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Posts Tagged ‘Billy Joel’

Ignored 166: Most regular players

In Graphic on January 20, 2018 at 2:08 am

Ignored 67: 100,000,000 records sold

In Uncategorized on September 8, 2015 at 12:07 am

Ignored 30: Swerves

In Uncategorized on March 17, 2014 at 2:10 pm

The latest chapter in my on-going dialogue with @dradam. We use a Rolling Stone article about Bob Dylan in the 1980s as basis for a discussion of what happens when artists reach middle age. Also discussed: Geddy Lee driving around North York and Thornhill.

Cam: You read this?

Adam: Reading now

Adam: Interesting. there are a few highlight songs for sure, but it’s the Wilburys and Oh Mercy where he starts “amazingness” again.

Cam: It seemed like Neil Young and Elvis Costello (and maybe Tom Petty?) had a similar trajectory. Kinda hit-or-miss for the decade before ending the 1980s strong with Freedom, Spike and Full Moon Fever, respectively. At least from a dual critical/commercial sense. Although Spike may be a piece of (junk) in hindsight. Never heard it.

Adam: I’ve often thought about certain artist’s awkward years between their zenith or creative peak, and the time when they hopefully get to tour into perpetuity milking their catalogue, playing classic albums in their entirety, and letting their fans pass them onto the next generation of fans. But while Springsteen appears to be the golden god (or “Boss”, to be more accurate) at this point, he too went through a kind of awkward phase in the early 1990s when he disbanded the E Street Band, released two albums at once (when one would really have sufficed) and floated around with a moustache and goatee. He was doing songs for Jerry Mcgwaire (sic) and teasing the would be E Street Reunion with “Murder Incorporated”. But whenever I see any footage from Springsteen plugged, I can’t help but cringe (not just because he’s got a non-Clarence on the horn). Tunnel of Love followed BITUSA and was already Bruce trying to move away from what everyone seemed to want him to be. While at the time Tunnel was unfairly maligned for not eclipsing the incredible success and six singles from the previous album. The thing here is that Bruce was in control. he needed the break and took it. Then, cue the reunion tour and suddenly sparks are flying on E Street again. Elton John seemed to avoid this awkwardness though I’d argue there was a weird patch in the very late 1980s/early 1990s. While his star power and The Lion King vaulted him again, his album The One always seemed to me to be the ugly duckling (read: it sucked). It wasn’t ’til Songs from the West Coast that he put out an album again that was worth listening to, and that one certainly was. As one of those icons, his quality never really fell off completely despite the mountains of coke he was doing and most of Too Low for Zero. Yet his flat hat phase produced “I Guess That’s Why They Call it the Blues” and “I’m Still Standing” (though he apparently has no recollection of filming the latter video). Billy Joel didn’t hit his awkward gap till after River of Dreams I guess, and then just stopped creating new music. But he first hit in the 1970s, so the 1980s were still his latter wheelhouse. Same with Bruce. and Elton too. But look at the Band. they were THE Band. The biggest thing around, cresting, arguably with The Last Waltz. Then, Robbie broke up the Band (guess you only get one chance in life to play a song that goes like…but I digress), and they limped along through the 1980s doing non-Robbie tours, and dealing with their own demons (Rickie and Richard specifically, who didn’t make it out). I thought a lot about that during Levon’s victory lap at the end of his life. You go from superstar, to no longer hip enough for the kids you were playing to who got married and had kids and didn’t have time to devote themselves to your music anymore. If you were versatile, you bided your time to your next album. If you were a “one trick pony”, not so much. For some of the rock icons, their dry spell was short. Paul Simon’s Hearts and Bones was his first commercial flop. Then, he hit his jackpot with Graceland. Important to remember that these guys did not all start out at the same time. Bob, then Simon & Garfunkel came up in the folk boom of the early-to-mid 1960s. Paul Simon hit his solo success during the 1970s, had one bust, then had the huge comeback of Graceland and Rhythm of the Saints. Dylan had his first comeback in the 1970s with Blood on the Tracks, I believe. He’d already long changed his early image and after his bike accident, he became reclusive. Then, he hit big again with Blood and Desire and then toured with the Band. So Dylan’s 1980s, which started in 1979 with Slow Train and then Infidels, was a transition time for Bob. He also lost his direction, I think, and (maybe) was into drugs in the early 1980s, as most were. The problem with those albums is that they feel lazy. There’s not much on Empire Burlesque or Shot of Love or Knocked Out Loaded that I can even recall. Then, he gets with Lanois and makes his comeback on Oh Mercy before shitting out Under the Red Sky and Good As I Been to You. Both forgettable. That takes him to the early 1990s. He has his pericarditis scare and comes back for his encore with Time Out of Mind and his whole new career begins again. It’s quite amazing really. I think we all need to wander in the wilderness at some point and I can’t imagine it’s different with artists. Back to Levon: it made me sad to think that while he got to do those rambles and be everyone’s loveable musician grandfather, Richard Manuel and Ricky Danko couldn’t have toughed it out. They went from rock gods to playing in clubs. That must be hard to deal with. The 1980s sucked until the people who grew up in the 1980s hit their 30s and then felt nostalgic. Same with the 1990s and beyond. “Golden oldies” referred to the initial rock-and-roll pioneers by the 1960s. Nobody cared for a while until you see all these reunion videos from the early 1980s. The Everly Brothers at Royal Albert Hall for one. 1983 seemed like that awkward phase for the Grateful Dead. Not 1977-1980 anymore, not yet the big comeback of the “stadium Dead” and the “Touch of Grey” momentum or Jerry’s coma. Also, that’s when Jerry was sliding down the Persian heroin dragon slide and the music isn’t what it was from the height of a few years earlier. In short, different acts hit that awkward phase for different reasons. Nobody can be amazing all the time and your fans are fickle. Just ask U2 how long it took them to get back the fans after Pop.

Cam: These… these are thoughts!

Cam: Bruce… Tunnel of Love was definitely maligned at the time. Ostensibly, it flopped. However, what could he have done to commercially to follow-up Born in the USA? There was really nowhere to go but down. It was his break-up album but I dunno…. “Brilliant Disguise” stands up pretty well, “Tunnel of Love” is a good song caked in 1980s production, “One Step Up” is still a bummer. Not a bad album by any stretch. I think his true WTF was “Streets of Philadelphia” which isn’t a bad song per se but also, it’s a clear attempt to stay current. Y’know, brooding over (ahem) “hip-hop beats”.

Cam: Elton… I think he kind of avoided (an awkward phase) because his descent (ascent?) into pure adult contempo was pretty gradual through the late 1970s. I think he kinda of got a pass because there weren’t huge expectations on him, even based on his prime 1970s output. He was glammy but he’d never be Bowie. He did the singer/songwriter thing but he wasn’t Lennon or even Paul Simon. He was just consistently massive and nobody really gave a (darn). At least amongst snobs? So he starts doing songs for Disney cartoons… nobody really cared. From what I can tell, Elton purists aren’t very vocal or defensive.

Cam: Billy Joel… Similar arch to Elton although I think he tried to convey the “serious artist” card more (i.e. lots of press shots where he looked sad or contemplative). Therefore, crap like “We Didn’t Start the Fire” and “River of Dreams” seem laughably corny in retrospect (and at the time). It was never cool to like Billy Joel but I think even non-Billy Joel fans held him to a higher standard (artistically) than Elton John. He never dressed up like Donald Duck and played Dodger Stadium in a sequent baseball uniform. But Billy did have massive cornball moments in the early 1980s (i.e. the video for “Uptown Girl”) that somehow seemed less disposable than Elton John’s efforts of that era, even though the songs were probably worse. Give me “I Guess That’s Why They Call It the Blues” any day. Chuck Klosterman wrote a good essay on Billy Joel that talks about his positioning in rock music lore (or lack thereof). Companion piece.

