Pre-Departure Blues: Monday, July 1st, Canada Day!

The ring always believes that the finger lives for it. -Malcolm De Chazal, writer and painter (1902-1981) 

Grasp the subject, the words will follow. -Cato the Elder, statesman, soldier, and writer (234-149 BCE)  

Rampallion:

noun, also rampallian 

A ruffian or scoundrel. [Of unknown origin.]

In Shakespeare's Henry IV, Falstaff exclaims, "Away, you scullion! you rampallion! You fustilarian! I'll tickle your catastrophe." A scullion is a kitchen servant or one who does menial work. Fustilarian is a synonym of yesterday's term fustilugs (a fat and slovenly person). 

Sarge and Picasso!

Sorry that you can't join us Renoir Ray but understand. No word from Whirlygig so not sure what he is up to this long weekend. See you at 8:30 am, Sarge, and we can head out to UBC and then along MD, (Should be fairly quiet at this time of the morning.), to Iona, if that suits you. Cheers, Patrizzio

P, sorry. Cannot join you this morning. We are headed to the beach. Enjoy, W

Rebecca Frazier

All ready for Canada day!!! — with Corey William.

Hi Giggster!

Glad to hear that you survived the ascent into thin air! Some of my riding party didn't, as I described earlier! If The Sisterhood begins to get kranky with too, too much sand in their tofu burgers, you are always welcome to pop by our 3rd Annual Harbour Terrace Canada Day bash, 3:00 pm-7:00 pm, on the verge, (teetering on the edge), outside Clan Sutherlands' place, east side of building. Cheers, Il Conduttore!

 Chloe Alexis Dunn

Happy Canada Day!!!! From the Cornwalian's patio!!!!

• 

  Patrick James Dunn Maybe you should still move into Co-op
  
   Hi Patrick, Thanks. Sounds like a great bridge time! I love it when a hand comes together. Cheers, R 
  
  Mom and I really enjoyed our evening of bridge and banter with you all.  The food was delicious and the prizes...well, what can we say about those prizes.  Actually I think I scored this time :-)

Pat and Corinne - have a fabulous few months.  Send me your blog so I can catch up on your adventures every now and then.  And Charlie and Susan - I'll continue to check out those newsletters looking for that perfect trip for mom and I. Hope you had a great Canada Day! Janet

 Hi All, Janet and Patrick, thanks so much for the wonderful pictures and most enjoyable evening.

We had a great time with everyone and even got through the night without too many squabbles over the bridge. Janet, say thanks to your mom, and it was great to see her again.

Have a great trip to Europe Corinne and Patrick, and look forward to hearing all about your journeys on your return. Charlie

Hi Patricio, John Wigle was pleased to hear about your Dryden connection.  Attached photo of 3 nice coho we caught today, trolling in John's fishboat. Happy canada day. Peter

Hi Cloven Pine Man!

Trust you are well, Dana! We will be driving from York to Cornwall, via Bath, and a few other stops, so am wondering if you will be around after July 25th. Perhaps we can figure out a way to have a brief visit. Cheers, Patrizzio!

In the mid-1930s, infant death rates in Finland were a very high 65 out of 1,000 live births. Social scientists attributed many of these deaths to two factors. First, expectant parents sought too little prenatal care (often because they were too poor to afford it). Second, these parents brought the baby home into a house with inadequate, well, stuff -- too few diapers, not enough baby clothes, and often, nowhere for the baby to sleep. And as any parent of a newborn will tell you, the worst time to figure out what you need for a baby is when you first come home and realize, holy cow, you have a baby.

So Finland came up with an idea: a gift box, delivered before you deliver. It originally contained fabric so expectant mothers could create clothes for their newborns, as well as many of the items that are still in the box today. Over the years, the new baby box has grown into a robust cornucopia of tiny awesomeness. There's a little mattress and concordant bedding; a snowsuit set with mittens, a hat, and booties; bodysuits, socks, and other everyday-wear; some bathroom items, such as a towel and toothbrush; and even bra pads and condoms.
 

The box truly aimed to deliver all the stuff you'll need to for your little one (and some other stuff). All the would-be mother needed to do is seek out a doctor for a checkup or five while pregnant. The gift box program, which was originally provided only to low-income families, soon became very popular, and now is a staple of Finnish culture. All expectant mothers who seek prenatal care are offered the box. Almost all of them -- 95% -- take it. The remaining 5% take a small cash amount instead, but the sum total of the items included in the box are easily worth more than the amount offered.

But the most distinctive part of the gift box offering -- and the items which best defines the Finnish newborn culture -- is the box itself. Because many of the poorest households couldn't afford cribs, the boxes were specifically designed to act as cots, as seen below.

Now, according to the BBC, a majority of Finns grow up -- for a few weeks or months, at least -- sleeping in a box. (The lid isn't on, don't worry!) Oh, and one other thing: the box helped solve the problem. Infant mortality in Finland fell from a peak nearing 90 per 1,000 in the 1940s to the single digits by the late 1970s. Finland now has one of the lowest infant mortality rates in the world. 

 
During the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control distributed condoms to athletes, support staff, and volunteers at the Games. During the 17 days of the Olympics, a total of 100,000 condoms were distributed through the program -- and they ran out, requiring what some media termed an "emergency" delivery of prophylactics. Assuming four staff/volunteers per athlete, that's about three condoms per person. But most likely, they weren't all (or even mostly) used during the two-plus weeks of athletic competition. One public health official told CNN that "[heard] stories of athletes from countries with inferior condoms stuffing their suitcases with the coveted rubbers."