METANOIA Oct-Nov 2015
Kidnapping in Costa Rica
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The interviews
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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 Suzette Laqua Dr Jack Wadsworth
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY A NEW WAY OF THINKING THE YEAR OF LIVING DANGEROUSLY WHERE IS THE REAL DEBATE? INTERVIEW: LISA BERRY RANT: ON RELATIONSHIPS CANADIAN EDUCATION VIFF 2015 INTERVIEW: TAMMY GILLIS PUSH AND PULL OF TRAVEL THE STOCK MARKET CONCUSSIONS THE TRAVELLER’S CHRONICLES MISSIVES
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
This month’s issue is unusual in many regards. The lead story entitled “The Year of Living Dangerously (Costa Rica Style)” involves you, the reader. It is on-going in that the kidnappers involved in this story have not been found, and their threats continue. We have provided the evidence, such as the e-mail addresses used and the content of the e-mails. Furthermore the currency used to pay them was Bitcoin- and Bitcoin transactions in some cases (perhaps with your help) are traceable. The FBI, RCMP and AKE are involved directly or indirectly in this search. The threats from the kidnappers persist. And ultimately it may be your collective expertise that will solve the mystery. Professor Mark Kingwell writes about the state of affairs in politics. In the next issue Hank Leis will be interviewing Dr. Kingwell. Our own Carly Hilliard, on a sabbatical from Mountainview Wellness Centre, sends us missives from the Galapagos Islands in Ecuador. She will continue submitting Metanoia stories on her adventures as she carries on with her scientific research on the islands. Ms Lisa Berry is the subject of another Hank Leis interview. The beautiful actress discusses the challenges of becoming an actress and how her journey to gaining recognition for her talent has changed her self-image and how she defines success.
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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 Year of Living Dangerously (Costa Rica Style) By Hank Leis From: <ryan.lewisam@sigaint.org> Date: Tue, Jan 20, 2015 at 11:38 AM Subject: Ryan Craig Piercy To: wdanielwalker@gmail.com We have your boy, Ryan. He will be safe y unharm if you do what you are told. You will pay 4000 bitcoin to the accounts we say. The first 100 must be sent by 12 wed January 21. If you go to ANYONE else to speak of this situation ryan will loose blood. You will receive the account on Wednesday. Respond with a phone number to send account information. From: <ryan.lewisam@sigaint.org> Date: Wed, Jan 21, 2015 at 9:25 AM Subject: Re: Ryan Craig Piercy To: Daniel Walker <wdanielwalker@gmail.com> Payment 1 will be made to the following BitCoin Wallet 1NZGcyXzXdiCRbCow1k2fZKHGANdyCUE37 Ontime payments mean continued air, water and food.
One of the most egregious criminal acts perpetrated by human beings is the act of kidnapping. Probably the most notorious kidnapping recorded in U.S. history took place in 1932, when the child of world famous pilot
From: <ryan.lewisam@sigaint.org> Date: Wed, Jan 21, 2015 at 4:54 AM Subject: Re: Ryan Craig Piercy To: Daniel Walker <wdanielwalker@ gmail.com> Plenty of bitcoin in russia, You have 6 hours before first payment is due.
Charles Lindbergh was kidnapped. The kidnapper Bruno Hauptmann of New York, was subsequently executed in 1935 after Congress in 1932 had enacted new legislation known as The Little Lindbergh Law to make kidnapping a Federal offense. In some states this law was enhanced to qualify
for capital punishment if the victim was harmed in any way. In parts of Central and South America, kidnapping is a common experience. Local law enforcement are often ill-equipped to handle the investigations and reluctant to accept help from outside sources. In some cases, police themselves are directly or indirectly involved in the kidnappings. On January 20, 2015, Dan and Marilynn Walker were in transit in St. Petersburg, heading to New York after a magical trip to Murmansk, Russia with their 10 year old granddaughter. Dan logged into his laptop and was shocked to find an email demanding ransom of 4,000 bitcoin (approximately $1 million USD) for their 45 year old son, Ryan Piercy, who allegedly was being held by kidnappers in Costa Rica. The Walkers, originally from British Columbia, Canada, had moved to Costa Rica some 24 years earlier. Their son Ryan Piercy joined them in 1997. Ryan met and married his wife, a
Costa Rican, in 1999, and started their family. The family was very close, with father and son working together in the management and development of Casa Canada Group, a real estate and administration business. The intention was that when Dan Walke retired, his son Ryan, along with the General Manager (a valued long time employee) would take over the responsibilities of the family business. Dan had achieved his goal to visit each and every country in the world. Now he and Marilynn were encouraging their grandchildren to follow in their footsteps by having them each choose a dream country, and travelling there with them on their 10th birthday. Walkerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first response to the ransom request was to regard it as a cruel joke. He replied in anger to what he clearly considered to be a hoax. A call to Costa Rica confirmed that Ryanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s car had been found abandoned outside San Jose, and he was indeed missing. Other emails followed, with threats of hourly pepper spraying, withholding food and
water, and ultimately sending body parts. Curiously, the kidnappers demanded payment in the crypto-currency Bitcoin, of which neither of the Walkers had any knowledge. In response to Dan’s reply
interviewed for five hours, and endured the constant refrain of being asked, “how much money is available?”
The Judicial Investigation Department (Organismo de Investigación Judicial or OIJ) is a unit of the Supreme Court of Justice of Costa Rica. According to their current website, From: <ryan.lewisam@sigaint.org> Francisco Segura is the Date: Wed, Jan 21, 2015 at 12:06 PM Director, and one of its Subject: Re: Ryan Craig Piercy mandates is to search To: Daniel Walker <wdanielwalker@gmail.com> and collect relevant information related to kidnappings.
You have not complied in time. Every hour Piercy will be sprayed with pepper spray and withheld food and water until payment is received and verified. Have a pleasant day
that he was out of country and could not do anything until he returned to Costa Rica, the kidnappers informed him that there were many ways to obtain Bitcoin in Russia. Bitcoin is categorized by the U.S. Treasury as a decentralized virtual currency. Bitcoins may be obtained for different currencies, services or products to be sent or received for an optimal service fee. Because of the anonymity Bitcoin offers, this form of currency has become a preferred method of payment by the black market and other illegal activity. The Walkers immediately arranged to return to Costa Rica to confront the issue head on. Dan arrived first. He was flagged at immigration, and taken to the offices of the OIJ where he was
Where Ryan was kidnapped
The OIJ interrogated staff at Casa Canada Group-the main focus being on how much money the companies had, and who had access to this money. They demanded financial statements and bank account balances. The General Manager refused to supply these.
Communication between Ryan’s wife, guided by the OIJ and the kidnappers, was established. The kidnappers insisted on the Bitcoin payments and provided wallets into which the payments were to be made. A major concern of the family was proof of life. They questioned the kidnappers on the state of Ryan’s health, constantly referring to his Crohn’s disease and insisting he needed medical attention. Again the question as to how much money was available to pay the ransom was raised. Now Marilynn was ordered not to contact Ryan’s wife as the OIJ wanted her to be focused. In the meantime, Dan continued to receive advice from FBI personnel trained in hostage and kidnap situations. But the OIJ had no interest in any input from outside organizations. Ryan’s wife demanded that the negotiations be handled by the Costa Ricans, admonishing them that unlike Costa
From: <ryan.amlewis@sigaint.org>
On January 23, Dan Date: Sat, Jan 31, 2015 at 4:15 PM Walker suggested it would Subject: Speed Things UP be safer if Ryan’s wife To: wdanielwalker@gmail.com and the children stay at his home. This was ultimately I recomend you open and verify an account with the rejected on the basis that following exchanges. It is simple but there are a few documents that you the home was indefensible will need to provide in the eyes of the OIJ. Dan in order to become verified. contacted personal friends in the FBI and sought cavirtex.com advice on how to handle the virtex.com kidnapping negotiations. They suggested that Dan should handle Ricans, Canadians did not care about the negotiations, but the OIJ rejected their families. In spite of the rancor, this idea and pushed to have Ryan’s Dan Walker deposited funds into Ryan’s wife do the negotiating-with their wife’s bank account, taking all control guidance-saying a softer approach of dispensation out of his hands. could be beneficial in determining the final outcome regarding the amount of The kidnappers were getting ransom. Dan and Marilynn acquiesced. impatient and made threats to cut off They were told they would be contacted Ryan’s thumb if payment was not by the OIJ as matters progressed, but forthcoming. This was followed up they were not to initiate contact. with a photo of a mutilated thumb. Proof of life was again requested by An RCMP liaison was sent in from the family. Panama as an observer. However, lack of experience in kidnappings as well as Dan then had an informal shortcomings in regards to culture and consultation with a member of the language proved to be insurmountable, AKE Group from England. The AKE is and he returned to Panama. a London, England based organization with branch offices in other parts of the The subject of using untraceable world. They are primarily involved in Bitcoin as currency was a constant areas of geopolitical uncertainty, and source of contention. Dan was crime and terrorism that affect the adamantly opposed to this, stating that safety of business travellers globally. as the money was untraceable and Ryan One of their primary mandates is the only witness, it heightened the risk hostage survival while negotiations of him being dispensable in the end. take place with kidnappers. After a
lengthly discussion with the AKE, it was suggested that there were too many well-intentioned people involved in the negotiations, and that the process should be streamlined and stabilized with Dan being in control. Dan suggested to the OIJ that they tell the kidnappers that Ryan’s wife has become ill and let him continue the negotiations. This suggestion was rejected. Demands and threats from the kidnappers continued. The OIJ felt that Dan and Marilynn were not safe in their home. They were taken to a Victim Protection Unit where a panel of five people tried to convince them to move into a house or hotel of the OIJ’s choosing. They refused. The security that was requested was not provided
Where Ryan Slept
