METANOIA Interview with Artist
hamish blakely
METANOIA EXECUTIVE AND STAFF
A NEW WAY OF THINKING
PUBLISHERS
SALME JOHANNES LEIS & ALLISON PATTON
COPY CHIEF
CALEB NG
assistant to the copy chief EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS
LISA STOCKS JR LEIS AND HEINO LEIS
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF MARKETING
DAL FLEISCHER
PHOTO ARCHIVIST
GALINA BOGATCH
INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTOR
SUZETTE LAQUA
PHOTOGRAPHER
BRITANY SNIDER
VIDEOGRAPHER
ATTILA KOVARCSIK
CONTRIBUTORS
Gerald Auger Suzette Laqua Maureen Bader Marilyn Lawrie Alex Barberis Hank Leis Andy Belanger Salme Leis Donald J. Boudreaux Chris MacClure Dr Tim Brown Dunstan Massey Brian Croft Seth Meltzer Miki Dawson Dr Caleb Ng Cheryl Gauld Janice Oleandros Kulraj Gurm Dr Allison Patton Carly Hilliard Luis Reyes Marilyn Hurst Cara Roth Richard King IV Pepe Serna Peter and Maria Kingsley Dan Walker Mark Kingwell Harvey White Nina Khrushcheva Dr Bernard Schissel Dr Jack Wadsworth
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Cover Art by Hamish Blakely
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METANOIA CONTENTS
A NEW WAY OF THINKING
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY A NEW WAY OF THINKING THE SHAKING TIPI EXPERIENCE
BY HANK LEIS
GERALD AUGER IN RUSSIA
BY LESLEY DIANA AND GERALD AUGER
NELLIE MCQUINN-YOUTUBE LONDON
BY SALME LEIS
RANT
BY HANK LEIS
CANADIAN EDUCATION
BY DR. JACK WADSWORTH
WHY DO WE MOVE SO FAST?
BY CARLY HILLIARD
HAMISH BLAKELY, ARTIST
BY HANK LEIS
IN PRAISE OF LIMITING PRAISE
BY COLLEEN DROBOT
THE STOCK MARKET
BY DR. JACK WADSWORTH
CONCUSSIONS
BY DR CALEB NG
DAN WALKER’S CHRONICLES
BY DAN WALKER
MISSIVES
BY DONALD BOUDREAUX
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
In this edition we enter the surealistic world of Carlos Castaneda, where the neurosciences, brain wave theories, and mysticism become enmeshed to create a seperate reality, as Hank Leis relates his personal experiences in the Shaking Tipi Ceromony he attended. The late Dr. Wadsworth’s study of investment comes to a conclusion in this month’s issue, however his research and expose on the shortcoming of the current education system continues. We also want to introduce to our readers the phenomenal art works of Hamish Blakely as well as his thought-provoking answers to questions put to him by Hank Leis. Our own Carly Hilliard looks at clouds from both sides now, from up and down, and still somehow it’s cloud illusions she recalls, she doesn’t really know clouds at all (Both Sides, Now by Joni Mitchell). Enjoy the Art, Enjoy the Mysticism, Enjoy the Science! May you find Health, Wealth and Happiness and most importantly, enjoy the Holidays.
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METANOIA
In London, Salme Leis interviews Nellie McQuinn, who’s journey in the world of making movies began in Australia, moved to the US and ended (at least so far) in London, England. It is a trip through time and space as Ms McQuinn studies, gains experience, and settles down to do her own thing.
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METANOIA
A NEW WAY OF THINKING
T
he Greek origins of the word Metanoia [met-uh-noi-uh] convey the notion of an experience or a moment that is transformative. In fact the change itself would be so remarkable as to shift paradigms and these shifts actually would cause a change in behavior and ultimately the consequences of those behaviors. The articles in this magazine are intended to introduce a different way of thinking so that ideas and notions we take for granted can be reframed in such a way as to renew our life by making it more interesting, challenging and rewarding. Many of us have abandoned our intelligence, our ability to think, our various gifts for being able to create and instead joined the masses whose only goal is to perpetuate the species and dwell in a complacent and apathetic state amounting to nothing more than mere existence. We at Metanoia believe we are all capable of more than that and more importantly are able to generate epiphanous moments for you. We hope that our plethora of deep-thinking writers will be able to transform your life into something meaningful and wondrous. Every one of us, to a varying degree, has experienced these moments and most of us who have been so transformed are driven to rediscovering the process that first allowed us our enlightened clarity of mind. In the last decade, scientific advancements have given insights into human phenomena that were previously thought science fiction, such as the viral theory as a contributing factor in the feeling of “love”. Anthropologists may have noticed nuances in human behavior early in our development, but these scientific discoveries now actually explain the physiology of “metanoic thinking”. Our own behaviors are being re-examined in light of these discoveries about brain function, and in particular that our usual way of thinking leads us to our usual results. Moreover mostly we do not think- but react- not unlike reptiles- and this process does not always serve us well. Humankind is evolving, and more and more the primitive fears that govern our behaviors are being discovered to be limiting rather than opportunistic. What we are discovering about ourselves is what our evolution is all about; the beast within will soon be quelled and what will emerge is anybody’s guess. Individually, the context of one individual within a population of seven billion suggests his/her insignificance – let alone a lifetime in the span of eternity. And yet we still have this narcissistic sense that our existence is of tremendous relevance. And while there may be something to this belief, how do these enormous discrepancies in size and time fit together to explain the relevance of this epic story? Simplified, what is the relevance of a person making a living to pay for food and shelter to the formula E=mc2. Our mission, certainly for Metanoia is to explore all those ideas, and to change ourselves and you in pursuit of this intelligence. To put it another way, we want your brain to be engaged in way it never has been before. Are you ready for the challenge?
5.
The Shaking Tipi A Spirit Lodge Ceremony By Hank Leis
“How should I know?” I replied, “If we see men with high heels and nylon stockings held up by garters- we’ll know for sure!” When we got to the entrance, we could see people inside (no garters or high heels!) so we walked in not even knocking. Allison who had worked all day, had not eaten so she headed for the food trays immediately. Interestingly, everyone there wanted to converse with Allison (especially the young men) and no one with me. I tried to make contactbut no one seemed interested. It was as if I were invisible. Eventually, someone announced that we should go to the lodge in the backyard. No lights were allowed, so Allison and I got separated along the trail, but found each other again at the entrance to a large canvas tent, that to our surprise, was already filled with people. We waited for others to make their entrance so that we would be last, therefore closest to the opening for the door and able to leave should it become necessary.
Gerald Auger, Hank Leis and Leonard Cardinal
We take for granted that our reality, despite the nowemerging scientific evidence that contravenes this notion is well, real. It is not. But our conventional notions that process that common beliefs and methods are only realities we need to know, is not quite accurate. The challenges, to my own sense of reality began on a dark and rainy Saturday night. I had decided to attend the Shaking Tipi Ceremony, which I had been invited to by the internationally renowned indigenous actor Gerald Auger. It was an honour bestowed on me I could not refuse. The torrent of rain, obliterating the visibility of the street signs, the wet slippery roads causing the cars to plane, and making centre lines virtually invisible, creating a hazardous journey I did not want to undertake. My companions who were to come with me cancelled, but finally I persuaded Dr Allison Patton, to accompany me and guide me through the treacherous night. With her trusty cell phone in hand, she instructed me to make the turns, as she guided me up the winding roads towards our destination. Yet I still missed the turnoffs several times because of the poor visibility, but ultimately we found our way to our destination. We parked at the bottom of the hill, where the driveway wound its way up the hill to what looked like a well-lit mansion. As we climbed up the driveway in the rain, I remarked to Allison, that I was reminded of the first scene in the movie The Rocky Horror Picture Show. I could hear the tremor in her voice as she asked, “Do you think so? Is that the kind of event this is?”
I should explain that I had Tuberculosis when I was approximately two years old. My lungs are severely scarredand so I have less than 50% lung capacity. As I get older, it has made it difficult for me to be in confined spaces where oxygen is in limited supply. The air was filled with the aroma of smudge- and despite the pleasant odor, I was worried about how my lungs would handle all this. Finally, we felt it was time to enter, and Gerald spotted us immediately and invited us right to the front, the very thing I was avoiding. Allison climbed through the throng of people and I followed her, only much more slowly. She was stretched out on a bear rug with the head lodged under her arm. She seemed quite content just laying there. As I kneeled down to sit next to her, I could see movement under the rug. I suspected some animal had crawled under the rug, but sat down anyway. Immediately, there was a commotion and a woman complained I had sat on her feet. I pulled myself off her feet, which left me in a very uncomfortable position. Gerald observed my pain and suggested I stand up and then sit elsewhere once the ceremony had started. I found it difficult to stand up and ended up stumbling, then rolling over with my face pressed against the floor. I lifted my head up and found myself lodged between the legs and looking into the crotch of the woman who had complained about me sitting on her feet. I wondered if she thought this was better. As always, Allison was beyond herself, trying to pull me up. I had visions of myself resembling a beached whale, gasping for air, trying to push my way up with Allison’s clumsy help while lodged in a place where there was little left to grab onto. Allison a lightweight of 130 lbs, trying to lift a 220 lb beached whale must have been quite a sight. Gerald, in
a moment of empathy, reached out and grabbed my hand to assist me- but he too was having difficulty, I could feel myself pulling him down and I could see where we would both end up between the woman’s legs. She now had more to worry about than me just sitting on her feet. I pushed harder against the floor and with the help of Gerald, struggled up. Within myself, I was laughing so hard I could barely control it. It was as if I was in some altered state of consciousness and my general misdemeanour and pomposity was being revealed to me. As I stood in the centre of the tent, I looked at the sea of faces with almost 40 pairs of eyes staring at me. Not a smile- not a flicker of a smile- was to be seen, just staring. It occurred to me they might be thinking that I was part of the performance and I was. Gerald asked me to sit again, until the event got started and when the lights went out, I could crawl to the corner of the tent- where there was more space and I would be more comfortable.
out that only Gerald and I got its benefits from Grandfather. I sat in that seated position for a long time, with my hands in the cold water coming from the rain through the back of the tent. I was laughing hysterically at myself, the pain in my lungs, and in my legs had by now separated from who I was. I had no complaints- I had separated my being from my body. And while the pain was there- I realized it was not me. It came to me that in my entire life, I had used pain to avoid doing many things. That was my racket and I was now free from it. The spirits had put a mirror up to me to make visible my own act. The humility of being a beached whale made me ridiculous- yet I was not mocked or judged by the others. My physical pain was separated from my moods, my need for attention and my need for pity. I was doing fine- and was laughing at the miserable self I had created to make my way through life. I had not been an impeccable man nor the warrior with integrity I claimed I was.
