What's in a name?

That which we call a rose. By any other name would smell as sweet....

Women and heart attacks (Myocardial Infarction)

Did you know that women rarely have the same dramatic symptoms that men have when they have a heart attack? You know, the sudden stabbing pain in the chest, the cold sweat, grabbing the chest & dropping to the floor that we see in the movies. Here is the story of one woman's experience with a heart attack.

I had a completely unexpected heart attack at about 10:30 pm with NO prior exertion, NO prior emotional trauma that one would suspect might've brought it on. I was sitting all snugly & warm on a cold evening, with my purring cat in my lap, reading an interesting story my friend had sent me, and actually thinking,"A-A-h, this is the life, all cozy and warm in my soft, cushy Lazy Boy with my feet propped up.

"A moment later, I felt that awful sensation of indigestion, when you've been in a hurry and grabbed a bite of sandwich and washed it down with a dash of water, and that hurried bite seems to feel like you've swallowed a golf ball going down the esophagus in slow motion and it is most uncomfortable. You realize you shouldn't have gulped it down so fast and needed to chew it more thoroughly and this time drink a glass of water to hasten its progress down to the stomach. This was my initial sensation---the only trouble was that I hadn't taken a bite of anything since about 5:00 p.m.

After that had seemed to subside, the next sensation was like little squeezing motions that seemed to be racing up my SPINE (hind-sight, it was probably my aorta spasming), gaining speed as they continued racing up and under my sternum (breast bone, where one presses rhythmically when administering CPR). This fascinating process continued on into my throat and branched out into both jaws.

AHA!! NOW I stopped puzzling about what was happening--we all have read and/or heard about pain in the jaws being one of the signals of an MI happening, haven't we? I said aloud to myself and the cat, "Dear God, I think I'm having a heart attack !" I lowered the foot rest, dumping the cat from my lap, started to take a step and fell on the floor instead. I thought to myself "If this is a heart attack, I shouldn't be walking into the next room where the phone is or anywhere else.......but, on the other hand, if I don't, nobody will know that I need help, and if I wait any longer I may not be able to get up in moment."

I pulled myself up with the arms of the chair, walked slowly into the next room and dialed the Paramedics... I told her I thought I was having a heart attack due to the pressure building under the sternum and radiating into my jaws. I didn't feel hysterical or afraid, just stating the facts. She said she was sending the Paramedics over immediately, asked if the front door was near to me, and if so, to unbolt the door and then lie down on the floor where they could see me when they came in.

I then lay down on the floor as instructed and lost consciousness, as I don't remember the medics coming in, their examination, lifting me onto a gurney or getting me into their ambulance, or hearing the call they made to St. Jude ER on the way, but I did briefly awaken when we arrived and saw that the Cardiologist was already there in his surgical blues and cap, helping the medics pull my stretcher out of the ambulance.

He was bending over me asking questions (probably something like "Have you taken any medications?") but I couldn't make my mind interpret what he was saying, or form an answer, and nodded off again, not waking up until the Cardiologist and partner had already threaded the teeny angiogram balloonup my femoral artery into the aorta and into my heart where they installed 2 side by side stents to hold open my right coronary artery.

I know it sounds like all my thinking and actions at home must have taken at least 20-30 minutes before calling the Paramedics, but actually it took perhaps 4-5 minutes before the call, and both the fire station and St. Jude are only minutes away from my home, and my Cardiologist was already to go to the OR in his scrubs and get going on restarting my heart (which had stopped somewhere between my arrival and the procedure) and installing the stents.

Why have I written all of this to you with so much detail? Because I want all of you who are so important in my life to know what I learned first hand.

Women having a heart attack can experience exhaustion.

Men having a hear attack can have classic chest pain.






