September October 2017 Issue

September | October 2017

ART OF IVAN PILI

METANOIA EXECUTIVE AND STAFF

A NEW WAY OF THINKING

PUBLISHERS Salme Johannes Leis & Allison Patton COPY CHIEF Caleb Ng ASSISTANT COPY CHIEF Jillian Currie EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS JR Leis & Heino Leis PHOTO ARCHIVIST Galina Bogatch INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTOR Suzette Laqua INTERVIEWER/PHOTOGRAPHER Britany Snider DISTRIBUTORS AUSTRALIA Peter Storen CANADA GREATER TORONTO and HAMILTON AREAS Henry Maeots GREATER VANCOUVER AREA Lesley Diana MONTREAL Gene Vezina INDIA Jesse Johl LONDON Salme Leis UNITED STATES ALBANY NEW YORK Seth Meltzer LAS VEGAS Mario Basner

CONTRIBUTORS Beth Allen, Gerald Auger, Maureen Bader, Alex Barberis, mario basner, Andy Belanger, John P Bell, Donald J. Boudreaux, Dr Tim Brown, Richard Calmes, Andreas C Chrysafis, Anabella Corro, Kamala Coughlan, Brian Croft, Miki Dawson, Cheryl Gauld, Len Giles, Kulraj Gurm, William Haskell, Greg Hill, Matt Hill, Carly Hilliard, Dr. Gordon Hogg, Marilyn Hurst, Dr Arthur Janov, Jeanette Jarville, Randolph Jordan, Richard King IV, Peter and Maria Kingsley, Mark Kingwell, Rod Lamirand, Suzette Laqua, Marilyn Lawrie, Hank Leis, Salme Leis, Chris MacClure, Dunstan Massey, Seth Meltzer, Thomas Mets, Dr Caleb Ng, Paul Nijar, Janice Oleandros, Stefan Pabst, Dr Allison Patton, Ivan Pili, Luis Reyes, Cara Roth, Dr Bernard Schissel, Pepe Serna, Lisa Stocks, Peter Storen, Mohamed Taher, Jack Vettriano, Dr Jack Wadsworth, Chris Walker, Dan Walker, Tom Weniger, Sharon Weiser, Harvey White, Helena Wierzbicki

Cover painting: Ivan Pili, “Musae Erato”

METANOIA MAGAZINE is a publication of METANOIA CONCEPTS INC. For questions, comments, or advertising contact by Phone: 604 538 8837, Email: metanoiamagazine@gmail.com, Mail: 3566 King George Blvd, Surrey, BC, Canada, V4P 1B5

METANOIA CONTENTS

A NEW WAY OF THINKING

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY IVAN PILI

BY HANK LEIS

JACK VETTRIANO TIME AND TIDE WAIT FOR NO MAN

BY JOHN P BELL

MATT HILL

BY BRITANY SNIDER

MEET PAUL NIJAR

BY CARLY HILLIARD

CARLOS BÁEZ BARRUETO SHARON WEISER UPDATED FROM MARIO BASNER THE DAN WALKER CHRONICLES

BY DAN WALKER

RANT - THE VISIONARY

BY HANK LEIS

COMBINING PRP AND HA TREATMENTS

BY DR. CALEB NG

THE MENACE OF THE MED & CYPRUS

BY ANDREAS C CHRYSAFIS

WHAT A RIDE

BY LEN GILES

FACTS AND BELIEFS IN POLITICAL DEBATE

BY DR. GORDON HOGG

MISSIVES - VALUES MATTER

BY DONALD BOUDREAUX

Digital Edition Available

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METANOIA

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

This is a rare issue. We feature five artists, each being so John Bell is a man of the world in many ways. He will different in how they present life to the viewer that not provide our readers with his experiences in different one can be confused with another. parts of the planet. Many world leaders became his acquaintances and friends. He is a man who has Ivan Pili (our cover feature) is an artist from the beautiful hobnobbed with the rich and famous and will elaborate island of Sardinia. He is a recognized genius, having on his life experience in future issues as well. achieved a special status in art, music and engineering at a young age. He, with his wife and child enjoy the Andreas Chrysafis continues to inform us about that delights of living the simple - yet profoundly artistic life fractured island Cyprus, where confrontations never in Sardinia - a beautiful island which has retained its’ cease. Turkey and Greece - have had peace make ancient beauty - until now. separate (the two enforces) contenders it seems like forever. Chrysafis elaborates on all of this.

Jack Vettriano is a prolific artist from Fife, Scotland - is a engineer as well. His art is found everywhere - with Dr. Gordon Hogg and Dr. Donald J Bordeaux continue paintings of romance in a setting of the good life. to elaborate on their views as academics.

Carlo Báez Barrueto is a Chilean carver of wood, and Hank Leis continues to Rant and of course there are Ronald Osbourne is the photographer of his art. Báez the stories of Paul Nijar and Governor General award takes a raw piece of wood and gives it life in human winner Matt Hill. form.

And there is more....

Sharon Weiser has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire. In her paintings Sharon gives the flora of the desert a kind of vivid look that defies description. Seeing is truly believing.

And there is an update to events at Mario Basner’s gallery in Las Vegas. In a sense, he has become our man in Las Vegas. And we do mean that what happens in Vegas should not stay in Vegas. We will keep you well informed.

Since the founding of Metanoia Magazine by three Naturopathic Doctors and the Leis family in 2008, we have produced over ninety issues. We have had over one thousand articles written, including interviews of over 100 actors, 100 artists, dozens of politicians, philosophers, psychologists, and experts in other fields. A majority of the writers have post-graduate degrees or have expertise or knowledge of a special nature.

4.

METANOIA

A NEW WAY OF THINKING

T

he Greek origins of the word Metanoia [met-uh-noi-uh] convey the notion of an experience or a moment that is transformative. In fact the change itself would be so remarkable as to shift paradigms and these shifts actually would cause a change in behavior and ultimately the consequences of those behaviors. The articles in this magazine are intended to introduce a different way of thinking so that ideas and notions we take for granted can be reframed in such a way as to renew our life by making it more interesting, challenging and rewarding.

Many of us have abandoned our intelligence, our ability to think, our various gifts for being able to create and instead joined the masses whose only goal is to perpetuate the species and dwell in a complacent and apathetic state amounting to nothing more than mere existence.

We at Metanoia believe we are all capable of more than that and more importantly are able to generate epiphanous moments for you. We hope that our plethora of deep-thinking writers will be able to transform your life into something meaningful and wondrous. Every one of us, to a varying degree, has experienced these moments and most of us who have been so transformed are driven to rediscovering the process that first allowed us our enlightened clarity of mind.

In the last decade, scientific advancements have given insights into human phenomena that were previously thought science fiction, such as the viral theory as a contributing factor in the feeling of “love”. Anthropologists may have noticed nuances in human behavior early in our development, but these scientific discoveries now actually explain the physiology of “metanoic thinking”. Our own behaviors are being re-examined in light of these discoveries about brain function, and in particular that our usual way of thinking leads us to our usual results. Moreover mostly we do not think- but react- not unlike reptiles- and this process does not always serve us well.

Humankind is evolving, and more and more the primitive fears that govern our behaviors are being discovered to be limiting rather than opportunistic. What we are discovering about ourselves is what our evolution is all about; the beast within will soon be quelled and what will emerge is anybody’s guess.

Individually, the context of one individual within a population of seven billion suggests his/her insignificance – let alone a lifetime in the span of eternity.

And yet we still have this narcissistic sense that our existence is of tremendous relevance. And while there may be something to this belief, how do these enormous discrepancies in size and time fit together to explain the relevance of this epic story? Simplified, what is the relevance of a person making a living to pay for food and shelter to the formula E=mc2. Our mission, certainly for Metanoia is to explore all those ideas, and to change ourselves and you in pursuit of this intelligence. To put it another way, we want your brain to be engaged in way it never has been before. Are you ready for the challenge?

5.

By Hank Leis

Your birthplace was Cagliari, on the island of Sardinia, which may be described as so beautiful as to be a work of art itself. Everything beyond this paradise must somehow have been mundane in comparison.

Are some of your paintings about recapturing the essence of that seemingly idyllic birthplace?

Sardinia is very true to its’ traditions.

They are made of simplicity, humility and attachment to ones roots. These are the basis for my artistic journey. In both my music and now in my painting, the themes very much essential to remembering my past and the simplicity of the people I have met.

Being born in Sardinia, I do feel like it has given me a push to my artistic adventures.

At the age of nine, you already had received recognition for your artwork. What drew others to comment so favourably on your art and what in retrospect was your youthful mindset that distinguished you from your peers?

I had no idea, but everyone recognized that I had more talent than my peers. I knew I had a talent but I was never encouraged to follow that path.

At nine, I drew without expectations. For nearly thirty years, I reserved my talent for me and me alone. Before I drew to excite myself, now I paint to excite people.

Left: ‘Waiting For Spring’

At twelve years of age you abandoned your career as a painter of portraits and embarked on a musical career which lasted the next twentyfive years. Can you recall the impetus for that change?

The change to music was one that my father encouraged. I didn’t want to be a musician, but I found myself with an accordion in hand. I come from a very poor family, I believe this situation ended up accelerating my process of learning music.

I am self-taught, I had a very strong desire to reward my father for his financial sacrifices.

I have established and incredible record: I performed my first concert after only eleven days after my first accordion was purchased. I was considered a child prodigy.

It has allowed me to travel the world and perform in major theatres. At age eighteen I also won the World Championship of Accordion, it was incredible!

You also graduated in Civil Engineering, a degree not frequently associated with art.