at their home and an attempted break in and three fires on their property followed. The Walkers attempted to file reports of these incidents at a local OIJ office but they were rejected. Meanwhile the ransom was being paid in increments- not into the Bitcoin wallets, but by cash through Western Union to Bitcoin sellers in various countries and was therefore completely untraceable. Guided by the OIJ, Ryan’s oldest adopted son started communicating with the kidnappers. It was said that his mother had a nervous breakdown and could not continue negotiations. Dan became increasingly concerned about Ryan’s ultimate safety. Payments and negotiations were being done completely contrary to the professional advice he had received. FBI personnel suggested a press release, but the OIJ refused. Casa Canada’s General Manager had been working steadily to keep Ryan’s personal business holdings running
smoothly. However, she received no cooperation from Ryan’s wife or sons. Meanwhile, the kidnappers had finally agreed to the amount Ryan’s wife was to pay to have Ryan released. This agreement was reached, and yet no release was made. Dan received emails saying Ryan will be left alone with food and water for one day. However, if Dan did not pay additional ransom, Ryan would die and other family members would be targeted. At this point family relations were disintegrating due to pressures and disagreements related to Ryan’s businesses. Furthermore, assistance for the family was made impossible. A lawyer was hired by Ryan’s wife and son to run Ryan’s companies. The OIJ had instructed Dan not to respond to threats from the kidnappers, but eight days later, Marilynn was so distraught worrying if Ryan is indeed alive or dead that she made contact with Sally Rice, a psychic from California, who lives part-time in Costa Rica. Rice had been in Peru on retreat, but set up a session with Marilynn. During this online session she assured Marilynn and Dan that Ryan was alive and described in detail the conditions under which he is being held. Rice documented all of her descriptions and sent it to Marilynn. Based on advice from law enforcement officials outside of the country, Dan and Marilynn decided to offer a reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the kidnappers. They contacted the OIJ requesting phone numbers and email addresses for leads. The OIJ demanded a meeting the following day. At this meeting the OIJ rejected the proposal and threatened Dan with liability if his son was killed. Dan announced that he would be having his lawyers present from now on to witness any further threats. He also made contact with politically powerful friends in Costa Rica to arrange meetings with the head of the OIJ and the Prosecutor General a few days later. At this meeting Marilynn also gave all the documented information from Sally Rice to the officers of the OIJ. Surprisingly, the next night, on February 21, Ryan was released. Ryan stated that his release was
conditional on him arranging payment of the “balance owed.” Contrary to all advice, within a week Ryan had made an additional payment with money previously provided by Dan. Emails from the kidnappers continue with threats of disfigurement to the grandchildren and Marilynn - even warning Casa Canada’s General Manager to be careful. A member of the AKE Group, financed by Ryan’s adoptive father, flew in from England to evaluate Ryan’s state of mind and counsel him regarding future communication with the kidnappers. His advice was to cease further payments. But this is not the end of the story. It continues with family estrangements. To this day, Ryan refuses to meet or have discussions with Dan and Marilynn to try and come up with possible suspects. Ryan has even removed himself as a director or participant in any of Dan’s companies. Dan and Marilynn have tried desperately to reconcile with Ryan and his family but they are not receptive to the Walker’s overtures. Dan and Marilynn no longer have any access to their beloved grandchildren. In early August, Sally Rice, now living in Costa Rica, again contacted Marilynn saying she had recently become very concerned about this case. She offered her help in the investigation, using her experience as a psychic and investigative reporter. Marilynn gave her an introduction to
Sally Rice, Psychic
the lead detectives at the OIJ. She met with them and was taken to the holding site. She also had a two hour session with Ryan. On August 14th, a bouquet of flowers accompanied by a letter bomb was left
outside Ryan’s offices. Fortunately, the explosive type bomb had no detonator. The OIJ confiscated it to search for forensic evidence. On August 18th, Marilynn received a threat demanding payment of the “balance of the ransom” or risk disfigurement by some kind of explosive device. Dan received an email saying Marilynn’s failure to pay was going to result in her being their “torture tool”. They described the effects of hydrochloride acid and car bombs.
Costa Rican authorities arrest OIJ chief in Quepos for illegal detention of US expats DAVID BODDIGER AND L. ARIAS
At a press conference Wednesday afternoon, authorities provided a little more information regarding today’s arrest of the head of the Judicial Investigation Police (OIJ) in Quepos, whose last name is Solano.
According to OIJ Assistant Director Gerald Campos, the alleged victims of Solano’s false arrest are three U.S. citizens – one of them a minor. On May 8, Solano allegedly sent OIJ agents to arrest the three victims unlawfully. They were Meanwhile, Marilynn began her own taken to the OIJ’s local precinct in the central Pacific town of Quepos, where they investigation, going back in time to were interrogated for 2 1/2 hours and released, Campos said. any serious problems they previously had with clients. She made up a photo A few days later, the OIJ’s administrative offices received a complaint for false gallery of a number of these people arrest by one of the alleged victims, surnamed Frankel. “The OIJ is not allowed and sent them to Sally Rice. Rice to disclose the name of the other man as Frankel was the only one who filed a immediately picked out a suspect. complaint and the third person is a minor,” the OIJ’s press office told The Tico Putting together the full case involving Times. this person, Marilynn asked the OIJ to pick up the information from the Casa Frankel said the victims were detained following a car pursuit involving two Canada office. Ten days later she had to vehicles, and they were held without formal charges. have the file delivered by hand, as it had not been picked up. These images were Following the complaint, the OIJ opened an investigation that led to the arrest of the location where Ryan was held, of the two suspects. The last name of the second suspect, alias “Bombillo,” is by some trees down a hill. It seems the van/truck always came from the same Morales. direction quite near businesses and “It was an unjustified and unlawful detention,” Campos said. “We ordered other houses. Solano’s arrest after we received evidence that there was an unlawful procedure, Today, the situation remains extremely and we are moving fast [with the investigation] because he will retire in two tense between the Walkers and their son weeks. For that reason all further details of the investigation must be handled with Ryan. After eight months, they have extreme caution,” Campos said. still not met, and still have no access Original story continues here: to the grandchildren they adore. Emails from Ryan have accused the Walkers Costa Rica’s Chief Public Prosecutor Jorge Chavarría has confirmed the arrest of willful abandonment and even worse- cold indifference. According on Wednesday of the head of the Judicial Investigation Police, or OIJ, in the central to authorities, this often occurs in such Pacific town of Quepos. The OIJ boss, surnamed Solano, is accused of illegally cases. The OIJ investigation appears to detaining three North Americans, whose names have not yet been released, in an be at a complete standstill. apparent land dispute with an alleged drug trafficker. With no one talking, speculation The Tico Times has not yet been able to obtain a statement from Solano. feeds the rumour mill. But Rice and the Walkers are working steadfastly to A second man, alias “Bombillo,” also was arrested. Police have not released his break this oath of silence. So far, Rice surname, but they said he has been under investigation for alleged drug trafficking. is the only one who continues to have discussions with all parties. Authorities suspect “Bombillo” was involved in a land dispute with the North Americans and hired OIJ’s Solano to “scare them” via illegal detention for several hours, citing a non-existent international arrest warrant. A press conference on the arrests and allegations is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. at OIJ headquarters in San José.
This story is developing. If you have information on the case, please contact David Boddiger at dboddiger@ticotimes.net. Follow www.ticotimes.net for updates. Hank Leis, author of, The Leadership Phenomenon: A Multidimensional Model
Originally Printed in The Tico Times News on June 17 2015
Where is the real debate? We don’t want it By Mark Kingwell
Mark Kingwell, a professor of philosophy at the University of Toronto.
It’s one of the most elusive unicorns in the expansive fantasy landscape of philosophy: rational discourse, that true confluence of rhetoric and sweet reason that shall, emerging from the cut and thrust of argument, set us free from ideological deception, small-mindedness and self-delusion. Craziness shall melt away under the flow of sanity! Nobody outside of the ivory tower believes in the existence of this mythical beast. Indeed, inside those same friendly confines, the hope for a sighting has mostly been dashed. One prominent anarchist thinker advises us to free ourselves from “Habermasochism”: chasing after an “ideal speech situation,” touted by German social theorist Jürgen Habermas, where the “unforced force of the better argument” regulates flawed human efforts. And yet oddly, out here in the so-called real world there is a persistent belief that idealized “debate” both exists and needs special husbanding. Right now, in extended political campaign season on both sides of the border – a condition not unlike the calendar-swallowing professional hockey season – there is a recurring complaint. We have televised spectacles called debates, but where is the real debate? It’s time we acknowledged the bogus nature of these laments. Of course the current run of orchestrated bobblehead tilts are not real debates. But, contrary to all criticism, we don’t want real political debates. The very idea of rational argument during campaigns survives only as a carapace, an idea-casing whose only function is to fuel grumbling about the state of political discourse. But grumbling about the state of political discourse is the state of political discourse. This endgame embraces the comments boards and social-media feeds that comment in what is laughingly known as “real time” on what Donald Trump said to Megyn Kelly or whether Justin Trudeau managed to lay a glove on Stephen Harper. The long row of dark-suited Republican hopefuls, arrayed on the stage like chunky Identikit assassins, is actually an honest confession: There can be no convergence on truth in this free-for-all hotair cage match. More to the point, nothing that happens on those televised sets has anything at all to do with effective governance.
