Three Year Funding 060315

EVERYTHING YOU NEED IN ONE E NEWSPAPER TO ADVERTISE: 647-722-6298 • ONLINE: TORONTOCARIBBEAN.COM • VOLUME 4 • ISSUE 8 • WED WEDNESDAY, DNE NES SD DA DAY AY Y, JJU Y, JUNE UNE 3RD 2015

THREE YEAR FUNDING Caribbean Film and Television Producers Gain New Methods of Funding ALYSSA MAHADEO/TORONTO CARIBBEAN

CaribbeanTales Worldwide Distribution (CTWD), the regions premier distribution platform for Caribbean film and television content, has been privileged to receive a three-year funding obligation to provide eight partial scholarships a year to regional audiovisual content producer for the chance to participate in their renowned CaribbeanTales Incubator Program.

Funding is provided on behalf of the REACH Project an initiative with goals to develop sustainable income streams through the monetization of intellectual property.

“CTWD’s impressive work in the Caribbean region is perfectly aligned with the REACH’s goals in improving the monetization capabilities of producers of creative content. The Caribbean region is bursting with creative talent, which with guided mentorship and assistance can turn creative intellectual

assets into strategic tools generolss fo ol forr ge gene nerrating and maximizing nnew revenue ew rrev even enue ue streams. We look forward fruitard ttoo a fr frui uittful partnership,” said Ignacio gnac gn acio io L L.. De Leon, Innovation Lead Specialist, ad Sp Spec ecia iali list st,, IDB. Now in it’s sixth year, h yyea ear, r, T The he CaribbeanTales Incubator Protor P Pro ro-gram is a year round program rogr ro gram am that supports the development, opm pmen ent, t, production and institution tion ti on ooff strong, original world-class rld ld-c -cla lass ss content from the Caribbean bean be an aand nd its Diaspora. The program kicks am ki kick ckss off every year during th thee To To-ronto International Film F Festival esti es tiva vall (TIFF), as a training and producd pr prod oduc uc-tion platform, bringing to together toge geth ther er audiovisual content pr producers prod oduc ucer erss to exhibit their skills un under unde derr th thee circumstance of an international erna er nati tion onal al market environment.

Continued On Page Pag P agee 10

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TORONTO CARIBBEAN

Keisha Johnson; Helping to Empower Youth Leadership Keisha Johnson is the Chief Administration Officer of the Pathfinders of Canada, a co-ed leadership training Brigade for youth leadership aged 12-21 years old. She is a former Journalist, Public Relations Executive and Communications Consultant.

Keisha has led and managed many national projects in Print Media, Higher Education and International Development. She holds an undergraduate degree in Media and Communications from the University of the West Indies as well as a graduate degree in Publishing from Simon Fraser University. She is the founder of Clarity Group International and General Consultancy Services.

Keisha is a devoted volunteer, Facilitator and Life coach. Her passion is helping others find their fit so that they can flourish.

She describes herself as a spark igniting others to blaze in their life passion. Her current focus on people development is a great example of the time she devotes to her cause.

While still in University, Keisha had the privilege of interviewing students about their university experience, one of the most prominent milestones one reaches in their lifetime. In her research, one particular case stood out to her, a boy who she noticed wasn’t as keen on graduation as he should be. She questioned his lack of excitement, learning that he wasn’t interested in the degree he was about to receive. His father had told him, if he were going to fund his education, he would study

a course of his choosing. As a child she had been taught to pursue what she was interested in, and her heart ached for this boy who felt as though his education was a life sentence.

Keisha delved deeper, and through her discussions she discovered that many other students shared the same feelings of being trapped in programs that offered the promise of better salaries instead of being encouraged to pursue studies that were interesting to them.

“I truly believe every person has a unique contribution they can make to humanity, and what I’ve seen is that as they embrace and intentionally pursue this they experience fulfillment beyond what money can buy. That’s what most of us are after. And that’s what I help ambitious youth, business leaders, young professionals and women connect with.”

