Punk Smurf pens a bilingual blog

HAPPY BI PRIDE! It’s celebrating its 10th birthday today.

Two of my favorite artists are celebrating their birthdays today:

Bruce Springsteen and Sarah Bettens

I was watching this animated video to “Sweeping the Ashes” the other day and was struck by how beautiful the stripped down version of the song sounds. No guitar, no vocals, just a piano and simple chord progressions. I play the guitar and drums, but apart from some chords and things I - unfortunately - can’t play the piano.

Another video I really liked is this Irish ad for same sex marriage. Watch “Sinead’s hand” here. The following isn’t video related, but music related:

Yup, that’s an amp - with a cool CANADA sticker. It’s Sarah Bettens’ amp

GoGirlsMusic.com is the oldest and largest online community of indie women musicians of all music genres.

** Taking Submissions For Annual Compilation CD **
Deadline is this Saturday, August 15th. All the details can be found here (I hope you have a Facebook AND a ReverbNation account). You must be a GoGirls Elite member to submit your song(s). Rumor has it that both Sarah Bettens are Melissa Ferrick are contributing to this CD.

Interesting stuff…

I had never heard of this list (”Top Hot Butches“) before, and I kinda found it through a thread on the AfterEllen forum. Curiosity piqued I went through the whole list - and to my surprise I found Sarah Bettens gracing the no. 38 spot! Whodathunk, eh?

Don’t miss the live interview with Sarah on Monday at 1700 hours (CET):

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Sisters_Talk/2009/05/03/Sarah-Bettens-On-SistersTalk-Lesbian-Gay-Radio

Click the link to listen in

My friend Wendy and I share our love for Sharleen Spiteri (Texas) and Sarah Bettens (K’s Choice). Last week (or maybe it was the week before that) I noticed Sharleen’s got a haircut and is now sporting a new ‘do:

Today I noticed Sarah sporting another ‘do as well (a more natural color, instead of the bleached blonde):

My friend Michael alerted me to ann interview with Sarah on Studio Brussel. Unfortunately for me, I went to get shopping for groceries after work and didn’t see his E-mail till after the interview had aired. BUT I managed to find the podcast

An article in the Globe and Mail earlier this week caught my eye:

TORONTO — One-third of Canadian adults who have been told they have asthma may have been wrongly diagnosed by their doctor, according to a new study that reveals serious problems with the way the disease is identified and treated in Canada.

The findings, being published Tuesday in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, suggest thousands may needlessly be taking medications that could have life-altering side effects and major costs.

“There’s a lot of drugs being consumed and paid for that really are not likely to have any therapeutic role for these patients,” said Shawn Aaron, head of the respirology division at the University of Ottawa and lead author of the study. “If this study is true, and I have no reason to believe it’s not, there are 30 per cent of people walking around in Canada who believe they have asthma, whose physicians have told them they have asthma, who don’t [have asthma].”

About 8.3 per cent of Canadians aged 12 and older were identified as having asthma in 2005, according to Statistics Canada. In 2007, 3.4 million prescriptions were issued for the top five asthma medications, at a cost of nearly $329-million, according to IMS Health Canada, a company that tracks the pharmaceutical industry.

The reason for the inflated rates of asthma diagnosis seems to be a lack of adequate testing, the study says.

It is widely estimated that less than half of Canadians diagnosed with asthma undergo spirometry, a relatively simple test used to measure lung function. It is considered one of the most efficient ways to diagnose asthma, but it is costly and time consuming, which could be a problem in some areas. But doctors should refer patients to community laboratories for the test, Dr. Aaron said.

“[A] doctor would never diagnose high blood pressure without actually taking a blood-pressure reading,” Dr. Aaron said. “Physicians in Canada and all over the world are not objectively confirming the diagnosis of asthma.”

Some members of asthma organizations yesterday questioned the findings.

“I doubt the number [of misdiagnosed asthma cases] is that high if we try to apply this to the population of Canadians at large,” said Mark Greenwald, chair of the science and medicine committee at the Asthma Society of Canada. “We still have the majority of our patients properly diagnosed.”