Let us pause and consider what a real debate looks like. This is harder than it seems, not least because recent debate scenarios of even alleged seriousness – witness the Munk Debate series, for example, or the Sunday political talk shows – undermine the concept. Debates are not he-said/ he-said confrontations of the diametrically opposed. The forgotten insight is that productive disagreement can only be generated by a great deal of agreement: on facts, definitions, stakes, and rules. None of these things hold in most political debates. For that matter, none of them hold in most discourse. There is a reason we feel that all debate voices, and not just Mr. Harper’s, might as well be prerecorded. The mistake is to think we desire something else. Effective argument challenges our long-held and cherished views; it must entail at least the prospect of changing our minds. Reason’s unforced force is actual – it makes you alter your state of thought on pain of contradiction, madness, or shame. Principled disagreement among rational persons can lead to the victory of a stronger view over its rivals. Nobody wants that, least of all the people doing the talking. Of course, these spectacles serve a purpose, as all spectacles do. They allow us to generate a simulacrum of discourse, comforting in its ability to substitute for something more rational and more uncanny. They also offer a wide ambit for comment about candidates’ relative “relatability,” that bugbear of focus panels and reading groups. It would be nice, or at least more entertaining, if the people on stage had greater command of the ancient skills of rhetoric: analogies, sallies, turns of phrase. Not because these tricks would be more persuasive – that view is part of the equally ancient Sophistical fallacy – but because it would be more aesthetically elegant. Where are the jokes, the comic understatements, the artfully dropped bombs of vulgarity? Mr. Trump’s comprehensive boorishness doesn’t count; there’s no rhythm to it. This may all sound nihilistic, but we philosophers take the long view. Reason is a persistent but minor-chord feature of human affairs. To take a prominent example from political debate itself, Lincoln versus Douglas in 1858 didn’t sink Douglas – but it did raise Lincoln’s national profile, today known as his brand. He secured the party nomination and, eventually, the presidency. History, not reason, decides. Lincoln’s ascendancy was a good thing. Those who opposed him were sometimes crazy, deluded, and evil. I also think they were wrong. But the most important thing, to paraphrase Mr. Trump, is that they were losers.
Originally Printed in The Globe and Mail, August 15 2015
Lisa Berry A Seeker and A Dreamer
By Hank Leis
The introspective personality always makes the most interesting interview. It suggests that the person is contemplative and uses self-analysis to change and modify their personality to become more capable in dealing with their surroundings. Becoming the best becomes a conscious effort when one is aware, and does not find that change is not a challenge to one’s identity but applies in the development of intuition, intelligence and ultimately the ability to do what is required. Lisa Berry is
Her inability to get a part in “The Lion King” became an education in understanding “the process” which motivated her to learn more. This was her first memorable mind shift.
person she wanted to be. Her mother happen. The more success she has, the and friends became her greatest fans higher the stakes and self-fulfillment and supporters. Life itself was her must come with becoming comfortable high. And on she went. She realized with the process. She learns from her that she could not control everything fellow actors and loves her work, but is and in so doing found herself better open to all possibilities. off by giving in. Her most humbling Lisa Berry was born in Richmond time was her three months as Hill, Ontario and has three siblings. Adaptability is not merely a survival a hostess, having had this as a She began her career as a Makeup strategy, but a proactive process that backup plan – when after an Artist, but fell in love with acting. She leads to excellence in every endeavour. apparently great career plan is an international actress who has seemed to evaporate. And thirty-four acting credits – including after this diversion her career such a person. She has evolved into such well known productions as “The took off again. becoming that person – a seeker – one Series,” “Transporter & the Series,” who looks for answers by taking on Lisa is a spiritual person. She believes “Nikita,” “Republic of Doyle,” challenges time after time. This comes that there is a higher power that guides “Heartland,” and “Degrassi: The Next through clearly as she articulates her her through the hard times. She is open Generation.” She continues to add to thoughts about her past, her encounters to whatever happens, but is willing to her roles in creating the personas of in the present, and her aspirations for give it all up for a higher purpose. She passionate and powerful women. the future. Lisa Berry is beautiful in knows her family would be supportive looks and substance. Her start in show of whatever she does. The lulls in For more information about Lisa Berry business was a failure in getting the her career would have caused her to go to her website job – but a success in becoming the become more trusting of what will www.lisaberrylive.com
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Rant Rant
On Relationships and Curtsying Before the Queen By Hank Leis
All relationships are about dominance and subordinance. From the point of view of an inquisitive mind the phenomenon of leadership is interesting, from a philosophical point of view- ludicrous.
From a philosophical point of view, communication is the unadulterated exchange of information- and that information is uninhibited in that it uniquely serves the purpose of relaying necessary overlaps in integrating performance ability. Most communication encompasses that requirement, but it also establishes a pecking order of who decides what. In other wordswho is dominant and who is subordinate. This is done in the way we speak to each other and the use of other body signals that establish ranking. Slavery is almost universally regarded as a relationship that once was between master and slave but now, with the exception of a few miscreant countries-perhaps even regarded as less civilized than our own- has been discarded as an acceptable political or economic model. But the distinction between slavery and subordinate is subtle. Laws, culture and tacit agreement make it appear different, but for all interests and purposes- the experience is the same. Monarchies have established routines on how their “subjects” should show deference to the ruling class. India with its caste system- is marginally “better” in treating the subordinate levels of humanity than those countries in which harems and working slaves are used and regarded as not much different as beasts of burden. Any two people meeting, quickly establish their rank, before getting down to business. Status is incredibly important, and even a subordinate individual will often do a mind shift- subsequent to an encounter by creating an illusion of superiority in their minds- by gossiping or demonizing the person who has just humiliated them. The ability to reorganize or reframe the mindset is the requirement to prevent disillusionment or to prevent psychological depression. Narcissism requires it
to sustain continued effort. Superiority in the light of all evidence to the contrary is a necessary human condition. The simple act of marriage binds people together in a relationship when the expectations of one party supersede the expectations of the other. Sometimes these differences in expectations are so major- there is constant conflict leading to physical and mental abuse. Other times there is an apparent lack of conflictbecause of mutual indifference to the other in their lives or because one or both have gone subterranean- ie. become passive aggressive. There is no perfect model that satisfies all. In fact the human condition seems to be never to be satisfied, hence the fight for dominance. The dominant-subordinate relationship is in our genes- no matter the question, “Why can’t we all just get along?” Those who ask this question mostly are in the subordinate position. Those who do not usually have it their way and do not need to. We take for granted that Kings, Queens, Presidents and CEO’s have the right to rule- and this right is extended to them- by virtue of- well, God. And when God no longer blesses the right to rule- then there are revolutions, elections to establish- what- a new ruling class. We are as hardwired to accept our status of being inferior as we are to fighting for dominance. Those of us who rank somewhere in between, have simply found a way of managing our egos. But the battle goes on. Yesterday’s serf may be tomorrow’s CEO and the progeny of the CEO may be tomorrow’s serf. “Shirt sleeves to shirtsleeves in three generations” is a well-known mantra for good reasons.
15.
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. Wadsworthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;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
Astinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s complete study of some 246 institutions yielded that, although the bulk of the institutions in the United States experienced little or no student protest activity during 1966/67 with respect to the war in Vietnam or to social discrimination, there were a few dozen institutions where a substantial proportion of the students participated in such demonstrations. However, Astin found that demonstrations against administrative policies of the institutions, on the other hand, were more the rule than the exception, although the proportion of students participating in such demonstrations tended to be relatively small. Although environmental characteristics of the institution seem to play almost no
16.
part in the emergence of protest activity against the war in Vietnam or social discrimination , they seem to be somewhat more significant with respect to protests against the administrative policies of the college. However, student input characteristics still appear to carry much more weight than environmental characteristics in determining whether or not such protests will occur. Astinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s findings would seem to reveal that student activism is the result of a few gifted students expressing their political competence by organizing lobbies against university administrators, who perhaps provide justifiable grounds by their conservatism and non-responsiveness to student aspirations. Both Dodge and Hansen and Weisbrod point out that perhaps student aspirations are the result of expectations generated by the educational system itself. The above social effects of the educational system provide additional motivation for performing a policy analysis on the Canadian educational system.
Questioning the Function of Education
Approach Adopted In This Report
It is natural that, when the tax base is placed under tremendous pressure not only to increase support for education but also to provide for a whole gamut of other social services, the taxpayer’s reaction - catalyzed by mass media exaggerations of Berkeley, tear gas, Danny the Reel, riots, and alienation - is to question precisely what the function of education is. In the realms of higher education the questioning has been made more articulate by Dodge and by Astin and Panos. Dodge has suggested that the rate of return on education investment to society, as a whole, is far less than the yield on long-term government bonds; he emphasizes the importance of innate ability so far as productivity is concerned, the academic qualification (degree, etc.) merely serving as a union card to gain entrance to the profession. Astin and Panos have further emphasized that the student’s later intellectual achievement, educational plans, and career choice depend much more on his characteristics and plans at the time of matriculation than on his choice of an undergraduate institution. The implication here is not that his choice of a college is an unimportant factor in his development, but rather that the college environment is of relatively little importance in comparison to his initial input characteristics. Further support for the relative unimportance of the institution at the elementary and secondary level is provided by Coleman, who lists the following characteristics in this order of importance as affecting student performance: innate ability, family background, the institution.
The approach to a policy analysis of Canadian education adopted in this report begins with an attempt that is guided by the purely rational model of Dror. This initial approach implies a concern for effectiveness - defined as the achievement of a given objective or goal at minimum cost. The expected output from this initial approach will include:
There is a hinting in the above questioning that the formal educational processes so far as a student’s later performance is concerned may be much less important than the student’s innate ability and drive and the nonformal aspects of education (what is learned at home, on the job, etc.)
The Objectives of a Policy Analysis The awareness of a crisis in education, an appreciation of the significance of education, the social visibility of certain behavioral aspects in the educational system, and the current questioning of the basic function of education provide sufficient motivation for attempting to perform a policy analysis of Canadian education, the objectives of which are these:
- to provide the policymaker with a knowledge of the substantive issues involved in Canadian education;
- a discussion of the possible range of potential objectives or goals; - a discussion of the possible range of potential alternative policies; - an adumbration of the intractabilities and uncertainties that inhibit the purely rational approach to policy analysis. Following the rational attempt at policy analysis will be a review of possible pragmatic methods for the resolution of the intractabilities and uncertainties delincated by the rational approach. Subsequently, since the above analysis will have tended to be more problem-revealing than problem-solving, opportunities for removing some intractabilities and resolving some uncertainties (via research and further analysis) will be highlighted. Finally, an effort will be made to extract significant conclusions from the above analysis so that substantial recommedations may be made for directions of further policy analysis. The above is, in the main, a discussion of the possible form of the output of this attempt at policy analysis, and therefore it is felt that this introduction will not be complete without reference to the substantial aspect of the input to the analysis. In the Canadian context the cardinal input for a policy analysis of Canadian education is an appreciation of the federal/provincial system. To the policy analyst the Canadian federal system is simply a nation where there is an agreed division of sovereign authority between the central and the regional governments, and the basis for the division of sovereign authority is political bargaining. It is to be expected that such political bargaining would compromise concepts of economic efficiency and economic union of the different regions. Conflict is inherently built in to the federal system. Conflict due to the main different types and levels of policymakers with which the Canadian scene is blessed:
- to provide the policymaker with an exhaustive list of alternative policies that may he applied to Canadian education generally and the federal - two types of representative parliament - federal and government’s involvement particularly ; provincial - which are highly sensitive to public opinion pressure groups, are low or medium in expertness, take - to provide the policymaker with a description and short- or medium-range points of view, and show low or of the implications of the existing Canadian medium consistency in their decisions; policies in education.
- two merit-selected civil services - federal and provincial which are moderately insensitive to public opinion and pressure groups, have a high level of expertness (within limits that depend upon educational qualifications and
experience), take medium-range and sometimes longerrange points of view, and show medium or high consistency in their decisions; - federal and provincial courts, which are highly insensitive to public opinion and pressure groups, have a high level of limited (legal) expertness, take short- or medium-range points of view, and show high or very high consistency in their decisions.
knowledge is lost every generation. The rate of consumption of knowledge is appalling, and it has to be produced in large quantities simply to replace what is being lost all the time . It is only as there develops an excess of the production of knowledge over its consumption that the total quantity of knowledge can increase.
2 THE RATIONAL APPROACH TO POLICY ANALYSIS IN
This econometric view of knowledge by Boulding allows the appreciation that there is a point of unstable equilibrium where, if the quantity of knowledge falls below that point, its consumption will exceed its production, knowledge will decline, and the society will go out of existence. There is a further higher equilibrium point where production is equal to consumption. Precisely where the stationary state is going to be depends on the nature of the particular society.
Establishment of Operational Objectives
The necessity for technological change in education or in techniques of transmission of knowledge may now be appreciated if we are to avoid a stationary state of knowledge in the not-too-distant future.
CANADIAN EDUCATION
First there must be established a complete set of operational objectives with relative weights allocated to the different degrees to which each may be achieved. This determination and ranking of the objectives of Canadian education entail an extensive analytical process which must include the definition of education, a study of the effects of education, a study of the history of education, a study of the future trends in education, a study of the conflicts in Canadian education, a study of the constraints in Canadian education, a study of all previous statements relevant to the objectives of education in Canada, and a study of the immediately obvious problems in education - and together with this must go an awareness of all other national goals and policies and their relative significance.
The Definition of Education Although superficially education may be defined as the dissemination of the existing stock of knowledge, this definition hinges upon a precise definition of knowledge. According to Boulding, knowledge is something that exists in human nervous systems or their equivalents, whatever they may be, and nowhere else. It does not exist in libraries. If the people who could read books were to disappear, the books themselves would not generate any new knowledge. Knowledge as a growing organic system requires apparatus of the complexity of human life to sustain it. It may be assisted by computers, as it is by libraries, but until we have a self -organizing, self-generating computer, computers must be regarded as strictly auxiliary to the processes that go on in human minds. Bouldingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s definition of knowledge raises another fact about the knowledge system,which comes close to dominating it, and which arises because it is contained in human nervous systems, and these are extremely perishable. The knowledge structure of society is continually depreciating because people get forgetful, old, and dead, and therefore constantly has to be replaced by birth, learning, growth, and education. A fact that somehow is seldom recognized is that all human
The aove will serve to emphasize that education is closely connected to the rearing of children, since the required knowledge that the offspring must have, so far as all aspects of their behavior and performance are concerned, is learned rather than generated spontaneously by instinct contained in the human organism. The above naturally leads to the identification that, although all human beings require education for their total functioning, their receptivity to education - their capacity to absorb and utilize knowledge - is different . Moreover, the definition of education must also be concerned with its reception. Are the results of education the acquiring of knowledge or the acquiring of the ability to acquire knowledge? Or both? Does education have any concern with the ability to acquire knowledge? The ability to acquire knowledge cannot be separated from the desire to acquire knowledge and the means to acquire knowledge. Is education a social process or an individual process? Is reading an individual process or a social process one step removed? Of what significance is personal motivation in the process of the dissemination of knowledge?
Dr. Jack Wadsworth To be continued in the next issue of Metanoia
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Dr. Allison Patton, interviewer, Metanoia Magazine
Erin Cebula of Entertainment Tonight Canada with Britany Snider of Metanoia Magazine
Brightlight Pictures and Lighthouse Pictures Annual Red Carpet Film Party During The Vancouver International Film Festival
The Metanoia Team L toR: Attila Kovarcsik, Allison Patton, Caleb Ng, and Britany Snider (Missing: JR Leis)
Agam Darshi
Aleks Paunovic
Derek Gilroy
Anja Savcic
Elysia Rotaru
Bates Motel, Motive,The Romeo Section
Artic Air, iZombie,Continuum, School of Fish
The Perfect Pickup
Strange Empire, Incontrol
Girl House, Arrow, School of Fish
Todd Talbot
Luciana Carro
Alison Araya
Dylan Playfair
Mackenzie Gray
HGTV Love It or List it Vancouver
Falling Skies, Helix, Six Gun Savior
Contiuum, Arrow, The Unseen, Lookinglass
Some Assembly Required, The Hollow, Letterkenny
Iron Man: Armored Adventures, SPOOKSVILLE, Christmas Truce
Eugene Lipinski
Ryan Robbins
James Neate
Mireille Urumuri
Fiona Vroom
Fringe, Arrow,The Romeo Section,Unseen
The Killing, Continuum,Warcraft
Motive,The 100, FWD
Falling Skies, Mistresses
Hell on Wheels, Meridian
Chris Rosamond
Keegan Connor Tracy
Emily Haine
Fargo, Hell on Wheels, The Revenant, Forsaken
Bates Motel, Once Upon a Time
The 100, Fargo, Meridiem
Carmen Moore and Tinsel Korey Blackstone
Emily Maddison and Chad Rook The Perfect Pickup
Lee Majdoub Brain of Fire, The Puppet Killer
Garry Chalk
Jarod Joseph
Todd and Brad Mann
Juan Riedinger
The Killing, Cedar Cove, The Hollow
Fringe, Arrow, The 100, Misstresses
Fargo
Narcos,The Romeo Section
Tammy Gillis
Aliyah Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Brien
Harrison Houde
Elise Gatien
Eli Goree
Continuum,Girlfriends Guide to Divorce, Menorca
Bates Motel, Rookie Blue, School of Fish
Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Some Assembly Required
iZombie, A Perfect Wedding, A Christmas Truce
Motive, The 100, A Christmas Truce, Heartbreaker
Sarah Jeffery Wayward Pines, Descendants, Shades of Blue
Jennifer Copping Fargo, iZombie, Supernatural, The Confirmation
Curtis Lum
Viv Leacock
Luisa D’Oliveira
Proof, Ties that Bind, The Romeo Section
Dark Harvest
50/50, Cracked, Motive
Hannah Levien
Leanne Lapp
Sharon Taylor
Ryan McDonell
Nathan Mitchell
The Returned, The Devine, The Magicians
Rogue, iZombie, School of Fish
Smallville, The 100, Murder Unresolved
Battlestar Gallactica, Smallville, The Devout
Cedar Cove, Arrow, Newlywed and Dead
Laine MacNeil
Rukiya Bernard
Bethany Brown
Ashley Diana Morris
Delete, Sorority Murders, Ungodly Acts
Motive, Girlfriends Guide to Divorce, The Perfect Pickup
Model for Guess and Marciano
Diary of a Wimpy Kid, The Hollow, The Xfiles
Emma Pederson
Natasha Burnett
Olivia Ryan Stern
Marta Gyorgy-Kessler
Kevin O’Grady
Murdoch Mysteries, Suits, Life
Olympus, UnReal
Continuum, Arrow, The Unseen, Lookinglass
Producer of Hannah: Buddhism’s Untold Story
Further Adventures in Babysitting
Lochlyn Munro
Laura Mennell
True Justice, Longmire, The Unspoken, Hell in a Handbag
Alphas, Motive, Haven, Cedar Cove
Richard Harmon The Killing, Bates Motel, The 100, The Hollow, The Puppet Killer
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Sarah Dugdale
Chelsey Reist
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Jesse Hutch True Justice, Arrow, Cedar Cove, Blue Adrenaline
Brittney Wilson
Anna van Hooft
Bates Motel, Rogue, iZombie, Lost Solace
Fringe, Cedar Cove, Warcraft
Morgan Taylor Campbell The Killing, The 100, Pretty Little Addicts
Lucia Walters Ties that Bind, The Romeo Section
Interview with Tammy Gillis Actor, Director and Executive Producer By Suzette Laqua
I recently had the honour of sitting down with Tammy Gillis; a beautiful and talented Canadian actress who grew up in rural Manitoba but now calls Vancouver her home. You may recognize Tammy who has had a number of film and television appearances including roles on UpTV’s “Ties That Bind”, Hallmark’s“Signed Sealed Delivered”, ABC and CTV’s drama “Motive”, CW’s “Supernatural”, Syfy’s “Continuum”, Showcase’s “Lost Girl” and many more. Tammy has showcased her comedic side on the critically acclaimed award winning HBO Canada series “Less Than Kind”, Bravo’s “Girlfriend’s Guide to Divorce”, CBC’s “jPod” and SpikeTV’s “Blue Mountain State”. Her film credits include roles in “White Noise 2: The Light”, “Shooter”, “No Men Beyond This Point”, “The Pinnochio Project” and the lead role in the new feature film “Menorca”. We sat down at Tap and Barrel in Olympic Village for a really fun interview. We not only talked about her career as an Actress but her career as a Director and Executive Producer.
SL: It’s such a pleasure to meet you, thank you for taking the time to meet with me. Lesley Diana, mentioned that among some amazing TV and movie roles, you have recently completed a webseries. TG: Yes, I’ve just completed a number of projects - I had a great guest star role on UpTV’s “Ties That Bind” and was lucky to act opposite Kelli Williams!! And spar a bit with Jason Priestly. I also have a recurring role in the Hallmark “Signed, Sealed, Delivered” movie series playing Randilynn Amidon, who is an American soldier lost in action and am beyond excited about that role. I just came back from playing the lead role in the Farpoint Films feature film “Menorca” which we shot in Winnipeg and Spain. I managed to find time to direct and produce the web series “The Support Group”, we just finished filming about three weeks ago. I have a small role in it as well. I had previously worked with the creators and the three girls, young women, came to me with six episodes written and asked if I would consider directing it. I told them I’d take a look. I really liked it and thought it was a great idea, it’s a comedy. SL: I love comedy! TG: I saw that it needed some work but also the potential of where it could go, so I asked if I came on board, could I also produce and help guide this. It all came together very quickly. We shot three different blocks over a month and a half. I discovered that I have very much of a directors mind. It was challenging, but in a really
great way. SL: You shot it here in Vancouver? TG: Yes, here in Vancouver. We shot six episodes, I’m now in the middle of editing. SL: Are you doing all the editing yourself? TG: Yes, I’m doing it myself. SL: What are you using? TG: I’m using Final Cut. The entire process has been really interesting and a massive learning curve. SL: That’s so great and you’re an actress by trade? TG: I’m an actress first and foremost, I also teach and coach actors across Canada and North America for the past five years. I’ve produced a couple of short films and now am getting into directing and writing. SL: And you’ve been on enough sets in your life, you can see the different directors styles and what worked for you as an actor with these directors and take from them to put forward in your directing style.
open to whatever adjustments the director has. I find that a lot of actors take it personally when they get adjustments, but really sometimes it’s just technical, they may need you to look over there because it just looks better, even though it was written a certain way, changes on set happen all the time. But one thing as an actor, I’m still going to take the direction but I’m going to ask myself if this is significantly going to change my character. Or my performance. If so, let’s talk about a good reason why that exists. SL: And you take the part based on what you read and what your interpretation of the character and performance was going to be. TG: Yes, but I don’t recall ever having a conversation with a director saying “my character wouldn’t do that” and I’ve had actors do that to me as a director, which surprised me. I felt like as the director, I had the bigger picture in mind. As an actor, I am always really open to what the director or producer has to say because they usually have more information than I do. SL: So all 6 episodes of the web series are complete? TG: They are all complete, in terms of being shot, yes. SL: So you’re editing by yourself.
TG: I’m editing by myself TG: For me, the only right now but the girls and concern I really had I will all review it, everyone directing the web series gets a say. I will definitely was the technical aspect of need help with the color it. I let the DP that the girls correcting, etc. had lined up know that SL: How long are each I didn’t know a lot of the episode? technical side, you’re going to have to be patient, you TG: We were going for 10 may have to explain things to 12 minutes. The first to me, like if I’m doing it episode, including credits, wrong and crossing the is about 12 minutes. axis, tell me how we should be doing it and we’ll make SL: The feedback we’ve it work. He was really received from screeners, great about that. When judges and audience I’m watching an actor I’m members all agree that 5 coaching or taping or with to 10 minutes, give or take on set, I get these creative a couple minutes, is an ideas that just pop into ideal length for web series. my brain and I just have So you’ll be submitting to to go with them because I Behind the scenes on “The Support Group” (web series) left to right: Director/Producer - Tammy Gillis, script Vancouver Web Fest?! - Matt Sproat, Boom operator - Dana Bontempo, actress Laura Carly Miller, actress Lily Zarif. think they are these brilliant supervisor Photograph by True Grit moments (laughing). So (Laughter) I’ll say that ‘I have this and this in mind’ and ask ‘Can we do that?’ and sometimes the DP say TG: Of course we are. ‘Yeah, we can do that! I can make that happen’ and sometimes he’ll say no, that will change everything. Sometimes we compromise. I SL: Have the girls done any other web series? don’t like to play by the rules in filmmaking. TG: Not that I’m aware of. The three of them graduated from the SL: It’s such a great learning curve, anything and everything we film/acting at Capilano College and since have formed their own do every day, even when you go back to your acting roots. You production company called Beyond Theatre Productions, they’ve go on set with a new part, a new director and you’re acting the done some sketch comedy and they also wrote a play that they have part the way that director sees it. performed at a couple different venues. But I think this is their first web series. TG: It’s interesting going back to being an actor after being on the directing side because I realized that as an actor, it’s not about you. SL: That’s really exciting. I can’t wait to see it. Have you been to It’s about telling the story, it’s about getting the shots the director Vancouver Web Fest? needs, that’s their priority. Sometimes actors think “why are they so TG: We went to the Web Fest last year at Granville Island and standoffish, why are they this, why are they that?” And I know now we went to the one the year before on Main Street at Imperial that it has nothing to do with you because they have eight hundred Vancouver. When it was at Imperial, we saw a couple of web series things going on in their head. from the prairies, I’m originally from Manitoba. SL: That’s a really great perspective, I bet most actors aren’t SL: Another prairie girl here, I’m from Alberta. thinking what’s going on in the director’s head. TG: Oh yeah!? One of the web series we watched was Windy City, TG: When I go to set, I bring my interpretation with me and be
it was from Winnipeg. It was really good. SL: The web series that have been VWFs Official Selections in the past have been absolutely amazing, and they just getting better and better. There’s some serious competition out there. It’s a serious business. How well done these web series are will project on everyone involved, the actors, producers, directors, absolutely everyone. TG: It’s amazing what’s happening with some of them, like High Maintenance, which was/is on Vimeo and was picked up by HBO. SL: Have you heard of TELUS funding web series? TG: No I haven’t, we’ve been looking online to see what kind of financing there is for web series and there really isn’t anything. SL: Actually there are a couple, for instance IPF, Independent Production Fund, they provide financial support for dramatic television series created by Canadian independent producers for Canadian private broadcasters. But you’re a comedy, so that doesn’t’t really work for you. But it’s still worth looking into if you ever do a drama web series. There’s also the Cogeco Fund which supports the development of new digital drama series or web series. Just some information to keep in mind for future web series.
offered to be picked up by a network, but the network wanted to change everything about the web series including the name. The creators said no, what was the point, it would have been a completely different web series from the one they created. TG: Oh yeah, it becomes their baby, even the girls on the first day shoot, they were so reluctant to let me make changes. I had to just tell them they had to trust me, I see a bigger picture. That’s why you hired me and you have to trust I am going to fulfill your vision. There were times they’d ask if we could try it a certain way because that’s how they had visualized it and absolutely I was always open to that. SL: What are your hopes with completion of editing? TG: We’re hoping to have a teaser by the end of the week. I don’t know if that will realistically happen because we have colour correction and some other final touches to do. Once you start the editing process you see a number of things that need to be fixed. You want it to be really good before anyone sees it. SL: Absolutely, the teaser will be the first impression and if it’s not bang on it could affect the outcome of the launch of the web series. What was one of your biggest challenges shooting?
TG: That’s great, thank you, I’ll definitely look into it. SL: You bet, good luck! It’s a really exciting time with how web series are getting so much attention. With your web series, does the team have any plans to pitch it and keep it private or release it for public viewing? TG: We have a couple producers who are interested in seeing it once we have more of a final version of it. Our plan is to create a teaser/trailer of it and have a website before we release. Take meetings with these producers to see if they want to see more and not release it until we get some answers. Our goal is to get someone to pick it up, that’d be amazing. If not, then we’ll just release it on our own and submit it to festivals. SL: And of course having credits for doing a web series is great to put on one’s resume.
Behind the scenes on Hallmark’s “Signed Sealed Delivered: Impossible Dream” - airing Oct 4, 2015 - Actress - Tammy Gillis.
TG: Exactly and the bottom line that we’ve talked about is that doing a web series is going to help their careers and potentially help kick start a directing career for me. So it’s definitely a win for everyone. SL: Absolutely and one of the great things about doing a web series is you have creative control. TG: That’s right. Actor Jared Keeso, star of 19-2, his series Letterkenny, which shot in Sudbury, was commissioned by CraveTV and the Comedy Network, he has full creative control. SL: They submitted to VWF2014 and were an Official Selection. I loved their humour. I know of another web series that was
TG: Oh yeah, the insaneness of shooting…(smile) we managed to get a location in North Van, it’s called The Pipe Shop Building, it was supposed to be the New Maritime Museum but they didn’t move it over there, so it’s become this big, beautiful empty building that is massive. There’s nothing in it! They rent it out for events such as weddings and stuff like that. So we managed to get it as a location and we’re shooting one Saturday night that the fireworks were going on. We’d looked to see if there were any events going around this weekend…nothing…..7:30 a band starts playing right outside. We decided to wrap early that night. We could make out very clearly the words to Michael Jackson’ song. SL: The fun of shooting in some spaces that you have no control over.
TG: And the next morning there was a church service going on outside, again, with a band. What was good about that was they’d just play one song and there’d be a 25 minute break in between, so we managed to dodge that one. SL: (LOL) Always something to keep us on our toes. Now would you want produce more episodes of this web series? TG: Absolutely! I loved it. I loved the freedom and I worked so well with the girls and the other cast and crew. We have ideas for expanding the web series from 10-12 minutes to be 22 minutes. Also, we’d like to do a second season. They have ideas for writing it already. SL: That’s fantastic, some web series creators don’t look at the big picture and only write for one season. Now would you do
one on your own? A different web series? TG: Yeah, I think so, it was a lot of work! And the girls did a lot more of the hands on producing such as finding the crew, the insurance, the contracts for the equipment, etc. They were responsible for all of that. And I definitely was more of an Executive Producer in that I delegated and made sure things were take care of. They were amazing, I can’t say enough good things about them, they were so organized and so on it. SL: What are the girls’ names? TG: Sydney Doberstein, Laura Carly Miller and Lily Zarif are the three girls. Oh so here’s a funny thing, they asked me to work with them and I booked three acting jobs. I was booked from May until the middle of July with acting work. I went from show to show. Plane ride to plane ride. I just arrived back from Spain last week. They were really great. I let them know that they could find a different director or they could wait. I wasn’t going to be offended with whatever decision they decide. They said no, that they definitely wanted me. So, I had the script and we could get going on some things production wise, whenever I had a spare moment, we were working on the production of the web series. It ended up working out really well, we pushed our production by about two weeks because I didn’t feel we were quite there in our prep. It just happened to all work out better than if we had started in May. And again it’s all in prep, you don’t have the prep done things will go sideways. SL: What’s next for you? TG: I’ve been so busy since May and working on a lot things and the projects I’ve shot as an actor are starting to air or have aired. I have a really big part in the Hallmark’s Signed, Sealed, Delivered MOW second and third movie: Signed, Sealed, Delivered: Truth Be Told and Signed, Sealed, Delivered: The Impossible Dream. SL: Oh yeah, of course. So when is the release date for The Impossible Dream? TG: October 4th. I’ve seen a bit of it and there is a trailer on line where they do show some of the amazing stuff I get to do. I fall out of a helicopter when I’m out on this mission. And it looks amazing. (http://goo.gl/Ut0rDj). SL: Did you actually fall out of the helicopter?
that no one else on the production had. I am very grateful to her for that. She guided me with research and it gave me the time to dig deeper into the stories of female soldiers and female POW’s. My storyline is based on a very secret operation of the American military. CNN had released footage three days before Martha and I had this meeting and she sent me a whole bunch of footage from it. It was so top secret they hid it from everyone since 2011. They’re called the Band of Sisters. SL: Will they be showing CNN footage in the movie? TG: Not that I’m aware of, they have flashbacks of my face in newspapers and scenes explaining what we were and what were we doing. It all starts with a letter in ‘Signed, Sealed and Delivered: Truth Be Told’, a letter that finally makes it to my daughter. SL: Is this part of the TV series? TG: It did start out as a TV series and now they’re doing a series of movies. SL: I’m really looking forward to seeing it and it being a Hallmark movie, we know that it’s a feel good movie. I know you said something about coming back from Spain? TG: I just finished a movie called Menorca, a feature film about this woman who is a wife and mother and is absolutely miserable and starts doing some bad things. She finally realizes that her son is the most important thing so she makes this trip to Spain to win him back. We just got Canadian distribution, which is very exciting! We filmed in Winnipeg for three weeks and one week in Spain. Their goal is to get it finished to submit it to the festivals very soon. SL: You have so much going on, I’m so excited for you and I can’t wait to see everything. It’s been an absolute pleasure meeting you. Remember keep your schedule free next year March 18th – 20th for Vancouver Web Fest 2016. TG: For sure, I can’t wait. SL: And let’s get a photo of us! For more information about Tammy Gill go to her website www.tammygillis.com For more information on Vancouver Web Fest go to www.vancouverwebfest.com
TG: Yeah, I did, but there was a stunt person that fell from a lot higher than me. I still fell about twelve feet out of the helicopter as it was being lifted up. It was scary and awesome. SL: I bet, 12 feet is VERY high when you’re falling from it. TG: They would ask if I was ready to do it and I said ‘let’s just do it before I have to think about it’. (Laughter)
SL: It sounds so exciting! I can’t wait to see it. TG: Oh and just want to add, Impossible Dream had not yet been written when I was cast in the second movie, Truth Be Told. Martha Williamson, who was the Executive Producer and Creator, was writing The Impossible Dream while we were shooting Truth Be Told. SL: What’s the Impossible Dream about? TG: I play an American soldier who goes missing on an undercover mission. I was very honoured to play this role and felt a big responsibility to get the story and the truth of this character right. It is a very very big deal, being a soldier and being a female soldier. I have friends in the military (Canadian and American) and I am amazed at what they do. They put their lives on the lines for our freedom. Absolutely incredible. Martha Williamson (the creator), who is an amazing, brilliant woman, gave me a lot of information
Suzette Laqua and Tammy Gilllis
The Push and Pull of Travel By Carly Hilliard
Mindfulness practices are traditionally associated with the Buddhist philosophy. However, in more recent years, practicing mindfulness has been mainstreamed into counseling techniques for the treatment of depression and anxiety. To be mindful is to be aware of oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s thoughts, emotions, and sensations in the present moment without judgment. In many societies today, mindfulness is being practiced through conscious meditation. Most commonly referenced is sitting meditation, however, other forms of active meditation such as yoga or walking meditation have proved to be especially popular. The yoga seen has blown-up recently in Vancouver - it is difficult to find a Vancouverite who has not tried yoga at least once. My experience in Ecuador thus far, has opened my eyes to an alternative practice of mindfulness - travel. Travel has the ability to gently hold your hand and guide you into the present moment.
However, it also has the ability to violently push you into the present moment with no sympathy.
But none the less, traveling is an alternative practice of mindfulness. For those suffering from depression a n d / o r anxiety, there is a tendency to either dwell on the past or worry about the future. Looking back, we ask ourselves: Why did I do that? Why did that happen to me? Where would I be if I decided otherwise? In contrast, looking forward one might ask themselves: What will it be like? How is he/she going to react? Will I get it all done in time? What if I fail?
These questions or thoughts typically trigger subsequent negative thoughts and emotions.
If this pattern of thinking becomes a habit, before we know it, we become the victims of the past and the future. Subsequently, the present moment is completely neglected. Interestingly enough, the present moment is the only moment, out of all those moments we create in our minds, that we actually have control over. I have experienced moments that have gently guided me into the present moment such as: viewing beautiful art and scenery, listening to new Latino music, and socializing with my host family in Spanish. But I have also experienced moments that violently threw me into the present moment, such as: running across the Houston airport to catch my flight, experiencing motion sickness, travelerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s diarrhea, and witnessing a women get mugged and having to ride the bus home with her while she cried and cried. In general, the more gentle practices of mindfulness while traveling tend to manifest in simply experiencing new sensations, thoughts, and emotions. Whereas the experiences traveling that more violently push you into the present moment tend to be unpleasant experiences
Travel has the capacity to allow one to live in the moment; to live life the way we should, experiencing our sensations, thoughts and emotions as they come and go.
in which instinctively my reaction to the stimulus forces my mind and body to become present. In both cases, whether pleasant or unpleasant all my experiences traveling have proven to be great practices of mindfulness. Unfortunately, many people in our society feel as though they are slaves of their schedules and responsibilities. Eventually, their minds use the past and the future to trick themselves out of the unappetizing present moment. In order to escape the present, one might look back on the past with nostalgia or dream about the future - successfully filling the void they experience in the present moment. However appealing these fantasies might be, by always wishing away the present moment with thoughts of the past or future that are “better” - we irresponsibly create an impression of a present moment that is “worse”. Over of our decisions in their entirety - to experience all the tragedies of our lives and all of the victories! With Love from Ecuador, Carly Hilliard
time, our minds create habits of seeking refuge in past or future fantasies and what we find in our attempts to return to the present moment are depression and anxiety. We feel depressed about how the present moment has not lived up to our expectations and we feel anxious trying to reenter the present as it is a place very unfamiliar to us. The practice of mindfulness is not easy, but it is worthwhile. Mindfulness teaches us to come back into our bodies and minds and live our actual life, not our imagined life. We can stress and worry about everything in the world and we can wish that we were somewhere else, but every time we do so, we miss out on a real moment from our actual lives. So practice being present. Whether its traveling to a new country or just finding the time on the weekend to enjoy some live music. There are many activities that we can do to bring ourselves into the present moment - you do not need to travel to Ecuador (although I highly recommend traveling!). Try something new; a new food or a new hobby. Practice a sport, play an instrument, or introduce yourself to someone new. The key to life is not to decipher whether or not we made the right decision but rather, to mindfully experience the consequences
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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 If you had invested in actively managed mutual funds (as opposed to passively managed index funds) Bogle argues investors in such funds have been almost criminally misserved. Encouraged by the industry’s marketing techniques, investors now tend to hop in and out of funds. The average fund holding period has dropped from 16 years in the 1950s to 2 1/2 years now. And investors have done a pretty horrendous job of timing those hops. From 1984 through the end of 2001, when the S&P 500 advanced at a compound annual rate of 14.5% and the average equity mutual fund rose 11.5%, actual fund investors made just 4.2% a year, according to financial research firm Dalbar. Given how tough 2002 was for the market, the average investor return since 1984 will probably drop below 3%. That’s less than the inflation rate over that time. Which means that over the past 18 years, the average mutual fund investor has gone nowhere, or maybe even a little bit backward. Having taken all of the above into consideration the investor has a choice of how to invest in a passively managed index fund: •Buy shares of an open ended index mutual fund such as Vanguard directly from its owner—the fund corporation. •Buy shares of a closed end mutual fund which are traded in the stock exchanges. Among the more popular of these exchange traded funds, ETF’s, are “Spiders” (stock symbol SPY), so named because they track the Standard and Poor’s 500 Index of large-cap stocks, “Diamonds” (DIA), which track the Dow Jones Industrial average, while “Cubes”
32.
(QQQQ) follow stocks held in the Nasdaq 100 Index. The ETF has fast become the investment tool of choice (since its inception in 1993) for the following cogent reasons: •The internal management expenses of ETF’s are lower than open ended funds. •ETF’s are far more liquid than open ended funds. They can be bought and sold at any time during the trading day, whilst open ended funds require the minimum equivalent of a day’s notice to effect a transaction. •The income tax implications of ETF’s are lower. •As financial instruments, ETF’s are incredibly more versatile as will be demonstrated in later chapters of this dissitation. •ETF’s tend to track their index more closely than do open ended funds. In these days of easy access to deeply discounted brokerages, the disadvantage of the brokerage cost incurred by ETF’s, when buying and selling, tends to disappear. Having dealt with both the way and the means of attempting to make money in the stock market, the risk to one’s financial portfolio of being in the market at all, has not been dealt with. This leads naturally to the next chapter.
Why can’t you buy some sort of insurance against the risk associated with Stock Market Bubbles? Protecting your financial assets.
“The future ain’t what it used to be.” -Yogi Berra
“The clairvoyant society of London will not meet Tuesday because of unforeseen circumstances.” -Advertisement in the Financial Times There is no doubt about it, if you had chosen to invest in the stock market just before the collapse of a bubble or a significant market downturn you would have soon experienced a not too welcome loss. This loss would have been all the more painful simply because you were probably attracted to the stock market by all your friends and colleagues boasting about the money they had made when the bubble was inflating. Because, as has been discussed, it is impossible to forecast or predict when to buy into the stock market, with the hindsight of experiencing a loss, you would have sworn that never again would you buy into the stock market without some measure of protection against loss. Because you were investing in the stock market for some very important reason such as accumulating assets for your children’s education or for your own retirement, you would consider some form of insurance for protecting these valuable assets. After all, your saving deposits at the your bank are protected against the bank going bankrupt for up to $100,000 by the Canada Deposit Insurance Corporation. Globally most nations have some form of deposit insurance. Many national deposit insurers are members of the International Association of Deposit Insurers—an international organization established to contribute to the stability of financial systems by promoting international cooperation. According to the IADI, there are currently 95 national deposit insurers in operation around the world. The explicit purpose of deposit insurance is to protect the financially unsophisticated depositors and to contribute to financial stability in an environment where banks are allowed to lend, or use otherwise, most of the money that they receive as deposits instead of safe keeping the full amounts. Unfortunately, deposit insurance is a tightrope act. On the one hand, explicit deposit insurance can significantly reduce the number of bank runs (collapses) or even stop them altogether. On the other hand, when not done carefully, explicit deposit insurance can fuel bank crises by giving banks perverse incentives to take unnecessary risks. The United States learned a painful lesson in this regard in the late 1980s and early 1990s when an overly generous deposit insurance system helped trigger the largest wave of bank failures since the Great Depression in the early 1930s. A somewhat utopian and idealist view is provided by Shiller of a future world where practically all financial socio-economic risks are insured against. Shiller develops economic concepts to reduce the following important risks in society: •Livelihood insurance against poor career choices. •Home value insurance to protect against falling home prices.
•Income linked loans for reducing the risk of hardship and bankruptcy. •Inequality insurance to protect against the unfair distribution of income. •Intergenerational Social Security to share the risks between young and old. •International Agreements for risk control. Unfortunately the judgment has to be passed on Shiller’s book as being a little too far fetched. The likelihood of any concept being implemented is very low. The book deals with none of the practical economic aspects and perverse social consequences of basically being given tenure with no visible financial hazard in sight. Shiller’s book may be an interesting read but is bound to contribute to widespread obesity! In the opinion of the author one has to go back to 1921 for any practical economic approach for dealing with financial risk. Frank Knight rightly considered that the word “risk” was used too loosely in financial and economic circles. In his 1917 doctoral dissertation at Cornell University he made his famous distinction between risk (randomness with knowable probabilities) and uncertainty (randomness with unknowable probabilities). Risk, he said, arises from repeated changes for which probabilities can be calculated and insured against, such as death, the risk of fire and the like. Uncertainty arises from unpredictable changes in an economy, such as resources, preferences, and knowledge, changes that cannot be insured against. Uncertainty, he said “is one of the fundamental facts of life”. One of the larger issues of Knight’s time was how the entrepreneur, the central figure in a free enterprise system, earns profits in the face of competition. It was thought that competition would reduce profits to zero across a sector because any profits would attract more entrepreneurs into the sector and increase supply, which would drive prices down, resulting in competitive equilibrium and zero profit. Knight argued that uncertainty itself may allow some entrepreneurs to earn profits despite this equilibrium. Entrepreneurs, he said, are forced to guess at their expected total receipts. They cannot foresee the number of products they will sell because of the unpredictability of consumer preferences. Still, they must purchase product inputs, so they base these purchases on the number of products they guess they will sell. Finally, they have to guess the price at which their products will sell. These factors are all uncertain and impossible to know. Profits are earned when uncertainty yields higher total receipts than forecasted total receipts. Thus, Knight postulated, profits are merely due to luck. Such entrepreneurs who “get lucky” will try to reproduce their success, but will be unable to because their luck will eventually turn. If “investor” is substituted for “entrepreneur” in Knight’s thesis, it can easily be appreciated that the investor has to
function under uncertainty since the behaviour of the stock market is unpredictable. Uncertainty is a fact of investment life. Therefore, one cannot take out insurance—simply because the insurance business cannot function where the probability of loss cannot be predicted. The wise investor (entrepreneur) would then choose to hedge her/his liability of loss. There is no argument that portfolio protection is just as important as portfolio appreciation. It is obvious that the form of protection adopted has to be automatically applied. Naturally, if the loss could be predicted then the investor could just choose to sell (liquidate) the portfolio or seek to profit from the market downturn by selling, then short-selling the portfolio. Shortselling is a transaction allowing money to be made when the share price declines. There are two types of portfolio protection that the investor could apply to protect her/his portfolio: •A “circuit breaker” could be attached to the portfolio in order to liquidate it automatically if a certain loss is experienced. •The portfolio could be “hedged” by purchasing an investment of equal value to the portfolio but negatively correlated—when the portfolio loses value the hedge automatically increases in value. Implementing a circuit breaker is as simple as placing a stop-loss order with your broker (on-line or local office). A stop-loss order requests that your portfolio be liquidated (sold) if it falls in value by an amount that you have established such as 5%, 10%, or whatever. The circuit breaker is in effect from the moment you implement it by contacting your broker until you elect to remove it by a countermanding order issued to your broker (at any time in the future). Other than being costless, the immediate advantage is that you are protected from any sudden and significant market down turn and, therefore, cannot experience catastrophic loss— meaning that you can sleep at night. The disadvantages of a stop-loss are twofold: Although your broker has got your offer to sell into the market, if the downturn has produced a torrent of sell orders, it may take a finite amount of time for your offer to be purchased and hence the price at which you ultimately have your order executed could be well below the percentage loss you were prepared to accept when you instituted the stop-loss. The other disadvantage is that there will be an opportunity cost if the market downturn proves to be a short-term market fluctuation—since your original portfolio is now in cash you will not be able to benefit from any subsequent market appreciation. Deciding to set up a circuit breaker is a decision that has to be made under considerable uncertainty! Naturally, if your portfolio continues to appreciate and never drops low enough to trigger the circuit breaker, you can progressively raise the trigger level of the circuit breaker to match the appreciation of your portfolio. By following closely behind your portfolio with the stop loss order you are always virtually locking in any past profits.
If your portfolio consists of ETF’s reflecting the stock market indices (as discussed in the previous chapter) hedging is relatively simple and comprehensive. In can be accomplished by the purchase and sale of options on the various ETF’s. (Understanding the trading of options is a vital part of the vocabulary of anyone who is interested in the stock market. Since the Chicago Board of Options Exchange is the largest exchange for trading options, a visit to their web site at www.oboe.com is mandatory. This site makes available free information particularly the booklet: Characteristics and risks of Standardized Options. The OBOE insists that this booklet is required reading for anyone contemplating this very interesting aspect of the stock market. Naturally, there are a myriad of books available for all levels of option traders at your public libraries or via the internet booksellers.) Your portfolio is hedged by purchasing an appropriate number of put options at a strike price to match the trigger level to what you would have set a protecting circuit breaker (say 5% below the current value of your portfolio). Simultaneously one could write or sell an appropriate number of call options (say at a strike price of 5% above the current level of your portfolio) and use the proceeds to net out the cost of buying the put options. In this manner you could reduce potentially to zero the cost of hedging your portfolio for the duration of the option (say for one or several months or more). The option jargon for this strategy is a collar. For clarification a put conveys the right, but not the obligation, to sell the underlying securities—the ETF’s at the strike price for a certain time period. Usually, if the underlying security declines in value below the strike price then the value of the put option rises accordingly. This means you can recover the loss to your portfolio (in excess of the 5%) by merely selling the put option—before it expires. Similarly, selling or writing a call on your ETF’s conveys the right, but not the obligation, of the purchasers to buy your ETF’s at the strike price. Should your portfolio ETF’s appreciate beyond the strike price the value of the call option will tend to exceed that for which you sold it. It can be appreciated that protecting your portfolio via hedging is somewhat more complicated requiring more active management than simply installing a circuit breaker. There are, however, some advantages to hedging. The two approaches can be best compared by considering how they behave in the following three scenarios: •The portfolio value declines below the lower strike price (same as the trigger level for the circuit breaker). •The portfolio value stays within the limits of the lower and upper strike prices. •The portfolio value rises above the higher strike price. The circuit breaker is tripped and the portfolio is liquidated if its value declines below the lower strike price incurring the two disadvantages previously discussed. To be continued in the next issue of Metanoia
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CONCUSSIONS A Talk by Dr Caleb Ng
New discoveries over the last decade on how neurons of the brain become injured after a concussion have given us insight into treatment strategies in protecting and healing the brain after a concussion. I will be reviewing a specific approach to amino acid therapy that utilizes personalized amounts of amino acids to combat the symptoms of postconcussion syndrome and help heal the brain after a concussion. I will also be reviewing a type of IV therapy that has been improving recoveries from concussions and a kit that was developed to help treat concussions right away to optimize how the brain heals through nutrition.