Cam: The Band… Do big fans even consider their 1980s albums “real” Band efforts? I know zero about these, aside from the fact there is (I think) an angry cartoon pig on one of the covers. As a pretty casual fan, I can’t really imagine Rick Danko even existing post-Waltz. I do remember Levon getting trotted out at Bonnaroo and elsewhere in his final years but sadly, in a “holy shit, that guy’s still alive” fashion. And all the while, Robbie tried to shoehorn himself into the video era. You do realize from maybe 1984 to 1988, Robbie Robertson and Lou Reed were kind of running parallel in their efforts to fit into the MTV era? And now both seem MASSIVELY dated output-wise in the process. All that stuff… I’m kinda just talking out of my ass because I really don’t have a full sense of how these guys were received by fans/non-fans at the time. I was a toddler while this was going down As the first essay points out (and the entire MO for the blog really), unless you literally lived through this stuff, it’s tougher to piece together the true arch from an ascent/descent perspective and have it resonate in a truly authentic (and less theoretical) fashion. To your point, these cycle repeat and always will with any artist that has legs career-wise. A few more recent examples of the “awkward phase”… Sonic Youth (Dirty… which I maintain is still a really solid album), Dinosaur Jr (Where You Been…. very similar quality- and sonic-wise to the previous two… kind of a “three strikes, you’re out” jag for those who were still pining for another version of Bug),  Mogwai (Rock Action… way shorter and less epic than previous efforts… Happy Music for Happy People might be my overall favourite but really, they just don’t make bad albums ever…. they’re never mind-blowingly amazing but they’re always good/very good)

Cam: I think the best modern parallel to the original “Dylan in the 1980s” theme is Beck. His first two widely-available albums (Mellow Gold and Odelay) were completely locked-in to a mid-1990s aesthetics, as much as Dylan was with his 1960s output (assumedly). Beck kinda retreated and messed around for a bit to close out the 1990s (Mutations) and then unloaded his real divisive moment (Midnight Vultures) maybe six years into his career. Everything since has been reasonably well-received and from the reviews I’ve read about his new album Morning Phase (which is great), they feel eerily similar to whatever was written about Neil’s Freedom or maybe Bob Dylan’s Time Out of Mind. In short, if you can last deep into a career and keep a reasonable amount of acclaim, your latter day output will definitely be graded on a curve. And in fairness, if you can keep people’s interest 10 or 15 or 25 albums in, that is SERIOUSLY impressive. Here is a related question: is it even fathomable that a current artist could stay relevant for 50 years like Dylan, Neil, Leonard Cohen have? It’s almost like talking about another pitcher winning 300 games and how unlikely that seems. Clayton Kershaw is arguably the most impressive (stuff-wise) lefthanded pitcher since Randy Johnson. He just turned 26 and he ONLY has 77 wins. And yet two Cy Youngs! Beck seems like a candidate and he’s got a good pace going now 20 years in. But could he seriously keep making well received albums for the next 30 years?!? Until 2044?!? Again, I can’t even wrap my head around the possibility. In the pop realm, this is even more unlikely. Sadly, I just watched the video of Lady GaGa getting barfed on by a dancer at SXSW. This is one of the biggest pop stars in the world and she’s resorting to little stunts like this that are clearly geared towards the YouTube crowd. One would think (hope?) that Madonna or Michael Jackson would never have stooped to this level of attention grabbing… and they were/are massive ego-maniacs!

Adam: Where to begin. “I Guess That’s Why They Call It the Blues” is one of my favorite songs of all-time. I love the song to death, I love the video, it makes me emotional that song. Must be something about the chord progression combined with tremendous lyrics (“…laughing like children / living like lovers / rolling like thunder / under the covers”) and “… I simply love you more than I love life itself”. In WWII era England? Kills me every time. Also on my short list are “Amoreena”, “Bad Side of the Moon (live from 10-11-70)” then wonderfully covered and made famous by April Wine. Talk about an under appreciated band! Most of Madman Across the Water kills. “Holiday Inn” is a great road song that should’ve been in Almost Famous. There’s also a great live version of “Daniel” with a nice pulsing piano and a really nice energy that is better live than the flute-y feel of the studio track. I’ve got a soft spot for “Nikita” too. Too much music! I forgot about “Streets of Philadelphia”. I heard that during the commercial break before the Oscars performance of that tune, someone called out “Rosalita”! I love Tunnel of Love. Same time as Nothing Like the Sun by Sting. I’d call Desert Rose his awkward phase but he weathered the storm. I love the sound of Tunnel of Love. Very 1980s in a good way. “One Step Up” had a great lyric: “… check the furnace / she wasn’t burnin'”. “Brilliant Disguise” is the song I’d hold a sign up for at a Springsteen show if I didn’t hate doing that. Held a “Jungleland” sign at the (Sky)Dome first row when he came by but he wasn’t playing it that night. The video for it is directed by Jonanthan Demme (I think) and is a live performance on a long, slow zoom in shot in black-and-white. “Tougher Than the Rest” has a kick-ass harp solo to finish it out. Kind of like the piano outro on “Racing in the Street”. I judge Bruce’s awkward years by his facial hair. You know what I mean?

Adam: Also, thought I’d mention that I introduced the kids to “We Didn’t Start the Fire” this week and they loved it. I actually remember hearing it for the first time on a Sunday night “new music” spot on CHUM-FM, I think. Grade 7. They played the verse that starts “… Buddy Holly / Ben Hur / space monkey mafia”. They also played a part from Jive Bunny and the Mastermixer’s “Swing the Mood”. I purchased cassette singles of both I believe, though I had the storefront CD I think. “Swing the Mood” is just essentially this: The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra – Hooked On Classics Parts 1. Which although is nostalgic to hear, not nearly as perpetually listenable as this: Walter Murphy – A Fifth Of Beethoven [HQ]

Cam: Here we go… I totally forgot about “Tell Her About It”. A total craptastic piece of 1980s cheese and something that reminds me for 98.1 CHFI and accordingly, sitting in a dentist office. I hadn’t really thought about him trying to update doo wop (or thought about him much at all) but that totally is him trying to bring the Frankie Valli approach into the 1980s. I guess the modern equivalent might be…. parts of Bruno Mars? It does seem like a bit of a swerve considering he was positioned as “singer/songwriter” before and then shifted to a modified “song-and-dance man”. Amazingly in retrospect, he got his most early traction on “modern” MTV by aping a style of music that was more than 20 years old at the time. Having Christie Brinkley mincing about in there no doubt helped. I actually kind of like “Allentown” although it seems a bit too jovial for an “issues” song. Songs about labour that don’t sound like Pete Seeger or Billy Bragg are often weird/clunky but BJ pulls no punches considering how the song starts: “… well, we’re living here in Allentown / and they’re closing all the factories down”. I like the Wikipedia page talks about the then-mayor’s reaction to the tune. It seems a bit invasive considering he didn’t grow up in Pennsylvania but is more coherent (rightly or wrongly) than the Rheostatics’ “Horses” and more sympathetic (though less awesome) than Rush’s “Working Man”. “Allentown” totally sounds like BJ trying to write a Randy Newman song, right? File under “what would Randy Newman do”. Complete WTF on the video. Considering the song is supposedly about the plight of the working class, the clip is massively campy and really inconsistent with the tone of the song. I guess the TV show Fame was big in-and-around the time of that song? It’s like a musical theatre version of what working in a factory would be like with BJ dressed like a slightly more handsome Emmett Kelly.

Cam: “A Fifth of Beethoven” is a textbook novelty song but could it be argued that this was the first mash-up? Is Girl Talk an “evolutionary Walter Murphy” as our friend Bill Simmons would say? This perhaps rivals Afrika Bambaataa’s “Planet Rock” as the most unlikely merging of the era that somehow works. I’d love for somebody to write a definitive piece (maybe they already have) on electronic music from, I dunno, 1974-1982 but not delineate between disco, Kraurock, early hip-hop, Top 40, Donna Summer, Giorgio Moroder, music for video games, etc. It’s sad hope deeply music gets segmented. I know next-to-nothing about disco but I think it’s always been unfairly pushed to the margins (in a critical sense) and never really given its just due on how much it impacted Top 40 in the 1980s and beyond. There is a really solid BBC documentary on Nile Rogers that is worth a look. He’s obviously not even an electronic artist per se but I think it does a really nice job of fixating on delving into the genesis of Chic and showing how his POV morphed through his work with David Bowie, Duran Duran, INXS, Madonna. Obviously, he’s getting a broad revisit/rediscovery because of his work with Daft Punk. I like his “it’s all just music; deal with it” approach. His set at Glastonbury 2013 is really awesome too–it’s almost like something you’d see on a cruise ship and completely unironic, sincere and celebratory. I’m curious that you put Eddie Vedder on your “built to last” list with Beck and Jeff Tweedy. I think Pearl Jam is completely fine but for yourself, for somebody who never “did” grunge”, was there a moment when you came around on PJ or EV specifically? I kinda feel like Snoop Dogg is going to be on that list too. Hip-hop is too young to even begin to speculate but “Big Snoop” has had incredible lasting power. I’ve always thought there are only two musicians who’d be equally at home on Sesame Street and in a pornographic film: Snoop and Gene Simmons. There’s gotta be some cache there.

Adam: We’re all in hyper-focused niches of consuming what we already like. I’m amused through-out these discussions about how you’ll start talking about vitally essential “alt-rock” artists and I’m thinking “Oh, I think I’ve heard that name once”. There is clearly a lot of crossover of mainstream stuff but our divergent tastes (and the obsessive way we get into those things) is cool. It’s why I like the Sam Dunn movies Global Metal and Metal: A Headbanger’s Journey despite not liking metal on any level and it sounding like noise. I dig that there are tribes who come together loving it, dress in their outfits (their black is my “carefully selected, just the right amount of cool” Dead shirt). and they’re as happy as they could be in their music, moving their bodies, along with 30,000 others. Just as Trading Places once taught us, there is a place for both nature AND nurture (I mean, look how quickly Valentine figured out the pork bellies market). Certain frequencies of music just sound good to me. Why? Definitely what I was raised on but I never liked the hard Pearl Jam or Blues Traveler stuff (and not for lack of exposure or trying). I like the part in the Rush movie where Trey Parker (or Matt- the curly haired one) is talking about how you pick who you like in high school: “Well, this is the smart band and I fancy myself a smart kid. This is what I’m about”. The hippie thing just felt right for me. It still does.