Your art seems to have a purity about it. Did Engineering contribute to this sense of perfection in detail?

‘Emerald Eyes’

out how you are different from the norm?

The term genius, is embarrassing to me.

I am aware that I was born with some important talents: the gift of the arts.

I believe that we should all use our natural talent to the fullest and not superficially.

Certainly, I recognize that these talents are

I dont know. The fact is that I’ve never been an engineer after my graduation. I would say that perhaps it influenced me the most in my photography. It has helped me with proportions, mathematics and perspective in art, then the rest I think is from my natural talent.

I would suspect the term "genius" has been attributed to you for your abilities. What is your own sense of your own talents, and have you been able, over the years to utilize your introspective nature to figure ‘I Don’t See You, I See You #2’

important. Some say I have hands of gold and talents out of the ordinary, but honestly I live with absolute normality, aware that I have responsibilities.

He or She whom has great talent, has great responsibilities.

Is there a similarity to composing and playing musical instruments to doing artwork and is there a mathematical link (engineering)?

Bravo, you hit the nail on the head! Surely there are many parameters that unite music and painting. The sensitivity, color - which is present in both, the tone and the depth. In short, I believe that music and painting are closely linked and not only mathematically.

After twenty-five years as an award winning musician, you were persuaded to return to painting. Can you discuss how this occurred - as well talk about "realistic transposition"?

My return to painting was totally random.

I was in Germany for a concert, when I needed a gift for my friend. I quickly made a painting on Sardinian masks.

I had not touched and brush for almost thirty years and I had no pictorial ambition, but that little painting was so well received and more were required. The number of people that like my artwork has bewildered me. From that little mask, the demand for my paintings only increased.

My music was slowly abandoned because of the success of my paintings. It was not by choice but it’s life. I knew I had to prepare myself, I knew it was time to get into painting.

What is the effect of being a family man, on your talents?

Left: ‘I Dream of Reaching’

I am lucky to have two beautiful little girls who respect me. I have become their idol and they have become my vitamins.

There’s a nice synergy, my daughters give me the right enthusiasm and for me they are my anti-stress and antidepressants. The profession of being an artist is hard, but with the two of them I consider myself lucky and live everyday stronger.

Do you currently have a sense of being drawn into new ventures?

I am desperately looking for new inspirations all the time!

My life is that of a surprise, always meeting new paths and I’m sure that will be like that for the rest of my life. Spiritually I feel like a kid, so I’m sure that I will not stop art. The future always hold new surprises.

To find out more, visit Ivan Pilli’s website at www.ivanpili.com

Right: ‘Love at First Touch’ Below (Left to Right): ‘Still Life With Grapes and Wine,’ ‘Tutankhamun’s Mask,’ and ‘Behind Friendly Lines’

‘The Singing Butler’

JACK VETTRIANO A self-taught painter, Jack Vettriano has reached much success in the art world. A mining engineer born in Fife, Scotland, he first began to paint after his twenty fifth birthday when he was gifted watercolour paints from his girlfriend. Thirteen years after receiving the watercolours, in which he used his spare time to teach himself how to paint, he submitted two paintings to the Royal Scottish Academy’s annual exhibition, which were accepted and sold on the first day.

His next success came after entering three paintings into the Summer Exhibition at London’s Royal Academy in 1990, where he garnered great attention, officially embarking on his new life as an artist. His popularity as an artist has since grown steadily and he has enjoyed sell-out solo exhibitions in London, Edinburgh, Hong Kong and New York.

In 2004, he experienced many successes. He was awarded an OBE for Services to the Visual Arts and had his art featured as the subject of a documentary, entitled ‘Jack Vettriano: The People’s

Painter‘. Additionally, his painting received much commercial success such as when his best known painting, The Singing Butler, sold at Southeby’s for close to £750,000.

Throughout the years, Vettriano has experienced several successes, being represented in several galleries such as the Portland Gallery in London, the Kirkcaldy Museum & Art Gallery in Fife, and the Scottish National Portrait Gallery in Edinburgh.

He has also taken private commissions, painting portraits of Sir Jackie Stewart and Zara Phillips as well as painting series for the Yacht Club of Monaco, ‘Homage a Tuiga,’ which toured the United Kingdom.

A celebration to mark the 20th year of Vettriano’s career, a retrospective exhibition opened at Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum, Glasgow.

To contact Jack Vettriano, visit www.jackvettriano.com

‘Edinburgh Afternoon’

‘Anniversary Waltz’

‘Only the Deepest Red II’

‘Dance Me to the End of Love’

‘Game On’

‘In Thoughts of You’

TIME AND TIDE WAIT FOR NO MAN!

By John P. Bell

John P. Bell has been the Honorary Consul for Cote d’Ivoire in Vancouver since February 1999. Formerly a Canadian diplomat, he has served in Stockholm, Accra, Paris, Sydney, Sao Paulo, and New York. He was Ambassador to Cote d’Ivoire, Niger, Mali and Bukina Faso, to Brazil, High Commissioner to Malaysia, and Canada’s Chief Negotiator for Rio Earth Summit. After retirement from Canadian Government in 1998 he has had several positions including Chief Federal Negotiator for BC First Nations treaty negotiations, Int. Business consultant (assignments for Bombardier, Alcan, etc.), and as an independent Director for Taiga Building Products, Goldcorp, Tahoe Resources and various other firms as well as several NonProfit Boards.

He has a degree in Business Administration from and an Honorary Doctorate both from the University of British Columbia. He was granted the title of Datuk by the Chief Minister of Sarawak in 1998. Besides English he speaks French, Swedish and Portuguese.

12.

Growing up we don’t really have a sense of time. Time just happens. But time means different things to different people in different places and cultures. I have been a Canadian trade commissioner and ambassador for over 35 years. These postings have taken me from Stockholm to Accra, from the Sydney and South Pacific Islands to the nomadic Sahel countries of Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso, to Sao Paulo and Brasilia and Malaysia and New York. From all these I have come to learn that there are very different conceptions and conventions around the notion of time. More often than not I just got the feeling of being on time in one place and culture when I was transferred to another time reality. Here are a few recollections of my understanding of how to be on time, or in some cases like France, on how to be fashionably late.

My initial observation is that there is usually a strong correlation between the degree of formality in a country and the importance of punctuality. Sweden, where I was the Assistant Trade Commissioner in 1963, was a highly formal and “proticolaire” kind of place. A dinner for eight or more people followed a strict protocol; all the guests arrived ten or fifteen minutes before the time on the invitation and strolled back and forth in front of the Host’s residence. The men were attired in dark suits and usually carried a bouquet of flowers, and the ladies were gorgeous. As the hour approached, we would all meet at the buzzer which was rung at precisely 8 pm. The only sin equal to being late for dinner, was to call someone after 9 pm; which I did only once, to be told in no uncertain terms that calling someone at this late hour was just not acceptable.

In Ghana and the Ivory Coast, (Cote d’Ivoire) in tropical West Africa time floats! Ghana would not be classified as a

very formal society. It was quite simply a fun place to be.

Nowhere else have I laughed like I did in Accra! Nowhere have people laughed so hard at my bad jokes which made me feel like a successful comedian. When I was the Canadian Trade Commissioner in Accra in 1970, we hosted a reception for a prominent Ghanaian from 6 to 8 pm. The guest of honour was only 45 minutes late for the event but he came on Thursday, a day after the reception which was actually held on Wednesday evening. “Couldn’t make it yesterday so I thought I would come today.” We proceeded to crack open a couple of bottles of Star beer left over from ‘yesterday’s’ reception when, as I recall, we solved the worlds’ problems, or at least Ghana’s problems.

Every Thursday, Sankara led his Cabinet in vigorous calisthenics. Driving in the county, the peasants imbued by the Revolution and inspired by the young thirty-three year old President’s rhetoric raised their arms to the skies and shouted, “La patrie ou le mort nous vaincrons,” more or less “Our homeland or death, we will be victorious!” Once I officiated at the opening of a market funded by our Embassy from our fund for small local development projects. When I arrived, the crowd raised arms and cried out “Le Patrie ou le mort nous vaincrons!” The hosting Minister took charge and got everyone to shout out, “Vivre le Canada!” translating into “Long live Canada!” The event started and ended on Revolutionary time, by the way!

In Cote d’Ivoire when one was received in a village by the Chef du Village one had to have a clear exit strategy.

You couldn’t just do what you would do in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia…that is to say, “It’s time to make a move,” and just get up and leave. With the Chef you must “Demander la route,” which is to say, “May I have the road?” The Chef always refuses to give you the road and usually insists on giving you more French champagne. A second “Demander la route,” is likewise refused and only on the third request does the Chef du Village allow you to depart with dignity.

You have been a good visitor and he has been a proper Chef du Village and Host.

My time in Paris as Commercial Counsellor from 1971 to 1974, was a delightful experience with a busy diplomatic social calendar. My first blunder was not reading, or rather not fully understanding, the nuances of the invitation for a ‘soiree’ at nine pm. France was a developed country like Sweden and in its own imitable way was quite formal but not so formal as Sweden. I showed up a few minutes after nine and rang the doorbell, bouquet in hand. I should have seen the clues. I was the only person ringing the doorbell. Finally the hostess opened the door, aghast, her hair in curlers, invited me inside and left me alone in the parlour. I studied the invitation the following day and saw the expression “Apartir de neuf heure,” or from 9 pm which really meant, I soon learned, “Don’t come at exactly nine you fool.”

