Scotch

Hello! I just returned from a trip to Scotland this weekend. Edinburgh is a very nice city with beautiful architecture, nice old cobbled streets, and of course the grand castle on a hill sitting in the middle of the town- makes for much easier navigation of the city when you can see it from virtually anywhere! I went on a free walking tour that was excellent, and it was fun to visit the graveyard where J.K. Rowling found inspiration for Harry Potter characters including Tom Riddle and Professor Mcgonagall, who both happen to be real people buried there. I also visited the Highlands, which were quite nice as well; I haven't seen proper mountains for a very long time, though the Scottish mountain ranges are quite different from those in British Columbia, with far less wild forests and more sheep grazing on grassy hills...Sounds a little bit like Ireland again. They also surprisingly have a few ski runs on some of the mountains, though they look rather dinky again in comparison to B.C. The daylong bus tour that I did of the Highlands probably didn't do the whole area justice, as the tour guide continually pointed out what looked like excellent hiking spots that we were simply unable to stop for. Renting a car would be grand for checking these spots out, and even better would be the opportunity to spend some more time touring the whiskey distilleries. I did come to Scotland with a small distaste for whiskey in general, but after deciding to try a proper single malt scotch, as opposed to some of the horrible blended concoctions I've had before, I found it to be quite good! Luckily I discovered this potential in single malt whiskies a day before I left, and was able to go to some select pubs in Edinburgh to get some expert advice from bartenders and enthusiastic aficionados. So far, I like the more smokey tasting whiskies; they remind me of camping. I have now returned to Ireland wondering if their whisky is as good as that of the Scots. From what I've heard, it's slightly sweeter, but I suppose I'll have to do some investigating myself. Of course, it probably won't ever come close to the Guinness...

Science? Nature? Science? Nature? Science and Nature!

Peter publishes in both!

Read all about it in this week's issue of Science. Not hard to find, because Science only publishes two major research research articles -- it's the one by Peter H Sudmant et al that you'll want to snuggle up with.

What's that? You read Nature but not Science? No problem. Peter also has an article in Nature --the cover story on the 1000 genome project with other scientists pitching in. But Nature didn't want you to miss out on a single thing. That's why the web cover has a related articles link pointing you right back to you know who! Just click on the link, Nature readers, and its right back to our Peter!

West Coast of Ireland

SCENE. An Island off the West of Ireland.
(Cottage kitchen, with nets, oil-skins, spinning wheel, some new boards standing by the wall, etc. Cathleen, a girl of about twenty, finishes kneading cake, and puts it down in the pot-oven by the fire; then wipes her hands, and begins to spin at the wheel. Nora, a young girl, puts her head in at the door.)

...CATHLEEN. Is the sea bad by the white rocks, Nora?

NORA. Middling bad, God help us. There's a great roaring in the west, and it's worse it'll be getting when the tide's turned to the wind...

-From John Millington Synge's Riders to the Sea

I travelled this weekend to Inis Mor, the largest of the Aran Islands, and had a lovely time riding a rented bike along the island's small roads, which are enclosed on either side by ancient looking stone walls. Scattered everywhere on the island are beautiful old stone enclosures, many of which still have animals roaming around in them, munching on tufts of grass. It was really quite spectacular biking along these winding old roads, which occasionally ran by old thatched roofed cottages overlooking rugged cliffs and

the open Atlantic ocean. At a very high point on the island sits a massive three thousand year old ring fort that clings to the edge of sharp cliffs. There were no signs or barriers lining the cliffs, and while many people lay face down to poke their heads over the cliff edge, I was content to sit further back where I could still look across the whole island and the ocean while enjoying the breeze. I was also glad to have read Synge's Riders to the Sea before coming to this island; observing some of the old fishing boats in the harbour made me imagine what type of scene Synge might have observed when he came to the Aran islands to study the culture and language. Truly a magnificent place, essential to my Irish experience!