Through her experience with the youth, taking note of the high West Indian community drop out rates and her compassion to help others achieve their dreams Keisha developed an idea to help youth aspire to discover their true potential. She met her business partner Brigadier General Marvin Watson, who shared his own ideas on youth coaching and they decided to align their visions coming together to develop a training program that combined military discipline and a civilians approach to leadership and self-development to give the youth of today an advantage in life.

The purpose of their program is to provide youth with the soft skills they need to succeed

in the world of business and the life skills they require to empower and thrive in everyday pursuits.

Crediting her grand aunt who raised her for her resilience and tenacity, Keisha often reflects on the many nuggets of wisdom she instilled in her as a child for inspiration and wisdom, words like: “never give up is the secret of glory” and “whatever your hands find to do, do it as unto the Lord”.

In the smallest of tasks, these words motivate me and as I’ve applied them I create my own mantra that your work must recommend you and charity without responsibility perpetuates poverty.

Written by Alyssa Mahadeo Toronto Caribbean Reporter

TORONTO T TO RO ONT NTO O CARIBBEAN CARI CA RIB BB BEAN

Wednesday, June 3, 2015

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Fusion Supermarket celebrates one year in the GTA Alyssa Mahadeo TC Reporter Located on the corner of Morningside and Sheppard Avenue in Scarborough, Fusion Supermarket is a 28,000-sq ft multicultural grocery chain providing a wide rage of international grocery items for Canadian consumers to enjoy.

On May 30th, Fusion Supermarket

celebrated their one-year anniversary in the community. Fusion has been pleased to provide their customers with the widest range of international produce, meats, seafood, and distinct hard to find ingredients and spices from all over the world.

Fusion Supermarket offers fresh, imported foods from all over the world.

They provide their customers with only the freshest fruits and vegetables, quality meats, poultry, cheeses, seafood, snacks and spices that each country has to offer. They stand behind their quality assurance and strict standards to ensure their customers are receiving quality products. They take pride in their brand, preparing and displaying all of their products in an attractive, clean and safe en-

vironment.

Since their opening they have implemented an in house Asian Kitchen, where customers are able to eat in or take out authentic Asian Fusion cuisine. Customers are able to sit down and have lunch at the Asian Kitchen and experience a variety of mainly Asian Gourmet foods such as mouthwatering Spicy Chicken, Classic General Tao Chicken, Veggie Spring Rolls, and of course the most highly revered in Chinese cuisine DimSum. Also very popular with their customers is their Sushi Corner, where you can get fresh and ready to go hand rolls and sashimi, as well as their Bubble Tea and Bakery department.

The owners James Ng, along with

Kevin Zhang and Eleven Xui shared in the vision of creating a store to serve the predominantly Jamaican, South Asian and Asian consumers in this area of the city. The key to the success of Fusion is on the relationships he’s established with ethnic suppliers in understanding what his Jamaican, West Indian and Caribbean customers want.

James Ng would like to offer his appreciation to the community and supporting customers encouraging them to stop by Fusion in the coming week to enjoy in house special promotions for the customers to take advantage of and celebrate the growing success of the supermarket.

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Miller feels $.8m award not enough ʻInjections could have killed meʼ TRINIDAD -- Cheryl Miller, the Ministry of Gender, Youth and Child Affairs employee who shot into the public limelight after she was dragged from her office and forcibly committed to the St Ann’s Psychiatric Hospital almost three years ago, has been awarded almost $850,000 in compensation.

Miller was handed the substantial payout yesterday at the conclusion of her lawsuit against her former employer and the management of the hospital for false imprisonment.

In her lawsuit against the North West Regional Health Authority, the hospital’s operator, Miller claimed that staff at the hospital did not have the authority under the Mental Health Act to detain her against her will at the ministry’s office at the International Waterfront Centre in Port-of-Spain on March 21, 2012, before taking her off to the St Ann’s hospital.

Presiding Judge Judith Jones agreed as she ordered the authority to pay Miller $450,000 in damages for the embarrassment she suffered from the incident.