At this point, Gerald began to tie up the Shaman with leather thongs. There were drums beating, people chanting
Leonard, the Medicine Man represented the Grandfather and Grandmother- the wisdom from the past, who now relayed this wisdom to those of us who sought knowledge. I listened intently, as grandfather’s voice emerged from the centre, and Gerald translated into English with such clarity for those of us who could not understand. Grandfather was ruthless in his advice- and he came from the place of no pity. No one was permitted to indulge in what ailed them. No one, including me. For over three hours I learned to tolerate my pain by separating my physical and emotional realities. My doctor leaned over and asked how long would this continue. The answer of course was, as long as it takes to answer the questions of all who had come. My response was somewhat sarcastic- but it gave me a good laugh.
Gerald Auger, Dr Allison Patton, and Leonard Cardinal
and whistles screeching. I was offered to smudge myselfand did so with alacrity, despite Allison’s (my Naturopathic Doctor) gasps at me endangering my lungs. All of a sudden there was a flash of light and the Shaman disappeared into the tipi at the centre of the tent. Then all the lights went out and all that was left was darkness. I could see nothing. My leg was grabbed by the spirits and I was yanked across the stage very rapidly. How anyone could see me or have the strength to pull me was beyond my comprehension. It was like an all-powerful force had taken hold of me. Allison followed, Gerald’s voice who repeated, “follow my voice, follow my voice”. She was now sitting next to me- at least I thought it was her, since I could see no one. I now saw Gerald’s face in the glow of the amber as he lit a sacred pipe. He offered it to me- saying, “the Grandfathers want you to smoke the sacred pipe”. Again, I could hear my doctor gasp; I inhaled several times, then passed it to the next person. They complained that the sacred pipe was no longer burning. My thought was that with my enthusiasm I had screwed up the entire ceremony by having inhaled too strongly. Gerald could not revive the sacred pipe- so it turned
“What’s the difference- we can’t make a break for it even if we wanted to because we can’t see where to go.” The phenomenon of voices sounding in the darkness was incredible. I was a point of existence, in the darkness, without a body and without appendages. The voices, sounds of fluttering, whistles, drums, chants all came from nowhere- sometimes loud, often times muted. Things were happening around us- but our beings seemed microscopic in the universe of darkness. When women were asked to sing- I could hear Allison trying- after all she had been in a church choir and I imagined she thought she was there again. I was laughing at her predicament. Allison sang because she likes to please people- despite the fact that she had no idea of the tune or what it meant. The lights suddenly came on. Leonard- our guide to the other side- was pulled out of his encasement and the thongs were unknotted. Time had passed in a flash and we had no context of how long it had all taken. We were in Einstein’s world where time does not exist beyond an equation. We hugged Gerald and left.
7.
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St.Petersburg, Russia – “Anichkov Bridge” By Gerald Auger
“Anichkov Bridge” is a story of understanding. It is also a story about accepting the power of the natural elements of the land. Through the story of one woman’s journey of self-hate she comes to realize that she is living a human existence, as opposed to a human experience. In short, she forgot to listen to her heart - her soul. In the story a Native American Spirit comes to visit her in the physical realm. The Spirit conveys a message to her to love life again. First, she must learn to love herself again. The film series is composed of seven women who tell seven stories based on the concept of love. The Russian cast and crew were beautiful, gentle souls. St.Petersburg itself is considered the Venice of the North. The architecture was unbelievable and full of character. The history of the city spoke of Peter the Great. The Masons, who built the city, used the moon, planets and the stars as a map to lay out the city.
My character is a Spirit in human form who comes from the Spirit world. This character brings ancient land-based knowledge from the Ancestors. I was able to portray this character from my own spiritual and transformational journey. Through my own paradigm shift, I came to understand the value of ceremony, family, friends and community. I now fully appreciate the wisdom of the land which I had previously taken for granted. It was this knowledge I felt I needed to bring to the film. I appreciated the fact that the Russian people had deep respect for my Indigenous background, culture and history. They considered Indigenous people to be freedom fighters and warriors. The plight of my people and our ancestors gave them a sense of hope and pride in their personal journeys. Being a part of Russian cinematic history as an Indigenous person and a Canadian was an honour and a humbling experience.
Interview with Nellie McQuinn
Left: On the set of Nellie and Ned Above: On the set of Alan
restaurants before finally stumbling onto a Starbucks. “Good� I thought, "I can think now". Not much computes before my morning coffee. As I walked toward Tottenham, I thought about the history of the Today I weaved in and out of streets area, the number of actors that trying to find a morning coffee, in had came through such prestigious cloudy old London. I was to meet venues. I looked in the coffee shops It was there that I met Nellie, a very her at the London YouTube studio, for people in meetings. In my mind pretty young girl with long brown something that was altogether new they were producers and directors hair. We managed to strike up a to me. Who knew YouTube had its and choreographers. I love creativity conversation about being young own film studios now? I thought it and being around creative people. and creating our own businesses. It was just something people did in Soho is the uninhibited part of my was then that I told Nellie (who was their garage. It just goes to show dreary little city. Australian) about my recent move you not everything is started with big injections of money. Some I walked into a monster of a building things start small and then there that holds the YouTube studios and is an incredible momentum, when there was Nellie waiting with two those who are innovators can see badges to get us in. Up we went to the the wave coming and and are able to YouTube tower where I had a good chance to get know Ms McQuinn a grab hold. bit more.... I walked past the theatres in Soho, and the signs for the metro and It was a very different day from the one when I originally met Nellie. We had met at MIPCOM where all the film and television people come to make deals and partnerships. Every name you can imagine came to Cannes for this networking opportunity.
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to the UK. Her headquarters were also in the land of tea, grey weather, and Union Jacks and so we quickly made plans to meet up and discuss her work.
Interview By Salme Leis
Your acting career has allowed you to perform in New Zealand, the U.S., and the U.K. Was it difficult to adapt to the different cultures and the different ways of doing things? How is each country different in how they approach the business?
Most actors find it challenging to get a steady pay cheque. You seem to have solved this problem with setting up your own production company. You have also created the HooplaKidz and have your own show. Can you tell us how this happened?
Rant Rant By Hank Leis
“Just a Closer Walk with Thee” – a touching song. It moves me- even though I am a self-proclaimed agnostic. I get it- especially the line- “I am weak, but Thou art strong”
And we are getting closer to thee- but in so doing finding it isn’t what we thought- and it is tough to get it- that we are redundant, expendable and incredibly weak or perhaps nothing more than an illusion. How do you face the world in knowing that- no not occasionally having bouts of depression or having a bad day- but knowing it- knowing something that no one else wants to know, discuss, or face- especially when what you know is based on understanding something that is irrefutable and wishing it were not so. As human beings we look for guidance to safeguard our future. But mostly we look into the past- to try to understand, what we need to do to protect ourselves from the dangers that may challenge our very existence in the future. Protecting our health from disease is just one example, so in times of illness, we turn to medicines that have been designed to eradicate that which threatened us. We are in constant search of that something that will allow us to live longer and better, so that the choices we make will give us the best life possible. All in all, we live longer and healthier lives than we did as a comparison say even 200 years ago. The choices we make, using the information and education we have attained, are getting us close to being impeccable. This impeccability is leading us to an understanding of ourselves and the world in ways we never anticipated. The answers are more than surprising, they are mindblowing. In the matter of infinite time- without beginning or endwe are finding out that all we have is change and that our minds “create” this illusion- and what we see is not what we get. And the illusory possibilities are without end. And the sciences that “we” study to extend our lives- may “prove” that we don’t exist at all and that our relevance and existence are based on a menagerie of subtle implanted beliefs- that in fact are untrue or without substance when examined scientifically. Confusing- yes- but to understand- think of being told the world is not flat- but a sphere. A shocking paradigm shift at the time of discovery and apparently remnants of that past assumption still persist on the fringes of our societies. I am not going to explain this by trying to derive Einstein’s formula E = mc2 from your fundamental assumptions about life as you see it. But there are some
fundamental assumptions more simple that can be made by the term “existence”. Existence implies that you live in three dimensional space, where things are organized in space in that unique moment for that instant only- and that as it changes from one configuration to another- we call that positional change time. We know the law from our high school chemistry- that for every action force there is an opposite equal reaction force.
