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VOL. 28 NO. 2, WINTER 2014-15
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A word from the publisher and editor… Dear Reader, We wish you and your loved ones a joyous Christmas and New Year, filled with friends, family and fun. Even though the world seems so besieged with daunting challenges, thank God for Christmas to remind us of the unique role of ‘Love, Joy and Forgiveness’ in our efforts to heal the world. Janet, Maurice and Penny For a while, it seemed this issue might not be born at all… but here it is, in your hands, after all. Sometimes we get discouraged and wonder if the magazine is making any real contribution. But then, a letter arrives or we read something that reminds us that perhaps there are stories in this issue of Dialogue that someone, somewhere needs to read – to make connections, to discover synergies. This really is all that Dialogue can offer ~ bringing together ideas, images, actions, stories and people that might otherwise never find their connection to each other. So, even though at times it all seems like ‘just a lot of words’ – we trust that each of you, as you interact with the stories in this issue, will create new links of understanding that will help to make the world a better place. And, as we begin a new year, we look forward to exploring the future with you. A special welcome to Dr. Thierry Vrain, who writes about the health impact of Glyphosate Modified Organisms & the ubiquitous herbicide RoundUp (p.25); thanks to David Foster for his introduction! And thank you to TheTyee.ca for permission to reprint Andrew Nikiforuk’s update on Jessica Ernst’s landmark fracking lawsuit in Alberta (p.5). And “welcome back” to writer Wayne Russell – with his introduction to his story about ‘The Good Weeds’ (p.45); and to Fran Masseau, with her recipes (p.47). There are many personal stories shared in this issue and we hope you enjoy them all and that you glean insights and inspiration from both the heroic and the everyday challenges that grace our lives. We look forward to hearing from you. We are most grateful for your support and your voices that give Dialogue life.
Maurice
volunteer publisher
Janet
volunteer editor
…& Penny & Lucky!
IMPORTANT NOTE: If you wish to continue receiving the magazine, please ensure your subscription is paid up! Due to the high cost of postage, we are no longer mailing separate renewal notices to subscribers. PLEASE LOOK AT YOUR ADDRESS LABEL ON THE BACK COVER of this issue to find your RENEWAL DATE. If your subscription is due before the next issue, you should find a renewal slip enclosed in this copy of Dialogue. Thank you for subscribing! (See p.59). P.S. As we work our way through the alphabet, this is our “F”-themed cover! We
invite your suggestions and contributions for the SPRING issue’s “G” themes! *Christmas or New Year Gift Subscriptions!* Dialogue makes a unique gift for all readers and for anyone who has something to share in writing ~ or in artwork! We are always open to new contributors! [For Gifts / Subscriptions / Donations, please see P.58] As time is short, please phone if you wish to send a Gift: 250-758-9877. www.dialogue2.ca
dialogue is... …an independent, volunteer-produced, not-for-profit Canadian quarterly, written and supported by its readers – empowering their voices and the sharing of ideas. Now in its 28th year, dialogue provides a forum for the exchange of ideas and an antidote to political correctness. We encourage readers to share with others the ideas and insights gleaned from these pages. If this is your first issue, please let us know what you think of it. If you would like to share your ideas and become a writer in
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was founded in 1987 and is now published quarterly. Maurice J. King, Volunteer Publisher Janet K. Hicks, Volunteer Editor Date of Current Issue: Dec 10, ‘14
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From Near & Far
A compelling quote from Ed Goertzen "The real hopeless victims of mental illness are to be found among those who appear to be most normal. “Many of them are normal because they are so well adjusted to our mode of existence, because their human voice has been silenced so early in their lives, that they do not even struggle or suffer or develop symptoms as the neurotic does. They are normal not in what may be called the absolute sense of the word;
they are normal only in relation to a profoundly abnormal society. Their perfect adjustment to that normal society is a measure of their mental sickness. These millions of abnormally normal people, living without fuss in a society to which, if they were fully human beings, they ought not to be adjusted.” - Aldous Huxley (1894-1963, English writer and philosopher) ♣
Kinder Morgan, the NEB… and criminal privatization in BC By Robin Mathews, Vancouver BC [EXTRACT & LINK] Corporate Robbers in British
Columbia, the National Energy Board... The story is so large, so corrupt, so (to many ordinary Canadian eyes) criminal, that Robyn Allan couldn’t possibly have told all of the Terasen/BC Trans Mountain Pipeline System story (in TheTYEE.ca (17 Nov 2014) ... British Columbians must know, first, that the National Energy Board is their enemy – and they must treat it – openly – as that…
In his 2014 book PARTY OF ONE, about Stephen Harper, Michael Harris writes (p. 153) that in a policy paper “generated by bureaucrats in Harper’s International Trade Ministry” the National Energy Board (NEB) is described as “an ‘ally’ of the Harper government’s resource development plans.” […] READ THIS IMPORTANT ESSAY ONLINE AT DIALOGUE: LINK: www.dialogue2.ca/robin-mathews-kinder-morganneb-bc-criminal.html ♣
Financial Literacy for Politicians 101 Larry Kazdan, Vancouver BC
November (was) Financial Literacy Month - the time when overpaid bankers of highly-leveraged institutions (that market credit cards bearing exorbitant interest rates) educate the lesser-informed public about personal responsibility. More beneficial would be a Financial Literacy Month for politicians. The curriculum should explain that a province or country is not a household, nor is it a profit centre. Rather, democratic governments are agents whose mandate is to manage the economy in accordance with public purpose. In order to avoid inflation when the economy is hot, the government must tamp activity down by increasing taxes and/or spending less. And when the economy is cool, the government must decrease taxes and spend more to preserve jobs and support the private sector. It's that simple – Financial Literacy for Politicians 101. Implementing fiscal austerity at a time when 1.3 million Canadians cannot find work is totally inappropriate and damaging. Stephen Harper and (Quebec premier) Philippe Couillard need professional help – their enrollment in this course should be mandatory. 4 dialogue
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P.S. Poorly executed austerity, which includes budget cuts to transportation and marine safety, not only undermines trust and confidence in public institutions, but also threatens the health and welfare of Canadians. Even well-targeted cuts if not replaced by other spending have a downside since jobs are lost and aggregate demand in the economy is reduced. The federal government must revert to fiscal stimulus until the unemployment rate falls significantly, and private sector confidence can be restored. Eurozone countries have tried for years without success to expand their economies through programs of fiscal contraction. Double-digit unemployment rates prevail overseas with little improvement in sight. At a time when 1.3 million Canadians are still looking for work, the Harper government is following the same mistaken path, risking both lives and livelihoods. ♣
Do all independent thinkers become radicals? "The most dangerous man, to any government, is the man who is able to think things out for himself... H.L. MENCKEN QUOTE CONTINUES …/
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Almost inevitably, he comes to the conclusion that the government he lives under is dishonest, insane and intolerable . . . The notion that a radical is one who hates his country is naive and usually idiotic. He is, more likely, one who likes his country more than the
rest of us, and is thus more disturbed than the rest of us when he sees it debauched. He is not a bad citizen turning to crime; he is a good citizen driven to despair." – H.L. Mencken (1880-1956) ♣ Quote suggested by John Shadbolt; more from John on p.14
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UPDATE: Jessica Ernst vs. Government of Alberta re Fracking Judge Rules Landowner May Sue Gov't in Landmark Fracking Case Decision 'reaffirms the power of the people,' says plaintiff Jessica Ernst. [REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION from TheTyee.ca]
By Andrew Nikiforuk, 11 Nov 2014, TheTyee.ca
A landmark lawsuit that challenges the lax regulation of hydraulic fracturing in Canada has just scored a major victory. In a lengthy decision, Alberta Chief Justice Neil Wittmann dismissed all key arguments made by the government of Alberta against the lawsuit of Jessica Ernst, including the fear that it may unleash a flood of lawsuits against a government that is heavily dependent on hydrocarbon revenue. The Alberta government argued that Ernst's $33-million lawsuit had no merit; that the government owed no duty of care to landowners with contaminated water; and that the government had statutory immunity. But Wittmann's ruling disagreed on all major counts and ordered the lawsuit against the government to proceed. "While this is a novel claim, I find there is a reasonable prospect Ernst will succeed in establishing that Alberta owed her a prima facie duty of care," Wittmann wrote. Seven years ago, oil patch consultant and landowner Ernst sued Alberta Environment, the Energy Resources Conservation Board (or ERCB, now known as Alberta Energy Regulator) and Encana, one of Canada's largest unconventional gas drillers, over the contamination of her well water in Rosebud, Alberta and the failure of government authorities to properly investigate the contamination. The lawsuit alleges that Encana was negligent in the fracking of shallow coal seams near her property, and that the regulator breached Ernst's freedoms by banishing all contact with the landowner on the grounds that Ernst was a terrorist. Hydraulic fracturing, a brute technology, uses massive amounts of horsepower, water, sand, gases or chemicals to crack open both shallow and deep rock www.dialogue2.ca
formations often as tight as granite. In particular, the Ernst lawsuit alleges that Alberta Environment's investigation into the contamination of her well was botched. A legal brief filed by her lawyers details a list of alleged incompetencies. The Alberta government made an application to strike the entire claim after Wittmann ruled last fall that the lawsuit against Encana and Alberta Environment could proceed, but that the energy regulator was exempt from civil action due to its immunity clause. But Wittmann's most recent decision firmly denies that application. In addition, Wittmann argued that legislation governing Alberta Environment's regulatory responsibilities are not the same as the rules for the provincial energy regulator, which successfully claimed immunity. The laws guiding Alberta Environment only protect individuals but not the government as a whole, and only cover actions made in good faith, Wittmann said. Ernst's case "alleges bad faith, and the statutes only provide protection for actions taken in good faith," Wittmann added in his ruling. 'A very large victory': lawyer Ernst, something of a folk hero in communities battling fracking from Ireland to Texas -- her website often gets more than 400 hits a day -- called the ruling significant. "This judgement reaffirms the power of the people. It's a very positive development," said the 57-year-old consultant. Murray Klippenstein, one of Ernst's legal team and a high-profile Toronto lawyer who spearheaded the 12year-long Ipperwash lawsuit in Ontario, said the ruling "clarifies the issue of where the government can be sued, which has had legal professors talking for a long time." The fact that the Alberta government has now …/ VOL. 28 NO. 2, WINTER 2014-15
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Andrew Nikiforuk, Fracking update, contd.
failed in three separate applications to stall the lawsuit is also important, he said. "These kind of tactics and obstacles are used by government and corporations to grind down ordinary people to nothing," said Klippenstein. "Jessica Ernst has not only survived but sailed through. It is invigorating. It is a very large victory in many ways." Cory Wanless, an Alberta-born member of Ernst's legal team, said it will be interesting to see how the government reacts to the ruling and if it appeals. "They [the government] wanted immunity and exclusion from private duty of care. But Wittmann says that's not the state of the law." Ernst, who vows not to settle out of court, has just filed more than 2,000 documents to support allegations made in her lawsuit against Encana, one of the nation's most powerful energy companies. Encana says on its website that it "has always firmly believed that Ms. Ernst's claims are not supported by the facts and her lawsuit is without merit." The company has until Dec. 19 to file its documents for the case.
Wittmann's recent judgement follows what Ernst describes as "two heartfelt failures in the courts." They include Wittmann's decision to exclude the ERCB (the energy regulator) from the case in 2013 on the basis of statutory immunity, and a Court of Appeal ruling last year upholding that decision. Ernst's lawyers are appealing the Court of Appeal decision to the Supreme Court of Canada this week. It is a long and lengthy process, and only a small percentage of applications are ever heard. According to Canada's top groundwater expert, John Cherry, no oil and gas jurisdiction in the country has set up a proper monitoring program to protect groundwater from contamination by methane or from toxic fracking fluids. Andrew Nikiforuk is an award-winning journalist who has been writing about the energy industry for two decades and is a contributing editor to The Tyee. Find his previous stories at: http://thetyee.ca/Bios/Andrew_Nikiforuk/. Reprinted with permission from TheTyee Read at TheTyee, with active links, related stories: http://thetyee.ca/News/2014/11/11/Ernst-Fracking-Update/ LATE BREAKING! From: Jessica Ernst RE Nikiforuk: Alberta Won't Appeal Decision to Allow Jessica Ernst to Sue, TheTyee.ca – LINK: http://tinyurl.com/tt-141210 In a daze here, I still can’t believe it. - Jessica ♣
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Ed Goertzen, Oshawa ON
"Grist for the Mill"
Dialogue readers might be interested in the following from Wes Burt… There is a lot about Mr. Burt on Google and he claims not to have academic credentials. I kept this one (and another, On Global Reconstruction, by Dr. Mukhtar Alam, Robley Ed Goertzen George, 2013-09-18). I found them both exceptionally helpful. – Ed G
Economic Rights Two Articles of Economic Rights and Responsibilities By Wes Burt [Sent to Stuart B. Weeks at The Center for American Studies at Concord, Massachusetts, in 1996]
Here are two rarely acknowledged, and often misrepresented, articles of economic rights and responsibilities which have been handed down to us by succeeding generations of patriarchs, prophets, and poets. These articles were ancient when Moses broke the first 6 dialogue
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two tables of the Law and hid the second two tables in the Ark of the Covenant to keep the Whole Law from becoming the public property of the Israelites. The first article is a statement of the Economic Right of a person or capital asset while in development, and still dependent on external support. The second is a statement of the Economic Responsibility of a person or capital asset while in production, and capable of being independent of all external support. Together, the two articles are the moral authority which enables and defines the optimum financial structure of a community, a corporation, or a commonwealth. Where the people have sufficient vision to teach and conform to the two articles, the people prosper. Where the two articles are violated to a sufficient degree, the wealthy, healthy, intelligent, and powerful part of the population may still prosper for a while, but the people slowly perish. We are most familiar with a poetic version of …/ www.dialogue.ca
Wes Burt, Economic Rights (from Ed Goertzen), contd.
these two articles which Karl Marx borrowed from Louis Blanc, who in turn, probably got the sense of them from Thomas Paine's AGRARIAN JUSTICE or THE RIGHTS OF MAN, part II. Marx then presented them in the inverse order and out of sequence with their consequent effects, when he wrote in his 1875 CRITIQUE OF THE GOTHA PROGRAM: "Only after labor has become not only a means of life but life's prime want; Only after the productive forces have also increased with the all-round development of the individual, and the springs of cooperative wealth flow more abundantly -- only then can the narrow horizon of bourgeois right be crossed in its entirety and society inscribe on its banners: ‘From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs!’" In this sequence Marx, Lenin, Stalin, and their successors gave the world a seventy-two year experiment with communism which failed in the USSR and is losing ground everywhere else. Surely Marx, Lenin, Stalin, and their successors did not intend the consequent results; that the Soviet Union should fail, that the future as visualized by 19th and 20th century intellectuals should revert to a Democratic Capitalism in which the human assets are as well capitalized as the physical assets. I am pleased to propose the two articles, which express the economic keynote of an optimum community, corporation, or commonwealth, in the sequence in which they naturally occur in the lifecycle of each individual, reproducible productive capital or human asset. They are numbered as they might have been listed among the twelve Moral Commandments promulgated at Mt. Sinai, of which we are taught only ten; or as they might have been listed among the first twelve "articles in addition to, and Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America," of which the States ratified only ten in 1789 to constitute the American Bill of Rights. Fortunately for us, the omission of these two articles did not become critical in America until the onset of industrialization in the 1890s. #5, TO EACH ACCORDING TO HIS NEED, while in development and dependent on external support. Only when this article has been satisfied throughout the development period of the capital or human asset, will "the springs of cooperative wealth flow more abundantly" when the asset begins to produce, as www.dialogue2.ca
every successful businessman has learned the hard way. #6, FROM EACH ACCORDING TO HIS ABILITY, while in production and independent of external support. This article prescribes, not an equalization of condition at the margin of subsistence by taxation of all income in excess of subsistence exemptions, as some people claim, but a "Flat Tax" (% of income) on all income "from whatever source derived," as set forth in the16th, amendment to the Constitution of the United States. #6 also defines the structure of the real property tax of local governments, as it operated prior to the 1890s to provide education, infrastructure, and justice, while the US was still a nation of property owning farmers and small businessmen. Today's total tax rates range from 23% in Turkey to 55% in Sweden, with the US, Switzerland, and Japan clustered around the Biblical tax rate of three tithes, or 30% of Gross Domestic Product. To the contrary, the late great USSR collected 92% of its public revenue from indirect taxes, which increase the market price of subsistence, and only 8% from taxes on personal incomes, according to the taxpayer's ability to pay. There is no surer way to arrest the economic and moral progress of a corporation or commonwealth than to impair its reproductive process by raising the price of necessities for those "parenting" families and firms which are producing the productive assets for the future. Once again, Mr. Weeks, nothing I might say at this point can more clearly convey the spirit with which I submit these two articles of Economic Rights and Responsibilities, which are indeed the keystone of an economic philosophy, than the words of Rene Descartes in his 1641 letter to The Faculty of Theology at Paris. He wrote, in part, concerning his ‘Meditations DE Prima Philosophia:’ "It is different in philosophy, where it is believed that there is nothing about which it is not possible to argue on either side. Thus few people engage in the search for truth, and many, who wish to acquire a reputation as clever thinkers, bend all their efforts to arrogant opposition to the most obvious truths. ----- That is why, Gentlemen, since my arguments belong to philosophy, however strong they may be, I do not suppose that they will have any effect unless you take them under your protection." Like Descartes, I know my superiors when I meet them, and I know that these ideas have no value until VOL. 28 NO. 2, WINTER 2014-15
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they become public knowledge. I wanted to submit these two articles by today, in accord with your program schedule. Please feel free to use this material in any way that will contribute to the success of your program. I will send you an e-mail description of the
visual aids to support the technical presentation of the two articles, in a few days. Best Regards, WesBurt@aol.com FROM ED GOERTZEN, OSHAWA ♣
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“Prévoyance”
Observations from Erik Andersen, Gabriola Island BC
The Lightning Field – a book by Heather Jessup A book I read recently reminded me of a national event in the late 50s. "The Lightning Field," a novel by Heather Jessup, Erik Andersen captures the first-hand experiences of those associated with the Avro Arrow project and particularly its cancellation. In the 70s, I worked for Don Watson, who at one point was a director with Canadair in Montreal. At a social occasion, he shared the gist of a conversation he had with Kenneth Galbraith at a previous Christmas party in Montreal. Included in the conversation was the topic of the Avro Arrow and Galbraith characterised it as a defining event in the nation's history. He considered it to be when Canada reversed from developing as a proud independent nation to one of a colony once again. Since the 70s, it is my opinion that much
has happened in Canada that bears out this assessment. Book Information: “The Lightning Field” - A Novel by Heather Jessup (Author), Paperback; Publisher Gaspereau Press (Oct. 1 2011); ISBN-10: 1554471060; ISBN-13: 978-1554471065 [Publisher’s description: Set against the backdrop of Cold War Toronto, The Lightning Field follows the lives of Peter and Lucy Jacobs from their post-war courtship through marriage and childrearing in the suburbs. Though spanning four decades, the book pivots on the events of a single day: October 4, 1957. On this day, the Russians launch Sputnik into orbit, and the Avro Arrow — the most advanced jet plane of its time, whose wings Peter Jacobs has engineered — rolls out onto the tarmac to great ceremony, and, in a nearby field, Lucy Jacobs is struck by lightning on her way to the event. In the aftermath of that day, Peter struggles with his wife's hospitalization and recovery, the care of their children, and, eventually, the loss of his job when the Arrow project is suddenly terminated. … The Lightning Field is about loss and unexpected offerings, personal dismantling and reassembly.] ♣
ALSO FROM ERIK ANDERSEN:
New Rules: Cyprus-style Bail-ins to Take Deposits and Pensions FYI. Just to further your understanding of how we are being set up for the "bail-in" process. This is no longer a matter of speculation. Ellen Brown (in the article below) quotes from the latest international agreement. Ask your parliamentarian if Canada is a party to this new agreement but don't expect an answer. Erik New G20 Rules: Cyprus-style Bail-ins to Hit Depositors AND Pensioners Posted on December 1, 2014 by Ellen Brown On the weekend of November 16th, the G20 leaders
whisked into Brisbane, posed for their photo ops, approved some proposals, made a show of roundly disapproving of Russian President Vladimir Putin, and whisked out again. It was all so fast, they may not have known what they were endorsing when they rubberstamped the Financial Stability Board’s “Adequacy of Loss-Absorbing Capacity of Global Systemically Important Banks in Resolution,” which completely changes the rules of banking. Russell Napier, writing in ZeroHedge, called it “the day money died.” In any case, it may have been the 8 dialogue
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day deposits died as money. Unlike coins and paper bills, which cannot be written down or given a “haircut,” says Napier, deposits are now “just part of commercial banks’ capital structure.” That means they can be “bailed in” or confiscated to save the megabanks from derivative bets gone wrong. Rather than reining in the massive and risky derivatives casino, the new rules prioritize the payment of banks’ derivatives obligations to each other, ahead of everyone else. That includes not only depositors, public and private, but the pension funds that are the target market for the latest bail-in play, called “bail-inable” bonds. “Bail in” has been sold as avoiding future government bailouts and eliminating ‘too big to fail’ (TBTF). But it actually institutionalizes TBTF, since the big banks are kept in business by expropriating the funds of their creditors. It is a neat solution for bankers and politicians, who don’t want to have to deal with another messy banking crisis and are happy to see it disposed of by …/ www.dialogue.ca
Prévoyance (Erik Andersen): Ellen Brown, New Rules, contd.
statute. But a bail-in could have worse consequences than a bailout for the public. If your taxes go up, you will probably still be able to pay the bills. If your bank account or pension gets wiped out, you could wind up in the street or sharing food with your pets. In theory, US deposits under $250,000 are protected by federal deposit insurance; but deposit insurance funds in both the US and Europe are woefully underfunded, particularly when derivative claims are factored in. The problem is graphically illustrated in this chart from a March 2013 ZeroHedge post: More on that after a look at the new bail-in provisions and the powershift they represent. Bail-in in Plain English The Financial Stability Board (FSB) that now regulates banking globally began as a group of G7 finance ministers and central bank governors organized in a merely advisory capacity after the Asian crisis of the late 1990s. Although not official, its mandates effectively acquired the force of law after the 2008 crisis, when the G20 leaders were brought together to endorse its rules. This ritual now happens annually, with the G20 leaders rubberstamping rules aimed at maintaining the stability of the private banking system, usually at public expense. According to an International Monetary Fund paper titled “From Bail-out to Bail-in: Mandatory Debt Restructuring of Systemic Financial Institutions”: [B]ail-in . . . is a statutory power of a resolution authority (as opposed to contractual arrangements, such as contingent capital requirements) to restructure the liabilities of a distressed financial institution by writing down its unsecured debt and/or converting it to equity. The statutory bail-in power is intended to achieve a prompt recapitalization and restructuring of the distressed institution. The language is a bit obscure, but here are some points to note: • What was formerly called a “bankruptcy” is now a “resolution proceeding.” The bank’s insolvency is “resolved” by the neat trick of turning its liabilities into capital. Insolvent TBTF banks are to be “promptly recapitalized” with their “unsecured debt” so that they can go on with business as usual. • “Unsecured debt” includes deposits, the largest class of unsecured debt of any bank. The insolvent bank is to www.dialogue2.ca
be made solvent by turning our money into their equity – bank stock that could become worthless on the market or be tied up for years in resolution proceedings. • The power is statutory. Cyprus-style confiscations are to become the law. • Rather than having their assets sold off and closing their doors, as happens to lesser bankrupt businesses in a capitalist economy, “zombie” banks are to be kept alive and open for business at all costs – and the costs are again to be to borne by us. The Latest Twist: Putting Pensions at Risk with “Bail-Inable” Bonds First they came for our tax dollars. When governments declared “no more bailouts,” they came for our deposits. When there was a public outcry against that, the FSB came up with a “buffer” of securities to be sacrificed before deposits in a bankruptcy. In the latest rendition of its bail-in scheme, TBTF banks are required to keep a buffer equal to 16-20% of their riskweighted assets in the form of equity or bonds convertible to equity in the event of insolvency. Called “contingent capital bonds,” “bail-inable bonds” or “bail-in bonds,” these securities say in the fine print that the bondholders agree contractually (rather than being forced statutorily) that if certain conditions occur (notably the bank’s insolvency), the lender’s money will be turned into bank capital. However, even 20% of risk-weighted assets may not be enough to prop up a megabank in a major derivatives collapse. And we the people are still the target market for these bonds, this time through our pension funds. In a policy brief from the Peterson Institute for International Economics titled “Why Bail-In Securities Are Fool’s Gold,” Avinash Persaud warns, “A key danger is that taxpayers would be saved by pushing pensioners under the bus.” It wouldn’t be the first time. As Matt Taibbi noted in a Sep 2013 article titled ‘Looting the Pension Funds,’ “public pension funds were some of the most frequently targeted suckers upon whom Wall Street dumped its fraud-riddled mortgage-backed securities in the pre-crash years.” […] CONTINUE READING AT: http://ellenbrown.com/ Ellen Brown is an attorney, founder of the Public Banking Institute, and author of twelve books including the best-selling Web of Debt. Her latest book, The Public Bank Solution, explores successful public banking models historically and globally. ♣ VOL. 28 NO. 2, WINTER 2014-15
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New “anti-terror” legislation being rushed through the Canadian Parliament From Stephanie Mc Dowall, Nanaimo BC WITH HER COMMENT: All levels of government should
be concerned about this... if they care about the Canadians they represent. Where is the conscience of Conservative Members of Parliament? This should destroy any illusions Canadians may have about Canada being a democracy. Brings to mind what my generation was taught in school about ‘lettres de cachet’ and how lucky we were to be living in a time when this type of situation no longer happened to people. Excuse me for swearing but what the hell is wrong with Thomas Mulcair and Justin Trudeau? Why haven’t they called a press conference on this Bill? Why aren’t they screaming bloody murder? Raising these bills in Question Period is not enough. Canadians also need to become involved. READ THE FOLLOWING CAREFULLY AND THEN PICK UP THE PHONE AND CALL OTTAWA. Parliament Hill: 1-866-5994999 (toll free). You can be connected to any Minister’s or Fed. Gov. office on the Hill. Phone the newspapers too.