Cam: Did you see the The Story of Anvil? Both that and the Rush doc are great in that “you don’t even have to like the music” kind of way. More importantly, it’s pretty cool to see the roots of those bands in North York, very close to our beloved Thornhill. Those guys and their families really remind me of a lot of people I knew growing up. Plus it was pretty sweet to see Geddy Lee drive past that plaza where Newtonbrook Bowlerama is located in the back of a Lincoln.

Adam: I loved (the Rush doc). My fifth grade teacher was his first cousin. Everyone had a Geddy story. I sat behind him at a Leafs’ game once. His kids played ball at Bishop’s Cross. Jordan sat next to him once and kept talking about “Xanadu, trying I get his attention. They were going into Pancer’s Deli in the movie. I had the good pleasure of bumping into Sam Dunn at the airport a few years back as I was listening to “Far Cry”, one of the few later-era Rush songs on my iPod because it was the song through the final credits of the doc. So I’m sitting listening to the song from the movie and this long-haired guy walks past me. I “nerded” out a little on him. Gushed over both movies and how cool I thought it was that I didn’t get the music but I got the experience of the music. He was very nice. Talked about on-going projects with Iron Maiden and Alice Cooper. Asked him how cool it just be to be working for your heros. He was in the affirmative.


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Melbourne Musings

I have now been in Melbourne just over a month.

I have settled into work at one of the teaching hospitals. We have secured a cute little flat within walking distance from work and a nice little coffee shop down the road. We have even taken our first trip to explore outside of Melbourne – heading to McLaren Vale and buying an unacceptable volume of Shiraz.

A couple of my new colleagues have discovered this blog, and one sent a screenshot to me asking if I wrote it. Aside from being amused at my now international almost-recognition, it led to me re-reading my last post, and I can’t believe how defeated I sound. I already struggle to recognise the Sheri who wrote it, barely 2 months on. I feel a little as if I am emerging from a thick fog. Things in healthcare here really are as good as people made them sound.

Traditionally this blog has been used to voice my annoyance at the general state of the NHS. It is odd to begin writing a post filled with positives. There are, however, in addition to the much nicer working environment, negative aspects of living in the Antipodes. I will probably end up comparing and contrasting more than just medical-related things over the next few posts.

Here are the things that have struck me thus far.

The COFFEE. Dear Lord, the coffee. I knew it was better. I was excited about sampling it. What I wasn’t prepared for was how difficult it is to get a mediocre cup of coffee in this city. Every small coffee shop has more delicious brews than the next. Chains like McDonalds (Maccas to my new friends) serve better coffee than independent shops back home. The Aussies are so focussed on superior caffeine, that even on night shifts there is a coffee truck that does the rounds of the Melbourne hospitals from 10pm to 6am supplying excellent beverages to all the night workers. Never will I be reduced to instant coffee again. Pure genius.

The rota (roster, as I am intermittently learning to call it). The shift pattern is just as terrible as back home. If anything, it is worse. I arrived in the country and immediately worked 3 consecutive weekends and then went straight onto nights. However, several vital factors mean that this did not bother me as much as it should. Firstly, you are paid fortnightly (hooray). The pay you receive varies depending on how many out of hours shifts you have worked that week. As such, weeks where you have worked weekends/nights provide you with a noticeable increase in your take-home pay. I know it supposedly works this way in the UK too – your annual salary is calculated to include your out of hours work, but you never see it directly. Seeing those extra dollars in your bank account after a weekend shift makes it exponentially easier to cope with.

Additionally, the workload is so much less. There is constantly more than adequate staffing, with time to make a cup of tea and have a little chat with your colleagues even during the “busiest” of shifts. I no longer feel as if I am continually chasing my tail and getting nowhere. There is time to properly assess, investigate and treat patients, instead of feeling as if you are providing a triage service where people are either referred or discharged without so much as a diagnosis considered or a brain engaged. People are less overworked, and as such more amenable to being contacted about patients for advice, even if you are not referring. There is more of a culture of friendliness and openness.

We are all used to the post night shifts breakfast where you get boozed and form the best bonds with your colleagues, dissecting the previous shifts and getting increasingly tiddly on espresso martinis, but in my hospital here, the Consultants foot the bill for these social engagements. There is a cap of $100, but it definitely shows appreciation for the night work. They can do this comfortably, and claim it back on expenses. Which leads me nicely to the next point:

Salary packaging. For those working in healthcare, you can set up a system whereby you can pay for certain expenditures such as rent/entertainment from your gross salary, prior to taxation. There is a cap of around $9000 per year, which gives your take-home money a significant boost, and again adds to the feeling of appreciation of your hard work.

I have left a training programme in a major teaching hospital, where there was a commitment to providing me with teaching and training experience, and am now working as a trust doctor in a smaller unit. One would assume that the teaching and training opportunities would have decreased. This could not be farther from the truth.

Despite the fact that I do not have a college affiliation, I have access to 5 hours of protected, PAID FOR, teaching on a weekly basis. What is more, the sessions are actually useful. Additionally, the ED registrars are all rostered to spend time in theatres, ensuring we keep our intubation skills up to date. It makes sense that you would want to keep practicing a skill that you rely on in an emergency, and I can’t believe we don’t do that in the UK.

You are much more responsible for your patient here. While the patient is in ED, regardless of the team they are under, you continue to make all the management decisions for them, obviously with consultation as required. If someone needs intubating, you do it. You put the lines in, initiate the treatment, and then call ICU for admission. It is so much more hands on, and exactly what we all signed up for when we wanted to become emergency doctors. It feels so good.

In addition to the above point, you can also do so much more for your patients here. Due to a combination of everyone being much less overworked, and funding being distributed differently, I have had none of the old frustration of knowing someone needs an outpatient review/further investigations and being unable to arrange them. Need to see a cardiologist? No worries. Need outpatient investigations ordered? Easy. Need an MRI for your ligamentous knee injury? No dramas.

I haven’t quite worked out how I feel about the public/private healthcare system. Honestly I don’t quite understand it. Perhaps it will become clearer the longer I am here. The private system definitely takes the strain off of the public hospitals, and provides fast and easy access to investigations, and prompt treatment for those able to pursue it, however, there are also negatives. Unnecessary admissions and investigations being one. I have had several conversations along the vein of “well, they don’t really need admission but if they are private we can bring them in for a few days and investigate.” And I am uncertain how I feel about that. You are obliged to encourage people to use their private insurance instead of taking a place in a public hospital. I understand the logic of that, but I am not used to feeling like a healthcare saleswoman, and I feel that it damages my integrity a little, especially if I do not feel the admission would be any different for the patient, or that the tests are unnecessary. I have had so many ridiculous conversations with extremely twattish private Consultants who clearly don’t care either way about their patients as long as they are being paid. Watch this space for more thoughts as I come to understand the process better.

Brand names. Dear God, Australia, learn what paracetamol is. Every drug is exclusively referred to by the brand. Not just by the public, but in healthcare too. The electronic prescription system requires the brand name to prescribe. You type Panadol, Voltaren, Lyrica etc. It drives me nuts that nobody knows what drugs they are taking and it’s even worse that the brands are so prevalent within the ED. I needed some metaraminol the other day and got nowhere until finally someone told me they call it Aramine here. It is a daily struggle.

Inherent racism/homophobia/intolerance of difference. This is a BIG factor for me. Australia is a developed country, with tons of educated people, and a net immigration per inhabitant of 4.5% (for reference the UK and US are roughly 1.5-2%). One in five Aussies were born abroad. It is therefore completely baffling to me that there is this degree of intolerance. People who I socialise with, who I consider to be well educated, largely with left-leaning politics, and a similar worldview to my own, have no problem voicing incredibly racist and offensive terminology. I have heard the word ‘wog’ in casual conversation more here in the last month than ever before in my life. I am not sure that I will be able to make my peace with that. I am told it is much worse in other parts of Aus, and that Melbourne is relatively tame in this regard, and that makes me feel sick. I am sure that their most recent Prime Minister and his anti-immigration, anti-marriage equality, extreme religious views is not about to improve the situation any time soon.

On a lighter note, it is VITAL that I pick my AFL team. I didn’t care much about footie teams back home, and assumed the same would be true here. But AFL here is life. It permeates every conversation, people form impressions of you based on your affiliation. Pretty much every conversation includes references to the players/games. It probably doesn’t help that I have arrived around finals season, but I clearly need to pick a team.

That’s it for now. I will keep you posted on further impressions as we go, but now I need to go out for coffee. Peace out.