So from the beginning of “time”- i.e. the big bangwhen things started moving or changing- everything we have and will ever have was pre-determined. In other words- you and everything you do was predetermined. Therefore the idea that you “think” you are making choices to set your course in life- were predetermined at the time of the big bang- and your illusion that you have the capacity to make choices was also pre-determined. Mind-blowing isn’t it? But that too was pre-determined. It’s akin to running a movie forward and backward- no matter how many times it is done, it remains the same. I will leave my argument for this Rant at this point. For more on this topic, watch the documentaries entitled The Brain by David Eagleman –especially the third in the series. The Neuroscientific studies on the brain and the latest findings in Astronomy are leading to incredible new insights on who and what we are. And it is not what we thought. Stay Tuned. “Just a Closer Walk with Thee” Author unknown I am weak, but Thou art strong; Jesus, keep me from all wrong; I’ll be satisfied as long As I walk, let me walk close to Thee. Refrain: Just a closer walk with Thee, Grant it, Jesus, is my plea, Daily walking close to Thee, Let it be, dear Lord, let it be. Through this world of toil and snares, If I falter, Lord, who cares? Who with me my burden shares? None but Thee, dear Lord, none but Thee. When my feeble life is o’er, Time for me will be no more; Guide me gently, safely o’er To Thy kingdom shore, to Thy shore.
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The Institute is pleased to publish this exploratory approach to the analysis of Canadian educational policy. Mr. Wadsworth brings to his subject the point of view of an observer outside the organized structure of education. From this vantage point he examines policy in education from three distinct but overlapping viewpoints, which he describes as the rational, the pragmatic, and the research approaches. Such an analysis is of particular consequence today. Education costs have reached the point where the taxpaying public is questioning the entire educational structure, and at the same time, many within the structure have expressed profound discontent. The need for fresh analyses of our schools and school systems is paramount. Mr. Wadsworth’s study is being published in order that his ideas and recommendations may receive attention. R. W. B. Jackson, Director. The Ontario Institute for Studies in Education Toronto, June 1971
Continued from previous issue While the discussion of the location effects of educational institutions has been limited to higher education, where the indirect economic effects are somewhat exaggerated, the discussion below applies generally to all levels of education. One of the beneficial effects frequently claimed for higher education is its influence on the total income of the area. It is argued that the presence of a university attracts individuals, research firms, etc. However, it should be noted that, if the objective is to enhance total income in the area, the question raised is whether additional money and resources should be devoted to some purpose other than higher education. Would the area be more or less attractive to industry and people if,
18.
instead of increasing spending for higher education, funds were used for other public services (parks, streets, sewers, etc.) or if taxes were reduced? Although the answer is not obvious, it is certainly evident that increased spending for higher education may or may not be an effective meanscompared with the alternatives- for enhancing the economic attractiveness of a particular area. Moreover, even if increased expenditures on higher education did increase income and employment in the immediate area, this does not imply that they would increase income and employ men for the province - or nation - as a whole. Many of the favorable effects in the immediate area would come at the expense of other areas. Thus, gauging the favorable income effects of increased public expenditures in the area immediately affected can be a very misleading indicator of effects for the province - or nation - as a whole. It is often stated anecdotally that education, particularly in its higher forms, cultivates a consumption trend towards the “good life,” with the search for cultural requirements affecting the patterns of expenditure. However, whether education has any significance compared to the mass media
and their advertising techniques is an area where very little documentation exists. Perhaps the more educated segments of the population are just as gullible so far as social-status advertising appeals are concerned as the poorly educated group are to beer advertising. It would seem that consumer discernment is a function of general value judgments rather than specialized knowledge acquired by formal education. Shulman has pointed out that doctors and dentists are the professionals most susceptible to salesmen of doubtful but attractive investment securities. There is an unfortunate tendency, particularly among the disciplines of higher education, to be esoteric specialties for which there is no labor market in the immediate vicinity. Such highly gifted and trained personnel naturally have a tendency to mobility, migrating not only interprovincially but internationally. This international migration of human skills would superficially appear to be a serious problem to the province or country supporting the alma mater. The brain drain of Canadian students has excited specific and general responses. Grubel and Scott have altered the entire nature of the debate on the brain drain, by pointing out the vital distinction between individualistic and nationalistic conceptions of welfare, when they explored the implications of the debt-to-society argument against the brain drain. They concluded that, on balance, there is no case to be made at the present time for interfering with the free flow of human capital throughout the world. However , this line of reasoning has been attacked by Thomas. Apparently the controversy still exists. The tendency of the educator to insist that the students look not at him but where he is looking; the tendency for the primary and secondary school systems to expand their progressive educational concepts; the tendency to preach egalitarian principles - these have resulted in the generation of expectations within students that the outside world cannot satisfy. The immediate conflict results from the contrast between the non-competitive aspects of the educational system and the highly competitive aspects of the real economic world. The extreme condition of educating expectation in students, so that no one wants to supply the important function of garbage disposal, has not occurred. However, mediocre students turned out by post-secondary institutions tend to express their dissatisfaction at not being able to secure a good job in a more competitive area by resorting to the educational system itself: by getting a teaching certificate and entering the teaching profession. This tendency for the teaching body to become a largely unenterprising group of mediocrity has been documented by Coombes. He has further pointed out that, when educational salaries fail to keep a competitive position with private sector positions requiring more enterprising personnel, the educational Gresham’s law goes to work and the system sinks lower into mediocrity. Thus, not only does the generation of high expectations in students, essentially unprepared for the highly competitive outside economic world, produce general dissatisfaction but it contributes particularly to the mediocre unenterprising nature of the majority of the teaching body itself.
Perhaps the most important indirect economic effect of the educational system is this generation of expectations in the students. This has the effect of forming the profile of the highly labor-intensive educational industry. The tendency for the educational system to educate high expectations into its students will be discussed below as it is related to the social and political effects of education. When the economic effects of education generally, and higher education in particular, are superficially examined, the following substantive issues are delineated sequentially: -Since the ultimate performance of a graduate in the economic system depends primarily upon his innate ability and motivation, and secondarily upon his possession of a degree merely as a union card, the social rate of return on education may be significantly low. However, the rate of return on the student’s own investment in education may be quite high, depending upon his choice of training or profession. -It is therefore self-suggesting that either higher education be more selective or be financed via some apprenticeship scheme, since the non-formal aspects of education (special training, on-the-job training) are more significant than the formal aspects so far as an individual’s productivity is concerned. -It follows further that considerations of the conflict between efficiency and equity cannot incliude an egalitatrian approach to education, since the more egalitarian the education system is made, the more inefficient is the educational process. The tendency of the egalitarian concept to inefficient selection is supported by Young and Bladen. Young points out that in the United Kingdom selection of students according to ability is effected in the educational system, while in the United States selection is postoned until the student enters the economic system. Bladen points out that the chance that a child born in 1945 will enter university is 1 in 3 if he is American, 1 in 6 if he is Canadian, 1 in 9 if he is Australian, 1 in 12 if he is French, and 1 in 20 if he is British. In consequence, British universities have a very low wastage rate. This latter concept raises the chicken-or-the-egg controversy: is economic growth an effect of education or a cause of education? In other words, does education produce a rich society or can only a rich society afford education?
Social Effects According to Kandell, education has always been a social process by means of which a community, society, or nation has sought to transmit to the emergent generation those traditional aspects of its culture that it considered fundamental and vital for its own stability and survival. The education that departs from traditional forms to train leaders for the advancement of the group, for the development of new ideas, or for adjustment to a changing environment, was a later and secondary development. Education for conformity has always been a dominant aim; even when the concept of the development of the individual as an intelligent, reasonable human being, trained to contribute to the progress of his group, is accepted, it is recognized
that there must also be a certain degree of transmission of common ideas and ideals. These two factors of tradition and change have determined the varying forms of education and the society that the education serves. It is therefore convenient to examine the social effects of education under three headings: those effects that serve to stabilize society, those that serve to accommodate change within society, and those that promote social unrest. However, not only are the social effects of education in our contemporary society inadequately documented, but the social effects of education must also compete with the stronger forcing function of the mass media, the traditionalizing aspects of religion, and the powerful nonformal education function of the family. At this early stage, it may be anticipated that education is not a cause of society but an effect of society. Although much anecdotal material exists to suggest that the majority of the socially stabilizing effects of education derive from its indoctrinary aspects, little empirical support can be found. Intuitively, it is felt that much of the socially stabilizing effect is a direct result of the conservatism and mediocrity that characterizes the majority of the teaching body. No readings have come to hand that would provide any evidence that the educational system was capable of preparing society to accommodate change. The fact that the educator admonishes students to look not at him but where he is looking generates expectations that produce conflict and dissatisfaction when the students discover that society cannot satisfy them. The tendency towards the elimination of competition within the educational system by the implementation of the concepts of progressive education leaves the students completely unprepared for the highly competitive economic world outside. The insistence that a child is not a young adult metaphorically perpetuates the Father Christmas myth to the point that its eventual destruction is painful. Perhaps even more painful than the discovery that meritocracy does not exist very strongly in the outside world is the discovery that attempts to implement socialistic egalitarian principles of equal opportunity demonstrates convincingly that all men are not equal. In summary, the contemporary educational system by its generation of artificial expectations promotes a certain degree of social unrest. A very visible aspect of the social unrest is the student activist. Contrary to widely held opinions, student activism is not a nucleus of anarchism but something quite different, and perhaps also reflects the disappointments produced by the built-in expectations of the educational system, as has been revealed by Astin. A more recent survey by Bayer and Astin of campus disruption during 1968/69 confirmed that popular accounts of campus crises were often misleading. A somewhat brighter aspect was revealed, since it appeared from their survey that most colleges and universities are attempting to
respond in a meaningful and appropriate manner to major campus protest when it occurs. Discipline has been used frequently in responding to violence . Major efforts have also been made to modify curriculum and to increase the students’ freedom and power. Unfortunately, the university is still reacting rather than anticipating. The above findings point out that student activism is essentially the result of a few gifted students expressing their political competence by organizing lobbies against university administrations. This would seem to be an entirely justifiable response to the conservatism of the higher educational administrative system and the expectations propagated by the educators themselves. Although it is difficult to separate the social effects of education from other perhaps more powerful social forcing functions of mass media, family, and religion, it is also difficult not to conclude that the educational system is not an anticipatory organization but merely passive. This passivity, combined with the generation of unsatisfiable expectations in the educational process, generates protests that are a manifestation of social unrest. That is, the contemporary educational system itself may be blamed for a certain amount of social unrest. An active educational system that prepared the student for the real world would perhaps be highly desirable. It might also stress that today’s younger generation is disappointingly similar to the older generation when it too was young. The excessive permissiveness that this younger generation is experiencing perhaps will not be experienced by the next younger generation. The recognition of a permissivenessprohibition cycle may point out to the younger generation that to preserve their permissiveness as they age, they will have to apply a certain amount of prohibition to their offspring.