Stephanie McDowall New “anti-terror” legislation rushed through Canada’s parliament By Roger Jordan, 6 Dec 2014 World Socialist Web Site
Canada’s Conservative government is rushing new laws that bolster police powers through parliament, with two bills poised for adoption and a third set to be tabled in the House of Commons before Christmas. One of the new measures, Bill C-44 or “The Protection of Canada from Terrorist Acts” bill, was introduced in parliament in the immediate aftermath of the twin attacks on Canadian Armed Forces’ personnel in late October. The bill, however, had been drafted previously. Bill C-44 will grant blanket legal anonymity to Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) informants; making it a crime to publicly expose them and barring their identification or even cross-examination during court proceedings. CSIS will also obtain formal clearance to spy on Canadians who are outside the country. Although CSIS already carries out significant foreign operations, Bill C44 will give these activities, including its cooperation with the US and Canada’s other “five eyes” intelligence 10 dialogue
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partners in spying on Canadians abroad, legal sanction. Bill C-44 also stipulates that CSIS’s activities shall not be restricted by the laws of any foreign country. At the House of Commons’ committee stage, Conservative MPs ensured that Bill C-44 was given only the most cursory review. The whole process was concluded in a few hours spread over a few days and with just six witnesses called. A final vote on the bill is expected early next week. Opposition MPs from the Liberal and New Democratic parties criticized aspects of the legislation, including the lack of any additional oversight of CSIS’s activities, but back its essential goals. After the minor changes proposed by the opposition parliamentarians were all voted down, the NDP’s public safety critic, Randall Garrison, said his party might not be able to vote for Bill C-44 on final reading. The Conservatives went to quite extraordinary lengths to prevent even official figures critical of the legislation from being heard. Breaking from standard procedure, Conservative MPs opposed a request by Privacy Commission Daniel Therrien to address the committee. They even rejected attempts to have Therrien testify if any of the invited witnesses failed to appear. Therrien had intended to raise concerns about provisions of Bill C-44 that might violate Canada’s obligations under international law. Separately, the government is exploiting the tragic fate of several young people who committed suicide after being subjected to cyberbullying to push through a purported anti-cyber bullying law that would greatly expand the police’s powers to access phone and internet records. Bill C-13, which now only requires Senate approval and royal assent to become law, would loosen restrictions on police access to the subscriber information and metadata of phone calls and online activity. The government tried to implement these powers through a previous online surveillance bill, the disingenuously named “Protecting Children from Internet Predators Act,” but public opposition was so strong that the bill had to be abandoned. Another setback for the government came in June when the Supreme Court ruled that Canadians’ right to privacy prohibits the warrantless collection of personal phone and online data. Bill C-13 reduces the legal standard of proof
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Roger Jordan, New “anti-terror” legislation being rushed through Parliament, contd.
required for the police to obtain a warrant to access personal telephone or online information. To obtain a warrant police have traditionally had to show they have “reasonable grounds for belief” the user was involved in a crime; now all they will have to demonstrate is a “reasonable suspicion.” The bill also seeks to promote the widespread practice of Canada’s telecoms “voluntarily” handing over information to police and other government agencies. It gives the telecommunications companies immunity from lawsuits provoked by the voluntary disclosure of information to the government without a warrant. This is significant, given that Canada’s major telecommunications firms have voluntarily divulged information to law enforcement agencies on their customers’ internet usage in recent years on a massive scale. (See: Canada’s telecoms aid state surveillance by handing over personal data) The government has also reiterated its intention to soon introduce a third bill to expand police powers. While the details of the bill are not yet known, the government has indicated that it will enhance the police’s power to detain persons without charge and will create a new offence making it illegal to “incite” or “encourage” terrorism on the internet. Justice Minister Peter MacKay recently told the Globe and Mail that he hopes to table this bill in parliament before the Christmas break. He also said he is looking at following the lead of Britain which allows detention without charge of reputed terrorist suspects for up to 28 days. These three pieces of legislation are designed to augment the vast array of surveillance and security powers already at the disposal of the state. Since the passage of Canada’s 2001 Anti- Terrorism Act in the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, successive governments have massively expanded the budgets of CSIS and the Communications Security Establishment (the Canadian partner of the US National Security Agency) and systematically undermined core democratic rights in the name of combating terrorism. The real target of such anti-democratic measures is the growing opposition among the population to the Canadian ruling elite’s increasingly aggressive foreign policy and its assault on the social position of working people at home. This is clear from the all-embracing definition of terrorism enshrined in the 2001 act. www.dialogue2.ca
Terrorism was defined as any act aimed at causing significant disruption to social and economic life, including “serious interference with” or “disruption” of an “essential service,” for a political, religious or ideological purpose. This catch-all definition would permit the state to designate major strikes, blockades or even widespread protests as terrorist acts. If Prime Minister Stephen Harper seized on the two attacks on military personnel carried out in October by lone, disturbed individuals to proclaim Canada as a country under siege by terrorists, it is because the government is keenly aware there is little support for its anti-democratic agenda. Indeed, a survey reported on by the National Post on November 24, found that only 36 percent of respondents agreed with the government’s contention that the attack at the National War Memorial in which Corporal Nathan Cirillo was killed and the subsequent shoot-out at the parliament building should be considered a “terrorist” attack. It is no accident that the latest measures are being fast-tracked through parliament as discussions mount about a major expansion in Canada’s involvement in the new US-led Mideast war. Steps are being taken in all the countries that are part of Obama’s new “coalition of the willing” to strengthen the coercive powers of the state. New anti-terrorism bills in Britain, France and Australia give the government increased powers to strip terrorist suspects of their passports. Canada was one of the first countries to adopt legislation in this area. The Harper government exploited the outrage over the April 2013 Boston Marathon bombing to expedite the adoption of amendments to the 2001 Anti-Terrorism Act. […] CONTINUE AT LINK: http://tinyurl.com/wsws-dec6 ♣ SEE ALSO:
CBC Report on Bill C-44 The Current | Oct 29, 2014 |
Anti-terror bill C-44 is needed to keep Canadians safe, says Public Safety Minister Steven Blainey. This week, the government introduced Bill C-44 that will give CSIS new powers at home and abroad, but it won't step-up its oversight. Some wonder whether any of these proposed changes would have stopped either of the two attacks on Canadian soldiers. LINK: www.cbc.ca/player/News/Canada/Audio/ID/2576620982/ ♣ VOL. 28 NO. 2, WINTER 2014-15
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POLITICS AND OUR EARTH CFIA exempt from scientific protocol? Alexandra Morton, Sointula BC
Below is a link to a letter I wrote to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) in response to yet another announcement that there is no ISA virus in British Columbia. ISA virus is a salmon virus in the influenza family that is deadly to salmon and is associated with Alex Morton salmon farms. In their recent declaration, the CFIA fails to tell us what test they used, fails to inform us why the same labs got positives in 2011 and why those results should be ignored, and they fail to address the fact that two out of the three labs they used included a disclaimer with their test results. However, ignoring all this they state: "This evidence is used to support scientifically based control measures, for the purposes of safe domestic and international trade."
Canada has gained an international reputation for destroying scientific libraries and muzzling scientists. This has sparked international condemnation and unprecedented response by Canadian scientists. Now the CFIA is declaring British Columbia ISA virus-free, in absence of the most basic scientific protocol. [SEE MY LETTER, ‘What Test Did You Use?’ to Dr. Ian Alexander (CFIA) at LINK: http://alexandramorton.typepad.com/alexandra_morton/2014/11/dear-cfia-what-test-did-you-use.html
Please consider writing to the bureaucrats and politicians listed at the end of my blog. If we abandon science completely in Canada, we stand to lose our health, environment, standard of living, and …/ pretty much everything. Surely there is a way to enjoy the benefits of commerce without entering a new sort of Dark Ages. - Alexandra Morton Please check my blog as I will update it as this continues to unfold. LINK: alexandramorton.typepad.com Thank you for your efforts on this, Alexandra ♣
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“Have Computer Will Write”~ Jeremy Arney
Thoughts on the October attacks on Canadian military personnel ~ and recent history prior to this situation
Jeremy Arney, Victoria BC
Maybe it’s time to look back a bit to see where and why we are where we are today. We followed the USA inspired NATO invasion in Afghanistan, even though the Canadian People were not altogether behind it , thereby opening ourselves to the possibility of counter attacks on our civilians here in Canada. We refused absolutely and completely to intercede in the Omar Kadyr affair particularly under this administration, washing our hands of him, unlike every other country in the world whose citizens got swept up in the US net. We supported and even encouraged Israel to slaughter the people of Gaza, as and when they choose, and we supported their blockade of aid to those same people. At the urging of the IMF we took part in a “NO FLY ZONE” over Libya which we quickly changed into an all out bombing of Libya to the point where our Minister of Foreign Affairs’ love for the so called freedom 12 dialogue
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fighters gave them the ability, along with a huge loan from the IMF and the “donation” of a central bank controlled by the IMF, and support of the mercenary armed insurgence. Eventually the Leader of the country was captured, tortured and killed and there was much rejoicing in Ottawa, in spite of the fact that we were signatories to the UN award for human rights endeavours by Libya just a few months before. We cut off any diplomatic communications with who knows how many middle-eastern countries, to show our administration’s disapproval of their behaviour. Our reputation in the entire Middle East region was and still is in tatters and completely un-Canadian. Big brother says ‘help’ and we leap in without parliamentary approval to send “advisors” to Iraq for 30 days. Before that 30 days is completed, we are told by an announcement in another country, as is usual with this dictatorial PM, that we are now getting involved in a 6-month war, again without parliamentary approval. …/ www.dialogue.ca
Jeremy Arney, October attacks, contd.
When eventually this does come before parliament the only MPs who support this are the PMO puppets who always do what they are told, and we have the ridiculous Minister of war saying: “We have been very clear. What we did was get Parliament's support. I think that is something different, something that we never saw before.” Hansard recording of Question Period, 9th October 2014, completely forgetting that the Libyan affair got ‘unanimous approval’ and led us into war crimes against the Libyan people, whereas this new war did not have unanimous approval. What a buffoon. Next we have two attacks on military personnel in Canada, neither of which do I condone by the way, but oh how convenient. There does not appear to be any connection to ISIL by either of these attackers, but they were both mentally unstable and Muslim so that is enough evidence apparently for our war mongering PM to say they were radicalized by ISIL. Where is the evidence of that? The rationale is obviously to create fear that we will be subject to lots of attacks and must give up our rights and freedoms to be safe! Yeah, been there and seen that happen before. What was it that crazy woman said in London after the underground false flag bombing attack: “I will gladly give up my rights to be free.” Here we go again. Some questions: Where is the evidence that Martin Couture-Rouleau and Michael Zehaf-Bibeau were radicalised ISIL attackers? [I have visited the CPC web site, so does that mean I am now a mean spirited, anti-Canadian, pro-corporation bigot?] Where did Michael get his rifle from, if indeed he was living in a homeless shelter? A Winchester 30-30 yet, not a cheap model and where did he keep it so the shelter was not aware he had it? Was he being treated for his mental state, his drug problems and his criminal behaviour? If he was known as a “druggy” with mental problems why was he not getting help? How many more like him have been created by this administrations’ complete indifference to the plight of Canadian unemployed? Since when does one’s religion automatically make one a radical in Canada? Our PM claims to be some sort of Christian, yet I know of no Christian god who encourages war and killing, never mind hatred and contempt for fellow men, be they from their own country or not; there are many clergy www.dialogue.ca
who preach that but do gods? As far as I know most gods seem to preach love, peace and tolerance, which is seldom shown by our present Canadian administration, either here at home or abroad. Why is that? Whilst the leader of the administration was hiding in a closet, and the cabinet was trying to get in there with him, who was running the country? Both the Privy Council and the PMO can do nothing without his highness’s approval, so who was in charge of the country? Beverly McLachlin? Did she know? Or maybe it was the House of Commons sergeant at arms. Did he know? How is it possible that so many bullets were fired before the “suicidal man” was killed? What does that say for the marksmanship of the defenders of the parliament? Why, when the country is at war, was the security of Parliament breached so easily? Do the security people not understand that we are at war, yet again, under this administration? If this is was what a mentally-deranged individual can do, what happens when the real thing hits? Who can be surprised that new legislation is in the immediate future to enable more invasion of privacy, supposedly for the betterment of our safety? Again convenient, no doubt part of the plan put into place months ago, to go along with the escalation of advisor status into war status. Perhaps part of the plan to change Canada, eh? The country desperately needs the clear headed, people-oriented thinking of the Canadian Action Party, not the whipped frenzy of our present non representative, undemocratic bunch of corporate misfits. Vote for reality in 2015. Jeremy Arney, Victoria BC [iamjema@gmail.com ] Blog: http://jeremyarneysblog.wordpress.com/
[Jeremy is interim leader of the Canadian Action Party] ♣ **************************************************************************************
QUOTES Money often costs too much. – Ralph Waldo Emerson
There are two kinds of light – the glow that illuminates, and the glare that obscures. – James Thurber
Do I contradict myself? Very well, then, I contradict myself. (I am large, I contain multitudes.) – Walt Whitman, "Song of Myself" VOL. 28 NO. 2, WINTER 2014-15
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“That’s My Take On It”
Congratulations!
From John Shadbolt, Acton ON [jshadbolt@primus.ca]
To: Editor, Dialogue Well, you have done it again - the impossible. Every time I receive a copy of Dialogue I am amazed at the quality of it. It says a lot that you can amaze an ol’ guy like me. There is so much I could comment on, but I am only going to comment on one article - by Jeremy Arney. For some years now I have not voted, disliked political parties, and wanted no part of any of the liars. Then I started reading this guy Jeremy Arney in Dialogue, and what he said made sense to me, although I had no idea he was involved with CAP – the Canadian Action Party. Then by coincidence a friend of mine asked me one day, “Are you still a member of CAP?” My reply, no, I am not and have not been for a long time, because they were a bunch of nuts, in my opinion. However I decided to take another look, expecting nothing and not knowing Jeremy was involved. I took a look, and joined again. I have found a home for my vote, when we get candidates up and running. I must say that to get a political party up and running is
really a very difficult task. The thing that strikes me, when one reads Dialogue there are many, many people who dislike/hate the old political shenanigans, as much as I do. I have seen the complete and utter servitude of MP’s to their party. If they do not do as they are told they miss the goodies that get handed out. My MP does NOT represent me to the government, he represents the government party to me. And you know I love that. We just pay the bill. Things like GMO is good, fluoride is approved (it’s not), only allopathic medicine is good, etc. Utter B/S. So since I re-joined CAP I have been trying to help them in a number of ways. The people in Dialogue have a diversity of views, ideas etc. Just think if only half of you became active in and with CAP. Miracles can happen. I take my hat off to Jeremy, and his merry band at CAP. They are doing what, in my opinion Canada DESPERATELY needs, bring new ideas and honesty back into politics. Lets get at it! Expand Dialogue, Expand CAP. – John Shadbolt Next time you get fed up with our politics take a look at http://actionparty.ca/canadian-action-party/ -- If you do not like CAP you do not like anything!
FOLLOWING ARE SOME STORIES RECOMMENDED BY JOHN:
Russia has banned GMO Products! [From ForbiddenKnowledgeTV.com – LINK below]
Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev recently announced that Russia will no longer import GMO products, stating that the nation has enough space, and enough resources to produce organic food. Russia has been considering joining the long list (and continually growing) of anti-GMO countries for quite some time now. It does so after a group of Russian scientists urged the government to consider at least a 10-year moratorium on GMOs to thoroughly study their influence on human health. "It is necessary to ban GMOs, to impose moratorium (on) it for 10 years. While GMOs will be
prohibited, we can plan experiments, tests, or maybe even new methods of research could be developed. It has been proven that not only in Russia, but also in many other countries in the world, GMOs are dangerous. Methods of obtaining the GMOs are not perfect, therefore, at this stage, all GMOs are dangerous. Consumption and use of GMOs obtained in such way can lead to tumors, cancers and obesity among animals. Bio-technologies certainly should be developed, but GMOs should be stopped. We should stop it from spreading." -- Irina Ermakova, VP of Russia's National Association for Genetic Safety LINK: Video: (under 3 mins): www.ForbiddenKnowledgeTV.com/page/26839.html
George Orwell Quotes that anticipated life in the 21st century… [Quoted, with comments by Justin King, TheAntiMedia.org]
George Orwell ranks among the most profound social critics of the modern era. Some of his quotations, more than a half a century old, show the depth of understanding an enlightened mind can have about the future. 14 dialogue
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“In our age there is no such thing as ‘keeping out of politics.’ All issues are political issues, and politics itself is a mass of lies, evasions, folly, hatred and schizophrenia.” – George Orwell CONTINUES NEXT PAGE …/
www.dialogue.ca
Jeff King: Comments on Quotes of George Orwell, contd.
Though many in the modern age have the will to bury their head in the sand when it comes to political matters, nobody can only concern themselves with the proverbial pebble in their shoe. If one is successful in avoiding politics, at some point the effects of the political decisions they abstained from participating in will reach their front door. More often than not, by that time the person has already lost whatever whisper of a voice the government has allowed them. “All the war-propaganda, all the screaming and lies and hatred, comes invariably from people who are not fighting.” Examining the nightly news in the run up to almost any military intervention will find scores of talking heads crying for blood to flow in the streets of some city the name of which they just learned to pronounce. Once the bullets start flying, those that clamored for war will still be safely on set bringing you up-to-theminute coverage of the carnage while their stock in Raytheon climbs. “War against a foreign country only happens when the moneyed classes think they are going to profit from it.” It’s pretty self-explanatory and while it may be hard to swallow, it’s certainly true. All it takes is a quick look at who benefited from the recent wars waged by the United States to see Orwell’s quip take life. “The very concept of objective truth is fading out of the world. Lies will pass into history.” My most prized books are a collection of history books from around the world. I have an Iraqi book that recounts the glory of Saddam Hussein’s victory
over the United States in 1991. I have books from three different nations claiming that one of their citizens was the first to fly. As some of the most powerful nations in the world agree to let certain facts be “forgotten,” the trend will only get worse. History is written by the victor, and the victor will never be asked if he told the truth. “In a time of deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.” Even without commentary, the reader is probably picturing Edward Snowden or Chelsea Manning. The revolutions of the future will not be fought with bullets and explosives, but with little bits of data traveling around the world destroying the false narratives with which governments shackle their citizens. “Journalism is printing what someone else does not want printed: everything else is public relations.” Make no mistake about it; if an article does not anger someone, it is nothing more than a public relations piece. Most of what passes for news today is little more than an official-sounding advertisement for a product, service, or belief. “In real life it is always the anvil that breaks the hammer…” In every conflict, it is not the side that can inflict the most damage, but the side that can sustain the most damage that ultimately prevails. History is full of situations in which a military “won the battles but lost the war.” “The nationalist not only does not disapprove of atrocities committed by his own side, but he has a remarkable capacity for not even hearing about them.”
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From: John Shadbolt ♣
The Money Mafia: A World in Crisis – 2014 book by Paul Hellyer A comment by Connie Fogal, Vancouver, BC
Hellyer sets the stage for the rationale of his book with a quote from President Abraham Lincoln: “I see in the near future a crisis approaching that unnerves me and causes me to tremble for the safety of my country…corporations have been enthroned and an era of corruption in high places will follow, and the money power of the country will endeavor to prolong its reign by working upon the prejudices of the people until all the wealth is aggregated in a few hands and the Republic is destroyed.” Why should we read and share this book? In my www.dialogue.ca
opinion, this is Hellyer's most important written contribution to humanity. It is his best work at pulling together crucial information of how the world now functions - who is in control, their agenda, and their power. This is an encyclopedic reference for quick access to descriptions of every form of abuse of money power exerted by the “money mafia.” Once again Hellyer eloquently sets out the deception imposed on the masses about the creation and power of money, and the exploitation of the masses by that deception. It is an excellent depiction of the “End Game” of the New World Order; i.e., the …/ VOL. 28 NO. 2, WINTER 2014-15
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Connie Fogal: The Money Mafia, contd.
substitution of elite rule for democracy. Many of us already know much of the information he presents in The Money Mafia. His presentation here is comprehensive, readable and understandable. But this book goes much further than ever before. I have been waiting for that reach. He informs about the extraterrestrial presence and technology, and about the exploitive abuse of it and us by an elite earthly cabal. The information is necessary to help us know the steps we must take for our salvation. We need to know that sophisticated free energy exists here on earth now, that used for the benefit of all, it can restore the earth to its glory, that it is in the control of an evil cabal who withholds the technology from us while they exploit its use for their greed and power grievously harming earth and its inhabitants in the process. It was that information which compelled me to write this comment in hope of impressing on others the necessity of reading and sharing this book. Hellyer sets out a do-able necessary action plan in chapter 14: actions for the US President, the US Congress, the G20, Ending the Great Recession, Full Disclosure, Tree Planting, 7 year Transformation to Clean Energy, Writing Off Third World Debt, Winding Up the IMF, a Tobin Tax taxing every exchange of one
country’s currency for another to stop speculation in currencies- gambling, a Universal World Currency and a World Bank publicly owned by the people of the world with formula preventing undue influence by any country or region, rolling back the World Trade Organization to a General Agreement on Trade and Tariffs, using the Marquess of Queensbury rules for Trade and Investment, massive reduction of Defence Expenditures and Atomic Weapons worldwide, Reorganizing and Streamlining the United Nations, Limiting Executive Salaries. Hellyer summarizes his three most important directions: return the control and creation of money to the public interest, taking it out of the hands of private banking; stop the exploitation of the earth’s fossil fuel resources in order to halt global warming; provide full disclosure of the extraterrestrial presence and their advanced technology in order to benefit the public and remove its harmful exploitation by the cabal. My only criticism is that he does not acknowledge the role of the cabal in the devastating geo-engineering of the environment using the advanced technology at their disposal in manipulation of weather and the atmosphere causing hurricanes, storms, earthquakes, tsunamis. […] Connie Fogal, Oct. 2014 LINK to full review: http://tinyurl.com/C-Fogal-phmm ♣
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Freedom of the press… Ed Goertzen, Oshawa ON
Comment and suggested reading related to the Ontario Civil Liberties Association actions in support of Arthur Topham’s fight for freedom of expression.
Hi Arthur et al: I support the Ontario Civil Liberties Association (OCLA) assistance to Arthur Topham. – Ed Goertzen Following is a speech (by Alexander Hamilton’s speech in defense of freedom of the press, quote & link below) that I would recommend we all read: Note the date (1735). The right to that freedom originated to protect those who are critical of elected persons’ malfeasance. Quote from Alexander Hamilton’s 1735 speech: “Power may justly be compared to a great river; while kept within its bounds, it is both beautiful and useful, but when it overflows its banks, it is then too impetuous to be stemmed; it bears down all before it, and brings destruction and desolation wherever it comes. “If, then, this be the nature of power, let us at least do 16 dialogue
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our duty, and, like wise men who value freedom, use our utmost care to support liberty, the only bulwark against lawless power, which, in all ages, has sacrificed to its wild lust and boundless ambition the blood of the best men that ever lived.” [from Alexander Hamilton’s Speech Defending Freedom of the Press, Aug 4th, 1735]
Regards, Ed Goertzen Link to the speech: www.dialogue2.ca/ed-goertzen-resurrecting-canadian-democracy.html
Response from Arthur Topham:
Dear Ed et al, That is one of the more powerful speeches I have ever read. Thank you for sharing it here. I will be sure to share it further as well. There are great lessons to be learned by what Alexander Hamilton spoke 280 years ago. Thank you so much for signing the OCLA petition. – Sincerely, Arthur Topham, Pub/Ed, RadicalPress.com - Canada's Radical News Network - "Digging to the root of the issues since 1998" [LINK: http://ocla.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/OCLA-statement-reArthur-Topham.pdf ] ♣
www.dialogue.ca
The New ‘Amazon’ of the North: How Canada Became the World Leader in Deforestation Project Censored, November 12, 2014
In September 2014, the Intact Forest Landscapes initiative, made up of organizations such as Greenpeace and the World Resources Institute, reported that since 2001 Canada has led the world in deforestation, despite being overshadowed by reports of the forests in Brazil and Indonesia. With only ten percent of the world’s forests, Canada now accounts for 21% of all deforestation in the world. Surges in oil/tar sands, logging, and road expansion have been the major contributors to the destruction of Canada’s forests. According to Stephen Leahy writing for the Inter Press Service, Canada and other countries’ deforestation deposits more CO2 into the atmosphere than does all of the world’s transportation machinery. Canada’s large wild forests are crucial to the survival of many animal species such as the whooping crane, black-footed ferret, and woodland caribou. The benefits of these large areas of wilderness are not limited to habitat for animals. These places also serve as reservoirs of water, filters of air, producers of oxygen, absorbers of carbon dioxide, and sources of food and wood. “While forests can re-grow, this takes many decades, and in northern forests more than 100 years,” Leahy reports. “However, if species go extinct or there are too few individuals left, it will take longer
for a full forest ecosystem to recover – if ever.” Corporate media coverage of Canada’s increasing deforestation has been lacking. When the story is covered in the Canadian press, headlines often diminish the significance of the issue. For example, The Calgary Herald reported that “Size Does Matter” (January 20, 2014); while the Vancouver Province reported “Campaign Splits Ken from Barbie” (June 8, 2011), humorously addressing issues related to the problem of deforestation in ways that divert readers from completely understanding its impact on the world. LINK: www.projectcensored.org/new-amazon-north-canadabecame-world-leader-deforestation/ ♣ ………………………………………………………….