It sometimes takes a ‘coup d’état’ to change notions towards time. Thomas Sankara in Upper Volta, staged a successful coup when he and his band were able to get from his prison in Po to the Capital Ouagadougou in trucks “borrowed” from a Canadian aid project of building secondary roads to help evacuate crops. Sankara, a charismatic and visionary army captain, installed himself as president, took over Upper Volta in the summer of 1983 and changed the name of the country to Burkina Faso (Land of Upright Men).

A few months later, in my second posting to West Africa, I was installed as Ambassador to Cote d’Ivoire with cross accreditation as Ambassador to Burkina Faso. Sankara sharpened people’s schedules. It became anti-revolutionary to be late. When I called on the Minister of Youth and Sports to discuss the upcoming Francophone Games to be held in Abidjan, I arrived 16h04 for a meeting scheduled for 16h00.

The Assistant came out to say he was so sorry the Minister had waited and waited but finally he had to leave.

“Oh Consul. Oh Consul, we are waiting for you so we can start the ceremony.”

I had the pleasure of having two postings in Brazil first in Sao Paulo (1975-79) and the second in Brasilia (198790) and discovered that Brazil was a habitual ‘two-timer.’

Shortly after my arrival in Sao Paulo, I was invited by the State Governor, Paulo Egydio Martins to a reception to witness the very first direct dial phone call between and Brazil and Canada; Paulo Egydio, was to call the Brazilian Ambassador in Ottawa. I arrived a few minutes late for the reception scheduled for 7 pm and found myself totally alone in a rather vast reception area in one of the main hotels in Sao Paulo. I waited and waited. I was assured by the hotel that the event was definitely scheduled. Eventually, people began to straggle into the room. Finally, Paul Egydio arrived and the call was placed to the Ambassador in Ottawa.

The following day, I was invited to officiate at a celebration marking the anniversary of the English school in Sao Paulo, where most of the kids from the local Canadian community went to the school. I was to be on the stage with the British Consul General. I arrived little late by Canadian standards, but given my experience with the Governor’s event the

previous evening I thought I would be, again, the first person to arrive. I got out of the car to be met by several boys from the school shouting, “Oh Consul. Oh Consul, we are waiting for you so we can start the ceremony.” I was rushed to the school auditorium, took my seat between the diplomatically polite British Consul General the antsy Head of the School and looked out over 450 students, all of whom had been waiting, and waiting for me!

Understandably, I was somewhat confused until a Brazilian friend explained that there were two kinds of time in Brazil.

‘Hora Brasileira’ and ‘Hora Inglesa.’ English time means being on time and Brazilian time means not being on time, with lateness being relative to the situation. Once, a long time ago, the British Ambassador and a senior personality in Rio de Janeiro made a bet as to when a British ship would arrive in the port of Rio. The Ambassador gaged it would be 4 pm on Saturday two weeks forth. His opponent in this bet couldn’t imagine how on earth the Ambassador could be as accurate as sailing schooners depended on the winds and the weather. The Ambassador knew this was the first Steam powered ship to visit Rio and his prediction was spot on, and thus was born the concept of “Hora Inglesa”.

My years in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from 1993 to 1996 were exciting. It was the time when all eyes were on the South East Asian “Tigers” as this was just before China got into in high gear and India started to untangle itself from red tape. I was fortunate to spend a fair bit of time with the Prime Minister of Malaysia, “Dato Seri” Mahathir, often in a Bombardier Challenger executive jet. On one such occasion, I was seated next to PM Mahathir and I asked what he considered to be his most important accomplishments as PM. “Well,” he said. “One of the things I did was get the whole country on the same time zone, and get people in government get to work on time.” There are two parts to Malaysia; peninsular Malaysia between Thailand and Singapore and East Malaysia consisting of the states of Sabah and Sarawak on the island of Borneo. Until Mahathir came on the scene these two parts of the country were on different time zones. And Malaysian Civil Servants certainly made a point of being on time.

Tun Daim, the former Malaysian Finance Minister, nicknamed “The Short Guy” by local business tycoons, was considered to be the richest and most influential person in town. I had picked up an interesting walking cane in a Vancouver antique shop which came to Canada from Asia in the 1920’s when a First Nations carver in BC sculpted a native motif on the handle, making it an Asian/Canadian artifact. I wanted to give it to Daim and then explore some ideas with him in support of greater business with Canada.

The traffic was a little tricky and I was about five minutes late. His Secretary was waiting downstairs in his office. “We were worried you may have had an accident and were about to call the police!” Punctuality like... well it reminded me of my appointment with the Minister of Youth and Sport in Burkina Faso!!

I’ve now been back in Vancouver for twenty years and I sometime get confused about time. Is this Swedish time?

Revolutionary time? Hora Brasileira? Or Hora Inglesa? The best guidance on this tricky question was from a woman who spoke to the parents at my son’s school about time management with adolescent children. Her key message to parents, repeated several times, was when taking kids somewhere always give yourself, “Margins, margins, and margins!!” Anticipate traffic jams, flat tires or whatever, so your children will not be embarrassed by being late. I remembered walking onto the stage at the English school in Sao Paulo years before.

During my twenty years as Head of Post I had the luxury of having an official car and chauffeur but now I had transitioned from VIP passenger to a sometimes not fully appreciated driver for my two sons, Jack and Eric, seventeen and twelve at the time. The role of chauffeur of driving them from one activity to the next, in rainy Vancouver was challenging, and I was thankful for her advice, “Margins, margins!” which I translated to, “Better early than late,” according to the place and culture.

Time and tide indeed waits for no man but I still have to ask myself – “What time am I on?”

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MATT HILL

By Britany Snider

I'm wondering how it feels to be the recipient of the Governor General Award?

It was from the Governor General of Canada. It's called the Meritorious Service Medal in the Civil Division because they have a Military and a Police Division. It's really for acts of service and inspiration for others, especially in Canada, to elevate and bring greatness to our country. For us, they said, it was Steph, who's my cofounder and partner in the Run for One Planet tour and myself, and the impact that we had on all the 50,000 kids that we spoke to on our 11,000 mile run journey.

That's great. Definitely a life shaping moment.

It's funny, I have lots of life-shaping moments, and I think, so far, probably one of the biggest. It was kind of cool because it brought home something my dad used to say, which was, "You do not do something because you think you are going

to get something from it. You do something because you believe in doing a good job, especially if it is something you passionately believe in." As a kid, it was getting good grades. When we went out on our tour, we knew what we wanted to do, which was, if we could, inspire the continent to make one change for the health of ourselves and for the health of the planet. Little did we know that seven years later, literally out of nowhere, we would get a phone call and then get this honor from our country's second highest office, next to the Prime Minister.

It's a very, as they said, a deep vetting process. My cousin, she's like a detective.

She looked it up, and apparently there's around 1300 that have been awarded this particular medal since 1945, I think, or '42, when it started.

Not too many. That’s a pretty huge honor.

What kind of influence did your childhood have on your life?

Great question. I grew up in Tsawwassen.

I'm not kidding, it was one of the first times my mom left the front door open to our house, accidentally, that I just hit the ground running. Everywhere I went, I wanted to try and test my legs out, so that started by running around the cul-de-sac at the end of our street and having contests with my friends and my neighbors, they'd be on their bikes. I'd be running.

It's wild, all these little milestones of when I built my confidence up. I remember the first day I said, "You know what? I think I'm going to tackle running all the way around Tsawwassen," and it turned out to be 10K. When you're ten years old, that was a big thing for me. Then I remember breaking the barrier, then saying, "Okay, I'm going to run to Sacred Heart School in Ladner," because that's where I went to elementary school.

So running is just second nature to you then?

It's all these steps that I've taken in my development and becoming stronger as a runner. Then, obviously, my evolution as a human being, to then be able to ask myself, how I could give back to create a better world with my love of running, with my love of people, with my love of the planet.

And I know that, if I hadn't taken those first steps, out in the cul-de-sac in Tsawwassen, I wouldn't even have been able to fathom running around North America. But it all had its perfect timing. That's why I say small steps add up. It's such a cool thing because it's the truth of it. You look at your life and you think of all the millions of steps you've taken and all the side roads and avenues, that you've had to do on your journey, and you go, "Oh, my God. Wow. It all makes sense." I think, as long as my message is pure within myself, that’s what continues to help me, take it one step at a time.

What challenges or difficulties have you had to overcome?

Because you seem to be really high-spirited, and positive, but that doesn't always come naturally.

You're smart. Good question. Wow, where do I start? For inspiration, this guy who I'm wearing on my shirt, Terry Fox, hands-

down changed my life. When I saw him running across Canada, I remember it lit something inside me. As a ten-year-old, we all want to be our favorite superhero or our favorite hockey player or soccer player. For me, it was Terry Fox. Little did I know that it was going to take another 30 years of me developing as a human being to then go out on that journey.

In that time, we lost my sister when I was 21 to suicide, that set me on the course to choose a path as to how I was going to live my life. I saw it devastate my mom and my dad. I also know that great pain and it made me think, "Wow. Holy crap, life is really precious, make it count."

Then, on some of my journeys, it was hard trying to keep the fire going. My acting career would be going great for a long time, and then, all of a sudden, like all actors, it was like…

Crickets?

Crickets and then you have all this spare time. You have to learn to be with yourself, I went on lots of runs. It was hard for me, but it comes down to the choices that we make. I think it made me realize, I have the power to choose who I’m going to be, how I’m going to treat people and how I’m going to treat myself.

Choosing a path, is really hard to stick to, especially when there are obstacles in the way.

Was there something in your mind always saying, "No, this is what I'm going to do," or did you have a vision of what you wanted to accomplish?