Political Effects If one follows the North American educators’ gaze, it is not too difficult to see the prompt cards: “ ... the broad purposes of education inevitably evolve from the life of the people, and in the last analysis they are based on moral and spiritual values. Among these values are general welfare, civil liberty, government by law and with the consent of the governed, appeal to reason, preservation of scientific integrity, religious liberty, freedom of occupation choice, and the pursuit of happiness. Education and democracy are complementary conditions, each being necessary to the existence and health of the other. A democratic nation cannot exist without a free public school system. Free, liberal education is democracy’s first line of defence.”
To be continued in the next issue of Metanoia
Mountainview WELLNESS CENTRE “Your desire to CHANGE must be greater than your desire to stay the same”
Dr Allison Patton’s
January 20th, 7pm at Mountainview Wellness Centre R.S.V.P at 604.538.8837
www.mountainviewwellnesscentre.ca 3566 King George Boulevard South Surrey
Why Do We Move So Fast? By Carly Hilliard
We move so fast. Most of the time without question. Where are we racing to? That slot of time allotted for us to relax in, right? Do you ever get there? I usually don’t. Delayed gratification is the idea of resisting a reward now in order to gain a greater reward in the future. This concept was illustrated by the Stanford Marshmallow experiment in which children were placed in a room with a marshmallow and told that if they did not eat it, someone would come back with a second marshmallow a little later on. This experiment is a little like our lives today. If we give up our happiness now, and continue to work hard, we optimize the possibility for greater happiness or reward in the future. For example, if we work hard now and save up all our money, we can accumulate wealth and maybe one day go on a vacation or buy a nicer house. The alternative option is this: we work in moderation and so we take our rewards as they come. We never accumulate our wealth and we never reach those bigger and better things that are hidden just around the corner. We can also apply this concept to history. At first, we were hunters and gatherers. Then came advances in technology, such as irrigation and deforestation, which allowed for agricultural practices. Agricultural plots allowed for communities to settle because they no longer had to forage for food. These communities soon grew into towns. Through towns came the division of labour in which new forms of employment and roles for people of the community developed. There was now specialization of the economy (to some extent), trading systems for goods and services, centralized administration and politics, and most importantly the exchange of knowledge. We then took another big step forward with the Industrial Revolution. The advances in technology and innovation during the Industrial Revolution further specialized the economy. No longer did everyone have to spend their whole day working on the farm. New inventions such as the telephone, the steam engine, and the spinning mule generated greater efficiency and productivity. If more could get done in a shorter period of time, then people had opportunities to spend their time
elsewhere. This led to the pursuit of activities, advancing knowledge, and new industries. In the early 1900’s, social movements pushed for labour laws which restricted the number of hours one could work in a given day and/or week. These laws created a new lifestyle for the people, a lifestyle which included leisure. We had made it! We used innovation, technology, and human capital to break free of the endlessness of labour. We had worked hard, used our brains and said no to the immediate rewards that came our way. Instead we kept pushing in hopes of receiving that bigger and better reward and in the process of doing so, we became more and more productive. However, we didn’t stop there. So where are we now? We are living within a global capitalist economic system which greatly influences every aspect of our lives. However, very rarely do we ever question how it influences our daily lives and perceptions of reality. For example, when we feel a certain way, we look into ourselves instead of out into the world to figure out why. If we are stressed and exhausted, we blame ourselves. I am tired because I am sick. I am stressed because there is not enough time to do everything that needs to get done. It is my fault that I am not enough. Something must be wrong with me. We seldom criticize the system that makes us believe we need to do all these things to be happy. I am stressed and exhausted because the demands that society places upon me are too high. I am stressed and exhausted because all the things I do each day are to uphold a certain reputation of happiness and success. They are not actually the things that make me happy. This is a symptom of an individualist society. The fault falls on the individual when we can no longer carry on. But what if what is being asked of us is too much? When do we stop working for that delayed gratification and accept our rewards? Should we feel badly for wanting a break? I don’t think so. We should look at the broader structures of society to understand how they might influence our perceptions of reality. If we reframe our thoughts with this in mind, we can free ourselves from somehow believing that we are inadequate; that we have
fallen off course. We can understand that the values of our society are a product of the overarching structures; and in many respects one in particular, capitalism. Capitalism is a dog-eat-dog system in which if you are not getting ahead, you are falling behind. If you are falling behind, you will eventually fall out of business. Therefore, one of the values of capitalism is competitiveness and the other is productivity. Do you ever meet up with your friends for dinner and feel like everyone is trying to ‘one-up’ each other? That there is a social stigma to let everyone know that you are successful; that things are going well for you? Or what about this.... have you ever had a lazy day, and felt really really badly about it? And wait, let me guess, you want to lose 10-15 pounds? But this is normal right? Think again. These perceptions have been created by an economic system which thrives on competiveness and productivity. If you are always trying to be the best and look the best, you will be working the hardest and consuming the most: thus, stimulating the economy. But you knew this right? Marketing is a huge industry that is designed to make you believe that consuming products will get you to the ‘good life.’ How? By telling you that the person you are today, right now, is inadequate. Marketers main objective is to get you to believe that by consuming their product you will be one step closer to having it all. Let’s get back to the question: why are we moving so fast? Perhaps it is because we are embedded in a global, competitive, economic system in which if you are not moving forward, you are falling behind. Or at least, so we believe. It appears we have been tricked to think that there is a better life out there for us if only we work hard enough to find it. Does this sound familiar? Does ‘The American Dream’ ring a bell? But there is one flaw to this pattern of thinking. There is no end. What is the ultimate goal? When do we stop? Are we ever satisfied? No. So when do we get to enjoy our lives? When do we get to feel like we are good enough? At what point can we be happy with what we have? Unfortunately, this pattern of thinking can extend forever. Perhaps the only
thing that will stop this pattern of thinking is the ultimate end, or so we believe it to be. Death. That’s right, we are going to work ourselves into the ground, literally. By no means am I saying that innovation and technology are bad or that we should go back to working on the farm all day or use the barter system. The push for improvement, for development, has allowed us to do the unthinkable. We have walked on the moon, utilized the energy of the sun, connected the world via the internet, and responded to and cured numerous diseases, and we will continue to do more. What is needed, is not a reversion to the past, but an understanding of the present. It is important to be critical of the implications that the structures of society place on the populations which live by them. To think and challenge why we might perceive reality the way that we do. Are my thoughts universal? Or are they, to some extent, stemming from the ideas about reality that have been created by the way in which my society has been organized? So, if you want to move fast, move fast. If you want to relax, relax. But do not think that if you are not doing everything your neighbour is doing and more, that somehow you have failed. If you feel this way, then I prescribe that you should take a step back and figure out why you do the things that you do. Is it because you want to? Or is it because you feel the pressures of society to do so? Have you gotten caught up in the capitalist culture? If you are happy with your answer, then continue on. But if not, maybe a little reworking of your values is in order. In the end, do what you want to do. Live your life they way you see fit. Write your own rules and live by them. “Try not to become a person of success, but rather try to become a person of value” - Albert Einstein.
23.
