Catching Up..

Several issues caught my eye these last few days.

One drug company pulled a key cancer treatment from the pharmacies of New Zealand over a pricing issue – they wanted more money, so they used blackmail…the matter was resolved, but it raises really significant issues.

How many episodes of the TV series 24 can one watch at one sitting? We can do 3 at the most, but some we know have done 8. That’s a lot of chips.

George Bush has accepted that he has bugged people making and receiving international calls and has argued that he has a constitutional and a legal right to do so. When we lived in Harrogate (during the Clinton administration) my next door neighbour’s job was to listen to such calls. Its not new. The cynical Senators and congressional leaders who appear outraged have known about it for years. What’s the story?

Conor Cruise O’Brien was reported dead by The Spectator. He is alive and well and dining out on the story of his death.

I have been appointed Visiting Fellow for WCET – nice thing – as well as CEO of The Innovation Expedition and am about to be named Vice President of the Alberta Chamber of Technologies. Not a bad week.

Watched a nice film - Zhou Yu's Train – made in China with subtitles. Romantic story about a lady who falls in love with a poet – very well done.

Watched a dull film – Mr and Mrs Smith with Brad Pitt and Angeline Jolie.

Watched more of 24 (see above) and also The Bourne Conspiracy. Pitt was in Edmonton a few months ago making Jessie James (with Casey Afflick and others) – my son (Glyn) met Casey.

Am reading a novel about a woman who cooks whose ex-husband is murdered. It’s the cheese sauce, is my guess.

Its that time before Xmas when you're kind of getting ready (we're off to Victoria 22nd Dec - 5th Jan) and kind of not..so its like limbo. Lots of scotch and food..