Camp Fircom Heritage Hall Blues: Wednesday, November 26th!

If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality. -Desmond Tutu, clergyman (b. 1931) 

1:30 am and time for bed! I beavered away at my email all evening while Coriandre was attending a Vancouver-Burrard Presbytery meeing. She was too, too exhausted after almost a full day and evening of meetings to watch any Breaking Bad so hied herself to bed with her bean bag and a book. I was not overly disappointed as I've managed to catch up on my nagging backlog of messages. Too sleepy, myself, now, to read so will just clamber into bed and fall quickly asleep!

Roman copy of a Greek statue of Plato

Photo: Sergey Sosnovskiy

Hi D, Toronto has been tons of fun, tiring as we are out of the hotel every day at 7:45am and out every night. Glad mom is making good use if the car, since she'll loose it tonight 😳 Sorry it's been so wet there, it's been windy and cool but dry except for Saturday when I got soaked walking through Chinatown. We are in our last sessions this morning then we are going to do the CN tower and some shopping then head to the airport. See you tonight. Love you. Chloe

Chloë: A great deal of confusion exists about when you are returning! Is it tonight, Wednesday, or Thursday evening? If tonight, we are at a fund raiser for Camp Fircom at the Heritage Hall on Main. Sarge said he would take "your" car to YVR if it's tonight and then you can pop him back home before you head for your place. Let us know as soon as possible so that we can plan accordingly. Desperately Seeking Flight # and Arrival Time! PS: Grumpy Nana also would also like to know shift time for Tree Lot on Sunday! Pic: Giving you The Evil Eye! Hello parents, I arrive home this evening, (Wednesday), at 8:45 pm.

Sounds like you're having fun! Thinking of retiring myself. L  Don't think about it, just hand in your notice!

Hi Pat and please pass a nice Hello to Corinne too! I just saw an invoice (International Parcel Service) with your name on it!! I'll just send it on and you can pay it, OK? Ha. Anyway, it reminded me that I've been meaning to contact you for ages.
 

My sincere intent to have a nice dinner for you and Corinne is still on but I have failed to make it happen in November. This may work out well as we could make it in December instead and have a Festive Christmassy aspect to it. I'll get back to you about this, soon. Actually, it's Dermot's birthday tomorrow and we have a No-Christmas-Until-After-Dermot's-Birthday rule in our house so I can't plan Christmas things yet. But soon. Looking forward to seeing you. Sara
 

Hi Poor Planning, or Lack Thereof, Person! Very, very pleased to learn that I still have outstanding debts at the Library! Cheque's in the mail!

Funny how these things work. I was actually going to send along an email, (not "pushing" for a dinner invitation, mind), but just to say hello. Might well not have been able to find a time in November as it has been a particularly busy month. Not as much riding as I'd like, weather being as wet as it is, of late. Would have phoned you a number of Sunday's ago, (Didn't as by the time everything had come together I had to take off in a hurry.), as I had a message from Mr Grizzle early the morning in question. He was doing an "art installation" in a field near Burnaby Lake and I cycled out CVG to take it in. I'll send along another message with snaps of "happening"!

Bestestos from Corinne to you and your Birthday Boy. Interestingly enough, my birthday is on December 6th although Mme Coriandre has already started Xmas decorating! Look forward to seeing you but but don't fuss, really, as this is a crazy social time for everyone. Fondestos and Cheers, Patrizzio!  

Hi NPP! Here are some of the rides we took while in California, along with CVG.First shot was taken in front of Ron's house. Loads to tell about the rides in California but details will have to wait until we four meet and tipple! Cheers, Patrizzio!

Thanks, Pat. A quick reply as work beckons.....Those plates are amazing!! And from Birks, too. Do you know if there are more of them out there? And how old they are? Very interesting. See you soon. Sara Ride Stats! Thanks, I'll look at all this later. Sara

Hi Plate Person! Apparently Brenda got them from Diana Cooper., late of Fine Arts. I gather some time before she died. I have a small drawing of hers. Shows me in shorts and sandals with a wine bottle on one of the book shelves I'm kneeling beside. Margaret asked her to do it for my retirement and I believe it was one of the last she did.

Brenda only has eight and Kjell, since he had not graduated from UBC's Library School, was forced to eat off an ordinary plate! I imagine that they are pretty rare and not sure if any are still around. Google? Brenda might be able to help with age, etc.

Just yesterday I received a small parcel from Australia, from Brisbane. Claire and Greg had stayed with us for about ten days in September. He is an extremely talented individual and enjoys putting together metal sculptures of one sort or another. 

They are keen cyclists as well and are hoping to put together a ride, starting in Devon, then across Channel from Brittany to Bilboa. Six weeks or so but one can join up for various sections. I'm hoping to join them for entire ride. Not until 2016. Interested? Cheers, Patrizzio!

Pics: Greg's likeness of Patrizzio! Not sure I like the "blockhead"! Diana's delightful sketch! Not sure if I'm sneaking a gulp or two or just re-shelving bottles!

Hi again, Party-boy, It was a lot of fun! The dishwasher (still dallying with the crystal) says she would seriously consider quarterly gatherings. B

Hi again, Dishwasher Woman and Crystal Gazer! We'll pencil you in on our Daytimers! On a related matter, I ride with Sara, in Front Office, from time to time, and I sent her a few snaps of your wonderful dishes since she's in Barber/Main. 

She was quite taken with them, as I'm sure you can appreciate. She was wondering how old they were. I know she'd be keen to chat about them if you have a minute and are by sometime. Told her you had obtained them from Diana and mentioned that I have a small drawing of hers. Shows me in shorts and sandals with wine bottles on one of the book shelves I'm kneeling beside. Margaret asked her to do it for my retirement and I believe it was one of the last she did. Not sure if I'm sneaking a gulp or two or just re-shelving bottles! Cheers, Scullion, (I'm happy to do dishes next time as I'm the one with my hands in soapy water at home!), Patrizzio!

Jian Ghomeshi at the chaotic scene outside the courtroom: On Wednesday, November 26, 2014, Jian Ghomeshi, 47, of Toronto, surrendered to police. He was charged with:

1) four counts of Sexual Assault

2) Overcome Resistance - Choking

He is scheduled to appear in court early this afternoon. A sexual assault is any form of unwanted sexual contact. It includes, but is not limited to, kissing, grabbing, oral sex and penetration. 

Re Cask # 188 Distilled December 2011 Last evening a number of our cask shareholders gathered for an informal tasting of the following samples as provided by Shelter Point Distillery:  

1. Cask # 188 sample 375 ml extracted March 2014. Cask strength 60+%

2. Casks 1-100 sample extracted August 2014. 46% a.b.v. ( heel from Sept 21 tasting )

3. Casks 101-160 sample extracted August 2014 46% a.b.v. ( heel from Sept 21 tasting)

[Here is a photo of some of the fortunate few who showed up for the tasting.] Group consensus seemed to be that the Cask 188 sample was excellent at cask strength and even improved with the addition of distilled H2O. This bodes well for the continuing maturity of our investment over the next two years. A small amount remains of the Cask 188 sample which I will retain for the benefit of cask shareholders who were unable to make it.
 

The assessment and commentary on the remaining two samples was quite positive as well and very similar to the overall ratings these received when tasted by 70 + people at the Sept 21 SOWTS event. These samples received a positive analysis from a California testing laboratory.

A few people did not receive notice of the tasting due to a change in email address. I maintain the attached list for the South Okanagan Cask Ownership Group # 1 and a related list of emails addresses. Please ensure the information on both lists is correct and advise me if there are any changes required. I will continue to keep the group informed of any new developments. Let me know if you have any questions. Kevin

Chloe Alexis Dunn via Aunt Leah's Independent Lifeskills Society
Breakfast Television: Aunt Leah's Tree Lots Open November 28th
www.btvancouver.ca  

Aunt Leah's Tree Lots - Tips on Picking the Perfect Christmas Tree Check out Paul and Angelina being interviewed by Dawn!!! Patrick James Dunn Well done and very informative! I would like Paul's and Angelina's autographs now, since they are Media Superstars!

Hello Fortunate Few! Must be nice to be a member of such an elite club, tippling on the broken backs of Lower Mainland chumps! Glad you suffered an overhang. There is some JUSTICIA!  

Hi Andrea! Great chatting yesterday. After I picked up my Trek by the time I was back home it was close to 2:30 pm. Have included some of snaps that Matt didn't see fit to forward! Cheers, Patrizzio!

Just back from squeaking in a ride around Stanley Park, my regular Three Propsect Hill Loops. Lucky me as I managed to have a dry ride, in spite of forecast for rain. It was also very pleasantly warm so I enjoyed myself immensely. Not many people around so even had SP and the Seawall mostly to myself. Stats for ride:

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/640541284#.VHaIkp9bGgQ.email

Must away to shower and change and then we are off to fund raiser for Camp Fircom. Cheers, Patrizzio

Pics: Metal cyclist. Not sure I'm keen on being so realistically represented as  Blockhead/Dunderhead!

Patriçio, Is "The Goren Gran Palazzo” now the new name for the Island Inn? I will be there, sound of heart (if not mind), relying not on the fickle wisps of luck, but on skill, cunning and surgical precision in laying the optimal card on every trick. Sábado a las cinco horas, mi amigo! Oh, and I will bring some appies …hasta la vista! 

Picked up my Trek yesterday as spoke finally arrived and my back wheel was ready. By the time I was back home it was close to 2:30 pm and I was just able to squeak in a rain-free ride, (Forecast had called for rain but from the look of the sky I thought it looked more like mist.), around Stanley Park, my regular Three Prospect Hill Loops. 

Later that evening we attended a fund-raiser for Camp Fircom, a United Church camp on Gambier Island, one of the Gulf Islands one catches but a glimpse of when driving to Whistler, after leaving Horseshoe Bay on the Sea to Sky Highway. Event was held at the Heritage Hall on Main and it was loads of fun. Last time I was there was ten years ago for a friend's 40th birthday.

Cora Lee is plugged into the United Church Mafia so it was very interesting to meet many of the people that she has been working with on various church committees and councils. Lots of very bright, committed individuals from all walks of life so I had a blast visiting. A goodly number of glasses of Pinot Grigio from Prospect Winery, Okanagan, helped lubricate my bidding on items in Silent Auction. At the end of the night I came away with a large, stuffed, purple rabbit and a clutch of model cars. Bid on them as will donate them to Aunt Leah's Christmas Hamper program, although, on second thought, I might hold on to the bunny to keep me company since Cora Lee is so often away! Also a travelling companion, easier to get along with than either Glasgow or Whirlygig!

Real keepers were what we both felt was a striking Native print by a Salish artist as well as a b/w print of the Heritage Hall, a post office from 1916-1965. All in all a wonderful time for a more than good cause.                              

Hi Jo-Anne and John! Lovely to meet you both! Cheers, Patrizzio! Pics: Camp Fancy! Canoe bar at Camp Fircom fund raiser; ceiling of Heritage Hall; Playboy Bunny!

Hi Ana-Luz! Lovely to see you this evening! Cheers, Patrizzio!

From Augustus: First Emperor of Rome, Adrian Goldsworthy, Yale University Press, 2014. 

Running for public office in ancient Rome: "A man seeking office [in Rome] formally donned a specially whitened toga known as the toga candidata, from which we get our word candidate. It was important to be conspicuous during a campaign. There were no political parties at Rome as we would understand them, nor were elections primarily contests about policy. Quite openly, voters selected on the basis of perceived character and past behaviour rather than the views a candidate expressed. Where an individual's nature was not obvious, the Roman people tended to be drawn to a famous name, for there was a sense that virtue and ability were inherited. Therefore, if a man's father and grandfather had served with distinction -- or at least avoided utter ignominy -- then it was assumed that he would possess comparable talent. 

He also tended to inherit the networks of past favours, obligations and friendships built up by previous generations. The established aristocratic families lost no opportunity to advertise their achievements. Porches of houses were decorated with the symbols of past victories, and as someone went in they would pass busts of ancestors, each shown with the insignia of their magistracies. ...

"It was especially important for a candidate's house to be busy in these hours just before dawn as the working day got under way. In 64 BC Quintus Cicero wrote a pamphlet on electioneering presented as advice for his brother's consular campaign -- something which Cicero himself scarcely needed, but a convenient literary device. 

He notes that quite a few people will choose to visit several of the candidates, hedging their bets on who will win. Quintus advises the candidate to show great pleasure at such visits, in the hope of flattering them into becoming genuine supporters.