“Her mental suffering, affront to her dignity and damage to her reputation has continued long after the incarceration ended.

The incarceration had and continues to have a traumatic effect on her. Some three years after the event she has clearly not recovered from its effects,” Jones said as she noted that Miller’s case became a public spectacle and was even the basis of several humorous calypsoes.

Miller was also awarded $75,000 in exemplary damages for being treated with long acting psychotic drugs while at the hospital. The remainder of her compensation package represents the money which her family spent on legal fees for a habeas corpus application which saw her being released from the hospital after 17 days.

In a brief interview at her St Francios Valley Road, Belmont home following the ruling, Miller said she was thankful for the legal victory but said she felt she should have gotten much more.

“The things I was made to suffer at the hospital, that amount of money is not enough. I could have died because those were two deadly injections they gave to me.

They could have killed me with those injections,” she said.

Miller said she did not wish to comment on the judge’s ruling on St RoseGreaves and the senior public servants until

she had reviewed the judgment with her lawyers.

Attempts to contact St RoseGreaves last evening were unsuccessful as calls to her cell phone went unanswered and she did not return calls.

Ministry officials escape In her 34-page judgment, Jones rejected claims by the hospital’s staff that their actions were permitted under section 15 of the legislation, which allows for the commital of a citizen in circumstances where they are found “wandering at large” on a roadway or other public space. The judge noted that their claims were not applicable as Miller’s cubicle at the ministry could not be classified as a public space.

While Miller wanted then Gender Minister Verna St Rose-Greaves, the ministry’s permanent secretary Sandra Jones and her deputy Jasmine Pascall to also be held accountable, as they were the ones who contacted the mental health officials to initiate the act against her, Jones disagreed.

Stating that St Rose-Greaves and the two public servants had a duty to address concerns over Miller’s conduct towards her co-workers, Jones said: “That they may have dealt with the situation differently and avoided these drastic consequences suggests to me poor judgment on their part.

“From her evidence, Miller’s complaint seems more to be that these Defendants stood by and permitted strangers from the Health Authority to come into the Ministry and remove her than there was some direction, procuring, direct request or direct encouragement to the employees of the Health Authority.”

However, Jones criticised them for their inaction in going to Miller’s assistance when the health officials arrived, which she described as “regrettable and irresponsible.”

According to the evidence in the case, the complaints against Miller included her allegedly untidy appearance, alleged arguments with co-workers and other anti-social behaviour. Since her release, Miller has been transfered to the Ministry of Sports.

Miller’s legal team included Stanley Marcus, SC, and Fitzgerald Hinds. Devesh Maharaj and Kandice Bharath appeared for the Health Authority while Ravi Rajcoomar represented Jones and Pascall.

- Trinidad Guardian

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Alicia Smithʼs Journey to the 2015 Toronto Pan Am Games Emily Singh TC Reporter Over 7600 athletes from across the globe are gearing up for one of the biggest sporting events this summer, the 2015 Toronto Pan Am and Parapan Am games. Preparing for the games is a rigorous and challenging process, not only physically but also mentally and emotionally. These talented athletes put in countless hours of training and practice in anticipation for that one moment to shine. Along with the challenge of training comes the financial burden of maintaining their physical bodies and supporting their journey through the Pan Am games.

Determined athlete Alicia Smith has been pursuing her passion for track and field for the past nine years. With her main focus this year on triple jump, Smith is determined to qualify for the games this year with the help of her community. As an athlete this 26 year old is no stranger the amount of work that goes into qualifying for the games and being able to support yourself through them. According to Smith’s Pursuit funding profile the money

raised from this campaign will provide her with the financial opportunity to intensify her training program. It will also cover the costs of travel, training camps, membership fees and quality training equipment.

It will also help with professional services such as physiotherapy, massages, chiropractic treatment, food and supplements.

This is necessary to support the nutritional demands of rigorous training and help her to be able to concentrate entirely on training without the worry of the economic hardship that she is currently facing. Smith has set a goal of $6000 and is a little over half way there and is hoping for the communities support in helping her achieve her dreams and make Ontario proud. Smith was born in Brampton, Ontario and currently resides in London, Ontario where she is completing her Masters Degree.

