Think Wellness Be Wellness Metanoia June 2015

METANOIA JUNE 2015

THINK BE Wellness

CONTRIBUTORS PUBLISHERS

SALME JOHANNES LEIS & ALLISON PATTON

COPY CHIEF

CALEB NG

ASSISTANT COPY CHIEF

JODIE LEITCH

EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS

JR LEIS AND HEINO LEIS

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF MARKETING PHOTO ARCHIVIST

DAL FLEISCHER GALINA BOGATCH

PHOTOGRAPHER

SYLVESTER LAW

CONTRIBUTORS Maureen Bader Alex Barberis Andy Belanger Donald J. Boudreaux Dr Tim Brown Brian Croft Cheryl Gauld Kulraj Gurm Marilyn Hurst Richard King IV Peter and Maria Kingsley Suzette Laqua Hank Leis

Cover Model: Natasha Leis

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

Salme Leis Chris MacClure Seth Meltzer Dr Caleb Ng Janice Oleandros Dr Allison Patton Luis Reyes Cara Roth Pepe Serna Dan Walker Harvey White Dr Bernard Schissel Dr Jack Wadsworth

E X ECU TI V E SUMMARY The cover summarizes our philosophy. Thinking leads to wellness. Natasha Leis has been an international model (finalist in the Canadian supermodel contest) who has appeared in hundreds of magazines around the world. A healthy body and active mind are only some of her attributes. She is currently studying science at the University of Lund in Sweden.

Father Dunstan Massey, 91 year old Benedictine monk has spent most of his life at Westminster Abbey in Mission, British Columbia, teaching and producing art.

His accomplishments are many, and he has not yet stopped. In fact in our next edition of the magazine, he will be added to our contributors, who write on changes needed in education.

The story of Sparkling Hill Resort, a unique hotel in Vernon, British Columbia, is the subject of an interview of Hans –Peter Mayr, C.E.O. of the hotel, by Hank Leis.

The Vancouver Web Festival has been a remarkable success and the story needs to be told. Suzette Laqua, the energetic founder, interviews the two amazing actors Gianmarco Soresi and Scott Klavan, both starring in episodes of New York’s Small Miracles.

There is more – much, much, more for you to discover.

Enjoy! M

3.

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?

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CONTENTS

P. 10

P. 15

P. 32

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY THE DUNSTAN MURAL

BY HANK LEIS

INTERVIEW WITH HANS - PETER MAYR

BY HANK LEIS

RANT

BY HANK LEIS

THANK YOU

BY DR ALLISON PATTON

NEW YORK’S “SMALL MIRACLES”

BY SUZETTE LAQUA

EXPERIENCE AT VANCOUVER WEB FEST

BY VARIOUS VWF AWARD RECIPIENTS

THE CHOICE FOR SOMETHING MORE

The Choices Markets Story

TREATMENT OF CONCUSSIONS

BY DR CALEB NG

THE STOCK MARKET

BY DR JACK WADSWORTH

FAILURE IS MORAL SUCCESS

BY SETH MELTZER

THE DAN WALKER CHRONICLES

BY DAN WALKER

MISSIVES

BY DONALD BOUDREAUX

HOROSCOPES

BY ONIEH SIEL

3 6 10 13 15 16 18 26 30 32 38 40 41 43

FATHER DUNSTAN. ARTIST. PHILOSOPHER. HOLY MAN

The Dunstan Mural

The Temptation of St. Benedict

by Father Dunstan Massey, OSB

The Dunstan Mural

By Hank Leis

Father Dunstan Massey is now 91 years of age. I first met him some 35 years ago. Since then, we have gone through many changes.

The circumstance of our meeting was serendipitous.

It really began with me, then assistant manager at AMS-UBC, prowling around in the basement of the students’ union building looking at the condition of the structure to determine its soundness for the intended expansion. The cobwebs, dust and moisture suggested that no one had been there for years. At the end of the dark edge of the basement, camouflaged by dirt, debris, and other broken materials, I spied what appeared to be a piece of parchment. Apparently it had been laying there for years. After pulling it out, I realized it was a chalk drawing on thick, roughgrained, cardboard-like paper of what seemed to be a religious figure.

It was obvious that the work of art had been in the bowels of the building for years, discarded indifferently so that when it had fallen, pieces had been ripped off,

and water had dripped over it leaving it stained and blurred.

Subsequently, after it was dragged out of the dungeon, I ended up buying the piece when it was auctioned off. Eventually I discovered the artist had donated his preliminary drawing for one of the frescos adorning Westminster Abby’s walls in Mission, British Columbia to the AMS-UBC. The students had objected to displaying it because of the religious connotations, and someone had “stored” it in the basement, where I had come upon it.

Finding the artist became an obsession for me. It took time to locate his whereabouts and then to make arrangements to meet with him. At the time, I was writing my thesis on leadership and so for the sake of needing privacy, I booked a stay at Westminster Abbey in Mission. It was my hope that there I could find the solitude I so needed and meet the man whose artwork I admired.

Westminster Abbey is located on the outskirts of the town of Mission, British Columbia, and is occupied by the Benedictine monks who live by the motto of their order, Ora at Labora (“Pray and work”). They perform almost all labour tasks on their own, including kitchen and farm work. Father Dunstan Massey, one of the resident monks, has painted several frescos and

FATHER DUNSTAN. ARTIST. PHILOSOPHER. HOLY MAN

a series of concrete bas-reliefs affixed to pillars inside of the church. My contribution, when I met him on my sabbatical there, was to smooth out some of the bas-reliefs as he worked on them. I considered this an honor. Whenever I now visit I feel a certain ownership towards the creation, after having contributed to it in such a miniscule way. The fact is I am humbled almost to tears when I see the art forms he has produced.

In reality, Westminster Abbey is a farm that is located on top of a hill with a view that is to die for. At one end of the compound is the church. The colours of the glass panes in the window transform the light into endless hues as the sun works its way magically around the building. The sense of spirituality is omnipresent.

It was a drizzly Sunday afternoon when Father Dunstan and I got together most recently. We met in one of the plain private rooms next to the reception area. Father Dunstan now using a cane and walker, clearly in pain, still jovial, welcomed me like a long lost brother. We talked about the days we first met when he showed me the sketches and played the music for the making of a movie. It had taken years, and a version of it had been completed.

Various institutions, experts, and interested parties had participated in making it possible –but he was still looking to improve it so that it would reflect that perfection he had envisaged, even though the movie, Crown of Fire had won the prestigious Golden Eagle Award at the Cine Awards in Washington, DC in 1998. Moreover, he was still working on completing the designs based on the slides of The Temptation of Saint Benedict for the church benches and additional carvings for the church. The church is his labour of love.

It became the fabric of his life, an expression of what he believes in and what makes his life meaningful.

He still teaches. He still studies. He explores the strangeness of life and most importantly he serves.

Today his frail body is incapable of climbing and moving about as when he was in his youthful seventies and early eighties. He is currently looking for an automatic wheel chair that will move and lift him so that he can direct the young assistants who might help him. Father Dunstan is a man on a mission in Mission. At the age of ninetyone he has only begun. There is so much more he plans to do. It is all there in his mind-carefully planned out in his artist’s way-even as he painfully struggles on day after day, ready and willing to execute what he has envisioned. His body is weak but his will is strong-he fights on to do even more.