Avoid Tar Sands pipeline spills Gerry Masuda, Duncan BC
There is one possible solution to avoiding Tar Sands 'dilbit' spills from pipelines. The solution is to refine the dilbit into less dangerous pollutants such as gasoline and other products transported by pipelines. This will require lots of capital to build the refining facilities and still require more pipelines, however, if there is a demand for these products, capital will be provided, even by foreign investors. This means that Alberta will be faced with how to safely dispose of the toxic by-products at the source. The cost of doing so would be included in the 'cost of production.' ♣
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Citizens Demand Scientific, Academic and Political Integrity
Inge Hanle recommends an article by Prof. John McMurtry:
Canada: Decoding Harper’s Terror Game. Beneath the Masks and Diversions CDSAPI, Vancouver [cdsapi@shaw.ca]:
This article by Prof. John McMurtry (link at the end) spells out, with alarming but concise clarity, the corruption and deceit of the Harper Regime’s Agenda totally in sync with the dictates of the international Elites’ Agenda. If we continue to cower and permit Harper to get his way, articles like these will very soon be “the enemy to be silenced” in Harper’s metamorphosed Canada Since “real history” has been removed from the educational system (which is aimed at brainwashing the young into an unquestioning, compliant, parroting mindset of carefully constructed ‘thought doctrines’) most of the North American population has become “propaganda putty”. Seemingly “ignorant of history” www.dialogue.ca
and in the vacuum devoid of authentic information and wisdom, has allowed itself to be corralled, incremental step after step, into the dungeons of totalitarian despotism, protecting itself with total surveillance and SECRECY, covering itself with a thin façade, secret and arbitrary.. Apparently, far from teaching us the much needed lessons, the modus operandi of Germany in the 1930-1940’s has become the template to follow for the deviant minds with criminal agendas occupying the usurped offices of governance under Harper – that a “sleepwalking public” has blindly accepted under promises of more safety and security from “the enemies” – foreign or domestic. This sleepwalking public has not yet grasped the reality that to Harper, the “domestic enemies” are US, the CITIZENS of Canada …/ VOL. 28 NO. 2, WINTER 2014-15
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“any one of us” who dares to challenge his agenda, any one that he wants to target and silence for exposing his Agenda and its Criminal Implementation. As never before, this is no time for complacency or indifference. Hopefully ALL Canadian Citizens will stand up and be counted, – asserting courageously to the Harper Regime that “WE will not be intimidated. Canadian citizens will never be intimidated by Harper’s corrupt regime turning Canada into a Police State." As one correspondent commented: “… if this nation falls victim to the complete horsecrap spewing from
"our" government (and we should always remember to read it as "the management team WE HIRED TO RUN OUR BUSINESS"), we will all find out what it feels like to live under an overt police state, which we could quite easily rid ourselves of.... depending on what everybody says.....and does…….” – Inge Hanle ARTICLE: Canada: Decoding Harper’s Terror Game. Beneath the Masks and Diversions – by Prof. John McMurtry, Global Research (Montreal) Oct. 28, 2014 LINK: www.globalresearch.ca/decoding-harpers-terror-game-beneath-the-masks-and-diversions/5410373 Prof. John McMurtry is the author of The Cancer Stage of Capitalism / From Crisis to Cure ♣
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Canadian Foreign Policy The War Against the Islamic State: Techno vs Medieval Barbarism “Canada has tied its star to a declining Empire, never more clearly than during the Harper years.” By J. F. Conway, Regina SK
Harper finally got his war in Iraq, something he demanded while in opposition when Bush’s ill-fated “coalition of the willing” was inveigled by the US to bomb, invade and occupy Iraq, all contrary to international law. Harper’s war in Iraq will be a rather sad and inglorious affair, hardly up to the excesses of his war-mongering rhetoric. Only six CF 18 jet fighters have gone to join the new crusade. The number of sorties to be flown is uncertain since these rather rusty fighters are not always reliably air worthy. The jets join the latest American imperialist military adventure, carrying out bombing runs against Islamic State (IS) forces in Iraq. The catastrophic wreckage of the Middle East continues, now with Canada’s help. The US and its allies will continue to destroy the Middle East in order to save it. But, we are assured, this is not just to save the Middle East, but also to save “our way of life” and our “values” from this latest chapter in the terrorist rampage. To believe the prime minister we are all in imminent danger from IS which has influenced as many as 80 to 100 “home-grown” terrorists to carry out violent acts against us here in Canada. In recent days there were two such attacks. In Saint-Jean-Sur-Richelieu, Quebec Martin Couture-Rouleau ran down two members 18 dialogue
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of Canada’s military, killing Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent and injuring his comrade. In Ottawa Michael Zehaf-Bibeau shot and killed Corporal Nathan Cirillo, the soldier on ceremonial guard duty at the National War Memorial. Both assassins converted to Islam and became “radicalized.” They responded to the IS social media call for supporters in countries participating in the war against IS to commit violent acts to support the cause. Both men had wanted to travel to join IS, but that mad fantasy was blocked when their passports were revoked. We will never know their full stories, since both were shot and killed. Just how bombing runs by our jets against IS in Iraq will protect us here from insane acts by unbalanced individuals is not very clear. But Harper has a plan, besides whipping up hysteria and fear to help his re-election. He wants to further curtail civil liberties and constitutional protections defending citizens against abuses of state power. He wants to give our secret police more powers. If he could get away with it, he would doubtless propose a new category of “thought crimes” to be used against those toying with, perhaps even thinking or reading about, ideas considered to be “terrorist” or even “soft on terrorism” or, heaven forbid, “sociological on terrorism.” But don’t expect Harper to do the obvious, like re-introduce and strengthen the gun control law he trashed. Thirty-five years ago US President Carter announced a foreign policy doctrine declaring the Middle East a vital interest of the US, unilaterally making the …/ www.dialogue.ca
J. F. Conway, War Against Islamic State, contd.
region a sphere of influence subject to US policies to protect its energy and geopolitical military security. When an Empire makes such a declaration it means it can and will do anything considered necessary to secure its policy objectives, regardless of international law or convention. The US has been at war in the region more or less continuously ever since. Many have been proxy wars where the US encourages, funds, and supplies one side against another (Israel against the Palestinians; Iraq against Iran; Osama bin Laden against the Russians in Afghanistan). More recently the US had to put boots on the ground to achieve its objectives (the Gulf wars; the invasion, occupation and regime changes in Iraq and Afghanistan). Some of these boots were Canadian. These wars failed to achieve their objectives. The escalation in the destruction and death, at each stage, made the US and its allies less and less secure. The riveting fact is we are all less secure because of America’s failed military adventures in the Middle East. Iraq and Afghanistan have been pulverized into rubble, and thousands have been slaughtered. The only clear outcome is we are deeply hated among the population of the entire region. The American Empire is in decline, lashing out more and more desperately to cling to the mantle of number one super power in the world. The US views itself as the greatest and most advanced civilization in history. US values and systems of law and government should be emulated around the world. The US judges all societies against this gold standard, and if they are found wanting, and in any way are seen as a threat or impediment to the advance of American interests, they suffer the consequences from trade boycotts, to interference in internal politics (including the targeted assassination of troublesome political leaders), to, when necessary, military conquest and occupation. On key world issues, what the US says goes. At least it used to be so. But no longer. That is the danger. Canada has tied its star to a declining Empire, never more clearly than during the Harper years. Do we, as a nation, want to be pulled into this downward spiral, fully supporting each American act of military desperation? Do we want to join the US as the most hated (and feared) nation in the Middle East, and wherever else we follow the US in its decline? www.dialogue.ca
The IS war is a big mess and it is hard to find a clear principled place on which to stand on the issue. What we have here is a confrontation between the “technobarbarism” of the US and its allies and the “medieval barbarism” of IS. In 50 or 100 years, when we appear before the bar of history, what will be the judgment? There is no doubt about the IS and its medieval barbarism. IS will appear before the bar dripping with the blood and gore of thousands of innocents they have brutally slaughtered without remorse – those with the wrong religion, the wrong ethnicity…or those from afar who have come to lend a helping hand. The guilt of IS will be clear. They have left ample evidence of their actions which they gloatingly spread over social media to taunt the US and its allies. And the US and its allies responded just exactly as IS hoped – each bomb dropped and each drone strike means deeper hatred for the West and more recruits for IS. What about the techno-barbarism of the US and its allies? According to a recent study of US drone use in Pakistan, on the average for every one enemy combatant killed in a drone strike, 49 civilians are also killed. US drones typically engage in “doubletap” strikes, firing one missile, waiting, and firing a second when rescuers scramble to extract victims from the rubble. We know from past wars that bombing runs cause high collateral damage among the innocent. The IS thugs will appear before the bar dripping with blood. Those who ordered and launched the bombing runs and drone strikes will appear in stylish business attire, or well-pressed military uniforms. Not a drop of blood will be in sight. But evidence of the carnage is on the historical record. What will history’s judgment be? Which way will the scale of barbarism tilt? Will it tilt at all? I, for one, am with Chrétien on the position we should take on the war against IS. No military action. Withdraw from the alliance with the Americans. Bring home the jets and park them. Then send vast amounts of humanitarian aid to feed the starving, tend the wounded, and console the grieving.
- J. F. Conway 23 October 2014 J. F. Conway is Prof./Chair, Sociology-Social Studies at the University of Regina, SK♣
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“From Down the 401” My fellow Canadians: Back in the mid-90s, there was a show about two roommates who never could seem to do anything quite right. It was called Men Behaving Badly, and more and more I feel that should be the topic of this issue’s column. Now before I get into that, I should bring you a Lou Israel Update: 2014 is coming to an end and things have just been going better and better for me. Since I lost my job two years ago, when I was at a low, I have slowly been climbing back into life. Credit where credit is due: this upsurge is due mainly to the presence in my life of two wonderful women… One is my agent, who never gave up on me, even when I was about to, and to date has placed me in three commercials this year as well as getting me flown to a film set where I met Christopher Plummer, Martin Landau, Henry Czerny and Howard Jerome, and who has been instrumental in my increasing confidence in my acting abilities. The other is my loving, sexy, hot, sweet, supportive girlfriend, who has been my rock, has helped me relax, be less judgmental, and who has been my muse, my inspiration, my reason for loving (no typo), and my source of joy. It is truly amazing what one can accomplish when you have a small circle of people who have your back, who reassure you, and who simply believe in you day after day. I have been asked to co-author a book, and to voice a character in a Star Trek-type audio series. And with said girlfriend, I am writing a play about our relationship; my standup, when I have done it (which is not often) has actually gone over quite well with the audiences who have seen it. This is the first year in a long time in which I have seen progress in my career as an entertainer; and while it is slow, it is definitely there. And in October, I landed a job for the first time in nearly two years -- in my field no less -- which will finally stabilize me financially for the next six months or so. THAT pressure, when relieved, is such a positive force that everything else seems so much easier! However, while things have been looking up for me, other people are truly behaving badly. Toronto finally elected a mayor who is not a buffoon – either 20 dialogue
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Lou Israel, Toronto
shrewdly intelligent (Mel Lastman) or a crackhead bully (Rob Ford) – but rather, one (John Tory) whose career has been dotted with failed leaderships both provincially and federally, and whose greatest accomplishment seems to be that he worked for Rogers Cable. If he treats my city the same way his former company treats ITS customers, I have no doubt I will have to take taxis to work because public transit will be unaffordable. I am willing to adopt a “wait and see” attitude because, well, what choice do I have…. At least Tory is not a criminal. In the recent American elections, New York’s Michael Grimm won election DESPITE being indicted on TWENTY counts of fraud! The man is going to jail, and yet supposedly intelligent voters elected him anyway?!!? Apparently fewer than 40% of voters even bothered to show up at the polls, which elected a swath of Republicans, which is great news unless you happen to be poor, a woman, a minority, or elderly. Oh, and besides health care, they will scrap plans to raise the minimum wage. I can see the ads now…”If you thought LAST Congress accomplished nothing, you will LOVE this one!” Sadly, our own politicians are not immune from scandal or criminal activity. As I prepared to write my column, news broke on two fronts: first, that Dean Del Mastro, MP for Peterborough, took his seat in the House of Commons only to be REMINDED to resign because he had ALREADY BEEN FOUND GUILTY of three counts of violating the Elections Act. (I assume he felt that elected MPs cannot be charged with crimes even if they actually did commit them? Please note that this makes FIVE parliamentarians from that party to have been suspended or forced to resign since the 2011 election.) Toronto Councillor Georgio Mammoliti had been suspended this year for breaking fundraising rules, and HE was re-elected. Frank Di Giorgio was elected with a paltry 29% of the vote! TWO THIRDS OF THE VOTERS voted against him! And in an unbelievable twist, two LIBERAL MPs have been accused of sexual harassment by two female NDP MPs. This just doesn’t happen in Canada, does it? French citizen Mulcair chose to remain silent, and yet Justin Trudeau chose to out and suspend the MPs in question, even though the accusers wanted to keep things quiet. There are no good guys here since I can’t figure out what WAS the right thing to do... …/ www.dialogue2.ca
Lou Israel, From Down the 401, contd.
And of course this comes on the heels of the Jian Ghomeshi scandal, which was originally presented (by him) as an unfairly terminated employee whose large corporation fired him without reason, which morphed into a story of a potentially dangerous abuser of women whose victims are now starting to make themselves and their stories known, shocking and disappointing Canadians and foreigners alike. Again, this stuff doesn’t happen in Canada…? Of course, THE incident that “could never happen in Canada” did just that, twice, shootings in Quebec and in Ottawa, resulting in the death of two soldiers. Was it horrifying and tragic? Yes. But was it terrorism, as conservatives were hoping for? Probably not. And unlike the paranoids south of the border, and despite the desires of certain members of certain political parties, Canada refused to let this unfortunate couple of incidents become our own 9/11, or more importantly, change the makeup and nature of our country. We buried our dead, honoured our fallen, and went about our business as we always do, and most importantly, did not compromise our freedom. Perhaps that is the proudest we can be of our country. And perhaps certain groups south of the border could take a lesson from us on how to be TRULY free (hint: it does NOT mean beefing up security to make people LESS free). Talk about being less free…most of you know I have long been an advocate of legalizing prostitution, which this Conservative government will do, no doubt after making the unicorn our national symbol. But now that it has tabled a new prostitution law, I not only don’t see how it is better, but in fact it seems to be worse. The new law criminalizes communication for purchasing sex, as well as purchasing sex (you can sell it but not buy it??!?!), which leaves me scratching my head wondering why they bothered to pass a new law with fewer provisions to protect both sex workers and their clients. Surely this will not survive another court challenge, so what’s the point? Buying time until they lose the next election and pass the hot potato on to another party, at which time they can freely criticize what they themselves are unable or unwilling to do? (I stopped going to prostitutes years ago, but mainly because I felt they charged too much. But richer guys than me SHOULD be able to buy sex if BOTH parties are willing. It’s like the abortion issue and I am stunned that we are still restricting this practice until I remember how sex-negative most of our society still is.) www.dialogue2.ca
Of course, you don’t have to be a politician to be a “Richard head”. Stephen Poloz, governor of the Bank of Canada, had this great advice for young people “still living in your parents’ basement” – work for free! Yep, he really said that. Whereas most of us would love to have work if we could find it -- work that pays a decent wage -- and whereas others are forced to work for below-survival wages, he actually has the gall to tell young people to work FOR FREE. Because I am sure that Poloz himself has never had to struggle a day in his life. And sadly, places like the Huffington Post have published articles supporting that idea. Now, as an actor, I often get “opportunities” to work for free, and if the script and characters are good, I might do it for a day here or there. But to go and “work” 30-40 hours a week for nothing (and I assume these jobs are all within walking distance since public transit is not free either, so you would be LOSING MONEY going to work) is to me no different from indentured servitude (some would call it slavery, wouldn’t they?) and I find it appalling that rather than spark CEOs to offer SOME sort of employment plan for students, that this is the best they can come up with. Oh, let’s not forget calling students “entitled”, because that is certain to boost their self-esteem when they go begging for jobs. No wonder we hate the elite. One person we don’t hate, and actually admire for all he has done for both his profession and his country, is the NBA’s Steve Nash, who, at age 40, may have played his last professional basketball game and although has never won a championship, has been far and away the best Canadian to ever play the sport, has always answered the call when it came to playing for his home country, and has showed perseverance, determination, grit, heart and most of all, class, and if his broken-down body does force him out, he should be held up as an example for all Canadian boys – and girls! – who want to play in an almost-entirely American sport that it CAN indeed be done. He is the winner of this month’s Lou Laurel. (A truly honourable mention to those sane, freedom-loving Canadians who refused to let the tragedy in Ottawa turn us into something we are not, and who chose to remain Canadian.)
Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Joyous Kwanzaa, Happy Boxing Day, and Happy Lou Year to all! - Your fellow Canadian, Lou Israel ♣ VOL. 28 NO. 2, WINTER 2014-15
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Sarnia, meet Love Canal John Bennett, Sierra Club Canada
One of the most appalling environmental tragedies in American history, Love Canal, is sending its toxic legacy to Sarnia. About 80 truckloads of material – deemed too contaminated to remain in the ground near a residential area of Wheatfield, New York – are headed for Sarnia. There are several reasons to be concerned. Sarnia residents, and those who live along the truck route from Love Canal, will be exposed to substantial risk from the mashed-up chemical cargo (containing powerful carcinogens). A spill, accident, or technical failure could all lead to environmental contamination. It’s another case of industry and government putting people at risk unnecessarily, and without their knowledge or permission. They will tell you that the risk from the toxic roadtrip is “very small” and that the drivers are “very skilled”. This may be true, but there is still a substantial risk. We’re told that sometimes there is “no choice” but to put people at risk. Is this really one of those times? Are there absolutely no other ways to deal with this toxic U.S. waste? Why doesn’t the U.S. deal with it? From our count there are at least 22 commercial toxic waste facilities there. Another issue to consider is that the Love Canal waste is to be treated in a Sarnia facility, while 22,000 con-
taminated sites in the Federal Contaminated Sites Inventory continue waiting for clean up. Does it make sense that Canadian resources be devoted to cleaning up foreign waste with so much to clean up here in Canada? I was once interviewed for the job of Greenpeace International Waste Campaigner. The job involved drawing attention to the immoral practice of rich countries shipping toxic waste to poor countries. Corporations were taking advantage of lax environmental laws and enforcement in developing countries because it was cheaper than paying toxic waste disposal costs required under US law. Although it’s still a problem, thankfully there are now internationals agreements in place. Here we are 25 years later and Canada has become the dumping ground for U.S. toxic waste. Please take a moment and SEND A LETTER to the Ontario Environment Minister. It only takes a moment. It’s urgent we stop this toxic roadtrip. Thanks for taking action. John Bennett, National Program Director Sierra Club Canada Foundation 1510-1 Nicholas St., Ottawa, Ontario K1N 7B7 Email: jb@sierraclub.ca More about this story at TheObserver.ca LINK: http://tinyurl.com/sarnia-toxic ♣
Smart Meter installation cost Ontario nearly double original projection: Auditor General By Mike Crawley, CBC News
[QUOTE & LINK] Ontario's Auditor-General says the in-
stallation of hydro Smart Meters in 4.8 million homes and businesses across the province is costing ratepayers nearly double what the government originally budgeted. It's one of the highlights in Auditor-General Bonnie Lysyk's annual report, tabled in the legislature Tuesday afternoon. […] The auditor reveals it cost $1.9 billion to install Smart Meters across the province. The government originally told the public the cost would be closer to $1 billion. Smart Meter analysis was flawed The auditor found the Energy Ministry did not do a cost-benefit analysis before cabinet approved the 22 dialogue
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Smart Meter program. A business case was done after the roll-out began, but Lysyk says the analysis was flawed. "Its projected net benefit of $600 million was overstated by at least $512 million," said Lysyk. "The Ministry has neither updated the projected costs and benefits nor tracked the actual costs to determine the actual net benefits." Lysyk says Smart Meters are not reducing demand for electricity at peak times, although that was the key reason for launching the program. […] Read More at cbc.ca: LINK: http://tinyurl.com/cbc66207 Forwarded by June Ross, Rita ♣
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Lone Wolves
“The Fifth Columnist”
Michael Neilly, Dunrobin ON
Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent and Corporal Nathan Cirillo died in October, in supposedly unrelated attacks by “lone wolf” terrorists. It was these deaths that prompted me to re-read a book I hadn’t touched in 10 years. At that time, I was trying to understand the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and this book seemed relevant to the current situation, the sense of collective humiliation that must have resonated with these attackers. What Went Wrong? Western Impact and Middle Eastern Response describes an Islam that once besieged Vienna and occupied Spain and, at its height, led the world in mathematics and science, but which was eventually eclipsed by Christian Europe, defeated militarily and insinuated by Western culture and thought. Author Bernard Lewis suggests that Islam’s reluctance to adopt schedules, clocks, the printing press, the separation of church and state all contributed to the Middle East’s decline. Losses of territory and prestige were salt on the wound. But to me the book speaks more of logic and reason; and what is happening, with suicide bombers and “lone wolf” attackers, seems to elude this narrative, that this is irrational. To abandon one’s own culture, the Canadian one, to become so imbued with hatred of the West that you would attack unarmed soldiers, I can’t conceive that the “lone wolves” were dissident scholars of Islam avenging the losses of the past 500 years. In several columns, I’ve written about fascism, basically nationalism based on religion or ethnicity, fed by a collective victimhood and a sense of entitlement. These days, the mention of fascism conjures images of the little man with the moustache ranting at huge rallies, with giant banners proclaiming grievances and prejudices. I would call fascism a mass psychosis, where humanity and compassion are suppressed in the name of the faith. But now we don’t need that rally and the little man, we have the internet. The internet is like a giant, all-you- can-eat, salad bar. Whatever your tastes, be assured that someone will be www.dialogue2.ca
there to serve you. If you want to hate, know that somebody has written about it and wants to talk to you! The so-called lone wolves are hard to detect, the authorities proclaim. But it seems to me that if you watch who visits these sites, you know who is interested, disaffected, and inclined to hate. It’s bad enough that this garbage exists on the internet; it panders to our baser instincts. Recalling the movie Forbidden Planet, in which a monster id, the primitive brain, a linkage of sub-conscious minds to unlimited power, destroyed the fictional, advanced Krell civilization in just one night. We now have a collective consciousness, the internet, emailing, texting, tweeting that is erupting all over the planet. Now it is just electrons, photons, pages of text and images that exhorts the lone wolves to act, but soon it will be the mob. Inevitably, the internet will be connected to machines that are the life blood of cities. Already systems are web-enabled, electrical grids for instance. But what of transportation and defence? There was a fabulous line in one of the Star Trek movies, The Final Frontier, in which Mr. Spock’s half-brother hijacks the Enterprise to find God beyond the Great Barrier. In the climactic encounter, the god demands access to a starship and our hero, James T. Kirk, asks why a god would need a starship. And, speaking of our “lone wolves” and suicide bombers in general, why would God need them, being an all-powerful, all-knowing being, to shoot or run down an unarmed soldier? It’s preposterous to believe God wants to you to kill. There was no tactical or strategic advantage gained by the attacks in St. Jean-sur-Richelieu and Ottawa. Like the attacks on the World Trade Center, the goal is to incite fear and hatred. It is an invitation to an all-out war, of Good vs. Evil, Old Testament-style. The fascists want you to think and move like a mob, light your torches and run amok in the village. Canadians, fortunately, are slow to anger and quick to forgive, which is good. Still most will be wary, a wise course. A few will hate. A few will build bridges in the names of Vincent and Cirillo. Of the latter, I’m hoping that God will approve. ♣ VOL. 28 NO. 2, WINTER 2014-15
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Soft & Hard Edges ~ Jim Taylor
Hanging onto Imaginary Ropes By Jim Taylor, Okanagan Centre, BC
Here in the northern hemisphere, the midday sun sinks lower towards the southern horizon every day. We know it will come back up. Ancient civilizations could not be as confident. They erected solar observatories, like Stonehenge, to track what they saw as the sun’s -- not the earth’s -- wobble. They sank tunnels deep into earth mounds, as at Newgrange in Ireland, which would be penetrated by sunlight on only one moment a year. In South America, the Incas built their temples around a stone hitching post. The rest of the structure could consist of individual stones, meticulously fitted to withstand recurring earth tremors. But the hitching post itself had to be carved from solid bedrock. Because it anchored the imaginary rope that reined in the sun from its headlong plunge towards the horizon. Imaginary ropes? It sounds ridiculous to the modern mind. We now know exactly why the sun arcs overhead. It’s all about all the tilt of the earth’s axis relative to the plane of the earth’s annual elliptical orbit around the sun. (If that explanation makes little sense to you, you might prefer the imaginary rope.) Thanks to astronomy and mathematics, we can calculate exactly when the sun will reverse its decline. In the valley where I live, that moment comes at 3:03 p.m., Pacific Time, on Sunday, December 21. But I wonder how many imaginary ropes we still wrap around bedrock beliefs. WINTER FESTIVALS Almost every civilization has some kind of festival of lights. Diwali, Chanukah, Christmas -- they all occur during the months when darkness increases its momentum. In our culture, even pagans and atheists celebrate Christmas. Are those twinkling lights, perhaps, our imaginary rope -- a symbolic act that defies the darkness to advance any farther, an affirmation that darkness cannot overcome us? It’s no coincidence that Christmas happens near the winter solstice. The Roman festival of Saturnalia was also a time of candles and extravagant light. It suspended most of the social taboos. For the week around the winter solstice, slaves and owners mingled 24 dialogue
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in an atmosphere of pseudo-equality. Laws and prohibitions were temporarily suspended, with lots of singing, dancing, and drinking. In that freewheeling atmosphere, the new Christian communities could celebrate without fear of persecution. Any other time of year, they were considered traitors; they refused to worship the Roman emperor as god. So December 25 became their imaginary rope, connecting them to Jesus’ birth. Even though his birthdate wasn’t made official until AD 354. Imaginary, because there is nothing, absolutely nothing, in the Bible that defines that date of Jesus’ birth. It wouldn’t be stated as December 25, of course. The calendars we use today didn’t exist yet. The Roman calendar of the time was based on the founding of Rome some 500 years before. There isn’t even a reference that links Jesus’ birth to a Jewish festival -- unlike Easter, which is always associated with Passover. But a lot of people remain convinced that Jesus was born on December 25. They wrap their imaginary rope around an imaginary date, and hang on tight. I wonder how many other imaginary ropes we keep hanging onto. ***************************************** Copyright © 2014 by Jim Taylor. Non-profit use in congregations and study groups, and links from other blogs, welcomed; all other rights reserved. To comment on this column, write jimt@quixotic.ca (and copy to dialogue@dialogue.ca. Thanks!)