Carly’s Galapagos Escapades
A Conversation with Hamish Blakely, Artist Interview By Hank Leis
“Self-Portrait- Early Release”
You became interested in art at a very early age! Most of us are drawing stick figures at an early stage. How were you different? I was good at copying. It is a great, practical way to learn how to draw and Marvel comics were a wonderful source of inspiration for me, as well as classical books on art. My parents had a good collection as my Dad was an extremely talented draughtsman, so he was naturally interested in collecting books on the subject. Although this was only a hobby, he had a natural ability that I believe I have inherited. I did not possess a precocious, Mozartian talent, but compared to children at school who could not draw at all, I definitely had an ability. How encouraging were your parents? Gently so; they were never pushy but as I grew up and hit my teens,
it was clear that they were right behind my love for art. I remember my Dad commenting when I was about 16, how my ability was maturing. This was very flattering as he had a very keen eye. My Dad also said something very significant when I was around this age, regarding the future as an artist. He said “You must have a vision to succeed”. A direct, simple statement, it was so much more profound than my young mind could have realised back then. Still now, I appreciate what it takes to have one’s own style, to realise how crucial it is to have something that stands out. It does not have to be radical, but simply a subtle look and feel that tells the audience who the artist is. What one is really after is revealing oneself as purely as possible. That takes years of self examination and creative experimentation. It cannot be rushed or forced but has to be patiently allowed to emerge through the work. I love the
alchemy of that. It is primal, subtle and elusive but it is what is so essential in evolving as an artist, and more importantly, a person. There was also a clear reminder of my fascination with painting, when my parents took me to a Renoir exhibition. I was 15 years old. It was held at the Hayward Gallery in London and I remember being transfixed by the nature of the paint up close. The difference between seeing these great works in the flesh and viewing art plates in a book was huge. There was so much life and daring in the canvases, I found it hypnotic. I am still not sure what this power in painting is, but it appeals directly to the heart, an actual deep sensation that tells me it is important. There is something in the manipulation of the pigment, that when done well, it is magical and moves the soul like music. You attended the Wimbledon School of Art to learn illustration, then completed your degree at Kingston University. How did this education contribute to your art? Selecting illustration at Kingston was one of the best decisions I have made. There was form, discipline and structure involved. These were elements I craved after dabbling in the fine art side of things during my foundation course at Wimbledon school of Art. When I saw students with no interest in drawing, hurling emulsion paint at mattresses, I knew instantly that I was not interested in this kind of expression. It seemed to me that this was the wrong way around. You could experiment, be daring, go crazy and be as extravagant as you wanted, but you had to have some framework first. How could you know what you were relinquishing, if you had not tried it in the first place? Picasso would not have broken so much ground and been so pioneering had he not been so academically proficient initially. He had to be so formal for his true voice to become so free. I wanted to study the basics over and over again before I ever contemplated being a ‘Modern’ artist. Illustration gave me this. Does structure and methodology interfere with creativity? That is a good question and I was touching on this subject in the previous question. My only answer can be – No, not initially, but yes, eventually, meaning there is a time and place for all things. Structure can be rejected but one has to be clear why it is being discarded. Fear of formal training is not a viable reason for pushing classical skills away so one can assume the role of avant garde expressionist, prematurely. An artist should not run away from or judge the discipline of technique because he or she is resistant to the apparent c o nv e n t i o n a l i t y of it. Drawing is essential in the most primitive sense – even if it is only a rudimentary doodle. A good sketch can still take my breath away. How can one know if one is proficient or not, if there is no perseverance? An artist may claim to be only interested in installations but has he/she really tried to express “The Night is Hers” something in a simple drawing or painting? Being at University showed me my weaknesses as well as strengths. You have to acknowledge both. Methodology needs re-assessing when it is used to control the student. One can witness this at art colleges and drama schools. There can be a brand, a type of performer that the particular school prefers to promote, like a generic mission statement to say this is the mould we make, so you had better fit it or get out. I do not
propose that all creative institutions are like this but I have seen it many times and fought against it as a student and as a professional artist. Individuality can be inhibited under the egotistical whims of a domineering tutor or art director. I was very lucky at Kingston University. Mr Brian Love, the head of illustration there, was incredibly supportive and imaginative. He would never impose or control, just direct and suggest. He was a lovely man and I take my hat off to him every time I think of him. Methodology will always continue, especially if one is a realistic, representative artist like I am; but as the years pass, this technical imperative becomes innate rather than self conscious. At some point, one cannot be pre-occupied with structure anymore. You must let go and let the instinct take over as much as possible. This is an art in itself; The art of surrender. This is the only way to learn what trust and faith feel like. The first stroke of a brush on canvas is the beginning of a vague process and undetermined objective, and what is assumed is that the gods of the creative process will be kind. As you are engaged in the process are you consciously aware of the choices you make at each stroke of the brush? The first stroke is the most free as you know not everything hangs on it. As the days pass you are more engrossed in a constantly “The Gypsy In Me” shifting balancing act. Right at the beginning I like to splodge the paint on thickly as it gives texture and life to the under-painting. One is not supposed to treat oil this way under the maxim of painting ‘fat over lean’, but rules are rules and it suits me to do the opposite. One cannot help but be totally focused at all stages, but this does not mean mistakes will not be made. It is a curious state of obsessive focus and emptiness at the same time. One’s head is full with the task at hand but one’s heart must remain open, innocent, almost child-like so as to be susceptible to the inner voice, the spark of that moment in time. What one has learned has to be trusted and there will be ingredients in the painting that require intense technical attention, but this cannot detract from the overall feel of the piece. What is that feel? Well, you will not know, if you plan it in advance. The painting itself will let you know what the feeling and mood should be. The painting will do this for you and you have to let it. Sometimes it is easier to pull all the elements together. Other times it is arduous, but I always remind myself to try and not to feel anxious about it. If it comes more easily, that is great. If it requires a hard slog, then that is fine also. Patience has to be practiced sometimes. Do you confer with your muse as you paint? Absolutely! I would be a fool not to. I value Gail’s opinion too much to let a painting be varnished without her signing it off first. An artist can become so absorbed in the work that perspective can be temporarily lost. A fresh pair of eyes is needed to spot any technical issues and also to confirm what the message of the painting is. Gail is more than just a fresh pair of eyes, she can detect the smallest issue in proportion, tone, treatment and more importantly, she
offers her own creative ideas. As I said, one can become slightly lost in the whole process, the technical precision can dominate the overall feel of a piece. Vice versa, one can become so engrossed in the atmosphere of the piece, that basic technical elements can be overlooked. It requires some emotional resilience as Gail does not mince her words. She inquires and questions some of my decisions and I have to justify my thoughts. An artist can be oversensitive during this process, especially when there are unresolved elements, yet quality control is invaluable. I must listen and learn as I do not have all the answers and Gail cares passionately about my work as much as I do. Were it not for her, my Muse and guide, I simply would not be “Evensong” painting the way I do and the work has evolved over many years because of her input. She makes me paint better. Passion and sexual drive seem to be a major component of your art work. Would you amplify on that? Passion and eroticism are exciting aren’t they! These forces are primal and provide drama visually and emotionally. Take the Tango paintings for instance. This is such a sensual dance demanding an intimate rapport between the two exponents and when you see it performed in Argentina, it is unbelievably beautiful and seductive. Gail taught me how to dance, so each dance piece I produce is a salute to that. My audience identifies with this intimacy, and appreciates that these images come from husband and wife, so they are immediately drawn in to a setting that can be nostalgic, celebratory and erotic all at the same time. Dance is a celebration and Gail and I have managed over the years to create images that step outside the archetypal Tango stance. They are intensely personal, as we are the models. This sensual exploration continues in the female nudes I paint. The model is Gail in all of them and the interest here is, is it possible to create an erotic image that is not salacious and conveys more than a delight in female flesh? Eroticism by itself does not need justifying and there are great photographers and painters who have demonstrated this without debate. What is fascinating is that there seems to be a significant difference in the fact that I am painting my wife in this way, and that is reflected in how the audience responds. Most of the clients who collect this type of work are female. I believe that this shows there is some comfort in the depth and sensitivity of our partnership. How Gail and I respond to one another during a photo shoot or when I am painting her from life, informs the work every time. That is the distinction; the paintings are sensual, not carnal. “Mirror of Enchantment”
I must also say the female nude in art is a tradition I am proud to feel part of as it is so expressive and the fact that it has and still may induce feelings of impropriety in the more blinkered of our society, makes it all the more intriguing. On the other hand, as an artist you also portray sensitivity, compassion and serenity, which might be termed as contradicting the forces of proactivity, aggression, arousal, desire and sexual drive. How do you bridge that gap? Yin and Yang, the search for balance; while it is essential to have a style and subject matter that tell the collector it is definitely you they are collecting, an artist can become blinkered in his/her output. For me, it is only natural to establish some balance in the work which means having breadth of vision. One image urges the nature of the next. I could produce a steamy Tango scene one month, the next I am delighted to depict a lyrical, portrait in a garden or a still life. None of us are just one thing, we are all possessed of conflicting forces, and this can be at odds with an artist’s remit who is expected to produce a consistent brand while creating new ideas for new exhibitions, at the same time. This can only be achieved by keeping curious and never being bound by the restrictive motto “I only paint this, as that’s who I am!” No, I do not think one should be that dogmatic or calculated about oneself or one’s work. How do you know what you will produce in the future? Let the fates have their say. “Unemployed Angels” Great ideagreat concept! Please interpret. The phenomenon of Angels, be they the great Archangels, Michael, Gabriel and Raphael to the seemingly more accessible division of guardian angels and spirit guides, has fascinated me “Leave of Abstinence” for many years. This subject prompted questions about religious faith and spiritual belief and the fact that it was all a question of choice as faith and doubt are two sides of the same coin, to be found, lost and rediscovered, at any time. It seemed to me that the Church itself had a role in this and has quite consistently failed to appeal to a younger audience. As is commonly reported, the younger generation are, in growing numbers, showing a disenchantment with religion and the Church, which is reflected in the numerous polls taken to measure the declining congregation figures. Does this mean that young people are less spiritual and have less faith than their forebears? Do they need it at all, or are they now more interested in science and its analytical answers, dismissing religion as being manipulative and political? Clear answers to these questions would only be judgements, but the idea of faith and prayer or, in this case, the lack of them provokes a wonderful opportunity to ask what the consequences could be for the Universe: If these ethereal guardians do indeed exist, what would the ripple effects be in Heaven? If they are not called upon as often as they used to be, what happens if Angels become redundant?