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SPARKLING HILL. HANS-PETER

SPARKLING HILL RESORT

Interview with Hans- Peter Mayr

by Hank Leis Every project that involves numerous people and large scale planning requires the ability to go through a series of emotional swings which ultimately culminate in the completion of the project. Can you tell us about why you decided to build the resort, how you chose the location, how difficult it was to find financing, and ultimately, how you overcame all of the challenges that you could not have anticipated once the project was underway?

During my many vacation trips to Canada I learned that we do not have the typical European Health Resorts in this part of the world. Health spas are defined as destination spas where people go on a regular basis for health purposes.

Essentially, one would go there to get a health issue fixed or to learn how to prevent them.

In terms of location, we were looking for a property surrounded by serene nature and yet still close enough to an airport. All this we found near Vernon, beside the Predator Ridge Golf Resort with a relatively short commute of 25 minutes to the Kelowna airport.

Our finances are due to the owner of Sparkling Hill, Mr. Gernot Langes-Swarovski. With his reputation in Europe it was not difficult to organize the financing. From the very beginning, Mr. Langes-Swarovski was a huge promoter to get this special resort built – a resort where guests are not only booking a room; they will get a rest from their busy daily lives and more than 100 different treatments to improve their health.

Of course there were many challenges once the project was

underway. For example, we realized very quickly how difficult it is to bring European equipment to Canada, especially our Cold Sauna, which is -110 degrees Celsius.

realize in our life. I was very fortunate to meet a wonderful man who loved the business idea and was willing to finance this unique resort – Mr. Gernot Langes-Swarovski, the patriarch from the Swarovski family. To answer your actual question; I love to go to work every day, to see our wonderful employees and guests. I love to walk into this building every single day. If you have seen the setting and the views of Sparkling Hill, you will understand what I’m talking about. As for having any plans for expansion; yes, we do. But it is still a secret.

As someone with an international background in business, did you aim your marketing for the resort towards foreigners or Canadians?

Sparkling Hill was not created for Europeans, it was built mainly for the North American and Asian market. At this point most of our guests are coming from Canada and the United States.

The location of the hotel is extraordinary and the concept of the resort is so all-encompassing.

It seems to have not just a business base to it, but also a philosophical core. The ambience seems to cater to all who might be going through an existential crises or contemplating leaving the stresses and strains of everyday life. Was this your intent?

Has your experience, now that your resort has been open for a number of years, caused you to change your business strategy or tactics?

Yes, indeed. When you begin in the resort industry, you are accepting all kinds of businesses to create revenue and to bring as many guests as possible to the resort to showcase what your business concept is. We even accepted children in the very beginning. Now, we allow only people older than 16 years of age to visit our KurSpa, including the pools and the seven different steams and saunas. The whole spa, with an area of more than 40,000 square feet, is “adult oriented”.

We hear journalists so often saying, “now I have seen and experienced this outstanding resort but I will have difficulties to find words to describe it”. And this is true – you have to experience Sparkling Hill to understand what we are doing here. There is such an incredible, positive energy in and around this building!

This project seems to be a very personal endeavour, since the idea was in your mind for many years before you undertook the task of making it a reality and you are so passionate about it.

Many projects of this nature start off as a work of love, and end up as a love of work. How do you feel about it now and do you have any plans for expansion?

We all have dreams which we want to

How would you articulate the philosophical message you are extending to your guests?

Our motto is “stay young and healthy”.

Do not wait until health issues arise but instead, learn how to prevent them.

Treat yourself better than your car – try to have your “oil change” at least once a year at Sparkling Hill.

Hank Leis and Hans-Peter Mayr at Sparkiling Hill Resort

55Plus+CARP_FlatSheet.pdf 1 10/10/2014 3:57:21 PM

STAY YOUNG & HEALTHY PROGRAM

LIVE BETTER, LONGER

Today, we are living longer and enjoying more active lives. We share your desire to improve the quality of your life and achieve optimal health as you embrace aging. Our Stay Young & Healthy Program is customized to each guest’s specific needs whether that is to allieviate pain and inflamation or improve overall energy and vitality.

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STAY YOUNG & HEALTHY PROGRAM INCLUDES: 7 nights accommodations (best available room) Full hot European style buffet breakfast Light Lunch Daily Daily two-course dinner at PeakFine Restaurant Welcome greeting with Sparkling Hill’s General Manager Two consultations with our naturopathic physician, Dr. Ray Lendvai One 1-hour group session with our psychiatrist, Dr. Pieter Strauss 12 treatments/activities Daily exercise program Daily afternoon coffee, tea and cake Full Access to KurSpa (40,000 sq.ft.)

Valet underground parking Complimentary internet access Learn more about this package at www.sparklinghill.com/wellnesspackages

Package Pricing (Only Available for 55+) One Person: $372 per night (7 nights required) Two People: $570 per night (7 nights required) Terms & Conditions: Rates based on 7 consecutive nights, single or double occupancy. Subject to availablity. Use promo code: ONL4SEN. Package is for individuals over 55 years of age only. Sunday check-in. Taxes and gratuities not included and are recommended. Does not apply to group bookings of 3 or more rooms. Cannot be combined with any other offer. Black-out dates apply. Valid for travel until December 18, 2015.

Okanagan Valley, Vernon BC

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www.sparklinghill.com

Rant Rant The Narcissicm of Small Dierences

By Hank Leis

For over a period of fifty years I have been investing in or otherwise participating in the development of some 200 businesses. According to "Bloomberg," eight out of ten businesses fail. It is no wonder that I am called on by startups to explain the critical factors that determine success. I suggest that it is easier to explain failure.

There are a plethora of ideas explaining both points of view in books written by cerebral, well educated researchers and authors. Since I am not one of them I can boast with alacrity that most have missed the point.

And that point is that people come together in organizations with their individual dysfunctions hard wired and that given enough time these dysfunctions eventually creep in to all decision making processes that determine the success or failure of the business.

Every itch for a dysfunctional individual must be scratched absent of any consideration of its implications.

And what makes these urges legitimate is the willingness of other dysfunctional individuals to discuss, argue and give consideration to them. The process validates the demands so that the immediate agitation is resolved but the long term consequences of relinquishing to the blackmailer imbeds the "je ne sais quoi" that inevitably leads to the downfall of the organization ( i.e. Trading off short term gratification for long term failure). The long term implications are ignored to solve the immediate tension from the demands.

Addicted personality types confirm or legitimize each other's dysfunctions by trying to provide argument to a point of view that has little to do with enhancing long term organizational objectives but with establishing personal agendas and ulterior motives long ago hard wired into their psyches predisposed for failure. Any kind of evidence presented is discarded for whims or the need for immediate gratification, relying on others ignorance, stupidity and lack

of experience to find support for their particular agenda.

Sustainability is instantly compromised by the obsessive demands of the petty tyrants whims, ulterior motives, and personal agendas. Following conventional rules, policies, laws is interpreted as bullying, adhering to corporate values is seen as victimization. Damaged people have a plethora of ways of using their illegitimately gained power to destroy the vulnerable machinery that makes the organization work and that is designed for long term effectiveness. The movie "Bridge on the River Kwai" elegantly tells the story of an obsessed individual who virtuously works against the goals and objectives of the master plan.

In simple terms anyone with a gripe can throw a monkey wrench into the works and destroy both the present and the future possibilities of an organization. And it is done so repeatedly that few organizations survive ten years. The acts that impact may remain hidden for years, thus cannot be corrected. Failure is often baked in the cake at inception.

