week (no, this isn’t suggesting that you *eat* a vegetarian!)
4. Banning bathtime in favour of showers (i’m already working on this one with the chickadees)
5. Buy second hand - I’m going to publish a list of neat second hand places that you might not be aware of in the region in the coming days.

So - go easy - go green!

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Tags: Environment, Planet, Green

Pizza Pizza vs Pizza Hut: Head to Head

About 7 months ago, I wrote about being plagued with bad pizza, and bad pizza on-line order tools.I've got an update: Pizza Hut now has a reasonable on-line order tool. Well, perhaps I'm being too kind - but atleast NOW they've got an online order tool. The first time I ordered, I utterly screwed up, and ended up with 2 extra large, cheese only pizzas. :-) The entire household looked at me as if it was my first day on the internets ;-)I'm still blocked by Pizzaville, so they are still out of my bookmarks. But now I've got options for dinner :-)

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Tags: PizzaHut, Pizzaville, PizzaPizza

Plug In Cars: Just in Time

With gas prices hovering at $1.20/litre, it's a little tingly to read about what automakers are finally doing with cars, technology and the environment.  Today's Globe and Mail has a neat announcement about California pushing the industry into the 21st century - a la plug-in cars.It's a bold move - California mandating the minimum number of hybrid, or plugin cars that manufacturers have to have sold - starting 2012.By then, gas will be at $2.50/litre ... and we will be looking for some sort of respite in travel.

This week, auto parts maker Magna joined the race to build a plug-in hybrid and said it plans to have a prototype on the road next year or in 2010.

globeandmail.com: globeauto.com California jump-starts the plug-in race

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Tags: California, Plugin Cars, Hybrids

Summize: Your Twitter Friend

I’ll admit it - I’m not so good with Twitter yet - I want to be. And then I found Summize And wow.  I’m not on twitter enough to be good.  I’ve yet to find the perfect Twitter tool.  The Flock Twitter bar is a bit lacking. :-)  And I’d rather not download a client if I don’t have to.  I know I should.. but still. 

I really want to tweet on things of interest, not any old thing.  And I never knew who was tweeting about things I was interested in. Until now.  You can do twitter searches in Summize that simply can rock your world.  If you belong to a company, and want to put your real ear to the grapevine, the things you can hear being discussed are mind boggling… ahem, Rogers. :-)

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Tags: Summize, Twitter, Flock

Miley and Hannah: Alter Egos

Alter egos? Multiple Personalities? How else can you explain the faux pas of the week with Vanity Fair’s photo spread of Myley Syrus that has the internets up in arms, and parents wishing for the simpler times of Mr DressUp?

I’m curious to see the not-so-PG photos of Miley, but really only because Annie Liebovitz was the photogapher. If you are going to cause a stir, might as well do it with one of the most interesting photographers on the planet ;-)Still, we are still just recovering from the announcement of Jamie Spears *delicate* condition.  Disney must be rethinking their contract language for their teen stars. Can anyone say *morality clause*? So much for role models for pre-teens. :-)

Behind the Scenes with Miley Cyrus: Entertainment & Culture: vanityfair.com

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Tags: MileyCyrus, Hannah Montana, Disney

How Come No One Told Me About Splashup!?

I’m on page 28 of Connect! and stumbled across a photo editing web app that I’d never heard of before…. Splashup. It was 2 minutes before I powered up the Mac and dove right in. Splashup is to Picnik, as PhotoShop is to Paint.net. If you want to do standard editing, and take advantage of a zillion neat filters and effects, then Picnik is your pal. If you need to make something from scratch, and have all the power of layers, then Splashup is your buddy. Holy cow. Technorati Tags: Connect!, splashup, picnik

Book Review: Things I Learned About My Dad In Therapy

I am not a book reviewer. I am a book reader. Fortunately for you, gentle reader, this fact isn’t going to stop me from sharing the love for Heather Armstrong’s new book: Things I Learned About My Dad in Therapy. One word: HOLY.

Heather has managed to cobble together with love and literary harmony a dozen or so essays, written by real people (who coincidently have a real knack for writing), chronicling their experiences either with their fathers —or with being fathers themselves.

I tried to read it slowly. I ended up finishing it in less than 24 hours, and when I closed the back cover, I gently rubbed the spine and found myself with a silly, melancholic grin. You don’t have to be a father to appreciate this writing, you only have to have been born.

I’m of the school that father’s tend to get the short end of the stick. The short and dirty end, when it comes to parenthood and glory. This book illuminates the specialness of being a father, having a father and will likely leave you with a silly grin as well.

Rogers to bring iPhone to Canada - Happy Tuesday!!!

Rogers announces deal to bring the Apple iPhone to Canada. "We're thrilled to announce that we have a deal with Apple to bring the iPhone to Canada later this year. We can't tell you any more about it right now, but stay tuned," said Ted Rogers, president and CEO of Rogers Communications Inc., in a statement issued today.

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Tags: Rogers, Canada, iPhone

8 Weeks to a Greener Planet: Week 2

You know them: the wimpy “wanna-be” plastic bags that litter the bottom of your refrigerator crisper drawer. Those bags that protect your “fruits and veggies” from the regular grocery cooties. Grocery stores like them, they make the checkout process easier. There’s no chasing of grapes, no parsley shrapnel, no leaking of *just misted* celery. Those wimpy wanna be bags. You can’t even re-use them effectively for lunch bags or poop bags. Who needs them?

You need a fresh fruit and veggie bin, the perfect accessory to the green grocery bags that you’ve undoubtedly purchased over the past few months. I’m boycotting the wanna-be bags from here on in. The hard part - convincing Grocery Gateway to cut out the plastic. They’ve got a habit of bagging every darn thing. Stay tuned on my progress. Technorati Tags: Grocery Gateway, Greener Planet

Striker No Striking

Within less than 36 hours, all union folks are back to work in Toronto. Legislated, of course, which might be the same as  getting grounded by your parents. One might infer that the whole purpose of the strike was to scare the bejesus out of Toronto, and have the province pass legislation that would bring both parties back to the table under very auspicious circumstances. Of course, now the serious debate begins on whether or not the TTC is an essential service. I’d say that after the brou ha-ha that ensued this weekend, it’s hard not to consider it essential. Plus, if deemed an essential service, gone is the sting of the union. Technorati Tags: TTC, Strike, Essential Services

A Psychosomatic Recession?

You can't turn on a TV or radio in Canada without being pummeled with messages about an imminent recession. Pundits, politicians and media are all tightly ensconced on the bandwagon. It's coming: gas prices, housing slumps, interest rates and inflation. How could a recession *not* be on the horizon.

How about this: could the mere fact that every is talking and thinking about a recession be one of the main reasons that we experience a recession? People listen to the news, become wary, put off purchases, save money under their mattress, decide not to go on that vacation to Niagara Falls this summer, decide that they can get another year out of their '97 minivan? Corporations get wary because the folks making financial decisions are *also* normal people watching the news, so they are deciding to postpone projects, postpone filling that open head count because *a recession is coming, better be frugal right now*.

Are we experiencing a psychosomatic recession? Thinking that it's so just might make it so.

On the upside, Ontario is now Raccoon Rabies Free.


Technorati Tags: canada, recession

8 Weeks to a Greener Planet: Week 1

To help celebrate Earth Day yesterday, I decided to take it up a notch with our own *home greening*.

Over the next 2 months, we will be introducing new habits, new activities and new actions to *be greener*.
First things first - no more bottled water. Both the Wiz and I love cold bottled water, but the side effects of all that wasted plastic (even if it’s recycled) are less than appealing.
Last night we broke down and got a snappy kitchen water cooler from Costco. Don’t bother going into the store to get one, they are only available online (we checked):-)


Stay tuned for next week, when I contemplate those nasty wanna-be plastic bags that you put your veggies in at the grocery store.



Technorati Tags: Earth Day, recycling, green, water cooler, costco

An Itchy Green Thumb - 5 Great Gardening Sites

If you are thinking about spring, and creating spring magic in your backyard, you aren’t alone. I’ve been raking and tidying up after work for the past week now, thinking about all the possibilities that warm weather can bring. Of course, being cooped up inside for the past 5 months has only brought on the creative landscaping desires even stronger this year.

First things first - a quick Google search on landscaping ideas produced a plethora of options. Of course, I was digging in the weeds for articles that were *real* and not just teasers for pro landscapers. HGTV has a *very* good Landscaping section. I especially like their article on Creating Rhythm in the Garden.

Better Homes and Gardens has Edible Landscaping Ideas. Which makes sense, considering the push to create more *green* sustainability in subdivisions. :-) I love the idea of vegetables, without the *rigidity* of an obvious vegetable garden.

I never thought I’d say it, but Home Depot has a decent section on container gardening, and creating your own hanging baskets.

One of the trends being pulled into suburban Toronto is a reduction in gas powered mower usage. You can either go out and trade in your gas powered mower for a push mower, or the alternative is to reduce the amount of grass you actually need to cut - that’s the direction I’m leaning in right now. Landscaping Ideas Online has some very neat samples of alternatives to grass.

Last but not least, you need a place to dream about plants. Humber Nurseries has a very comprehensive online presence to build your wishlist from.

Here’s to reducing the itchiness in your own green thumb.


Technorati Tags: Canada Gardens, Landscaping

The Making of The Perfect Storm - Toronto Public Riots

Gas prices top $1.20/litre this morning.
Monday will see a TTC strike.

Could Tuesday erupt in city wide riots and revolts?
Could the people take to the streets en mass, in a wave of frustration and anger towards both government and the oil industry?

Are we too polite as Canadians, and will we just remain behind closed doors, writing insipid blog posts pontificating on the options.

Why are Canadian's paying $1.20 when there are LOADS of oil reserves in Alberta. Why are we paying $1.20 with the plethora of oil sitting in Newfoundland? Why is gas cheaper in Buffalo right now than it is in Toronto? Why is Canada being handcuffed by foreign multinational oil companies?

Pfft.
Forget about it. What do I know?
I'm going to work from home on Monday.


Technorati Tags: Toronto, Gas prices, TTC Strike, Canadian Riots

IT World Canada Lists Top 10 Canadian Technology Bloggers

Through a neat twitter tweet by Mark Evans, I discovered this morning that ITWorld Canada has recently published a list of the Top 10 Canadian Technology Bloggers.
I was hoping to come across new voices. Alas, it's 10 folks I am already reading regularly (congrats Alec!!). Either I am a full-on nerd, or there isn't really a large field of Canadian Tech bloggers to choose from? :-)

This list is missing:
Jon Arnold - how is this possible!?!?!??!
Kevin Restivo
How about David Crow
Darren Barefoot
Buzz Canuck
Profectio

So - if I can't find neat content via ITWorld Canada - where to look?

Who are *your* fave Canadian Tech Writers?