It's funny. Yes, I think, in some respects. I believe our life is kind of like a muscle. The more we work at it, the easier it becomes.

It's the same thing, I believe, with choosing our path or, in a way, allowing our path to choose us as well, while we walk forward into it It always comes back to something Terry Fox said, "Always believe in your dream and never stop trying. Even when, basically, all the signs look like nothing's going

to happen, you have the power to walk forward." There are hundreds of times that I used that, especially on the Run for One Planet tour, where we were running a marathon a day. In the span of a morning, and I'm not kidding, the RV would have caught fire, we almost got run off the road a couple of times. Events canceling or everything conspiring against us. But then, it was our decision to go, "No. We're going to do this."

And at the same time, we also had to let go of the wheel and allow what was meant to be happen.

With your work with children, what kind of values do you try to instill?

Really it is the values of believing in themselves and the hero in them and that you don't have to define each day as successful or failure. Some days we're human, and some days are flat and that’s okay. I can just look at my own life. When I accept where I'm at and go, "Hey, you're okay. You're doing well." Also that they learn to take personal accountability, for their actions.

Apologize. Be heartfelt. With the kids, I'm really moving more deeply into that. It's embracing the hero inside them because it also allows them to stand up humbly, not boastfully. I shouldn’t say that this just applies to kids, adults need to be reminded of these things, from time to time.

It's funny because as an adult, we’ve had to grow up. We have to pull our pants up, we have to take responsibility for our actions. We have to be mentors for others, and those that are successful, also keep the child alive inside their heart. Right? I know a few people who were so energetic, that I thought were going to live forever. But we all know that’s not possible, in the end all that matters is the impact they left and how they affected people’s lives.

Look at Terry Fox. I sometimes think like, "Wow. Imagine if Terry Fox had lived and made it to Mile Zero in Victoria." Imagine.

And I think it was his brother, Darrell, that said it best, "It doesn't matter, because look what Terry's life became." And, in a way, maybe he wouldn't have raised 333 million dollars. It wasn't because he died. It was because of what he, I believe, lit inside the hearts of everyone around the world.

He’s inspired so many people.

What’s next for you? I’m sure you have plans.

Fit Kids on the Fit Planet. It's the next incarnation of Run for One Planet. That will be me running locally, connecting globally with the youth of the world. We're going to utilize technology, to have all the youth of the world connect with each other.

That’s great Matt. Thank you so much.

Awesome. You are a rock star. Thank you, Britany.

MEET PAUL, OWNER OF YOGA DOJO

Surrey’s most unique yoga studio

By Carly Hilliard

We'll start from the top. Who is Paul Nijar?

Author, spiritual lifestyle coach, martial artist, stuntman, motivational speaker and founder of the Yoga Do fitness systems.

Tell me a little bit about your story.

Growing up in a family with a lineage of martial artists, being a martial artist or studying martial arts is like a rite of passage in our family. Starting off with my dad, and then through my uncles, and my cousins and me. My nephews are in it now, so all of us have studied martial arts to some extent. For me, martial arts it's not about fighting. The word ‘martial’ translates to war and ‘art’ translates to a form of self expression. For me, martial arts is a method to really expressing myself. When I train in my martial arts, I train independently. I'm always taking on a meditative state. It's about challenging myself and defeating my own limitations, my own demons, and overcoming them.

Is that what inspired you to start the Yoga Dojo?

No. Yoga Dojo, it's interesting... When I was 11 years old I wrote a contract to myself. I said by the age of 32 I was going to have a black belt in three different styles of martial arts. I was going to formulate my own style, and open up my own gym, and teach it. In addition to that I was going to do action movies. I forgot about that contract that I wrote to myself. That was back in 1991.

I didn't remember it until I opened up my Yoga Dojo. I remember being in the studio and looking around. It was October 2015 that I actually recalled that contract that I had written to myself.

It's interesting because along the way through my 20's, and even coming into my 20's from my teens, I didn't really know what I had planned for myself. I was looking at chiropractic medicine or physical therapy or even computer programming. In terms of a career, I was not looking at fitness whatsoever. Then it just came to me. Even despite trying to do marketing and all these other things, nothing seemed to work out. Every time something didn't work out, I would come back to my own training. I would come back to my martial art training because every time I trained, for me, it was very meditative. It was therapeutic.

I would train by myself; there was never anyone with me. I've been fortunate in my life to always have a key to someone's gym. I would go at 9:00 pm or even at 1:00 in the morning when everyone else was gone. That was one of my secret weapons. It's interesting, as much as I studied martial arts my whole life I never mentioned it to anyone in high school. A lot of people didn't know I studied martial arts.

When my friends asked me where I was or how come I'm not coming out, I would just say I was babysitting, or wasn't allowed out, or something. I was actually training two hours at the gym and then going home and training an additional 45 minutes on my own.

When it came to the Yoga Dojo, after all the struggles and obstacles that I had to go through in my life I wanted to do something where I felt nothing went to waste.

That’s a huge lesson for me and something I teach my clients; that no moment big or small is a wasted moment in our lives.

So, I formulated my style of Yoga Do where I had my martial arts, my yoga, my meditation, my Chinese medicine, and also my personal development tools all in one.

Yoga Dojo is a platform to share all these different teachings with everyone. I want to inspire people. I want people to become inspired and then inspire others. As Bruce Lee had mentioned, everything just starts with one pebble. You drop a pebble in one pond and it creates ripples. Everything just starts with one.

My goal is to really help people out.

I'm training many clients right now and each is going through emotional battles, but there are a few of them that are going through a lot in terms of insecurities, anxiety, stress, and not knowing how to overcome their own self limiting thoughts. When I'm training them it's not just the physical, it's the emotional.

Sometimes we're not even doing any physical exercise. It's actually just coaching.

Then when I apply it to different physical

exercises, it actually amplifies the effect of the transition from doubt, insecurity, fear, to actually feeling empowered, strong, and full of vitality.

You mentioned that most of your life you kept martial arts as a secret. What propelled you to share your talents with others, as opposed to simply performing self-therapy?

Actually, it started with my first book.

I was going through a very hard time.

I didn’t know what I wanted to do in terms of a career. I failed out of marketing.

I failed five different classes at BCIT. I was going through a breakup with someone at the time.

My book was inspired by a journal that was given to me on my 16th birthday from a family friend. I thought it was odd at the time to give a 16 year old boy a diary. I was like, "This is kind of girly." I remember her saying it to me, "This is going to help you through hard times."

I remember I would write in it on and off throughout the years. When I went through that hard time, I switched from writing “dear diary” to having a conscious conversation with myself. Rather than dictating my day, I was asking myself very deep questions and really tuning into an introspection and figuring out why do I feel these feelings of inferiority? Why do I feel jealous? Why do I have all this anger and frustration? Why am I here? What’s my purpose? I was asking all these questions and as I was writing I wasn't really looking for an answer. I was just dumping it all out, dumping out all my questions. Dumping out whatever I had going on at the time.

Answers started to come. As I progressed in my writing I found all these answers. I was like, "This is crazy." These are actual tools and methods to overcoming and answering these different questions, and overcoming

Paul looked up to his late cousin Ron. They passed their time together by showing off their new moves.

the challenges I was going through. I felt I could help other people. At the time, my cousins were just coming out of their teens, coming out of high school. I felt that my discoveries could help them. So when I first decided to turn it into a book I had them in mind. My first book, Everything I Thought I Was and What I Came To Be, is based on my journal entries, conscious conversations with myself, and the different personal development tools that appeared on paper that I was meaning to share with my cousins.

I studied yoga after suffering from a serious injury while performing a stunt on the movie sets. But, I wanted more than the regular postures. I decided to combine my personal training and martial arts backgrounds and infuse all of that into my yoga, which I call Yoga Do. ‘Yoga’ for connection or union with spirit, or connection with yourself, your true self, and ‘Do,’ the Japanese word, which means 'the way.’ We see that word 'do' represented in many styles of martial arts including Karate-do, Tae Kwon Do, Jeet Kune Do. Yoga Do is a yoga, a meditation, and also a martial art.

Paul, author of Everything I Thought I was and What I Came to Be and The Yoga Warrior: Your Path to Inner Freedom.

It's interesting that you mentioned ‘sole purpose’, actually that's a title of one of my other books, Your Soul Purpose: The Guide to Ultimate Fulfillment. That book talks about how to find exactly what you're great at, what your true calling is. People always want to know, what is my purpose? Why am I here? What's my reason for being? If you try to find out what your purpose is you're going to find a lot of struggle. Because it's not something that's meant to be defined like that. Life is not a riddle or a mystery to be solved. It's a miracle to be witnessed.

Paul’s students at the Yoga Dojo. Paul’s training methods are dedicated to help students establish a relationship with themselves for their self-mastery.

In describing my style of yoga, I take a cool line from a 1973 Bruce Lee movie, called Enter the Dragon. When someone had asked Bruce's character what his style of martial arts was, Bruce responded, "I guess you can call it the art of fighting without fighting." Exactly that's what my style is. When we're doing my yoga, when we're doing my martial art movements, I'm not teaching you the movements for you to learn how to fight. Rather, I'm teaching you how to move your body, and how to overcome your own self-limiting thoughts, and how to enhance your range of motion, your strength, your agility, your speed, and to help you become more self-aware.

When I came into creating Yoga Do, I wanted to make sure every part of my life was in there. Nothing went to waste.

Because at that time that I was creating it, I was defeated. Because I failed out of marketing I wasn't really feeling personal training one-on-one with clients. I didn’t want to train people just to lose weight.

I needed to do something more than that.

