Stephanie Briggs - Handmade Knitting My Way Through Chronic Pain

Knitting by hand, owned by three cats and a manbeast

Article: “How Doctors Die” – Thoughts on End-of-Life Care

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I came across this article about end of life care…from the perspective of a doctor. This could so easily become a rallying cry against doctors and “the medical establishment”. But I’ll try not to let it. I’m not going to give you platitudes about “dying with dignity” because I’m not certain there is such a thing. […]

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In Memory of William Finley (1940-2012)

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I grew up in Winnipeg, and actually saw Finley and Graham in person at “Phantompalooza I” in 2005. I remember asking them about a favourite scene where Beef says, “Whaddya mean, you just pass the stuff out – I take it! I know drug-real from real-real!”, whether it was off the cuff, or scripted. (It […]

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The Cultural Impact of “Phantom of the Paradise”

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“The Phantom of the Paradise” was a hit in two cities in the world, and it flopped everywhere else. Those two cities were Paris, France…and my hometown: Winnipeg, Manitoba. Mom and I attended the first Phantompalooza, the 30th anniversary celebration of the film in 2005, but couldn’t attend the second and final one the year […]

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StillBirthday.com, A New Link to Combat Silly and Immature Behaviour in Adult Humans

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One of the blogs I read frequently is The Skeptical OB, a site run by a now-retired OB-GYN named Dr Amy Tuteur. She blogs about science, childbirth, and the craziness of homebirth and even crazier Natural Childbirth Advocates (NCBs). NCBs are people who think it’s fine and dandy to risk the lives of mothers and […]

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Answer to “Music Quiz 04/04/12 – Frederic Chopin’s “Raindrop Prelude”

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The Music Quiz question posed last week was about Chopin’s “Raindrop Prelude”. “Which notes do you think are the “raindrops” that Chopin refers to in the title of this prelude?” Possible answers were: a) the treble clef? (i.e. the melody, the higher notes) b) the bass clef? (i.e. the lower notes)  THE CORRECT ANSWER IS:  […]

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Music Quiz 04/04/12 – Frederic Chopin’s “Raindrop Prelude”

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Fredrich Chopin’s Raindrops is a lovely prelude that I’ve been working on, on and off, for many years. My piano teacher asked me a quiz question, so I’m going to put it to you, my readers. Without looking it up ANYWHERE, not even in the comments of this video (because this is just for fun!)… Which notes […]

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University of Arizona: Werewolves and Vampires: Slavic Folklore in Our Culture

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Oooh, scary!  The Department of Russian and Slavic Studies at the University of Arizona is excited to announce a 100% online offering of RSSS 315: “Werewolves and Vampires: Slavic Folklore in Our Culture”. The course is being offered this Spring and is available to anyone, regardless of location. Registration will continue through the course’s start […]

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Dogster – On Retractable Leashes

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A while ago, I wrote about a dog attack near my home involving retractable leashes. Here’s what Dogster has to say about them: Excerpt: …Consumer Product Safety Commission statistics of 16,564 hospital-treated injuries associated with leashes in the previous year. Nearly a quarter were finger injuries. The leashes aren’t broken down by type, but as […]

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Slut Shaming – Or, Reactionaries Should Mind Their Own Business

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Do we still live in the 1950s? Of course we don’t. It is the year 2012. But there are people out there who would like to put women back into the roles of the 1950s, all because they have the right to choose what happens to their bodies. Let me explain… Slut shaming is the […]

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