1. Be aware that something very different is happening in your body not the usual men's symptoms, but inexplicable things happening (until my sternum and jaws got into the act ). It is said that many more women than men die of their first (and last) MI because they didn't know they were having one, and commonly mistake it as indigestion, take some Maalox or other anti-heartburn preparation, and go to bed, hoping they'll feel better in the morning when they wake up....which doesn't happen. My female friends, your symptoms might not be exactly like mine, so I advise you to call the Paramedics if ANYTHING is unpleasantly happening that you've not felt before. It is better to have a "false alarm" visitation than to risk your life guessing what it might be.


2. Note that I said "Call the Paramedics". Ladies, time is of the essence! Do not try to drive yourself to the ER--you're a hazard to others on the road, and so is your panicked husband who will be speeding and looking anxiously at what's happening with you instead of the road.

Do NOT call your doctor--he doesn't know where you live and if it's at night you won't reach him anyway, and if it's daytime, his assistants (or answering service) will tell you to call the Paramedics. He doesn't carry the equipment in his car that you need to be saved! The Paramedics do, principally oxygen that you need ASAP. Your Dr. will be notified later.

3. Don't assume it couldn't be a heart attack because you have a normal cholesterol count. Research has discovered that a cholesterol elevated reading is rarely the cause of an MI (unless it's unbelievably high,and/or accompanied by high blood pressure.) MI's are usually caused by long-term stress and inflammation in the body, which dumps all sorts of deadly hormones into your system to sludge things up in there.

Pain in the jaw can wake you from a sound sleep. Let's be careful and be aware. The more we know, the better chance we could survive...

==========================================================================================================

Symptoms of a heart attack that more likely appear in women include:

• Indigestion or gas-like pain
  

• Dizziness, nausea, or vomiting

• Unexplained weakness, fatigue

• Discomfort/pain between shoulder blades

• Recurring chest discomfort

• Shortness of breath

• Cold sweats

• Jaw pain

• Sense of impending doom

More women will die from heart disease than all forms of cancer combined.

One in five women have some form of heart or blood vessel disease.

Thirty-eight percent of women who have heart attacks die within a year.

But most women don't regard heart disease as a health risk.

Killer

My resident killer squirrel.

Bee Balm

Taken with a Kodak Easy Share digital camera and then tweaked in Paint Shop Pro 9.

The Sopranos

Ok I admit it, I'm a television junkie. That doesn't mean that I have my nose in front of a set 24/7 - the TV gets turned on at 6 pm so I can catch the local evening news and later, a half hour of Lou Dobbs just so I can keep my eye on those crazy Americans. I say that with affection, not malice. Well, except for Bush..

Last night I finally caught the series finale of one of my favourite shows, The Sopranos. Before I go any further a warning for anyone who hasn't seen the finale yet....**SPOILERS AHEAD**.

So anyway...there have been months of speculation on how HBO was going to end the series and the general consensus was that Tony would definitely be whacked. Probably in a big bloody way. Tony himself whacked Christopher a few episodes back and he almost fed Paulie to the fishes but couldn't make himself do it.

The ultra-cool Sil was shot last week and although he didn't die in the series, we pretty well knew he was about to being in a coma and all.

The thought of whacking Tony didn't sit right with me. It just didn't seem right, somehow. But I had heard so many rumours that he would be that as I settled in to watch last night's finale, I was practically on the edge of my seat cringing at who would do it, how they'd do it and when it would happen all the time dreading the moment.

So, when it happened - no, not the whacking but the ending - my immediate reaction was WTF?? A blank screen right in the middle of a conversation between Tony, Carm, Meadow and AJ?? Ok, I thought as I continued to watch that blank screen, they're going to show us a the scene of the carnage after everyone's been shot in the head.....

But it didn't happen! HBO was absolutely brilliant. They decided to let the fans decide Tony's fate. Now the entire set-up to the last scene in the diner was meant to give one the impression that an assassin was there at the counter. Tony checked him out when he came in, the guy looked guilty as hell but he sat down at the counter and Tony seemed to relax.

Then Meadow arrived and at that moment the would-be assassin got up abruptly from his seat, turned toward Tony's general direction (Tony was back on alert) but instead headed for the men's room.

The last shot was of the Soprano family together discussing what they were going to order. That's when the screen went blank.

The end.

So for this fan, nobody got whacked. The guy at the counter was just that - a guy in the diner for a bite to eat and the Soprano family went on to live another day. That's exactly the way I wanted it to end.

For other fans, that guy was indeed an assassin, he went into the men's room but made a quick u-turn, came out with guns blazing and whacked the whole family. That's exactly the way they wanted it.

I tip my hat to HBO and the writers who came up with this ending that so intimately involved fan participation.

Choose your own ending...who woulda thunk it?

Why Guantánamo Bay?

Ever wondered how the United States can maintain a military base on the island nation of Cuba when the two countries do not have diplomatic relations? I'm referring of course to Guantánamo Bay and the 1903 Platt Amendment which was added as a rider to the U.S. Army Appropriations Act following their withdrawal from Cuba in the aftermath of the Spanish-American war.

The Amendment stipulated:

1.) Cuba surrender to the U.S. that country's existing naval base in Guantánamo Bay;

2.) Cuba would not be allowed to transfer Cuban land to anyone other than the United States;

3.) The U.S. had the right to intervene in any and/or all Cuba affairs that the U.S. felt was necessary;

4.) Cuba was not allowed to "negotiate treaties" with any other country other than the United States.

Cuba at that time agreed to the Amendment for various reasons including one supposes, the fact that the U.S. could even in the early 20th century, blow them to smithereens if crossed. The original Platt Amendment provisions however were mostly repealed thirty years later in 1934 except for one - the U.S. insisted upon its retention of Guantánamo Bay through a long-term lease policy until "they no longer needed it". The lease can only be revoked if both the United States and Cuba agree.

The United States government each year sends to Cuba a cheque in the amount of $4,085 to cover the lease agreement but since Fidel Castro assumed power, not one cheque has been cashed and rumours suggest that they have been accumulating in a government office desk drawer for decades.

The U.S. military base at Guantánamo Bay occupies some 120 square kilometres (71 square miles) of prime Cuban land which includes 17square kilometres (23 square miles) of previously pristine coastline. At least 7,000 people are stationed on the base permanently, 3,000 of which are military personnel and an unknown amount of "enemy combatants". The bay has 42 moorings and the port can accommodate the largest ships in the U.S. Navy. Until 1998, within base perimeters was one of the densest mine fields in the world, with an estimated 735 acres containing 70,000 antipersonnel and antitank mines.

Local environmentalists are becoming increasingly concerned over the accumulation of hazardous materials ending up in landfills on the base including electronic equipment, paint, solvents, tires, aerosol cans and batteries.

The base newsletter, The Guantanamo Bay Gazette reported earlier this year that a recipe for disaster is being created today that will be realized "10, 20, 50 years from now." The Cuban Foreign Affairs Department reports that ongoing American military exercises including the use of nuclear-powered submarines have resulted in damage to the ecosystem along the Cuban coastline including the offshore delicate coral reef system.

An Open Letter To The Rest of Canada

Greetings from Atlantic Canada,

It has come to my attention that many people beyond the New Brunswick/Quebec border have an extremely limited understanding of what it means to have the leader of this country and his cronies decide to unilaterally tear up a signed, sealed and delivered contract and replace it with something else...anything else, as long as it doesn't have the heading, "Atlantic Accord".

Imagine my dismay to read some of the comments offered by so many of the uninformed in upper Canada to the question, 'Is the Harper government breaking a contract and gleefully putting the screws to Atlantic Canada in regards to the 2007 federal budget and the Atlantic Accord?' or something like that....

Before I get to some of the more naive comments let me try to explain to you people in upper Canada what exactly has transpired. Actually I think I'll let Nova Scotia Premier Rodney MacDonald explain it to you. He was a teacher in his previous life and shows a remarkable understanding of the science behind explaining a topic to those among us with particularly impenetrable skulls. Without further ado, the following explanation was written by Premier MacDonald a few days ago and published in a local Halifax daily:

"Suppose you are an employee in a company and you achieve a bonus from your boss. You take that bonus and put all of it against your mortgage. Two years later, the company is doing better so the boss gives everyone a raise. But he gives you a choice between your old salary with the bonus you got two years ago or the raise. But the catch is that if you take the raise you have to pay back the bonus you got. Is that fair?

"That's what the federal government is doing to Newfoundland and Nova Scotia. They gave us the accord two years ago and we put it on our debt. Now they are clawing it back if you choose the richer Equalization formula. In effect, to get the full value of the Equalization formula they are asking Nova Scotia to go further into debt. It makes you wonder if Nova Scotia and Newfoundland are part of Canada."

Now do you understand? Does that make it any clearer? How about you, Pat in Newfoundland? Do you see the error of your words when you write how ashamed you are of being from Newfoundland because you are under the false impression that NL is now a "have" province that still demands more money from the other "have" provinces? Silly Pat. Newfoundland wants to be a have-province, they're working hard towards being a have-province but they aren't there yet. The Accord would have been quite helpful in their endeavours.

How about Gary from somewhere in Canada but I seriously doubt it's anywhere in the Atlantic region? Do you understand now? Do you get it? Because it's not reflected in your little flash of uninformed perspective. How did you put it? Atlantic Canadians "still want to be on welfare as well as working...talk about double dipping"? Apparently Gary is under the impression that until very recently no one in Atlantic Canada actually worked for a living and now everyone is magically independently wealthy. Gary has to be from Ontario.

This next one just depressed me. Because this person didn't sign with a real name I'll refer to him or her as "Bubba". Bubba, like Pat is an Atlantic Canadian and downright ashamed of that fact. Oops sorry, Bubba is embarrassed, not ashamed. I'd be embarrassed too Bubba if I thought like you do about this being a simple issue and all. And really, if I was as embarrassed as you (and Pat for that matter) I'd be slinking out of the Maritimes under darkness of night and taking up residence somewhere in upper Canada where I'm sure you'd fit right in.

Danny dear you actually have it half right and you don't even realize it! You say with an air of authority that the east coast cannot have it both ways. That's true and furthermore we don't want it both ways. Then you declare that once offshore revenue equals or exceeds equalization payments then those payments should be halted. BINGO! Give a gold star to Danny because that is the position we in Atlantic Canada have always maintained. Wonder why Danny states that he sides with Harper on this issue...? Funny that.

And then there was Deidra. Poor pitiful Deidra is sick and tired. Sick and tired of whining Atlantic Canadians who would rather work just long enough to be eligible for EI cheques (we call them pogey cheques, eh) and why shouldn't Atlantic Canada share our offshore revenue "wealth" with the rest of Canada anyway?? And what's with those lazy Maritimers who don't want to work to the extent that certain companies have to hire from outside Canada altogether?? Diedra your entire diatribe was "just wrong"!

Sam, it never ceases to amaze me how little of an understanding the rest of Canada has about life beyond Quebec. Sam is so good at the stereotyping I'm going to let him speak for himself: "Grow up, get to work, and perhaps, just perhaps one day, you might actually contribute to Confederation like the few of us that actually do." Sam makes me so proud to be a Canadian that I'm getting all teary-eyed.

So Canada, you see the general consensus from the samplings above. If Pat and Gary and Danny and Diedra and that irascible scamp Sam can actually post their opinions on a national message board believing wholeheartedly that they have a deep and astute understanding of the Atlantic Accord and what it means not only to Atlantic Canada but to all of Canada, if they can write such uninformed, stereotypical, bigoted garbage about their fellow Canadians, what does that say about Canada?

All I can do is shake my head in disgust at the absolute ignorance the rest of Canada has when it involves anything beyond Quebec. It's like I'm reading racist comments about a group of uneducated bums in a distant Third World country. Look at the words and phrases my fellow Canadians are directing toward the good people of Atlantic Canada:

Bellyaching
On the dole
Whiners
Tiresome
EI bums
Culture of defeat
Jerks
Welfare recipients
Double-dipping bums


And that's just from ONE message board.