27.
My collection of ‘Out of work Angels’ is not a moral exploration or an exercise to make a distinction between believers and non-believers. From the mildly superstitious, to the liberal agnostic, through to the ardent Christian, Muslim or Buddhist, people have to grab onto something when Earthly events overwhelm and chaos reigns. There are some who lose their
“Between Expressions”
faith, feeling betrayed when their particular Deity seems to have left them unprotected from humanity’s darkness. There are others who hold fast to their beliefs in the thickest adversity, and still other people who are able to reconcile the world’s wonders and woes without any faith in any omnipotent power, finding accepted logic and critical thinking sufficient. Some people just fall and, for this exhibition, these Angels are in just such a state. As a result, they are becoming more human. Ultimately, these unemployed Angels become reflections of us.
“Flamenco”, passionate, erotic, sensual, very visual- in fact what got us interested in your art for a provocative cover and the interview! Why, What, Where? Referring to my earlier point about dance, the Flamenco is another expression of power and passion. Gail studied Flamenco and we have also seen this up close in Barcelona and it is utterly compelling. Whether I am depicting the Tango or Flamenco, it is the movement and drama involved that captivates me. In fact, it is the feeling of movement even in apparently stationary subjects that is one of the main interests for me. When I have painted a woman seated or a nude reclining, I have enjoyed the flattering feedback from customers that it looks as if the subjects are about to move. Even in stillness, there is anticipation. These seem to be conflicting energies but they depend on one another and this provides tension in a painting. Some of your art is more subdued, more introspective, dulled down, yet provocative. Why the transition? It is simple curiosity. I do not want to confine myself under the delusion that I have all the answers, that I know best. I do not. I am searching and naturally that involves stretching one’s repertoire. There is an ebb and flow to everything. The very intensity of one painting can impel the serenity “Timeless” in the next. Equally, I could be working on a series of paintings that all have a common thread and then, suddenly, it is time for a detour. Many creative people follow this path of exploration. Look at the films of the great Canadian director Ivan Reitman; from “Ghostbusters”, to “Chloe”, to “Dave”. He is not a one trick pony and will not be contained by one theme. When you witness the enormous diversity in the acting roles of Daniel Day Lewis and other character actors for example, when you hear the cross-over music of so many Opera singers these days, artists are demanding more of themselves and audiences are growing because of it.
Is there a theme running through your art, that is both transformative and transitional and embodies a mind or paradigm shift? Absence of ego – once you can get rid of that pesky interloper, the world becomes a much bigger place. It is said that there is the ‘good’ and ‘bad’ ego and the good one helps fuel ambition and a healthy sense of competition. I believe you can achieve just as much and more without it. If there is a sense of competition then it should be with one’s own potential, otherwise people let themselves live under the constant threat of ‘losing’ if they are not ‘winning’ at something. There is room for all of us, but the ego too often makes society a battle ground, life is reduced to a game in which guile and cunning are preferrable to sincerity and honour. Kindness is mistaken for weakness and boardroom chest puffing drowns out the quiet voice of real power. As they say “An empty barrel makes the most noise”. I have come a long way. I have not mastered my own ego yet, but “The Lost Reel” my eyes are truly open now. Painting has taught me to surrender. Rather than trying to become something, you let yourself become invisible and that way, you will never disappear. Your true voice comes out. I cannot beat anybody or ‘win’ anything in the work I do. It is not a win/lose scenario. I can be still, listen to my intuition and continue to learn. You ask about a mind shift? Yes, this is it and Gail, my amazing wife taught me this over many years. My faith in her, my belief in us, are what drives my work and keeps me exploring, asking questions. One can begin to enjoy the huge relief of letting go of situations, people and false philosophies, moving with the tides of the Universe and not forcing things. One can fully appreciate the process of painting itself and not be distracted by the end result. This means your heart is more fully involved in what you do and the great beauty is that the audience feels it. There is no doubt that this shift in consciousness makes your work more resonant. It radiates and has a physiological, as well as emotional effect on the viewer. If a snowflake responds by growing faster and becoming more exquisitely intricate to the sound of Opera, beyond taste or opinion, nature itself recognises beauty. The vibrational frequency of the snowflake is amplified by the resonance of the music; enhancing the beauty of one and revealing the hidden power of the other. This is life changing and it means people can do this. Anything else you can add, to inform us about your art, and your lovely muse? People ask me what I am working on next and my best answer is “We will see”. Inspiration is always there and I trust that something will emerge when it is ready. Gail is right when she says “Nothing before its time”. I do my best to take care of what is happening now, as does Gail but she also holds the future in her palm and I am blessed to be holding her hand. For more information on artist Hamish Blakely, visit his website: “Beaucoup D’Armour”
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In Praise of
Limiting Praise When we give love and attention freely, no matter how well our children do, they can rest in the awareness that our love is unconditional. By Colleen Drobot
W
e all want to rejoice when our child does something wonderful or achieves a goal. It is a natural part of being a proud parent. We celebrate their endeavors and want to acknowledge them. But when acknowledgment and recognition turn into praise in hopes they will continue to raise the bar, or if we recognize our child only when he or she does something well, we could be headed for trouble. If we give our child attention when they do well, we also need to show them appreciation and affection when they don’t succeed. It is so important that we provide comfort and convey how much they mean to us, even if they fail or make mistakes. When we give love and attention freely, no matter how well they do, a child can rest in the awareness that our love is unconditional. They don’t need to measure up or do something special to earn our love. We offer it without strings attached. When children experience this generous affection, they feel valued for who they are, not what they do. As philosopher Jean Vanier expresses so beautifully, “To love someone is to rejoice in their existence”. When our eyes light up when we see our child, when we give them the gift of attention when they least expect it, and when we continue to love them, even when they are not producing or achieving, these are powerful messages that nourish a child deeply and bring them to an emotional and psychological rest. 12 bcparent.ca • holiday 2011
I always felt my mother got this right. She never seemed to be overly ecstatic when I brought home good reports cards or received honors in piano. She had a way of showing happiness for me but I always knew my success did not determine her well-being. She was just as warm and welcoming when I didn’t succeed. She delighted in me whether I achieved or didn’t and I never felt I had to win her approval by doing well. The very fact of this made me rest in her presence and I felt accepted. I remember receiving quite a bit of praise from my teachers in the elementary grades. Even though part of me enjoyed it, I also felt uncomfortable, feeling as though I might fall of the pedestal at any moment and expose my imperfection. What if I couldn’t always do so well? Would they still like me then? Praise can actually backfire and cause insecurity. Another problem happens when we over-focus on performance. Often children are full of wonderful emergent energy where they want to play, discover, achieve a personal goal, or create. When we step in and praise a child for their endeavor, we take the focus off the creative process and place it on our opinions and on us. Now the child’s energy will turn away from the enjoyment of their activity and instead attend to our approval. It doesn’t take long for the child to stop focusing on the exploration of their interest or the enjoyment of creating, and now focus on what we think of them. When
this happens, the emergent energy whereby the child was learning autonomy, new boundaries, and was acquiring a sense of themselves, is interrupted and the energy turns toward what we think of them or think of their achievements. Now they are pursuing our applause and attention. I have experienced this even as an adult. My husband and I took up ballroom dancing once. My husband turned out to be a natural and the instructor praised us (him actually), using us an example of how to dance. At first we were just having fun, excited about learning the steps, and enjoying our new skills. But after the heaps of praise, I started to focus on the instructor’s attention. I felt pressure to ‘perform’ and when she wandered by, I became very conscious of her judgment and approval rather than on the fun we had been having. Luckily, I could laugh at myself and joke with my husband about it. But for a child, their parent’s approval is serious business. We need to preserve the precious times our children are discovering their world, uninhibited by our stamp of approval. We don’t need to reinforce this wonderful emergent energy by commenting on how well they are doing; they will naturally want to venture forth, try new skills, explore their world, seek their passions, and share their gifts. If we have provided for their emotional needs— giving them enough love, enough contact and closeness, satiating their need for belonging and feeling significant—then the brain will come to an emotional and psychological rest. When this rest occurs, the child can then radiate forth to create, play, learn, and grow. As parents, we can trust that if we focus on our child’s attachment needs, growth will follow. So when a child wants to show us an accomplishment or creation, we can celebrate it with them, focusing on their enthusiasm of the process rather than the product. We can recognize the originality—that the idea came from within them. We can honor and value their focus, their love for what they do, and share in their excitement, reflecting back to them the joy they feel inside. We can also become conscious of the effects of too much praise. Whether praise is interrupting our child’s creative solitude or whether the praise conveys to the child our love is contingent on their success, we need to be cautious of its power. Developmental psychologist, Dr. Gordon Neufeld sums up the dangers of praise with a wonderful analogy. He says, “Praise is like desert. Desert is fine when we have taken in the nourishment of the main course; but we run into problems when it replaces our dinner. Like desert, praise should never be the main course.”
“Even though part of me enjoyed receiving praise, I also felt uncomfortable, feeling as though I might fall of the pedestal at any moment and expose my imperfection.”
