Good News, Bad News, and the End of the Year

Today I bring a couple of stories that are a bit late in coming, but I feel worth mentioning.

I'll start with the bad news.  This is one that has been all over the local news in Edmonton but is just so shockingly terrible, it has to be mentioned yet again.  According to the latest edition of the Alberta diagnostic code, homosexuality is listed as a "mental disorder" alongside pedophilia and bestiality.  The code is used by doctors to classify illnesses (both physical and mental) for billing to the province of Alberta.  The "homosexuality code" has been used to "treat" patients over 1700 times between 1995 and 2004 (according to the Edmonton Journal).

Alberta health minister Gene Zwozdesky has pledged that the code will be immediately reviewed and that “It is simply an incorrect and unacceptable classification and I've ordered it to be removed immediately.”  The American Psychiatric Association made the same change in 1973 followed by the Canadian Psychiatric Association in 1982.

So, really, they're only a few decades too late...

But, onto some good news and a (seemingly) rare good travel story.  For those who would be travelling with presents over the holidays, both the TSA and CATSA (Canadian Air Transport Security Authority) asked that presents not be wrapped to allow for easier inspection.  It kind of sucks, but I can understand it.  But last week, Jaunted reported that a few airports in the USA were offering gift wrapping services inside security.  To top this off, most of them were either completely free or free with a charitable donation.

I think it's nice to finally see a good air travel-related story and a good way to end 2010.

And to summarize, I don't mean to speak too much for my co-contributers to the Deli, but it's been a big year for all of us. You can definitely expect more of the same for 2011.  I know Terry will be back to ranting about...whatever it is he is most angry about at the time very soon.  I'm sure parenthood will provide many more...sources of material.  Erik will still randomly show up and write several pages on...something.  And I'll be here to find random crap and complain about travelling.


So from all three of us, Merry Christmas, Happy Festivus, Happy New Year, etc.