Fawning over flora Theories abound as to why obesity is rare among those who eat plant-based diets. Dr. Michael Greger explores the idea that fiber, found only in plant foods, is digested by the good bacteria in our guts. The resulting compound, propionate, may be a key to understanding why a diet rich in plant foods has so many health benefits. A very brief video (1:55): LINK: www.therealfoodchannel.com/page/20234.html - Ken McCarthy, The Real Food Channel ♣
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“Ideas Whose Time Has Come”
Intriguing Ideas from David Foster…
david.foster2@powergate.ca
“We are vastly outnumbered, roughly ten to one – one hundred trillion bacterial cells call our lower intestine home. They are forever sending signaling molecules to each other and to all human organs, particularly the brain. All animals depend on their symbiosis with these bacteria, and humans are no exception. They are the teachers of our immune system, they make the neurotransmitters for our brain, and have a strong connection to the heart and the whole digestive tract. They literally feed us all kinds of molecules that we require - we call them essential, like vitamins and such. They digest and recycle most of our food. Human organs rely on molecular signals from the microbiome for normal functioning, and as goes the microbiome so does its human shell…” – Dr. Thierry Vrain
On herbicide pollution and the impact of Glyphosate on human health
David Foster, Port Perry, ON Re: Speaking Tour by Dr. Thierry Vrain and Tony Mitra, Nov 2014.
This report is from a lecture I attended recently near Barrie. Dr. Vrain was for many years a senior soil biologist and later molecular biologist with Agriculture Canada.* Before he retired 12 years ago he was head of a molecular research David Foster unit with 40 biologists, President and Vice President of Soil Biology Associations, and Associate Editor of several scientific Journals in Europe and the USA. His research covered biological control, chemical control and resistance breeding, biochemistry, genetic engineering, and molecular taxonomy studies. He had collaborators in 14 countries and US States and together they published over 200 refereed publications. He now runs with his wife a small herbal farm and a botanical garden on Vancouver Island. Four or five years ago he became convinced that there were flaws in the genetic engineering technology as currently used in Agriculture and he started speaking publicly about three years ago. This led to a TED Talk presentation last year** and several invitations to go here and there, all over Canada. He decided to accept them all and go beyond, thanks to a good number of concerned women who organized his lecture Tour. He spent five months criss-crossing Southern Canada in the last 13 months. This has been a ‘pass the hat funding’ of a national tour where he gave a one-hour lecture with a usually-long question and answer session afterward, in 72 towns. www.dialogue.ca
I attended his lecture (The Nutritional Status of GMOs) in Thornton, near Barrie in Ontario. His message is that all the GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms) in our Agriculture are RoundUp Ready crops – owned by Monsanto, and modified to withstand being sprayed with the herbicide RoundUp. The active ingredient of this herbicide is called glyphosate. Glyphosate is known as a demineralizer, aka a descaling agent: a chemical that binds minerals and makes them unreactive, very useful to clean up industrial pipes and boilers. And then it became a herbicide and an antibiotic and the main actor of the RoundUp Ready technology. All engineered foods (soy, corn, canola, sugar beet) come from crops sprayed with the herbicide, usually more than once. All engineered foods contain glyphosate residues that deplete the mineral content available, and are suspected of causing the inflammatory diseases we have seen become epidemic since the mid-nineties. Glyphosate is antibiotic at 1 part per million and there is no doubt that its residues in engineered foods can and do damage our intestinal flora, recently renamed the Microbiome. Dr. Vrain tried alerting the Federal Department of Health, but was ignored. Dr. Vrain now wants to alert us so he is making his briefing paper to the minister of Health Canada available publicly. All he asks from us is to send that letter to as many friends and family members as possible to alert them too. David Foster (Council of Canadians local Chapter) * Now called Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada ** Ted Talks presentation last year, on YouTube: LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQkQXyiynYs LETTER TO THE MINISTER OF HEALTH FROM DR. VRAIN …/ VOL. 28 NO. 2, WINTER 2014-15
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The Letter to the Minister From Dr. Thierry Vrain (Vancouver Island) To The Hon. Rona Ambrose, P.C., M.P. Minister of Health, Health Canada Brooke Claxton Building, Tunney's Pasture Postal Locator: 0906C, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0K9
Re: Herbicide pollution and GMO labeling Minister, The confusion about the safety of GMOs is quite simple to address. The only GMOs in our agriculture are Glyphosate Modified Organisms also known as RoundUp Ready (RR) crops and the only GMOs in our food supply are from those crops. RoundUp Ready crops are engineered to be sprayed with the herbicide RoundUp and this technology has become so successful that RoundUp has become a major pollutant. (1) This chemical pollution is antibiotic, it impacts the microbiome, impairs CYP enzymes, and depletes food of essential mineral micronutrients. As a background paper for the impact of this pollution I offer my speaking notes to the American College of Nutrition conference last week in San Antonio (Texas). Most of the studies I cite were published in the last five years. Glyphosate is the active ingredient of the herbicide RoundUp, a new molecule created in 1960 by Stauffer Chemicals – a US company with a business of cleaning industrial pipes and boilers of mineral scales. The mineral deposits (same as in electric kettles) are called scales, and the pipe cleaning chemicals are called descaling agents. Glyphosate was patented in 1964 in the US as a powerful and very broad spectrum descaling agent. (2) Meaning, it binds to metals indiscriminately and does a great job at “dissolving and preventing minerals from being reactive or bioavailable in solution.” When the descaling solution was disposed of in nature, it was obvious that it killed plants. The chemical company Monsanto promptly bought the molecule, patented it as a herbicide in 1969, and got it commercialized in 1974. (3) This molecule is making history because glyphosate has become the most successful agricultural chemical in North and South America wherever RR seeds are used. The farmers using this technology get simpler and cheaper weed management and despite higher input bills and sometimes disappointing yields, and with weed resistance spreading fast, they adopted it in droves. (4) The herbicide RoundUp had a completely novel 26 dialogue
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chemistry for a herbicide in 1969. It was deemed to kill plants by bonding to only one protein enzyme in the chloroplasts. Enzymes are metalloproteins with a metal atom as a cofactor at the active site of the molecule. Bacteria and plants and fungi share a metalloprotein called EPSPS for short and 5-Enol Pyruvyl Shikimate-3 Phosphate Synthase if you want to know what it does. It works with other metalloproteins to “make” building blocks of proteins, the aromatic amino acids. These molecules are also building blocks for a large number of aromatic molecules we call secondary compounds. Glyphosate binds tightly to the manganese atom at the centre of the EPSPS metalloprotein, so tightly that the protein cannot move and do its work making aromatic amino acids. No protein synthesis means there is no metabolic work possible, a quick death for the plant, or the fungi or the bacteria. Because animals lack the shikimate pathway and because of its presumed mode of killing plants, glyphosate was pronounced innocuous to humans and registered as such in 1974 in the USA. Glyphosate has no acute toxicity, and at the time of registration in the US and Canada, nobody bothered to check for chronic effects. Considering the chemical properties of this pollution, one would expect long term chronic effects, equivalent to rickets, scurvy, or beriberi, for progressive lack of micronutrients. The animal feeding studies proving the safety of GMOs do not include testing for the safety of glyphosate. None of them mentions the residue levels of glyphosate in the feed. Meanwhile, a fast growing series of independent studies in various countries published in the last 5 years have ascertained the impact of glyphosate on various cellular enzymes and organs of animals and of human cells. The first RoundUp Ready crops to be commercialized were soy and corn, released in 1996. Since then, a handful of RR crops have been adopted enthusiastically by farmers, particularly in North and South America. Today close to 500 million acres of soya and corn, and cotton, canola, and sugar beet, are engineered to be sprayed with RoundUp. About 40% of all RR crops are grown in the USA, most of the rest are grown in Brazil, Argentina, Canada, and a few other countries. RR crops are now sprayed with close to two billion lbs of glyphosate every year, and so much of that finds its way into animal feed and processed food, that the EPA had to raise the legal residue limits last year to accommodate a new reality.(5) Glyphosate is antibiotic …/ www.dialogue2.ca
Letter from Dr. Thierry Vrain to Minister Rona Ambrose re Glyphosate (RoundUp), contd.
– a powerful and broad spectrum antibiotic.(6) The mode of kill is again alleged to be very selective. The glyphosate molecule impairs the functioning of the shikimate pathway in bacteria in the same manner that it does in plants. Only one enzyme is affected in a pathway that animals do not possess. The antibiotic patent describes its effectiveness to kill bacteria at 1 ppm and this was confirmed last year in Germany. (7) At this point I usually spend a minute or two explaining why a low level antibiotic diet is not a good idea. I describe the recent interest of the medical field in a large joint research project involving many Universities to decipher the huge community of thousands of species of bacteria that call us home. The Human Microbiome project is the equivalent of the Human Genome project in its scope. We are vastly outnumbered, roughly ten to one – one hundred trillion bacterial cells call our lower intestine home. They are forever sending signaling molecules to each other and to all human organs, particularly the brain. All animals depend on their symbiosis with these bacteria, and humans are no exception. They are the teachers of our immune system, they make the neurotransmitters for our brain, and have a strong connection to the heart and the whole digestive tract. They literally feed us all kinds of molecules that we require – we call them essential, like vitamins and such. They digest and recycle most of our food. Human organs rely on molecular signals from the microbiome for normal functioning, and as goes the microbiome so does its human shell. A recent review of the medical literature on celiac and other diseases shows the link to imbalances of the microbiome that are fully explained by the antibiotic properties of glyphosate. (8) We lack official data on residues of glyphosate in food or in water in Canada – no epidemiological studies of any kind have ever been done. All we have are the legal maximum residue limits now allowed by the EPA in RoundUp Ready foods, cereals 30 ppm, animal feed 100 ppm, soybean 120 ppm, and everything else in between. (5) Here an inquisitive mind will ask why such a high residue limit for cereals when none of them are engineered to be sprayed with RoundUp. This is when you learn that RoundUp is sprayed on many non-engineered crops with the intent to kill them right before harvest. This is done to mature and dry the crops quickly to make them easier and cheaper to harvest. The RoundUp herbicide has www.dialogue2.ca
been used as a desiccant for the last 10 years. There is direct toxicity to animal cells because glyphosate binds to metals indiscriminately, and not just in plant cells. It binds to metals in solution and to metal co-factors at the centre of metalloproteins anywhere. For example glyphosate binds to the iron atom at the centre of a large family of protein enzymes called CYP. There are 57 different CYP enzymes in the human body, and approximately 20,000 in animals, plants, bacteria and fungi. The CYP enzymes are oxidizers, the first line of digestion and detoxification of most substrates. David Nelson writes in a review of the CYP enzymes: “The CYP enzymes of humans are essential for our normal physiology and failure of some of these enzymes results in serious illnesses. (9) Samsel and Seneff have published a review of the impact of glyphosate on the CYP enzymes and the microbiome. They suggest that glyphosate’s suppression of CYP enzymes and its antibiotic effect on the human microbiome are involved in the etiology of the many chronic degenerative and inflammatory diseases that have grown to epidemic levels since the advent of the RoundUp Ready technology. (10) Correlation statistical analyses of the US Centre for Disease Control’s statistics about the health status of America placed next to the statistics of the US Department of Agriculture about the spread of RoundUp Ready soy and corn have been published. The analyses show very high correlation coefficient values suggesting a strong link between glyphosate residues in RoundUp Ready food and chronic illnesses. (11) Medical and chemical reviews and peer reviewed studies have explained the mode of action of glyphosate and its impact on many metalloproteins. Human cell studies have shown acute toxicity (12-15) and animal studies have shown chronic toxicity (16-21) Glyphosate bio-accumulates in the plants and in animals that eat the plants. It accumulates in the lungs, the heart, kidneys, intestine, liver, spleen, muscles, and bones … and chronically ill people have higher residues in their urine than healthy people.”(22) To conclude this presentation of the nutritional status of GMOs, I would say that crops sprayed with RoundUp, whether they are RoundUp Ready or not, contain residues of glyphosate, and that foods made from these crops are depleted of the minerals that are bound to the glyphosate molecules, and chronically toxic. (23) …/ VOL. 28 NO. 2, WINTER 2014-15
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Letter from Dr. Thierry Vrain to Minister Rona Ambrose re Glyphosate (RoundUp), contd.
Minister, your reassuring words have been quoted widely. “Currently, there is no… scientific evidence, that says genetically modified foods are unhealthy. It is impossible for us to mandate a label, because our labels have to be based on evidence that it is an unhealthy product for Canadians.” I hope you have found here the scientific evidence you require to act and that you join over 60 governments in the world
who have found this evidence compelling enough in the past few years, to legislate some form of labeling or ban RoundUp Ready crops and the herbicide RoundUp. Respectfully, Dr. Thierry Vrain, thierryv@telus.net [Please refer to the article online at Dialogue for the Literature cited LINK: www.dialogue2.ca/dr-thierry-vrain-glyphosate From what scientific studies was glyphosate registered 40 years ago? LINK: http://tinyurl.com/ZH-epafoi ♣
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“Your Health Matters”
THE PLACEBO EFFECT REVISITED Derrick Lonsdale, M.D., Strongsville OH
I quote from an article by Erik Vance in the July/August 2014 issue of “Discover” (DISCOVERMAGAZINE.COM). The title of this article was “Why Nothing Works,” referring of course to the fact that a placebo supposedly has no pharmacological or physiological effect. “New evidence has established that placebos trigger the brain’s inner pharmacy: in addition to improving Parkinson’s disease symptoms, that same inner pharmacy can affect conditions like pain, depression, irritable bowel syndrome, anxiety, schizophrenia and more.” To the average reader, this must sound like “a tale told by an idiot,” for the placebo effect has been generally regarded as some kind of psychological fake act on the part of a neurotic patient. I visited the placebo effect in Dialogue magazine previously (Dialogue V.26, May-June 2012) and I do not want to repeat myself. As a practicing physician, however, I became very much aware that my relationship with a patient was crucial to overall improvement and his/her potential for complete recovery. The more faith I had in my ability to solve a health problem, the better the outcome, no matter what physical approach I used. But my faith was useless unless I could pass this on to the patient. The problem for research is how to turn it on and the only mechanism so far recognized is faith in the outcome. I pointed out in my previous article that faith in a witch doctor had made his young African patient ill (the so-called nocebo effect, the secret of voodoo) as well as securing his recovery (the placebo effect), both being dependent upon the absolute faith of the patient 28 dialogue
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in the power of the witch doctor. It was therefore natural for me to turn to the modern era of doctor/patient relationships since the modern physician is regarded as a well-educated scientist with no special powers. I also wondered whether dissatisfaction on the part of both doctor and patient would have any bearing on the success of treatment potential. I turned to an article in the Wall Street Journal REVIEW of August 30-31, 2014 entitled, “Our Ailing Medical System,” by Sandup Jauhar MD. It revealed some terrifying statistics. He reported that in a survey of 12,000 physicians, only 6% described their morale as positive. Some complained of too much paperwork and 84% complained that there was not enough time for patient care. One doctor said that he felt like a pawn in a moneymaking game for hospital administrators.” Dr. Jauhar went on to say that “As incomes rose in the 20th century, doctors were increasingly seen as bilking the system. A congressional investigation revealed that, in 1974 surgeons performed 2.4 million unnecessary operations, costing nearly four billion dollars and resulting in nearly 12,000 deaths. Recent surveys indicated that 30 to 40% of practicing physicians would not choose medicine as a career. Growing discontent has led to a looming shortage of doctors.” The doctor/patient relationship is probably the most intimate relationship between two people, outside of marriage. At the initial consultation they meet as strangers and the long held view known as “bedside manner” is crucial. Taking a detailed life history is virtually essential and certainly cannot be accomplished in the time allowance per patient that the average physician is forced to accept. It sometimes gives rise to the phenomenon known as the …/ www.dialogue2.ca
Derrick Lonsdale, Placebo Effect, contd.
“dumping syndrome” when the patient is advised to see a specialist. Dr. Jauhar reported in his article that, “In a given year, Medicare patients see an average of two different primary care doctors and five specialists in four different practices.” This division into specialties is more for the convenience of the physician than the patient, for it has two results. For example, a patient seeing a neurologist might volunteer the fact that he has recurrent abdominal pain. He is told that this is outside the experience of the neurologist and is advised to make an appointment for a gastroenterologist. It also automatically increases the cost to the patient [in the U.S. system]. There is no reason to suspect that the reason behind the desire to enter medical practice has changed, namely to see people get better. The intellectual rewards far exceed that of money, so these statistics reveal an increasing frustration on the part of both physician and patient. Fortunately, there is a solution --disease prevention! Paradoxically, the present use of “Preventive Medicine” does not address the problem of prevention at all. The focus is on the diagnosis of early disease by the use of various technologies such as chest x-ray and colonoscopy. Preventive Medicine as it should be There are only three fundamental causes of disease, each representing a greater or lesser component in the ultimate etiology: genetics, stress, nutrition (Dialogue, Aug-Sept 2007: A Proposed Revision of the Medical Model). Of course, we all know that genetic diseases occur, dictated by the gene dislocation. But in many instances the disease does not appear until much later in life, so there must often be other factors involved. “Stress” is a word that is used most commonly to apply to mental pressure. In the Oxford dictionary it is defined as “pressure or tension or compulsion (times of stress, when much energy is needed). In Webster it is defined as “strain; pressure; especially, (a) force exerted upon a body.” By using the dictionary definition, it is possible to see that stress causes a sensory input, acting as a force that is perceived by the lower brain computer. The brain organizes our ability to adapt to the stress and this includes any form of infection, or even the fear of infection. Both mental and physical adaptations require energy and the end result is the sensation of normal fatigue. The consumption of oxygen in the brain is very www.dialogue2.ca
high, so all forms of intellectual pursuit give rise to the sensation of mental fatigue that is different from the sensation that we get with physical fatigue. Both perceptions of fatigue are due to expenditure of energy in adapting to the stress. If energy supply does not meet demand, the result is appearance of a symptom. It acts like an early warning system. The third factor is nutrition since that supplies the fuel that must be consumed by oxidation. We also know now that our genetics can be influenced by nutrition, the newly recognized science of epigenetics. If you think about these three factors, there is only one that can really influence the outcome and that is nutrition. Add to this, happiness from life satisfaction, adequate and appropriate exercise and sleep. Unfortunately, the modern food supply is not adequate to meet this kind of demand and it is increasingly necessary for us to take vitamin and mineral supplements in an increasingly toxic world. The original meaning of the word doctor (doceo = Latin, I teach) was a teacher and it is clearly necessary to initiate public education about these simple truths. Knowing what I know now, if I had my time over again I would initiate groups for education on the art of prevention. The ancient Chinese paid an insurance premium to their doctors as long as they remained well. If they became sick, payments to the doctor ceased until they became well again. Perhaps the placebo effect requires energy as well as faith in order to work its particular magic. I have become only too well aware that millions of people in the United States are suffering symptoms that are not being recognized for what they represent. Laboratory test results are either completely negative, suggesting “psychosomatic” disease, or assigned to causes other than the effects of high calorie malnutrition. If the symptoms are recognized at this stage they are easily reversed by correcting diet and adding a few nutritional supplements. If the profligate lifestyle is continued, the gradual deterioration shows up in later life as one of the diagnostic categories presently used to name a disease. Prevention obviously requires faith in the concept and this can only be established by proper education that should start at the earliest age possible, even in preschool. ~ Derrick Lonsdale, M.D. “Everything is connected to everything else.” VOL. 28 NO. 2, WINTER 2014-15
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Derrick Lonsdale is a retired Fellow of the American College of Nutrition and a Certified Nutrition Specialist. LINK: www.prevmed.com / Blog: http://o2thesparkoflife.blogspot.com/
For information about Dr. Lonsdale’s book: please visit: http://sbpra.com/DerrickLonsdale A Nutritional Approach to a Revised Model for Medicine: Is Modern Medicine Helping You? by Derrick Lonsdale M.D. - “Are We Poisoning Ourselves With the Foods We Eat?” Dr. Lonsdale provides the nutritional and health care answers we need in his no-nonsense book A Nutritional Approach to a Revised Model for Medicine: Is Modern Medicine Helping You? Can a simple change in our diet make all the difference?
Are we eating too much sugar? Could the obesity epidemic, diabetes, and a host of other diseases be the result of our present dietary mayhem? Is alternative medicine the answer? These views are proposed in the illuminating book by the longtime physician, who draws attention to the dangers of excessive sugar ingestion that is so widespread today. The book cites case reports to illustrate these dangers and emphasizes the ease with which symptoms may be stemmed in the early stages. However, if symptoms are left unrecognized and behavior is unmodified, these symptoms become less treatable, giving rise to chronic diseases and serious health problems. This is one house call you won’t want to miss. ISBN: 978-1-61897-092-3 [Available through Amazon.ca - $15.09]
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Natural Nurturing – Part III
Why is truth . . .
so hard to find?
By Colin Knauf, Nanaimo BC When we look at history, it seems obstruction is more powerful than advancement when it comes to health science, policies, protocols and plain ‘getting it right’. It could be we are more motivated by fear than success. Do we worry about appearing foolish in the eyes of our peers if we side with new ideas? Is it that we are more comfortable with that which we think we know rather than the possibilities of the unknown? Is the medical cohort motivated to accept the status quo – as good enough – because profits trump patients and prudence? ________________________________________________________________
❝The most dangerous phrase in the language is ‘We’ve always done it this way.’ ❞ – Grace Hopper [Navy Admiral, Computing Pioneer and Programmer who found the first computer bug – a dead moth holding a switch open] ________________________________________________________________
In the eighteenth century we lost women and babies at a tremendous rate because the truth was scoffed at. Medical practitioners choose not to accept the truth. Puerperal fever, more commonly known as ‘Childbed Fever’/‘Birth bed fever,’ took a huge death toll on women birthing in hospitals. Women died at a rate ten times greater than home births. The proclivities of medical practitioners, it would seem, have often been our undoing when healthy progress is at issue. Dr. Ignaz Semmelweis, a renowned obstetrician from Hungry set his curiosity to work to tackle the high rate of death 30 dialogue
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in childbirth. Before germ theory had been realized, he discovered that it was dirty hands of obstetricians that were responsible for the huge mortality and morbidity rate of birthing women. Doctors would come directly from the morgue after autopsying mothers who succumbed to puerperal fever into the maternity ward to deliver babies. Semmelweis believed that something was being passed in the process, but what? He instituted hand washing with chlorinated lime solutions as a policy in his hospital— dropping mortality rates from 30% to 1%. He announced to the obstetric community and cohort, what he discovered— doctors were the prime vectors of birth bed fever. He did not know the underlying science, but knew his protocol worked. Despite publications of his results, Semmelweis's observations conflicted with the established scientific and
medical opinions of the time. His ideas were flat-out rejected by the medical community. One attendee at a gathering of Obstetricians, upon hearing his idea, spoke up with vengeance: “Doctors are Gentlemen and Gentlemen always have clean hands!” Contempt and disdain for Semmelweis was so great that, his cohort tricked him into entering an insane asylum under false pretences. Once inside, he was locked up and shortly after was beaten to death. His fellow obstetricians who perpetrated this atrocity kept progress out of reach for 100 years before germ theory connected the dots. …/ www.dialogue2.ca
Colin Knauf, Why is truth…, contd.