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www.mountainviewwellnesscentre.ca Colleen Drobot is a registered professional counselor, parent consultant and educator with a private practice in West Vancouver. Colleen is a faculty member of the Neufeld Institute and in her parent consultations works from the paradigm developed by Dr. Gordon Neufeld. She can be contacted at cmdrobot@shaw.ca or consult her website at www.drobotcounselling.com. For more information regarding Dr. Neufeld’s work, consult www.neufeldinstitute.com.
bcparent.ca • holiday 2011 13
IF YOU’RE SO SMART, WHY AREN’T YOU RICH? A REALISTIC ASSESSMENT OF MAKING MONEY IN THE STOCK MARKET By Dr Jack Wadsworth
Continued from previous issue In his latest book, Doulis provides some support for Pape’s pessimistic approach to the stock market. Gordon Sheldon of Morningstar has offered the following comments on this publication: The received wisdom that he aims to debunk in this book is the presumed superiority of equities over fixed-income investments. He considers this a myth that investment advisors and financial planners propagate in order to flog stocks and equity funds rather than the less lucrative (for them) bonds and bond funds. The author contends that the myth is based on a skewed historical comparison- one that matches the performance of equity indexes such as the Dow Jones Industrial Average against the performance of fixedincome assets such as GICs. The comparison is skewed, argues Doulis, for a couple of reasons. First, using the Dow overstates the performance of equities, since the index jettisons its failed companies and substitutes rising stars. Secondly, using GICs understates the performance of fixed income assets: GICs are shortterm assets that yield less than bonds, which have longer maturities and therefore command higher returns. Doulis contends that a typical return from the U.S. equity market is 6% compounded annually after inflation. This is certainly open to dispute, though his larger point is valid -that a typical annual return over a 10-year period depends on which decade you get into the market and which decade
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you exit. If, for example, you bought the U.S. market in the mid-1970s, it would have taken until 1994 to break even in real dollars. Against his 6% equity return, Doulis posits a bond-market return of 5.5% -- provided your bond portfolio includes some low-rated issues. “I could have grown my self-directed pension plan at 5.5% with no worries,” he insists. Not only are bonds a much more secure investment than stocks, he notes, but the discriminatory tax treatment of interest income relative to capital gains can be neutralized by holding your bonds in your RRSP. The author goes even further: “If you factor in the higher fees for equity mutual funds, bond investors substantially outperform their equity counterparts.” There’s certainly no denying that bond funds charge a lower management expense ratio than do equity funds. Hedging against the randomness of the market—the aggressive approach To discuss the more positive approach of choosing a portfolio that is hedged against the major randomness of the stock market and then seek to profit from the small but relatively certain market variations leads to a discussion of the concept of the infamous Long Term Capital Management Fund (LTCM—the mother of all hedge funds). Because of the magnitude of the financial resources involved, the prestige of the associated personnel, and the enormity and implications of its subsequent collapse, it has been the subject of many publications (see also www. wikipedia.org, www.investopedia.com, www.sjsu.edu and the like). Long Term Capital Management (LTCM) was a hedge fund located in Greenwich, Connecticut. The founders included two Nobel Prize-winning economists, Myron Scholes and Robert C. Merton. Scholes and Merton, among other things, developed along with the late Fischer Black, the Black-Scholes formula for option pricing. LTCM also
included as guiding spirit John Meriwether, a former vice chairman of Salomon Brothers and famous bond trader. David Mullins, a former vice chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System was also part of the LTCM team. Also several important arbitrage analysts from Salomon Brothers joined LTCM. Eric Rosenfeld left Harvard University to join LTCM. It was a very elite group. LTCM started off with abundant funding, a stable of brilliant, experienced traders and two stellar academics. The public had the impression that the firm would make extraordinary profits from arcane knowledge unavailable to anyone else. Myron Scholes summed up the strategy with a metaphor that will last forever. He said that LTCM would make money by being a vacuum sucking up nickels that no one else could see. (The more correct analogy was perhaps picking up pennies in front of a steamroller—a likely small gain balanced against a small chance of an enormous loss!).
However, in May and June 1998 returns from the fund were -6.42% and -10.14% respectively, reducing LTCM’s capital by $461 million. This was further aggravated by the exit of Salomon Brothers from the arbitrage business in July 1998. Such losses were accentuated through the Russian Financial Crises in August and September of 1998, when the Russian Government defaulted on their government bonds. Panicked investors sold Japanese and European bonds to buy U.S. treasury bonds. The profits that were supposed to occur as the value of these bonds converged became huge losses as the value of the bonds diverged. By the end of August, the fund had lost $1.85 billion in capital. The company, which was providing annual returns of almost 40% up to this point, experienced a Flight-to-Liquidity. In the first three weeks of September, LTCM’s equity tumbled from $2.3 billion to $600 million without shrinking the portfolio, leading to a significant elevation of the already high leverage.
The fund started operations in 1994 with over one billion dollars and for almost four years enjoyed fabulous returns of over 40%! The initial way in which the fund operated was that they had developed complex mathematical models to take advantage of fixed income arbitrage deals (termed convergence trades) usually with U.S., Japanese, and European government bonds. The basic idea was that over time the value of long-dated bonds issued a short time apart would tend to become identical. However, the rate at which these bonds approached this price would be different, and more heavily traded bonds such as US Treasury bonds would approach the long term price more quickly than less heavily traded and less liquid bonds. Thus, by a series of financial transactions (essentially amounting to buying the cheaper ‘off-the-run’ bond and short selling the more expensive, but more liquid, ‘on-the-run’ bond), it would be possible to make a profit as the difference in the value of the bonds narrowed (converged) when a new bond came on the run.
Demonstrating their confidence in the concept of LTCM, Goldman Sachs, AIG and Berkshire Hathaway offered then to buy out the fund’s partners for $250 million, to inject $3.75 billion and to operate LTCM within Goldman Sachs’s own trading. The offer was rejected and the same day the Federal Reserve Bank of New York organized a bail out of $3.625 billion by the major creditors to avoid a wider collapse in the global financial markets.
But disaster struck when, as LTCM’s capital base grew, they felt pressed to invest that capital somewhere and had run out of good bond-arbitrage bets. This led LTCM to undertake trading strategies outside their expertise. Although these trading strategies were non-market directional, i.e. they were not dependent on overall interest rates or stock prices going up (or down), they were not convergence trades as such. By 1998, LTCM had extremely large positions in areas such as merger arbitrage and S&P 500 options (net short long-term S&P volatility). In fact, some market participants believed that LTCM had been the primary supplier of S&P 500 vega, which had been in demand by US insurance companies selling equity indexed annuities products for the prior two years. Because these differences in value were minute— especially for the convergence trades—the fund needed to take highly-leveraged positions to make a significant profit. At the beginning of 1998, the firm had equity of $4.72 billion and had borrowed over $124.5 billion with assets of around $129 billion. It had off-balance sheet derivative positions with a notional value of approximately $1.25 trillion, most of which were in interest rate derivatives such as interest rate swaps. The fund also invested in other derivatives such as equity options.
Ironically, after the bail-out by the other investors, the panic abated, and the positions formerly held by LTCM were eventually liquidated at a small profit to the bailers. Some industry officials said that the Federal Reserve Bank of New York involvement in the rescue, however benign, would encourage large financial institutions to assume more risk, in the belief that the Federal Reserve would intervene on their behalf in the event of trouble. Federal Reserve Bank of New York actions raised concerns among some market observers that it could create moral hazard. With some temerity it may be concluded that the concept of setting up a fully hedged portfolio, against the randomness of the stock market, that is designed to profit from small but more certain variations, is sound. Needless to say, the individual could not operate at the same scale (!!!) as LTCM, but the concept is still intriguing. Had LTCM functioned at a smaller scale and operated within its area of expertise it would either have been still in business today or experiencing tremendous competition from emulators à la Frank Knight.
Developing a Financial Ratchet—the Neutral Approach Admittedly the development of the financial ratchet is “work in progress” and its practical details will be the subject of a subsequent dissertation. What will be discussed here is the concept of the ratchet together with the wealth of published material from which can be garnered the details of how it could be executed.
Utilizing the ratchet requires a change in the philosophical reason for being involved with the stock market. Income generation is the prime objective with capital appreciation being of secondary concern (although there has to be a concern with preserving the essential integrity of one’s capital). Income generation does not depend upon knowing the direction in which the market will move: up, down or sideways. It implies eschewing the rare chance of making a large windfall in exchange for far more certain consistent gains that provide a continuous income stream.
characteristic of promising a high probability for continuing small gains while incurring very low probability for significant losses. As with all one’s stock market activity one would have a carefully mapped out exit strategy in case of a seismic financial shock in the market.
The concept of how the ratchet is implemented is simple. It requires the sale (or writing) of options (calls and puts) on a chosen underlying principal which could be a stock, an ETF, a futures, or any derivative that is accessible on the stock market and has options available. The ratchet is initiated by selling naked puts on the chosen principal in order to purchase it. The premium from the sale provides immediate income. If the market goes up and the option is not exercised (the purchaser of your option decides not to sell the principal to you at the chosen strike price before the options’ expiry date) you merely try selling put options again. Once you have succeeded in purchasing the required principal you immediately write call options on it and again receive immediate income. If the market goes down or sideways and the options are not exercised you merely sell more call options. If you are required to sell your principal, if the market goes up, you immediately sell naked puts to buy it back at a price you elect and continue with the ratchet.
There is no gain without some pain nor are free lunches widely available.
