680News - Lisa Brandt

We do love to make a sport of whining about the weather don’t we? It doesn’t matter if it’s cold or hot or wet or dry, it’s never exactly what we want.

This summer’s rain has shattered records and there has been a lot of complaining about how wet and cool it has been. Now, with the Ex on, there is no way to fool ourselves: The summer is almost over.

It has been an alright summer as far as I’m concerned. I don’t like oppressive heat and I am a shade-seeking person. But many trips on a motorcycle later, I have several strangely shaped tan spots that are former burn spots. Although I freakishly slather SPF 60 on myself, I forgot about the tops of my feet on the one day I wore Sketchers and the bottom of my neck! I challenge anyone to determine how I acheived these diamond shaped brown areas, without knowing my choice of footwear the day we toured the Cabot Trail on Cape Breton.

This is expected to be a warm week but a wet one as well. Still, there ought to be enough sunshine to make the sun-deprived among us feel a bit like they got some summertime in. Not enough, though, I’m sure. Just consider this payback for all of the stinking hot, humid summers people like ME had to suffer through! You’ll get your ideal season back next year, I’m sure.

This country is apparently about to get a national organ donation registry. A Globe and Mail report this morning says it’s in response to as many as 1,200 people dying every year because of a lack of coordination.

It is puzzling to me that so many people are buried or cremated with perfectly usable organs intact, while others die while waiting for a precious heart or kidney. If it’s a religious issue or something else that is part of your core belief system I suppose it’s your right to decide not to become a donor. But, I will never understand kind and generous people who supposedly care about the welfare of their fellow humans, who don’t bother to tell their loved ones they wish to donate organs or tissue.

A lawyer friend once told me that I’d be shocked by how many people refuse to get a will because they think that somehow they will die right away! If only they could see the living hell they leave behind for their loved ones. The people they claim to care so much about are the ones who have to deal with the fallout from a silly supposition.

The death of a loved one isn’t always something you can anticipate. Make your wishes known - once - and then you can forget about it. My friend Marc is a living example of the kindness of a family who lost a young family member in a car crash. Marc received her lungs, replacing his failing ones, and he has been given the gift of many years to watch his young sons grow and be a partner to his wife.

As for the new system, it will reportedly include coordination of all provinces except Quebec. I believe it’s an excellent expenditure of tax dollars. And I hope it saves lives.

Sometimes my media siblings baffle me. Not my 680News siblings but those in other realms of media, in this case, in the U.S.

Since the John Edwards affair story started to bubble, it’s been fascinating to see how few of the major media outlets bothered to run with the story. There’s been some sort of strange cone of silence around the issue. Some say it’s out of respect for his wife, who’s very well-liked and is battling cancer. Others think there’s a double standard, and some sort of bizarre agreement that they keep their hands off the story.

Some time ago the National Enquirerbroke the story that claimed the withdrawn U.S. presidential candidate fathered a child with a campaign videographer who allegedly gave birth to his love child in February.

Edwards lied and lied and lied, until it became too much of a hot potato for the Democratic party whose members pressured him to say something and diffuse the situation. So he did. By admitting to an affair with the woman in 2006, but offering to do a paternity test to prove he’s not the baby’s father. Even though he’s no longer in the running for the White House, he is likely to be appointed to some sort of official role, and is therefore worthy of scrutiny.

Even if the hands-off approach was in deference to his wife, Elizabeth, doesn’t that make him even more of a cad, if he launched an affair with another woman while his wife was fighting for her life? Would any other politician get this kind of treatment? I think not.

The coverage, or lack thereof, of this story is the epitome of hypocrisy in light of the way any other political figure in a similar situation has been treated. That doesn’t mean all political figures are treated fairly but they should, at least, be treated the same. Edwards may have now sunk his political career, but at least he has finally come clean and admitted his ego got in the way of his judgment. I’ll say.

I’ve often touted the virtues of a well-placed apology and now the medical community is apparently finally putting it into practise. Not because of me, of course! But because it’s just the right thing to do.

The National Post has the story this morning of how an “I’m sorry” defuses a potentially legally quagmired situation. A Winnipeg woman was given the wrong medication and instead of covering for each other, the patient got a quick apology and compensation.

One of the big problems with a mistake is when the person who makes it doesn’t take ownership. Sometimes just an acknowledgement is enough. Everybody makes mistakes! If your inner goal is to be perfect, I’m willing to bet that you also don’t let other people off the hook for their errors, and that’s unfortunate because anyone who expects perfection is usually quite disappointed by the imperfection inherent in human beings.

