Author: Joey deVilla

Here’s me, making my “rock face” while playing accordion at one of the stages for the Scotiabank Waterfront Marathon, which took place two Sundays ago:

Thanks to Kim Phelan for loaning me the hat!

Here’s yet another reason you should think carefully before getting that tattoo. From the Daily Mail:

After 15 happy years with his wife, Alan Jenkins decided it was time for the ultimate expression of love.

So, determined to prove his devotion, he had a lifesize image of her face – along with those of their two daughters – tattooed on his back.

The painful procedure took 20 hours and cost £870.

Unfortunately for the besotted Alan, it also backfired on a monumental scale after Lisa, 36, absconded with a 25-year-old Latvian hunk she had met at work.

Before and after. Assuming the story is true, how’d they ever get these people to pose for these shots?

What is it about getting your lover’s name tattooed on yourself that leads to a breakup? The more superstitious might say that getting such a tattoo activates Murphy’s Law; I’m more inclined to say that it’s both a warning sign and an expensive (and permanent) act of denial.

If you think that Alan Jenkins has learned his lesson, you would be wrong:

He could be forgiven for wanting his wife off his back for good, but despite his heartache, he has no plans to have to tattoo removed.

“Lisa may have left me but she’ll be on my back forever thanks to the tattoo,” he said.

“But I’ve still got plenty of room on my chest if I get hooked up again.”

Those of you who follow U.S. news know what SCHIP is; for those of you who don’t, here’s the intro paragraph from its Wikipedia entry:

The State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) is a national program in the United States which was founded by Senator Ted Kennedy and First Lady (now a senator from New York) Hillary Rodham Clinton. The program provides health insurance for families who earn too much money to qualify for Medicaid, yet cannot afford to buy private insurance. The program was created to address the growing number of children in the United States without health insurance. At its creation in 1997, SCHIP was the largest expansion of health insurance coverage for children in the United States since Medicaid began in the 1960s. The statutory authority for SCHIP is under title XXI of the Social Security Act. A proposal recently passed in the Congress to expand SCHIP from $5 billion yearly by $35 billion over five years was vetoed by George W. Bush. The veto follows changes of program administrative rules in August which make it more difficult for states to expand eligibility.

Here’s an editorial comic passed to me by my friend Miss Fipi Lele…

…and here’s last night’s Colbert Report segment, in which they explain SCHIP (and what happened to it) to kids.

Can’t see the video? Click here.

Wikipedia cites a number of studies on SCHIP:

In 2007, researchers from Brigham Young University and Arizona State found that children who drop out of SCHIP cost states more money because they shift away from routine care to more frequent emergency care situations. The conclusion of the study is that an attempt to cut the costs of a state program could create a false savings because other government organizations pick up the tab for the children who leave SCHIP and later need care. In a 2007 analysis by the Congessional Budget Office, researchers determined that “for every 100 children who gain coverage as a result of SCHIP, there is a corresponding reduction in private coverage of between 25 and 50 children.” The CBO speculates this is because the state programs offer better benefits and lower cost than the private alternatives. A Cato Institute briefing paper estimated the “crowding out” of private insurers by the public program could be as much as 60%. The program cost $40 billion federal dollars over 10 years.

I’m always wary of things that begin with “According to a study by the Cato Institute” when they’re about things outside the scope of individual liberties. I understand why their hackles get raised when someone says “I’m from the government, and I’m here to help”, but there are also a number of reasons to be wary when someone says “I’m here from the private sector, and I’m here to help” as well.

Last Saturday’s Saturday Night Live did a great job at pummelling U.S. Senator Larry “I’m not gay, but I play one in airport bathrooms” Craig:

Can’t see the video? Click here.

Here’s are my favourite bits:

Amy Poelher: I’m not creeped out that you tried to have gay sex in an airport bathroom; I’m creeped out that you tried to have any sex in an airport bathroom. I don’t even like going to the bathroom in an airport bathroom!

…and…

Amy Poelher: So in conclusion:

• You’re gay, but a married Republican
• You’re going to vote for an anti-gay resolution, yet you solicit gay sex in an airport bathroom

Wow, you really do have a wide stance!

If you live in the province on Ontario, don’t forget that there’s both a provincial election as well as a referendum tomorrow.

