Baba’s Beach Podcast #23 – Bombing a Better Tomorrow

Posted on July 1, 2008 by Mark

Something good can be found in just about anything, I guess. Sulfadrugs and penicillin came out of the First World War; RADAR, plasticsand synthetic fuels from the 2nd.

The Vietnam War brought about a revolution in technological support for the disabled–I kid you not–and a healthy distrust of being told “this is for your own good.”

Maybethe current unpleasantness in the Middle East will lead to an end todependence on Hydrocarbons.

But wouldn’t it be great if we could cure cancer without starting a war to do it?

“You can’t say civilization don’t advance… in every war they kill you in a new way.” Will Rogers

Thanks for visiting Baba’s Beach today. If you have any comments, we’d love to hear them.

Music from the Podsafe Music Network this week:

Falling Slowly – Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova from the (excellent) motion picture “Once”

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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Baba’s Beach Podcast #22 – Five Reasons to Walk to Cure Diabetes

Posted on April 14, 2008 by Mark

When your child has Type 1 Diabetes, you become a family with diabetes.

Actually, you become part of a huge international family all dealing
with the physical and emotional roller coaster of life with a chronic
disease.

This is a YouTube presentation by the Vancouver Island JDRF
teen council who are the teenagers in the Type 1 family. They’re old enough
to speak for themselves and get the word out. One of them is our
daughter and she’s decided to bring her friends to babasbeach in time
for a family walk.

To donate, please click here

Posted in JDRF | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Baba’s Beach Podcast #21 – La Meme Chose

Posted on November 2, 2007 by Mark

The two icons of 50’s TV were Dragnet’s Joe Friday and June Cleaver,domestic goddess on “Leave it To Beaver”. He was all about the facts,while her thing was house, hearth and doting on her sons: especiallythe unfortunately nick-named youngest lad – to the eternal gratitude ofjunior high class clowns everywhere  (“Gosh, Ward, you were a bit hardon the Beaver last night”). Snicker, snicker.

Joe Friday would not get that joke either. But his partner would.

Life for women has changed a lot since the 50’s but media still
show us as being impeccably dressed, wandering through a spotless house
that never needs cleaning, waiting for a husband – doesn’t
matter whose husband – to come home and brighten the day or afternoon.

The modern reality is more like Law & Order, a tedious daily routine.
But that probably wouldn’t make it in prime time: most women are too busy
working the home shift to watch it.

If you have any comments about this podcast, we’d love to hear them.


Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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Happy Birthday

Posted on September 1, 2007 by Mark

I woke up this morning and knew that it was a special day but I wasn’t sure why. It was one of those feelings that you just can’t place. Then I remembered. It would have been my Grandmother’s Birthday.

Then it really sunk in. It would have been her 100th birthday. Now, the vast majority of folks don’t make it to 100, and many wouldn’t want to. She had enough love in her heart for 200 years and for that I’m thankful. I’m thankful that she got to hear her Great-Grandchildren play in the back bedroom and I’m thankful that she lived long enough to see them walk on the sand at Baba’s Beach.

We’ll be back in the next couple of weeks with more podcasts and some video podcasts from some recent (and not so recent) travels.

Cheers Beach-Granny.

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Baba’s Beach Podcast #20 – The Journey

Posted on June 16, 2007 by Mark

I grew up in a house that was filled with music. Despite the budget considerations of raising four children on a printer’s salary, there was never a problem finding money for a piano, a saxophone, and a clarinet for us to play or for the long years of tormenting teachers with our efforts to learn how to play them.  We still don’t know how they managed to do this and feed us too. Music, love and wiener soup – could these be the ingredients of the glue that held our family together?

As a present to Dad for Father’s Day 2007,  my brother, sisters and I have purchased a brick in memory of  Nicholas Blaseckie at the Forest Workers Memorial Park in Cowichan Lake BC.

For information about the Memorial Park, visit the Cowichan Lake website at http://www.cowichanlake.ca/bus/forestcoop/fworkpark.html

Music in this episode was recorded live at the Greater Victoria Strings Orchestra  “Bach to the Beach” performance on June 7, 2007 at Willows Beach, Victoria BC.

