Thanks Helen.
not only is my short-term memory horrible …
Thanks Helen.
Category: health & fitness
gun deaths in Australia
The most amusing commentary I’ve seen yet on the illogic of American gundamentalists.
The Daily Show’s John Oliver makes a trip down under to interview former Australian Prime Minister John Howard.
Click PLAY or watch it on Vimeo.
related – Gun politics in Australia
AIDS in South Africa
… South Africa is believed to have more people with HIV/AIDS than any other country in the world.
The 2007 UNAIDS report estimated that 5,700,000 South Africans had HIV/AIDS, or just under 12% of South Africa’s population …
The other top five countries with the highest HIV/AIDS prevalence are all neighbours of South Africa. …
The four main HIV/AIDS awareness campaigns in South Africa are Khomanani (funded by the government), LoveLife (primarily privately funded), Soul City (a television drama for adults) and Soul Buddyz (a television series for teenagers).
Soul City and Soul Buddyz are the most successful campaigns although both campaigns experienced a slight loss of effectiveness between 2005 and 2008. Khomanani is the least successful campaign, although its effectiveness has increased by more than 50% between 2005 and 2008.
The dubious quality of condoms which are distributed is a setback to these efforts. In 2007, the government recalled more than 20 million locally manufactured condoms which were defective. …
One local told me that there are some poor South Africans not worried to get AIDS so they can go on benefits.
Some of those, of course, are pregnant.
Kelley Durbin-Williams
My friend Kelley is competing in fitness competitions.
I accused her of stealing the abs I lost 35 years ago.
… Truth is, I never had those abs. 🙂
She’s on the popular ViSalus Body By Vi program.
Message Kelley on Facebook if you want to know more.
Ironfan South Africa
It was fun hanging out with the REAL athletes, once again.
Here are some of the Ironman South Africa competitors staying at my hostel in Port Elizabeth. All finishers.
official Race Report – Schildknecht and Donavan reign at Spec-Savers IRONMAN South Africa 2013
Ironman South Africa
7am start
See more high res photos.
The first group of guys out of the water were far, far ahead of the next individuals. There are 31 PRO men registered. … Turns out Pros were given a 15min head start.
Many still trying to qualify for Worlds Kona.
Update:
Ronnie Schildknecht of Switzerland dominated. A worthy winner. 8:11:27 (52:48/4:22:01/2:53:06)
Jodie Ann Swallow had a HUGE lead after the bike. Yet Jessie Donavan from the USA won the womens’ race in 9:10:58.
Ironman South Africa
Nelson Mandela Bay will be fully transformed into Ironman City this weekend …
The weekend begins with the Iron Girl South Africa women’s fun run on Friday (12 April) and defending champion, Natalie Ross of Rhodes University Athletics Club will be in the starting line-up. …
Almost 6000 atheletes will be competing in the four combined events of the Ironman weekend. …
A racer from India has just arrived at my hostel in Port Elizabeth. By coincidence his international Ironman last year was in Nice, France. I happened to be at that one too.
These races seem to follow me around.
He estimates there are only 5-10 Ironman finishers in all of India.
What’s the goal?
He’s planning on both a double Ironman and triple Ironman, both being hosted in England.
still praying for a Reform Pope
Economist magazine:
… What should he do? A secular newspaper has to divide its suggestions into two groups: reforms to church doctrine that many conservative Catholics, including Francis, may disagree with; and managerial ones that all Catholics can support.
In terms of doctrine, the list of rules that the church defends with great cost and mixed success begins, from our perspective at least, with priestly celibacy.
Many priests are married—ex-Anglicans, and the Byzantine-rite Catholics of eastern Europe. All the scriptural evidence suggests that the first pope, Peter, had a wife. Allowing other clergy to do likewise would help stem the decline in the priesthood and relieve a great burden of suffering and loneliness. With that taboo gone, others could follow, such as the ban on artificial contraception.
This may be too much for Francis. But there should be no debate about the urgent managerial need to clean up and modernise the Vatican. The church is scandalously badly run. …
read more – The first southern pope
Pope Francis inherits a mess but has great opportunities. He will need to act quickly
Easter Mass March 31, 2013 – Vatican City
So far Pope Francis has done some wonderful, symbolic things.
I’m hoping he has the will and heart to seriously debate the big issues.
What percentage of Catholics in 2013 use birth control?
rest in peace Rob and Mark
Lifelong friends, Rob and Mark Glaser, were killed in an avalanche on Saturday, January 15, 2011 in the area of Burstall Pass, Peter Lougheed Provincial Park, Kananaskis Country, Alberta.
The families of Mark and Rob Glaser are in deep shock at the news of their tragic passing. Both were loving husbands and fathers and will be greatly missed by their families and legions of friends. Both were seasoned back country hikers and skiers who shared a deep passion for the outdoors.
Mark lived in Calgary and was in the oil and gas industry for over 25 years including senior management positions in recent years. Rob lived in Bragg Creek and was a captain in the Calgary Fire Department.
Rob was a firefighter, expert in all things backcountry. They had left their avalanche beacons in the car making family speculate that this ski was intended to be simply a short warm-up.
Over 30 years (1978–2007), avalanches have been responsible for 329 deaths in Canada, with a recent rate of 14 deaths per year. …
Avalanche accounts for over 90% of outdoor recreation deaths, most of those in Alberta or B.C.
Be careful out there.
healthcare – USA v CAN
BRUCE BARTLETT:
A 2003 study in the New England Journal of Medicine found that Canada’s single-payer health system had less than a third of the per-capita administrative cost of the United States system, with its many private insurance companies and overlapping government programs – $307 per year in Canada versus $1,059 in the United States. And although American conservatives are fond of pointing to cases where Canadians come to the United States for treatment, a 2009 Harris poll found that 82 percent of Canadians favor their health system over the American one.
Americans believe that their health system is the best in the world, but in fact it is not. …
Bruce Bartlett held senior policy roles in the Reagan and George H.W. Bush administrations and served on the staffs of Representatives Jack Kemp and Ron Paul.
That said, a Canadian friend is booking a trip to the Mayo Clinic in the States trying to diagnose a condition that the Canadian doctors have been unable to nail down. Cost … perhaps $5000.
related – Wikipedia – Comparison of the health care systems in Canada and the United States
… Life expectancy is longer in Canada, and its infant mortality rate is lower …