But Dr. Aaron said that study participants went through a multitude of tests over a two-month period.

“I think if we decide not to believe this study, that’s anybody’s prerogative, but I think they’d be putting their head in the sand and pretending there isn’t a problem when there is one.”

Study participant Sue Abou-Hamda, 41, has first-hand experience with an asthma misdiagnosis. For years, the Ottawa resident had allergies and occasional wheezing. When she was in the hospital giving birth to her first child, she was told she had asthma. She eventually had a spirometry test, and while she was told she “passed,” her doctor insisted she had mild asthma and prescribed medication.

“I was told I had asthma and that I needed to take inhalers for the rest of my life, otherwise risk terrible health problems later,” Ms. Abou-Hamda said. She said her life was restricted in many ways. She stayed indoors during smog alerts and gave away her two long-time pets on the advice of her doctor when she became pregnant a second time. When the study’s researchers told her she didn’t have asthma, Ms. Abou-Hamda was relieved but distraught.

“It is very upsetting,” she said. “I had been taking inhalers every day.”

One of the greatest concerns about asthma over-diagnosis is that many people may be unnecessarily taking powerful drugs that could affect their health. Some of the inhaled steroids used to control the symptoms of asthma have been linked to osteoporosis, cataracts and glaucoma, Dr. Aaron said.

Health Canada has issued warnings in recent years about the possible increased risk of death linked to some asthma medications, including Advair and Symbicort.

“If you’re taking a medicine you don’t need, obviously you’re exposing yourself to risk,” Dr. Aaron said.

Nearly 66 per cent of those involved in the study who found out they didn’t have asthma took no asthma drugs during the six-month follow-up period. Others took them for a short time or saw their doctor for respiratory symptoms.

The study’s original purpose was to determine whether obese people are misdiagnosed with asthma more often than non-obese patients. Researchers examined two groups of adults who had been diagnosed with asthma, 242 of them obese, and 254 not obese.

Researchers found that misdiagnosis of asthma was just as likely among the obese as the non-obese. That surprised researchers, who expected to find more over-diagnosis among the obese. Obesity has been linked to a significantly increased risk for asthma and researchers hypothesized the increased risk could be explained by misdiagnosis.

Public education and promotional campaigns by non-profit groups and drug companies could be helping to drive up diagnosis rates by predisposing physicians and patients to the symptoms associated with asthma, according to the study.

Dr. Aaron said people who doubt their diagnosis should stay on their medication until they can see their doctor and have a detailed evaluation.

The study was funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the division of respiratory medicine at the Ottawa Hospital.

I’m one of those with asthma who should be using an inhaler to make breathing easier, but I don’t want to. And I’m sure there will come a day that I have to resort to inhalers (if the coughing and wheezing are at its worst)…

My friend Wendy sent me a link to a very funny blog post of a British BBC correspondent in the US. He ends it with “… he will be back.” Was he channeling The Terminator?

My friend Mirthe and her boyfriend went to see Sarah Bettens in Amsterdam, and (as I knew she would) she loved it. The concert was just as inspiring to her as it was to me; we’re both anxious to start jamming and playing again! Curious about it? Have a look at the Brussels concert *here* I also found a review in a Flemish newspaper *here* (yes, it’s in Dutch).

Also, a review I wrote for a European “special interest” site is posted and can be seen *here*

Currently listening to Sarah Bettens (album: Never say goodbye)

When I woke up I was super excited. I had slept well, but felt like sleeping at least another hour. I was running a little late and quickly threw on jeans, a black shirt and white tie. At work I had arranged to leave early and come in later the next morning - so I could attend the fan meeting as well.

