Yes. Navigenics is real. This is really happening (aside: can’t help but mention I’ll see Radiohead in Vancouver in August!).

So. Navigenics is a company that will look at your DNA and then tell you what health risks you uniquely have: 95% chance of colon cancer, 60% chance of Alzheimer’s, 5% chance of erectile dysfunction, etc. The company markets itself as an informational tool that you can use to better protect yourself (and, by extension, your family). With information about your health outlook, you can start taking measures now to counter those predispositions.

Right now, Navigenics works by probabilities, however in the future (perhaps even now) they will be able to indefinitely say “You will suffer from X by this age.” Pretty cool. Pretty scary. Also, they are adding more disease everyday. So you’ll get better visibility into how much you could suffer in the future. Then, you’ll have the pre-suffering opportunity to try to do something about it before it happens! However, I ultimately side with Navigenics. Ignorance is not bliss. It is simply ignorance.

I’m sure the founders of Navigenics are geeks, therefore I believe they have seen Gattaca—a movie which shows a future where people’s DNA is the primary way they are judged for relationships and employment. Although Navigenics works hard to present their product as benign and useful, they are challenged by some valid concerns from a society who hasn’t yet become accustom to what is possible with science. It might be a few years before they really start being thought of as normal.

I would be glad to have private and personal insight into my own DNA. The frightening element of this would be if that same information fell into the hands of my insurance company, my employer, or some sort of tyrannical government. I can just imagine someone losing a potential promotion or health coverage because his or her disease risks are too high.

If you have a chance, visit the Navigenics site and see how they communicate their potentially frightening product in a positive way. Those writers and marketers deserve a hand. Lastly, a reason I like Navigenics is that their service is affordable, about $2500 USD for your initial testing and then $250/year for updates, etc. It isn’t dirt cheap, but it is something most people I know could afford, if they thought it was that important.

So, does Navigenics scare you? Would you do it? Let me know.

On March 16th, 2008, Ian Robinson published an article in the Calgary Sun entitled Poet Proposal Lacks Rhyme or Reason, which argues that Calgary should spend tax dollars on practical improvements and maintenance of the city, rather than on a civic poet.

Robinson’s article gives me some degree of amusement, simply because he plays into (and plays up!) stereotypes of the Calgarian male: straight, virile, opinionated, proud, simple, and recalcitrant. I suspect he’s sipping a beer, pleased to know his work has irritated anyone left of far-right! However, he might need something stiffer. His article uncovers a personal desperation for a civic poet who will inspire his imagination.

(more…)

I am happy to announce that, after much searching, I have purchased a 2007 Trek 1600T road bike. It is fancy and will, hopefully, help me have an enjoyable summer.
Please watch out for me on the roads

I counted 13 passes the first time. Like I said, WATCH OUT!

I enjoy listening to CBC’s Ideas. This week, there is a three part show on The Trouble With Tolerance, which seeks to discuss the limits of tolerance in Canada.

Questions associated with this topic include: Should we allow racial, ethnic, and/or religious profiling if, statistically, it is effective? How should Canadians engage cultures and religions that are oppressive to women or hateful to certain groups? Should we tolerate intolerant people? What are the limits to tolerance? To what extent is multiculturalism feasible (especially if a society seeks to hold democratic and liberal values)? Can values be freely chosen and/or should a nation impose values on a people? (I say yes.)

The question of how much we tolerate intolerance interests me greatly. I believe there are limits to tolerance. For example, more legislation is needed regarding how children are educated (we shouldn’t tolerate private schools that teach children to hate) and laws surrounding what expressions of religion are allowable for Canada (eg. religions promoting violent jihad or hatred of homosexuals or Jews). Of course, I have the same concerns of the “slippery slope” into a Big Brother type of government, however a just government can involve itself in the affairs of its citizens without becoming tyrannical. I think a just government is possible.

Returning to the radio program . . .
Sadly, the two out of three of the guests on CBC’s Ideas had little notion of the complexities surrounding the limits of tolerance. Instead, the debate was hijacked and became focused on tolerance in general. This prompted me to write Ideas a strongly worded email—which I seldom do.

Greetings,
As a frequent listener of CBC’s Ideas, I find your show personally and intellectually stimulating. However, the recent show, The Trouble With Tolerance, was below your regular caliber. While Michael Blake provided listeners with lucid argument, your selection of Genevieve Chornenki and Sunny Yi was unfortunate. I believe that this topic warrants much better attention, and I hope you will consider pursuing this discussion in the future. Neither Chorneki nor Yi displayed an ability to listen or respond to Blake’s arguments; the show tumbled into ad hominem arguments and anecdotes.
I hope you will more evenly weigh your debates in the future. I believe this format would be successful with other guests.
Many thanks,
Leif

Are there limits to tolerance? What are your thoughts?

In the last few weeks, I have had the good pleasure of watching There Will Be Blood, I’m Not There (again), and No Country for Old Men (again). I personally and intellectually enjoyed each of these movies, although There Will be Blood tops my list of 2007’s Best Pictures.

Unsurprisingly, Calgary is a city of philistines, and at the end of each of these movies I have heard individuals loudly and publicly declare:

“There’s two hours I’ll never get back” (There Will be Blood)
“I don’t get it. Why?” (I’m Not There)
“What! No! Where’s the ending.” (said at the ending of No Country for Old Men)
“Another good movie with a lousy ending. Why can’t there be movies with good endings.” (No Country for Old Men)

I understand that the movies above don’t have typical or simplistic box-office movie plot structures. I also understand that folks who parade their ignorance publicly do so proudly. Although I do occasionally mock individuals who have the audacity to expose their foolishness, I suspect this only exacerbates the problem.

I would love to delve into discussion with the critics, however, I suspect my efforts would be rather fruitless. So, I am left with the question: should I, or should I not, direct witty and biting comments to critical curmudgeons?

Also, have you encountered philistinism at motion picture events?
Please share your thoughts in the comment section.

As you may have heard, the Albertan Premier Ed Stelmach is threatening legal action against a Dave Cournoyer, a blogger, who registered the domain name edstelmach.ca. Rather than admitting that the publicity and communications people associated with his office made a blunder that most school children wouldn’t make, Stelmach and associates are attempting to bully Dave into giving up the domain and call him a liberal conspirator. Worse, they think that the public supports their actions (see CBC article)!

Action item:
Share this post with those you know to show Ed Stelmach and the Albertan Government that you are upset by the misuse of public office and bullying tactics surrounding this issue. We want a government that can admit its own faults—such as this mistake of not registering a domain name; not one that refuses to admit wrong and then blames its faults on the person pointing them out (David). I’m sure Ed thinks this is a small issue, however it reflects on the entire character of his style of government, making me want no part of the Albertan Tories.

Ed Stelmach sends a signal that he has no understanding about the importance of the internet to engage young voters like myself. Ed didn’t care enough to have an online presence last April, and now he’s trying to go outside of the law (domain names are on a first come first serve basis) because his office couldn’t be bothered to spend $14 for 5 minutes work. WTF?

If you want more the facts, here’s a CBC article on it, as well as an Edmonton Journal article. If you don’t trust liberal media, why don’t you see what Ezra Levant says on the issue… Even Ezra thinks Ed is humiliating himself, sorta like watching someone punch himself in the face repeatedly.

Note: Ed and anyone from Ed’s office. Please read Wikinomics, drop this issue, before you tangle yourself in a self-perpetuated publicity nightmare. Or, if you need marketing advice, I would happily provide some consultation to you about improving your online image, although it would entail more personal and organizational transparency, which you might not be up for.

*this phrase may not apply to corporations whose god is money.

. . .simply because I can’t/shouldn’t post this on ChristmasFuture.

For me, this video acknowledges that people need both leadership and opportunity to give. Moreover, the issue of global poverty is something we can, and should, feel responsible to deal with. I can’t pretend that I don’t have some responsibility to help others, whether they are close to me or if they live across the globe. Globalization shows us that we aren’t simply connected, but that we can genuinely impact one another.

Chris told me that writing down goals increases the likelihood of their accomplishment. So, as part of our New Year celebration, we wrote down some of our goals for 2008. Here are some of mine, in no particular order.

• Travel off the continent
• Write a suite of poems
• Play a show with guitar and poems
• Pay off all debts (excluding student loans)
• Reread: The Iliad, The Odyssey, The Aeneid, Lord of the Rings, Wasteland, Four Quartets
• Poem published in magazine or journal
• Remain aware and thankful of all my changes and growth. Maintain health
• Attend 4 concerts, 4 plays, and 10 literary events
• Perform at poetry event
• Attend a Buddhist religious event and Hindu religious event
• Read five new, good books
• Walk on water (admit failures and inabilities—stay humble)

So. I was going to write a post about how I am starting to work out again at Lindsay Park. The point of the post was really to complain about: (a) how I went too hard the first time around, and (b) that my pecs hurt. Boring, really.

So, I thought I’d try to round up a great image for the post.
So I googled beefcake. And so my troubles began . . .
Anyway, I’ve done my worst for this post. There’s no image, Laura now suspects I’m gay, and my pecs hurt. Typical day.