Semmelweis was posthumously vindicated and heralded as a hero and early pioneer of antiseptic procedures. Subsequently, the death rate of women and babies birthing in hospitals plummeted. Regretfully, what is remembered by the masses from a selectively-written history is: childbirth is dangerous. The mantra which comes from cherry picking facts without context or full disclosure is – “If it was that dangerous in a hospital, can you imagine how dangerous it is at home?” Sadly, morbidity and mortality rates are rising once again
as nosocomial infections run rampant in hospitals. Complacency has raised its ugly head once again and will continue until medical practitioners honour their sworn oath – FIRST, DO NO HARM. The lithotomy position, an invention of Western Obstetrics, is commonly used for childbirth in hospitals – legs raised in stirrups higher than the head. A cultural quirk with little use elsewhere in the world, its only value is convenience for the obstetric community: no bending is required for the repetitive cervical exams used to gauge birthing progress. Ironically, the deprivation of privacy is often responsible for protracted and difficult labour.
Dr. Marshal did further research, then took a quantum leap – he breeched professional protocol by injecting Helicobacter pylori into his own stomach. He soon had peptic ulcers. A course of antibiotics cleared them. His findings and lack of professionalism made big news. The press had a field day with his daring and unconventional research. Subsequently research was funded and Marshal’s theory was proved. A plethora of doctors lost substantial profits, as their surgery became obsolete. The pharmaceutical sector lost billions with the demise of the ubiquitous peptic ulcer. It was readily apparent why there was such resistance to acceptance of the truth. ________________________________________________________________
❝Impediments to progress are often: greed, ignorance, territorial imperative, arrogance, and a lack of curiosity.❞
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Dr. Andrew Wakefield, a paediatric gastroenterologist, has been flagrantly ostracized, ridiculed and ousted from his profession. His guilt? – searching for health! But he will soon join laureates like Drs. Semmelweis and Marshall, when the truth surfaces in the mainstream.
At an Obstetric Conference, the lithotomy protocol was being discussed. A midwife in attendance asked: “Why fight gravity and prolong labour and pain for birthing women this way?” The answer was quick and curt: “Madame, gravity doesn’t work on all women!” Which I guess, explains Mary Poppin’s proclivity for flight and why ‘fighting gravity’ is still in use in many hospitals.
Wakefield made no accusations nor pointed any fingers. He simply wrote a peer reviewed paper published in The Lancet. Dr. Wakefield spoke to his observations and concerns as it pertained to paediatric patients in his care – a number suffering gastroenteritis were recently diagnosed Autistic. In interviews with their mothers he discovered retrograde behaviour manifested shortly after vaccination with the relatively new trivalent MMR vaccine. [Measles,
❝Why in an age of great information and knowledge do we still have most of the same problems without effective solutions?❞
Mumps & Rubella Vaccines combined in one shot, delivered in great numbers through compulsory government inoculation programs, from multi-use vials ‘protected’ by patented Mercury-based preservative, Thimerosal, a widely used and controversial vaccine preservative.]
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A perfect example of ignoring the science and welfare of the patient, is the case of Dr. Barry Marshal who was lampooned for a decade by his contemporaries and then received the Nobel Prize in 2005 for his research and lifesaving work. He noted that all cadavers examined with peptic ulcers had Helicobacter pylori bacteria in their stomach. Convinced there was causal connection, he sought research funding to confirm his suspicions. No one was interested. They knew it was psychosomatic stress producing ulcers. They also knew the only effective solution was to remove one-third of the stomach, in a substantially risky and profitable procedure without lasting results. They knew bacteria cannot live in stomach acid. And knew that the only way to prevent its recurrence was to prescribe a litany of antacids, acid suppressors and ameliorators – which had created a billion dollar industry. www.dialogue2.ca
Dr. Wakefield could not prove nor necessarily believed that the vaccines of Glaxo Smith Kline [UK Pharmaceutical multinational] or Merck [US Pharmaceutical multinational] – were causative. His paper simply stated that, until more was learned, it would be prudent to return to the previous protocol of three separate, spaced, measles, mumps, and
rubella vaccines. At first, mainstream media made big news of Dr. Wakefield’s Lancet paper. They heralded his findings resulting in many parents actively avoiding vaccines for their babies, toddlers and children. This of course was anathema to the economics of the second biggest profit centre of the globe: Patented Medicines/Vaccines. After the machinations of Merck, their sycophants, dubious investigative reporters, newly placed board members, pharmaceutical partners, and top level spin doctors – Dr. Wakefield was booed, hissed and …/ VOL. 28 NO. 2, WINTER 2014-15
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Colin Knauf, Why is truth…, contd.
denigrated as a bumbling charlatan by the fickle and masterfully managed press. His paper was quickly withdrawn from the Lancet. Not content with just protecting their patented vaccine turf, they assassinated his character ‘placing it on a sharpened stake’ as a warning to any outspoken medical practitioners who might take their Hippocratic oath seriously – FIRST DO NO HARM – at the cost of pharmaceutical profits. Their calumny took advantage of henchmen placed in pivotal and powerful positions in many sectors; and, of course, well-placed board members are ‘aces up a multinational sleeve.’ A newly-placed board member on Elsevier, the publisher of The Lancet – was an obvious wedge to push Andrew Wakefield’s findings under the carpet and build the guillotine of his ‘beheading.’ Fast forward to August of 2014 – William Thompson, PhD, a senior scientist and vaccine researcher at the CDC* broke a 10 year silence and blew the whistle on a conspiracy of fraud concocted by Merck and the CDC. He had been sworn to secrecy to cover up clinical trial findings linking MMR vaccine with autism in black male infants. This news, widely published in the ‘boutique’ press1 has been ‘blacked out’ with great skill in the mainstream managed media. Ten years of damaged children, by the thousands – knowingly! – and the general public still do not know the truth. [*CDC – US Centres for Disease Control] The incidence of Autism now in America is 1 in 50 children. This is a 60% rise from 2007 statistics which were already high – 1 in 80 children diagnosed – exponentially increased from 1999, when it was 1 in 10,000. Autistic spectrum disorders have multiplied with the introduction of more and more vaccines as part of a growing regime of a multitude of vaccines. Many administered early to infants, who by nature have no protective blood-brain barrier, making their developing nervous systems vulnerable. The University of British Columbia released a pivotal study2 in 2011 which has exposed harm in numerous vaccines.
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❝…the only safe vaccine is a vaccine that is never used.❞3
– Dr. James A. Shannon [National Institutes of Health]
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It has become increasingly harder for parents to know who to believe, as subservient media, beholding to multinational advertisers take deception into to new lows. What a tangled web they weave when they practice to deceive4. Malfeasance is hidden without legal consequence or incarceration other than the cost of doing business – fines. The Pharmaceutical industry paid out $13.5 billion in fines5 for fraud, malfeasance, disinformation, marketing practices, and bribery, in recent years. 32 dialogue
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❝If we allow our officials to knowingly break the law publicly and face no consequences, we’re instituting a culture of immunity…❞ – Edward Snowden [Whistle blower on the American shadow government’s unbridled surveillance.]
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Eli Lilly & Company sought immunity from lawsuits over their product – Thimerosal – a controversial Mercury based preservative widely used in vaccines. Lobbyists and insiders did their quiet bidding. With no one aware – the ‘LILLY RIDER’6 was pushed through legislation on a slow day and become law. ‘High days and holidays’ are perfect for such ‘legal fraud’. The result – parents can no longer sue makers of vaccines. They must go through a government vaccine court where limits are placed on payouts for damaged children. The American government picks up the tab for vaccine damage. With no liability there is no potential for loss to the pharmaceutical consortium. Now it has a ‘free card’ to rush out new vaccines for everything and anything without due care and diligence. Health takes a dive and wealth skyrockets. An interesting aside – the head of CDC vaccines responsible for the fraud, has recently been hired as head of vaccines at Merck pharmaceuticals. ________________________________________________________________
❝Cupidity is King in a world run by corporations with no liability or conscience.❞
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Footnotes— 1 – VIDEO: Investigative Reporter and the CDC & MMR Vaccine Autistic Fraud, LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watchv=etO5KiAHrks&list=PLOHKbslyO9ZP1WTxwCXltZ8eCz6ewDemO Murdoch and Vaccines: Exposure of Crimes Reveals a Much Larger Story; LINK: http://coto2.wordpress.com/2011/07/17/murdoch-and-vaccines-exposure-of-murdochs-crimes-expose-amuch-larger-story/ 2 - University of British Columbia 2011 study of Vaccines and Thimerosal-Aluminum Vaccine Adjuvants: Are they Safe? LINK: http://vaccinexchange.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/tomljenovic_shaw-cmc-published2.pdf 3 - Interview with Dr. James A. Shannon on vaccines; LINK: http://collections.nlm.nih.gov/vplayer?pid=nlm:nlmuid-101263944-vid 4 - Pharmaceutical listing of crime and fines; LINK: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_largest_pharmaceutical_settlements 5 - The Pharmaceutical Industrial Complex: A Deadly Fairy Tale; LINK: www.globalresearch.ca/the-pharmaceutical-industrial-complex-a-deadly-fairy-tale/15758 6 - A Capitol Hill Mystery: Who Aided Drug Maker? LILLY RIDER; LINK: www.nytimes.com/2002/11/29/us/a-capitol-hill-mysterywho-aided-drug-maker.html Copyright © 2014 Colin Knauf — Syn C O G E N T D E S I G N
From the Desk of Colin Knauf, Nanaimo, 250-327-9515 Email: dialogue@synCOGENT.com ♣
www.dialogue2.ca
BOOK REVIEW Two Playful Performers on the Page:
John Robert Colombo and Northrop Frye in The Northrop Frye Quote Book Review by J. S. Porter LATIN
Poet, aphorist, author, translator, editor, compiler, anthologist, reviewer, an authority on Canadiana, expert in the fantastic, the occult and the mysterious, with each passing year John Robert Colombo seems less like a single individual and more like a hive of bees or an army of dream-chasing adventurers. You may know him as the master gatherer behind Colombo’s Canadian Quotations (1974) or The Penguin Dictionary of Popular Canadian Quotations (2006). You may know him as the maker of two poems – “Riverdale Lion” and “A Said Poem” – that birthed two brilliantly animated shorts from the National Film Board of Canada. You may know him as the force behind Colombo.ca, one of Canada’s most interesting websites. (I know him best as the poet of a found poem on the last medical requests of Dr. Norman Bethune and as the former writer-in-residence at my old college of Mohawk in Hamilton.) You will want to know him – need to know him – as the compiler of The Northrop Frye Quote Book (2014). The text consists of 3,600 quotes with 1,140 subject-headings from A to Z. Colombo presents a most accessible and engaging Frye to an audience, recognizing that Frye’s method of proceeding was “to write detached aphorisms in a notebook...” Most of his writings “consist of an attempt to translate aphorisms into continuous prose.” Colombo undertook the Herculean task of combing through 30 volumes of the Collected Works and culling the pithiest kernels on a wide range of subjects. Here are a few from the letter L:
A little Latin, so the argument ran, is a dangerous thing, for all it can lead to is more Latin, which is practically a fatal thing. LOS ANGELES Los Angeles, a city never designed at all, seems to have broken through the control even of the automobile. It was, after all, named after angels, who traditionally do not travel through space but simply manifest themselves elsewhere. LYRICS If we read a sixteenth-century poet, we do not look primarily to see what he is going to say. We know what he is going to say: he is going to complain about the cruelty of his mistress. Unlike some ϋber-serious makers of books, John Robert Colombo, like his subject Northrop Frye, is playful and has a sense of humour. When I think of him, I think of the Russian-American novelist Vladimir Nabokov’s words: “Everything good in life – love, nature, the arts, and family jests – is play.” Play, I suspect, is one of the things that drew Colombo to Frye along with genuine reverence for Frye’s insight into the mythological structure of literature. If Colombo lives to a hundred, he may also generate a Quote Book for Marshall McLuhan, Pierre Trudeau, Robertson Davies and Margaret Atwood. In the meantime, I’m happy seeing him at play with Northrop Frye, the man who drew the circle into which all of us as readers fall. – John Porter, Hamilton
www.spiritbookword.net ♣
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The Poetry of B.W. Powe Bless stillness quiet finer and larger than my self Bless the quiet stilling distraction mind emptying turning to sky
Bless darkness stealing in slowly embracing me Bless the gift of speaking silence Bless the moment stillness steadies
like the guiding palm my naked yearning Bless sleep awakening into the calling of night
B. W. Powe, from “The Unsaid Passing” (2005 Guernica Editions) ♣ www.dialogue2.ca
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Intimate Details
Making Lists: Arnold Lobel, Susan Sontag, my wife and me By J. S. Porter, Hamilton, Ontario – www.spiritbookword.net
Maybe you’ve read to your children or grandchildren the frog and toad stories by Arnold Lobel. My grandson J. S. Porter Kaizen and I took them into our hearts to the point that he would refer to me as Frog and I’d speak of him as Toad. When we hadn’t seen each other for a while, his mother would e-mail me to say that it was time for some Frog and Toad time. One of the magical stories in Lobel is called “A List.” In the story, Toad makes a list of all the things he wants to accomplish in the day: Wake up Eat Breakfast Get Dressed Go to Frog’s House Take walk with Frog Eat lunch Take nap Play games with Frog Eat Supper Go to Sleep Toad crosses the first few items off his list, but when he goes for a walk with Frog a wind comes up and blows the list out of his hand. As night begins to fall, he starts to feel sleepy and suddenly realizes that Go to Sleep was the last item on his list. He writes the words Go to Sleep in the ground and crosses them out. Umberto Eco, the contemporary Renaissance man from Rome, in his book of visual and verbal lists called The Infinity of Lists, says that we make lists “to make infinity comprehensible,” “to create order,” and “because we don’t want to die.” Emily Dickinson includes a list in one of her poems, poem 569: I reckon—when I count at allFirst—Poets—Then the SunThen Summer—Then the Heaven of GodAnd then—the List is done In Susan Sontag’s story “Project for a Trip to China,” there are three things the narrator promises 34 dialogue
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herself that she must complete before she dies: climb the Matterhorn learn to play the harpsichord study Chinese If I have the opportunity, my three promises all concern my grandsons: introduce Kaizen to Shakespeare Marshall to Marshall McLuhan and Blake to William Blake In the last years of her life when cancer had struck without hope of remission, Sontag was working on: an autobiographical book on illness a novel set in Japan a collection of stories a number of essays, including one on aphoristic thinking What would I be working on with restricted time? notes on Hemingway’s last three years poems on pieces of music notes on books that take you inside language Lists come in all shapes and sizes. Wine lists, menus, schedules, wish lists, bucket lists, to-do lists. Often my wife makes me to-do lists. She’s the only one who does. The list might go something like this: bread milk cauliflower onion (purple) 2 red peppers zucchini Cheryl writes this shopping list in her own handwriting. What makes it intimate? The everydayness of the list, its singularity – no one else writes me such lists – the fact that it’s written by hand, in pencil. She’s the only one who speaks to me so directly, so casually, so lovingly. If she were to go before me, one of her handwritten lists would be something I’d keep and treasure. Tell me who and what you love, and I’ll tell you who you are. ♣ www.dialogue.ca
With Fond Memory of Author, Poet, Columnist Larry Vaincourt Of Christmas Past and Present A. Lawrence Vaincourt (1923-2009)
When I was a child, I counted the years of my life, not in birthdays, but in Christmases. Christmas was a wondrous time, a respite from the endless toil and grueling poverty of life on a small farm, during the depression years. Christmas was a tall spruce tree and the smell of burning candles in our little church, children singing Christmas carols, reciting and performing skits for an audience of parents, with the Minister acting as Master of Ceremonies, and Santa bounding down the Church aisle with a resounding Ho-Ho-Ho, while children swivelled round in their seats, trying to see whose father was missing. Christmas was going to sleep with the smell of freshly-cut evergreen filling the little farmhouse, and waking to the spicy odors of good things cooking, knowing that there were presents under the tree, but that you would not be allowed to open one until you had managed to bolt down some breakfast. As I grew older and began to earn my own money, Christmas was the feeling of satisfaction from knowing that although my wallet was empty, there were gifts for everyone tucked away under my bed. We were a family who shared both love and material things (only the wealthy can afford to be selfish!) and no one ever took without giving in return. Then there was the Christmas I will never forget. A nineteen-year old boy, in an Air Force uniform, half a continent away from home, learning what a terrible thing it is to be alone. There were a couple more Christmases like that, but none as bad as that first one. I will never forget my post-war Christmases. A man now, climbing aboard a bus, arms loaded – going home for the holidays and finding, on the bus, a number of my school chums and childhood friends, all heading home. I remember the girl who walked up and down the bus aisle, leading everyone including the driver in singing Christmas carols, and who, as we left the bus, squeezed my hand and left a note in it (I never did call). A few years later found me walking down Rideau Street in Ottawa, holding hands – no longer alone, shopping now for two families instead of one. And later, lying in bed, soft breathing beside me, the little www.dialogue2.ca
apartment filled with the smell of a fir tree and my mind filled with contentment – as well as the slightly frightening thought that, at this time next year, I would be a father. There have been many wonderful Christmases since then, as our family continued to grow in size. Once more, I was sitting in Church on Christmas Eve, while children sang carols. Later, there were the handshakes and good wishes, then off home to an open fire and hot chocolate and one of the younger boys reading the Christmas story aloud. There were Christmases when we had to wait for the whispers, horseplay and giggles to subside upstairs, before we could load the three; the Christmas when one little boy, while coming down the stairs, saw me in my red dressing gown under the Christmas tree and curried back up the stairs to tell his younger brother that Santa was in the living room. He was so excited that he forgot he had originally been heading for the bathroom. And every Christmas, the ongoing argument – the boys insisting that the tree was too small and their mother maintaining that it was too big. (I never did find one just the right size!) As the boys grew older, their friends of both sexes often joined us at Christmas, rounding out the family and crowding ‘round our dining-room table. And then one Christmas, the finest gift of all – when our eldest son married and brought into the family, the daughter we never had. For some years thereafter, other new faces joined our Yuletide table. I know we have been extremely fortunate that our family has always been together at Christmas (two of our sons will be driving home from Toronto this year). However, there is a slight note of sadness in our Christmas preparations. Our eldest son and his wife will not be with us. But, Ann and Larry, may your tree be green and bushy, your turkey plump and juicy and, since Vancouver is only the length of a telephone cord away, we will still be together at Christmas. To everyone… May your tree be green and busy, your turkey plump and juicy and your family together – near or far. . . ♣ MORE OF LARRY’S STORIES, POEMS AT: http://vaincourt.homestead.com - maintained by his son, Randy. VOL. 27 NO. 2, WINTER 2014-15
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Upsizing
Ramblings
Randy Vancourt, Toronto ON
Turning 50 is a milestone in most people’s lives. It’s an opportunity to reflect, renew, and perhaps refocus your life and career. Better still, you can apply for cheaper car insurance and get 20% off meals at Denny’s after 4pm. In my case I decided to take a different approach - I got married and had a baby. Well, technically my wife had the baby but I was tangentially involved. I had never done either of these things before and had no expectation that I ever would. I’ve spent my entire career traveling around as a writer, musician and comic. I did time in the cast of the Second City stage show, wrote songs and scripts for various children’s television programs, worked with The Muppets - don’t judge me here, but I once even wrote a song about a talking fart. Yes, you read that correctly. And before anyone says, “Eeww…,” a good friend of mine auditioned with that same song to win a role in a Broadway production. So there. But as fun and eclectic as my life has been thus far, nothing could have prepared me for becoming a dad – not even the unique thrill of performing at the opening of an art exhibition featuring the combined paintings of Tony Curtis and Anthony Quinn. I have quickly discovered that being a parent is in a league of its own. I accidentally met the woman who would become my wife when we were hired to teach a music course together. She is a classically trained singer who performs opera, and I write funny songs about sentient gas; it was clearly a match made in some sort of heaven. Flash forward a few years and we’re married, have bought a house and are unleashing our offspring on the world. On September 24, 2014 our amazing little boy was born and I officially became a dad. A slightly older dad, but that’s exactly the point. I now get to do all those things I never did in my 20’s or 30’s, like changing diapers (at which I am now an expert, one or two mild explosions aside), burping (yes, I mean the baby) and wearing a baby carrier on my stomach, which I did for the first time last Saturday, a fact my back is still reminding me of the subsequent Thursday. A note to other new dads – don’t expect any sympathy when you tell your wife how 36 dialogue
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painful it is to carry a baby around all day. Being an older dad obviously has a few inherent pitfalls. I worry that as he gazes adoringly into my face, my child’s first words might be, “Grandpa!” When I visit our local pharmacy on Senior’s Discount Day and ask for diapers, will they misunderstand? And I certainly don’t look forward to the first parent/teacher meeting when I realize that my kid’s teacher wasn’t even born yet when I graduated college – and I’m talking Masters degree, not undergrad. Petty concerns aside, it’s been an amazing experience so far. When my boy looks up at me and smiles I can actually feel my heart expand, and I mean like the Grinch’s did when he discovered the true meaning of Christmas, not in a “Call 911!” sort of way. I have always been crazy about Christmas and so I’m very excited about watching his face when he sees his first Christmas tree and opens his first presents. Of course he’ll only be 3 months old this time around so I imagine he won’t really know what’s going on but that’s alright. His mom and I will revel in every moment, which of course will include taking endless photos and videos. Bless our digital age; my folks only had one embarrassing shot of me in the bathtub we shall have an entire archive. Then, best of all, we get to start a brand New Year with our brand new life. We get to shape and mould another human being, an absolutely terrifying prospect considering how hard it is for me to even keep my office organized. I’m sure there will be tough times ahead but that’s true of parenting at any age. In fact one of the best perks of being an older dad is having years of life experience to draw upon. For instance I know that you can never go wrong by saying you like your wife’s new outfit, no matter what it looks like. You should always listen twice as much as you talk, especially around people who annoy you. And I know that most of life’s problems can be solved with a few deep breaths, a good night’s sleep, and a glass or two of merlot. And yes, I mean for me. Although now that I think about it... Randy Vancourt, Toronto www.randyvancourt.com
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“The Continuing Tales of Granddad and Malachi”
Granddaddy and Malachi… Paul Bowles, Fruitvale BC
(Part II, Malachi’s summertime visit, continued from the last issue)
The weight of time was probably felt by Malachi this morning as he burst into my room bearing a page of his art work. Finding me slumped in an armchair in a recovery position, this three year old quickly assessed that a devise was necessary to change the situation. He picked up a drumstick from the xylophone, walked over to the triangle hanging from a cord, smacked it a few times and said, “Granddaddy, when we hear this sound we have to get up and go to the park to see the train, OK?” And so we did and it was so. It is like a holiday camp here at granddad and Allison’s place in Fruitvale. The first grandchild on loan for two weeks and though granddads’ state of retirement from work provides much freedom for play, lack of sleep depletes energy levels and creates a working environment. Dictates of activity now originate from a three year old child and compose a variety of demands in the form of sweet suggestion. He is just learning language. I used the term, “Big wide world” recently, he had utilised the phrase within five minutes of leaving the house. “We’re in the big wide world” he said, and blew my mind. Our time together is full of such occasions. We played music together today. I played my tongue drum and Malachi played the xylophone, with both hands zealously exploring the wooden keyboard, interspersed with a diligent smash of the big cymbal. With five minutes of continuous playing, I was amazed that I was witnessing a three year old paradigm shift of attention, which up until now had been considerably shorter. In the afternoon we went for a wagon ride. I was the horse of course and Malachi rides and directed “Up there,” or “Down the hill,” or “Let’s go to the library and see the singing lady,” so that’s what we did --- I, quite forgetting that he was clad only in a wet T-Shirt and underpants, this since he had only just emerged from the paddling pool moments earlier when he enthusiastically enlisted my service. I hauled the wagon down the road and finally up the library’s wheelchair ramp, parked right beside an www.dialogue2.ca
enormous beetle that was clutching the wall, which we inspected for a while before I opened the heavy door for Malachi. He rushed inside and immediately took over the library, facing all four women behind the counter. “Hi,” he announces, “Where’s the singing lady?” Then he spots her, looking like a goddess in a long white summer dress, she smiles, incredulous at this little person demanding her attention, while Malachi, stares wide eyed and now evidently not sure of the next step. She goes into action immediately and asks him what he is up to, and he, just like a slippery customer backing away while coaxing his mind to work out an answer in a tight spot, mumbles and mutters and wraps it up with....”A lot of nothing about nothing,” at least that is what it sounded like. The singing lady laughed and repeated his words to encourage some elaboration but concluded that Malachi was tongue tied for the moment. I broke the silence and reassured the singing lady that we had in fact been involved in a continuous adventure since 6:30 this morning, when the day began with dancing to the record he chose from the cabinet. We then proceeded to the park where he had swung and sung to his delight; he climbed the dinosaur bones, threw rocks into the creek and checked out the digger machine that was actively shifting a pile of dirt from one end of the yard to the other end. We saw the local freight train and waved to the engine driver, who waved back to us and blew his whistle. After that we had returned home and Malachi had played in the paddling pool until he had the wagon ride idea. During this adult exchange, Malachi had disappeared and discovered his section of the library. He had pulled out a Franklin the Turtle DVD entitled “Franklins Music Lesson” in which, as we were to discover later, Franklin bypasses the learning of music scales on the piano and moves straight into Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. As Franklin performs his party piece for his music teacher before the school class, Malachi stands atop of the toy chest in the T.V. room, singing at the top of his voice to Franklin’s playing and, finally, following Franklin’s lead, takes a long, low bow. When you are playing in the Nelson Lakeside park, running around testing your little three-year-old …/ VOL. 28 NO. 2, WINTER 2014-15
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Paul Bowles, Granddaddy and Malachi, contd.
here for no good purpose except to satisfy the whim body for balance, climbing the wall and finding the of the young master. Before he extracted too many courage to take on the big twirly tube slide, discover adult books in the distractions of his search, I pursued the poise for sitting on the big person swing and havhim to the back where he seemed engaged in a coning patience while waiting for the sprung chicken to versation with a couple of young girls, telling them be vacated by the little girl who was very content about the moon outside and how it was bigger, like an bouncing up and down on it – and then the big street owl moon. (He has a book about the Owl Moon and car keeps making an appearance… well, it’s enough we had noticed the moon on the way up here.) The to make a little boy conflicted. girls were sort of astonished. As I approached, he introduced me to one of them. I don’t know how he When the old renovated tram-like train stopped alknew her name but while I was clarifying this and most within arm’s reach – a ride became a reality, a getting the other girl’s name, feeling that I was now step back in time even. With wooden seats, wooden part of this tête-à-tête and, while I was going on about window frames, wooden floor boards, wooden roof and even the driver and conductor in period attire, this Malachi’s conversational energy sometimes getting ahead of his ability to find the words he wants, he was a big time playground. All the kids on board got takes off to another section of the library. to ding the bell and Malachi had a front seat as we looped around the park and played yet another part in I follow him, soon after finishing talking about Malathe ‘big wide world’ of so chi’s brimming confidence; I many things. turn a corner and find that he has already engaged a mum and Later in the day, back home in her little daughter, pulling out Fruitvale, after a nap, a wagon chairs for them from the circuride seemed to fit the bill and lar kids’ table and lining them Malachi suggested we could up in a row. The mum and go to the library. So we go, but daughter are just getting seated I assure him that it would be when I appeared and he gets anclosed because it was supper other chair for me. I greet the time. I was personally glad that people and sit down. ImmediI wouldn’t have to deny him ately going into action performthe autonomy of ferreting out ing for us, Malachi belts out a every Franklin DVD that to Malachi’s Summer Holiday rendition of ‘The Land where him seemed promising... like the Watermelon Grows,’ con‘Franklin Goes Camping,’ or ‘Franklin goes to tinuing with the lines, “My mother would say, have School,’ or ‘Franklin Gets Lost,’ or ‘The Big Fire at you ever seen a goose kissing a moose” ... and the Mole’s Store.’ mum chimes in, “Oh I know this one,” and fills in the The world of Franklin is far and wide but we are still last line with Malachi, “Down by the Bay.” It all went working on a few Franklin DVDs back at home, so I down O.K., they left and I had to face the inevitable, was reluctant to acquire more, however, it is too since we were now in the kids DVD section and there crushing to deny his exploratory spirit when he diswas no stopping the search, but I was firm and precovers the jewel in the sand of the library resources. vailed this time. But, like I said, the library would be closed. So we The following day, after a busy morning… continue up the road, granddad as the horse and MalaIt was nap time and Malachi was on the verge of acchi in tow ....vehemently exclaiming that the library complishing a head stand in bed, so in desperation I WILL be open. Lo and behold, when we got there, promised him that – if only he closed his eyes and rethe library was open. Malachi, shirtless this time, laxed into his nap – we would go to the lake when he bounds inside looking for the singing lady, walking awoke. It was almost inconceivable at the time but it through the aisles of books while I, formally address did happen. Upon waking, Malachi remembered the the – not the expected singing lady (who obviously is bargain, so on a 34-degree summer afternoon …/ on a different shift), explaining simply that we were 38 dialogue
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Paul Bowles, Granddaddy and Malachi, contd.
My wife Allison packed food and towels and we propelled ourselves to Champion Lakes, found a spot for our shovel and pail and proceeded to play. Quite unexpectedly who should park their blanket on the beach beside us was Malachi’s little cousin, with folks in tow, whom we hadn’t seen for three years or so. Not that Malachi knew what a cousin was anyway but his cousin’s mum told us a story of her mother – one snowy night on a lonely Kootenay road in mid-winter she skidded off the road into the river, landing upside down. She was saved by her husband who had gone out to look for her and had noticed an unusual glint in the water from the moon glancing off the floor of the car. She was trapped inside with only a foot of breathing space in the foot well and sustained herself somewhat with eating the chocolates that were floating around inside. When the talking and water play was over, Malachi and I left the beach and disappeared for a hike through a forest trail to escape the scorching sun. Winding along the shadowed path, the occasional translucent dragonfly hovering before us, we walked in silence, leaving behind the excited squeals of children at play. The sense of time was lost, we stood in cleared spaces to gaze at the swamp meadows where there might have been a moose grazing, but not on this occasion. I was hoping to get to the next lake which is always an awesome sight but suddenly I recalled that it was Thursday which meant there was music in the park in Trail this evening. I hoisted Malachi upon my shoulders and high-tailed it back along the trail, stepping out of the forest into the open sky and burning heat to where Grandmother Allison was waiting, packed up and ready for the return trip to home and supper.
Just the two of us, granddad and grandson set out again for another shot at expanding our horizons. At the end of a long line of vehicles, we parked at the foot of a mountain overlooking the park and the Columbia River. The park was packed with people and the bandstand was rocking with sax, drums and guitars from The Clinton Swanson band wailing over a sea of occupied lawn chairs. It was healthy dancing music and Malachi didn’t hold back, most of the time his little three year old body doesn’t stop jiggling anyway. He sauntered amongst the crowd of settled lawn chair spectators, while mesmerized at the rocking musicians performing. I followed behind, out of the way to give him the space to go where he wanted in this friendly atmosphere, although now he was the only one standing and becoming a side show when he executed a few prime dance gestures which I can only guess might have come from Pingu the Penguin, (his favorite computer character,) but it looked pretty cool to me. However, as I followed his exploration through the spaces between the chairs, he spotted the play park which drew him like a magnet. I just sat down at a distance and watched him take care of his own pleasure in a kid’s heaven of good weather, time on our hands and park facilities of fun with slides, swings, and shrieking children scampering through the jet streams of water. I observed that he didn’t like getting wet but he loved to aim the water canon when he got the chance. When the music was over and the people began dispersing, we finished off the day strolling up the river, running through the sandy beach, climbing over the rocks and watching the banana moon in the rapidly darkening sky. Paul Bowles, Fruitvale, B.C. [scribepoet@hotmail.com ]
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VOL. 28 NO. 2, WINTER 2014-15
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Tales from My Travels ~ Don Parker
JAKARTA JOLLIES
The story of my travels around the world on the working cargo ship, MV Rickmers Jakarta By Don Parker, Georgetown ON
The Adventure Begins! In November 2005, at the young age of 77, I embarked on the trip of a lifetime, lasting in all about six months ~ as a passenger on the working freighter, MV Rickmers Jakarta, under Captain Henryk Nowicki, with a crew of 23 and four fellow travellers. What follows is my account of my trip, chapter by chapter (as I continue to compile my notes and photos from the travels). I hope you enjoy the trip! We departed from Houston, Texas, on Nov. 24, 2005, and our first port of call was Camden, New Jersey. It should have been New Orleans (NO) but Katrina nixed that – more about NO in the final chapters. But, the trip really began long before that! [CONTINUED FROM THE LAST ISSUE]
CHAPTER THREE During my stay in Houston, both at the B&B and on board the JAKARTA, I took a cab on several occasions. As a result, I have nothing but praise for the Houston cab drivers. At no time did I get the impression that any of them attempted to take advantage of me by going the long way around to make for a higher fare. Quite the opposite, each of them knew their city, and on a few occasions, when Hazard Street was a mystery to them, they got on their cell phones and called for directions. I relate the above with one notable exception in mind which I will share with you later on. For the time being, let’s go back to Hazard Street. With my arrival at 4003 Hazard Street, the address of MODERN BB (MBB), I met Lisa Collins, my B&B landlady, and her husband, Rodney (“L&R”). What a remarkable couple they have turned out to be! Lisa is a licensed real estate agent who works on her own, not with a real estate firm. She does very well with this arrangement. Lisa is also a licensed lawyer. When she graduated from law school and began work with a law firm, she found she didn’t like it, but she learned during this stint in her life, that she liked people and she was good negotiator, hence the change to real estate and the starting up of a quality B&B. 40 dialogue
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Husband Rodney is an architect with his own firm and his own construction company. Rodney helps Lisa with her B&B business to such an extent that it is really their B&B. One additional note about Lisa: she also works at the customer service desk for one of the local airlines! Houston is on Pacific Central Time and I wasn’t aware of that when I called to let Lisa know that I had arrived with the result I showed up on her door step earlier than she and Rodney had planned for. What to do when a new guest arrives early… when you have the weekend shopping to do? Why, you take him with you and show him the layout of the neighbourhood while you are at it. Lisa and Rodney run MBB as an organic B&B as much as they can. Guests can have bacon and eggs if they want them, But L&R’s preferences are strictly organic as much as possible. What a delight for me! Our first stop was at the “Whole Green Earth” store where L insisted that I point out to her all of the items that I would prefer. So, almonds, pecans, pumpkin seeds, sun flower seeds, Kefir, fruit juices, etc., all organic, went into the cart. However, they did not buy organic eggs. They had their own source for these. L&R were committed that evening to a school reunion dinner and dance, so once we got back home, they left me on my own while they went off to their reunion. Following their directions, I walked to the “Mother Earth Cafe´” which offers an organic menu, up on Alabama Street, to have my supper. After that, I walked home, did a minimum of unpacking and then went to bed …/ www.dialogue.ca
Don Parker, Jakarta Jollies, contd.
from ANY form of nuclear reactor. I highly recomNext Morning, Sunday, I was fed an organic breakfast, mend her book. and then I accompanied L&R to their combined office My next concerns were two: 1) to let John Tamola, of which was just a few blocks away. Here I learned why TravLtips, know where I was staying and how he they hadn’t bought any eggs the night before; they could get in touch with me, and 2) to go to VIP Serhave their own small flock of chickens in a fenced in vices to pick up my passport and visas. enclosure just outside the rear door of their office. Once again, following R gathered up three eggs from one L’s directions, I took a hen that was the only one nesting at bus downtown, walked the time. The chickens represented around quite a bit, took many different countries, with the a few photos, located result the eggs were different in colVIPS on Louisiana our than our usual white or brown Street but didn’t realize eggs; these were pale green. it at the time. They R went on to explain to me that he work out of a rather has arrangements with his neighnon-descript small bours, both near the office and the building which I didn’t MBB, which requires him to mainthink would be their tain the gardens of these properties. quarters. There was a Lisa with some of her ladies Both L&R like to garden, especially large sign proclaiming where fruit trees are concerned. “PASSPORTS AND VISAS” but nothing about VIPS. When I called them the next day, I was told that the Over the years, they have planted many citrus fruit trees and a kumquat shrub, along with several tropical 11th of November was some sort of Indian religious holiday, consequently, the consulate was perennial plants that flower beautifully. closed, therefore VIPS could not pick up my Indian Several kumquats were ripe enough to be picked, so visa; I would have to wait anL&R did that. Later, R made a other few days. slurry of the insides of the This visa business with India fifruit and then used an ice nally got itself resolved on cream maker to make a yogurt Wednesday, the 16th. I was exand kumquat slush. pecting to board the Jakarta on L&R invited me to stay with the 18th. That was cutting it a them for supper but I felt that little too close for my liking. they had been overly generous Once again, the operant phrase with their time and I didn’t comes up: BE FLEXIBLE! feel comfortable with the idea Just how flexible can a guy be? so I opted to go up to Alabama As it turned out, the Jakarta Street again. This time I went didn’t get into port – the Port of to a Japanese restaurant and Rodney & Lisa picking kumquats Houston – until 13:00 hours on enjoyed a lightly braised Saturday, the 19th, and boarding salmon followed by fried badidn’t start until 16:00 hours. nanas for desert. Back to MBB (my accommodations at Modern B&B): Perhaps this is where I should mention that organic Four ladies from New Orleans arrived on Sunday products are very strong down here. I have just finnight. They were victims of Katrina in that the office ished reading Dr. Helen Caldicott’s book, “Nuclear in which they normally worked was inoperable beMadness,” and as a result, I have learned that eating cause of the storm. One of the ladies lost her house only organic foods will NOT prevent us from ingestcompletely. The water rose to higher than the ridge of ing carcinogens caused by the spread of such things the roof. …/ from nuclear accidents (Three Mile Island, etc.) and www.dialogue2.ca
VOL. 28 NO. 2, WINTER 2014-15
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Don Parker, Jakarta Jollies, contd.
Insurance companies are apparently doing some fancy legal footwork to avoid having to pay for many of the claims made. This lady isn’t sure just where she stands. The other ladies appear to have survived almost unscathed. It is hard for me to conceive of such a storm and its resulting damage, so much so the port facilities could not accommodate the Jakarta, so that stop has been cancelled. Some time ago, I mentioned the workload that L&R have shouldered between them. How can they possibly meet all of their responsibilities and run a B&B at the same time? The answer lies in their approach; they encourage their guests to do as much for themselves as they can. For example, instead of waiting at the dining room table for L to serve me my breakfast, I was encourage to get it myself. L has a VitaMixer so it was just like home. With the shopping we had done on the day of my arrival, I was able to make up pretty well the same concoction I make at home. In appreciation, I helped with the clean-up afterwards. The four ladies I mentioned, made their own suppers when they came in from work. L, once again, invited me to have supper with them so I accepted for the next two nights and enjoyed the meals and the company. I went to a Thai restaurant for the last two nights of my stay at MBB. L is extremely visually handicapped. She can dash about the house all right, but when it comes to reading the phone book or using her cell phone, she must use a magnifying glass. L&R I judge to be in their late twenties or early thirties, so L’s vision problems are not the result of aging. We never did discuss the basis for her handicap. One more example of their combined generosity: I needed a few additional items that required me to go to several stores. Using the bus system wouldn’t work and the stores were too far apart for me to walk and
then carry my purchases along with me. L&R arranged to have one of their employees, drive me to where I had to go. I call that service above and beyond. Finally, the appointed hour arrived, as did a taxi to take me to the JAKARTA. Although Houston is a city of over four million people (it is the 4th largest city in the U. S.) its port is relatively small, consequently the taxi driver was able to drive his cab directly to the foot of the gangway. Once my bags were unloaded from the taxi, four Filipino seamen grabbed them up, lugged them up the gangplank, and then on up to my cabin. The Captain - Henryk Nowicki - welcomed me aboard and took me to my cabin - #612 on D Deck. I took a few minutes to unpack and store away my belongings, then it was time to go down to the Officers’ Mess on A Deck, for supper. I can’t remember what was for supper, but I can remember I was underwhelmed. There was no choice; you ate what was served or you did without. Whatever it was, it had been fried, and I do not like that. I rationalized that the poor quality of the food was because it was the weekend and things would get better on Monday. It didn’t, so I decided to do something about it. First of all, I requested of Freddy, our Stewart, that he serve me no more fried foods. Please poach, boil, or bake whatever the entree is, but do not fry it! So far the request has been heeded with a few lapses. On American Thanksgiving Day, we were served roast turkey which was very good. Fellow passenger, Cam, another Canadian, had bought some cranberries for the Cook to make cranberry sauce that added to the enjoyment of the dinner. I bought two cans of pumpkin in the hope that the Cook would make pumpkin pies for the lot of us - passengers, officers, and crew alike. It hasn’t happened so far. More about all this later. [To be continued in the next issue]
Don Parker, Georgetown ON ♣
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"Mind of the Meditator"
by Matthieu Ricard, Antoine Lutz and Richard J. Davidson
From DelanceyPlace.com [QUOTE/LINK] Brain imaging shows that when we mas-
ter a task such as playing an instrument or the advanced performance in a sport, specific parts of the brain are transformed -- certain neural pathways grow and strengthen. Neuroscientists have now shown that the same is true for mastery of meditation with direct benefits for improving focus, overcoming depression, 42 dialogue
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dealing with pain and cultivating emotional well-being: "A comparison of the brain scans of meditators with tens of thousands of hours of practice with those of neophytes and non-meditators has started to explain why this set of techniques for training the mind holds great potential for supplying cognitive and emotional From delanceyplace.com: read more at benefits. ... LINK: http://tinyurl.com/ktrdb6s
♣
www.dialogue.ca
Enlightenment and Yogananda Bill Woollam, Duncan BC [templelife@hotmail.com] RECOMMENDED VIDEO LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PW55POsjtw
This link is to a video of this American fellow, named A. Ramana. So grateful that this conversation even arises. It is rare. For over 43 years I have practiced meditation twice daily. It is as Osho says: "the purpose of meditation is but to give you small glimpses that you are not the mind. If even for a few moments." And, as A. Ramana says: “all sorts of unique experiences and temporary states may arise in the mind during meditation... but you are not the mind... Rather, you are the awareness which is ever-present and yet, unfettered by the activity of the mind.” However, both Osho and A. Ramana are helping us with a completely unique understanding of enlightenment. And that is the knowledge that we are not the mind... but we are the witness... we are the awareness that lies within and behind each moment. We are the awareness that is the witness to the activity of the mind. We are not the body nor the mind, but are the witness of the body/mind. During moments of Tai Chi, meditation, chanting, or dance, there may be moments, or periods, where the mind is quiet and the 'witness factor' simply is. These are moments when a spacious awareness is noticed. Pure subjectivity becoming conscious. Both these individuals state that enlightenment is when identification with the mind/body falls away and our spacious awareness/witness-nature is noticed. Not that the mind/body falls away, but rather the 'identification' as the mind/body falls away. In the early stages, for a moment here and a moment there, witnessing is noticed. But eventually, during daily activity, the naturalness of witness-consciousness, is effortlessly and spontaneously maintained. It is a unique shift of understanding. I believe both Osho and A. Ramana are alluding to this same awareness which the Buddha referred to when he said; “The essential nature of Buddhahood lies within and behind each moment.” A. Ramana states that we are taught since childhood to identify with the mind and body as our self. This fresh knowledge of witness-consciousness helps us to notice and abide as witness-consciousness again. We www.dialogue2.ca
have never not been witness-consciousness; it’s just that we have believed in ‘separation.’ We have believed we are an ego which needs to be destroyed. We have believed we are a mind which needs to be ‘liberated.’ However, the joke is on us. After these many years of seeking, searching, meditating, praying, and chanting... there is the simplest of understandings that; “If the truth weren't present within and behind each moment, it wouldn't be true.” Enlightenment cannot be ‘attained’ – just as a water droplet does not ‘attain’ to the Ocean in which it resides. The water droplet eventually notices it is, in actuality, not separate from the Ocean. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi also alluded to this knowledge when he mentioned years ago: “The wheat doesn't pray to the wheat to become wheat. You are That peace and awareness. Just Be That.” The trick is to notice the difference between ‘doing’ and ‘being.’ It is as simple as noticing the difference between ‘talking’... and ‘watching’ the talking. - Bill Woollam FROM BILL:
Here is a discussion of the topic by the great Master Osho: People come to me and they ask, “How to attain a peaceful mind?” I say to them, “There exists nothing like that: peaceful mind. Never heard of it.” Mind is never peaceful; no-mind is peace. Mind itself can never be peaceful, silent. The very nature of the mind is to be tense, to be in confusion. Mind can never be clear, it cannot have clarity, because mind is by nature confusion, cloudiness. Clarity is possible without mind, peace is possible without mind; silence is possible without mind, so never try to attain a silent mind. If you do, from the very beginning you are moving in an impossible dimension. – Osho, Tantra: The Supreme Understanding, Talk #2
Remember always that whatsoever is happening around you is rooted in the mind. Mind is always the cause. It is the projector, and outside there are only screens – you project yourself. If you feel it is ugly then change the mind. If you feel whatsoever comes from the mind is hellish and nightmarish, then drop the mind. Work with the mind, don’t work with the screen; don’t go on painting it and changing it. Work with the mind. But there is one problem, because …/ VOL. 28 NO. 2, WINTER 2014-15
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Master Osho (from Bill Woollam), contd.
you think you are the mind. So how can you drop it? So you feel you can drop everything, change everything, repaint, redecorate, rearrange, but how can you drop yourself. That is the root of all trouble. You are not the mind, you are beyond mind. You have become identified, that’s true, but you are not the mind. And this is the purpose of meditation: to give you small glimpses that you are not the mind. If even for a few moments the mind stops, you are still there! On the contrary, you are more, overflowing with being. When the mind stops, it is as if a drainage which was continuously draining you has stopped. Suddenly you are overflowing with energy. You feel more! If even for a single moment you become aware that the mind is not there but “I am,” you have reached a deep core of truth. Then it will be easy to drop the mind.
You are not the mind, otherwise how can you drop yourself? The identification has to be dropped first, then the mind can be dropped. – Osho, The Book of Nothing: Hsin Hsin Ming, Talk #5
When all identity with the mind is dropped, when you are a watcher on the hills and the mind is left deep down in the darkness of the valleys, when you are on the sunlit peaks, just a pure witness, seeing, watching, but not getting identified with anything – good or bad, sinner or saint, this or that – in that witnessing all questions dissolve. The mind melts, evaporates. You are left as a pure being, just a pure existence – a breathing, a beating of the heart, utterly in the moment, no past, no future, hence no present either. – Osho, The Dhammapada: The Way of the Buddha, Vol. 1, Talk #6 From Bill Woollam, Duncan BC ♣
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CosMos: A Co-creator’s Guide to the Whole-World An eye-opening and mind-expanding book from Ervin Laszlo & Jude Currivan [QUOTE] Our ancestors and those primary peoples who still walk the Earth perceive the world as an interrelated whole. Their entire spiritual, mental, emotional and physical experiences and understanding of what it means to be human are set within the context of an all-inclusive Cosmology. Indeed, the word Cosmos comes from the ancient Greek word Kosmos, which means “ordered whole.” Yet, while we can see further and delve deeper into the physical aspects of the world to a far greater degree than ever before, many of us have no equivalent view of the whole-world of the Cosmos and the meaning and purpose it gives to our lives. For the scientific worldview that has progressively dominated over the last three centuries has tended to see the world as random and purposeless and has ignored or denigrated other ways of knowing and experiencing truths. This is about to change. In the first four chapters of CosMos, we will introduce an integral vision that’s emerging at the leading edge of science, the frontier studies of consciousness, and the rediscovery of ancient wisdom. We will begin by sharing how mainstream science is currently unable to explain the fundamental nature of physical reality and how a radical new and inclusive
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vision of the Cosmos is urgently needed. We will see how everything in our universe is innately related and how information is beginning to be seen as being more fundamental than matter, energy, space, and time. We will discover the understanding, which is arising across all fields of scientific endeavor, that the information guiding the universe is holographic – this is a key to our deeper awareness of how the manifest world is co-created. And we will explore the concept of an Akashic field of cosmic intelligence and memory that underlies, pervades, and indeed gives rise not only to the physical universe but to all that we term reality – as the primordial element of an inherently conscious and meaningful world. And in doing so, we will suggest a comprehensive vision of integral reality that transcends the hitherto perceived barriers between science and Spirit into a unified and meaningful Cosmos, where we are both creation and co-creator. From the Introduction to Part I of CosMos: A Co-creator’s Guide to the Whole-World, by Ervin Laszlo and Jude Currivan (p.1) 2008, Hay House; ISBN: 978-1-4019-1891-0 ♣
www.dialogue2.ca
“Hannah’s Hobbies”
Embarrassing Moments
Dorothy Hannah, Lacolle QC
As I become a more senior, senior citizen I find that embarrassing moments happen more frequently, and they are really embarrassing. My latest red face episode happened not long after I returned from my winter getaway in Florida. Every time I return in the Spring and try to settle back into my happy home, I find that something has either broken or doesn’t work. This year was no exception. At first, everything seemed to be in working order until I went to use my car, and then everything went to heck in a hand basket. Attached to my house is a shed with a very leaky roof that serves as my garage. It does have an automatic electric door, but part of the floor is just dirt and gravel. When conditions are bad, the car sometimes sits in a puddle of water. A puddle happened this year and then it froze. So, when I marched out to use the car for the first time, I discovered it was frozen in some ice and wouldn’t move. I tried all the tricks, rocking back and forth, gravel behind the wheels, etc., etc., no luck. Finally I decided I was too old to be crawling around in cramped quarters in a cold shed with a car frozen in the ice, so I called my grandson, Ben. He soon arrived on his 4-wheeler, ready for action. In no time at all he had pulled me out of the shed and I was on my way.
But that wasn’t the end of my troubles, because when I returned home, the garage door wouldn’t open all the way. It went half up and stopped. When I pushed the button some more it made a lot of unhealthy sounding noises and nothing further happened. I was thankful the car was out and not stuck in the garage, and there it stayed. My son said he would fix the door and I relaxed and thought life was good until I went to use the car again. It was pouring rain and I got wet getting to the car because it was stuck outside. Then I got upset because I discovered the windshield wipers didn’t work. I managed my very short trip that day; and the next day I took the car to the garage. The following afternoon my friendly garage man, Serge, returned with the car. While we were driving back to the garage, he patiently listened to me rant about all the trials I went through every Spring when I arrived home from the sunny south. As he was getting out of the car at the garage, he turned on the wipers to show they were working, and I asked him what had been wrong with them. His answer? Nothing! I swore a bad word, I admit it, because at that moment I realized what the problem had really been. It had been me. I hadn’t driven my own car for three months and had just plain forgotten how to turn the wipers on! Embarrassing? You bet! Read at ‘Residence Belle Elena,’ Sept. 2014 (Irene edited.) ♣
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The Vagabond Writer
Wayne Russell, Clearwater BC
I hope the readers enjoy these stories, they will bring laughter and a few tears to you. Taken from truth, but the “Family Weed” is fictitious. Please enjoy my stories.