Naturally the practical application of the ratchet requires a careful selection of the characteristics of the needed put and call options so far as strike price and expiry date are concerned. Fortunately there is a wealth of practical help and guidance in the literature. A complete authoritative description of all available tradable options is contained in the freely available booklet “Characteristics and Risks of Standardized Options” which can be read on-line at www. cboe.com. This is required reading before any options trading can be undertaken and, most importantly, allows one to learn rapidly the special language of option trading. Cordier and Gross provide an impressive and authoritative discussion devoted to the wide range of available options and their probability for reliable income generation. This publication as the title portrays is concerned solely with the sale (writing) of options. Since options trades can be constructed to execute a wide range of different strategies Cohen’s Bible is a desirable addition to one’s options library. Both Kadavy’s publications are remarkable DIY manuals. They are basic recipe books that spoon feed the neophyte through the total process of writing covered calls on widely traded ETFs—considered to be the most conservative of any options strategy. What he provides will be very useful for all types of options trading. The motivation for developing the financial ratchet is the discernible despair now usually associated with the state of the economy: the schizophrenic stock market, a woeful real estate outlook, falling interest rates, disarrayed global geopolitics, climate destruction and other miserable prognoses. The financial ratchet has the very desirable
It is appreciated that implementing the financial ratchet will require some careful monitoring and associated bookkeeping. However the upside is that the brain is constantly titillated and one keeps abreast of the market.
What can be concluded from all this? Advising your sister what she should do with her inheritance. Clearly, other than advising your sister to stay away from the stock market since she would be incapable of implementing the financial ratchet, the only brotherly advice you could offer is to read Gordon Pape’s latest book and implement his most conservative portfolio. So far as your more erudite and savvy friends are concerned, one could invite them to join in the development of the financial ratchet.
The late Dr. Jack Wadsworth
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CONCUSSIONS A Talk by Dr Caleb Ng Continued from previous issue
Symptoms of post-concussion syndrome can be improved with time and with exercise. Exercise with rehabilitation is able to raise certain chemicals in the body such as brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) which is as it sounds, a growth factor manufactured in the brain that facilitates neuron growth. In concussion recovery BDNF is essential for neuron regeneration. Combine that with the fact that our brains have plasticity (our brains are not in a static state, but an ever changing state dependant on stimulation), our brains can regain function. Now when you take the concept of plasticity and you then add exercise, rehabilitation, BDNF, and you provide key nutrients like amino acids that are helpful in manufacturing of our neurotransmitters, not only do you regain basic function but you also get optimal neuronal firing which includes a better mood, better cognition and overall better functioning. So how well does amino acid therapy work? In one study of 1600 patients that were suffering with clinical depression, when they were treated under this approach there was an over 92% response rate which is phenomenal when you take a look at placebo rates which are around 30% mark. Medications operate at an overall response rate of 40 to 45% mark which beats placebo by only about 10-15%. A resolution of symptoms of over 90% is tremendous improvement and in the study the remainders or the non-responders to this amino acid approach who are unable to get appropriate or complete relief of symptoms were able to do so with the addition of a prescription medication. This specific amino acid approach has the ability to compensate for any type of condition that is related to a misfiring of neurotransmitters of neurons which include anything from anxiety to depression and which are often times found in post-concussion syndrome. Other postconcussion symptoms such as insomnia or confusion can also be treated with this amino acid approach. Basically, what this approach looks like when someone comes in for treatment is they start off with an initial consultation with a naturopathic physician and orientation to amino acid therapy. Patients are then started on amino acid supplementation and it takes a very short time to begin to see results. In fact, within 3 to 5 days you start to reach a steady state in the body. In my experience, you see this even faster such as 1 to 2 days. A follow-up appointment is scheduled with the patient within a week’s time. At that follow-up appointment, either symptoms are addressed or they are not and a urine serotonin and dopamine test is performed to determine how to change amino acid dosing.
Once the results of the serotonin and dopamine urine test are back a dose change is performed and again the patient is brought back in a week’s time to determine the response to the dose change. We are looking for complete resolution or adequate resolution of symptoms to what can be viewed as a relative nutritional deficiency which is basically just a way of saying that this person functions better with particular dosing of certain nutrients, which are certain amino acids and in particular the amino acid precursors to those neurotransmitters, serotonin and dopamine. If adequate resolution of symptoms are not achieved within a week’s time, or 3 to 5 days time, then on the subsequent follow-up another test is performed and the sample is submitted to the lab. Once we get the results back and the dose adjustment is put in place, we again follow-up within a week’s time and we see if the symptoms are resolved or not. By using this method or approach, symptoms are addressed in a prompt manner. Occasionally a patient may require more dopamine than serotonin, another one of the main feel-good neurotransmitters. In this case a dopamine challenge for supplementation that is heavier in the amino acid, L-dopa, or dopamine precursor is indicated. If that’s the case, we can do adjustments with the dose based on the patient’s response to starting and stopping the pills. This exact protocol is reviewed by the doctor with the patient in order to achieve or finding the dose of amino acids that is suited to the individual to help relieve her symptoms. The data on this approach is not just from our office, but has been gathered from over a thousand databases and close to 3 million patient days of documented treatments as well as data from over 1200 clinics. These protocols that have been developed over the last 12-15 years have changed and continue to change and evolve as we see how little nuances affect this approach. To be continued in the next issue
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The Dan Walker Chronicles Dandong to Mt. Changbai
Friday, June 22, 2012 This morning we followed the Yalu River along the North Korean border. It is dammed in various spots and the Koreans & Chinese share the electrical output. On a lake above one of the dams were a number of rowing crews practicing for the Dragon Boat races to be held in a couple of days. We were on good two lane road, but it was slow going through villages where vehicles don't seem to park - cars and motorbikes are abandoned in the roadway making a mess of two way traffic trying to get through. Vendor's stands set up in the roadway don't do much for traffic flow either. In Ji An, a city of 300,000 noted for pharmaceuticals & tourism, we visited some pyramid tombs of the Koguryo Kingdom dating from 37 BC until 470 AD. During this time it was their second capital. These are the same rulers whose ruins we visited in Korea, although spelled slightly differently. They ruled all Korea and the area of three of China's current provinces. The pyramids are built out of stone
block along the style of the Egyptian pyramids, but smaller. Our driver today is a bit of a wild man, but few people here seem to worry about staying on their side of the road regardless of the speed they are moving. Marilynn is having fits and manages to get comments off to the driver from the back seat, particularly when he passes on blind corners or hills. He has an advantage over me in not understanding what she says! We were held up by an accident today, but surprisingly it is the first we've seen. The drive was on twisting road through high forested hills. After 6 hours driving we were glad to reach or destination, the industrial city of Tonghua, population 540,000. Judging by the amount of construction of apartment buildings and shopping malls they plan to add a few more hundred thousand in short order. The city has two huge pharmaceutical factories, a military rocket base nearby, massive steel mills and other heavy industry. The hotel was a fair step down, and we didn't get much sleep as
it was very hot and the building central air conditioning was not on. There were no controls in the room.
Dan Walker is an adventurer, a businessman, and raconteur. He has visited every country in the world. His trusty Rolls Royce has taken him across many continents. He includes his grandchildren in some of his travels allowing them to select the destination. Originally, he hails from Victoria, British Columbia, but now resides in Costa Rica. We are pleased to present the Dan Walker Chronicles.
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MISSIVES FROM DONALD J BOUDREAUX
t's not that dispelling such myths is my chief goal; rather, such mythdispelling naturally occurs when one teaches a good Econ 101 course.
- imports from low-wage countries obviously reduce average wages in the U.S. or reduce overall employment in the U.S. (or both); - trading with foreigners is of course economically different than trading with fellow citizens; - taxes are obviously paid by the individuals and businesses that government makes responsible for paying the taxes;
........................................
- of course the chief source of economic strength and growth is consumer spending, and reductions in consumer spending are inevitably harmful;
Mr. Kevin Martin
- the interests of businesses are obviously at odds with those of consumers and workers;
28 November 2015 Mr. Martin:
Recollecting that your Econ 101 course at Rice portrayed the world as “pretty simple,” you ask me to elaborate on my claim (made at my blog) that a good Econ 101 course “is all about revealing reality’s complexities.” Your particular Econ 101 course seems very different from the one that I teach. My course - which I (perhaps conceitedly) believe is one that economists such as Milton Friedman, F.A. Hayek, and Thomas Sowell would describe as a good Econ 101 course - uses straightforward economic analysis to dispel simplistic yet widely held notions about the economy. The typical student entering my class simple-mindedly believes such popular myths as that
- advocates of laissez faire simply are “pro-business” and (hence) “anti-consumer” and “anti-labor”; - of course the rich get richer and the poor get poorer; - government officials’ chief intention, of course, is to improve the well-being of the public. If I do my job well, by semester’s end each of my students understands that the world is far more complex and reality less "obvious" than he or she believed it to be at the semester's start.
Sincerely, Donald J. Boudreaux Professor of Economics and - prices and wages on markets are simply “set” by Martha and Nelson Getchell Chair for the Study of Free Market Capitalism at the Mercatus Center businesses; George Mason University - steep increases in the prices of fuel and bottle water Fairfax, VA 22030 in the aftermaths of natural disasters are caused simply by “greed,” and that government-imposed prohibitions on such “price gouging” simply make these goods more affordable and accessible; - rent control obviously makes apartments more affordable; - a hike in the minimum wage is a simple and obvious way to help all low-skilled workers; - stricter government safety regulations obviously make people safer;
43.
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