There's talk of Alberta separating or at least building a firewall around itself...Quebec continues to threaten separation insisting they can and want to go it alone...people in the west call people in the east, "eastern bastards"....people in the east call people in Ontario "uppity Canadians"....others refer to Canada from coast to coast as "BC to Quebec"...what the hell happened to this country? What happened that created the hate and ignorance and animosity and vituperation?

Atlantic Canada doesn't want something for nothing, we don't want our cake and eat too, we don't want it both ways and we definitely don't want anything to do with "double-dipping". We are not a "have" region but we want a fair chance to become one someday. Our offshore is still in the baby stages. If the Atlantic Accord is taken from us, this region will NEVER have a chance at being a have-province. We will continue to be "on the dole" to the feds. We want to be self-sustaining and once we are self-sustaining, we will not require any more assistance from the rest of Canada. That should make you very happy.

I invite...no I implore you to please enlighten yourselves about the real meaning and the wording of the Atlantic Accord and what it will mean for the Atlantic provinces and all of Canada. Once you've developed a better understanding of our position, take a good long look at what Harper and Flaherty want to do with this Accord. Learn what Harper and Flaherty want to do to Atlantic Canada, discover what Harper thinks of Atlantic Canada. Oddly enough, Stephen Harper feels the same way Diedra, Danny, Pat and Gary feel....and I've already established how ignorant, uninformed and hateful those sentiments are.

Do this country a favour, become informed and stop the negative long-standing stereotypes. If not, ask yourselves what the alternatives will be.

And finally, how do celebrate Canada Day in Ontario and Alberta and Manitoba? Do you wave tiny maple leaf flags at your local Canada Day parade? Do you attend open concerts and stand proudly joining thousands of other voices as you all belt out a sincere rendidtion of 'Oh Canada'? Do you on that day display open patriotism for this great country?

So do we here in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland/Labrador. See? We're not so different afterall..

Who Voted For Harper Anyway??

If you voted Conservative in the last election and put Stephen Harper in charge, raise your hand if you have the gonads.

Tell me, are you one of those disillusioned Canadians so pissed off with those "lying cheating" Liberals that Harper appeared to be that breath of fresh air you craved? Did you fall hook, line and sinker for all that "I stand for openness and integrity and accountability in government" crap? Did you honestly believe that Harper was Canada's glorious knight in shining armor who believed it was his mission from god to clean up government?

Because I was one of those people who saw the man for what he really was - a neo-conservative neo-Christian American-wannabe Bush-worshiping anal retentive homophobic Albertan who subscribed to the mantra that Atlantic Canadians are a "culture of defeat".

So let's take a minute to review some statements this Fascist in Ottawa has made over the last few years:

• I think in Atlantic Canada, because of what happened in the decades following Confederation, there is a culture of defeat that we have to overcome.

• I've always been clear, I support the traditional definition of marriage.

• If Ottawa giveth, then Ottawa can taketh away

• It is imperative to take the initiative, to build firewalls around Alberta, to limit the extent to which an aggressive and hostile federal government can encroach upon legitimate provincial jurisdiction.

• The world is now unipolar and contains only one superpower. Canada shares a continent with that superpower.

• We should have been there shoulder to shoulder with our allies. Our concern is the instability of our government as an ally. We are playing again with national and global security matters.

• Canada appears content to become a second-tier socialistic country, boasting ever more loudly about its economy and social services to mask its second-rate status.

I could go on and on. But there's no need, is there because now all you Tory faithfuls know what you put into power in this country. And for the rest of you - the Tory die-hards who continue to worship the ground the man walks on, who continue to stand by their man well, the rest of you are just as bad if not worse than your puppet master.

So again, who out there has the gonads to stand up and tell us if you voted Conservative in the last election?

Tell us how proud of yourselves you are now.

