All in good fun, Amazon.ca is looking for the “Harry-est Town in Canada,” the Canadian town who has order the most Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows per capita.

Here’s the press release.

You can track the “Harry-est Towns in Canada” at Amazon.ca/harrypotter/

The Top 10 Harry-est Towns in Canada currently are:

1. Gibsons (B.C.) (Last Week’s Rank: 1)
2. Banff (Alta.) (Last Week’s Rank: 2)
3. Bonnyville (Alta.) (Last Week’s Rank: 4)
4. Sechelt (B.C.) (Last Week’s Rank: 9)
5. Kincardine (Ont.) (Last Week’s Rank: 8)
6. Sooke (B.C.) (Last Week’s Rank: 3)
7. Port Elgin (Ont.) (Last Week’s Rank: 5)
8. Wainwright (Alta.) (Last Week’s Rank: 22)
9. Perth (Ont.) (Last Week’s Rank: 21)
10. Canmore (Alta.) (Last Week’s Rank: 10)

I received my daily CBC News digest this morning and discovered the following story:

Quote: Climate Change
The National looks at adapting to climate change.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/climatechange/roadstories.html

I was excited to read the article because I thought The National, who just did an extensive report on climate change, had decided to adapt their own new reporting practices (i.e., flying around the world–hello big footprint) in response to the devastation they saw.

I’m clearly an optimist. The article is a summary of the devastation they reported on from around the world. It’s still an interesting article, but it does’t signal any change in action from The National.

If we know we should be doing things to stop climate change, then isn’t now the time to do those things? Isn’t now the time for someone big and mainstream to say, “I’ll be the leader on that.”

I overheard an interview with David Suzuki where he said something like, “we’re in a van speeding into the path of a brick wall and instead of slamming on the brakes, we’re arguing about where we want to sit.”

Here’s the CBC article.

Here’s what I’m doing to hit the brakes:
– shorter showers
– carpooling to work
– driving the speed limit
– turning off the computer when it’s not in use
– handwashing instead of dishwashing (except when the heathens come to dinner and I can run a full load)
– less chemicals (cleaning products, make-up, processed foods)
– buying local and fresh instead of processed and shipped from far away (although sometimes I do eat a kiwi)
– recycling and avoiding buying stuff that’s wrapped in plastic and/or styroform
– generally being aware and making good decisions as often as possible

Share what you’re doing. What would you like to do, or like others to do?

I received a press release this morning that I’ve summarized below.

Rabble.ca is holding a book launch in Second Life for Don Tapscott of Wikinomics fame.

Quote: Don Tapscott has given a lot of talks in a lot of places in his career as a writer and businessman, but never one in another world. On Tuesday April 10th at 6:00 PT (9:00 ET) Don Tapscott will appear in “avatar” form at the rabble.ca home in the virtual world of Second Life to discuss his book Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything (Penguin).

I can’t make my Fashionista shopping day today in SL so I think a book launch tomorrow will allow me to get my SL fix for the week. Ooo, I wonder if I should try changing my hair again …

Rabble.ca is a pretty cool online space. I haven’t been to the site for awhile so this SL thing is a good reason for me to venture forth into their virtual world. The Rabble folks have developed an online book club and book lounge, and now a Second Life home on Canadian-owned “Better World Island,” which, according to the press release, also hosts CARE International, the Peace and Justice Centre, the Centre for Water Studies among other NGOs and non-profits.

Teleport to the book launch Tuesday April 10th at 6:00 PT (9:00 ET) by clicking this link:
http://slurl.com/secondlife/betterworld/116/226/30

See you there. I’ll be the one wearing curtains.

I was reminder today that April is Cancer Awareness Month. This fact struck me in two ways. The first is that the statistics are staggering, doctors diagnose over 1 million new cases of cancer every year. I don’t know anyone who has never had a friend or family member diagnosed with cancer. In the Vancouver blog scene, we’re all rooting for Derek K. Miller. The second is that my step-father died of brain cancer in April 1997. It’s hard to believe that he’s been gone for 10 years. I remember crying through an English exam the morning he died. I decided that it was easier for me to write the exam and be free to grieve than to try and explain with less than 24-hours notice that I needed to reschedule the exam, which I would then have to write 3 months later. It’s strange the decisions we make in stressful times.

So for those who have survived, Raincoast published a brilliant book last year called Picking Up the Pieces. It’s about how to move forward after the doctors have given you the all-clear, after there’s no more medications. That’s a strange time. Sherri Magee and Kathy Scalzo, the authors, talk about how that holding period can disrupt your life. You’re not 100% but you’ve survived. People can’t understand why you’re not gleeful, why you can’t just pull yourself together and get on with life. The first day back in the office is what stuck with me. People don’t know how to respond to you. “Hey, great to see you back. Now about that stats report …”

Here’s the link again: Picking Up the Pieces by Sherri Magee and Kathy Scalzo.
There’s a podcast you can listen to with them talking about the book and their research and work with cancer survivors. It’s good for the survivor but also for family and friends.