I had studied six years of Chinese medicine only to find that at the end of our schooling our school was deemed fraudulent. I felt

that there was nothing else for me. I put everything that I had ever gone through, everything that had inspired me, and everything that had elevated me to such an extent that I felt like I was awesome and I was very content within myself; I put it all into the style of yoga. Now I am sharing it because I want people to feel that as well.

Based on everything you’ve said, do you believe that each person is here to fulfill a sole purpose?

Just the other day in continuing my writing I asked myself, am I on track with my spiritual purpose? My answer was, without thought, “It's not about your spiritual purpose. It's about your spiritual process.” Rather than thinking, am I doing what I'm meant to be doing?

The answer is always yes. Because it's a process. Life is a journey. It's not a destination. We perceive life and existence in a limited frame of mind, we think that there's a start and end to everything, but there isn't. Everything is an ongoing thing.

It's dynamic. It's endless. It's infinite. It goes on to the eternal.

To think about fulfilling your purpose that means well, once it's fulfilled, then what? Then you're done? There is

Paul’s curriculum incorporates all facets of his training as well as his life’s knowledge. His practice “Kali Do Yoga” combines yoga, stick fighting, meditation and principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

no finish. If you change your wording to spiritual process, you know through all the struggles that you go through it will lead to something more. Then from there it's going to lead to, and evolve, and blossom, into something even greater.

It's constant growth.

You've accomplished quite a bit in your life with your martial arts, your inspirational books, and your unique practice of Yoga Do. Where did you find the energy and motivation to accomplish these things?

Have you always had this drive?

Yes and no. I have always been driven, if I loved something, I would strive to learn more and become the best at it. I loved martial arts. I studied multiple styles. I've got a black belt in two of them. I was ranked number 21 in all of North America when I was a teenager within the sport karate circuit.

Also, I liked yoga so I became certified as a yoga instructor. I had acupuncture done on myself. I thought that was really cool so I became a doctor of Chinese medicine. I loved reading motivational books so I became an author myself. I liked hearing people motivate and inspire me through speech so I did the same thing.

Paul demonstrating his “Yoga Warrior� asana. Paul teaches this posture to ignite a sense of self-empowerment and strength.

It signifies the willingness to channel the inner warrior to overcome personal battles.

It was a long time coming though, because when I wasn’t running my studio or attending school, I was working in a warehouse. To me, that warehouse was prison. I always thought it was a place of broken dreams. Where people's dreams had all just been destroyed; that's where they end up. I felt that was me. It took me a lot of anger, and frustration, and doubt, and fear for me to make a shift in my life.

I used everything that had built up inside of me to propel me forward.

For example, in 2009 I looked at my life.

I looked at everyone in my surroundings and I decided I wanted more. I switched everything. Everything that's known as Paul Nijar, I got rid of. Paul Nijar liked to sleep in, I started waking up at 4:00 in the morning. Paul Nijar likes hot showers, I started taking cold showers. Maybe I might have meditated here and there but Paul Nijar, the new one, started meditating every single day regardless of how I felt or whether I had slept or not. I started reading every single day, living the inspired life. From there, that became my fuel.

Paul qualified to compete at the World Martial Arts Championships in Barcelona at the age of 23.

When I look at other people who are struggling right now, I think this is good.

Go through the struggle. Because if you're going through the struggle right now that means you're just building up your fuel to take off. Everyone will take off.

Everyone does have their time. If you look at the life of Colonel Sanders, he didn't blow up until after he was 60.

And Vera Wang, that designer, she didn't start designing until she was 40.

I've always thought of myself as a late bloomer. It can happen at any time.

You have to remember that until you're there - whether you're going through the frustration of whatever it is - you're building yourself up. You're building momentum.

You're building up to that momentum you're going to get. That's where I feel there's still a long way for me to go. I have a lot more work I want to do on myself and in terms of my business as well.

What's coming around the corner? Do you plan things in advance or do you just take them as they come?

Yoga Dojo is going to keep evolving.

I want to do more motivational seminars.

I want to take what I'm doing on the road.

I want to take it to Mexico and have people

travel with me. Show them the lifestyle, the inspired lifestyle, including all the daily rituals that keep me at my best. The reason why that's important to me is because before I started all this I felt very inferior and jealous. I was envious and I was angry at myself. I just thought that was it - I want to show people it’s not.

I have learned to step out of my own way.

Goals are good for me. However, I feel they create a lot of impatience within my own personality, within my own character.

They create expectation. If things don't result in the manner that I had expected or envisioned, that will create a lot of stress. Now I just surrender. I let go and see what happens. Like at the beginning of the movie Forrest Gump. I think there's leaf or there's a feather that floats on screen when he's sitting on the bench. It's like, life is like a box of chocolates. That whole thing.

If you look at his life in that movie, he just ended up in different places. He made it happen. He just decided to run one day and all of a sudden there's a crowd of

people following along, running with him.

Then he was in the Army. He made a friend.

He saved his life and they decided to have a successful career in the shrimping industry.

Things just evolve from this moment.

In terms of having a plan for the future, yeah. Absolutely. I have ideas that I want to see through. I will do my best to get to where I envision myself, but in terms of what the universe has planned for me or how people perceive me, whether they like my products, lessons, whatever it is, that's not up to me. I'm not there to control that.

I'm just doing my part, being the best I can be.

I have one last question.

Is there anything else that we should know about you, your philosophies, and the Yoga Dojo? We've covered a lot.

Like I said, life is always at a state of growth. You have to keep growing.

You have to keep evolving. That's how I train my clients. When I train my clients with one movement, that movement doesn't stay as

is for long before I switch it up on them.

I'm either switching up physically what they're doing or switching up their mental process while their doing the movement.

Yoga Dojo is a place of enlightenment, to find consciousness. When you understand consciousness and you connect with your true self, your higher being, you see oneness.

Through the movements that I do, we connect the mind, body, and spirit. I always say when you connect mind to movement of your body the result is spirit. Mind plus body equals spirit. That's what the Yoga Dojo is.

If people want to find out a little bit more about you, where should they look? What’s your website?

Yogadojo.ca. I also have many videos up on youtube, my channel is titled, Paul Nijar: Paulosophy.

Thank you for speaking with me today, Paul. It was very inspirational hearing your story.

because I have not had any professional training. However arts have always been present in my surrounding, since my family has always been involved with it. I remember being about 8 years old when I first looked at a piece of wood thinking of the possibilities it could turn into, something more exciting. So I took it and started working on it and found out that I had the ability to transform it into what I wanted. That was my first work, an assembled figure of a gymnast on parallel bars, an amazing toy!

carving. I learn from my mistakes and improve through practice.

I would say my style is naturalism, but idealizing the esthetic without forcing the results.

Then I concentrated on carving on a whole one piece of wood figures as ´Moais´ among others relatively simple figures.

Around 1978 I started carving human shapes, mainly women’s torsos since initially I struggled to achieve the entire shape, with head and limbs, and especially the face.

‘Water Nymph’

CARLOS BÁEZ BARRUETO

Featuring Photography

by Ronald Osborne

I was born the 6th of February 1955 in Santiago, Chile. I am the first of nine children (six sisters and three brothers).

My life was not particularly different to the average child in those times, life in a way was much simpler than nowadays and yet more difficult in other aspects.

I went to school like everybody else, only for my education to be cut short while in secondary, this due to the military coup in 1973 in Chile. The dangers and the deteriorating economic situation during that time had me working with my father to help and support our family.

In regard to my carving, I would define myself as an instinctive artist,

In 1995 my father, brother and I started to work on vintage car restoration, and carried out many works for the “Club de Automóviles Antiguos de Santiago¨ The level of detail in this sort of work demanded to improve our skills significantly, and helped me a great deal to develop and perfecting my carving skills as well. I manage to produce complete human figures.

These days I have a project with my son Pablo, who has inherited my artistic skills, but he has a completely different style and uses different kinds of material. Nevertheless I will continue hand carving in wood because it is a noble and natural material, although it is more difficult I enjoy doing it. I love the smell wood releases when carving. However, I still take it as a hobby because my job with the car restauration is time consuming and generally very exhausting.

When I get involved in a new carving project I usually do not know exactly what I may achieve, so I just let my hands lead me towards something and follow my instinct. Sometimes it comes freely; this is when I really enjoy

‘Female Head Bust’

‘Pure Seduction’

‘White Naked’

‘Desert Garden #25’

SHARON WEISER Sharon Weiser – painter of kaleidoscopic Southwestern imagery.

Conversation comes to a halt when people see Sharon Weiser’s paintings on exhibit. To the desert dweller, the subject matter is familiar – but those colors! Sharon gives us a view of desert flora as only the mind’s eye of an artist could produce.

But we invite you to look closer. Sharon’s works are more than brilliant studies in color, they are also compositional triumphs. Sharon simplifies the subject matter down to its essential elements and deftly balances the intersection of shape and space. “After a while, I don’t see cacti anymore,” Sharon says. “I see tall skinny forms or little round forms and I focus on how to make these shapes visually interesting.”

Sharon employs an uncommon technique to create her paintings. First, she roughs in the composition with quick-

drying acrylics, solidifying her concept. Then, the artist completes the work with oils – giving herself time to focus on detail and technical proficiency.

You might be surprised to learn that Sharon renders all the hues of her work with only five tubes of paint: white, yellow, warm red, cool red, and blue. “By creating all my variation with just these few colors – red, blue, and yellow – I can create a color harmony that unites the work,” she says.

Sharon holds a Bachelor of Fine Art (Painting) degree from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and has taught classes in watercolor, oil, painting, and drawing since 1978.

