Blinks

There was this story in the paper last week about a man that was portaging up near Wawa, Ontario. (Yep, my old hometown.) He was attacked by a black bear. The man's dog, a pitbull, started barking to alert the man when the bear first approached. The dog continued to bark and fight the bear while the man jumped on the bear's back and stabbed it repeatedly and killed it. The dog was injured when the bear took a bite out of his back but the dog is expected to recover nicely.

I remember that my mom used to go down to the local dump to video tape black bears scrounging. It was her hobby for a while and even though she can be a ferocious woman I doubt that she could have taken on a bear herself. Heh.

Speaking of hometowns, I usually refer to Wawa as my hometown. I moved there part way through Grade 8 and I left after my fifth year of high school. (OAC year, for all you young 'uns.) So I lived there for less than six years but I still refer to it as my hometown whenever somebody asks me where I'm from. Before that, I lived in Peterborough, Jordan Station, Welland and Fonthill. I've lived in London much longer now, about eight years, but I still consider Wawa to be the place that I grew up. Huh.

In other news, the matriarch of the elephant herd at the Toronto zoo died this past week. She had to be put town after her arthritis got to be too painful for her at the age of forty, which is a normal age for a pachyderm. It was interesting to read about how the social structures worked in this situation. For one thing, the zookeepers left the dead body where the other elephants could find it. The herd touched the body with their trunks and paid their respects, showing clear signs of mourning. I've long known about the complex social functions of elephants, even with some mysteries such as elephant graveyeards. The next step for the herd is to have another female take over leadership. The zookeepers expect "the bossy one" to take over soon.

Finally, Alvin Williams has been released by the Toronto Raptors. He has struggled through multiple knee surgeries in the past few years and has played very little, despite his famously intense desire to be on the basketball court as much as possible. He was a key starter during the Raptor's last major playoff run and he received a large contract at that point but he has been hobbled with physical problems since then. Even so, he still intends to join an NBA camp and try to play his way back onto a team.

To quote Alvin in this article, "This is the only thing, other than my family, that I have a passion for and I love. And I'd give my life for it." He's certainly giving his body for it, possibly at the risk of major physical problems once he retires. Such passion. I have similar emotional sentiments when it comes to ministering in worship. The difference for me is that I lack the discipline to improve certain related skills, such as playing the piano, while Alvin worked furiously over two years to try and get back into game shape. He's quite the example.

Personal Thought of the Day: Nice guys finish last.