The title irks me. The back cover says, “… has created the ultimate guide to cool Canadian women…” No, it hasn’t. Too many of the women featured in the book weren’t Canadian. In fact, given the book’s title and back cover copy, one non-Canadian woman is too many.

The following groups are covered in the book:

1. Those born in Canada and who accomplished much here.
2. Those born outside of Canada, but they came to Canada at a young age and accomplished much here.
3. Those who lived in Canada for a few years and accomplished much while here, but weren’t Canadian.
4. Those who were born in Canada, but left at a young age. Their major accomplishments took place in other countries and they are usually associated with those countries.

I would have expected the book to cover only groups 1 and 2. Groups 3 and 4, while noteworthy in their own right, shouldn’t have made the cut, not when the book is supposed to be about Canadian heroines. Don’t include women who weren’t Canadian in a book titled “100 Canadian Heroines.”

The quality of the profiles is uneven. They sometimes include speculation that, if false, would mean the woman wasn’t a heroine at all. Some profiles contain a good amount of detail; others, not so much. I regard the book as a starting point, an overview that will introduce you to women (not necessarily Canadian women!) whose accomplishments may have been ignored by history.

In fact, one thing the book does very well is to once again highlight the fact that history really is HIStory. Women’s accomplishments have all too often been ignored by the history books. Sometimes recorded firsts weren’t firsts at all. A woman beat the man history chose to remember.

Some of the profiles are perhaps about accomplishments that some wouldn’t consider heroic, but in this day and age, we sometimes forget how difficult it was for women who wanted to pursue vocations or embark on journeys that weren’t considered “feminine.” It took an incredible amount of courage and sacrifice. It’s one of the reasons I cringe whenever a modern woman distances herself from feminism, especially when it’s a professional woman.

There are some profiles about women with accomplishments that I don’t see as heroic from any angle. They’re more of historical interest, which is fine. But again, that darn title.

Would I recommend the book? Sort of. It does offer more than you’ll find by surfing the net, but barely. I’ll definitely hop online and learn more about the women who caught my interest, but I suspect that a search for historical Canadian women would also have offered just enough to wet my appetite, which is mainly what this book does. Having said that, reading it will probably introduce you to some women you might not stumble across yourself, so it could be worth picking up.

But like many Canadians, I’m nervous about the H1N1 vaccine because I have the impression that Health Canada rushed its approval. Perhaps it didn’t–perhaps the vaccine was put through the usual paces–but that’s the impression I’ve received from all the articles I’ve read in the media.

There’s also the matter of the adjuvant that the Canadian vaccine will contain. According to reports, this will be the first time a vaccine with an adjuvant will be given in Canada. The adjuvant increases the effectiveness of the vaccine, which allows a smaller dose of the vaccine to be effective. I guess potentially rushing out a vaccine, combined with using an adjuvant for the first time, makes me a little hesitant about rolling up my sleeve.

It doesn’t help matters that I don’t know anyone who’s had H1N1 (or at least nobody who knows they’ve had it). I know there are severe cases out there; I just read about one person’s experience yesterday. I know it’s hitting children and younger folks hard. But in my little world, H1N1 has yet to crash the party.

Based on conversations with family and friends, most feel the same way I do, with some saying they don’t intend to get the shot. The most enthusiastic response I’ve received when I’ve asked is, “Uh, I think so.”

The media frenzy when the virus first appeared probably did more damage than good, since the media seemed to be exaggerating the seriousness of the virus. First impressions are hard to shake. In addition, a study would be reported on Monday that asserted X, and then a study would be reported on Wednesday that asserted the opposite of X.

Right now, we have a bunch of turkeys with H1N1 running around a farm in Kitchener, Ontario. Not so long ago, an Italian study stated that it’s really difficult for turkeys to catch H1N1. Yeah, someone did a study in which they deliberately tried to infect turkeys with H1N1. Here’s an article about the turkey infection in Ontario and the studies that said turkeys aren’t susceptible to the pandemic H1N1 virus.

A Canadian study found that if you had the seasonal flu shot last year, you’re at higher risk to get H1N1. Other studies say no. What to believe? (Well, in the turkey case, I believe the turkeys!). Sometimes too much information is a bad thing, especially when that information changes on an almost hourly basis.

Having said all that, I suspect I’ll ultimately find myself sitting in a chair with my sleeve rolled up, but I won’t feel as comfortable about it as I usually do.

For a rather interesting view of the whole H1N1 thing, you might want to visit the official site of Jane Burgermeister. I stumbled across Burgermeister’s site when I was idly surfing one night. You know how it happens—you search for something, and by following link to link to link, you end up in a corner of the web you didn’t know existed.

Burgermeister is a conspiracy theorist who believes that the H1N1 virus is man-made and that it was unleashed so that governments around the world can enact mandatory mass vaccination programs and commit genocide. In other words, the vaccine won’t protect you—it will kill you. She claims that she filed charges against certain government officials (including Barack Obama), but apparently doesn’t have anything to substantiate those claims.

I don’t have anything against Burgermeister; I just find the whole thing fascinating. Now that vaccination programs are underway in some parts of the world and the masses aren’t dropping dead, I’m wondering how sustainable her theory will be and if/how the message will change to accommodate reality. Many of those supporting her were opponents of vaccination before H1N1 appeared, so they’re singing the same tune they’ve always sang.

If you do visit her site, notice how it uses the word “jab” everywhere. Sounds painful, doesn’t it? An interesting word choice. Also be careful not to take everything at face value. Not all doctors are medical doctors. Not all medical doctors are in good standing with their medical associations. That’s all I’m sayin’!

You can also watch a video interview with Burgermeister and draw your own conclusions. For a while, some were sceptical that she even existed.

Oh well, enough H1N1 talk. See you at a vaccination clinic–maybe!

In my last blog post, I said that I could probably order the Kindle 2 from the US, but I may have been mistaken. CTV has a timely article on its site this morning about how Canadians often don’t have access to gadgets and technology available in the US:

CTV: Want the Latest Tech Toys, eh?

Related CTV blog post

So I guess I’ll have to change my number one requirement to “available in Canada.”