ByDaveScott ByDaveScott
9-8-8
WedidthispodcastafewmonthsbackwithLillPetrella,TeamLeadforMentalHealth PromotionattheCanadianMentalHealthAssociation,Brant-Haldimand-Norfolk.I wantedtosharepartofthepodcastinprintwithyou.Itjustmaysavealife.
Thankyou,Lill,fortakingthetimetotalktoustodayabout9-8-8.Ididn'trealisethat westarteda9-8-8inCanada.Canyoutalkbrieflyaboutwhatthatnumberisandwhat itdoes?
Mypleasure,Dave.9-8-8isasuicidepreventioncrisislinethatisopen24-7,365days ayear.It'saplacethatyoucancallifyou'rehavingthoughtsofsuicide.Itisalsoa numberthataconcernedfriend,familymember,orspousewhoisworriedabout someonewhohasexpressedsomethoughtsofsuicidecancall.
Volunteersgothroughanextensivetrainingprogram.Iknowmanypeopleinthefield whoareworkingorvolunteeringthere.They'vegotthatexpertisebehindthem.Itis aplacewhereyoucantalk,andtheywilllisten.Theywillalsoreferandconnectyou withappropriateservicesifneeded.Sometimes,youjustneedsomebodytotalkto; sometimes,youareactivelysuicidal,andthere'sthatconnectionyouneed.Theycan helpresolvethesituation.
The9-8-8suicidecrisislineisspecificallyforpeoplewhoarehavingthoughtsof suicideorthoseconcernedaboutindividualswhomaybehavingthoughtsofsuicide. Theresponserateisveryfastbecauseyouneedtomove.
Aretheresecondaryprogramsthatthey'redevelopingwiththe9-8-8program?
Basedonthesuccessofthe9-8-8initiative'srollout,theGovernmentofCanadahas developedaNationalSuicidePreventionActionPlanfor2024to2027.
We'reimpressedbythisbecauseit'sbeenalongtimecoming.Themainpillarsof actionaredataandmonitoring,researchandevaluation,supportandservices,and governance.IfImaytalkalittleabouteachpillar,Iwillsaythatdataandmonitoring arecriticalbecausetheycanbeusedtogaugearegion'shappeningsandhotspots.
Itwillbeeasiertosay,"Well,look,HaldimandNorfolkishavinganuptick.What's happening?"That'sreallyimportantsothatwecanplanandgearourprograms accordingly.
Researchandevaluationarethefollowingpillars,whichareverynecessary. Now,therewillbesomethingtosubstantiatewhatweknowalready.It's crucialtobeabletosay,"Well,basedontheresearch,thishasbeen evaluatedasahotspotoratargetpopulationthatweneedtolookat."
A.I.&life
AccordingtoIBM,thedefinitionforAIisasfollows: Artificialintelligence,orAI,isatechnologythat enablescomputersandmachinestosimulatehuman intelligenceandproblem-solvingcapabilities.
Ifyouareinmyagebracket,youmightremember thatafterafewyearsoflearningtheimperial measurementsystemingradeschool,themetric systemsuddenlyappeared,andwehadtochange. Tothisday,Istillgetthetwoconfused.Mindyou,I neverpaidmuchattentioninclass,sobadonme.
Skipaheadto2000.Folks,changeshavecomeso rapidlyinthetechnologyworldinthelasttwenty yearsthatithasbecomeoverwhelmingforthe averageperson.Withthewidediversityinsocial mediaplatformsalone,youcould,andsomedo, spendyourwholedayjustlookingatascreen,lost inaworldthatcanoverwhelmyouwithfearand makeyoucry,laugh,andworryallwithintwo minutes.
Isthishealthy?Ithinknot,butpeopleareallowed tomaketheirownchoices.TheamountoftimeIsee kidsontheirphonesdoesbotherme.
Now,let'saddAItotheequationandlookatthe phrase"simulatehumanintelligence."Thatlineright thereistheonethatscaresmethemost!Iquestion whetheritcanconsiderindividualfeelingsand emotionssuchasfear,sadness,love,empathy, happiness,confidence,anddepressionandwhether itcanreadaperson'sexpression,bodylanguage,or tone.