The power of the weak (of character and mind) over the strong is to have the means to disrupt long term plans by damaging action or inaction or by virtue of their specialized position in the business. Stupid (those without merit) ideas are often given undue respect by simply acknowledging them as worthy of discussion and in so doing legitimize them. By yielding, the coercive are placated to tolerate short term disruptive behaviour and thus ensure long term failure.

New alliances are formed to make powerful and justify the imbedded dysfunctions and milk the organization of all it has and more. The victim is always the innocent and the bullies controlling (which organizationally is a responsibility position).

Failure is always moral success for those who ignore consequences and so their moral ways always lead to failure.

Rarely can they distinguish understanding from knowing (certitude).

DISCOVER • EXPERIENCE • PARTICIPATE

RETURNING TO GRANVILLE ISLAND IN VANCOUVER

MARCH 18-20,2016

SUBMISSIONS OPEN AUGUST 1ST CANADA’S PREMIER INTERNATIONAL WEB FESTIVAL

www.vancouverwebfest.com

THANK YOU SPEECH AT VANCOUVER WEB FEST 2015

Thank You

By Dr Allison Patton

My name is Allison Patton. I am here on behalf of Mountainview Wellness Centre and Metanoia Magazine.

I want to thank Suzette Laqua and the Vancouver Web Fest for allowing us to participate in this exciting adventure.

Please look into your Swag bags, which have been provided to you by Vancouver Web Fest, Metanoia Magazine, and Mountainview Wellness Centre.

For those of you who are curious, Metanoia means a new way of thinking. And what can be newer than the idea of a Web Fest? Inside the bags you will find the Web Fest program, items from Choices, Samples from Moor Spa, Bars from Metagenics, as well as the magazine, a gift certificate from Mountainview Wellness Centre along with our menu of services, upcoming talks and supplement of the week information.

Metanoia Magazine has an interviewer Salme Leis and photographer here to listen to your stories to promote you and this event.

I hope you use the electronic version to promote yourselves and the event by forwarding the magazine to all your friends and acquaintances-By doing this you add to the reputation and awareness base of this event.

After three days of exhausting fun here, to ease all your troubles away, we hope that you can find your way to the lush and comforting surroundings of Mountainview Wellness Centre a half hour drive from here to sunny White Rock.

Thank you.

15.

ACTOR’S GIANMARCO SORESI & SCOTT KLAVAN

New York’s “Small Miracles”

I had the pleasure of interviewing two amazing actors, Gianmarco Soresi and Scott Klavan, both starring in episodes of New York’s Small Miracles.

Small Miracles is a web series where Judd Hirsch and Kathryn Kates guide the audience on a journey through timeless true stories that inspire and show the beauty and the will of the human spirit. The series is By: Suzette Laqua based on the best-selling books that were published in 14 languages worldwide.

Gianmarco Soresi is an actor and writer known for The Power of Knowing (2013), An Actor Unprepared (2014) and The Meet Cute (2015). He has also starred in two episodes of Small Miracles, as Dr. Dovid in “The Skin of His Teeth” (2014) and as Alex Metzger in “The Wall” (2014).

Soresi moved from DC, Maryland to New York a couple of years ago to pursue his dream of acting. He was cast in That Bachelorette Show!, which is billed as “a brand-new interactive parody of America’s favorite reality romance shows”.

Soresi laughs and says, “My big claim to fame was that I was on Blue Bloods. I played a reporter and I got to have one line and I got paid for it. But it was a huge break. Blue Bloods paid the SAG-AFTRA [Screen Actors Guild union] rate, which, with residuals minus fees, was like $1,000 per episode, but with fees deducted it ends up being about $500 for two weeks work.”

What was the process to get selected for a web series such as Small Miracles?

“My agent sent me for the audition, it was very professional.

I was called back and got the part. But that’s what was so great about the web series, Small Miracles, it was one of the hardest acting jobs I’ve ever done.”

Acting has given Soresi more than he ever thought possible; “I think it’s two fold, one, the enjoyment and expressing myself and a lot interest and two, being an actor you get out

to explore so many perspectives and it’s so diverse. It’s a mix of that. For instance, if I want to yell, the best part is that as an actor I can act it.”

Would you do another web series?

“Absolutely, web series are the future.”

Would you do it if you didn’t get paid?

“It all depends on if I believed in the project and everyone involved. But if so, I would absolutely do it without pay. “ To contact Gianmarco Soresi email: gianmarcosoresi@gmail.com

instruments. One of the sets of instruments is a set of 19th Century [Civil War era] saxhorns. The Chestnut Brass Company have long played music from the Civil War era on them, in addition to music of earlier and later on their respective instruments as well. It was amazing when he played.”

How was it to audition for a web series?

“I felt comfortable going for the audition being a theatre actor, it had a really great theatre feel. But these scenes were very intense – you had to get it done right the first time.”

How long did it take to film your episode?

“It took about four to five days to film. I had some pretty physical aspects to my part. Crawling across all these ‘dead bodies’ and there were a lot of grunts and groans.”

What did you think about the episode you were filming?

Scott Klavan is a playwright, director, and actor based out of New York City. He appeared in his own full-length play A Child is in the House for the Emerging Artists Theatre in December of 2013. In 2014, Klavan had a lead role in “A Soldier’s Notes”, an episode of Small Miracles. Scott plays Capt. Robert Ellicombe in the Civil War story of the origins of the famed military ode, “Taps.”

“I found it challenging in general because it was a tragic story and of course the physical part of it was very difficult. But I really enjoyed the whole experience.”

Would you go home and practice crawling across the floor?

“No, I would save it for the shoot.”

What was it like to work on Small Miracles What are you working on now? in a war scene?

“The entire battlefield was built on set. During production, we had full uniforms and guns that were authentic to the period. Technical advisors on the project helped the art department by supplying tents and other authentic items on set. The battlefield experts taught us how to salute. I did a lot of research on playing the part. I watched documentaries and looked at many photos to get into playing the part.”

While producing this episode, Small Miracles had two Civil War regiments working on set, 125th NYVI Co. D located in Troy, N.Y and 124th NYVI Co. known as “Orange Blossoms” located in Orange County, N.Y. Both regiments have the goal to honor the soldiers who have fought and died in the Civil War. Their dedication to this cause inspired them to recreate battle scenes for the public in states such as Virginia, Tennessee, and Georgia and for film productions, including Small Miracles.

What else stood out for you during the filming of your episode?

“The bugle player, John Charles Thomas, who is a member of the Grammy Award-winning chamber ensemble, Chestnut Brass Company, which performs music on original

“Directing plays for six months off-Broadway. A comedy called Sheila; it is about modern senior adults set in a retirement community in Boca Raton, Florida. The play is about the challenges and joys of growing older, it is about love, sex, friends and families, and choices, including the right to die. The other one is My Stubborn Tongue; a story about a girl who refuses to be defined by her origins; Russian in America, Jewish in Russia, poor little immigrant. The only way out is the English language. I also teach Drama for seniors and am in my tenth year as the Drama Teacher for gifted teens at The Teak Fellowship.”

For more information on Scott Klavan visit his website www.scottklavan.com

VANCOUVER WEB FEST

How was your experience?

Asset was the first web series Charlie and I had created. It was a huge honour and challenge to receive funding from the IPF. CoProducer Jonathan Robbins and I struggled with how to allocate the money as we explored larger crew sizes, having a union cast, and working with Red cameras, among other things. We learned a lot, but of course there are things we would do differently next time, but one thing I would not dream of changing is the people we worked with. In my opinion, we had the best cast and crew in the business.

Winning “Best Thriller Series” at the Vancouver Web Fest was very special for me.

