Best advice ever

Don't save MSN conversations. Private conversations. Whatever.

People find it and you never mean completely what you say. You get angry at a significant other/are peeved at a pal and you vent about it. It's healthy. Other people confide their secrets in you. You have a couple drinks and flirt with an ex.

All okay things. But nothing you want your current thing to read and get all whiny over.

[disclaimer: this is not a current issue in my life, but in the lives of friends]

It's not because of abortion. It's because of safety.

This is a pretty contentious issue.

The Globe and Mail has an article about how pro-choice groups are saying it's a "blasphemy" that Dr. Henry Morgentaler hasn't been inducted into the Order of Canada.

I was so proud of Western, my alma mater, when they gave Dr. Morgentaler an honorary degree the year I graduated. There was so much controversy. So many protests. Disgust.

In my mind, it's not entirely about abortion. It's about the personal struggles that this man went through for what he believed in.

Henry Morgentaler is a holocaust survivor. He lost family members in Auschwitz and he survived. After being given a United Nations scholarship that was offered to Jewish survivors, he had to live with a German family that was forced to house him in order to attend medical school.

In 1950, he moved to Canada and worked as a general practitioner for nearly 20 years before his convictions about abortion caused serious conflict with others. He gave up his practice in order to openly perform illegal abortions in 1969. While I don't condone illegal activity, it's a pretty big deal to give up your livelihood for something you believe in so strongly. Fighting the courts, lobbying on behalf of Canadian women to prevent unnecessary deaths from botched abortions of scared women.

He has received numerous death threats, his clinics have been bombed, and yet he still kept ensuring that women who had already chosen to abort, were given a safe option. I think the big thing to remember is that women who want abortions will get them. No matter whether it's a safe or legal option. And a medical environment in a clinic is a far better alternative to back alleys and basements.

I think that Dr. Morgentaler, though not everyone agrees with his own personal beliefs, deserves to be honored as someone who overcame great adversity and struggled in order to make the country a safer place for women. We are taught at a young age to stand up for our beliefs and to fight for what we believe is right. It seems silly that we're told that it's "wrong" when others don't believe in the same things as someone who spent their life going against the status quo.

In my opinion, the Order of Canada holds many members who do not mean nearly as much to Canada, and what Canadians believe in (not so much whether abortion is right or wrong, but freedom, standing up for your beliefs, being given the opportunity to make your own decisions), as Dr. Henry Morgentaler.

Vote in the Globe and Mail poll.

Some people never grow up...

"New Democrat Leader Brian Mason talks about how he is using Facebook to get out his message. Mason says he has about 700 friends and Liberal Leader Kevin Taft has about 600. One comment “what is this, highschool?” was made in response to Mason’s remarks." CBC Radio Calgary

I love it. "I have more friends than he has!"

And now my body aches

I went snowboarding for the first time last night.

Roomie and I have been meaning to learn since we moved here. Her boyfriends kind of taught her, and so last night we went to the hill with another buddy to tackle it on our own.

I am far less bruised than I thought I'd be. In fact, I don't see any visible bruises! It's a miracle! I bruise myself by doing things like walking... and yet falling down a hill does nothing to me. Weird.

We're going to the mountains soon for Family Day weekend... so hopefully I'll be able to manage. It'll also be my first mountains-in-winter trip. Very exciting. It's about time.

Bits and pieces

The Edmonton Journal mentions Premier Stelmach's response to the '"no plan" union-funded ads running on television, whispering back "we have a plan" at a news conference last week.

This has been making me smile all morning. A sense of humour! Who knew?!

Also making me smile this morning = a Giants Superbowl win. Hooray! I'm so not a fan of that douchebag Tom Brady. And it was a GREAT game of football. It's no fun for the Patriots to win every single game of the season and then stomp the Giants in the Superbowl. Ahhh the underdog win. So satisfying. Now Eli Manning can shave off what we can only hope was his "superbowl-don't-shave-for-a-while" pervy excuse for a mustache. He's a cute guy, no need to look like he lurks around schoolyards in an old Trans-Am.

Also, election possibly/probably being called today in Alberta. Should be interesting. The Vote Project is putting on events during the campaign to inform young (potential) voters (who may not usually vote) and have some fun while doing it. I'll keep you posted on the details.