In Bruges

Hey guys, Happy Thanksgiving!.. if you're celebrating that is. I was going to make a thanksgiving dinner with people here but we found out too late that turkeys are usually only sold around christmas time... so we're making chicken and other tasty things instead. I just got back this morning from Belgium. Walter, you were saying that Brussels isn't a very nice city, but I found it to be rather nice, lots of cool old european looking buildings and fun little old french taverns.
The beer was also a very cool part of the experience: they are famous for the hundreds of different types of beers they have, some are called abbey beers, and there are fruit beers; these sound like they would be bad and too sweet, but some are actually quite good if not interesting. Some are just like really good quality tasting cider, but others are really interesting in that they taste slightly sweet and bitter at the same time, and have a lovely spritsyness to them. One I had was called "gueze", and was my favourite, and another one I had tasted like a cross between a stout, mixed with some sweetness and something tasting like the spices used in christmas ham. Most places I went to had a massive selection of beers, and I didn't end up even getting to sample stella artois; I figured that would be boring. My friends and I met up with Byron in Brussels and we took a train to Bruges, which is a gorgeous town filled with lovely buildings, canals and bridges; just what one would like to find in an old european city. We also stopped in Ghent on the way back, which was also a very nice medieval looking town with canals and cathedrals and whatnot...trop charmant! I took 498 pictures, some of which im trying to put on picassa which won't work right now...Anywho, hope you guys are making some tasty turkey over there, ill try to get some picture up soon if ya like!

Malcolm Gladwell and HHDL (His Holiness the Dalai Lama)

Really fantastic New Yorker this week. I would highly suggest two columns. The first, is Malcolm Gladwell, Why the revolution will not be tweeted. Whether you are a fan of Gladwell or not it is extraordinarily enjoyable to read a piece about how completely bullshit it is to assert that 255 character tweets are capable of motivating the masses and bringing about social revolution and change. "Facebook activism succeeds not by motivating people to make a real sacrifice but motivating them to do the things that people do when they are not motivated enough to make a real sacrifice." OK. that's pretty standard Gladwell pith, but, for gods sake just because you're plugged into daily Darfur tweets doesn't mean a damn thing about your commitment to anything.

The second article is about the worlds most beloved lama (the Dalai), giggly and mischievous and turning 75. But what, with the prospect of choosing a successor looming and discontent brewing in Tibet, does the future hold for a lama who himself says "retirement is also my human right." In 1989 after the death of the Panchen Lama, "the second most prominent lama in in Tibet," a six year old boy was chosen as his reincarnation by the Dalai Lama. "Chinese authorities were incensed by the Dalai Lama's involvement from abroad , and the boy and his family were placed in seclusion. They have not been seen since." In fact, the Chinese government has gone so far as to as to stipulate "that it has ultimate authority over the management of living Buddha reincarnation." As the article notes, this quite astounding given the officially atheist standing of the Communist Party. A really fascinating look at a Nobel laureate who never travelled to the West until he was nearly 40, and to this day has no passport. Incidentally, followers can keep track of the Dalai Lama on Twitter, just search for HHDL (His Holiness the Dalai Lama).

Mark Twain's Autobiography

check it out!

http://thegreenhat.wordpress.com/2010/06/28/why-arent-whales-extinct/

smoking in China

Smoking in China

“The China C.D.C. likes to point out that the Chinese tobacco industry is bigger than the next seven countries combined, or maybe six,” said Susan Lawrence, head of China programs at the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, in Washington.

This is for realzies-NYTimes is the source

Sinkhole

Adam's 20th Birthday and Toronto visit, 2010

The Toronto side of the Family

Your New College Graduate: A Parents’ Guide: newyorker.com

Your New College Graduate: A Parents’ Guide: newyorker.com

soda tax

Coke and Pepsi fight state soda tax

When an activity imposes costs on society, economists have long said that the activityshould be taxed. Doing so accomplishes two goals: it discourages the activity, and it raises money to help pay society’s costs.

Malcolm Gladwell on the ambiguity of interpreting the products espionage

"I'm trying to fool you. You realize that I'm trying to fool you, and I - realizing that - try to fool you into thinking that I don't realize that you have realized that I am trying to fool you."

A really fun article I thought. With absolutely no relation to the picture above.

Good Article

Rise of the Superweeds

A Little Out of Season

link

Remembering the best dog ever.

Boat Pass, Saturna

A well deserved break on the slope. Back to work slacker! No one's paying you to pose for "Ropeclimbing Quarterly".

Saturna worker

Thanks Peter, for all the hard work on the hazardous (but fun) slopes of 111 East Pt.

clearcutting

Deliverance Easter 2010

Where were you on Feb 28 2010?

Crosby scores in overtime!

A Night on the Olympic Town

http://picasaweb.google.ca/walter.sudmant/20100220OlympicsFeb19?feat=email#5440441075360956178

VANOC announces Olympic Dog, Lucy!

The Olympic Torch in Point Grey

Olympic Torch Comes to Our Neighbourhood!

like magic, a red mitten appears

One of our lovely Olympic volunteers (the one in Olympic blue) waits patiently in the rain.

Beautiful Officials of the 2010 Olympics

the best bloopers ever

Tiny Ponytails

GMO and Cancer

Monsanto Corn

Fungi

Return of the Fungi