Firstly because the West coast, (Vancouver Island specifically) is where I grew up. So having my show’s first award coming from the place I called home meant a lot to me.

More importantly, it is because the award honours the entire show, which means it is an award for each and every person that worked on it.

Alysa King and Matthew Carvery in Prague.

Matthew Carvery

LARPs: The Series began in the brain of Julian Stamboulieh: he was interested in creating a series about a group of friends who Live Action Role Play (LARP), and how their in-game actions affect their out-of-games selves, and vice-versa. It remained an idea for many years as Julian struggled to convert his vision into a script. When he mentioned this concept to friend and long-time LARPer Jon Verrall, the two of them decided that Jon would take over writing the series and Julian would direct. Benjamin Warner came on board as the producer with his and Julian’s video production company Beanduck Productions, and a cast was assembled following a series of auditions.

The shooting schedule was an ambitious one. We filmed over 12 days with no time off and long hours. Thankfully the stars aligned and we encountered no major problems.

Even the weather cooperated! We released the series for the first time in March 2014 and the response was good. Very good. LARPers were happy to see their hobby being portrayed in a fair, albeit humorous, way. We also wanted to keep the LARP itself secondary in the story—what is important are the people who play in it.

Since the initial release some very exciting developments have occurred for us. Chief Elizabeth Neale accepting an award at VWF 2015 among them was being picked up by Felicia Day’s Youtube channel: “Geek & Sundry”.

They have been re-releasing Season 1 on their site (opening the doors to a much larger audience than we were getting on our own) and they will be assisting with the production of Season 2.

We have also received some awards, most recently from the Vancouver WebFest for “Best Comedy Series”. WebFests pose an interesting challenge for us because at first glance we do not necessarily fit neatly into the comedy or drama category (which is why I looked so shocked and thrilled when we won in Vancouver!) But these festivals have been invaluable. They are a fantastic way to network within the web series community and be introduced to new productions. It is important for digital creators to help each other as much as possible, considering the infancy of the medium. I am so grateful for events like the Vancouver WebFest that help promote this rich new industry.

What is next for LARPs? Well, we are hard at work on Season 2, which will have longer episodes and a bigger cast. Naturally this is not going to be cheap so we have been running an IndieGogo campaign to supplement the amount given to us by “Geek & Sundry”.

Here is the link to the campaign: http://igg.me/at/larpstheseries/x/1156238. Any support, be it a donation or simply sharing, is greatly appreciated!

Thank you to everyone who has watched and supported the series so far. We have an amazing community supporting us and the team cannot wait to bring you more!

Elizabeth Neale (“Shane”/Associate Producer)

VANCOUVER WEB FEST

How was your experience?

Scene from Nasty Habits by Christina de Leon

I was born in Northern California and when I was ten years old, my mother’s job caused us to move to a boring little town just outside of Los Angeles called Moorpark.

I had always enjoyed movies, but I was obsessed with television. I am not sure why, but I found that television series always interested me a little more than movies.

Even at a young age, I grew attached to characters over long periods of time. I remember watching Hey Dude on Nickelodeon and pressing my face against the television as though it were a window, trying to find out if I could see into the rest of the fictional world.

I knew I wanted to be part of the filmmaking world somehow, but all I had heard about the industry was how impossible it was to get into. Secretly, I wanted to be an actor, but I did not want to tell anyone because I had always seen actor’s careers be the source of jokes on television, a prime example being the character of Joey Tribbiani from the sitcom Friends. I did not want to be a joke, so I first told my parents that I wanted to be a prop master, a job that actually still sounds amazing to me. I joined the theatre class in high school thinking that I could just be a stagehand and work my way up. However, I did not anticipate that participating as a performer was a grade requirement. So, although I was terrified, I was forced to audition. As it turned out, I loved it. I loved the singing, dancing, playing on stage, and getting a laugh from the audience. At the end of my senior year, I made the big leap and told my parents that I wanted to be an actor. They were worried of course, but they believed in me, supported me, and even paid for my training. I got an agent and a manager, I attended numerous auditions and even managed to book some short films. However, I was not satisfied with the roles I was going out for. The work I did in acting school was much more interesting than many of the roles I was auditioning for. So, I decided to write something for myself.

I never realized that I enjoyed writing. I had never done it before, so I signed up for an online playwriting class at a community college and discovered how much I enjoyed it. I wrote shorts with myself in mind but producing was always an issue since I had no experience in it. I had no idea about costs or timelines, which radically affected what I could shoot from the pages I had written.

Luckily, people began putting work on the web, so I paid close attention to that. Over time, as I learned more about the business, I watched every Hollywood Reporter, Oscar Roundtable, and every DP/30 interview on Youtube.

Fast forward to Nasty Habits. I was writing a “cigarette scene” for my acting clas. My teacher wanted all of us to write short scenes where two people are on a smoke break, and the plan was to perform them in class. I was one of two people who actually participated.

We read the script in class and I got a really strong response. It occurred to me that a six page scene with two actors would conceivably be a more manageable shoot. So I got the idea to take this prompt, expand it to more vices than just smoking, and create a series. We searched for a director, but nothing was working out. Finally, I said, “alright, if I do not get up and direct this thing, it will never get done”.

I took the risk and committed to directing the first episode. I had never directed before so it was a huge learning experience. We had a really rough start that night as one of the actresses was pulled off set by her mother who was not happy with the speed of our team, so she decided to pull her daughter out after only four hours of shooting. This turned out to be the best thing that could have happened to us. I panicked for half a second, and then called my good friend Hope Lauren, to come fill in. It was midnight. We e-mailed her the script and she learned the material in 45 minutes during her drive to set. We re-shot the whole episode before the sun came up. Now, Hope is winning awards for her last minute performance.

The rest of our season was only slightly more stable. I have found that it is tough to find people who are talented, passionate, and take their work seriously. It is also hard to be taken seriously as a young woman in this industry. People are usually surprised when they see or read my work. Usually, I see it as a private victory. However, if you exude confidence and talk like you know what you are doing, I have found that you can often be perceived as “too intense”. This problem is new to me, but I am learning to work through it.

I love this series, and I am so excited to write and produce more of it. In our second season, we have a few guest directors stepping in. One director that I am very excited about is Enrico Colantoni of Just Shoot Me and Veronica Mars, which I am a huge fan of.

This season, we are going bigger and better than ever before. I am also developing two pilots and working with an idea for a feature film. I am loving this journey and cannot wait to see what else is in store for the future. Finally, I am so thankful for events like the Vancouver WebFest for providing a space for artists to grow, meet other artists, and show off their work.

Christina de Leon

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The Choice for Something More Profile of BC-Owned Grocer Choices Markets Our Company Currently with six Metro Vancouver locations (and our GlutenFree Bakery) and one in Kelowna, BC, Choices Markets is Western Canada’s largest local retailer of natural, organic and specialty foods. We are a 100 percent BC owned and operated family business.

Originally opened in 1990, Choices is proud to be celebrating 25 years as a local, grassroots grocer committed to our customers, communities and planet. At the end of January, we expanded our organic and natural foods chain by making Drive Organics in the Commercial Drive community the newest member of the Choices Family.

We have been, and very much still remain, a local grassroots grocer, one that connects with its customers, works side-byside with neighbouring businesses and supports initiatives that strengthen local communities in a number of ways. And over the years, we have remained true to our core values: seek out and support small local producers and farmers whenever possible, giving them an opportunity to break into the BC marketplace; find the highest quality ethically raised or sourced meat, poultry and seafood; provide customers with sound nutrition advice from registered dietitians and holistic nutritionists; be a one-stop shop for consumers who need hard-to-find foods for specialized diets; stock a wide range of natural wellness products that enhance healthy living.