THE GOOD WEEDS By Wayne Allen Russell
INTRODUCTION I am number six in a family of seven children, the eldest being two girls followed by us five boys. I know that we had a good life considering the times, conditions, and how many mouths there were to feed. We www.dialogue.ca
lived on a twenty-acre farm where a creek ran between our farm and the neighbours. We had a river about four miles away, and the ocean was about seven. We had hunting, fishing, and love. We walked exactly three miles to school. Using the car odometer, I checked this out with my kids to prove it to them. Their reply was, “Okay Dad, but it wasn't uphill both ways.” These walks to and from school were some of the best times in our lives. We didn't see school buses until the 1950's and then they only picked up the high school kids at the crossroads, not at their doors. …/ VOL. 28 NO. 2, WINTER 2014-15
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Wayne Russell, The Good Weeds, contd.
Our family went through the Great Depression and the Second World War, and times got even tougher than before. Keep in mind, when this story takes place most homes were made of wood or logs. They were heated by wood-burning stoves, which were located in the kitchen. These were also the cook stoves. On the far end of the cook stove, away from the fire pot, was a square copper warmer tank, this held around thirty gallons of water. Mom also kept a copper boiler because we were so many. This sat on the back of the stove above the oven and provided water for washing us, doing the dishes, and general cleaning. A pot-bellied, coal-burning stove in the living room heated the other rooms. The upstairs had no heat; the only heat up there came up the stairway or seeped through the ceiling, some from the stovepipe that runs through to the roof. We had no electricity on the farm until the early 1950's and no inside plumbing the whole time I lived there. We did have a kitchen sink where we washed ourselves, did dishes, and cleaned vegetables. The drain from this sink went straight into a five-gallon bucket. When three-quarters full, we added chop and the pigs ate it all. The toilets were called out houses because they were well away from the main house, this for obvious reasons. If there was rolled toilet paper back then, we didn't see it. Thanks to Simpson's and Eaton's catalogs, we always had reading material and toilet paper combined. We cut our firewood with crosscut and Swede-saws. When repairing buildings, we used handsaws. Mom, God bless her. Along with all of her other duties and with help from the girls. She tried to keep up to us, by hand washing our clothes on a wash board, usually outside. This done in water heated in the copper boiler on the wood-burning fire pit, or in just plain cold water. In the winter, for the warmth, we were glad we had so many bodies upstairs. The fires went out each night, and even though we opened the upstairs door about six p.m., there was still frost on the windows. It was so cold up there we could see our breath. Even with our long johns on, (Oh yes; the girls wore them too), it was pure torture climbing into that cold, old bed. 46 dialogue
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Mom heated some house bricks that Pop had found somewhere. Once hot, she wrapped them in cloth and placed them at the foot of our beds. They kept our feet warm until our bodies had heated up the beds. If one of us left a wet towel on the floor, in the morning you could stub your toe because it would be frozen solid. When Mom called us in the morning we would jump out of bed, grab our clothes and jump back into bed to warm them up. Until we were old enough to be out of diapers, we slept in the same room as Mom and Pop. It had a crib and a small bed, and at times there were two of us in diapers. Either Mom or Pop, (usually Mom) was up by four a.m. to start the fire in the stoves. It was as hard to get out of those beds as it was to get into them the night before. Just to make breakfast was a days work by today’s standards. At four a.m. Mom started the stove and once it was going, she went out to the chicken coop for eggs, then to the dry cistern for bacon, butter, bread, and milk. The cistern was a hole in the ground with the diameter of a well with a depth of only five feet. It had a wooden cover. This cistern helped keep the perishables cool in the summer and stopped them from freezing during the winter. Lastly, Mom went to the well to pump a pail of water, as any fresh water in the house would usually freeze overnight. Depending on how well off we were, by the time we were downstairs for breakfast, Mom had anything from oatmeal mush to bacon or sausages with eggs and fried potatoes, or maybe flapjacks with syrup. Sometimes the flapjacks were made from mashed potatoes, but don't ask me for the recipe. All this in different combinations, the aromas drifting up the stairs, got even the laziest of us moving. I remind you, this was all according to how well the year went. In the bad times the mush was all we got. However, no matter how badly off we were, there was always coffee and homemade bread we called scud bread, made with flour and water. It was all crust and I loved it. We were allowed to drink coffee as soon as we could handle a cup. Of course we loaded it down with lots of fresh cream. I have no idea how Mom managed this coffee with the little money she had. We also had a root cellar for the vegetables. It was just a hole about 15 feet long, 8 feet wide, and 8 feet deep, covered with small logs and a sod roof. Inside we hung a coal-oil lamp for light, since it was black as ink ‌/ www.dialogue.ca
Wayne Russell, The Good Weeds, contd.
down there. Stored here were potatoes in grain sacks, cabbages, onions, and beets with roots attached, hanging from their stems on nails, and carrots covered in light sand. Turnips were waxed and wrapped in newspapers, and tomatoes were picked green and also wrapped. They could last this way until sometime in November. In the canning closet on shelves, beets, chopped up meat, fruits, green beans, some carrots, corn, peas, and pickles were in glass quart and gallon sealers canned by Mom and the girls. We also grew our own dill for dill pickles. During the summer months, Mom washed our clothing in cold water in a big round washtub over a hand washboard. The washtub was about three feet across and sat on a low-cut stump. The water usually came from the many rain barrels or the creek. She hung the laundry on two long clotheslines that stretched from the back porch to two different trees about 60 feet away. When the lines were full, to support the weight, two long poles propped up each line in the middle. I've seen 12 to 14 bed sheets hanging there on wash day. In the winter, if it was real cold out, Mom did the
washing in the house with the same equipment. Mom had difficulty keeping the house clean, what with all her other work. Us boys were very little help with housework, and until we were old enough the girls did the barn chores. The only help she got from the boys was with hanging washing and packing water. By the time all five of us were walking and talking, we had a double-wide bed and slept cross-ways in it. The lucky girls, being girls, and older, got the other small bedroom with a small bed each. If one of us boys had an accident on a cold night, it went from four to five in the bed with the bed wetter sleeping alone while all the others curled up on the cold floor with all the blankets, huddling together against the cold. The bed wetter would damn near freeze to death. Happily none of us did, and in the morning you would see him in Moms bed. So with all this in mind, here we go (in the next issue of Dialogue!) with the story of THE GOOD WEEDS. -- Wayne Russell, The Vagabond Writer TO BE CONTINUED IN THE NEXT ISSUE ♣
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Fran’s Kitchen
From Frances Masseau, Lacolle QC
Hi folks, finally getting around to sending you my recipes again! This is for you folks who have leftovers after the holidays. I got this recipe from my mother’s sister, Juliette in Vermont, many years ago. CHICKEN BROCOLLI CASSEROLE 1. Lightly grease a shallow 2-quart baking dish. 2. Arrange 20 Ritz crackers in 3 rows, overlapping each other. 3. Sprinkle l cup mozzarella cheese mixed with 2 cups cooked diced chicken, & 10 oz. chopped broccoli 5. Sprinkle with grated cheese (¼ – ½ cup) 6. Arrange 20 crackers over top 7. Beat together and pour over top: 4 eggs and 1½ cups milk 8. Bake 45-50 minutes in 350F oven. WARM WINTER LEMON CAKE 1 package 2-layer-size yellow cake mix 2 cups cold milk 1¼ cups water www.dialogue.ca
2 packages (4-serving size each) Jello Lemon Instant pudding 1/3 cup granulated sugar 2 Tbsp icing sugar 1. PREHEAT oven to 350F. Prepare cake mix as directed on package. Pour batter into greased 13x9 inch baking dish. 2. POUR milk and water into large bowl. Add dry pudding mixes and granulated sugar. Beat with wire whisk 2 min. or until well blended. 3. Pour over cake batter in dish. Place baking dish on baking sheet to catch drippings. as mixture does bubble. 4. BAKE 55 min. to 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 20 min. Mixture will thicken slightly as it cools. Sprinkle with icing sugar. Spoon onto serving dishes. Serve warm; garnish with raspberries, if desired. Makes 16 servings. SERVING SUGGESTION: There is no need to reheat leftovers – this cake is also delicious as a cold treat. The lemon filling transforms from ‘saucy and gooey’ to ‘thick and custard-like.’ Yummy! ♣ VOL. 28 NO. 2, WINTER 2014-15
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“Observations from Lithuania”
Ken Slade, Vilnius
A Lesson in Lithuanian Soup-making… Editor’s note: This is the second part of the story that began in Ken’s column in the Autumn 2014 issue [recipes from the cookbook will be published on website and in some future print issues]. The collection of 67 Lithuanian soup recipes (et al.) is the work-product of approximately 100 people working at Metalistas LT.
Ken Slade
From: The ‘Metalistas LT’ Cookbook of 67 Lithuanian Soups, edited by KR Slade
Introduction - Overview After surveying the nourishment peculiarities of various peoples, we noticed that raw fruits, berries, rootlets of plants, as well as nuts, were the initial and main food of man, who later ate roasted meat and fish. After inventing baked-clay cooking-utensils, entire meals began to be cooked. According to legend, the first soup was cooked in Ancient Greece about 3,000 years before Christ. History also tells us how a slave, named Manes, was cooking chicken, and the Pharaoh Snoph tasted this pottage. The Pharaoh was so pleased with the soup that he appointed this slave to be his chief cook. A more exact fact was fixed by written sources -- by a recipe book of China (nearly 2,000 years before Christ), in which the recipe of a soup, “Golden moons in the silver sea” (from pigeons’ eggs), was recorded. We know few other old recipes; nevertheless, the general custom of cooking soups in China and neighbouring Asian countries started about 100 years before Christ. It is interesting to know that soups began in Europe only when Europeans acquired Chinese and Japanese porcelain. Therefore, we can conclude that the origins of soup undoubtedly should be attributed to Ancient Greece, China, and Japan, and perhaps to other Asian countries. Nevertheless, the word “soup” itself comes from Italy (Italian: ‘zupa’; meaning: ‘that which is drinkable’). Peoples of all countries eat soup. The size of the soup portion is related to the time of day, the type of soup, and economic levels. Some peoples eat soup (of a light variety, and in a small quantity) for breakfast. Some peoples eat soup at the mid-day or evening meal (the soup variety and quantity dependent upon which of such meals is the smaller/larger). In China, the soup is offered at the end of the meal; in countries with hot climates, soup is served at the end of the working day. Throughout Europe, the soup is served before the main dish; English-speaking people often eat a salad before soup; the French eat soup before salad. In the US and 48 dialogue
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Canada, soup-and-sandwich is a popular mid-day meal (‘lunch’). Therefore, if soup is offered before main dish, the quantity is about 500 ml. (about 2 cups). If there is no main dish, then the soup portion is larger. Generally, the soup recipes in this book will serve four (or more) persons. Although soup is known throughout the world, there are varying and changing appreciations. Soup has been regarded as being necessary for the healthy functioning of the stomach; more-recently, dieticians view soup as contributing part of the necessary daily liquids. During our investigation of Lithuanian eating habits, it was noticed that cooking soups began in approximately the XVI century. For some centuries thereafter, our ancestries flavoured the soups only with parsley; later, nearly since the XVII century, with onions, garlic, dill, beans, peas, and sorrel (a commonly-available leafy plant, related to cabbage, in Eastern Europe). Therefore, the potherbs were used for the cooking of soups since ancient times, and this tradition continues. It seems that the most-popular soups in Lithuania were: potato soup, cabbage soup, beetroot (beet) soup, pea soup, and ,slumgullion‘ (potatoes steamed together with meat). Ordinarily in Lithuania, as with other European countries, the soup is eaten from deep plates, or soup ‘porringers’ (a low dish or cup, often with a handle). There is an etiquette / cultural-tradition. The spoon is placed at the right of the plate. General custom is to scoop two-thirds of a spoonful, using the right hand; and to bring the point (not the side) of the spoon to the mouth. In Lithuania, the spoons used for soup are larger than a teaspoon; often being a ‘tablespoon’, and not the rounded Western-European specialized-soup design. The soup is eaten by tilting the plate away from oneself, not towards oneself. After finishing the soup, the spoon is left on the under-plate, not in the soup-plate. Soup is an exceptional food dish, which is very important to humans. Soup is sometimes considered to be a medicine; or at the least, is good for the health. There is a common viewpoint that soup: renews the lymph quantity in a body system, cures a cold, gives 20 to 30 percent of the water necessary daily for the human organism, and stimulates release of gastric juices. Moreover, soup is easily digested; has many proteins, and fat and carbohydrates, as well as mineral substances and vitamins. Popular medicine maintains that soup helps to avoid gastric diseases and obesity. In many countries worldwide, soup is a least-expensive means for maintaining health. There is an opinion that soup is stimulating. …/ www.dialogue.ca
Ken Slade, Lithuanian Soup-making, contd.
People often say that soup strengthens and stimulates the human body’s system, provides freshness, and improves one’s mood. The saying prevails that soup is cooked only by ‘regular’ families, because the soup must be cooked in a way for it to be tasty, healthy, and with an attractive appearance to everyone. Well-made soup is a true ornament of the table. Soup is meant to be tasty. The soups cooked with meat, fish, and mushrooms have merged, extracted substances, providing particular tastes and fragrances. For this reason, each soup is different; and has its distinct taste, which is determined by the individually-selected ingredients. Soup is digested more easily than the uncooked ingredients. Carcinogenic substances that are detected in roasted dishes are absent in stovetop-prepared (liquid-based) foods. Although the caloric content of soups is dependent upon the ingredients, nevertheless, there are no issues regarding the sustenance of its bouillon-broth. The nutritional value of soup is increased by the addition of sour cream, butter, milk, sugar, and eggs. Soup is one of the foods that is prepared most-easily. Culinary knowledge/ability is minimal in order to prepare soup. It is possible to cook tasty soup for both one person and for a group of people, respecting everyone’s individual demands, time, and imaginations. In general, soup is considered to be both nutritious and healthy. Beyond the many advantages of soup, some disadvantages of soup are observed; for example, insufficient/lost vitamins from vegetables not processed promptly or over-cooked, and/or insufficient feeling of fullness of quantity. It is known that the more-finelythan-necessary cutting of vegetables results in greater loss of vitamins, aroma, and their other valuable substances. Vegetables are negatively influenced by iron and cooper; it is better to cut/prepare vegetables using tools made of stainless-steel or plastic. In addition, much of the vitamins are lost when vegetables are pulped using a metal screen/mesh. Nevertheless, when soup is seasoned with sugar, salt, and natural acids, then the possibility is increased to sustain the vitamins originally present in the vegetables. In every geographic area, people have their peculiar and varying tastes, as well as their traditional soups. For examples: cold borsch-soup is well-liked and is traditional in Lithuania; in Latvia, a favourite is cabbage soup; in Estonia, mushroom soup; in Poland, rye soup with sausage and eggs; in Sweden, bean soup with bacon; in Norway, moose soup; in Finland, beef soup; in Denmark, mashed-mushroom soup; in Germany, eel soup; in France, onion soup; in Spain, cold tomato-soup; in Turkey, soup ‘Chorba’ -cooked with milk products and wheat. www.dialogue.ca
General Considerations for Soup-making There are some general rules for cooking soup. By following such rules, we cook more tasty, healthy, and aesthetically-pleasing soups. Freshness: All products intended for cooking the soup must be fresh. Rinse in cold water: Vegetables must be rinsed in cold water by using cold or lukewarm water, cleaned with a small brush, and rinsed again with water. Cauliflower, broccoli, and other leaf-vegetables that are hardly cleanable are rinsed in cold water, and then must be kept in salted / acidic water for about 10 minutes, because only then are all pests removed. Peeling: It is advised to thinly peel and scrape all vegetables; because many vitamins, mineral acids, and volatile oils are present in the outer layer(s). Cutting: Vegetables should be cut according to the same size and forms of the other ingredients. For soups containing vermicelli, vegetables should be cut to strawsized diameters and lengths approximating that of the vermicelli; for soups containing macaroni, cut to cubesizes; for soups with other-sized pasta-products, cut to thin circles, or form into balls; with vegetable / legume products, cut to cubes; with grits, process into thin crumbles. Speed: Cleaned, rinsed, and chopped vegetables must be used as quickly as possible, because they are negatively influenced by oxygen and light; the biologicallyactive substances present in vegetables will oxidise and lose their useful qualities. Hot water: Ingredients of the soup must be placed only into hot, and preferably boiling, water; because cold water contains elements that cause oxidation of vitamin C and other composite parts. Moreover, there is less oxygen in boiling water, in comparison to cold; thusly, the undesired oxidation of vitamins occurs more slowly. Sequence: Soup ingredients should be added separately, not together; some vegetables can boil-over, but others may be under/over-cooked. Potted-vegetables and bay-leaves are added at the end of cooking, because if cooked for a long time, they lose their fragrances. Water amount: When cooking, 1.5 cm (~ 5/8 inch) of water must cover the vegetables. An excessive amount of water eliminates vitamins and other useful minerals and substances. Salting: Soup should be salted towards the end of cooking, but not too late, so that all of the ingredients are able to absorb evenly the salt. Always salt to taste, not to a predetermined quantity. Tasting: During the cooking of soup, it must be constantly observed and tasted. Nevertheless, it is not recommended to stir the soup too-regularly and/or toovigorously, because the amount of the oxygen will …/ VOL. 28 NO. 2, WINTER 2014-15
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Ken Slade, Lithuanian Soup-making, contd.
be increased, and thusly eliminate vitamins. Serving: Generally, soup is best consumed directly after cooking. Re-heated soup is usually of less quality, and has fewer vitamins. However, many people think that certain re-heated soups [notably such prepared with cabbage, beetroot (beets), beans, etc.] are characterised by richer and more-striking taste. Side-dishes: Often in Lithuanian cuisine, boiled or roasted potatoes are served as a side-dish to the soup. Roasted potatoes are seasoned with salt; boiled potatoes are seasoned with cut dill, butter, and sour cream. Some lesspopular accompaniments are floury dough-balls, which are produced of flour, yeast, milk, sugar, and salt, and are oven-roasted. Toasted-breads are often eaten together with spicy soups; bread slices may be covered with butter,
coated with shredded fermented-cheese, and oven-heated. Suit to your taste and needs: Lithuanian cuisine is particularly fond of ‘sour’ flavours, especially sour-cream and dill, as well as the use of sorrel (although the sourness is reduced by adding sour cream). If you prefer non-sour taste, substitute regular cream for sour-cream, substitute another spice / herb / flavouring for dill. A sugar-substitute can be used instead of refined sugar. Salt may be eliminated, or replaced with other flavourings (example: Italian-type spices such as oregano, parsley, basil, etc.). There are many types of oils used in cooking; use what you prefer. Margarine may be substituted for butter. Lower-fat milk/cream may be substituted for higher-fat cream. Cabbage may be replaced by broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, etc. Be creative! All Rights Reserved: 2014 kenmunications@gmail.com ♣
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Thank You from Yolanda
– a follow-up to her story in the Summer 2014 issue… Dear Maurice and Janet, Thank you so much for your help. It came at a crucial time and made a big difference – as did the gift from a Dialogue reader. Having friends like you makes the fighting for survival worthwhile. Fortunately my health is improving and I’m determined to enjoy life, whatever happens to me, because that is the only way to live. Making someone happy, even with just a smile or a caring touch, can make a difference; and I try to cheer people up wherever I go. It works; it makes me feel better. My pets (two poodles and two cats – one 21 years old) give me all their love, all the time. If I could either get an agent and/or get published, it
would help, of course. The CLSC (Quebec’s public healthcare centre for local community services) refused to get me some help of any kind after my operation. Living alone and …/ isolated didn’t sway them: I have the wrong political views and they don’t let me forget it. Even my surgeon was surprised at their reaction and sent me home in a prepaid taxi (whose driver helped me climb steps and get inside). I’m a survivor – I hope to be able to help others someday. Thanks again. (I’ll never forget your gesture) Love, Yolanda. From Yolanda East, 5620, ch Fleurant, S. Agathe, Qc J8C 0P1 ♣
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A Note with our subscription Hi Janet and Maurice, Sorry I am a little late with my subscription renewal for Dialogue. I’m not sure whether I am becoming too old to remember such things, or it just slipped my mind temporarily. In any event, enclosed is my cheque (for renewal and a donation). You both continue to do a fantastic job of putting together a wonderful magazine, year after year, and you provide a great service to many Canadians. I hope you both continue to keep well and, at this time, Helen and I wish the two of you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy/Healthful New Year for 2015. – Ken Clark, Fergus ON
[Ken wrote a column in Dialogue for many years.] 50 dialogue
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Is Your Subscription Due Soon? Dear Dialogue Readers and Writers, If you are enjoying this issue of Dialogue and want to be sure you will receive the next issue, please check your ADDRESS LABEL ON THE BACK COVER – to find your Expiry date for your subscription. If you Renewal is due by March 2015 (& the Spring issue), you will find a Renewal slip enclosed in this issue (See P.59). The continuation of the magazine relies entirely on your subscriptions and donations. Thank you. We are most grateful for your submissions, words of encouragement, subscriptions and donations. They make it all possible and worthwhile. Janet, Maurice, Penny & Lucky ♣ www.dialogue.ca
“Reminiscence and Revelation”
Food for thought – Past Life Regressions… Mike Harvey, Langley BC
Mike Harvey
Chris, a highly intelligent and obviously successful gentleman accompanied me around the dog park. Our conversation centred upon the numerous religions, the Gods given many names and the fact that killing by our species and others seemed to be the norm. I ventured the theory that each life may be a learning process during which we hopefully advance towards being a
more perfect soul. As an example, we agreed that it takes many years of learning to become proficient in a profession. I mentioned the fact I’d once been a successful hypnotherapist and told him about the regression of a woman back to a past life (and death). She had been sent to me by a therapist who had attempted to rid her of her fear of the dark without success. He had wished me to regress her to childhood where she may have had some experience contingent upon her fear. I took her back to childhood without finding any cause for her deep-rooted fear of the dark. Then I suggested that, if she was willing, I’d take her back to a past life in which the cause of the fear might be found. She agreed and, still under regression, immediately told me about a life in Kingston, Ontario in 1926 where she was employed as a Bell telephone operator. She described her home, the address, the Bell office in
which she worked, provided the addresses of both locations and then became tearful. “I’m going blind,” she stated. She told me of going to the hospital for unsuccessful treatment and then of her own death. Bringing her quickly back to the reality of my office, I noted the immediate lifting of her spirits. “I will no longer be afraid of the dark,” she stated, “as that part of my life’s journey has ended.” The therapist confirmed that the session had been successful. She was never afraid of the dark again. However, my curiosity had been aroused. I was not a believer in reincarnation and wanted to check the facts for myself. I phoned a reporter from the Kingston Whig Standard newspaper. Would she check the facts for me as they should still be available? In a few days the exited reporter called to tell me that she had been able to confirm the entire story, she’d seen the house, she’d confirmed with Bell that the woman had been employed there, the hospital records showed that she’d been a patient and had succumbed to some illness. The reporter even visited my client’s gravesite. There are indeed thousands of confirmed stories of previous lifetimes authenticated by scientific research. However, I just want to add what Chris said to me as we walked this morning. “One day when I was just a kid I awoke and was babbling away in Spanish. My parents confirmed this and the point being that my home in New Zealand and the English language were all that were known to me.” Michael Harvey, Langley BC ♣
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For your contemplation… On conspiracy theories and credibility Rec’d from Richard K. Moore, Wexford Ireland THE VINEYARD OF THE SAKER, SUNDAY, NOV 23, 2014
Dear friends, I am noticing with some dismay that some (many?) of you are still firmly the mental clutches of the "conspiracy theories" logical fallacy. The reactions to Koenig's articles about Ebola and HIV are typical of that kind of logical derailment. So it is high time that I state a few basic assumptions of this blog. 1) A "conspiracy theory" is, a priori, a good thing. Why? Because the world is chock full of conspiracies. What is a conspiracy? It is a secret plan of a group of people. Does any of you really believe that with 16+"intelligence" www.dialogue2.ca
agencies in the USA there are not thousands of conspiracies hatched every day by tens of thousands of professional people just here, in the USA? Don't you know that corporations conspire too? What do you think antitrust laws are all about? Do you know that the criminal code is also full of conspiracy crimes? So here is the deal: if you want to understand what happens behind the smokescreen thrown before you by the corporate media and government officials you HAVE TO spend most of your time looking into conspiracy theories. Put simply – if you reject conspiracy theories you are blind. Period. 2) I don't give a damn about my "credibility" or the "credibility" of my blog. I don't deal in "credibility." …/ VOL. 28 NO. 1, AUTUMN 2014
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Vineyard of The Saker: Conspiracies, contd.
"Credibility" is an "argument of authority" which assumes that something coming from "A" is credible because it comes from "A". This is not what I want for this blog. In the Saker community I want everybody to be critical of everybody and everything and to only judge an arguments in its own merits (or lack thereof). If tomorrow Poroshenko or Joe Biden write a good piece I would not hesitate to publish it. Not because I endorse it (I only endorse what I write!), but to foster an intelligent discussion. In other words, "credibility" is something attached to an argument, not a person. 3) In order to reject a hypothesis we have to first look into it. Unless we develop a ‘1984-like automatic rejection without analysis’ capability, there is no way for you to evaluate a thesis without being exposed to it. A hypothesis is just that – a "maybe" or "what if." If it passes a preliminary stage of acceptance, and if it becomes formalized, it becomes a theory. Then, that theory can be tested, in particular in its ability to predict. Only then can it be proven false. In the case of Ebola and HIV, all I hear is side "A" claiming that it was created by the US government while side "B" says that this is not so. In the meantime, NOBODY is offering any kind of halfway intelligent discussion of the hypothesis. Instead the hypothesis is dismissed prima facie as a "conspiracy theory." Those who do that apparently fail to realize that if, as this hypothesis states, the US government had something to do with the creation of HIV or Ebola then, by definition, this was a conspiracy and, again, by definition, only a conspiracy ‘theory’ could help prove that. What is wrong with you guys?! Has basic logic just become extinct?! 4) Last but not least: this blog is about *freedom of thought* - something sorely needed in our single-thought and completely monolithic society. I feel that freedom implies the freedom to make up your own mind and therefore to be exposed to something which is wrong or untrue. All of the media and 95% of the blogosphere is busy trying to establish "credibility" like a dog peeing in the four corners of a room to establish its territory. I say let them aspire to "credibility" if they so chose – I aspire for *freedom*.
I want this blog to be a place where people can present odd, "heretical", rejected, crimethink and otherwise persecuted ideas. Let them come here, present them, and if you disagree with them - tear them apart with facts and logic, be ruthless, don't leave them a place to hide from your merciless analysis. But don't rejected them without that, without this "trial by comments" in which all of us are jurors. It just so happens that I remember some very well informed people telling me, in the late 1980s early 1990s, that HIV had all the signs of having been engineered. Is there a reason to reject such a hypothesis prima facie? Not if you know anything about the history of biowarfare research, especially by the US government. That I know for sure. But I personally have no opinion about HIV and no opinion about Ebola. Frankly, I don't have the time to form an opinion about them (oh yes, I don't consider having an opinion a "right" of some kind. Having an opinion is the result of a painstaking and long process of analysis at the end of which you sometimes, not always, end up with an opinion). To be very honest, I don't particularly care. But I care that others care and that is why, I posted these articles by Koenig because I know for a fact that others (which shall remained unnamed) have chickened out from posting them, probably for reasons of "credibility". I don't care much about this specific topic, but I do care, immensely, about the intellectual freedom of this blog. And I will never, ever, let considerations of "credibility" stand in the way of this blog's intellectual freedom. There are plenty of really, truly, totally "credible" and "respectable" blogs out there. Somebody got to be free and non-respectable and I very deliberately chose to be part of that "fringe lunatic conspiracy theorist" with "zero credibility" which does not let the society's doxa tell me what I should, or should not, post. - The Saker LINK: http://vineyardsaker.blogspot.nl/2014/11/on-conspiracy-theories-and-credibility.html RKM WEBSITES: cyberjournal.org | escapingthematrix.org http://quaylargo.com/ Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/richardkellymoore ♣
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Libya: Canada & the media's great shame Stephanie McDowall, Nanaimo BC COMMENT RE GLOBAL RESEARCH ARTICLE (link follows)
Each Canadian Opposition Leader except for Elizabeth May, supported the attacks against Libya. It could hardly be called a war. I would guess that almost all our Federal MPs were badly informed and ignorant re Libya. The media misinformed and manipulated the Canadian public as did Stephen Harper and his Conservative Government. They all lied... and people died. Now young Middle Eastern youth and people have created ISIS/ISIL. They are getting even with the 52 dialogue
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West. Can we really blame them? We are reaping what we have sown. Take a look at the very short video as well. By the way... where is Libya’s gold and all the money Libya had on deposit in U.S. Banks? Why isn’t our media asking these questions? The media is corrupt ... that’s why! Which of the Western Leaders & perhaps even publishers have been personally enriched from Libya’s wealth? I am deeply ashamed of Our Canadian Government and our Opposition Leaders. Write to …/ www.dialogue.ca
Canadian politicians and ask them what has happened to Libya’s money and gold? Don’t stay silent. This is what a democracy is supposed to be. Exercise your rights! – S. McDowall, Nanaimo
Libya Then and Now: an overview of NATO’s Handiwork – and the African Geopolitics of the War on Libya By Mahdi Darius Nazemroaya Global Research, Nov 22, 2014 / New Dawn Magazine - Special Geopolitical Edition; LINK: www.globalresearch.ca/libya-then-andnow-an-overview-of-natos-handiwork/5415563
The fact that Libya happened to be a rich country was one of its crimes in 2011. Oil, finance, economics, and Libyan natural resources were always tempting prizes for the United States and its allies. These things were the spoils of war in Libya. While Libyan energy reserves and geopolitics played major roles in launching the 2011 war, it was also waged in part to appropriate Tripoli’s vast financial holdings and to supplement and maintain the crumbling financial hegemony of Wall Street and other financial centres. Wall Street could not allow Tripoli to be debt-free, to continue accumulating international financial possessions, and to be a creditor nation giving international loans and investing funds in other countries, particularly in Africa. Thus, major banks in the United States and the European Union, like the giant multinational oil conglomerates, had major roles and interests in the NATO war on Tripoli. After Libya’s rapprochement with the US and the European Union, it was unthinkable to many that Washington and any of its allies could even have been preparing to topple the Libyan government. Business and trade ties between Libya and the US, Britain, Italy, France, Spain, and Turkey had bloomed since 2003 after Colonel Muammar Qadhafi opted for cooperation with Washington. No one imagined that Saif AlIslam Qadhafi’s “New Libya” with its neo-liberalism could be on a collision course with NATO. [EXTRACT & LINK]
Yet, the US and its EU partners for several years made preparations for taking over Libya. They had infiltrated the Jamahiriya’s government, security and intelligence sectors. Longstanding imperialist objectives existing since the Second World War, aimed at dividing Libya into three colonial territories, were taken out of government filing cabinets in Washington, London, Paris and Rome, and circulated at NATO Headquarters in Brussels. Oil and gas production has been stopping. National assets have been sold off to foreign corporations and privatized. Libya is no longer a competitive economic power in Africa anymore. Nor is Libya a growing financial power. Tripoli virtually transformed from a debtless country to an indebted one overnight. […] LINK: www.globalresearch.ca/libya-then-and-now-an-overview-of-natos-handiwork/5415563 Footnote: Green Party's Elizabeth May the only dissenter to Libya extension: See more at: www.ceasefire.ca/?p=8055 ♣
Comment from Derek Skinner:
Someone coined a neat phrase that describes these atrocities. They are "oil-currency wars." The Americans cannot permit any dilution of the petro-dollar control of energy that supports the inflated American economy. Therefore Iraq & Syria had to be re-established as Euro and US oil company interests and Libya had to be taken out before it united Africa into a non-IMF bastion. Russia/China, Iran and Venezuela and all the other BRIC countries are now in the crosshairs of the insane American foreign policies that will continue to provoke until something ignites a response. Hopefully this will be a financial and economic takedown of the American agenda and not a firefight. Our fundamentalist Dictator has joined in to the US/Euro/Brit/Aussie pack. Why don't our hapless Opposition Parties make this a vote of Confidence? Because the Liberals would probably support the Conservatives! Derek Skinner, Victoria BC ♣
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The Holocaust Narrative: politics trumps science The book, “Breaking the Spell,” by Nicholas Kollerstrom Article in Veterans Today, forwarded by Arthur Topham
By Jim Fetzer, Nov. 26, 2014 [EXTRACT & LINK] “The fastest way to get expelled from
a British university is by saying you are looking at www.dialogue2.ca
chemical evidence for how Zyklon was used in World War II, with a discussion of how delousing technology functioned in the German World War II labour camps” – Nicholas Kollerstrom …/ VOL. 28 NO. 2, WINTER 2014-15
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Extract, Jim Fetzer in Veterans Today, contd.
The author of this refreshing scientific study of the Holocaust, Nicholas Kollerstrom, may be the most honorable man whom I have ever had the pleasure to know. In response to [U.K.] PM David Cameron’s denunciation of 7/7 and 9/11 skeptics as (being) on a par with ISIS, he went to Scotland Yard with a copy of [his 2009 book] Terror on the Tube (3rd ed., 2011) and turned himself in. Scotland Yard declined the honor, but this act – which symbolically castrated the PM’s outrageous stance – was a striking illustration of his ability to tackle a problem by going right at it. A distinguished historian of science with multiple degrees, including from Cambridge, he has published on 9/11 and especially 7/7, about which he appears to be the world’s leading expert. When his attention turned to research on the use of
Zykon B as a delousing agent in the labor camps run by the Germans during World War II, however, he was treated as an outcast. He lost his position at University College London, which he had held for 15 years, where university officials did not bother to extend the opportunity of a rebuttal before they sacked him. He and I both spoke at the recent conference, “Academic Freedom: Are there limits to inquiry? JFK, 9/11 and the Holocaust,” where this book reports the results of the research for which he was banned. The book, a stunning historic expose, has just appeared. I endorse it with my highest recommenda– Jim Fetzer, Veterans Today tion. […] READ IN FULL AT LINK: www.veteranstoday.com/2014/11/26/the-holocaust-narrative-politicstrumps-science/comment-page-2/ ALSO ONLINE AT Radical Press: http://www.radicalpress.com/?p=6850 ♣
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Life Off Grid: The Book – by Phillip Vannini and Jonathan Taggart STORY SUGGESTED BY JUNE ROSS [EXTRACT/LINK] Myriad lines surround our day-to-day
lives, exiting and entering our homes. Wires connect to electricity posts which power and heat our dwellings. Cables hook us to telephone and internet networks. Other lines stretch the world closer to us and our homes closer to the world: paved driveways link us with roads and highways, mains tap us into common water reserves and flow into municipal sewers, satellite beams reach into the atmosphere to download television signals into our living rooms. Together these lines constitute extensive and powerful webs through which our lives are suspended. These are the “grids” upon which society is pegged, the grids through which our social relations are entangled. Not everyone, however, is caught in these grids. People who for many different reasons have cut off these lines and spun alternative webs have begun to live “off-the-grid.” This book, based on almost two hundred interviews and two years of fieldwork in every province and territory of Canada, uncovers the day-to-day stories of off-gridders, illustrating why and how someone lives off-grid. Written in the style of a travelogue and intended for both the general public and students and scholars, the book is published by Routledge 54 dialogue
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<www.routledge.com/> as part of its Innovative Ethnographies series, and can be purchased on the publisher’s website or through many other online retailers such as Amazon. The content displayed in the pages of this website was produced to accompany the book, which is published in both paper and electronic versions.
About the Researchers: Jonathan Taggart and Phillip Vannini
Phillip Vannini <http://www.royalroads.ca/people/phillipvannini> is Canada Research Chair in Innovative Learning and Public Ethnography <http://publicethnography.net/> and a Professor at Royal Roads University in Victoria, Canada. He is author/editor of ten books, including the recent Ferry Tales: Mobility, Place, and Time on Canada’s West Coast (Routledge, 2012) <http://ferryresearch.ca/>. Jonathan Taggart <http://jonathantaggart.com/> is a graduate of Royal Roads University’s MA in Intercultural and International Communication and currently a University of British Columbia doctoral student and an award-winning Vancouver-based photojournalist. His photography and writing have appeared in many magazines and academic journals. He is a member of the Boreal Collective < http://borealcollective.com/ > MORE ABOUT THE BOOK: http://lifeoffgrid.ca
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Personocratia’s Path From Teenage Citizens to Adult Sovereigns Most Canadians are so proud of claiming their citizenship that some even sew a little Canadian flag on their bag when they travel abroad. They act like sheep showing off their ear tags to disclose the identity of their owner. Oh, don’t you know? A citizen is a slave owned by the secret elite who controls the government from backstage. To find true freedom, a person needs to get out of citizenship1. This is much more than a money-saving scheme to avoid paying income tax. It requires a radical change of consciousness where an individual decides to find and express the true sovereign self, hiding underneath her fake citizen identity.
CITIZEN SLAVERY A real person is a human being with a body, a soul, and a spirit. Both creatrix and creature, she is the supreme authority (sovereign) and holds absolute power over herself. On the other hand, a citizen is an illusory person who accepts to be the member of a state. As for the state, it is a five-fold abstract concept (AC) – a political (AC) corporate entity (AC) holding an organisational (AC) power over the citizens (AC) of a limited territory (AC). The state is an imaginary entity with an illusive power, which tries to impose itself on a real, omnipotent person. This untenable situation exists only because the real person remains ignorant and unconscious of her identity. Separated from her soul, she remains fearful and submissive. Various visible and invisible predators jump on the occasion to dominate and exploit her to the maximum. The citizen is made up of two inseparable entities, both illusory: the natural person (an animal with flesh and bone) and the legal person (a piece of paper with a virtual body). The same type of presumed contract exists between citizen and state as between employee and employer. An employee exchanges time, skill, and energy against a salary and social benefits. In the same way, the citizen enjoys rights and privileges in exchange for the duties and responsibilities of her legal status. It is a trade-off. If I decide to leave the corporation for whom I work, I lose salary and social benefits, but also stop all past obligations. Similarly, if I abandon citizenship, I renounce all rights and privileges and I free myself www.dialogue2.ca
ipso facto from all duties and responsibilities towards the state. Many people dream of abolishing their obligations towards the state – notably income tax. Yet, they insist on keeping the rights guaranteed by the Charter and the privileges granted by the state. Some citizens refuse the jurisdiction of maritime law, but remain submitted to common law2. They call themselves ‘sovereign citizens’, but this is a misnomer, since a citizen is, by definition, the subject of a sovereign. Such people ignore the fact that asking someone else to acknowledge their rights is accepting that person’s rule over them. In reality, only the human being is sovereign, as long as she refuses all external authorities, including that of the state, the Constitution, and God. There is only one way to become a true sovereign: citizen death. Is it worth it to end citizenship? Yes! Ghis went through this process and is convinced that it is the only exit door to citizen slavery. It implies a transformation of consciousness from slave to sovereign person. It starts when a citizen stops participating in the dualistic game of dominator versus dominated and decides to unite authority and obedience inside herself. Is it dangerous to become a non-citizen? No more than to remain a citizen. A person can now be accused of terrorism if she has committed one of these ‘crimes’: libertarian ideas, preparedness, fear of financial collapse, homeschooling, or belief in a global conspiracy. Such laws have already been passed in the US, and will soon become the norm worldwide. [After the termination of citizenship] the contract between the state and its citizens is void, since there is no more valid consideration in exchange for tax dollars. The citizen can now organise her own liberation.
THE PROCEDURE BEHIND CITIZEN DEATH Citizen death transforms a teenage citizen into a sovereign adult. Until the transformation is accomplished, I still remain under the jurisdiction of my master, the state, and its laws. The five steps of the following procedure must be followed chronologically, but may partially overlap each other. …/ VOL. 28 NO. 2, WINTER 2014-15
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1. I Stop Traceability2 This first step is crucial. I stop giving information on myself. I stop using cheques, bank and fidelity cards. I stop Internet payments. When I buy or sell, I use cash, alternative currencies, or I barter. I stop working for the state. If I own an official business (corporation), I shut it down and continue my activities in my own name. If I am someone else’s employee, I create my own employment. I remain independent, respect my conscience, and fill a social need. No more declared salary with tax withholdings at source. No more job security and social benefits either! I take full responsibility for myself. I stop all traceability: social insurance number, copyrights, bar codes, social networks, etc. 2. I Stop Collaborating with Banksters2 Banksters are legalised thieves. Banks, insurance companies, and multinational corporations are society’s predators. I stop collaborating with a financial system that makes the rich richer and the poor poorer. Through this non-compliance, I can obey my conscience, grow richer, and use my purchasing power to make my village and region prosper. I cut all ties with these banksters and say goodbye to the ‘mortal sin’ called usury. I stop credit and mortgages. I pay back my debts or go bankrupt. Then, I remain debt-free – for good! I spend my money on locally-created products and services. I heal myself from low-price hysteria and I buy good-quality, beautiful, fairly-priced products – in cash, and no taxes please! 3. I Let Go of All Possessions and Properties1,2 Without my consent, the state can seize my properties, which are in the name of a corporation bearing my name, but belonging to the state. Therefore, I let go of anything in my name: land, house, other buildings, car, recreational vehicles, etc. I sell them, give them away, or transfer them to another person. I get back all savings, investments, and pension plans, and I cancel all insurance. Then, I close my bank accounts. 4. I Renounce Citizen Rights and Privileges1,2 In exchange for rights and privileges, the citizen must carry out duties and obligations. Such is the contract between master (state) and slave (citizen). The fundamental rights of citizens are the right to life (security), liberty, and property. Yet, every day, people get killed, tortured, raped, bullied, and robbed – with the
blessing of the state. In reality, the sovereign being that I am has all the rights and no need to get them recognized. To ask external recognition would mean abdicating my sovereignty. Therefore, I renounce all citizen rights guaranteed by charters and constitutions, and the false security and protection they brought me. I do the same with all citizen privileges. 5. I Stop Filing Income Tax Returns1 Now that I have renounced the rights and privileges of the state, I no longer have to fulfil my side of the citizen contract. The moment has come to put an end to my duties and obligations, including paying taxes. I start by clearing all previous state debts. Then, I stop filing. Now, I risk nothing, because I have nothing. The only blackmailing tool left is prison. Am I ready to face it? If not, I bargain with the tax collector, if and when he shows up. If I feel ready to go to the end, I send my death certificate to the state, along with a Proclamation of Sovereignty3, by which I announce my commitment to my soul. This fifth step is exhilarating. It allows me to fully integrate my new identity as a sovereign being with a body, a soul, and a spirit. No law can be applied to me any longer, and no court of justice has jurisdiction over me. I keep repeating this to all external authorities. Yet I have no idea of what is going to happen to me. I surrender totally to my soul and accept in advance what it will create. Whatever the outcome, this amazing adventure deserves to be fully embraced! Personocratia4
WARNING Does the end of citizenship bring automatic freedom? No! This is not a recipe, but an evolutionary path where one leaves the illusory comfort of Daddy State to stand on one’s own two feet. People keep asking Ghis the following question concerning the end of citizenship: “Does it really work?” Her answer remains clear. The goal is not to evade laws and taxes, but to face one’s fears and heal them, one after another. There is no guarantee. Any expectation of a specific result goes against the process itself. FOOTNOTES
1) Book Mme Ghis – Escape in Prison 2) Booklet 6: LAW towards… Justness 3) Booklet 10: SOCIETY towards… Paradise-on-Earth 4) The person who knows that she is the Supreme Creatrix incarnated in a body and who acts as such in her daily life.
__________
Note – The tenth and last booklet of the Personocratia’s Booklets series- “Society” - is finally out! You can order it on the information site below, in the English boutique section.
Information: www.personocratia.com 56 dialogue
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Videos: www.dianedares.com
♣
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Laughter & ‘Lightenment From Stephanie McDowall
Canadianisms - Eh! Knight’s Canadian Info Collection - Canadianisms From: http://members.shaw.ca/kcic1/canisms.html
The Meaning of Eh! “Eh” is a useful word that is very important and is the basis of all Canadian communications. It is used in conjunction with other words or by itself. The tone or slight differences in exclamation also change the meaning:EH is similar, but not the same as huh. Eh? = what did you say? Eh? = what do you think? EH? = something to say just to end a sentence. Ehhhh!! = WOW!! EH!? = what do you mean? Eh?? = you’re joking!!!?? EH!! = Hello...(you off in the distance!!!) Eh? want a doughnut or some Tim Bits? Eh! = sure!! Eh!Eh! = coffee double-cream too please! Eh? = what you say when you realize you have no money to pay for it. Eh...cmon, eh? = asking them to let you pay for it next time. Hey…eh! = want to go to the drive-in movie?? Eh…uhuh = yes sure! Eh…y'know = I'll pick you up at 8:00 (8:30 in Newfoundland). Eh…cmon!! = well that's early…but ok. Eh…wanna? eh? = let’s fool around... EHHHHHHH = sounds coming from the car. Hey...um...er…eh... = I'm pregnant! EH????????? = how did that happen? EHHehhEHHehhEHHH = sounds from the delivery room. EHHH-ehh, EHHH-ehh = baby's first cry. Ehh…whadya think eh? = marry me. ♣
From David Foster/Jennifer
The Bagpiper Time is like a river. You cannot touch the water twice, because the flow that has passed will never pass again. Enjoy every moment of life. As a bagpiper, I play many gigs. Recently I was asked by a funeral director to play at a graveside service for a homeless man. He had no family or friends, so the service was to be at a pauper's cemetery in the Nova Scotia back country. As I was not familiar with the backwoods, I got lost and, being a typical man, I didn't stop for directions. I finally arrived an hour late and saw the funeral guy had evidently gone and the hearse was nowhere in sight. There were only the diggers and crew left and they were eating lunch. I felt badly and apologized to the men for being late. I went to the side of the grave and looked down and the vault lid was already in place. I didn't know what else to do, so I started to play. The workers put down their lunches and began to gather around. I played out my heart and soul for this man with no family and friends. I played like I've never played before for this homeless man. And as I played "Amazing Grace," the workers began to weep. They wept, I wept, we all wept together. When I finished, I packed up my bagpipes and started for my car. Though my head was hung low, my heart was full. As I opened the door to my car, I heard one of the workers say, "I never seen anything like that before, and I've been putting in septic tanks for twenty years." Apparently, I'm still lost... it's a man thing. ♣
From Don Parker
Paddy’s 18th Birthday Paddy had long heard the stories of an amazing family tradition. It seems his father, grandfather, and greatgrandfathers had all been able to walk on water on their 18th birthdays. On that special day they had each walked across the lake to the pub on the far side for their first legal drink. When Paddy had his 18th birthday, he and his pal Mick took the boat out to the middle of the lake and Paddy stepped out of the boat and nearly drowned!! Mick just barely managed to www.dialogue2.ca
pull him into safety. Furious and confused, Paddy went to see his grandmother. "Gramma," he asked, "Tis me 18th birthday so why can't I walk across the lake like father, grandfather, and great-grandfather?" Grannie looked deeply into Paddy's eyes and said, "Because ye father, ye grandfather, and ye greatgrandfathers were all born in December when the lake was frozen, and ye were born in August, ye bloody idiot!" ♣ VOL. 28 NO. 2, WINTER 2014-15
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Contributors in Andersen, Erik, BC……….8,59 Arney, Jeremy, BC……….... 12 Bowles, Paul, BC…...…...37-39 Brown, Ellen, US (reprint)….8-9 Burt, Wes (reprint)………….6-8 Canadian Action Party….12-14 CBC (The Current – link)…. 11 CDSAPI – Inge Hanle, BC… 17 Clark, Ken & Helen, ON…… 50 Conway, J. F., SK…………. 18 Council of Canadians…….. 25 Currivan, Jude (Quote)……. 44 Davidson, Richard J.(author) 42 DelanceyPlace (Quote/link) 42 East, Yolanda, QC………… 50 Ernst, Jessica, AB (about)....5-6 Fetzer, Jim (Quote/link)…… 53 Fogal, Connie, BC………… 15 Forbidden Knowledge TV… 14 Foster, David, ON…….…25,57 Global Research(links)17,52,53 Goertzen, Ed, ON………4,6,16
dialogue, Vol. 28 No. 2
Hamilton, Alexander (Quote) 16 Hannah, Dorothy, QC……... 45 Hanle, Inge, BC (CDSAPI)… 17 Harvey, Mike, BC...…...…... 51 Hellyer, Paul (new book)…. 15 Israel, Lou, ON………..…… 20 James, Elizabeth, BC (link) 59 Jordan, Roger (WSWS)…… 10 Kazdan, Larry, BC………... 04 King, Jeff (extract/link)…..14-15 Knauf, Colin, BC………...30-32 Kollerstrom, Nicholas (book) 53 Laszlo, Ervin (Quote)……… 44 Lonsdale, Derrick, US…..28-30 Lutz, Antoine (author)…….. 42 Masseau, Fran, QC……….. 47 Masuda, Gerry, BC……...... 17 Mathews, Robin, BC……… 04 McDowall, S, BC 10,13,15,50,52 McMurtry, Prof. John (link) 17 Mencken, H.L. (Quote)…… 04 Moore, R.K., Ireland…… 51,60
Morton, Alexandra, BC…… 12 Nazemroaya, Mahdi Darius 53 Neilly, Michael, ON…….…. 23 Nikiforuk, Andrew, BC….…5-6 North Shore News (link)….. 59 Orwell, George (Quotes) 14-15 Osho, Master (Quotes)….. 43 Parker, Don, ON……40-42,57 Personocratia, QC……..55-56 Porter, J. S., ON………...33,34 Powe, B. W., ON (quote)…... 33 Project Censored (link)…… 17 QUOTES:.…….....4,14,16,33,43,44 Real Food Channel (link)… 24 Ricard, Matthieu (author)… 42 Ross, June, BC (from) 22,54,59 Russell, Wayne, BC…....45-47 Shadbolt, John, ON…….…. 14 Skinner, Derek, BC……….. 53 Slade, Ken, Lithuania…..48-50 Taggart, Jonathan (book)… 54 Taylor, James, BC………… 24
“May We Fill our New Year with Inspiring Ideas and Actions”
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Topham, Arthur, BC……… 16 TheStar.com (link)………… 11 Tyee.ca (Reprint/link)……… 05 Vaincourt, A. Larry……….. 35 Vancourt, Randy, ON…….. 36 Vannini, Phillip, BC (book) 54 Vineyard of the Saker…….. 51 Vrain, Thierry, BC………26-28 Woollam, Bill, BC................ 43
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