The city is bright with color advertisements and exciting commercials counting down the days until the games take center stage right here. There are only 41 days left until the Pan Am games which kicks off on July 10th until July 26th and just 69 days left until the Parapan Am games from August 7th to 15th. There are 48 exciting sports in the Pan Am games that include squash, fencing, bowling and trampoline! The Parapan Am games will host 16 sports such as swimming, judo, archery and goalball.

The Caribbean will be well represented at the games as well with many athletes coming from Antigua and Barbu-

da, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Cayman Islands, Grenada, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, Haiti, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Jamaica, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Saint Kitts and Nevis and Saint Lucia.

Help support Smith’s efforts to

qualify by contributing to her goal set on https://www.pursu.it/pursuit/campaign/123#. We wish Alicia Smith all the best on her quest to qualify to the 2015 Toronto Pan Am Games and hope to see her set a record in the triple jump.

Over 100 fleeced in job scam run from prison JAMAICA -- Three women were Monday taken into custody for questioning in connection with a suspected job scam being run by a man in prison and which has fleeced thousands of dollars from more than 100 job seekers across the island.

Commanding officer for the New Kingston police, Deputy Superintendent Christopher Murdock told the Jamaica Observer that about 5:15 pm authorities received complaints from angry job seekers about the operation and went to investigate.

“When we went to the location on Grenada Crescent scores of angry job seekers were seen gathered at the front of the location,” said Murdock, who added that some of them were from as far as St James.

Police said, after carrying out several interviews, the women posing as operators of the organisation were apprehended and removed from the location and spared possible harm from the group of irate employment seekers.

“Imagine, I went to the location and was told to pay over all of $3,000 as

application fee to secure the jobs, and when I went to the location only to find out that no jobs were on offer,” said Tamika Nicholson, one of the desperate job seekers.

“For me, I had to send overseas to ask my brother for the funds to pay to secure the job, only to find out that it was all a scam,” said Shanese Breakenridge.

Kamiesha Salmon said she heard about the organisation from a friend who saw an advertisement about the company.

Monday, police said their investigation has revealed that the mastermind is a man who is in now serving time in prison for fraud.

“The person who is behind the operation is a man who is now in prison serving time for a similar operation,” said Murdock.

“One of the women who was taken into custody has claimed that the man, whom she has never met, was her boyfriend,” said the police.

- Jamaica Observer

TORONTO CARIBBEAN

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Golding: absence of ganja tickets a ʻgood thingʼ JAMAICA -- Jamaica justice Minister Senator Mark Golding says it is a “good thing” that tickets are not in stock and ready to be issued by the police for breaches related to the use of less than two ounces of ganja.

“The tickets are not in stock yet and ready to be issued is a good thing, as the police adjust to the new paradigm, and that is the position we are taking at this time,” the minister said, under pressure from Opposition senators about the implementation of the new policy.

Senator Golding told the Senate that the fact that the tickets were not yet in place was a deliberate decision at this time.

He was answering follow-up questions to a set of questions on the implementation of the changes in the Dangerous Drugs Act, which will enable decriminalisation of the use of less than two ounces of the weed.

The questions were tabled in the Senate by Opposition member, Senator Robert Montague.

After providing written answers to Senator Montague’s tabled questions, Senator Golding answered follow-up questions from Opposition members.

“We think it is important for there to be a period of time before that is introduced because of the real change of culture which is involved in the passing of this piece of legislation,” Golding responded to Montague’s follow-up question about the absence of the tickets.

He added that the people must be

reminded that prior to the amendments, roughly 15,000 ganja related cases, mainly for small quantities of ganja, went before the court each year.

He said that ganja-related offences were about one-third of the arrests made by the police, annually.

“It is a very real and fundamental shift in approach that is required,” Golding stated.

Responding to another question from Senator Montague, as to whether the police should keep vegetative matter/ganja taken from suspects as evidence, and how they would be disposed of, Senator Golding said that the police had the discretion as to whether to they wish to keep the evidence or not, and to have it tested.