Conrad's Beach

Lawrencetown's Best Kept Secret - Conrad's Beach

In the province of Nova Scotia there are two Lawrencetowns. One community is situated in the beautiful Annapolis Valley and the other can be found outside Cole Harbour by travelling toward the eastern shore. The main thoroughfare in Lawrencetown also goes by two different names - Lawrencetown Road and Highway 207. Confusing? Not for those of us who live here but for everyone else, whenever I speak of Lawrencetown to a "townie" I make sure they know I'm talking about "Lawrencetown Beach, not Valley".

We are known however far and wide for our beautiful beach, aptly named Lawrencetown Beach. If you're driving on Highway 207 (the Lawrencetown Road) toward Seaforth or Three Fathom Harbour there's no missing this impressive beach. Just beyond The MacDonald House which is situated high on the hill to your right and then just around a sharp corner...there it is in all its splendor. The beach is a popular destination for the locals and for those who live in Dartmouth and Halifax and is known for its regular surfing conditions and its rip currents. On any given day you may very well run into well known author Leslie Choyce who lives in the area and is an avid surfer.

The Lawrencetown Beach is a Provincial Park and boasts long boardwalks, a canteen, showers, flush toilets and lots of parking as well as the presence of lifeguards during the peak summer season.

But there's another beach in Lawrencetown that isn't as well known. As everyone speeds toward the Lawrencetown Beach on a hot Sunday afternoon, they pass right by another even more beautiful and larger beach - Conrad's Beach. I hesitate to provide precise directions to this wonderful little secret. So I'll just coyly say if you are intent on finding Conrad's, success will be in your grasp if you pay attention to the signs.

Conrad's Beach is part of the Nova Scotia Coastal Heritage Park System and therefore boasts boardwalks from the very small parking lot to the water. The boardwalk's purpose is twofold - several years ago before the boardwalks were constructed one had to traverse through very sandy pathways amongst the dunes - makes for difficult walking. But there's another more important reason for the boardwalks - the piping plover.


Piping plovers are small tan-coloured birds that scurry along the shorelines of Conrad's Beach which is a protected breeding ground for the endangered birds. Called The Piping Pover Guardian Program, signs are posted at various locations along the marshes and beach areas in an effort to protect the chicks as they hatch and grow. If you're lucky enough to find Conrad's Beach, be on the lookout for these signs:

PIPING PLOVER BREEDING AREA DO NOT DISTURB!!!!!

Volunteers also patrol the protected areas of the beach during the breeding period and are only too happy to explain the program to the curious.

But now, onto the beach itself. Conrad's Beach at low tide is a huge expanse comprised of wonderful fine sand both loose and packed nearer the waterline, almost as far as the eye can see in either direction. I personally believe that Conrad's outshines the Lawrencetown Beach by miles. The water here is less active wave-wise than Lawrencetown but most of the time just as cold. Every once in awhile though the water at Conrad's has been described as lukewarm. I've been lucky enough only a few times to experience that deliciously warm water. The beach is hardly ever packed with people. There are no lifeguards and no facilities. There are however trash cans and everyone is strongly encouraged to use them.

Swimming and sunbathing are only two activities one can enjoy on this beach - strolling from one end to the other is rich in the sights of funny piping plovers as they follow the water line going in and out, scurrying up and down foraging for tiny worms and crustaceans. Always present are the seagulls, either standing still at the water's edge or flying over the surf as they too search for their next meal. The sights and sounds and smells of the ocean is something I never take for granted and Conrad's is always just down the road if I suddenly need an ocean fix.

If one is feeling extra energetic, a trek out to the remnants of an old wharf situated on a point to the left of the beach is invigorating but be aware of the tides! That particular spit of land disappears during high tide.

If you happen upon Conrad's Beach someday as you're taking a drive outside the city in search of the cooler air, enjoy. But can I ask one small favour? Don't tell anyone how to find it..let them discover it themselves. That way maybe Conrad's Beach will remain a best kept secret for a very long time.