Dear flist: help a gal with an obscure query?

Hi flist,

In my last year of university, I read a short story in an intro to Canadian Lit. class. It was, if memory serves, a sort of modern take on the story of Oedipus, featuring Oedipus as a young child (maybe pre-adolescent?) and his siblings, who called him 'Pus.

Most of my last year of university is a bit of a foggy haze to me. I can't remember for the life of me who the author was (I seem to recall it being a woman), nor even what the story was actually about, other than involving some sort of childhood antics. I also seem to recall that this author had written more than one book/story about these characters.

Does this ring any bells? Can. Lit. fans, do you recognize this? I realize that I'm not being of much help here, but this has been bugging me for years...

Dear flist: please take note, and pass on the word

You know, I'm more than a little shocked by these numbers, posted by kino_kid. There's got to be a better way to encourage people of all ethnic backgrounds to register to donate bone marrow.


It's doubtless that more people know about stem cell donation now and also learned that the most likely match is someone of the same or a similar ethnicity. But many people still aren't aware. It's just that these things take time.

Many people also think that hundreds and even thousands came forward in the Canadian black community to register when they heard of Emru's need and that of others. Before you read onward I want you to figure out a realistic number of people who came forward in Quebec and Canada in the Black community since February 1 and write it down on a piece of paper. Now keep reading.

First some population statistics:

Black people in Canada
approximately 800 000

Black people in Quebec alone
approximately 200 000

Black people in the greater Toronto area alone
approximately 345 000

This data was received on November 12th, 2008, directly from OneMatch and Hema Quebec. Here are the numbers from when we started this appeal, February 2008, and at the end of October 2008.

NOTE: I overreported this number as being 1633 black potential donors in Canada as of March 31, and I am taking steps to address this. It would help if OneMatch or Hema Quebec made the simple effort to publish more solid numbers on their website.

Black people who should be on the registry to create high rate of matching
approximately 80 000

Black registrants in Canada on Feb 1, 2008
1094*

Black registrants in Canada in October 2008
1226

New black registrants in Canada between February and October
132

Black registrants in Quebec on Feb 1
Less than 10

New black registrants in Quebec between February and October
24

kino_kid also says:

Tell me what you really think, as long as it's constructive. Because if you sincerely believe that statement you are right and part of the problem. If you don't believe it, you are right and can make a real change.

The people who registered, or tried and found out they were ineligible have my eternal gratitude. Those who spread the word are equally important. You have my thanks.

But we must consider how we are going to operate in the long term... and keep going.

Create your own note and cut and paste this information if you want others to know. You can also blog about it or discuss it face-to-face with someone you know.

In other news

Turns out that poking around Amazon at 03:00 is a dangerous thing. I've created two new wish lists, and keep refreshing the "recommendations" page.

I'll just note for the record that I use my amazon.ca wish lists as a kind of log for myself of the books I should look out for and eventually pick up, and not for anything else, really. Most of the time I prefer to pick up a book physically before I buy it, especially if it's one with which I'm not familiar. I like to leaf through it, and check it over to see if it really is what I'm looking for.

I've managed, just tonight, to create about three or four new wish lists. Some of it is for research on novels that I will likely never write.

*sigh*

I guess it helps pass the time.

*whistles*

Cleaning lady is here. No sleeping while the vacuum is running. When she's done downstairs I fully intend to go to bed.

Night shift destroys my brain. I keep thinking of things I ought to do, and exactly ten seconds later I've forgotten what it was I was thinking. I remember thinking of something important to do, just not what it was.

La la la la la... Oh look, a bird!

Eesh... there it is

( Cut for Phnee being whingy )

I am being very, very melodramatic. *pastes back of hand to forehead*

May as well disable the comments here and put it behind a cut. No one likes a pity party. Sorry, nothing to see here, move along.

A more positive note

Today is my one-year anniversary at the RCMP!

I should leave the house early and buy a cake or something to celebrate. :D