Here are some tidbits on tomorrow’s goings-on:

• Torontoist has an entry on the election and referendum with answers to common election questions such as: What if I didn’t receive a Notice of Registration card in the mail? What if I show up to the polling place and I’m not on the list? What is the question being asked in the referendum?
• From the National Post: Referendum? Lie back and think of Oscar. The Oscars as an example showing why a proportional representation system is better than the current “first-past-the-post” system.
• Also from the National Post: Lorne Gunter’s incredibly lame-o article on why a proportional representation system would be bad. Among the many things he fails to realise is you’re supposed to sympathize “Dennis” from Monty Python and the Holy Grail, in spite of all his silly policy wonkery. To quote the lone comment to Gunter’s post: “Did your editor even read this nonsense?”
• Two sites who couldn’t be more different agree on proportional representation: Z Magazine and Andrew Coyne.
• Here’s the official referendum site.
• Spacing has a collection of links on the referendum.
• And finally, an interview with the MPP candidate with the most interesting and concise name: Zork Hun, Libertarian candidate for my riding.

Wendy’s parents came to town for the dual celebration of her birthday and American thanksgiving. We had Thanksgiving over at my mom’s house, where she served exotic-to-them, comfort-food-to-us Filipino food — chicken/pork adobo, pancit (noodles), lumpiang shanghai (egg rolls) — because they don’t get to eat that sort of food every day. Come American Thanksgiving, I’ll go do there and have exotic-to-me comfort-food-to-them stuff like turkey, mashed potatoes and stuffing, all of which I’m looking forward to.

(If you’d like to know more about adobo, this blog entry by The Wily Filipino is a good introduction and has lots of links.)

Wendy’s mom brought up some of her famous homemade pumpkin bread, and I discovered that it goes quite well with adobo. I’m going to have to remember that combo.

The other combination I enjoyed this weekend is a little more obvious, but alas, available only to people in Accordion City. It’s Dufflet’s chocolate banana cake (three layers — chocolate / banana / chocolate — with a thick whipped chocolate buttercream frosting) and Loblaws’ “President’s Choice” Chocolate Fudge Crackle vanilla ice cream (vanilla ice cream with crackly chocolate sticks).

Still Good After All These Years

On Thursday, which was Wendy’s actual birthday, I took her to one of our favourite spots: the Avenue Bar and Lounge at the Four Seasons at Avenue Road and Bloor. Yes, the drinks may be rather pricey ($18 for the specialty stuff), but they’re quite tasty, their service is excellent and hey, it’s Wendy’s birthday! We had our favourite dish, the steak frites. something their kitchen does very well.

On Saturday night, Wendy’s folks took us out to Marvellous Edibles, a gem of a restaurant that’s hidden in a forest of big-box stores and factories on Laird near Eglinton. The food is great, the selection is pretty wide, the desserts are amazing, the service is friendly, and it’s cheaper than you might expect. I’ve got to thank Peter Deiwick (if you’ve ever seen a live musical in Toronto, you’ve seen him) for introducing me to the place.

Needless to Say…

…I’m going to be at the gym all week.

The second FacebookCamp Toronto — a gathering for local techies interested in developing Facebook applications — takes place next Tuesday, October 9th, at the MaRS Centre (101 College Street, a stone’s throw from Queen’s park subway station). I was at the first FaceBookCamp Toronto, and if you’d like to see my notes, they’re here.

Speakers will include:

• Ami Vora (Corporate Communications, Developer PR) from Facebook Inc., flying in from Palo Alto
• Janice Diner (Creative Director) and Michael Scissons (Director of National Sales) from Segal Communications
• Geoffrey B. Roche (President) from Lowe Roche

The last FacebookCamp was quite tech-heavy — the one, while still aimed at developing applications, will be more focused on the business, marketing, branding and promotional aspects. Here’s the schedule:

• 6:00 – Social/Mingling
• 6:30 – Intro – update from last FBCT (Roy Pereira / Colin Smillie /Andrew Cherwenka)
• 6:35 – High level presentation on platform and best-practices (Ami Vora – Facebook Inc.)
• 6:55 – Building an Application for a Brand (Michael Scissons & Janice Diner – Segal Communications)
• 7:15 – How Many ways can you Market your Application Inside Facebook? (Roy Pereira)
• 7:30 – Top Applications and Why They Work (Jesse Hirsh)
• 7:45 – Monetizing your Facebook Application (Greg Thomson)
• 8:00 – Secrets of PayPal interface used by Gift Cards Facebook Application (Steve Pritchard)
• 8:15 – Demos: 5 minutes each ( 3 Slots )
  • Demo #1 – Dogbook / Catbook (Geoffrey B. Roche)
  • Demo #2 – WishList (Bogdan Arsenie)
  • Demo #3 – DreamBook (Phil Tucker)

For more information, consult the event’s Facebook page or its wiki page. See you there!