Concussion trivia How many signs or symptoms are needed to diagnose a concussion? Only one symptom is needed, whether it’s anything from a little bit of fogginess afterwards to fatigue to headaches; any of those symptoms can be used to diagnose a concussion. One survey found that 80% of high school athletes do not report symptoms related to a concussion to a medical professional for fear of ridicule or criticism of a non-visible injury. What’s worse, a few big hits with clear-cut with clear signs of concussions or many little hits with no signs or symptoms? Purdue University found this out the answer to this by placing sensors inside the football helmets of their players and recording all of their hits and severity of hits for a season. They also tested all the players’ memory and cognitive skills at the beginning and end of the season. They found a decline in memory and cognitive performance in the players who had the big hits with obvious signs of concussions, but most surprising was the biggest loss in mental performance was in players who had 3-5 times the number of hits, but fewer or no big hits. What happens on the initial injury, if there is not an immediate disconnection of the neurons is a compression of the neuron itself. Next comes a loss of the insulation or sheath loss with resulting disconnection where transmission of information is no longer possible and eventual cell death. Secondary neuron damage comes from the free radicals that are generated from the initial injury that act like a smoldering fire. This ongoing free radical generation at the area of injury can cause damage to surrounding protective tissue injury hours and sometimes even days after the initial injury. By understanding this mechanism of action, neuroscientists were able to explain why people have altered brain function consistent with brain hemorrhages after concussion when CT scans appeared normal. What didn’t show on these CT scans was the ongoing free radical damage that opened up holes in the innermost protective layer of the brain called the glia limitans. These holes allowed for a detrimental exposure of the brain to that resulted in neuronal cell death.
In one experiment, an antioxidant called glutathione, which is perhaps the most important protector of the brain, was applied to the skulls of rats after a controlled concussion. This antioxidant, which does not usually cross the blood brain barrier, entered the brain via the newly-formed holes caused by the free radicals from the injury. Since the holes only occurred where there was ongoing free radical damage only the areas that needed it the most were treated. The results showed a reduction of cell death in the brain by as much as 67% with administration of glutathione. People that suffer from symptoms of post-concussion syndrome are particularly sensitive to any causes of neuron dysfunction including: •Neurotoxins which can come from our environment and include toxic heavy metals like mercury from mercury amalgams or glues and solvents in furniture or even artificial sweeteners like aspertame •Biologics or anything that can cause an imbalance of the communication molecules in the brain. Examples of biologics include medications or illicit drug use. •Genetic predispositions to anxiety or depression are caused by lower levels of available neurotransmitters by faulty recycling and the neurosynapse. Fortunately, function is not dependent on individual cells or neurons, but rather groups of neurons that form bundles. Bundle theory states that function occurs when a critical number of neurons in a bundle fire and allow for transmission of information. Bundle theory also explains how deficits in single neurons can be overcome by optimizing the environmental conditions for firing of the remaining neurons. Optimal firing by amino acid enrichment of the neurosynapse provides a powerful tool to compensate for defective post-synaptic output or electrical signalling from one neuron to the next. To be continued in the next issue.
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The Traveller’s Chronicles
Shenyang & North Korea
Our minders took us to the train station for our 10:10 AM departure back to China. We were settled into a waiting room with rows of overstuffed armchairs with lace doilies. This is the type of waiting room we have experienced in other places in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea as well. The train was a big surprise - spotlessly clean inside and out, including the windows and toilets. We have a 6 bunk sleeper cabin that is so high I could not reach the ceiling by standing on my toes and stretching upwards. We have the cabin to ourselves. Good blankets and pillows were provided, and there is a table near the window for use while sitting on the bunks. There is also a small table across the passageway with fold down seats on either side allowing viewing from that side of the train and still permitting people to pass by. There is no door on any of the compartments, which we found a bit odd. I guess they like to keep an eye on everyone. The train left and arrived exactly on time. It travelled fairly slowly, and the ride was smooth, making it an excellent platform for photos we’d not been able to take from the speeding, bucking van on the highway. There was a dining car serving full meals, plus selling drinks including Heineken beer in quart bottles and the local alcohol. The other occupants of our car were North Koreans, and the next car was all Chinese. When walking through their car on the way to get another beer they greeted me, so I held the empty bottle up and said in Mandarin “cold beer.” The immediately sat me down and dug out a bag of quarts of beer from under their bunk, presenting me with two of them. I tried to take only one, but they insisted on two. On my next beer run I got through them, bought three beer and sat with them to drink. We couldn’t speak
each other’s language but had a great time anyhow. It took some time to clear North Korean customs and immigration at the border. They collected passports & visas, and then came to each compartment checking luggage. They went through the photos in our cameras to ensure none were of forbidden subjects. Eventually the train crossed the Yalu River into China at Dandong. Brooklyn was there to take us to our river view room in the Crown Plaza. We are certainly glad to be back in the land of internet, and away from propaganda which comes not by the spoonful, but by the shovel-full all day every day. We were originally hoping for a week-long trip, but for us four days was plenty. Have you ever noticed that the more democratic the name of a country is, the less democratic the country is? (International news is available to North Korean’s once per week in a 30 minute heavily edited and propagandized state TV program). Huge bronze statues are in all cities of the grandfather, they call the President and founder of the hierarchy, the son who died recently and the grandson Kim Sung Un who has inherited the leadership position. These statues are to be bowed to by the residents. There are also giant colour pictures, billboards, and posters everywhere of faces smiling down at their subjects. (Huge TV screens display continuous propaganda - in our hotel they were in the restaurants, in the streets at some major intersections.) At any tourist site there is a local guide in colourful national costume. The speech includes much information on the President or his son having visited, where he sat, every word he said, and how monuments, monasteries, or other points of interested existed through his benevolence. In between were some historical facts. (The US is slammed at every opportunity.) The tirade at the armistice location at Panmunjom was about how the DPRK is ready for the nuclear war the US is going to start and how the army of North Korea will defeat them. Sounds a bit like Saddam of Iraq? The government owns everything. All cars are government, except those given as gifts to top artists or national hero, so
there is little traffic. The trams, buses, and subway are well used and the cost tiny. (Medical, housing and education are all free.) Most people seemed in good health, and there is no obesity. The claim a very high life expectancy. There are no beggars, and they claim no crime. (Farming methods are primitive, with swarms of people working the fields using the odd ox to pull ploughs or carts.) Most carts are pulled by people. There is the odd old style tractor shared by many. (Highways are wide and straight, but in very poor repair.) It is likely that there is little in the way of consumer goods available, judging by the fact that local markets and shops used by the local people are strictly forbidden to foreigners. The Won, the country’s currency, cannot be used in stores available to tourists and cannot be exchanged sold to tourists. The Euro is the most favoured currency in tourist places, with the US dollar and Chinese RMB also accepted. (All tourists are accompanied by a minimum of two guides, larger groups have more.) The guides are with you at all times, and stay in the same hotels. They are able to communicate pre-programmed information, but understand very little English so questions are difficult. This is a problem we also have found in China. If a question is asked that touches on one of the many taboo topics it will be greeted with a stony silence. (Everyone over the age of 14 is required to wear a pin on their left chest with a photo of one or more of the leaders on a red background.) Attempted escape from North Korea is punishable by death, or a long sentence in one of the concentration camps. (We were told a couple of times that the North Koreans are the happiest people in the world. No one told me on what that observation was based.) Every aspect of life in this closed society is controlled by the government, from childhood on.
To be continued in the next issue.
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MISSIVES FROM DONALD J BOUDREAUX
I wonder, seriously, if Pope Francis knows anything at all about the history of the ways ordinary people lived prior to the industrial revolution. Don http://www.cafehayek.com ......................................
21 September 2015 Editor, The Washington Post Dear Editor: On the opening page of your website today you ask readers to register their agreement or disagreement with this statement of Pope Francis: “This is our sin: Exploiting the Earth and not allowing her to give us what she has within her.” This claim is laughable. History testifies unmistakably that the earth is extremely stingy in volunteering to humans “what she has within her.” Indeed, what the earth has within her are mere raw materials, by themselves useless unless and until human creativity discovers not only how to transform them into actual resources and outputs that improve human well-being (Ever try fueling your jet with crude oil?) but also
how to “exploit” the earth so that she releases her materials to us at a reasonable cost. The Pope is vocal about helping the world’s poor. I believe that he’s sincere. So I sincerely hope that he comes to realize that the greatest sin of all against humanity would be the suppression of those capitalist institutions that have proven to be the only practical means of transforming what the earth has within her into a bounty of goods and services that allows the masses, for the first time in history, to live lives of material abundance and dignity upon her.
Sincerely, Donald J. Boudreaux Professor of Economics and Martha and Nelson Getchell Chair for the Study of Free
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Market Capitalism at the Mercatus Center George Mason University Fairfax, VA 22030
MWC
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