If Nye Bevan could see us now…

Today, on the 70th Birthday of the NHS, I called in sick to work. Due to sheer exhaustion, and a complete loss of all the fucks I have left to give. I am a danger to patients. I have complete empathy fatigue. I have worked 80 hours in the last week, and I am broken.

I am annoyed by everything. How dare people be ill? I have lost my ability to make decisions. Juniors are asking me for advice, and I am struggling to comprehend the simplest of ideas. I can’t even decide what to eat for lunch.

I woke up this morning, and the thought of going to work actually made me cry. I have never had that before. Sure, I have had days when I would rather stay in bed, but I have never experienced such a negative, visceral reaction to the thought of doing my job. A job which I chose, and I used to enjoy.

I am simply exhausted. Doctors rarely call in sick, and when we do, there is an unwritten rule that you don’t call in on a night shift or a weekend, as they are traditionally understaffed and you leave your colleagues unacceptably short. For the last few weeks, every shift has felt like a night shift. We are chronically understaffed, and it is only getting worse. The retention of staff is at an all time low, locum shifts aren’t being filled in the rota due to the London wide pay-capping, and those of us left on a permanent rota are filling in the gaps.

We have over 3 hour waits as the norm now. Patients are defensive and angry as a starting point. They immediately rant at you for how long they have been kept waiting. If, as is often the case, they do not need to be seen in ED acutely, they are furious that you have kept them waiting so long to tell them to go somewhere else. The idea that A&E is not the correct service for your problem seems to be equated with us not caring that you are ill. That is simply not the case. No one is more frustrated than doctors when they see a patient, know exactly what they need but are unable to organise it. Referring back to GP is not laziness; it is an unavoidable necessity. Blame the lack of funding, not the clinician seeing you.

In the last 2 weeks alone, I have been called names ranging from “unfuckable dyke” to “racist cunt”. I accept anger and abuse as the norm. In A&E, we see people at their worst, and so to deal with that we have to be at our best. It is hard to be at your best when you are working 80-hour weeks with minimal staffing. It is hard to be at your best when you can’t complete the simplest of tasks without being interrupted consistently by people asking how much longer the wait is. It is hard to be at your best when patients would rather believe an internet diagnosis over the one you give them. It is hard to be at your best when you are operating on 6 hours sleep and you see more of your work colleagues than you do your family.

So as I sit at home today, on the NHS’s 70th birthday, about to leave the UK to go and work in another healthcare system, I am torn. I am incredibly proud to come from a country that is synonymous with free at point of access healthcare. I am overjoyed that so many people still think the system is worth fighting for. But I am also approaching my limit of physically being able to work within it. Goodwill and pride only take you so far, and as a bare minimum, I would like to ask everyone who has been marching in favour of the NHS this week, to try and be a little more understanding to your healthcare professionals when you see them in A&E. We are doing our best, and some of us are broken from trying to keep this system afloat.

I’m not a girl, not yet a woman.

Through our years of medical training we have assessments that are designed to give us feedback, both on our clinical skills and on our personal traits and interactions within the department. It is a testament to how poorly they are generally completed that I am in my 5th year of training, and in the last 2 weeks have received my first ever genuinely constructive, slightly negative, feedback.

And it wasn’t enjoyable.

There is a tendency in medicine towards feeling that negative feedback is a reflection on your character. Nobody likes to receive criticism, however constructive, but as a medic you spend the vast majority of your life attempting to be a good doctor, to manage patients in an appropriate and empathetic fashion, and you are continually striving to be the clinician you want to be. We go weeks and months, if not years, without useful direction or advice about our clinical skills, and speaking for myself, are fooled into thinking that no news is good news. Then along comes an appropriate feedback session, and you learn that you are not as good as you think you are. For someone with chronic imposter syndrome this means you feel like the shittest doctor in the world.

My current stage of training is a funny one, I am at the end of my SHO years and from August, if I stayed in the UK, I would be embarking on registrar training. I feel competent as an SHO and totally out of my depth as a registrar. In the words of Britney – “I’m not a girl, not yet a woman.”

My current department gives ST3s (my year of training) the opportunity to step up as registrars. However, they quite unhelpfully don’t distinguish on the rota or in practice between an ST3 and an ST6 – a doctor with 3 more years of emergency medicine experience. As a result, in an already very stressful environment, you feel like you are consistently underperforming and being held to an unacceptable standard.

I personally do not feel that it is appropriate for me as a doctor with a total of 20 months of ED specific training to be leading a resuscitation room alone in a major teaching hospital. I don’t feel that I should be managing majors alone and making decisions about all the patients seen by the more junior doctors. I definitely shouldn’t be doing this without appropriate induction or training. This is where it feels different to other specialties. I have friends in medical and surgical specialties who become registrars at this level. However, they have had much greater exposure to their chosen profession (at least 2 solid years prior to becoming a registrar), plus, I hope they will forgive me for saying, their knowledge base and patient variety is not as vast. As emergency medics we have to know a bit about everything, and be confident risk stratifying everything from chest pain through to ectopics. This takes time, and patient numbers, to achieve with any degree of certainty or safety.

I have really struggled with this year, and that was unexpected. I came from a hospital that had a bad reputation and no senior support, into an emergency department with some of the best consultants in the country, with 24hour consultant cover, and I expected more.

My first 6 months was in paediatrics and I had the best time. The teaching was unparalleled. The department was super supportive, and I never felt outside of my comfort zone without knowing exactly who to call about it. Admittedly, I had no paediatric experience, so they weren’t trying to get me to act more senior than I felt.

Going from that state to leading a busy ED area is stressful for anyone. And then when you receive feedback that you are not doing that effectively, it makes you defensive, and you fail to see the usefulness or accuracy in the feedback you are given. No I am not performing at ST6 level, and nor should I, or anyone else, be expecting me to. However, there are things that I can strive towards improving, in order to perform better and eventually become a competent registrar.

There is a reticence to acknowledge when we are out of our depth. Not the crushingly scary, sick patient in the middle of the night, out of our depth – everyone recognises that, if they don’t they have no business being in medicine. I am talking about the consistent, low grade effects of repeatedly operating just that little bit out of your comfort zone, and feeling unable to voice it because everyone else seems to be coping fine. Not having anyone check on you and make sure you are ok. Being the only senior in a department for others to ask questions to because the consultant is in resus. Just being expected to cope.

It takes a lot to voice unease when everyone around you is giving the impression of you being able to cope. And you can cope. But really, coping isn’t what we should be aiming for. Confidence is the aim. And my experiences this year have totally stripped me of mine. I have been made to step up into a role that I was eager to take, without any significant training, without acknowledgement that this was new and difficult, without someone touching base to see how I was going. And I coped. And now I feel less confident in my medical abilities than I have in a long time.

I am grateful to be taking some time out in August. The thought of continuing to ST4 training is enough to make me hand in my training number. I am approaching this move to Melbourne as an opportunity to see more patients, hone my diagnostic skills, and come back a better, stronger doctor and person. Or alternatively I will run away to the sun forever and never come back…

This week I have been mostly reading…

One of the unexpected bonuses of my article being run by The Guardian, was that a psychologist got in touch with me asking if I would review her new book, which will be published later this month. Caroline Elton has worked with doctors for many years, providing counselling and occupational career support, and she is writing about the psychological effects that medicine has on those who work in it.

I read her book, “Also Human” on my way to and from work last week, and it was a surreal experience. So many themes in my life, and so many of the ways that I approach and justify situations, that I had assumed were unique to me, were on the page in front of me. The themes of the book are explored through her interactions with various doctors over the years, and her unique insight as an outsider commenting on the peculiarities of medical training really made me take stock. Several of her observations resonated with me – from the assumption in medical school that you will make a good doctor purely because you have an aptitude for science and perform well on standardised tests, to the lack of psychological preparation for medical students as they are flung into their first foundation jobs, and have to cope emotionally, as well as practically, with people’s lives depending on their decisions.

She explores the issue of empathy fatigue, which is something I am struggling with at the moment, and the comment by one of her patients that “Medicine is a bit like a cult”, struck a chord deep within me. Often, staying in medicine is easier than leaving, and sometimes that is all that keeps us going.

The lunacy of all new doctors starting on the same day in August, and allowing senior doctors to take leave that week; the lack of psychological evaluation for prospective doctors, and the unwillingness to accept that some medical students just may not have what it takes to complete their training – whether academically or emotionally. The inability to accept that doctors are human, fallible, and capable of falling sick, and above all, the reticence to call it a day, and change profession. Even when it is psychologically damaging, and we know beyond doubt that medicine is not for us, still we persist.

I would encourage anyone considering medicine as a career, and anyone within medicine feeling unfulfilled, or considering a change, to read this book. It contains within it things that we all know, but fail to consider, and it has truly changed the way I think about medical training.

Blame Culture

Today we woke up to the news that the GMC has won its appeal to the High Court, and has struck off Dr Bawa-Garba.

Imagine, if you can, returning to your job after a prolonged leave of absence (maternity leave in this case), beginning your role afresh in a new environment with which you are not familiar, and being told that your colleague couldn’t be in today, and could you please do their work too? Additionally you find out that your boss is uncontactable, the other members of your team all started 2 weeks ago and are just finding their feet, and the IT systems are down. Someone else, in a different team, makes a mistake for which you are punished, and at the end of a gruelling workday you make an entirely avoidable mistake, which leads to catastrophic consequences. Are you no longer qualified to do your job? Do you lack the qualities and experience necessary to carry out your day to day duties? Or are these exceptional circumstances, and an entirely understandable lapse in judgement?

This is what happened to Dr Bawa-Garba. She made a mistake, on the back of incredibly hard working conditions over the course of a 13 hour shift, and a 6 year old boy died. Initial investigations into the case found that her mistake may not have influenced the end result of the resuscitation effort – the outcome may well have been the same. As so often happens in medicine, the SUI team found multiple contributory factors leading to this horrific outcome, and ruled that no specific person was at fault. However, Dr Bawa-Garba was convicted of manslaughter, suspended from the GMC register for a year, and has now been completely struck off.

We hold clinicians to a higher standard than most. It is understandable – our mistakes carry higher stakes. There are horrendous consequences to our failings. However, can we blame individual doctors for an outcome that has occurred in a working environment that no sane person would find acceptable?

We, as doctors, often work shifts where you go 13 hours without eating, drinking, weeing, or sitting down. I have often joked, whilst on call, that I am treating a patient for hypoglycaemia or acute kidney injury, but that my blood tests may well be worse than theirs. We prioritise the need of our patients consistently above our own basic, human needs. We work in conditions that you would be sued for trying to impose on any other profession. And the worst thing is, we impose those conditions on ourselves. We consistently state that our working arrangements are unsafe, no one in their right mind would think that staffing a 500 bed hospital overnight with a medical team of 3 people is a good idea. Wards of 30 beds go from a team of 3-5 doctors during the day, to sharing the 3 on call doctors with the other 470 patients in the hospital. Even on days when the rota is fully staffed and all the systems are working, it is a disaster waiting to happen. Medical ward cover consists of running from one fire to the next, never feeling like you are winning. How are you supposed to prioritise your need to eat when a succession of patients are, literally, trying to die on you?

But hungry, exhausted, overstretched doctors make mistakes. It should not be news that we aren’t at our best when our last meal was 12 hours ago. I remember clearly finishing one day on call on the maternity ward, and passing out on the walk to my car. On reflection, I hadn’t had a meal since dinner the previous night. I was concerned about my ability to drive, and called a cab home. 45 minutes previously I had been responsible for resuscitating a patient, solo.

During my time as an intensive care doctor, I frequently covered a ward of 14 critically unwell patients, with no Consultant cover on site. I started the job, on a night shift, with no induction to the computer-based notes system, no idea how to review medications or change doses. No understanding of how the filtration machines or ventilators worked. The fact that both I, and the patients, survived those on calls is testament to the incredible standard of nursing care. The nurses on that unit saved me more times than I can recall. But it should not be the responsibility of the nurse to educate the doctor. By that logic, there is no point in me being there. I reflect on that unit, and the fact that nobody died as a direct result of my lack of training or experience is frankly baffling.

The GMC has gone on nothing short of a witch-hunt. Bowing to tragically bereaved parents, making an example of someone who did nothing more wrong than any one of us has done on countless occasions, but got away with due to circumstance. The CEO of the GMC released a statement following the outcome:  “We are totally committed to engendering a speak-up culture”.

How do you expect to foster a culture of speaking out, when you victimise people attempting to reflect on, and learn from, their mistakes? Doctors are human. We will all make errors in our careers. I have personally made management decisions that have contributed to a patient’s death. We are a cohort of professionals that go into medicine in order to improve people’s health and lives. Nobody can make us feel worse about our failings than we already do. Nobody can berate us more than we berate ourselves. We worry about doctors’ mental health. We worry about a culture where no one wants to accept responsibility or blame. And then we have a doctor, with an exemplary record, who reflected on a difficult case, gave evidence to an investigation panel, and then had her reflective evidence used to bring a court case against her.

We are all Dr Bawa-Garba. I don’t need to know the case specifics to know that similar situations are happening across the NHS on a startling scale. That the people responsible for safe staffing and rostering are not the people living with the effects of shortages on the frontline. That the people who have made a scapegoat out of this doctor get to go home at 5pm each day, and never have to hold a person’s life in their hands while trying to remember the last time they had something to eat.

It’s okay not to be okay.

I am British to a fault.

I have been ruminating on aspects of our character that we may be unaware of. My other half is an Aussie, and when we first got together we had numerous arguments based around the different connotations of the word “fine”. Myself, a Brit, would tell her that something was fine, and expect her to infer that it was anything but. She, in typical Aussie fashion, took everything at face value and then was unable to understand why I was miffed (another classic British understatement).

When she moved over here she commented on our typical British greetings “Hiya, you alright?” and how there was no acceptable response to that other than “Yeah fine thanks, you?” We are not asking after the other person’s well-being, and if someone were to deviate from the script it would be awkward to say the least.

These discrepancies can be amusing, but our idiosyncrasies sometimes inhibit our ability to let other people in. This can have devastating consequences, particularly in Medicine. In addition to the British avoidance of talking about feelings, people in Medicine are also reticent to admit what they perceive as weakness, and emotional responses and feelings often get bundled away and taken home, not aired and explored in a positive atmosphere. Mental Health is still not addressed as it should be, and we continue to perceive the demonstration of emotion as a sign of fragility.

When you work it every day, it is easy to forget how emotionally taxing our job is. We see people at their worst, both physically and emotionally, and the range of conditions we have to deal with on a daily basis can often be a complete mind-fuck. You go from treating 4-day-old babies with sepsis, to trauma calling a teenager who tried to commit suicide, to dealing with the aftermath of a neglect case. There is often no time to think about it, no time to dissect your feelings about a case, and definitely no time to deal with the emotions that either of those actions would inevitably stir. You have to develop a way of coping that allows you to move on to the next patient, the next parent, and the next disaster. It is a fine balance. We traditionally shut off the parts of ourselves that struggle to process the things that we see, and we notice ourselves become less affected by our daily exposures. But this is not healthy, and it only takes a small thing to tip the balance.

Between 10-20% of doctors become clinically depressed at some point in their careers, and there is a higher rate of suicide than in the general population; particularly in the acute specialties, where there is a “stiff upper lip” attitude and a tendency to push forward in the face of signs that we are perhaps not as okay as we seem.

This has repercussions not just for us as physicians, but also for the way that we treat our patients. Up to 50% of Emergency Medicine trainees resign prior to completion of their training. As a specialty we are seeing the highest rates of burnout in the history of the healthcare system. EDs are becoming like warzones, and our already fragile mental health is about to snap. The higher rates of burnout correlate with self-reported depression rates of up to 40%, with associated lack of empathy and altruism, and increased rates of errors. Over the last few months, I have actively felt myself becoming more cynical, and less motivated to help people. A parent books in with their sick child and I am annoyed that they are there. The very reason that I trained to do this job has become a source of irritation.

This façade spills over into our home lives too. I am so used to shutting off my feelings about things that happen at work, that I attempt to do the same with things that happen at home. Over recent months I have been endeavouring to insulate myself from my feelings about both issues at home and difficult cases at work. And my mind simply doesn’t have the capacity.

I have recently considered going to a counsellor to help me unpack all the emotions I carry around with me, both from my personal and professional life. It has taken an almost daily struggle to keep those emotions under the surface to illustrate to me how important it is to deal with your responses to situations instead of packing them away, and using the traditional dark humour to cover them up. I have been less than keen to address these issues, due to both an inbuilt, British avoidance of talking about “feelings”, coupled with a desire not to seem nauseatingly American by attending therapy; but also due to the inescapable concern that it makes me a weaker person. That other people are managing, and by my admission I am not. That this somehow makes me a lesser doctor, a lesser person.

Acknowledging emotions is not a sign of weakness. Unpacking your response to a patient, or a situation, or your relationship, is the healthy way to deal with it and move forward. We need to stop prioritising relentless, emotionless work ethic above the ability to be normal, functional, people. We need to allow ourselves to be human.

Some of this needs to stem from a revision of NHS culture, for the establishment to recognise that lack of debrief, lack of NHS counselling, lack of self-care for our emotional selves is damaging to our productivity as a workforce, but most of it can stem from us, as individuals. If we are affected by something, take the time to feel it. Discuss it, dissect it, and get different perspectives on situations. Maybe not at the time, but we should prioritise debrief, prioritise acknowledgement of an emotional response. Allow ourselves to care.

We need to recognise, as individuals, that we are not built to carry all our stresses around with us. That showing compassion towards our patients begins with showing compassion towards ourselves, that when you are saturated by stress and emotional baggage you lack the capacity to truly help the patients that put their trust in you. We need to understand that overexertion and dependence on 3 coffees to get through the day is something to be avoided, not romanticised. That working hard doesn’t have to mean running yourself into the ground, and that taking care of our mental health is paramount to being empathetic, successful physicians.