Historic Drive Organics at 1085 Commerical Drive has now become part of the Choices Markets family of stores.

“When you think about it,” says Choices Markets’ CEO, Ishkander Ahmed, “our values at Choices align very closely with those that have been behind Drive Organics all along.”

He’s passionate about how vital Drive Organics is to the history of organics in not only BC but also the country. “There’s a rich story linked with Drive Organics,” explains Ahmed. “As one of the original organic grocers in Vancouver, the company opened many doors for locally based organic food pioneers.” One of these pioneers being Steve Easterbrook, owner of Rabbit River Farms and the country’s first organic egg producer.

“We have a deep respect for the historical role Drive Organics has played in Vancouver, and that,” says Ahmed, “will be the driving force behind what we do here in this vibrant and closely knit community.”

Our Story Since opening the first Choices location in Vancouver’s Kitsilano neighbourhood, founding partners Wayne and Lloyd Lockhart have committed themselves to natural and organic food retailing.

From the beginning, the brothers immediately began drawing a loyal clientele who loved their commitment to green retailing.

Fellow natural food enthusiast, Salim Ahmed, joined Wayne and Lloyd as their business partner in 1998. Since then these three wise entrepreneurs have actively expanded the number of their retail outlets.

Our Philosophy

Holistic Nutritionists to answer any questions the customer might have about the often confusing and ever changing landscape of food and nutrition. We even offer free 60-minute store tours with our nutrition consultants to our customers. We want everyone to be able to make informed choices about what they put into their shopping baskets.

Our Mission For 25 years now, Choices Markets has been offering our customers a variety of local, organic and specialty products at affordable prices. All the while we also remain committed to

While establishing a presence as a natural, organic grocer, Choices also gained recognition as an advocate of supporting the great number of BC dedicated food producers. In 25 years, the lasting relationships that Choices has built with local food producers are more than simply buy-and-sell transactions; they run much deeper. We set aside time to get to know the people who grow and produce the local foods that go home with Choices’ customers.

Choices has been a strong supporter of not only the farmers and food makers, but also local organizations that work toward

Choices Markets offers a variety of fresh locally grown food here in BC.

sustainability. To make the grocery shopping experience seem like less of a chore, we ensure our staff are knowledgeable and approachable, exceeding retail customer service expectations.

Although we have opened many new stores in many different communities, each with its own unique feel, we try to maintain a warm family friendly atmosphere. At Choices, we want our customers to feel like our stores are almost like a home.

Toby Rogers of Choices Markets and Dr. Caleb Ng, ND of Mountainview Wellness Centre help with draw prizes at the annual Choices Markets Prostate Cancer Awareness Pancake Breakfast at Choices Markets in South Surrey.

building healthy, sustainable communities, whether through food, education, health or environmental initiatives. At the core, we believe that it takes more than good food to build strong communities.

Respecting the environment is another one of our motivations.

We build our stores with energy efficiency in mind. Instead of contributing to growing landfills, we compost produce, bakery and meat items that are then turned into healthy, fertile soil. To reduce food kilometres, we make it a priority to source local products whenever possible. Consequently, when we do need to source a product from abroad—namely, the chocolate and coffee we all love—we make fair trade a priority.

We also place a lot of value on education. We ensure our staff are knowledgeable and passionate; we also do our best to educate the customer. We employ a team of Registered Dietitians and

Since we feel closely connected with our customers, we take great care to purchase and produce the finest and freshest foods— the same as what we would take home to our families.

But our efforts don’t stop with our customer base. At Choices we also recognize the importance of supporting the local community.

Over the years, Choices has benefitted countless community initiatives in support of education, child welfare, cooking programs for youth, environmental conservation and animal protection, arts and sports programming, poverty eradication both at home and across the world, hospital foundations, affordable housing projects, literacy programs and more.

We are truly thankful for having been able to grow with our communities. All of us in the Choices Markets family look forward to many more years as your BC-owned community grocery.

For all of 2015, Choices Markets is hosting events and running premium giveaways in celebration of our 25th year. To find out more, ask in store at your local Choices Markets locations or visit www.choicesmarkets.com.

As a truly local grocer, we’ve been contributing to truly healthy citizens, families and communities for 25 years.

Vancouver | Burnaby Crest | South Surrey | Kelowna choicesmarkets.com |

/ChoicesMarkets

@ChoicesMarkets

Nutrient Approaches for the Treatment of Concussions

By Dr. Caleb Ng, ND

For over 30 years, the advice that is given to people who have sustained a concussion has remained the same; get plenty of rest.

Although physical and cognitive rest is essential to recovery immediately following a concussion people often ask, “is there anything else that can be done to speed up recovery or help with symptoms such as headaches or confusion?” In the past decade, we have made some exciting discoveries about concussions; how they happen and what we can do about them. In addition to rest and rehabilitation, we have discovered there are anti-oxidants, nutrients and medicines that can facilitate faster recovery and maximize restoration of normal brain function.

Recently, researchers have discovered that even mild traumatic brain injuries can cause the formation of tiny holes in the protective barrier that surrounds our brains. Also, free-radicals that are created after a concussion can continue to damage and destroy brain cells for hours, or even days after the initial injury, further complicating the matter. Combining these two facts about the development of traumatic brain injuries has led to a possible treatment option for a faster recovery. These same researchers found that administering a potent antioxidant, called glutathione, to mice after they had sustained concussions could reduce the amount of brain cell death by up to 67%. This potent anti-oxidant appears to be able to access the brain through the holes caused by damage and neutralize the harmful free-radicals.

When early humans developed larger brains from their Neanderthal predecessors approximately 200,000 years ago, a diet rich in fish was considered to be a major factor. The omega-3 essential fatty acid (EFAs) known as DHA, which is found in fish, is a large contributor to brain growth and is now added to pediatric formulas and other children’s foods for nutritional support of neuronal growth of the higher thinking centers of the brain. There have been many cases of veterans with post-concussion syndrome that have benefited from taking high doses of DHA omega-3 EFA and currently the US Defence Department is conducting a $10M study to determine how well DHA supplementation can treat postconcussion syndrome symptoms, such as suicide in veterans with traumatic brain injuries.

Another nutrient showing promise in the treatment of traumatic brain injuries is called glycerophosphocholine or GPC for short.

GPC contributes to the development and maintenance of a fluid and functional lipid bilayer or “skin” of a brain cell. This bilayer is important because it is where a cell communicates with the outside environment or other cells. This helps with the movement of information from one area to another in the brain. Although found in red meats and organ tissues, a supplemental form created from eggs or soy appears to have the highest documented benefit. In one study, injectable GPC therapy was used on a group of 23 patients

that had suffered severe traumatic brain injuries with over half of them experiencing bleeding into the brain. Within 3 months, 22 of the 23 patients experienced a significant response and 14 of the 23 had an almost full recovery.

In discovering how the brain heals itself after an injury, neuroscience researchers have learned how important certain growth factors are for recovery. One particular growth factor called BDNF (Brain-derived neurotrophic factor) has been found to be critical for the healing of the brain as it regulates neuron growth and survival, differentiation, and the physical restructuring of brain cells after a concussion. Although BDNF research is focusing on stimulation through pharmaceutical medications, an extract of Lion’s Mane mushroom was found to have superior nerve growth stimulation. In a study of 30 Alzheimer dementia patients, this mushroom extract was found to reverse cognitive impairment compared to the placebo group. The treated group showed improvement in memory, time and place orientation, and simple math questions.

Neuroscience has also discovered how the concept of neuroplasticity or “brain remodelling” can help with the treatment of traumatic brain injuries. Along with structural nutrients like DHA and GPC, specific amino acids like 5-HTP and L-dopa can be used to reinforce and facilitate new neural connections which is how the brain heals. Using amino acids in a specific manner that optimizes neuronal communication in the brain can help reverse symptoms of post-concussion syndrome such as headaches, insomnia, depression, anxiety, and even confusion with or without prescription medication. Supporting this process with these nutrients solidifies these new connections, allowing an individual to “exercise” their brain and increase their rate of recovery without as much frustration or exhaustion.

With the many discoveries that we are making about concussions and neuroscience, numerous treatment options are opening up to help with recovery. With mounting evidence that nutrients can play a significant role in traumatic brain injury management and recovery, people that have suffered a concussion no longer have to rely on just rest for recovery, but can take a more active role. As we discover more about how to heal the brain, we get closer to the goal of making complete recovery from concussions and traumatic brain injuries attainable for everyone.

Dr. Caleb Ng is a naturopathic physician at Moutainview Wellness Centre. To discuss which nutrients would be appropriate for you, please book an appointment with one of our naturopathic doctors by calling 604.538.8837.

IF YOU’RE SO SMART, WHY AREN’T YOU RICH? A REALISTIC ASSESSMENT OF MAKING MONEY IN THE STOCK MARKET

By Dr Jack Wadsworth

Continued from previous issue.

Reinforcing the above, personal experience confirms that the stockmarket is quite unforgiving of amateurs.

Inexperienced investors rarely get the assistance and support they need. In the period running up to the most recent crash, less than 1% of the analyst's recommendation had been to sell and even during the 2000-2002 crash, the average did not rise above 5%.

the pursuit of beauty. But the new Dutch gardeners and collectors appreciated plants for their beauty, not their utility. These merchants and craftsmen grew tulips much as they collected paintings. Indeed, many tulip traders were also art collectors, dealers or painters. They sometimes traded art for bulbs (though paintings never approached the prices paid for flowers). The best analogy for tulipmania is therefore The media amplified the general euphoria, with not the dotcom boom but today's art market— reports of rapidly rising share prices and the notion compare to the items discussed on the travelling that large sums of money could be made in the so “Antique Road Shows." To this stage it can be said called new economy that the stockmarket was now that financial bubbles are not fully understood so as in. Not too surprising, the media later amplified the to be able to use them as a source of profit in the gloom which descended in the aftermath of the crash. stockmarkets. But Gross has provided a broader social Sometimes the market tends to react irrationally to perspective on stockmarket bubbles: economic news, even if that news has no real effect “Financial bubbles get a bum rap. People focus on on the technical value of securities itself. Therefore, the sob stories (think of the grandmothers who invested in Pets.com) and the tales of financial the stockmarket can be swayed tremendously in chicanery (think WorldCom). But bubbles - those either direction by press releases, rumours, and any sudden, excessive, and seemingly irrational number of other fast moving events. Movements in investment stampedes - are not all bad. Sure, the stockmarket are exceedingly difficult to predict. they tend to follow a painful cycle of boom, bust, hand-wringing, and abject humiliation. But there Some comments have to be made at this stage to is often another step at the end: innovation. Over provide some realistic perspective on the Dutch tulip the past 150 years, many bursting bubbles have bubble. The era when the Dutch were fascinated with paved the way for economic and cultural progress. the unique and exquisite new flower, the tulip, has Consider the early dot-dash era. Between 1848 probably been grossly exaggerated over the years. and 1852, the number of telegraph miles in the Anne Goldgar, in her scholarly analysis Tulipmania, US jumped from 2,000 to 23,000. These efforts argues that the phenomenon was limited to “a fairly were largely the result of what historian Robert small group" and that most accounts of the period Luther Thompson has dubbed “methodless "are based on one or two contemporary pieces of enthusiasm.” Few entrepreneurs proved to be propaganda and a prodigious amount of plagiarism". more methodless than Henry O’Rielly, who in She argues that tulips were treated more like art, for 1845 strung a line across the sparsely populated which high-status people paid exorbitant prices in

Pennsylvania Alleghenies and dubbed it the Atlantic & Ohio Telegraph Company. Its weekly revenue in February 1846: $4.50. Then there’s Cyrus Field, who was lionized when he built the first transatlantic cable in 1858 but vilified when the first line failed a few weeks after its completion - leading The Boston Courier to speculate that the whole project had been an elaborate hoax. Many of the companies that built the industry’s original infrastructure had collapsed by the early 1860s.

five percent of the country’s fiber-optic capacity was being used. Wholesale prices plummeted and high-profile executives were accused of obscene profiteering and insider dealing. Still, the nation had been wired. US schools, governments, libraries, and corporations all now enjoy fast internet connections. Today, about 40 percent of Americans have high-speed access at home, and the price of long-haul broadband has fallen by 75 percent in the past five years. Rampant investment also inflated the companies that used the internet to provide new services - from Amazon to ZDNet - and started them on the time-honored cycle of excess capacity, price competition, scandal, death, and then innovation. Remember Enron’s illfated deal with Blockbuster to create a video-ondemand service? An expensive trial that began in 2000 and yielded seven purchases of The Care Bears Movie. But five years later, a dozen contentover-broadband companies are thriving. By doing things like giving people cash to open online brokerage accounts (Ameritrade) and running businesses at negative margins (Webvan), the dotcoms developed the tools, processes, and habits that led to real online businesses. The result has been a real, delayed boom. Put cheap data transmission and storage together with an exploding population of consumers willing to use the Net and you get eBay, Google, and Yahoo! Now come widespread laments that another bursting bubble is anon: real estate, genomics, China stocks, wireless Internet, you name it. Maybe so.

But sometimes, a little methodless enthusiasm is precisely what an economy needs.”

Despite such setbacks, the telegraph became a crucial tool for American businesses. Excess capacity caused prices to plummet. As the cost of sending data dropped to a penny a word, reporters could file long stories from the Civil War battlefields, fueling the great newspaper empires of William Randolf Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer.

Likewise, the spread of the ability to send cheap telegraphs spurred a national market in stocks and commodities and made it much easier to manage international business.

Next came railroads. Between 1870 and 1890, investment in the industry quadrupled and work began on four transcontinental lines. But excess capacity met cutthroat competition - and surprisingly little traffic. The Northern Pacific, capitalized at $100 million, laid just under 500 miles of track before going bankrupt in 1873. At the Erie Railroad, robber baron Jay Gould helped the company engage in Enron-esque balance sheet manipulation - and became an Enron-esque public enemy. By 1897, one-quarter of the industry was in receivership. But when the coal dust cleared, a sturdy new commercial infrastructure remained. Between 1870 and 1890, the cost of shipping a bushel of wheat from Chicago to New York fell by half. Cheap rail freight suddenly made it possible for customers to order products out of catalogs from distant retailers. Say hello to Sears, Roebuck. Soon other industries blossomed: leisure travel, restaurants relying on the transport of refrigerated food, and professional sports.