Letmegiveanexample.Afewmonthsago,Iasked anAIprogramtowriteafewlinesforanadIwas workingon.Itdid,andwhatIgotbackdifferedfrom whatIwouldhaveconsideredthefeelofthe Hub Magazine orthefolkswhoreadit.
Lastweek,onahot,sunnyday,Isatonaparkbench intheshadewithabottleofwater,openedmy notebook,tookoutapen,andbeganwritingastory forthe Hub.ItwasMEdoingit,sharingmythoughts inmywritingstyle,andallowingmyselftothink throughwhatwasonmymindthatafternoon.
ByDaveScott
Sidebar:IhadtobuyapenbecauseIforgotmine. Doyouknowhowharditistobuyapenthesedays? Theyarealmostobsolete.Theotherpartofthis equationissupposeIeverleftmynotebookona bench;anykidwhofindsitwouldneverunderstand itbecauseitwasincursivewriting,whichisnow longgone(although,IwishIhadspellcheckwhen Iwasakid!).
Okay,thatlittlerantisover.AIcouldnever personaliseastorylikethat,butIcan!
Iamluckybecausethefolksofmyvintagehave alwaysbeenaboutfindingwaystoadapttothe generationsbeforeandafterus.Itreallyisour superpower,andItrulyappreciateit.
IworryforfuturegenerationsthatmayletAIrunthe show.AIisatoolthatmayhelpsolveproblems,but itcannotreplaceorcomeclosetothevalueof humaninteraction.Again,Idonotbelieveitcantake intoaccountindividualfeelingsorreadaperson's expression,bodylanguage,ortoneaswellaswecan. Whatcanwedo?
Reducescreentimeontheweekends.Iwillcheckmy emailsinthemorning,shutdownmyphoneforthe weekend,leavethephoneinthehouse,andgoout toplay.
Gohaveacoffeewithsomeoneandsitandchat aboutyourlives.
Getahobby(painting,writing,puzzles, crosswords…)thatchallengesyourcognitive approach.Exercise.Dosomethingthatallowsyour bodytobreathe,suchaswalking,running, swimming,cycling,yoga,meditation,oranything elsethatrepositionsyourmind!Rest.Allowyour mindandbodytimetorest,evenifitisa20-minute nap.Rechargethosebatteries!
Shareyourlifewiththosearoundyouand experiencetheemotionsthatcomewithitonareal level.
Youhavethecoreintelligencetodogreatthings! WhygiveAIthecredit?
Onourshow,we discussthe Cheers Norfolk business. Greatinsightforsmall businessfolks. CheersNorfolk.ca
Gooutsideandgo oftenisthemessage Loriwantstoshare thismonth!
Come,tryour game!Hagersville LawnBowlingClub invitesalltocome play!Watchand learn!
WhatistheEcho Pandemic?Lillfrom CMHAexplains!
Areyoustrugglingto adapttoyournew progressivelenses? Dr.Amberfrom SimcoeOptometric isheretohelp.
SCANME
“Don’tthinkthatI’mungrateful.Anddon’tlooksomorose… Weneverreallymadeitbaby.Butwecameprettyclose.” ~AdiosbyLindaRonstadt “Youarecompetingagainstyourself.Notagainsttheotherathlete.” ~DickFosbury,Olympicgoldmedallist
AsmyfriendJoeandIcarriedourgeartoward thePettitIceCenterinMilwaukeeonJune12,we acceptedthatitwouldbeovertendaysbefore wecouldbeoutsideinthesummersunshine again.Wehadsigneduptocompeteina10-day racetobeheldona3-lanetrackthatsurrounded theUSOlympicspeedskatingtrainingoval.We didn’tknowhowwellwewouldadapttodoing innumerablelapsona443-metretrackinarink wherethetemperaturewasacontrolled55 degreesFahrenheit.