An Irish Party In Third Class – Gaelic Storm

Entrance Of The Queen Of Sheba – Handel

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Posted in Family History, Family Life, Growing up | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Baba’s Beach Podcast #19 – Wrestle A Bear

Posted on June 3, 2007 by Mark

For more information about the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) please visit www.jdrf.ca

To pledge our daughter in the 2007 Walk to Cure Diabetes, please click here.

If you’re going to be in Kingston, Ontario for the Podcasters Across Boarders, please let us know…We’d love to meet you.

Music this week for the Podsafe Music Network:

Moonlight Piano Sonata, Op. 27, No. 2, mvt. 1 by Ludwig van Beethoven performed by Ajero, Mario

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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Baba’s Beach Podcast #18 – Life with MacGyver

Posted on March 31, 2007 by Mark

A few years ago while sitting in a coffee shop in Victoria’s laid back equivalent of the Upper East Side, Gordon Head, I overheard two young moms, upwardly mobile, impeccably dressed, comparing pictures from a child’s birthday party.

Every second comment, be it on the cake, the way the yard was decorated or what everyone was wearing was, “That’s just sooo Martha”. It took me a minute to clue into the fact they weren’t referring to the hostess of the party but The Martha…Stewart.  How the mighty have fallen. The coffee shop is closed too.

Thanks for visiting Baba’s Beach today. If you have any comments, we’d love to hear them.

If you’re going to be in Kingston, Ontario for the Podcasters Across Borders, please let us know…we’d love to meet you.

Please visit us at www.babasbeach.ca and send comments to babasbeach@gmail.com

Music from the Podsafe Music Network this week:

Family by Rob Costlow

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Posted in Family History, Family Life | 1 Comment

Baba’s Beach Podcast #17 – Ad Hominem

Posted on February 5, 2007 by Mark

No, not those horse people from Gulliver’s Travels or words that sound the same but smell different. It’s trying to win an argument by pointing out your opponent is wearing white after Labour Day. A good debate is a wonderful thing – like a tango with words – and dips should be one of the dance steps, not the participants.

Lee Maddeford – The Soft Hate Song

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Posted in Family Life, Travel | 1 Comment

Baba’s Beach Podcast #16 – Boomers

Posted on December 20, 2006 by Mark

But Granny, you don’t have glaucoma.

I remember a Mad Magazine comic about how each generation rebels by
turning into the opposite of it’s parents. Hippie parents were shaking
their ‘fros and rattling love beads in worry over finding a three piece
suit concealed in their son’s closet.


If only the truth were that simple – it’s not the differences between generations that causes problems, it’s that we are actually too much alike.

Thanks for visiting Baba’s Beach today. If you have any comments, we’d love to hear them.

Please visit us at www.babasbeach.ca and send comments to babasbeach@gmail.com

Music from the Podsafe Music Network this week:

Not Alone by Rob Costlow

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Posted in Family Life | Leave a comment

Not Dead, Just Resting. No, really.

Posted on November 19, 2006 by Mark

Season Two on the Beach will start up
in the next few weeks. We took a small break to scour the globe in
search of rest, relaxation, cheap wine and inspiration. Refreshed,
invigorated and having finished the last bottle of Orvieto Classico
from a small family vineyard up in the Umbrian hills we promise to
clean up our act and get back to this podcasting thing.

Well, I've stopped traveling, anyway.
It seems my husband has this work thing that requires extended
periods of time in planes, ships and hotel resorts. Yeah, rough.
Kinda like the time our children were 17 months and 1 month old,
he came back from a 3 week buoy deploying trip and complained the
government budget cuts meant there'd been only two choices of dinner
entree on the ship. I gave him the choice of macaroni or the couch.

Time to get down to being creative and
maybe brush up on my english grammer: where's that bit about
run-on sentences?

Thanks for hanging in there, keeping us
on your podcatcher, staying calm, waiting for the signs and being
brave. Or something like that. We'll all be back on the beach soon.

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment