Vancouver Motorcycle Toy Run 2009

This is one of the great motorcycle rides of the year. Bikers join together, each bringing toys for Christmas cheer for children without. The police block off roads in Vancouver and Burnaby so we can parade through the city. The ride begins in Port Coquitlam mall and ends at the PNE. Along the route there are families with children cheering and waving. It's a tremendous public relations event for bikers showing us as responsible respectfull citizens contributing to the community and greater good. The policeman bikers and firemen bikers and a number of the motorcycle clubs which are like the Rotarians, Kiwanis or Shriners of Biking participate. This year there were loads of children on the backs of their parents Harleys, Hondas, Triumph's and Ducati's. Christmas costumes and bikes made up like sleighs were present. Lots of biker chicks with pink helmuts, more and more riding bigger and meaner machines. Couples straddled the big cruisers but even Vespa scooter riders were out in force.

Last year I loved being in a sedate orderly group following strict formation and staying together at a steady pace. Only one fellow was wandering about a little. Later I learned he was on medical marijuania for cancer so his lollygogging style was understandable considering his condition. Overall it was a magnificent display of bikes and their riders

This year however I got in with the 'bad biker' group. This was decidedly not the Hell's Angels. The HA can ride motorcycles and are a pleasure to watch in formation.

This bad biker group was more like something out of a Simpsons comic strip. They would best be said to have been on the wrong drugs or if they weren't on drugs needed them. The crazy lady in front of me was throwing chintzy candies to the kids along the route. The kids meanwhile trying to catch the candies made to run on the road except their terrifed parents restrained them in the nick of time. I had a harrowing ride from hell dodging the errant toddlers aiming for Darwin Award nomination seeking a 1 cent candy amidst a thousand roaring motorcycles. This mad bitch who hated children kept looking back to see if I had blood on my spokes yet from smucking a littlest one. The others in her group were all over the road, a mix of odd ball bad bikers who didn't know what formation was. Ahead of this half dozen perceptually challenged group there was order. When I looked behind me there was order but right in front of me was a pocket of ripe overflowing, about to burst rank, insaniety.

Hitting the Barnett Highway this group I'd got pocketted in took off like we were in a race to the death, I slowed when we were well over a hundred causing those of their group behind to dangerlously pass me while popping steroids into their bike gas tanks. But the weird lady appeared again in front of me. Her 'guy' was smoking a rolly the whole way too. Unshaven. Lovely chopper. Found myself thinking they were trailer trash who killed family members to collect insurance. She threw more candy to the toddlers and looked back again, disappointed I'd dodge another child. You could see her sick little mind regretfully thinking she'd just have to wait till Halloween when she always had so much fun hiding razor blades in bobbing apples.

Somehow we survived the ride. Laura was on the bike behind me and later said she couldn't quite get into her Queen Elizabeth waving routine because of all the speed demon chaos in front of us. "Was it me or were we in a pack of bad bikers" I'd asked. "It wasn't you, that lady was a menace. Not only to the kids but the adults were clapping and suddenly ducking as she threw her candies right in their face!"

I was thankful to arrive at the PNE without incident. There the bikes came in 2 by 2. Everyone was beaming with good will and joy. I was exhausted but the girls loved the Barbie and Spidermen bags and canteens we'd brought and the bins were overflowing with every toy imaginable. We got our souvenir ride pins. I would wear mine as a medal for what I been through.

I bought Laura a small black Vancouver Motorcycle Toy Run 2009 t shirt and got myself an "extra large" (the "large" shrinks around the middle when they're washed). The PNE parking lot was packed. The sun was shining. It was a great run. Laura and I headed out on my Harley to Main Street for a Sunshine cafe breakfast.

Mr & Ms Gay Vancouver

Brent Wildefyre & Jackie A Go Go were stepping down tonight from a year as Mr and Ms Gay Vancouver. This was the 30th annual pageant of the Rhinestone Phoenix Charity Foundation. This year they choose Covenant House and the Metro Vancouver Dream Centre, one working for homeless teens and the other working for homeless adults. It was a stupendous night of laughter and good cheer. Messages of congratulations came in from the West End MLA, Spencer Herbert, Mayor Gregor Robertson and Premier Gordon Campbell.

Marathon.Angerilli

http://marathon.angerilli.ca/ It's so exciting when a boat you know with crew you enjoy heads out. Having experience of the ocean in a small boat you feel right there with them. Marathon had headed out for Mexico. It's late in the season so weather is a concern but the boat is really well set up with good captain and Lou is very experienced crew. This is their offshore in a small boat debut though so it's a very exciting time. My prayers go with them as well as some heartfelt envy.

RCMP Publicizes Gun Registry's Private Information

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2009/09/24/gun-registry-poll-van-loan-response.html

The RCMP released private encoded information of the gun registry to a pollster firm. Names and addresses and phone numbers of gun owners were released to the "priviledged" public under the guise of research. The Public Safety Minister calls this "offensive and innappropriate". The sad part is that as always the government closes the gate after the herd is out. The great fear of responsible gun owners is that their private information will be made available to criminals. Citizens have legal guns. Criminals have illegal guns. One of the sources of their illegal guns is through break and entry and stealing from law abiding gun owners. The RCMP is aiding and abetting criminals through the grossest misuse of the gun registry information that they collected in good faith.

