“… David Neave, in his final submission to an inquiry into Dziekanski’s death at Vancouver International Airport, said Dziekanski suffered from stress, fatigue and alcohol withdrawal — and would have died whether he was Tasered five times or not.

“We say it is time this uninformed speculation about the role the Taser device may have had in this case be dispelled, and the attack on Taser’s reputation end,” Neave said.”

link: Taser not responsible for airport death, lawyer argues

additional link:  Taser didn’t kill Robert Dziekanski, company tells inquiry

additional link:  Alcohol killed Robert Dziekanski. Seriously. Quit laughing.

It is Mr Neave’s contention that the death and the administration of at least five shocks were a mere unfortunate coincidence. Mr Neave seems to discount the expert testimony of Dr. Zian Tseng, a cardiac electrophysiologist at the University of California. Dr Tseng testified that Robert Dziekanski “would not have died if he hadn’t been jolted by a Taser“.

Apparently Mr Neave is not about to let expert medical testimony or the numerous deaths associated with stun gun shocks stand in the way of how he would like the inquiry to conclude cause of death.

Catherine Forsythe

“… The seven-member Christina School Board voted unanimously Tuesday to reduce the punishment for kindergartners and first-graders who take weapons to school or commit violent offenses to a suspension ranging from three to five days.

Zachary Christie, 6, had faced 45 days in an alternative school for troublemakers after he took the utensil - a combination folding knife, fork and spoon - to school to eat lunch last month…”

link: Delaware 1st grader has 45-day suspension lifted

It is somewhat amazing how good sense surfaces when the media becomes involved. It is interesting to note the 45 day suspension as compared to some sentencing for criminal matters. For example, the actress Lindsay Lohan served “at least 24 hours in jail in her drunken-driving cases“. Ms Lohan can count herself fortunate that she was dealing with a court of law and not the Christina School Board.

Catherine Forsythe

“A Delaware mother whose 6-year-old son was suspended for 45 days for carrying a camping utensil to school is speaking out against the suspension and saying he should not have to face reform school as a consequence.

Debbie Christie’s son Zachary, a first-grader at Downes Elementary School in Newark, Del., was suspended for carrying a camping utensil that contained a spoon, fork, bottle opener and knife to school.”

link: Boy, 6, Faces Reform School for Carrying Camping Utensil to School

This should teach Zachary Christie a lesson. Perhaps that lesson is that adults will apply a regulation, without consideration to the extenuating circumstances and without regard to the harm that it will do. It is regrettable that Zachary has to learn that at such an early age.

Catherine Forsythe

“…In a press release sent earlier this week from the Center for Consumer Freedom, it is reported that PETA, despite its $32 million dollar budget, killed 2,124 pets last year, while adopting out only seven.

…Despite its huge bankroll, PETA does not operate an adoption facility at its Norfolk, VA headquarters—or anywhere else in the world. Nor do their employees attempt to adopt the animals they are responsible for, as evidenced by their killing of 95% of animals entrusted to their care. They run a death camp, plain and simple.”

link: Like peanut butter and jelly, PETA and killing go together

link: PETA Killed 95 Percent of Adoptable Pets in its Care During 2008

One would think that an organization would exercise a rapid media response to control the negative impact of such allegations. Surely an organization such as PETA would have the empirical data to defend its pet adoption record.

Catherine Forsythe

“…In Iraq and Afghanistan, “they’re finding ammunition,” he said. “They’re finding weapons — AK-47s and caches and a lot of unexploded ordnance. . . . They’re invaluable.”"

link: Recruited to serve and sniff — again

Some of these dogs do repeated tours of duty. There is no complaint; of course, it is their unspoken covenant with humans to serve and to be companions. It is incumbent upon us that these dogs receive the best available care and are honoured upon their return from military operations. It is the least that we can do for those who serve.

Catherine Forsythe

1. The Lakers have developed the bad habit of giving up significant leads. The latest game against the New Jersey Nets is just one example. In that game, the Lakers squandered a fourteen point second quarter lead and a twenty two point third quarter lead. Phil Jackson has characterized this flaw as a lack of a “killer instinct”. What other teams now know is that the Lakers will go through a lull and allow a lead to slip away. Against competitive teams in the playoffs, this may mean a shift in the moment during the fourth quarter. And that can prove costly.

2. The Lakers have focused on defense this year. However, their guards are not able to stop opposing point guards from penetrating into the painted area and forcing the Lakers forwards into foul trouble. Traditionally, the Lakers have had trouble with defending the pick-and-roll. However, point guards are making layups and that is a weakness that will be exploited repeatedly during the playoffs. Is there one point guard rotation that the Lakers have stopped successfully this season?

3. Sasha Vujacic is having a terrible season scoring the ball. His shooting percentage from three point range has dropped dramatically from last season. This allows the defenses to collapse, focus on Pau Gasol and take away the driving lanes from people like Kobe Bryant. Sasha Vujacic is not the same player as he was last season, when he was shooting so efficiently that people were calling him “The Machine”. Perhaps Sasha Vujacic has not recovered from Ray Allen. In the finals last season, Ray Allen decimated Sasha Vujacic. One wonder what that does to a player like Sasha Vujacic.

4. A couple of the Lakers have been playing two years of extended basketball. Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol went from the 2008 NBA finals to the Beijing Olympics to the 2009 NBA season. There has not been a significant break away from serious basketball for those two Lakers starters. It may catch up to them during the forthcoming playoffs. In the last game, against the New Jersey Nets, Pau Gasol played over forty four (44) minutes. There must be some fatigue in those legs.