Somethingswedidknow.Althoughthevenue wascool,ithadtheadvantageofnoother weatherelementsthatmightotherwiseimpede ourprogress.Abovethetworinksandoval,there wasalargeroomwithanormalindoor temperatureforsleeping.Somehourswere allocatedforaccesstoshowersinahockey dressingroom.Eachrunnerwasallottedone-half ofaneight-foottableandachair,whichcouldbe setupontheconcretefloorbetweenthetrack andtheouterwall.Breakfastcerealsandcatered lunchesanddinnersweretobeprovidedat prescribedtimes.
Forthefirsttwodaysoftheevent,whichincluded otherrunsofvaryingdurationfrom12hoursto6 days,wewouldbeintheonlyracetakingplace. Therefore,wehadourchoiceoflocations.Joe andIpickedaspotforourtablethathada maximumdistancebetweenthetrackandwall, sowehadroomtospreadoutourbagsof clothes,shoes,medicalsupplies, dirtyclothesbags,massagers, bottles,foodtreats,electronics, coffeepotforJoe,garbagebag, andsoon.Aswell,Joebrought hisownfoldingtable,soweeach
hadafulltable.Wecouldbemessy,andwe were.Upstairs,JoeandIalsogotourpreferred spotsinacornernearthedoorandthe washroomssowewouldneverhavetomove andwouldn’tdisturbanyonewhencomingor going.
Wehadgivenourselvesloftygoals–world records;forJoe,theM80-84,andformyself, theM75-79.Inmycategory,theexisting numberwas593km.Webothknewthat,ata minimum,wewouldsetCanadianrecords,as nooneinouragecategorieshadever completeda10-dayrace,thelongestofficially recognizedcategory.Ialreadyholdtherecord forM70-74with710km.
Therewere21competitors.Mostwerefromthe UnitedStates,butalsoincludedwerethePolish recordholder,athletesfromEnglandandIndia, andourselves.Manyothernationalitieswere representedintheotherraces.
Now,whenIreflectonwhattookplaceduring those240hours,myoverridingconclusionis thatitwasverydifficult.Fornumerousreasons, Ihadtopushmyselfwellbeyondenjoyment.
Thisdoesnotmeanthereweren’tmany positives.Myfellowcompetitors,16malesand 4females,wereverypleasant.ThoseIgotto knowhadinterestingstoriestotell.They includedEd,whohasrunthemost100milersof anyoneinhistory,wellover200,andwho passedmesomanytimes,always acknowledgingme,thatIfinallytoldhimthat hehadcalledmebynamemoretimesthan anyoneI’deverknown;Bob,whoruns100miles perweekanddecidedhecouldbedoingmore thansimplycollectingawardsatvariousraces
andso,overthelasttwoyears,has gatheredupninethousandbagsof garbagewhileoutforhisruns;Steven, fromEngland,whoisretiredand basicallytrainsallday,everyday,for multipledistancetriathlons;Arun,whois planningarunacrossIndia;andDong, whoranhisentirerace,over400miles, barefoot.Hehastrainedsolelybarefoot forthelastfiveyears,whetheronatrack, roadortrail.WhenIaskedhimwhatled tohisdoingthis,hetoldmehealways likedtogobarefoot,startingasakid.
Ofcourse,webenefittedfromtheindoor controlledenvironment.Duringourtime there,aheatwavewasoccurring outdoors.Thecateredmealsturnedout tobeuniformlygood;therewasvariety andoftenachoice.Itwasnicetohavea coupleofshowers.Mynewcot,thatIhad onlytriedoutacoupleoftimesathome, wasexcellent,evenifitiseasytofall asleepafteryou’vewalkedalldayfor manydays.Infact,thelongestbreakI tookduringtheentireeventwas4hours and40minutes.Duringthetendays,I had5periodsofsleepof4hours,4 periodsofsleepof3hours,and3periods ofsleepof2hours.Inaddition,Ihad somecatnapsinmychair.
Theraceorganizersandstaffwere alwaystryingtomakeeverythingasideal aspossibleforallthecompetitors,from theelitesintheinvitational24-hourrace, tryingtoqualifyforselectiontotheUS nationalteam,totheslowerold-timers likemyself.Theyworkedlonghoursand werealwayscheerful.