I arrived a little early at the venue in Eindhoven; traffic was lighter than I had anticipated. By the time my friend Petra arrived the restaurant at the Effenaar was crowded. We went in to see how long it would take for us to get a table (they were serving yummie vegetarian lasagna that evening…). Alas, waiting for a table would mean we would not be in time for the start of the show. So Petra and I had a bite at a little Mexican restaurant, called Tortillas, nearby. They were very accomodating: when I asked if it was possible to bring our dishes as quickly as possible because of a concert, the food arrived within 15 minutes. It was good, and I was hungry, and I managed to wolf it down (I’m really a slow eater). Then we lined up for the concert at the Effenaar.

Once inside it turns out it’s a partially seated concert, but I asked my friend if she was ok with not taking a seat: the front rows were already taken, and if a tall person sits in front of me I wouldn’t be able to see much of the stage. She agreed and followed me to a spot from where we had a great view at both the stairs (leading down to the exit) and the stage. Further to our right is where several people in wheel chairs had their places. Petra was wondering about the support act, and after about an hour it became apparent there wasn’t one.

Sarah and her musical partner in crime Tom Kestens walked on stage and the framed silver screen was showing a picture of Marvin Gaye. While Sarah and Tom took their places there was an audio quote by the late Marvin in which he spoke about his music. When that was over the spotlights came on and the duo played “Heard it through the grapevine“. That was followed by Ella Fitzgerald’s “Everytime we say goodbye”. The fun part for me was recognizing the artists from the pictures and the quotes. I had already browsed the innerweb for setlists, so I had a general idea of the songs she’s be playing

The rest of the set included: “Sitting on the dock of the bay” by Otis Redding (the audience whistled along - yes, I did too - much to Sarah’s amusement), “Just the two of us” by Bill Withers, “Long December” (my favorite song) by Counting Crows, “Do that to me one more time” by Captain and Tennille, “Three times a lady” by the Commodores, “Money money money” by ABBA, “Cry me a river” by Julie London, “Ne me quitte pas” by Jacques Brel, “Little red Corvette” by Prince (one of my favorites by this little guy), “At seventeen” by Janis Ian, “I will carry you” by Woodface (yes, that’s her brother Gert’s band).

Even though at moments it was a complete cheese fest, I was pleasantly surprised at some of her song choices (Marvin Gaye, Otis Redding?); Sarah’s a big Indigo Girls fan so I expected an IG song. Granted, the ladies never had a hit song on this side of the Atlantic (that I know of - unfortunately) so it’s not that strange. Sarah and Tom did play 3 new songs: “I can do better than you”, “Slow you down” and “Win me over” which she wrote for her girlfriend Stephanie, who was with us. (That immediately explained why Sarah suddenly switched from Dutch to English…) I couldn’t help but think “Crap, I am so not going to like that song”. But I did. There was no “I was lost but now I’m found” line in the song, which definitely helped. They also played “Shine“, which Sarah wrote for her (step)daughter Taylor.

Sarah’s voice really shone in this intimate setting. (If the venue had been any smaller, it could’ve been a swanky night club - sans smoke.) The last song was Bonnie Raitt’s “I can’t make you love me”. After that die hard fans lined up for autographs, a quick chat and a photo opportunity with Sarah. I think this is a regular Sarah Bettens post concert ritual  I found it a very interesting night - certainly from a musical point of view.

According to a study people with sexy/attractive voices tend to be sexier (as in: tend to have greater body symmetry upon close inspection).

Listening to a certain track off Bluff’s new album “Oktober” (Blof is a very succesful Dutch band) I can only think: “Dang, why has Sarah the kind of voice that makes me melt into a puddle of contentment?”  

Listen to “Van veraf was het mooi” (”It looked beautiful from a distance”) here.

Whenever I read that there’s a limited availability, I can’t help but wonder if it’s a marketing stunt - you know: so that people buy tickets quicker. (You never know when it’s going too sell out, eh?)

I bought tickets to (yet another) Sarah Bettens a while ago, just as sales started, but I just found out that the concert is partially seated. Interesting. I’m stoked, tho. I haven’t been to any theater performances in quite a while - as I was constantly saving up for my trips this year… Having said that, I’m taking my mom to see Beth Hart shortly before we leave for Indonesia.