Paediatric Pearls

Things I have learned so far in kiddies ED:

  1. Bubbles have magical qualities and fix tachycardias ALMOST every time.
  2. There is no such thing as a “quick look” at a child in triage.
  3. Play specialists = HEROES.
  4. Early ametop application in triage is one of life’s greatest gifts.
  5. ALWAYS take a second cap gas because the machine demands one as a sacrifice.
  6. Sometimes kids just get rashes, and we don’t know why.
  7. All children in London are constipated.
  8. Parents never give paracetamol, for fear of us not believing that their child was in pain/hot. We berate them for it, and then don’t believe them that their child was hot at home if they aren’t hot here.
  9. I can now identify which antibiotics someone has been given based on what colour it is, what it tastes like, and what bottle it comes in.
  10. Suctioning bronchy babies and watching them instantly perk up before your eyes is one of life’s great pleasures.
  11. Sometimes a sympathetic face and time to listen is all it takes. Parents’ scope to worry about their children knows no bounds, and reassurance costs nothing. Be patient.
  12. A good number of midwives scales are broken.
  13. If the umbilical cord looks infected, it usually isn’t. When it is, it is a BIG deal.
  14. Getting a line into a 1 day old baby gives you the best high.
  15. Paramedics and GP surgeries NEVER have paediatric sats probes and this frustration will be felt DAILY.
  16. When you get cocky about your abilities you will inevitably do something insanely stupid like glue a child’s eye shut.
  17. When you finally know the doses for paracetamol and ibuprofen without looking them up you feel like a GOD.
  18. SOME babies ARE cute, and you have to remember to give them back to their parents when you are finished examining them.


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Throughout our career we often make comments about looking forward to the day when we don’t have to be tied down to a job and wake up every morning with the freedom of deciding what to do with our time. Then the day comes when retirement is around the corner and we don’t know what we will do with all that extra time.

Common stresses when approaching retirement are financial and physical well-being. And for those who receive a sense of fulfillment from their career there can be stress around not being busy or not contributing to the same degree when working.

Creating a retirement plan doesn’t have to be daunting. Have some fun with it! Sometimes it’s just knowing where to start to become more comfortable with the idea. Here are some resources that may assist you or those you know who have retired or have retirement on the horizon.

Financial Well-being

Financial planning leading up to retirement can be a major factor in reducing retirement planning stress. The Financial Consumer Agency of Canada provides information to all Canadians related to financial literacy and also includes information on retirement planning.

In addition to financial planning, the Government of Canada provides benefits to seniors including the Canada Pension Plan and Old Age Security programs. Knowing what you will receive from government assisted programs, pension or RRSP contributions and personal savings will help you gauge what will be replacing your monthly income.

It is true, you may have a little extra time on your hands after you retire but look at it as time to explore new hobbies or interests!

For those who are able, the extra time afforded by retirement can be used on physical activity, whether it is walking in the park, doing yoga a few times a week or something more extreme like CrossFit! There is a strong correlation between staying physically active and overall longevity, not to mention quality of life. Check out local fitness centres such as Central Lions Recreation Centre and Northgate Lions Seniors Recreation Centre.

With respect to health, it is also important to consider your mental health. In order to keep your brain in top shape consider learning a new trade or hobby such as cooking, gardening or carpentry. Check out what the City of Edmonton’s adult programs have to offer, it may spark some interest. Getting out to exercise or to learn something new will also give you an opportunity to meet like-minded individuals. Social interaction is key to mental health as it helps to stave off loneliness and depression and can be achieved through keeping busy and active.

Keeping Busy

Retirement provides most with an opportunity to do things you may not have had time to do when working. Whether it is spending time with family and friends or traveling to exotic and new places there are many reasons to look forward to having more time. Why not explore continuing to work part time or volunteering!

Seniors have significant life and work experience and this can be of significant value to organizations that have limited resources available to them. Interested in volunteering? Volunteer Canada can guide you in the right direction.

Get involved with your local community through the Edmonton Federation of Community Leagues. Attend local programs and events or even help plan one. There are also a wide selection of programs and services available through the Seniors Association of Greater Edmonton (Sage).

Congdon’s wishes you and your family members happy planning!


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Conill’s creative work was recognized with one silver and two bronze Lions at the 62nd Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, held last week in Cannes, France. It’s the second year in a row that the agency earned honors at the storied event.

“It is rewarding to see the hard work of our talented team recognized on the largest creative stage in the industry,” said Conill President Carlos Martinez. “Importantly, the awards highlight a mix of traditional and non-traditional work executed on behalf of our two largest clients.”

The addition of the Cannes Lions brings Conill’s 2015 award tally up to 20, received at such competitions as The Wave Festival, The CUP, U.S.H. Idea Awards, and the El Sol Festival.

“We set very demanding performance targets for ourselves a year ago,” said Conill Chief Creative Officer Javier Campopiano. “We wanted to dream bigger and take the work further. Our people have all delivered in a big way.

”Mas Que Un Auto (More Than A Car), Conill’s loyalty campaign for Toyota was the big winner, receiving silver and bronze Lions in the Outdoor and PR categories respectively. The multidimensional effort celebrates Latino Toyota owners’ loyalty for the brand and love for their Toyotas. Through consumers can create a custom nameplate for their car. Once visitors enter their information, high-quality, chrome-like badges are produced and delivered to them at no cost. The successful campaign also earned three gold awards at this year’s El Sol Festival, and 3rd Best Idea of 2015, as well as 2 gold and 1 bronze at the U.S.H. Idea Awards.

The work can be viewed HERE.

In the press category, the Smiles campaign for Procter & Gamble’s Crest earned a bronze Lion. The series of print ads perfectly melds the brand’s message with how texting has fundamentally changed the way people communicate with one another. Each ad shows two versions of the same message, one with and the other without a smile emoticon. The emoticon changes the entire context of the message, from something negative to something positive. The creative campaign also earned honors at the El Sol Festival and USH Idea Awards.

The work can be viewed HERE.

“While entirely different in product, style and execution, these works have one very important thing in common: their core ideas are incredibly simple,” commented Mr. Campopiano. “Simplicity is elegance, which translates into emotion and effective communication. Revealing the insight that leads to a simple idea and executing it requires the intense focus and collaboration of many people.”


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Qbit Technologies
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About Us
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Qbit Technologies is a Palo Alto boutique startup, specialised in the development of Virtual and Augmented Reality solutions for enterprises. We focus on what we see as the first vertical applications of virtual reality for business purposes, developing specific products and solutions based on VR technologies. Our main vertical in development are: VR Training Solutions VR Meetings and


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Mobile App Developers Squawk About Proposed Law

April 4, 2013 Pivotal Labs

While mobile app developers didn’t like many of the provisions of Rep. Hank Johnson’s (D-Ga.) proposed bill to regulate mobile apps, most admitted that the congressman had done his homework. The Application Privacy, Protection and Security (APPS) Act of 2013, which has not yet been introduced into Congress, seeks to control what personal information developers collect on users and who they share that data with. If a measure like this passes, it would affect developers on mobile consumer application platforms. Senior Editor Eric Wicklund mulled over this bill in a recent article in PhysBizTech.

This bill addresses how app developers share data with third parties. Wicklund indicates that sharing data with third parties is already out of hand. He cites Joe Santilli, CEO of SafeApp, who says that in his company’s analysis of 1000 apps on Google, one app was sharing personal data with 50 third-party companies.

Even if privacy policies are provided, users may simply click past them to get to the app, making the bill’s provision a big deal for developers but having minimal impact on user privacy.

While it is possible that some types of apps should be held to a higher standard, such as apps dealing with healthcare, children, or financial information, regulating the explosive app marketplace is likely to have a crippling effect on development. It’s telling that although Santilli sees a problem with the way apps share information with others, he thinks Johnson’s bill would do more harm than good.

For now, Johnson’s bill is posted prominently on, where discussions are ongoing and input on the bill is encouraged.

A law that looks more likely to pass is Senator Al Franken’s bill, which focuses on cyberstalking, the capability of apps (and third parties who get information from apps) to use the GPS functionality on phones to track users. Sen. Franken’s “Stalking Apps” bill passed in the Senate Judiciary Committee with bipartisan support.

App developers – including Xtreme Labs, as many of our clients are in the US – should keep an eye on these measures to see how they could affect their development efforts.

About the Author

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Wednesday, February 20, 2008

My castRoll - A list of the pod/web/etc casts on my Zune

[Updated 10/7/2010]

For kicks, sharing and just so I have a list of them, here's my current Zune castRoll. Because I listen to them on my drive (As DNR's Carl and Richard say, "the cure for the common commute") and during my walks/hikes they are all audio casts...

Webcast Name Category URL
.Net Rocks (DNR) Dev
Adventures in SciFi Publishing Writing
Buzz Out Loud Current Tech
Bytes by MSDN Dev
Career Tools Podcasts Career
Channel 9 -This Week on Channel 9 Dev
CodeCast Dev
Coding QA Dev
Current Geek Current Tech
Deep Fried Bytes Dev
gdgt Weekly Current Tech
Grammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing Writing
Hansel Minutes Dev
I Should Be Writing Writing
I, Cringely General PC
Jesse Liberty - YapCast Dev
LOTROCast Gaming
Money Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips for a richer Life Money
Mordor or Bust Gaming
NS 10 Introduction to Human Nutrition Health/Nutrition
Nutrition Tidbits Health/Nutrition
Odyssey Fantasy Writing Workshop Podcast Writing
PC Mag Radio General PC
Pixel8ed Dev
Polymorphic Podcast Dev
Radio TFS Dev
Redmond Radio IT/Admin
RingCast Gaming
RunAs Radio IT/Admin
SPaM (Software Process and Measurement) Cast Dev
Spaghetti Code Presents Dev
Tech News Today Current Tech
The Dragon Page – Cover to Cover Writing
The Nutrition Diva – Quick and Dirty Tips for Eating Well and Feeling Fabulous Nutrition
The Thirsty Developer Dev
This Developer’s Life Dev
This Week In Tech (TWIT) General PC
Windows Weekly General PC

Yeah, it's allot, but I have a seriously long drive (2 1/2 - 3 hours a day, 3 days a week), plus I like to try to walk/hike at least an hour a day (more like two on the weekends...). So the problem has been that I've run out of casts to listen too! So once I get current, I go back in time and pick up many of the older ones. And when I finally run out of content, there's the college courses... ;)

Here’s a snap of them;

Update #1 4/29/2008:
Added additional casts...

Update #2 6/22/2008:
Casts added & removed. I wish I could point people at a Zune Social feed that shows the casts I listen too…

Update #3 8/14/2009:
Pretty massive list refresh

AGAIN I wish the Zune software would help me in this social and give me a way to easily share my podcast list with friends…

Update #4 10/7/2010:
List refreshed/updated

Again, again, I wish the Zune had a public API where I could make this easier. They want to be “social” then I need to be able to easily share my casts with my friends and the world (yada, yada, yada)

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Votto, Paxton head list of candidates for Canadian ball hall’s Tip O’Neill Award

November 17, 2017

Courtesy of Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame

St. Marys, Ont. – One finished second in National League MVP voting and led the majors in on-base percentage, while the other was named his team’s Pitcher of the Year and the American League Pitcher of the Month for July.

Yes, Joey Votto (Etobicoke, Ont.) and James Paxton (Ladner, B.C.) enjoyed excellent seasons in 2017. But so, too, did left-hander Andrew Albers (North Battleford, Sask.), who went 5-1 with a 3.51 ERA in nine appearances for the Seattle Mariners down the stretch and Mike Soroka (Calgary, Alta.), who was named the Atlanta Braves’ organizational Pitcher of the Year after registering 11 wins and a 2.75 ERA in 26 double-A starts.

In another highlight, Canadian Women’s National Team member Claire Eccles (Surrey, B.C.) became the first female player to suit up in a collegiate West Coast League game.

And while these Canadians were starring in North America, several others were shining in the international ranks. Between triple-A and his 102-game tenure with the Korean Baseball Organization’s SK Wyverns, Jamie Romak (London, Ont.) socked 42 home runs in 2017. And in Japan, Vancouver native Scott Mathieson posted a 2.24 ERA and fanned 79 batters in 68-1/3 innings for the Yomiuri Giants.

So in a year with so many highlights, how do you choose which Canadian stood out the most?

That’s the dilemma the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame faces, and they would like your input to determine Canada’s top performer as they prepare to chose their 2017 James “Tip” O’Neill Award winner. This honour is given out annually to the player judged to have excelled in individual achievement and team contribution while adhering to baseball’s highest ideals.

The Hall encourages you to vote for the players you think are worthy of this award by noon E.T. on Thursday, November 23. You can e-mail your top three choices (please be clear on your first, second and third selections) to baseball@baseballhalloffame.ca or you can vote on the Hall’s website at http://www.baseballhalloffame.ca.

Fan votes will be one of the criteria the Hall will take into account when selecting the winner, which will be announced on December 5.

Here’s a summary of the prime contenders (and their 2017 accomplishments) in alphabetical order. (The Hall also welcomes write-in votes for players not on this list):

Andrew Albers (North Battleford, Sask.)

This 32-year-old lefty was the feel-good Canadian baseball story of the year. After posting a 12-3 record and a 2.61 ERA in 26 games (17 starts) for the triple-A Gwinnett Braves, Albers was dealt to the Seattle Mariners on August 11. In nine games (including six starts) down the stretch with the M’s, he went 5-1 with a 3.51 ERA and recorded 37 strikeouts in 41 innings.

Claire Eccles (Surrey, B.C.)

Eccles made history on June 7 when she became the first female to play in the collegiate West Coast League when she made a relief appearance for the Victoria HarbourCats. The 19-year-old left-hander pitched in seven games (one start) with the Cats and registered a win on June 29 against the Cowlitz Black Bears. She left the Cats in late July to join the Women’s National Team Summer Program.

Russell Martin (East York, Ont.)

In the third year of his five-year contract with the Toronto Blue Jays, this hard-nosed catcher, who was raised in Montreal, walloped 13 home runs and posted a .343 on-base percentage (OBP) in 91 games. On July 29, Martin suited up for his 1,500th major league game, making him just the fifth Canadian to reach that milestone. He was also active in charitable endeavors for the Jays Care Foundation, most prominently lending his name to the second annual 55 Poker Classic, which raises money for projects that will aim to shrink the opportunity gap for marginalized children across Canada.

Scott Mathieson (Vancouver, B.C.)

In his sixth season with the Yomiuri Giants of the Japan Central League, this 6-foot-3 right-hander posted a 2.24 ERA and finished eighth in the league in appearances (59). He also tied for sixth in strikeouts per nine innings (10.4) and 10th in strikeout-to-walk ratio (4.39). For his efforts, he was named the Canadian Baseball Network’s top pitcher of the year in foreign or independent ball.

Noah Naylor (Mississauga, Ont.)

In the 18U World Cup in Thunder Bay, Ont., in September, this 17-year-old slugger went 10-for-32 (.313 batting average) with three doubles and six runs in nine games to help the Canadian Junior National team to a fourth-place finish. For his efforts, he was named the third baseman on the tournament’s All-Star team. Among his other 2017 highlights were advancing to the High School Home Run Derby final at the Major League All-Star Game festivities in Miami and playing in the Under Armour All-America Game at Wrigley Field in July. A highly touted prospect heading into the 2018 draft, Naylor also became just the fourth Canadian to play in the Perfect Game All-American Classic that took place at Petco Park in August.

Tyler O’Neill (Maple Ridge, B.C.)

After beginning his season by belting 19 home runs in 93 games for the Seattle Mariners’ triple-A Tacoma Rainiers, the 22-year-old outfielder was dealt to the St. Louis Cardinals on July 21. O’Neill was assigned to the triple-A Memphis Red Birds, managed by Windsor, Ont., native Stubby Clapp, where he would wallop 12 home runs and collect 39 RBI in 37 games to help the club to a franchise record in wins and a Pacific Coast League championship. He finished the season with a combined 31 home runs and an .820 OPS. For his strong season, he was named the Canadian Baseball Network’s co-offensive minor league player of the year (along with Vladimir Guerrero Jr.).

James Paxton (Ladner, B.C.)

This 6-foot-4 southpaw enjoyed a breakout season in 2017, posting career-bests in wins (12), starts (24), innings pitched (136), strikeouts (156) and ERA (2.98). His performance earned him American League Player of the Week honours twice (April 17 and July 31) and the Seattle Mariners’ Pitcher of the Year award. Paxton didn’t permit a run in his first 23 innings of the 2017 campaign, the longest streak to begin the season in Mariners’ history. In July, Paxton went 6–0 with a 1.37 ERA with 46 strikeouts in six starts and became one of 10 left-handers in major league history to record at least six wins with an ERA of 1.40-or-better and at least 40 strikeouts in a month. Also, with his six wins in July, he became the first Mariner to notch six wins in a month.

Nick Pivetta (Victoria, B.C.)

After toeing the rubber for Canada in the World Baseball Classic, the 6-foot-5 right-hander went 5-0 with a 1.41 ERA in five starts for the Philadelphia Phillies’ triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs before being called up. The 24-year-old rookie proceeded to post an 8-10 record and strike out 140 batters in 133 innings in 26 starts for the Phillies. He ranked second among National League rookie pitchers in strikeouts and third in starts.

Jamie Romak (London, Ont.)

After a red-hot start with the San Diego Padres’ triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas that saw him bat .347 with 11 home runs in 25 games, the right-handed hitting slugger was sold to the Korean Baseball Organization’s SK Wyverns. In 102 games in Korea, he added 31 home runs, for a combined total of 42 – the most by any Canadian in the professional ranks this season. For his efforts, he was named the Canadian Baseball Network’s offensive player of the year in foreign or independent ball.