Nevertheless,itwasatoughtendaysforme.Firstly,55 degreessoundsgood.Butitgottomeandothers.At times,Ihadtowearmywinterjacketandglovestokeep warm.I’msureithadsomethingtodowithfatigue.Of course,therewasalsothefactthatIwasstuckindoors inmid-summer,awayfromnatureandanyrealsensory stimuli.Butthetoughestformewasthetrack,notthe monotonyoftheendlessloops,butthestickinessofthe surfaceitself.Wewerewarnedduringpre-race instructionsthatitcouldbeproblematicforshufflers.I probablycaughtthefrontofmyshoesandstumbleda hundredtimesormore.Iwasalsoleaningsignificantly tomyleftforthemajorityofthetime,somybalance wasoff-kilter.Thosetwofactorscausedmetobeafraid towalkasfastasIcouldbecauseofmyfearoffalling, whichcouldbedisastrouswithmyknees.ButI perseveredandonlyflew,atahighspeed,intoawall once.Oneman,inashorterrace,hadtobetakento hospitalwhenhetrippedandbrokesomebones.
AlthoughIdon’twanttoevengointoarinkrightnow, IamhappyknowingIgaveitthebesteffortIcouldand believethatIdidthebestmybodywouldallowmeto do.Iamthrilledthatmylong-timefriendJoegothis worldrecord,completing480kmandthatIcamepretty close.Therecordwas593km,andIfinishedin10th overallwith584km,thethird-highesttotaleverinmy ageclasscategory.Itleavesmewantingtodoanother 10-Day,butnotbackattheDome.
SEASONS, SEASONS,
BarbAnstead, RHN, MetabolicBalanceCoach
ThereissomethingabouttherollinginofAugust thatcanbebittersweet,regardlessofage.
Formany,holidays,vacations,sports,and entertainmentactivitiesarecrammedintoatwomonthwindowbeforepreparingforthereturnof theschoolyear'sroutine.Forthosewhoenjoy structure,thiscanbecomforting,butitcanalso bringaboutawistfulandmelancholyfeelingfor others.
Beneficial,healthfulhabitscanoftenfallbythe waysideduringthesebusytimes.Thankfully,the abundanceoflocal,nutrient-densefoodscan helptosomewhatoffsettheexcessesthatcan occur.Sleeproutines,supplementregimes, exerciseprograms,andgeneralnutritionhabits willlikelyneedsometweakingifnotafullreset.
Whenstudentsreturntoschool,weoftensee themcomedownwithvariousailmentswithinthe firstfewdaystoweeks,dependingontheir immunestatus,overallnutrition,andresiliency. Thistypicallytranslatesinto"sharing"with everyoneelseintheclassroom,household,or workplace.
Forthepreschoolersandprimarygrades,those firstfewyearsofschoolcanleaveparentsfeeling exhausted,defeatedandconcerned.Immune
systemsarebeing challengedinmultipleways, sowhetheryoungorold,havinganarsenalof tried-and-truesupportivelifestylesand nutritionalandsupplementalstrategiescanmake ahugedifferenceinoverallresiliency.Bookinga supplementaland/ornutritionalconsultisagreat waytostartasuccessfulandhealthieryear.You canbookbycallingortexting519-410-3544, emailingbarb@healthywellandwise.caoronline throughmywebsite,Healthywellandwise.ca.
Regardlessofage,thosewithpreexisting conditions,weakenedimmunestatusoron prescriptionmedicationsshouldconsultwiththeir pharmacistorprimarycareprovidertoensure therearenocontraindicationstothesupplements theyareconsideringiftheyhavenotalready reviewedthemwithaqualifiedhealth professional.
Supplementtiming,productquality,dosage,and frequencycanallmajorlyimpactsafetyand efficacy.
SomeofthemorecommonsupplementsIhave usedareVitaminD3,VitaminC,probiotics,anda B-Complex.Thereisavastarrayofother supplements,herbalandhomeopathicproducts, butnaturaldoesn'tnecessarilymeanitissafeor rightforyou.
