It’s so hard to talk when you want to kill yourself. That’s the first line of Ned Vizzini’s excellent 2006 youth novel, It’s Kind of a Funny Story. By the time I read the book this year, the author was already dead. Vizzini committed suicide last December; he was only
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Politics, Re-Spun: Lupita Nyong’o On Validation, For International Women’s Day
A sublime meditation on validation. Bravo! …in which a young woman shares her adolescent anxieties and blossoms into a role model for us all. Happy International Women’s Day! Enjoy the whole clip here: July 15, 2013 Fearing Kate MacEachern: The Latest Canadian Military Blunder (40) November 22, 2010 A
Continue readingA. Picazo: Ending The Stigma
This op-ed appeared in the Ottawa Citizen on January 28, 2014. On Dec. 29, Christopher Peloso, the 40-year-old husband of former Ontario deputy premier George Smitherman, was reported missing. “Freedom from depression has been elusive for Christopher,” Smitherman tweeted on the eve of the 29th. “We fear for his safety.” A followup tweet
Continue readingCrime—a criminal justice problem or a health problem?
Place your finger on your forehead, just above the eyebrows toward the right side. It is now within centimetres of your conscience. Our conscience is not, as long thought, a theological abstraction, but is in fact an organ resident in our skulls. Furthermore, it can be measured and observed in
Continue readingPolitics, Re-Spun: The NHL Gladiator Pimps
Risking player’s brain trauma for profit makes the NHL a gladiator pimp organization. At some point, as estimates continue to roll in, the NHL accountants and lawyers will realize that reducing concussion risk in the NHL will make the league more profitable. The NHLPA needs to do a better job
Continue readingA Puff of Absurdity: On Fear of the Worst Thing and First-World Anxiety
I just successfully transferred four years of family photos onto albums on-line that got shipped to my home as big colourful books. Then I breathed a huge sigh of relief. I was ever anxious about anything happening to my laptop because I’d be devastated to lose all my photos, and
Continue readingA Puff of Absurdity: On Our Continued Sexual Repression
Sherlock & John I watched the first episode of the new season of Sherlock last night. There’s a sub-plot with no spoilers here: John Watson gets engaged to Mary. Mrs. Hudson, the landlady, is shocked that he’s engaged to a woman since he and Sherlock were obviously so close –
Continue readingPolitics, Re-Spun: Ending Homelessness: Easy If You Simply Care
If we are a caring society. If we acknowledge that there are a myriad of reasons why a community’s homeless population is homeless. If we thought we should invest our tax dollars and take advantage of good research, good experience, good pilot projects and professionals to address homelessness and other
Continue readingPolitics, Re-Spun: BC’s Child Support Clawback Hurts Kids
British Columbia’s Child Support Clawback for Children of Parents on Government Assistance Hurts Kids When I bring up the issue of the child support clawback in British Columbia affecting single parents on temporary or disability assistance through the Ministry of Social Development and Social Innovation, most people are completely unaware
Continue readingA Puff of Absurdity: Margaret Trudeau on Mental Health
There’s a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in. – Leonard Cohen From CBC Books I had the fortune of seeing Margaret Trudeau speak on mental health a few days ago. She told her life story in exactly an hour with great intensity and humour. She peppered
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Saturday Afternoon Links
Assorted content for your weekend reading. – Andrew Coyne sees the disproportionate influence wielded by the representatives elected by a minority of voters in Canada and the U.S. as evidence that both countries should move toward proportional representation: Two systems, both dysfunctional, in opposing ways. Is there nevertheless a common
Continue readingPolitics, Re-Spun: We Support The Veterans Transition Program
Submitted by Robin and Stewart on Mon, 10/07/2013 – 12:59 1999 saw the rise of the Veteran Transition Network (VTN) through the sponsorship of BC/Yukon Legion Branches and the University of British Columbia. Its mission is to help Canadian Veterans across the nation re-integrate into society, local communities, and with
Continue readingPolitics, Re-Spun: PTSD Update!
Updates from Kate and Robin and Stewart are below, as they approach the end of their campaigns! Kate’s Long Way Home has passed 1,000 kilometres on her way to Ottawa. Post by The Long Way Home. Robin and Stewart’s Marathon for Veterans is closing in on its fundraising target. There is still
Continue readingPolitics, Re-Spun: Robin & Stewart – Our Veterans
Robin & Stewart – Our Veterans Submitted by Robin and Stewart on Mon, 09/23/2013 – 14:40 “Canadian soldiers bravely put themselves in harm’s way, prepared to sacrifice for their country. By some estimates one in five will return with the invisible wounds of PTSD” (War in The Mind). The complexities
Continue readingPolitics, Re-Spun: PTSD Service Dogs: Not Widely Known, But Critical
Lots of stores, places, etc. have “no pets” signs up. That’s fine, but there are usually exceptions for service dogs. Preventing a visually-impaired person from entering a restaurant except without their service dog would be mean and generally intolerable. A long time ago, however, it was quite common to deem
Continue readingPolitics, Re-Spun: Medric Cousineau: Walking for PTSD Support
Along with Kate MacEachern and The Long Way Home and Robin & Stewart’s Marathon for Veterans we have another action in support of PTSD and Veterans, this time including service dogs! Medric Cousineau walked 1000 km to Ottawa to raise $350,000 for 50 service dogs for 50 veterans. The spirit
Continue readingPolitics, Re-Spun: PTSD: No Room for Denial
What if NO ONE knows your name? Belonging? It’s pretty important. We don’t always have to go where EVERYone knows our name, but we do need to have people. People who know, understand and affirm us. People with mental health issues, however, are often made to feel not so normal,
Continue readingPolitics, Re-Spun: Kate, Robin and Stewart’s Challenge To Us All About PTSD
I will be doing regular updates on two events to increase awareness about PTSD, particularly as the Canadian Forces spends too little on treatment of its members and PTSD. Regardless of all the ways we could improve our military or the Canadian government’s often imperialistic foreign policy, the real human
Continue readingMy journey with AIDS...and more!: Post #1031: My latest ‘Aha!’ moment
I’m very close to finishing the book Survivor – Auschwitz, The Death March and My Fight for Freedom by Sam Pivnik and some two-thirds of the way through I was jolted by this passage: We could have run, could have made it, could have reached the welcoming arms of the
Continue readingOPSEU Diablogue: Kingston mental health cuts: things have changed since 1998
When Ontario last drafted a strategic plan for the delivery of comprehensive mental health services, the Mental Health Commission of Canada didn’t even exist. Today we are still implementing mental health recommendations from Ontario’s Health Restructuring Commission issued in 1998. Much … Continue reading →
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