During the 1990s, ”methodless enthusiasm” was reborn as “irrational exuberance,” and the companies that built Internet pipelines repeated the experiences of the telegraph and railroad industries. A bunch of corporate Christos aiming to wrap the globe with thin glass wires, firms like Exodus, Communications, and PSINet, raised and spent some $30 billion to build 90 million miles of fiber-optic cable.

Again, it was too much, too soon. In 2001, just

Accepting that we are now in a new immediate post-bubble era, how can one use all its appropriate characteristics to make money in the stockmarkets?

The more significant of these characteristics may be listed as follows: •

The plethora of instantly available reliable, reputable and credible information via a broadband internet connection to Google. Since “to google” is now an accepted transitive verb in almost every language its derivation should be noted. A googol is the mathematical name for the number 10100 i.e. 1 followed by 100 zeros!

Google’s play on the term represents the prodigious amount of information on the Web that this company makes available to anyone at the click of a mouse.

33.

Of major interest to the investor/speculator are comprehensive financial data (such as those provided by Bloomberg, Reuters, etc.) and the totally up to date encyclopedic knowledge in the open source Wikipedia.

•

•

•

The amount of financial advice instantly available to would-be investors and speculators is prodigious. For instance, when one googles “making money in the stockmarkets” 4,040,000 hits are produced in .25 seconds. Each one of these hits is claiming to make one rich. That is, over 4 million individuals and/or organizations are eager to make anyone rich. The obvious question of why should anyone want to sell or give away the means of easily making money is easily countered with the equally obvious question: why aren’t they content with just making money for themselves?

The majority of these web sites are really seeking to make their money by selling their scheme or service.

The essential democratization of the stockmarkets whereby anyone with a computer, a broadband connection to the internet, and a discount brokerage account can behave literally as if she or he was on the floor of Wall Street or sat at a NASDAQ trading desk or any other place for trading financial instruments (stocks, bonds, options, commodities and the like). The purchase and sale of any financial instrument can be carried out instantaneously and anonymously.

•

Shop for undervalued companies.

•

Find stocks that have price-earnings ratios significantly lower than those of their peer group.

•

Watch for bad news. Wall street often overreacts to bad news such as missed earnings, which will drive a stock lower than it should go.

•

Pick the jockey, not the horse. Find out who is running the company and where the executives worked previously.

•

Look for strong balance sheets. Companies with low debt loads, positive cash flow and consistently good earnings are good prospects.

•

Check out the portfolios of successful mutualfund companies. If they are getting great returns year after year, they are holding stocks you might want to buy.

•

Know when to cut your losses. You want to invest for the long term, but you don’t want to stick with consistent losers.

•

Work hard. Do research. Read financial news.

Study quarterly and annual reports as well as registration statements, looking for trends and opportunities.

There is a wealth of research and information on the financial and economic aspects of the • Grill your broker. If the broker is recommending stockmarkets available in the academic sector.

XYZ stock, ask for a detailed explanation, with Unfortunately most academic publications an eye to growth prospects and historical often include a heavy dosage of what is opaque performance.” mathematics (to the reader who does not have a thorough grounding in quantitative economics). Phew! It is merely being suggested that you convert A former colleague described such mathematics yourself into a professional money manager. Sorry, but as piccolo music. you probably do not have the time nor the inclination.

If any one, of the more benign (not seeking instant Well then, how about hiring a professional money payment) googled sites produced by “making money manager?! How about buying a group of stocks that in the stockmarkets”, is opened the following type of are professionally managed? How about taking the easy step and buying a mutual fund? advice is offered: If contemplating buying a mutual-fund you want to Making money requires work. Most successful know how well mutual-funds are doing...how well are investors study a variety of sources and ask a lot they being managed...how good are the managers? of questions. After opening a brokerage account the following steps should be taken: How good are those Wall Street hot-shots (advisory services included)? Unfortunately the answer is an unequivocal not too good!

To be continued in the next issue of Metanoia

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Kickstarter SAN FRANCISCO and our 3rd Smash Week HUGE thanks for everyone’s support making our opening weekend 2 weeks ago such a big success! We cannot believe how many of you are coming to see it again and again. We’re still clinging to 95% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes!

And all theatres have held over MAN FROM RENO at least once, if not more. The massive Regal E-Walk on Times Square is keeping our film for a 3rd week! (where every other screen is playing Furious 7) Dave Boyle - Writer and Director of MAN FROM RENO

Pepe Serna and Ayako Fujitani, stars of MAN FROM RENO at Warner Bros. Oscar Party, Warner Bros. Mansion

FAILURE IS MORAL SUCCESS - BY SETH MELTZER

When one makes a mistake, the greater mistake is not to learn from it. There are a number of reasons mistakes are made and lack of knowledge is one of them. Lack of patience to learn is another, and a reluctance to be introspective and to analyze one’s own shortcomings are another. Wisdom is gained by the experience of analyzing the actions one has committed to and the extent that they deviate from expected results: then figuring out why.

The process simply takes as long as it takes. Money is made quickly but the preparation required to understand how it is done may take a while.

In my advisor’s words: “You may find out, for example that when times are tough the economy itself will take a long time to turn around, say six years, but the value of a building you purchased will, in the subsequent three years, increase by five hundred percent. In the year preceding the turnaround you were cursing the mistake you made and then in the tenth year because of circumstances find yourself worth millions and proclaiming what a genius you were.”

Failure is moral success seems like a challenging concept, especially since everyday our virtues are being determined by how others judge us on our morality.

We are all susceptible to how we are viewed by others, especially friends and family. To go against their judgements, is often times to encourage vilification and family turmoil. The statement Failure is Moral Success is not to encourage immorality. What it recognizes is the need to make decisions which encourage long term survival over immediate gratification. We all want to be loved and cared for, but one must understand how much immediate gratification, which often times is judged as a moral imperative, interferes with the ability to succeed in the long run. Rarely are the tradeoffs recognized as being the factors that preclude the possibility of reaching objectives. In fact the explanation or rationalization by most actors is that there was no other way. Pleasing others to gain their temporary favour overrides sense and sensibility. When problems arise, it is the rare person who is able to connect a current problem with decisions made in the past and more importantly that the trade off occurred in a moment’s notice, absent of thought, in order to impress or get gratification for being the good guy. Generosity to one, most often comes as an expense, by taking from someone else. In our exuberance to be the instant hero we forget that someone else gets hurt.

“Spouses kill deals”, my mentor told me. As you can imagine that caught my attention. He went on to describe that when things go wrong the person responsible always says that they could have done it no other way because their morality demanded that they do it in the way that it would fail but kept their spouse happy. A particular failure may be an unintended consequence of conflicting priorities. He described an experience many years before in which a partner of his had the financing to do a $2 million deal and it was the last day that he was able to do it because the contract on the deal was set to expire the next day. There was another important event the next day as well, which was his wife’s birthday. This partner went home for her birthday and the deal fell apart. This decision eventually lead to the collapse of a public company where shareholders lost their investment and he ended loosing all his considerable assets. He died in poverty, but morally he was a good man. He loved his wife.

Success requires personal sacrifice regardless of the endeavor.

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The Dan Walker Chronicles Shenyang & North Korea 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. At our request he has honoured us by writing a journal of his most recent trip to China. We are pleased to present the Dan Walker Chronicles.

