This and that in the news today

[tvordlj]

Canadian Liberals pick their new leader this weekend. Apparently there are 4 front runners but it's anyone's game at the moment. It's going to come down to who can put up the best fight against the minority government PM Harper. there's a politician from Nova Scotia in the running but he's farther down the ranks and word has it he'll throw his lot in with Bob Rae who is number 2 at this point. I'll be interested to see who wins but not interested enough to watch any telly coverage.

Colin Thatcher is getting full parole. This man was convicted of hiring someone to kill his ex wife Joanne back in the 80's. He was a "respected" politician who was allegedly a violent man which caused his wife to finally leave him. She was found badly beaten and shot in her home. He's always said he was innocent. This was before DNA evidence but there was a strong case and he was found guilty. I remember following the trial in the paper at the time and a tv movie was made out of the whole case which certainly painted him in a less than innocent light.

Apparently the Pope had declared that there will be no more Limbo. That's the nothingness that your soul goes to when you die unbaptized among other things. It's forever, no chance of redemption to go to Heaven or Hell. According to the Catholic church anyway. Which only makes me think once again that organized religion isn't about God, it's about control. If they don't behave, and even the thought of Hellfire and brimstone doesn't pull them back into line, then threaten them with an eternity of suffering because there's even a little hope at the end of Hell if you say Sorry, and do your pennance. If this was supposed to be a real place, nobody could just make a declaration that it doesn't exist anymore. Pope or not. So what happened? Did God sit down with the Pope over a cuppa and say, "you know, Benny, we're losing people from the church hand over fist and maybe if I trash this whole scary Limbo thing, we might welcome or keep a few more into the fold so you tell them for me. No, no, we'll still keep the Heaven and Hell concept for now. That's worked quite well. Even non-Catholics are afraid of Hell and want to go to Heaven. " Bollocks. If someone can say, no sorry, we aren't going to have Limbo anymore, then it beggars the question that it even existed in the first place, along with H&H. It's no wonder organized Christian religions are losing when it's one inconsistency after the next. From what i can tell, all the other organized religions seem to at least be consistent and though there's a happy place at the end of your life on earth if you're a good (insert religious label here), they only seem to be very sorry for you if you slip and fail and lose your way. I may be wrong, i don't really know a lot about other non-Christian religions but it seems that way to me. Look, even the Islamic suicide bombers are doing it because their extreme views have them believing they'll go to their equivalent of heaven for their deeds.

There's a former teacher in Nova Scotia called Eric Smith. He was diagnosed HIV postive.... 23 years ago. He lost his job and has become an activist for the cause. It's amazing that he's still alive considering he was diagnosed when there wasn't that many developed drugs for the disease. There was something about him in the paper today, an interview for International AIDS day.

There's a new movie out about the birth of the boy who would grow up to be Jesus Christ, it's called the Nativity Story. The girl that was in Whale Rider is Mary. I think she'll probably do a pretty good job. Did you hear that the 16 year old is now pregnant by her boyfriend of 2 years?

There is a movie coming out that i think i'd like to see, The Holiday which looks very girly and i think i shall see if my friend Carole wants to go see it. It opens next weekend.

I'm home today, i was awakened about 5 a.m. by that nasty dizzy thing that i had a few months back. Doctor said then that it was caused by some sort of virus. It leaves my head muzzy and if i move the wrong way too fast, i get a little spacey but i think the worst is over now. I had a good sleep until my back just wasn't going to be comfortable anymore. It wasn't as severe as the first time i had it but it does take it out of me and i feel a little off. I did put my Christmas tree together last night so i will start decorating it today and over the weekend, a bit at a time. It's so nice to have the lights already on it! When i was putting it up last night, i thought about how that was always Dad's job, putting the lights on and how he hated it lol I think he'd have got down on his knees in thanks if they'd had one of these trees available years ago! They've really only been around the last couple of years. Mom was getting tired of putting up a tree anyway so the fairy lights were at the end of the tunnel for him anyway! Still, since my niece and sister are in the house, Mom says if they want the tree up they can do it! It *is* nice to have. I always like to have it and i put mine up early in December. I quite like the lights and will often sit in the dark with just the tree lights on.

