Phantom by Jo Nesbo

I love reading Jo Nesbo's Harry Hole books. He spins a convoluted and compelling yarn.

His latest, Phantom, is due to be published in North America this October, and I was readying myself to get on a waiting list for it, at the library. Jean-Philippe and Stine's wedding brought us to Norway in June, and I learned two things while at Oslo airport, waiting to come back home: 1. Phantom was already published in English, by a UK publisher, and was available for purchase at the airport Ark (bookstore). 2. The heady price for the hefty paperback converted from Norwegian kroner to US dollars (approx $28.27/169 NOK) didn't stop me from buying it.

Just finished Phantom. It was another great story by Mr. Nesbo, maybe his best so far in this series. I barely have any fingernails left. His characters and stories can give you a heartache. I don't want to say any more, for fear of giving away plot lines and developments. If you haven't read the Harry Hole books, it is best to start at the beginning of the series. There are also two early books of this series that have not yet been published in English.

Fluoridated Drinking Water - An Idea Whose Time Has Come...And Gone.

Trials and tribulations of getting and keeping my thyroid stable have lead to finding interesting web pages. Antagonists to the thyroid are well disguised, and sometimes wear a "seal of approval". I hope "Big Fluoride" doesn't carry a lot of sway in the US government....

Here is a statement from the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment's Statement on drinking water fluoridation (http://www.fluoridealert.org/cape.html)

The Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE) does not support fluoridation of drinking water for the following reasons.

1) The decline in caries in communities that are fluoridated has been highly significant -- but so has the decline that has occurred in non-fluoridated communities. There has, in fact, been a general decline in dental caries throughout the Western world, and the decline in fluoridated cities has not exceeded that in non-fluoridated communities. For example, BC drinking water is 95% non-fluoridated, whereas drinking water in Alberta is 75% fluoridated; yet the two provinces have similar rates of caries. Furthermore, Europe is 98% non-fluoridated, but global European dental health is generally equivalent to or better than that in North America. Whatever the reason for the decline in dental caries, it can not be concluded that it is the result of drinking water fluoridation.

2) The incidence of toxic effects in humans from fluoridation may well have been underestimated. The most serious potential association is with osteosarcoma in boys, which appears to have been loosely associated with age of exposure to fluoride. It is true that the CDC has (as has the original researcher) acknowledged that current data are tentative, but a further larger-scale study is pending from the Harvard School of Dentistry. At the very least, such data are grounds for caution.

3) Animal studies have shown a wide range of adverse effects associated with fluoride. It has been shown to be a potential immunotoxin, embryotoxin, neurotoxin and harmful to bony tissues, including both dental and ordinary bone. In addition, it can damage (inhibit) thyroid function in several species, including humans. Its effect on ecosystem balance has been little researched, but is unlikely to be positive.

4) The intake of fluoride from drinking water is uncontrolled, and can lead to dental fluorosis in children who are inclined to drink large amounts of water. Both natural and artificially flouridated water can cause this effect, which is, of course, simply a visible representation of an effect on the entire bony skeleton. The cost of repairing teeth damaged by fluorosis is not trivial; moderate to severe effects can require $15,000 or more in dental fees.

It seems clear that
a) fluoridation is unlikely to be the cause of the decline in caries in Europe and North America
b) the potential for adverse effects is real, and
c) current evidence points in the direction of caution.

Over the last decade, recommendations with respect to acceptable fluoride exposure have steadily declined, and cautions have increased. Any dental benefit that may accrue from fluoride exposure is fully achieved by controlled topical application of fluoride compounds by trained dental professionals, not by fluoride ingestion. [The analysis of Dr. Hardy Limeback, Head, Preventive Dentistry, at the University of Toronto, further clarifies these points.]

On the basis of this "weight of evidence" we believe that fluoridation of drinking water is scientifically untenable, and should not be part of a public health initiative or program.

Sep-08.

The Book of Negroes aka Someone Knows My Name by Lawrence Hill

I have just finished reading this book. I highly recommend it. Lawrence Hill writes in such a fluid manner that his story enters your consciousness easily and smoothly. And his subject matter is compelling. For me personally, whose ancestor left the US after the Revoluntionary War, and came to Nova Scotia, I found myself pulled in all the tighter, at unexpectedly finding similar detail in the book. That is where the similarity ends, though, as the woman in The Book of Negroes is black, and her experiences here were nothing like my those of my white ancestor's.

In the US, Australia and New Zealand, "The Book of Negroes" is published under the title "Someone Knows My Name".

Now I want to find more info, like how much of what Hill portrayed in his novel was actual fact. I have some googling to do.

Have you read this book? What did you think of it?

It is a new day in the USA

As an outsider, a Canadian who has lived in the USA full time for the past 13+ years, I can truthfully say that I have not felt as welcome here in the past 8 years, as I do today. To the majority of US citizens who voted for Mr. Obama, I doff my chapeau to you. You. Are. Awesome. I was tickled to reside in your country as you chose this articulate, talented man, who happens to have a drop or two of "black blood", as your leader.

Snippet: So, I'm watching the recording of last night's Steven Colbert show, and he was interviewing the adorable and learned Rachel Maddow of MSNBC when I find out ... Holy Mackerel (or possibly Holy Cod...) Rachel Maddow's Mum is from Newfoundland!! How cool is that?

Just one little picky thing: if he would just start pronouncing her name properly: Maddow as in rhymes with shadow, not Maddow as in Dow-Jones. But they are both just as great as a Hello Heather square on your first day back in Cape Breton, so I'm not really complaining. Glad he had her on and acknowledged her grooviness.

Whew! I'm back from a wonderful vacation, back home in Cape Breton. Every day was busy and happy and filled with relatives. I watched and laughed at Ron James (via dvds) with Dad, listened to the nephews play the piano, and went to Celtic Colours shows (insert lots of hopping toes here). And each morning was lovely - as all of us in the house gradually would meet up at H and L's breakfast table, we drank pots of coffee, munched toast and jam (and Miss Auntie and I would share a pear), read the papers, and, especially, chatted and laughed together. I loved it!

I was in the airport in Toronto on the way home, and picked up part of a National Post. I came across this comic, "Pooch Cafe". This is for you, John! So, what was your animal population when you got home, and how many raccoons were there, pretending to be cats?!

This Hockey Mum is supporting Obama!

Celtic Colours Festival in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia

Will I see you at this year’s Celtic Colours festival in Cape Breton? I’m packed and ready to go!