Not only is his death a tremendous loss for Canada, but also for the LGBT community. Jack took on LGBT issues, such as same-sex marriage, when it wasn’t popular to do so. His last public appearance was at Toronto’s gay pride parade. Not long after that was the press conference that had us all gasping in shock. We hoped, we prayed, we wanted to see him back in the House of Commons. But it wasn’t to be.

There’s really nothing I can add to the tributes and tears, so I’ll leave you with Jack’s final letter to Canadians and its powerful closing words. Tomorrow we’ll bid him good-bye with a state funeral, and hope that his optimism and vision will live on.

Thanks, Jack.

Jack’s final letter, read by Andrew Nichols of the CBC:

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.”