"A candidate could not have too many political friends, and this was an opportunity to make new ones. As Quintus Cicero puts it: ' ... you can make friends of any people you wish without disgrace, which you cannot do in the rest of life. If at some other time you were to exert yourself to court friendship with them, you would seem to act in bad taste; but in a canvass you would be thought a very poor candidate if you did not so act and with vigour too in connection with many such people.'
 

"It was a good opportunity to let people do a candidate a favour by showing support and so put him under obligation to them for the future. There were very obvious ways of displaying commitment to a candidate, most notably walking with him through the Forum. It was important to be attended by as many and as distinguished a following as possible so that friendships could be noted. The Roman electorate tended to favour a perceived winner, and so big followings readily grew as more people wanted to join the winning side. "When a candidate proceeded through the heart of the City in this way, he would greet passers-by, and again wish to be seen to be associated with as many prominent people as possible. A special type of slave, known as a nomenclator, had the job of whispering in his master's ear the names of people so that they could be greeted properly. 

Too obvious a dependence on this assistant was seen as vulgar, but Cato the Younger was unusual in very publicly dispensing with one, and then attempting to ban other candidates from using them. Under pressure he relented, and nomenclatores continued to be an essential part of a politician's staff. 

"A wise candidate did his best to please as many people as possible. He and his friends were expected to entertain and praise both individuals and groups -- the equestrian order, the publicani, the less well-off classes, and members of the various guilds in the City and voting divisions in the Assemblies. It was vital to be seen as generous and willing to help, particularly in return for support. As Quintus Cicero put it: 'people want not only promises ... but promises made in a lavish and complimentary way'. They were also bound to ask for favours. 'Whatever you cannot perform, decline gracefully or, better yet, don't decline. A good man will do the former, a good candidate the latter.' 

Better to promise wherever possible, since 'if you refuse you are sure to rouse antagonism at once, and in more people .... Especially as they are much angrier with those who refuse them than with a man who ... has a reason for not fulfilling his promise, although he would do so if he possibly could.' Election pledges were just as impermanent in the first century BC as they are today, and voters similarly inclined to let optimism triumph over experience."                 From Matthieu Ricard, Antoine Lutz and Richard J. Davidson: "Mind of the Meditator" , Scientific American, November 2014, 39-45.  Brain imaging shows that when we master a task such as playing an instrument or the advanced performance in a sport, specific parts of the brain are transformed -- certain neural pathways grow and strengthen. Neuroscientists have now shown that the same is true for mastery of meditation with direct benefits for improving focus, overcoming depression, dealing with pain and cultivating emotional well-being:
 

"A comparison of the brain scans of meditators with tens of thousands of hours of practice with those of neophytes and nonmeditators has started to explain why this set of techniques for training the mind holds great potential for supplying cognitive and emotional benefits. ...

"The discovery of meditation's benefits coincides with recent neuroscientific findings showing that the adult brain can still be deeply transformed through experience. These studies show that when we learn how to juggle or play a musical instrument, the brain undergoes changes through a process called neuroplasticity. A brain region that controls the movement of a violinist's fingers becomes progressively larger with mastery of the instrument. 

A similar process appears to happen when we meditate. Nothing changes in the surrounding environment, but the meditator regulates mental states to achieve a form of inner enrichment, an experience that affects brain functioning and its physical structure. The evidence amassed from this research has begun to show that meditation can rewire brain circuits to produce salutary effects not just on the mind and the brain but on the entire body. ... "Neuroscientists have now begun to probe what happens inside the brain during the various types of meditation. Wendy Hasenkamp, then at Emory University, and her colleagues used brain imaging to identify the neural networks activated by focused- attention meditation. ... Advanced meditators appear to acquire a level of skill that enables them to achieve a focused state of mind with less effort. These effects resemble the skill of expert musicians and athletes capable of immersing themselves in the 'flow' of their performances with a minimal sense of effortful control. ...
 

"In our Wisconsin lab, we have studied experienced practitioners while they performed an advanced form of mindfulness meditation called open presence. In open presence, sometimes called pure awareness, the mind is calm and relaxed, not focused on anything in particular yet vividly clear, free from excitation or dullness. The meditator observes and is open to experience without making any attempt to interpret, change, reject or ignore painful sensation. We found that the intensity of the pain was not reduced in meditators, but it bothered them less than it did members of a control group. Compared with novices, expert meditators' brain activity diminished in anxiety-related regions -- the insular cortex and the amygdala -- in the period preceding the painful stimulus.