Mike Soroka (Calgary, Alta.)

In his third season in the Atlanta Braves organization, the 20-year-old righty recorded 11 wins and a 2.75 ERA and struck out 125 in 153-2/3 innings for the double-A Mississippi Braves. For his efforts, he was named the Canadian Baseball Network’s minor league Pitcher of the Year and the Braves’ organizational Pitcher of the Year. He was also selected to pitch in the MLB Futures Game and was named to Baseball America’s double-A All-Star Team.

Jesen Therrien (Montreal, Que.)

The 6-foot-2, 200-pound right-hander was dominant in double-A and triple-A in 2017, posting a combined 1.41 ERA in 57-1/3 innings while registering 65 strikeouts before being called up by the Phillies on July 28. Therrien would make 15 relief appearances for the Phillies before being placed on the 60-day disabled list on September 11. He has since undergone Tommy John surgery.

Joey Votto (Etobicoke, Ont.)

The Cincinnati Reds first baseman, who was a close runner-up for the National League MVP Award, set a franchise record by reaching base 321 times this season (He broke his own record of 319 set in 2015) and finished the 2017 campaign as the NL leader in OBP (.454), walks (134), intentional walks (20) and on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS) (1.032). Votto also ended up third in the league in batting average (.320), tied for fifth in home runs (36) and sixth in slugging percentage (.578). In the field, he topped NL first basemen in assists and was named a Gold Glove finalist. He also became the first Reds player in a non-strike season to start all 162 games since 1975. For his efforts, he was named to the NL All-Star team for the fifth time and was nominated for the NL’s Hank Aaron Award. Votto is also heavily involved with the Reds Community Fund, the club’s non-profit arm that’s dedicated to improving the lives of youth. He also regularly visits the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and participates in meet and greets with patients and staff at the ballpark throughout the season.

Jim Adduci (Burnaby, B.C.), John Axford (Port Dover, Ont.), Michael Saunders (Victoria, B.C.) and Rob Zastryzny (Edmonton, Alta.) also appeared in the big leagues in 2017, while Scott Richmond (North Vancouver, B.C.) and Scott Diamond (Guelph, Ont.) served as key starters in the Chinese Professional Baseball League and Korean Baseball Organization respectively.

The Hall’s Tip O’Neill Award is named after Woodstock, Ont., native James “Tip” O’Neill, who was one of Major League Baseball’s first legitimate stars. With the American Association’s St. Louis Browns in 1887, O’Neill set big league records in hits, doubles, slugging percentage and total bases, while compiling a major league record .492 batting average. Walks were counted as hits in 1887, but if O’Neill’s average was calculated by today’s standards, it would be .435, the second-highest in big league history to Hugh Duffy who hit .440 in 1894.

Past winners of the James “Tip” O’Neill Award:

1984 – Terry Puhl

1985 – Dave Shipanoff

1986 – Rob Ducey

1987 – Larry Walker

1988 – Kevin Reimer

1989 – Steve Wilson

1990 – Larry Walker

1991 – Daniel Brabant

1992 – Larry Walker

1993 – Rob Butler

1994 – Larry Walker

1995 – Larry Walker

1996 – Jason Dickson

1997 – Larry Walker

1998 – Larry Walker

1999 – Jeff Zimmerman

2000 – Ryan Dempster

2001 – Corey Koskie

2001 – Larry Walker

2002 – Eric Gagné

2002 – Larry Walker

2003 – Eric Gagné

2004 – Jason Bay

2005 – Jason Bay

2006 – Justin Morneau

2007 – Russell Martin

2008 – Justin Morneau

2009 – Jason Bay

2010 – Joey Votto

2011 – Joey Votto

2011 – John Axford

2012 – Joey Votto

2013 – Joey Votto

2014 – Justin Morneau

2015 – Joey Votto

2016 – Joey Votto

4 thoughts on “Votto, Paxton head list of candidates for Canadian ball hall’s Tip O’Neill Award

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During the recent Comcast New Media Exchange (see all the post about the event here) I took my trusty camera with me with a plan in mind. I cornered a few of the great speakers and asked them to give me their best tip for non-profits using social media.

Check out the video for all the tips, and keep in mind that these tips aren't just for non-profits, they apply to many different aspects of social media.

Have a tip about social media that you didn't hear in the video? Leave it in the comments!


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Slaughterford 9

What a fantastic start to this years Championship racing,  Corsham Running Club were certainly out in force today and looking at the results there are fantastic times from all our members.  Whether you did the race for time or just personal achievement you were all awesome, for those who may have doubted there was any mud believe me there was plenty of it. Thank you to those who took the time to come along and support us all at various places around the course. It is and always will be a pleasure to run with you all and our thanks to Jon Morrell who organised the post run curry as his final social engagement.


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A stunning exhibition celebrating 5,000 years of Greek culture. Opens June 1.

This summer, National Geographic will bring an extraordinary cultural experience to Washington, D.C. THE GREEKS: Agamemnon to Alexander the Great is an exceptional journey through 5,000 years of Greek history and culture. This exhibition features more than 500 priceless treasures—many of which have never been on display outside of Greece. Washington, D.C. is the only east coast museum to host the exhibit. We expect to draw visitors from New York to Richmond for this exhibition, as it is the largest and most comprehensive survey of Greek culture in a generation.

Featuring collections from 22 national museums in Greece, THE GREEKS tells the unique story of one of the world’s greatest ancient civilizations. Visitors will encounter the early origins of Greek writing and art from the Cycladic and Minoan cultures of the Aegean, meet the Mycenaean rulers and priestesses, the warriors of Sparta, the heroes, athletes and philosophers of Classical Greece and Alexander, the king that would spread Greek culture throughout the world—giving rise to civilization as we know it. The exhibition explores pivotal moments that led to the birth of Western democracy, modern art, science, medicine, theater and sports.

The exhibition was developed by the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports (Athens, Greece), The National Geographic Museum (Washington, D.C.), the Field Museum (Chicago), the Canadian Museum of History (Gatineau, Canada), and Pointe-à-Callière Montréal Archeology and History Complex (Montréal, Canada).

Tickets can be purchased here.


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One of the main reasons why you should consider shopping for pressure washers from Cougar Chemical is because we only deal with the best and latest pressure washers in the industry. We have been supplying pressure washers, and cleaning equipment for decades, and are one of the oldest distributors in Nashville and Memphis. Our team comprises of skilled, experienced, and licensed service technicians, who will guide you properly on the right pressure washer and cleaning equipment for you.

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Can Chickens Eat Pumpkin Seeds & Guts?

Can Chickens Eat Pumpkins? Yes! They are Rich in Nutrients.

When raising backyard chickens, it’s important to understand what to feed chickens to keep them healthy on a daily basis. But they absolutely love pumpkin, which is loaded with so many great nutrients. Pumpkins contain many different vitamins: A, B and C, as well as zinc. The seeds are loaded with vitamin E. Some chicken keepers believe that pumpkin (especially ground pumpkin seeds) is a natural dewormer.

When carving your pumpkin, keep everything from the inside of the pumpkin: the stringy parts, the seeds, the scrapings from the sides, even the cutouts from the face! The chickens can eat all of this.

Use the jack-o’-lantern as usual, but after Halloween, you’ll need to take another look. If the pumpkin is moldy or rotted, just throw it out or cut off the bad parts if they are small. The parts that are still in good shape can be broken into chunks and fed to the chickens. They will peck at it until there is nothing left but a thin skin. This is why you need to break it up. You can give it to them whole, but it might end up curling in on itself and they won’t be able to get to some of it. My chickens love the pumpkin, and the neighbors will even drop off their jack-o’-lanterns and small decorative pumpkins after the holidays.

Talking about free feed sources, you already invested in buying or growing pumpkins, right? They are full of seeds, why not keep a few for next year? If you have a spot to plant them, you can grow pounds and pounds of pumpkins to use for feed. Plus, you won’t have to buy jack-o’-lanterns next year! Your chickens, and your wallet, will love you for it!

Can Chickens Eat Pumpkins

What treats do your chickens enjoy?

Originally published in 2014 and regularly vetted for accuracy.

  • Hi, great tips for chickens/pumpkins! They can eat the “stringy” stuff from inside?? Do you chop it up for them? Seems like it could cause issues, somehow? I wonder about my dwarf goats- can they eat the whole pumpkin, too?? Strings & all?? Thanx so much for All your tips!! Jan Patterson

  • We did this about a week ago with a pumpkin we bought. We cut a couple of holes in it to give them a start and in a few days our 22 three month old chickens ate everything except the stem. It was great fun when they were let out of the coop in the morning to see them race to the pumpkin first thing and start in on it.

  • I can safely say my neighbors’ chickens love me for growing pumpkins this year; we wound up with more than I could process on my own (300+lbs) so they get a 20lb or so one every other week.

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