Tomorrow, if i fell ok, i think i'm going to go to the tree lighting at Sullivan's pond in Dartmouth. I think the weather is going to be ok and not too cold. I see in the paper today that if you bring two strings of the old style Christmas lights, they'll replace it with one string of LED lights for free. I might do that as i have the old lights in the box of decos and it doesn't hurt to have a spare string of lights, for the window or something.

Comments

[tammihayne.livejournal.com]

Eric can usually be found in the atrium of the Killam Library. He goes there everyday and works on research and sits at "his" table in the same spot Monday to Friday.

[tvor.livejournal.com]

It's a testament to his positive attitude that he's made it this far! He's obviously meant to be alive to put so much into all the work and awareness campaigns.

[acey.livejournal.com]

Is that the same Bob Rae who used to be NDP? Sure looks like him. I guess I haven't kept up on Canadian politics. *hangs head*

[tvor.livejournal.com]

I believe it's the same guy yes. Ex-Preem of Ontario.

[lola-is-naughty.livejournal.com]

yes, the same man. I think it was a PC government he defeated when he won his landslide victory, how ironic would it be had it been the Liberals?

[tvor.livejournal.com]

There's always something fishy about a politician that can switch parties so easily. So much for what they believe in!

[gramie-dee.livejournal.com]

Never mind all the other stuff, what about this dizzyness thing? It can't still be a virus.

[tvor.livejournal.com]

It could be yes, just gone away and come back. It wasn't as severe as it was the first time i had it. The doctor was sure it was the inner ear thing and it's caused by a virus. I get my flu jab next week anyway.

[sammantha.livejournal.com]

something that would not hurt Sis to check into is Meniere's Disease. I asked my doctor about that too when I had a few things happen like sis has.
With me it was not often enough to 'suspect' meniere's.

[tvor.livejournal.com]

I do have a swooshing in one ear that i can "hear" when i lay down but it's not a bother usually

[blueberrymoon.livejournal.com]

My friend had dizzy spells for a few weeks, it was called benign positional vertigo. Very dosconcerting.
I had a bad case of labyrinthitis a few years ago. It was a viral induced vertigo, terrible. It does go away thank goodness but scary when it is happening.

[tvor.livejournal.com]

I think that's what i had/have, the labyrinthitis and luckily even the first time i had it, it didn't last that long. There isn't much they can do though i can take Gravol if it makes me nauseous. I just get lots of rest. I know what it is now so i wasn't as freaked out as i was the first time.

[sammantha.livejournal.com]

I had something similar too a few times. I'd wake in the night and if I turned onto my right side an amazing headfull of dizzy hit me hard..I felt ill. I turned over to my left side and it was mostly gone and it would last for a week on and off. Usually it was before the dot so when and if I get lightheaded now during that week before it usually means a migraine is coming.
However this was different and I remember asking Dr. about it..cause it was not around the dot time and she said it was a virus going around and there was not much I could do about it. When it went it went for a long time and did not come back for at least a year - with me anyhow.

[tvor.livejournal.com]

I think once you've had it, you might be more suseptible to it. Well that's my theory anyway. It wasn't as strong as the first time i got it anyway, thank heavens plus at least i know what it is now.

[lola-is-naughty.livejournal.com]

I remember the Eric Smith case, I was in high school at that time. People were so scared then, we've come such a long ways.

Re the Pope, that's quite a change in Catholic dogma. I totally believe in the conspiracy theories around the Vatican.

yeah...not quiet sure what Thatcher did to deserve to be out of jail. Until he proves his innocence, he's a convicted man and should not be allowed out.

[tvor.livejournal.com]

He was sentenced to 25 years no parole and applied a couple of years ago on some "faint hope" clause. I think he's had day parole in the last few years and is full parole now after 22 years.