The meditators' brain response in pain-related regions became accustomed to the stimulus more quickly than that of novices after repeated exposures to it. Other tests in our lab have shown that meditation training increases one's ability to better control and buffer basic physiological responses -- inflammation or levels of a stress hormone -- to a socially stressful task such as giving a public speech or doing mental arithmetic in front of a harsh jury.

"Several studies have documented the benefits of mindfulness on symptoms of anxiety and depression and its ability to improve sleep patterns. By deliberately monitoring and observing their thoughts and emotions when they feel sad or worried, depressed patients can use meditation to manage negative thoughts and feelings as they arise spontaneously and so lessen rumination. 

Clinical psychologists John Teasdale, then at the University of Cambridge, and Zindel Segal of the University of Toronto showed in 2000 that for patients who had previously suffered at least three episodes of depression, six months of mindfulness practice, along with cognitive therapy, reduced the risk of relapse by nearly 40 percent in the year following the onset of a severe depression. More recently, Segal demonstrated that the intervention is superior to a placebo and has a protective effect against relapse comparable to standard maintenance antidepressant therapy. ...
 

"About 15 years of research have done more than show that meditation produces significant changes in both the function and structure of the brains of experienced practitioners. These studies are now starting to demonstrate that contemplative practices may have a substantive impact on biological processes critical for physical health."

From John Quincy Adams (The American Presidents Series), Robert V. Remini, Times Books, 2002. Abigail Adams, wife of America's second president John Adams, has been lauded by historians for her assertive influence in her husband's life and in the young life of her country. However, her son John Quincy Adams, America's sixth president, saw her as an intrusive and hectoring presence, confronting him with an unending stream of directives, criticisms and admonitions. He often simply avoided her, but was unable to when it came to the one passionate love of his life:

"[In 1790, at the age of twenty-three,] John Quincy Adams fell deeply in love with a beautiful young sixteen-year-old by the name of Mary Frazier, the daughter of Moses Frazier, a prominent citizen in Newburyport. After a few months the romance quickly developed into a serious relationship. John and Mary took long walks together and felt boundless joy in one another's company. When possible they attended parties and the theater together, and he wrote poetry about her and to her. Quite obviously the young man's emotions had carried him to the point of asking for Mary's hand in marriage, but reason kept reminding him that he could not support a wife. He was twenty-three years of age and still dependent on his parents' support; and although his apprenticeship in the law was coming to an end, it would take time to establish a practice and earn enough money to afford a wife. Besides, his parents insisted he open his law office in Boston, not Newburyport, which he preferred because of Mary's presence. 

"Dutifully he removed to Boston when his law studies ended, and on July 15, 1790, was duly sworn into practice. Three weeks later he opened his law office in a house owned by his father on Court Street. But few clients came. His courtship of Mary continued as best he could manage it and there seemed to be every indication that he planned to marry her. Unfortunately Abigail learned of the romance and immediately intervened. She notified her son that she was stunned and incredulous when she learned 'that you are attached to a young lady.' 'Never form connections until you see a prospect of supporting a wife,' she lectured in a series of letters. An early marriage 'will involve you in troubles that may render you and yours unhappiness for the remainder of your life.'

"The son chose to disregard his mother's warning and advice. He asked his beloved to agree to acknowledge their love and pledge to marry as soon as he could establish himself and support a family. But Mary's family would not accept such an 'indefinite' arrangement and insisted on a formal engagement, something John Quincy could not and would not do. Mary came to Boston to discuss it with him -- and she held her ground. There must be an agreement such as her family demanded, she informed him, or they must end their relationship.

"Totally dependent upon his family, John felt powerless to disobey them and with 'broken heart' he terminated their romance. Shortly thereafter he informed Abigail that she need worry no longer. 'I am perfectly free, and you may rest assured I shall remain so .... I may add I was never in less danger from any entanglement which can give you pain than at present.' "As far as can be judged, this was the only romantic and passionate love of John Quincy Adams's entire life. It took a long time before he ceased to grieve over his lost love."