Her work is featured in collections all over the United States, including the corporate collections of Ramada Inn, Days Inn, Holiday Inn, Best Western, and the Coral Island Princess Cruise Ships. She is the recipient of many awards has been featured in American Artist, The Artist’s Magazine, Phoenix Home and Garden, and Cowboys and Indians.

More information about Sharon is available at www.sharonweiser.com.

‘Desert Glory’

‘Agave Garden’

‘Desert Garden #9’

Sharon Weiser in front of ‘Yellow Cerus’

‘Prickly Pear Night’ ‘Desert Glitter’

‘Desert Garden #8’

‘Desert Garden #16’

The Queen of Kahalari Diamond from Chopard jewellery

Since his feature in Metanoia Magazine November December 2016, Mario Basner has reached great success with the reveal of his World Heritage Collection. His inspirational and stunning collection has won thirty awards, receiving recognition from organizations such as the Prix De La Photographie and the Moscow International Foto Awards. His agelessly elegant photo from The World Heritage Collection, “Window,” raised $8000 in donations for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) during their Gala of Hope Event hosted at the Mandalay Bay. Featured on both FOX5 Las Vegas and Good Morning Las Vegas, his work has inspired artists at Opportunity Village, whose work is on display at Tivoli Village Gallery

Mario Basner with Patrick Duffy

Mario Basner and Ricky Martin

To learn more about Mario Basner and his art, visit www.mariobasner.com.

Travis Cloer

Mario Basner on FOX 5 Las Vegas

Mario Basner, Frank Marino and Alex Schechter

Mario Basner and his wife Deanna

Dr. Samer Nakhle, Dr. Danielle Nakhle of Palm Medical Group, Deanna & Mario

Susan Molaski and Mario Basner at the Nathan Adelson Hospice ‘Flair For Care

Mario Basner on Good Morning Las Vegas

Mario Basner and his donated piece ‘Window’

Richard MacDonald

THE DAN WALKER CHRONICLES Beijing & Back

Dan Walker is an adventurer, a businessman, and raconteur. He has visited every country in the world.

His trusty Rolls Royce has taken him across many continents. He includes his grandchildren in some of his travels allowing them to select the destination. Originally, he hails from Victoria, British Columbia, but now resides in Costa Rica. We are pleased to present the Dan Walker Chronicles.

This sunny morning we decided to find another of the “pedestrian” shopping streets shown on the map.

We successfully navigated the subway to the centre of the area, but found a major 6 lane road lined by tall buildings with some very modern shops and no pedestrian street. So much for trusting the map!

a driver and car to take us earlier. Our last hotel of the trip was the very nice CITIC Hotel located very close to the airport.

It was baking hot and humid; we went into huge stores just to cool off.

The idea was to have lunch, but there were no restaurants to be found - this must be the only area of the city without them!

The street was lined with two story shops that looked very much like a high street in a British town, so Marilynn shopped while I had a beer at a local pub. When I went to take a photo I realized I’d left my camera in the car. I called the hotel, and they left a message for the driver. We went for a well earned foot massage in the hotel spa, which cost exactly the amount of Chinese money we had left.

After walking a couple of blocks on one side of the street and back on the other we decided to take our wringing wet bodies back to known territory.

While in process I received a call from the driver to say he had my camera - he arrived just after the massage ended.

The air-conditioned subway was a great relief. At our home station we took the wrong exit, surfacing beside a river facing three restaurants across the bridge where the beer was cold and lunch was good.

After a couple of 2 for 1 beer at the happy hour bar in the hotel we headed to the room for an early night - we were booked on a 5:30 AM shuttle to get our 7:10 AM flight to Shanghai. It was then we discovered the air conditioning in the room didn’t work - it has exactly the same fancy system that was in the upscale hotel in Changchun that didn’t work either.

On the way to our hotel we stopped in a small place for another cold beer.

We had been paying 20 Yuan for small beer at the hotel, but here a large beer was 4 Yuan and the food looked great.

It is a shame we didn’t discover the place sooner! We’d left the luggage at reception this morning, and booked a car to the airport hotel for 4 PM, but we were back 1 ½ hours early. The receptionist phoned around and found

Workmen dispatched by reception set the temperature control to 14 C (57 F) and proclaimed the system operational.

It wasn’t - it maintained a temperature of 27 C (81 F) all night, thus lots of sweat and little sleep.

Sparkling Hill Resort is the premier wellness resort spa destination in North America. Oering 149 luxury rooms and penthouses, 40,000 sq. ft. of state-of-the-art wellness facilities at KurSpa, and a breathtaking setting on Lake Okanagan, Sparkling Hill Resort oers a range of amenities and services that is unprecedented in North America. www.sparklinghill.com Okanagan BC 1-877-275-1556

Rant Rant THE VISIONARY

By Hank Leis

Hank Leis is author of The Leadership Phenomenon: A Multidimensional Model

There is a saying, that in hindsight we have perfect vision. If that were true then we would have foresight to predict outcomes, because the future is no different from the past.

Only the packaging is different.

And we confuse the packaging with the process. History repeats itself because we explain the past away in terms of what went right and what

went wrong. Judgements made by moral renderings rarely provide comprehensions that enable future decisions to be made that might bring different results. The impala running away from a chasing lion is always caught by the one waiting and not seen hiding in the bushes.

The capture may be harsh and brutal, but only if we ascribe the morality of the victim to the event.

This judgement is the ‘awe’ moment that describes not the event but judges the predisposition to be one or the other. We are always running away in fear from what is visible into the arms of the real danger that is lurking out there waiting, that we cannot see, and the outcome is always the same. The lions know the behavior patterns of the deer.

The deer never change. In the telling of the story, your empathy is based on who you are in life. The analyst is neither lion nor deer.

Vilfredo Pareto, economist and almost every other thing is the

genius behind the 80/20 rule. It operates irrespective of every political orthodoxy invented to counter it. Good and bad are judgements made by the human ego. Human virtues do not overcome human frailties, they merely excuse them. Those who excel know the remarkable feat they have accomplished is an increment away from that of a competitor, but if repeated enough times the feat appears astronomical and frightens away those who might dare.

Those who dare, play to lose.

Playing to win, is confined by cumbersome and restrictive rules that makes competitors equal.

Those who play to lose are unpredictable, creative and adapt to the challenges and circumstances that are unexpectedly presented.

Those who play to win are like a one trick pony; boring.

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At the last conference that I attended on regenerative orthopedic medicine with the American Association of Orthopedic Medicine, I listened to a presentation by the author of “PlateletRich Plasma: Regenerative Medicine: Sports Medicine, Orthopedic, and Recovery of Musculoskeletal Injuries”, Dr. José Fabio Santo Duarte Lana.

Dr. Lana presented on a study that he conducted on the combined use of Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) and Hyaluronic Acid (HA) in the treatment of mild to moderate osteoarthritis of the knee.

COMBINING PRP AND HA TREATMENTS

By Dr. Caleb Ng, ND

Dr. Ng is licensed by the College of Naturopathic Physicians of British Columbia and is board certified in Facial Rejuvenation CGF, Mesotherapy, Acupuncture, Prolotherapy and Advanced Injection Therapies. Dr. Ng has also completed additional training and certification in Prolotherapy through the University of Wisconsin Medical School and the Hackett Hemwall Foundation and has been providing proliferative injection therapies since 2003. He has been certified in both Prolotherapy by the College of Naturopathic Physicians of BC and Prolozone by the American Academy of Ozonotherapy. Dr. Ng also has been providing high-concentrate Platelet Rich Plasma Prolozone since 2012.

HA is an injectable treatment option used for temporary relief of osteoarthritis that has shown better and safer results that steroidal management.

More recently PRP is gaining favour over HA due to its longer lasting pain relief. The objective of the study was to determine if there was synergy by combining PRP with HA for knee arthritis.

In this study, 105 patients were randomized into 3 groups: 1.) intraarticular injections of HA only, 2.) intra-articular injections of PRP only, or 3.) intra-articular injections of PRP and HA combined. The three groups were evaluated at a month, 3 months, 6 months, and a year for pain levels, joint stiffness and degree of function with common daily activities such as going up and down stairs or getting up from a seated position.

Not surprisingly the PRP and the PRP with HA groups significantly outperformed the HA group throughout the entire study. The interesting findings were that at 1 month, 3 month evaluations the HA+PRP group significantly outperformed the PRP

group for pain relief, joint stiffness and function. The results were less remarkable at the 6 month and 1 year evaluation between the HA+PRP and PRP groups, but overall improvement was still better in the HA+PRP group.

The explanation for the superior results of HA+PRP and PRP over HA alone is that the PRP offers a rejuvenating effect on the diseased articular surfaces and supportive structures like the ligaments and tendons. This regenerative effect provides durable pain relief and improved function which explains why PRP therapy for knee arthritis lasts longer than HA alone.

The reason that HA+PRP appears to have a synergistic effect is perhaps due to the different mechanism of action that HA adds to PRP. HA is a viscous gel-like solution that physically hydrates the joint and is often referred to as “the lubricant injection”. It is also a major component in our natural joint lubrication and joint cartilage and provides a safe medium or “biological scaffolding” to physically support repair cells that are drawn to the area

by PRP and keep them where repair is needed.

The field of regenerative orthopedic medicine is continuously evolving and therapeutic treatment options continue to emerge as we learn from experience and ingenuity. I invite you to learn more about PRP and HA at an upcoming presentation on highly concentrated PRP Prolozone at our office on Tuesday, November 28 at 7 pm. To book an appointment for a consult on PRP with HA or to sign up for this talk please call 604.538.8837.

