Ovarian cancer awareness

The following information is taken from the website of Ovarian Cancer Canada.  Please donate to help find a cure.

Ovarian cancer is the most serious of all gynecological cancers. Over 2500 Canadian women are diagnosed every year; and every year 1700 women succumb to this disease. Symptoms are varied, vague and easily missed.

There is no screening test to detect it. But when found early – and treated – ovarian cancer survival rate is 90%.

This Is What Every Woman Needs To Know:

• There is a lifetime risk of 1 in 70 that you will develop ovarian cancer.
• Many doctors are unfamiliar with the signs and symptoms of ovarian cancer and fail to consider it as a possible diagnosis.
• Failure to find the disease in its early stages is partly due to (i) lack of sensitive detection tests and (ii) health care providers and even women themselves may ignore warning symptoms.
• A Pap smear does not detect ovarian cancer.
• HPV vaccine helps prevent cervical cancer, not ovarian cancer.
• Pain in the abdomen is not necessarily a symptom of ovarian cancer – even if you have no pain, your doctor cannot rule out ovarian cancer.
• Even though ovarian cancer is known as the “disease that whispers” the majority of women with ovarian cancer report symptoms, including women diagnosed at an early stage.
• Ovarian cancer rates rise after menopause, peaking from age 60-75, although it can occur at any age.
• The hereditary form, found in families where many close relatives have had breast and/or ovarian cancer, tends to occur at an earlier age.

There is no one specific symptom for ovarian cancer. The symptoms are generally vague, non-specific and can be mistakenly attributed to other causes. Just because you have the symptoms, does not mean you have ovarian cancer.

Common Warning Symptoms:

• Swelling or bloating of the abdomen
• Pelvic discomfort or heaviness
• Back or abdominal pain
• Fatigue
• Gas, nausea, indigestion
• Change in bowel habits
• Emptying your bladder frequently
• Menstrual irregularities
• Weight loss or weight gain

Other symptoms:

• Mass or “lump” in your pelvis that you can feel
• Inability to eat normally
• Pain with intercourse
• Vaginal bleeding

If you have one or more of these symptoms and these symptoms persist for 3 weeks or longer, see your health practitioner immediately.

This church “rite of passage” is just too suspicious

Ken Gallinger, Ethics Columnist at the Toronto Star, responded today about a church where 12-year-old boys are taken on weekend camping trips by the pastor and “a couple of other men”, as a “rite of passage”:

Due diligence now, no regrets later

Gallinger’s answer is excellent and well-balanced. To it, I will just add the following thoughts.

Nothing in the Bible teaches that 12-year-old boys need to go on camping trips with “the pastor and a couple of other men”, especially if the parents are not invited to participate. Any church that preaches this as some mandatory – or strongly encouraged – “rite of passage” rightfully invites suspicion.

At the bare minimum, a responsible church would ensure that the male parent or guardian would also be invited to join in the trip. Gallinger’s advice to observe those who have previously went on these trips, and to speak with their parents, is definitely worth repeating.

Response from Rona

I received an email response from Rona regarding the gift card purchase incident I outlined earlier here.  I am satisfied with the response, and am reproducing it below word-for-word (i.e. copy-and-paste):

“I got an email pertaining to your inability to buy a $50.00 gift card with your credit card. I’m sorry, but our cashier made an error in this instance. Recently, we got some fraudulent credit card scams that includes people using stolen or fraud credit cards to buy gift card. We have asked our staff to be a bit more diligent when it comes to customers purchasing gift cards with credit cards. That staff in this case miss understood our instructions thus leading to this error. I’m sincerely apologizing for any inconveniences that this incident have caused but I assure you that this is an error in communication and it is not our norm or policy. We strive very hard to meet and exceed every customer’s expectations.

If you have any further question or concerns, please feel free to call me anytime.

Regards

Danny Tse

Store Manager

Rona Home & Garden”

Public Service Staffing Tribunal issues decision regarding venues for exchange of information

Yesterday, Canada’s Public Service Staffing Tribunal issued a decision regarding meeting locations used for exchange of information during the complaint process.

The Tribunal noted, “The purpose of exchange of information in the PSEA and the PSST Regulations is to promote transparent employment practices (Visca v. Department of Justice [2006] PSST 0016). It is implicit therefore, that such meetings are to be held at a place of business and not at a residence.”

“PSEA” refers to the Public Service Employment Act.

“PSST Regulations” refers to the Public Service Staffing Tribunal Regulations.

For more information, please contact the Tribunal and refer to the decision made on April 12, 2010, for file 2010-0071.