Sunday, June 17, 2012 Breakfast was pretty good - it included New Zealand butter and Austrian jam, so the trade embargo on North Korea is not total! The continual propaganda played on. We met up with our minders and the driver and headed for the border with South Korea. The 120 kph (75 mph) divided highway is almost straight, tunnelling through hills, but without painted lanes and full of potholes and patches. We pressed Kim & Lee for information, but as soon as any fixed belief was challenged they switched to the memorized party line immediately. The tirades against the US are non-stop. After one toilet stop we turned into Kaesong City to see the 1,000 year old Buddhist university built in the time of the Koryo Songgun Karan Dynasty who united Korea and ruled from 918 until 1392. Lunch was at a city restaurant. There are very wide streets with no cars - only bicycles. At the demilitarized zone we were first briefed by the army information officer. He stuck to the facts and the layout of the area quite well. Although we did not

speak each other’s language we hit it off and from then on were always positioned in front of a large Chinese tour group, much to the disgust of a couple of the Chinese people. We visited buildings where there were negotiations, and then to the building that straddles the North and South Korean border where the treaty was signed. I was last here with a group from South Korea, so it was interesting to see the other side.

Our new friend’s speech at the conference table, where he had arranged prime seats for us, was based on the US risking nuclear war. The differences from my last visit were interesting - we were taken through the North Korean building for photos from the third floor balcony. When there before we were not permitted photos or to enter a similar three story building on the south side. The two levels of balconies were filled with soldiers at that time - now they have surveillance cameras. There was little visible military presence on either side. On the return trip we visited the mausoleum of the first of the Koryo Songgun Karan

Dynasty kings, built for he and his wife. The name “Korea” comes from the Koryo in the name of the Dynasty. Our complaint about last night’s dinner was taken seriously, so we went to a restaurant away from the hotel where we had an excellent meal in the company of a large, loud, friendly Chinese tour group.

MISSIVES FROM DONALD J BOUDREAUX 5 March 2015

18 March 2015

Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA)

Editor, Washington Post

Ms. Lee:

1150 15th St., NW

Your essay yesterday at Medium.com is a textbook example of demagoguery fueled by arrogance, ignorance, and (what I will assume is careless) misinterpretation of statistics (“CEOs Are Rewarded for Keeping Their Employees in Poverty. It’s Time to Change That”). An example of the latter is your claim that “[s]ince 1987, pay for the average worker has barely budged. Families got squeezed as prices rose and paychecks froze.” But as every respectable economics undergraduate student knows, a measure of average wages can be highly misleading about changes in the pay of flesh-and-blood people, especially if (as is true for the U.S. workforce) there are changes in the population from which the average is calculated.

Washington, DC 20071

Here, from the US Census Bureau, are more-revealing, inflation-adjusted data that expose as spurious your claim that an ever-increasing percentage of Americans have fallen into poverty since 1987.* In 1987, 13.3 percent of American households had annual incomes of less than $15,000 (reckoned in 2013 dollars); in 2013 (the latest year for which data are available) that percentage was lower, at 12.7. Likewise, the percentage of households in 1987 with annual incomes of $75K or less was 69.1%; by 2013 this percentage had fallen to 65.6% - meaning that in 2013 the percentage of households with annual incomes above $75K was 3.5 percentage points higher than in 1987. Indeed, the percentage of U.S. households in 2013 with annual real incomes of $100,000 or more was 22.5%, compared to only 17.8 in 1987.

I realize, of course, that you’ll ignore these Census Bureau data because they undermine your efforts to stir up the juvenile envy that you hope will give you and your power-mad colleagues even more political clearance to further raid the paychecks of taxpayers and to override the business decisions of entrepreneurs.

Sincerely, Donald J. Boudreaux Professor of Economics

Dear Editor: It’s disappointing that Michael Gerson joins the crowd of confused people who mistake inequality for poverty (“The effects of inequality on America’s kids,” March 17). An unequal distribution of income does not mean that people at the bottom of the distribution are poor in any absolute sense. And in a world such as ours in which the amount of total wealth grows over time, everyone can become wealthier - indeed, become fabulously rich - even if income inequality increases.

It’s important to keep in mind the distinction between inequality and poverty. To confuse the two (as is common today) risks addressing the wrong malady.

Just as we do not blame a cancer victim’s suffering on an unequal distribution of good health - that is, just as we recognize that a cancer victim’s illness is not caused by the good health of others and cannot be cured by making healthy people less healthy - we should recognize that a poor person’s poverty is not caused by the prosperity of others and cannot be cured by making wealthy people less wealthy. Indeed, recent research suggests that simply transferring more money to relatively poor people in rich societies does not provide much relief;* poverty persists for reasons that run far more deeply than the fact that some people earn more income than do others.

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 Fairfax, VA 22030

39.

HOROSCOPE

Gemini

Sagittarius

You’re very needy right now and you may be running to everyone and everything to fill this feeling of insecurity. Be careful, being in this place can make you very vulnerable.

Not everyone is looking out for your best interest and it would be wise to pick one person to confide in. Be mindful and it could turn into insight and self discovery.

A family member will occupy your mind in the next week.

Don’t let it become an obsession. To give great advice we have to nurture ourselves first. Have a little me time and self-reflection. Then come back to the problem at hand.

Perhaps it’s not advice this family member needs so much as a great listener.

Cancer So many things have seemed beyond your control for so long. The power you sought after seems to have eluded you.

The people around you pull you back and forth and sometimes you feel like you won’t even survive the day. This turmoil is ending, and a new wave begins. The things that feel like they have been dragging you down are now lightening and you are getting stronger.

Leo Not everything needs to make sense. You are looking for the full picture and you don’t have enough of the details yet.

Don’t walk away from a dilemma without a little more investigation. Try not to be biased about your questioning and the answer will appear. Being judgemental will not help you here. Be interested and open-minded.

Virgo Change is in the air, but you just can’t seem to enjoy yourself. Not what you quite expected? Not the clear path to right and wrong? You want to free yourself so badly from your controlling nature. You can’t control everything and free yourself at the same time. Pick one and run with it. No matter what you pick you will learn; you will be better for it.

Libra You find yourself defending the ones you love this month.

Depend on your wit and sense of humor. You may have to take on some major problems, but who knows you might even have little fun. This situation is under your control and you may even find yourself feeling like you’re playing with people’s need to take things too seriously.

Scorpio Are you having that dreamy feeling? Flirtation and interest are in the air for you. Continue to put your best foot forward and be persistent. You are getting all the right attention. Be adventurous and take risks: it’s a good time to throw caution to the wind.

Capricorn You have been doing a dance lately with someone. Trying to conceal your true feelings about them. Maybe this is a budding romance and you don’t want to seem too forward or too keen. But what if they don’t even know you’re interested. Carpe Diem! Big risk reaps big rewards.

Aquarius Pack your suitcase. Life is taking you on adventure.

Whether you are at home or have a trip planned. You are in for quite the surprise. New people are about to walk into your life at a rate that will astonish you. This could mean new relationships of every kind. Even a coffee with a friend could turn into a new opportunity.

Aries Life is good. You are flowing and all the signs are green.

The summer will fill you with all that great vitamin D and you will feel it. The sun shines brightest for you because you have worked so hard, and been so diligent. Kick up your feet, you are in your zone.

Pisces Can you imagine a place where you are respected, where people admire you and think you have it all? What does that look like? What does that feel like? Perhaps that longing you feel is easily remedied by acknowledging the things you already have. Be kind to yourself about the things you feel need work. Life has a funny way of coming around when we least expect it.

Taurus You have your party gear on and you are ready to walk out the door. But before you step out prepare yourself for change. Something radical is on the horizon, and everything will depend on how you react to it. You tend to take on every challenge with gusto and enormous unlimited energy.

Be more auspicious and things will move with more fluidity and control than ever before.

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