Prolotherapy Highly Concentrated Platelet Rich Plasma

Injections that are the Natural Remedy!

To Avoid Lengthy Recovery Avoid Painkillers Avoid Surgery

A talk by Dr. Caleb Ng

Tuesday, November 28th 7pm-8pm RSVP Today at

604-538-8837

Arthritis, Whiplash, Back Pain, Neck Pain, Fibromyalgia, Sports Injuries, Chronic Tendonitis, Partially Torn Tendons, Ligaments and Cartilage, Degenerated or Herniated Discs, TMJ and Sciatica

Get Back In Motion, Naturally 3566 King George Blvd

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THE MENACE OF THE MED & CYPRUS

There is a nasty thorn growing inside the perfumed garden of Europe and releasing its poisonous spores across the Eastern Mediterranean and the Aegean.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan has made it his mission to establish a new Islamic state and do away with secularism.

for most of his life where he practiced his profession as an architectural designer. He is a prolific writer of books, press articles including The Vanishing Cyprus Series and the Revolution of the Mind Series both published worldwide. Today, he lives between London and Cyprus devoting most of his time writing and painting works of art.

Info@evandia.com

Last year’s failed coup sparked a hidden trait of his to flare up; a trait not seen before! He was so horrified of nearly losing power he behaved like a child terrified someone was about to steal his candy. Now, the world has become his “enemy” and he lashes out at anyone who disagrees with him.

After the questionable referendum result on April 16, Turkey is about be transformed forever. Erdogan Revolution of the Mind Series to cannot wait to change the Constitution and name himself as the all-powerful

By Andreas C Chrysafis Grand Sultan of Turkey. In opposition to his obsession a massive 50% of the Turkish citizens resist his theocratic Andreas C Chrysafis was born at Ayios ambitions and another attempt to topple Ambrosios, Kerynia, Cyprus. He studied him cannot be discounted. and lived in the UK and Vancouver, Canada

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Badly shaken by the experience, he launched a campaign of brutality imprisoning over 170.000 innocent men, women and young people. Undeterred by international condemnation he continues to imprison people and there is no end to it. Paranoid about his illusionary enemies, he has recently

fired 13.000 civil servants, police and army officers and academics. With the help of a network of snoopers across the land his paranoia has reached new levels. Meanwhile he cracks down on mass media, free expression, the Internet, Wikipedia and all means of rapid communication but also against those that spread “moral deterioration”.

Notwithstanding, he produced a list of hundreds of Turks living in 40 countries demanding that those “traitors” be arrested and extradited back to motherland and face Turkish justice.

His request outraged governments learning that this man was actually using Turkish Embassies in their countries as a network of spying centers against their citizens.

But his paranoia has now gone one step beyond. He plans to bring back the death penalty to legitimize the execution of phantom enemies or anyone who poses a threat to his rule.

Listening to him speak in rallies one immediately recognizes that Hitler used similar tactics during his notorious rousing hate speeches.

He branded EU governments as Nazis for not allowing his political campaigns there and in retaliation he imposed sanctions against “Muslim enemies”.

Red with fury, he threatened that from

now on: “No European citizen in any part of the world can walk safely on the streets,” and decreed that: “All Muslim families living in Europe to have a minimum of five children per family” to cause an ethnic flooding of Muslims in Europe.

What kind of mentality is that coming from a world leader of 80 million people that resorts to such dastardly blackmailing tactics? He seems prepared to use all available means at his disposal including the use of Islamic State to establish his Neo-Ottoman empire. Despite Ankara’s objections, Turkey has been accused of harboring IS activities in banking, recruiting of IS fighters, arms procurement, human smuggling and selling pilfered oil by IS and Turkish agents on the black market. If these tyrannical activities persist, chaos will rise out of the ashes of despair and destabilize Turkey and the region for years to come.

One country that’s exposed to Erdogan’s Islamization ambitions is the small island of Cyprus. Strategically located, the Republic of Cyprus with a population of less that 750.000 Greeks and 250,000 mixed ethnic minorities is gravely vulnerable to Erdogan’s whim.

He is very unpredictable and he can mobilize his 40.000 occupying Turkish troops stationed on the island at the snap of his fingers. To provoke even further one of his ministers has lately announced that, “they captured Cyprus shedding blood and they are prepared to give more blood to keep it”.

Erdogan is so unpredictable, that no sooner had the resumption of the Bicommunal talks started but the very next day Ankara sent its seismic vessel Barbaros Hayreddin Pasa to survey for gas in the Exclusive Sea Protection Zone of the Republic of Cyprus. Sea and Air military provocations were also conducted simultaneously using live ammunition as if to say - I am the boss here and you cannot stop me!

That’s what the Republic is faced with: Turkey’s constant military provocations, and Cyprus is obliged

to negotiate under the threat of a gun.

Yet, the Cyprus Government refuses to understand that Ankara will not abandon its military trophy. It insists on negotiating with Ankara’s lame puppet Mr. Akinci for a mythical solution knowing very well that Ankara decides and not this man.

After so many years of failed talks, the charade continues to no end. It’s as if the Government is incapable or afraid to forge a new defence policy to protect the island from Erdogan’s threats and Islamization plans.

President Trump and world leaders have condemned N. Korea’s missile provocations and showed their readiness to retaliate against this brutal dictator. Yet, when it comes to another dictator and a Menace of the Med – Sultan Erdogan of Turkey – the best they can do is tolerate his military aggression.

The present “good boy” attitude has to change. If not, there are much darker clouds on the way. Adopting a defiant new foreign policy by terminating the pseudo-negotiations until a better climate develops may be a good place to start. Shutting the crossings would also send a signal to Ankara and to the Turkish Cypriot leadership that the Republic of Cyprus can no longer tolerate the current farce. To ostracize and pressure Turkey politically and economically through the EU would certainly help produce results - 80% of Turkeys exports go to EU markets!

EU-Cyprus can make it very difficult for Turkey economically and politically if it chooses to do so. It has the ability and the means to use its EU membership to its advantage but it demands a strong decisive leadership that Cyprus so far has been short of.

Meanwhile, the Turkish Cypriot side continues to play dubious games. It pretends to negotiate for a solution on the basis of a BBF and yet, it makes it abundantly clear that TCs wish for a self-governing separate state under Turkey’s protectorate. They also insist on the right to a veto on all national

decision-making processes and further demand that all Turkish illegal settlers be given EU visas as a fast track entry to EU from the back door - typical Ottoman games!

Those demands are not co-incidental but well orchestrated and aim to serve Turkey’s objectives in the Eastern Mediterranean. A separate TC state would provide the legal platform for Ankara to establish a defence dyke for its underbelly. If successful, Ankara would then gain control of the entire region but also assert its influence over the entire island and control its massive gas reserves! It has already claimed that Plot Six located south of the island “belongs to Turkey” and she will defend it militarily at the threat of starting a war against any attempts to drill for gas.

Can the Cyprus government stop Turkey’s bullying tactics, provocations and traps? Under the present policy the answer is - No! That is why Cyprus desperately needs a strong leadership and strong allies. Turkey is not about to give up so easily and there are much greater dangers lurking in the future!

Weather Cyprus likes it or not, it was reported that Turkey aims to flood the island with over one million Muslim settlers in the occupied area. Under EU directives the Republic would be powerless to alter the fate of the island.

Erdogan’s objective is to change the demographic character of Cyprus and he is doing it systematically. There are over 400.000 illegal settlers living in the occupied area and its no wonder a string of Mosques are sprouting everywhere including the largest Islamic School there.

At this rate, the fast growing Islamization process will certainly bring about the end of Cyprus as a Hellenic nation. A new EU-Cyprus will be established but certainly not a Hellenic. Cyprus will be transformed forever. What will happen next it’s anyone’s guess!

noticed that, on occasion, the Staff was parked down the street waiting for me to drop her off. He would take up where I left off. Obviously, he had experience on night missions! We had an interesting relationship that inspired the odd humorous comments between the two of us which only we understood. Perhaps this quasi and unusual friendship with the Staff had some bearing on my selection to lead the number two file on the Ride. There were four files, three lead by riding instructors and one by me. That was an honour. Also, I was assigned “Nugget” a horse which the Staff liked and often preferred to ride. It seemed I was getting preferential treatment. Maybe it was part of our “shared” relationship. I will never know.

WHAT A RIDE A book by Len Giles

Leonard N. Giles joined the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) in 1960. When the Canadian Security Intelligence Service was proclaimed in 1984, he crossed over after twenty years in counter-espionage. In his career, Giles had assignments in the United States, Japan, Singapore, Thailand, India, Macau and the Philippines, retiring in 1991.

Continued from previous issue

1962 Musical Ride

In mid-January, a transfer order appeared out of the blue. I was transferred to Regina to commence training for the 1962 Musical Ride.

Subsequently, I arrived in Regina on February 17, 1962 and training began shortly thereafter. We did not have specifics about the tour but it was to begin in the middle of June. My old friend, Staff Sergeant (Staff) Ed Hill––from basic training days––was in charge of the riding stables and was now in charge of the training for the Ride. He was an old Spitfire pilot and during recruit training, I had dated an attractive secretary, from the “F” Division Orderly Room who was also dating the Staff. I took her out a number of times and, of course, was subject to the limitations of my leave pass, either midnight or 1:30 a.m.

Therefore, I had to drop her off at her apartment in time to make it back to barracks before my pass expired. I soon

We trained for five hours per day for three-and-one-half months, perfecting every move. Even the horses anticipated the moves which required us to work even harder to prevent them from performing their own version of the Ride. Training for the Ride was very different from basic equitation as we were treated with some respect by the riding staff. They were riding with us as part of the team effort. As for the social side of the training program, we were not restricted in the same manner as recruits. So we partied harder and played longer whenever we got the opportunity. As long as we were ready for duty and not inhibited by hangovers or the like, we had no problems with Staff. As a break from the rigors of training, we were given the opportunity to enjoy other aspects of riding such as jumping and tent pegging. Tent pegging required the skilled use of the lance to spear pegs in the ground while at a full gallop. This was fun once you learned how to avoid the butt of the lance from coming around and hitting you in the back of the head as you attempted to spear the peg.

Our first performance of the 1962 tour was in Winnipeg, Manitoba at the Red River Exhibition from June 22nd to 30th. After the first performance we found the riding ring extremely dry and therefore created a lot of dust.

This obscured the view for the crowds and made it difficult for us as well. To rectify that, Staff Hill requested the

exhibition workers to water down the riding area just enough to keep the dust down. This worked well except what we did not know was that the hose they used had a leak which left a large area in one corner of the riding arena soaked. This wet spot was in the corner where we had to make a hard right turn.

In the final move of the performance, the first line of fourteen horses galloped to the end of the arena with lances down for the charge. Then, the line split right and left, turned hard and galloped back up the sidelines to reform in the rear while the second line charged. I was the second horse in the first line to make the sharp turn to the right. Just as I was making the turn, both of Nugget’s rear legs went out from under him. He had no footing in the mud that had been created by the leaking hose. Nugget and I went down into the mud and dirt.

It happened so quickly that the next two horses following had no option but to jump over both of us as we lay on the ground. Neither Nugget nor I were hurt. After the performance, Staff Hill was not at all amused and expressed himself accordingly. As far as he was concerned it was my fault, not that of the horse or the fact he had lost his footing in the mud. I had the dubious honour of being the first to go down on a performance ride, and––worse yet–– at the first venue.

After Winnipeg, the tour in Canada included: Brandon, Manitoba, Calgary and Edmonton, Alberta, Saskatoon and Regina, Saskatchewan, Victoria and Vancouver, British Columbia. In Calgary the full compliment of ride was given the honour to lead Calgary Stampede Parade. That was special as was appearing in the parade in Edmonton, my home town. The stop in Saskatoon also presented an unusual opportunity that had nothing to do with the Ride. We were quartered on the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF)–– became Canadian Armed Forces in 1968––base and on an afternoon off three of us, Don Harrison, John Parnell and I met several Air Force officers who offered to take us up on a short flight. We suggested a flight in a twin engine Expediter which the Air Force officers rejected as “Too straight and level.” Instead, they arranged for each of us to be taken up individually in

an RCAF Chipmunk trainer, a small single-engine and a two-in-line seated aircraft. We knew this was serious business when we were told to strap on parachutes.

In flight, the pilot advised he was heading for an aerobatic area. En route, after some basic instruction, the pilot gave me the controls then told me to chase seagulls. That did not bother them at all as they could outturn us with ease. When we arrived in the aerobatic area the flight really got interesting. We did rolls, dives and spins to the point where I no longer knew where I was. It was the first time I had experienced G-forces which, at one point, would not allow me to bring my camera upwards to take a picture.

I finally did get a picture and a couple of weeks later I got the film developed.

All that was displayed was the back of the pilot’s head and ground, through the top of the canopy. At that moment, we were upside down headed downwards at about a 60-degree angle. I was glad those little white bags had been provided in flight and was extremely grateful to get back on the ground.

We moved on through Regina without incident and then proceeded to Victoria. We travelled in public in our red-serge dress uniforms which made us photo subjects for the tourists on the Vancouver to Swartz Bay ferry. We were tourists too and the seagulls following the ship seemed to take an interest in us as well. One, which floated along beside the ship was almost within reach, so I took its picture. Immediately after I did so, it looped upwards, came around and unloaded, some of the discharge slid down the side of my nose. I guess that out of spite for me taking its picture, that damn bird made a bombing run on me. Fortunately, none of it landed on my uniform. Even so, there was a lot of laughter as I cleaned myself up.

During performances, many photographs are taken and I obtained one of me riding half section on Nugget, with Doug Jessiman, a Corporal on the riding staff. Doug was riding Nero. In 1991, I met Nero again as I rounded a corner in the RCMP Museum in Regina and came face to face with the stuffed version. That was a weird experience.

My children all laughed as I related my relationship with Nero.

Vancouver was more of the same in terms of our performances. It was difficult to ride there as they placed about ten inches of dirt, or what is known as hog fuel on the playing surface of the football grounds at Empire Stadium. This did not provide good footing for the horses and one rider did go down there. However, the “big stink” about the hog fuel was criticism from the public that was voiced in the press and elsewhere, that the hog fuel and horse droppings on the football grounds were polluting the field where the B.C. Lions football team played. We didn’t see that as a big deal…we worked with horse dung every day!

From Vancouver we moved into the United States for performances in Seattle, Washington, Pomona and Fresno, California, Portland, Oregon and finally, San Francisco, California.

We were all looking forward to Seattle as we were to appear as part of the Canadian Military Tattoo during Canada Week at the Seattle World’s Fair. This was a particularly moving experience as we performed with the mass bands of the Canadian Military.

650 members of the Canadian Forces were present including the Black Watch Regiment and the Royal 22nd Regiment from Quebec, which represented both Canada’s British and French heritage.

This was an event that brought down the packed house for both the afternoon and evening performances.

In the evening, the lighting was most effective as the setting had been prepared to appear like an old stone fortress. It was impressive even though it may not have matched the setting of the military tattoos in Edinburgh, Scotland. The finale was described in the Seattle press as a “Breathtaking Spectacle” and it was. Four marching and three pipe and drum bands as well as the Musical Ride were in the stadium at the same time for the grand finale. The emotion of the moment was unforgettable as the music of the massed bands was overwhelming. We were extremely proud Canadians.

To be continued

FACTS AND BELIEFS IN POLITICAL DEBATES

By Dr. Gordon Hogg, MLA, PhD

Dr. Hogg, former Minister of State for ActNow BC, was a Member of the British Columbia Legislative Assembly for the Liberal Party. A psychologist, he was a Regional Director in the province’s Corrections Service prior to his election in 1997. ActNow BC is a government initiative that crosses departmental lines to promote healthy living.

How do we know what we know?

Daniel Moynihan said: “Everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but they’re not entitled to their own facts.”

During our recent civic elections and even sometimes in this very House there are disagreements over facts.

It seems that anyone can find information to support almost any point of view - information that, for them, turns their opinions into facts. Stephen Colbert coined the word “truthiness.”

It denotes how smart, sophisticated people like us can go awry on questions of fact- ideas that seem right without reference to logic or intellectual rigour.

Moynihan’s words do not have the same resonance today that they once had. Many people now believe that they’re entitled not just to their own opinions but also to their own facts. How else can we explain the disagreements that occur amongst thoughtful, intelligent people like us?

How can it be that we think we are reasonable and that those who disagree with us are not reasonable?

We believe that good information and good debate lead to good conclusions, to good policy, to good legislation. But Nobel Prize winner Daniel Kahneman has found that we tend to believe arguments because we believe in their conclusions. Experientially, there’s no difference between true and false beliefs and, subjectively, no difference between the experience of knowing something due to faith or knowing it due to science. We therefore think we know many things that are not true.

It seems that most things that we believe have been told to us by someone that we know and trust. The confidence that we have in what we know does not ensure that we are right. No wonder Bertrand Russell said that the whole problem with the world today is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves and wiser people so full of doubt. Of that, I have absolutely no doubt.

MISSIVES FROM DONALD J BOUDREAUX

VALUES MATTER “I still remember vividly the horrified look on my mother’s face when this suggestion was put to her.”

Nicholas Kristof is befuddled that people who benefit from government handouts sometimes oppose such handouts (“In Trump Country, Shock at Trump Budget Cuts, but Still Loyalty,” April 2). He shouldn’t be.

One reason why beneficiaries of government handouts might politically oppose such handouts is that no voter’s individual expression of political opposition is determinative. Because in nearly all cases government will do what it will do regardless of the words or actions of voter Smith, voter Smith can express opposition to some program without increasing the chances that this program will actually be eliminated or even trimmed. Political talk and voting are both cheap.

Yet there’s another, very different reason why some people oppose government handouts that ostensibly are aimed at helping these people namely, some people have preferences and values that genuinely override the material benefits of receiving government handouts. I’ve a personal example.

my family was then eligible. But the thought of being on the government dole so appalled my parents that they flatly refused. My family got through that difficult time by dipping into our savings and cutting our already modest budget. So while my parents’ refusal to use Food Stamps made us a bit poorer money-wise, it also made us much richer dignity-wise.

Mr. Kristof should understand that in fully human lives money is not all that matters.

Sincerely,

Donald J. Boudreaux Professor of Economics And Martha and Nelson Getchell Chair for the Study of Free Market Capitalism at the Mercatus Center George Mason University When in the early 1970’s my father Fairfax, VA was laid off from his pipe-fitting job www.cafehayek.com at a Louisiana shipyard, one of his coworkers tried to persuade my parents to apply for the Food Stamps for which

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Beauty From Within A Fresh, New You A Talk By Dr. Galina Bogatch

October 24, 2017

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Mountainview WELLNESS CENTRE 604.538.8837 3566 King George Blvd, South Surrey www.mountainviewwellnesscentre.ca Est. 2001