5. Derek Fisher is one of the acknowledged leaders of this Lakers team. He brings experience and professionalism to the Lakers. He has played on championship teams and is a three point scoring threat. Derek Fisher will make the long distance three point shot at key junctures of the game. It remains a mystery why Derek Fisher has so much trouble finishing a layup. It happens repeatedly. Lakers coaches should forbid Derek Fisher from driving all the way to the basket. He is far more efficient if he stops and takes a jump shot - and not go to the hoops for a layup (a layup attempt).

6. Bench play was one of the Lakers strengths. Now, it is a major concern. The “Bench Mob” has had trouble on both sides of the ball. They have not been able to keep the lead that the starters have earned and they have had trouble scoring the ball. One reason may be that there have been continual changes as to who is playing with the second unit. However, one notable difference is that the second unit is not as aggressive as they were at the beginning of the season. They are not having fast break opportunities - and resultant easy points - as they were at the start of the season. The effectiveness of the second unit for the Lakers may be a flaw that opposing coaches will exploit in the playoffs.

7. Zone defenses tempt the Lakers into long distance shooting. The scoring efficiency drops dramatically (see the previous comments about Sasha Vujacic). When confronted with a zone defense, Pau Gasol becomes completely forgotten. The Lakers stop trying to collapse the zone by passing the ball inside to Pau Gasol. By shooting the lower percentage shots from the perimeter of the zone, the Lakers are doing exactly what was intended. As such, the Lakers may see much more of such defenses during post season play. Will the Lakers regret trading Vladimir Radmanovic?

8. Kobe Bryant needs a holiday. He has played basketball at a high level since the 2008 finals. He has two injured fingers, plus he injured an ankle during the New Jersey game. What may be the telltale signs of a long push towards a possible NBA championship is that Kobe Bryant has been missing free throws. In addition, in the New Jersey Nets game, he was one for seven and then two for ten from the field. A healthy Kobe Bryant is not a twenty percent shooter.

9. Where is Luke Walton’s confidence? If found, please return to the lakers training facility at El Segundo. There may be a reward.

Catherine Forsythe

“…”McConkey performed a double backflip from the cliff and planned to release his skis and then fly in his wingsuit, a stunt he’s executed a number of times,” said the announcement.

“But when both skis failed to release upon tugging on straps leashed to his legs, McConkey went into an upside down position as he manually attempted to release his bindings.”"

link: Ski-Base jumping skier Shane McConkey dies in freak mountainside accident while filming stunt

Shane McConkey was a freestyle skier and furthered his reputation for base jumping on skis. At some point in his life, Shane McConkey reconciled with fear. He took his passion for skiing and base jumping to the limit. In the skiing community, Shane McConkey’s skills were legendary. - My personal condolences to Shane’s wife, Sherry, and young daughter Ayla.

Catherine Forsythe

One solution is to eliminate all the unnecessary programs that load when you start the computer. Many people (myself included) are reluctant to do that because we know that there will be a need for these programs some time soon. The rationale is to wait for a few minutes and everything will be loaded and available.

Now there is an alternative that provides an excellent compromise. Chris Pirillo is offering a discount on WinPatrol this week. Chris is recommending this program as security protection from malware installing itself on the computer. Granted that WinPatrol indeed does that but it also allows the computer user to make the start up process more efficient.

WinPatrol offers a Delayed Start feature: “Increase the speed of your computer startup by delaying programs not needed immediately”. This is a happy compromise. Not all the programs are necessary initially at startup. And for those people who are reluctant to eliminate start up programs, those applications will load eventually, on a schedule that you determine. So, eventually, all those familiar and necessary programs will be available. However, it means that there is less waiting after powering up the computer and you can begin actual work (or play) that much quicker. It is a clever idea from the WinPatrol people - some additional speed for the computer as well as security. Kudos to WinPatrol!

Catherine Forsythe

“…Bauer’s team’s success story begins with a “miracle dog” named Oscar, a 10-year-old male Bichon Frise stricken with an extremely aggressive form of cancer called anal sac adenocarcinoma. Chemotherapy and radiation failed to treat the dog’s disease, which left him unable to walk. Oscar had about 3 months left to live.

That’s when Bauer and colleagues gave him an innovative cancer-killing drug called nitrosylcobalamin (NO-Cbl). Within two weeks, Oscar’s cancer significantly improved and he was back on his feet.”

link: ‘Miracle Dog’ Beats Aggressive Cancer

The obvious question is whether the results found with dogs will be replicated with humans. The treatment gives medical options for dogs. The implications of this finding for humans will require additional research - and the funding to move forward with reliable medical investigation. It would be a disgrace if further studies were thwarted because of a poor economy.

Catherine Forsythe

“The Ann Arbor News will cease publication in July after 174 years and will be replaced by a Web-focused community news operation built from the ground up.

Although AnnArbor.com plans printed editions twice a week, officials stressed that the new free Web site won’t simply be the old newspaper delivered in a new format…”

link: Ann Arbor News to publish its last edition in July

Like many newspapers, the Ann Arbor News could not withstand the move of advertisers to the internet. In addition, the economy was an added burden. Will the Ann Arbor News survive online? Will enough people support the online edition? The Ann Arbor news may have local content but, for delivering the news online, its competition will be global.

Catherine Forsythe