This cavalier thoughtless and contemptible attitude of the new corporate beaurocratic RCMP is beneath contempt. There is a serious lack of accountability in the upper levels of the RCMP.

This is not the first time that government has been shown to consider it's information on the population something to distribute for favours and kudos and for kickbacks of money or later 'tit for tat' rewards. Generally speaking anything that you tell the government will be open to those with money. There is no confidentiality and no privacy with regard to government 'leaks' of information. The beaurocrats simply have no respect for the citizens, are above the law in so many cases and must 'look out for number one'. The information that is given to income tax is widely 'shared' within government.

We once called people "paranoid" who feared their government was spying on them. Today they are sane. The government is spying on the citizen and sharing that information for personal or monetary profit. The reasons it breaches it gives for it's abuses are paper thin disguises of their hidden self serving agendas. Given the increasing disdain of the Canadian beaurocracy and lack of punishment for it's abuses of confidentiality it's no surprise citizens have no belief their government will protect them. Their own interest is the protection of themselves and their 'special friends' who they do favours for.

5 year cake

My friend took a 5 year clean and sober cake tonight. It's an AA tradition. At one year the home group buys a cake for the person and thereafter he buys it for the group. He shares his experience strength and hope in the meeting. It's an act of service to share.

Call to Action to Promote Sexual Health and Responsible Sexual Behaviour

Surgeon General David Satcher in 2001 issued the following Call to Action to Promote Sexual Health and Responsible Sexual Behaviour in July 2001. It continues today to be highly worthy of consideration:

"Sexual responsibility should be understood in the broadest sense. While personal responsibility is crucial to any individual's health status, communities also have important responsibilities. Individual responsibility includes understanding and awareness of one's sexuality and sexual development: respect for oneself and one's partner; avoidance of physical or emotional harm to either oneself or one's partner; ensuring that pregnancy occurs only when welcomed; and recognition and tolerance of the diversity of sexual values within any community. Community responsibility includes assurance that it's members have access to developmentally and culturally appropropriate sexuality education, as well as sexual and reproductive health care and counselling; the lattitude to make appropriate sexual and reproductive choices; respect for diversity; and freedom from stigmatization and violence on the basis of gender, race, ethnicity, religion and sexual orientation."

It truly is thought provoking and my tendency is to agree with all of it except the inclusion of "emotional harm". This is a frightening 'weasel word' with no objective standards and yet the greatest openess to abuse. "I may personally feel I'm emotionally harmed by your not tolerating that I find you emotionally harmful and I do intend fully to be compensated for your emotionally harming me by your very existence."
In addition I think it's concerning to say "pregnancy occurs only when welcomed." I've seen many patients who have been on the birth control pill and have still got pregnant. Then there are all those other pregnancies. The word "pregnancy" opens a whole kettle of fish. It's also kind of 'baiting' to the pro life group who would agree that this 'should' be the case however it's "pap" when it doesn't get into the nitty gritty. I would have much preferred a more realistic and compassionate statement such as ' agree that pregancy occurs best when most welcomed and together work towards that goal."
Otherwise, I like it. And while I might criticize these two elements of Satcher's 'call to action' I must credit the clear evidence of much thought being directed to the issues facing individuals and society in 2001 and still today in 2009.

Fish Baby

I saw one. Mark had to point him or her out to me. Something to do with my aging eyes. Apparently there may be more. He sees them. He may well be hallucinating regarding seeing more than just the one baby fish. I can collaborate the sole survivor.
I've begun putting prozac into the tank. The Canadian Pediatric Association has ascertained that prozac (generic name fluoxetine) is the safest antidepressant/antianxiety medication and acceptable for use in infant and children populations. The very responsible concerned Lilly Pharmaceutical company has since it's introduction studied even those who were subjected to Prozac unwittingly in utero and later knowingly. The follow up of these individuals has been into their 20's with evidence of long term safety despite in utero exposure.
My baby fish had huge saucer eyes. It's living a life of sheer terror. It's swimming there like a small business surrounded by G8 conglomerate corporations. The Neons tend to form a gang and swim together. They look like a neo fascist military unit caught in an LSD colour experiment. The other fish must appear like Jaws wielding Hindenbergs. Then there are those crustaceans which are clearly extra terrestrial despite their nice earthy name, 'shrimp'. The poor baby fish has entered a psychotic reality that must be as terrifying as a Canadian election discussing political committee. His/her terror is palpable.
The low self esteem from being viewed as 'food' by all other inhabitants is definitely going to require some serious therapy when he/ she gets older. I started to talk to him/her but the eyes got even bigger. I realized his/her perception must be of a this gargantuan teeth showing face emitting reverberating non fish language kettle drum sounds. Without realizing it I made the poor little critter ripe for future fish televangelists.