Apparently there’s a movement afoot in the medical community to own up to the thousands of medical mistakes that are made every year.

I had my own issue with a medical problem that happened to also be dental. My “specialist” punctured right through my gum into my sinus as his back was turned to me, while he told a dirty joke to the hygenist he was hitting on. Recovery was ugly and there were lingering issues, but my formal complaint was quashed by his peers. There was no grey area - inattention directly caused the problem! So I understand how just hearing “I’m sorry” can make things feel right.

The other spinoff to a new openness is better understanding for patients, too. Sometimes a sit-down with a medical team proves to a patient that what they think is a doctor error is actually something else. I know a man who had two knees replaced and refused to do any of the recommended exercises to help the knees “adjust.” He still blames the hospital for his limp when his laziness is the real culprit.

Some people will do just about anything to get out of paying for parking.

Our John Stall covered a story today about the city’s 17,000 parking machines and how, for a decade, they have been accepting depleted and expired, pre-loaded credit cards because they have no means with which to check them. In other words, the city gets nothing for the use of the parking spot, but the machine spits out a ticket as if it has been paid for.

This little issue has apparently cost the city about a million a year for the past decade or so.

Someone I know, who shall remain nameless, believed to his core that parking should be a right, not a paid privilege. He used to go to great lengths to actually cut and paste little numbers to a ticket to make it appear legit. He only bought one ticket once in a while, and used the discarded ones of others for his little art project! And he did it with a wry smile and, I believe, a sense of pride that he was putting one over on ‘the man.’

I don’t recall if he was ever caught, but you can rest assured that with all of the attention now on the parking machine issue, it will be rectified before the rest of the masses attempt to take advantage of it. And what will that cost you and me? Stay tuned!

An 84-year-old tradition will come to an end this fall. The last Hadassah bazaar will go on October 29 at the CNE’s Automotive Building.

I went to the bazaar exactly once! It was a tremendous adventure. I was able to line up to get in early, but it was a total zoo - actually, more like a stampede of wild animals of all types and sizes. There were actual tugs of war over some items. Many women click-clicked their high heels directly to the racks of fur coats. Those didn’t interest me. I went for lingerie and some household goods, and I literally had to hang on tightly to a half-slip I wanted badly, because another woman got her grubby little fingers on the hem and tried to pull it toward herself! I made eye contact and shamed her into letting go. You have to use all of your resources at such a sale!

In recent years, attendance has dropped by thousands of bargain hunters. The atmosphere certainly isn’t for everyone. I decided then and there during my first visit that it would also be my last. Some shoppers have made it an annual family tradition. And their (and my!) purchases have helped raise much-needed funds for vulnerable women and children in the GTA and Israel.

Other fundraising projects are apparently in the works to replace the bazaar, which organizers say is now out of date. Whatever it is they plan to do, they say it’s going to change with the times. Plenty of shoppers are waiting for the word.

How many times have you heard someone say their bike was stolen? Many times, in my experience. Our former morning show editor had just purchased a sweet new bike for her teenaged son when it was stolen from her front porch. Bikes that are locked and ostensibly secured get carried away by enterprising thieves with bolt cutters.

The return of hundreds of stolen bikes by police to their owners this week has highlighted the extent of the problem. And it is huge, being done by professionals, and police claim one of the kingpins of the latest theft ring they broke up was orchestrating everything to gather bikes for resale.

There’s been a push by environmentalists for quite a while to get us out of our cars and if not on transit, then onto a bicycle. But if you’re just entering the bike world, the price of a decent set of wheels isn’t cheap and hearing that so many are routinely taken, makes them a potentially dodgy investment. Some companies are bike-friendly. Others, not so much. No one’s too thrilled with black tire marks on the hallway carpets.

So what have we learned?
Well, if you buy a bike, keep the receipt. Forever. Also, have a photo or two taken of you with your two-wheeler. You’ll need this info if your bike is stolen and you need to prove its yours to claim it.

What is the city doing?
The chairman of the Toronto Cycling Committee is starting talks about an anti-theft plan that would see bikes registered with the city, but there’s no guarantee that would return a stolen bike.
This fall, a storage facility is due to open at Union Station where for $15 or $20 a month, a cyclist can store their bike.
Some transit stations under construction will also be outfitted with bike storage areas.
Theft is always a risk in this city, no matter how many wheels you ride.

A blow for the Beijing Olympics today with explosions aboard two commuter buses that killed two people and injured more than a dozen. China has been working hard to change its image ahead of the Olympics, which start next month. Some of the efforts have been positive, and some - like the mass culling of pet dogs - have been horrifying to many of us.

Now they’re attempting to reduce smog in time for the athletes to breathe easier during their events. They’re being ruthless about emissions and actually forcing car drivers to take transit. They are alternating days, based on their licence plate numbers.

Our poll question today is, do you think we should try that here? We have lung-clogging smog days of our own.

What we may not have is the transit system to support half of the city’s drivers climbing on board every day. But it’s up to you to weigh in on whether it would be a good idea, or not.

Yes, I know, in this society, we would never stand for being told we can’t do something that is a privilege, but treated as a right. But if it meant cleaner air for all of us, would you consider it anyway?

If I had the option, I don’t know that I would take transit into work, because it wouldn’t be very smart, leaving as I do shortly after 3 a.m. But, perhaps I could get creative if I wasn’t allowed to drive my vehicle. It’s difficult to get people out of their cars. The freedom of choice is too fundamental to our way of life, which is what makes our way so great. I just wonder what - if anything - it would take to get us to change our ways.

Safety is something we Torontonians absolutely have to think about. Probably everybody should. But I know people in other areas of Ontario who still don’t lock their doors when they go out because, “nothing ever happens here in ______ !”

I elicit titters from smaller-town friends when I put my purchases in the back of my vehicle and pull the cargo cover over them, something I learned to do here in the Big Smoke after my Jeep was broken into three times in six months. The last time, was because I left only a lunch bag with dry Cheerios in it on the passenger seat. Some optimistic thief must have thought it was a bag full of loose diamonds or cash.

Statistics Canada reports that Toronto is the safest large metro area in the country. We reported fewer crimes than residents in other urban centres with Ottawa, Winnipeg and Edmonton at the top. We used to be the country’s murder leader, but that distinction now goes to Winnipeg. We have one of the lowest rates of violent offences overall.

So why is this happening and why do we still have a perception that this city is unsafe? Well, gun crimes get a lot of attention, even though, in most cases, the public at large hasn’t been at risk. There have been notable exceptions of course, in fact four such incidents so far this year. But they are by and large the exceptions.

Analysts say the aging population base in this city is the reason behind the drop. It seems crime is a younger person’s game. Can we not give a little credit to police as well the community groups that work so hard to keep young people busy and on the straight path? And I think you and I have a responsibility too, to stay vigilant, to report legitimately suspicious activity and to protect ourselves and our property. Even if that means making sure the brown bag with the Cheerios in it is hidden in the glove box.

Canadian musicians - and one who wants to be - are in the news this week. For good, bad, and weird reasons.

Feist’s (irritatingly!) hooky song, 1 2 3 4, is going to be part of the start of Sesame Street’s new season. She will appear on the show’s August 11th season premiere, performing a modified version of her ubiquitous hit song. Feist gets to stroll down Sesame Street accompanied by muppets, sharing her love of counting to four. Feist says shooting the episode was “the best day of her life.” I hope someone teaches the little ones how to count from five and beyond!

Steven Page of Barenaked Ladies has been arrested in New York on drug possession charges. His manager says Page will be cleared once the facts are known. He’s out on $10,000 bail and has a court appearance scheduled for tomorrow. The arrest occurred at about 2 a.m. last Friday after patrolling police noticed a suspicious car with its driver’s side door left open and found a man and woman in a nearby apartment, with a white capsule in front of them.

The man was apparently identified by the woman as Page and he admitted it. It’s alleged the drug was cocaine. Ladies bassist Jim Creeggan told the Toronto Star Page was in New York state visiting some friends, while the rest of the band was back at home in Canada.

And the fake David Lee Roth has been found. Police near Brantford earlier reported they pulled over a man who said he was the Van Halen lead singer and helped him through an allergy attack. The guy is really, reportedly, David Kuntz. The real Roth says he wasn’t in Canada at the time. If you see a picture of Kuntz you can see how he could fool someone who wasn’t a superfan that he was Roth - if that’s in fact what happened. It’s what police say happened. But I have to say “allegedly” until I hear, personally, from the man himself.