The travels of Justin

Canada.com reports:

Cadman, 57, died Saturday morning after a two-year battle with skin cancer at his home in suburban Surrey with his wife at his side, his office said in a news release.

…

Deputy Prime Minister Anne McLellan remembered Cadman’s courtesy.

“He was the kind of person that if he knew that one of his colleagues was in town and if we were doing something that he was interested in, he would come by,” she said in Edmonton. “He wasn’t partisan in traditional political ways.”

Industry Minister David Emerson said Cadman came to Ottawa “not as a power broker but as a missionary. He said he really admired Cadman for enduring the rigours of cross-country travel despite his cancer battle.

“He put it all on the line for what he believed in,” said Emerson. “I like to say he had grit, which is the ultimate compliment I can pay somebody because that’s what Canada was built by — people with grit.”

I’m very sorry to hear this. My deepest sympathies go out to the Cadman family today.

Well, dear readers, it’s time bring you up to speed on the beginning of my adventure. Here is a recap of what I’ve been up to since regular classes ended in Kamloops. (more…)

This is going back quite a bit, but in November 2002 I explored some ice caves with my brother and a friend. The page with photos was taken down when I moved to the blog format and I thought I might have lost the photos since. Now that I’ve got them back, I figured I’d put the original story and photos back online in this post at it originally appeared. Hope you enjoy! (more…)

As the CBC reports, the ‘No eating before a swim rule’ holds no water.

The old wives’ tale is based on the mistaken idea that the stomach will take away some of the oxygen needed by our muscles during swimming.

In reality, people have more than enough oxygen to supply both the stomach and their skeletal muscles.

It is therefore unlikely that diving into the water soon after a meal will leave someone in so much distress that they drown.

“The simple average meal isn’t going to affect your ability to get into the water,” Fedorak assured.

If the average meal won’t affect your ability, what happens if you super-size your meal? Go overboard at the all-you-can-eat buffet? Clearly more research must be conducted. The safetly of volunteers will be closely monitored by a well-equipped safety team, and no one will go home on an empty stomach.

I was really looking forward to traditional the Canada Day fireworks held annually at Canada Place in Vancouver. From what I’ve read in papers, Canada Place held free concerts during the day lasting until 7 PM, but I was sadly disappointed by the lack of evening events. Even smaller suburbs such as Langley hold fireworks every year. It’s as if the city is just afraid people might have too much fun celebrating this wonderful country. Regardless, I still got to enjoy watching my friend perform a highland dance set at the White Rock celebration, where everyone was having a great time. It was a great day spent in several beautiful cities.