“Whether they do so or not, I am not in a position to say. It may be something done on a case-by-case basis, based on the circumstances, or it may be the subject of a policy decision with the (police) for itself,” Golding said.

Senator Christopher Tufton (Opposition) felt that the minister had not adequately addressed Montague’s questions pertaining to the availability of the tickets and whether the police should test the ganja seized from the suspect in case of the issue reaching the court.

He said that Montague had raised some very important issues which, if not addressed, could lead to confusion in the enforcement and administration of the law, and

could even challenge the credibility of the law.

“Why don’t you consider the possibility of establishing a procedure that would allow retention of the substance within a period of time, say 30 days, in the event that there is a challenge to what the person is being charged with?” Senator Tufton suggested.

“That’s not such a difficult thing to do. Procedurally, it could be done, and you would have to lead that charge. So, perhaps the best way to address it, is for you to say you will look into it and try to establish that,” Dr Tufton urged the minister.

Senator Golding reminded the Sen-

ate that the issue of the timing of the introduction of the tickets for small quantities of ganja was a matter under discussion. He said that the policy is being developed by the commissioner of police, and that may be ultimately what they have in mind.

However, he reminded the Opposition that there was a cost to retaining and testing the substance, as against a $500 penalty for the ticket.

“A cost benefit analysis has to be weighed in these circumstances, as to address the matter of retaining samples and having them tested and so on,” Senator Golding said.

- Jamaica Observer

PPP alarmed at Demerara Waves report GUYANA -- The People’s Progressive Party is very alarmed at a report carried by the internet news site Demerara Waves in which the reporter, Mr. DenisChabrol, contends that during our picketing exercise outside the Guyana Elections Commission Monday, a young unidentified activist was quoted as saying, “He is a clown. He need to get shoot down,” a statement from the PPP last evening said.

This was in apparent reference to Mr. Gino Persaud of Transparency International, who staged a counter protest against our efforts for a recount of the votes at the recent General and Regional Election, the PPP said.

“Individuals present during this period, including Mrs. Indra Chandarpaul, who is named in the media report, are contending that to the best of their knowledge, and taking into consideration the boisterous atmosphere, they could not recall such a comment being uttered.

“The party therefore encourages Mr. Chabrol, who was recording the events during this period, to provide a copy of the evidence so we can identify and take the necessary disciplinary action immediately, if indeed such a comment was made,” the statement concluded.

- Guyana Chronicle

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TORONTO CARIBBEAN

Three years of scholarship funding Alyssa Mahadeo TC Reporter Continued From Page 1 -- The Incubator Program is very competitive, and has already accommodated over sixty filmmakers from around the region and within the diaspora. There are three distinct parts to the program, beginning with one month of online market prep, followed by a week of intensive workshops and networking opportunities presented in Toronto by TIFF. The program concludes with the CTI Big Pitch, where contenders pitch their developed projects to industry professionals over a delectable Caribbean breakfast at

the TIFF Bell Lightbox.

Three winners will then graduate to the CTI Production stage, where they have the chance to work with experienced international producers. Over the course of a year they will work together to bring their successful productions to life.

Dr. Keith Nurse, Chair of CTWD and the region’s leading cultural industries specialist and Chair of CaribbeanTales Worldwide Distribution explains, “This groundbreaking partnership is a perfect fit with the goals of CTWD to encourage the growth of creative entrepreneurship throughout the Caribbean region and Diaspora.”

This new funding builds on the important work of CTWD’s 3D Distribution Project, which is a three-year initiative, whose aim is to construct a facility for the regional film and television industry through the creation of sustainable income streams and distribution networks.

“These trailblazing partnerships

come at a time when the Caribbean region needs them most, offering a viable answer to the region’s core struggle - the need to diversify its economies and find alternatives to more traditional industries like agriculture, banking, and tourism,“ Dr. Nurse concluded.

REACH is a recently approved regional technical cooperation project funded by the IDB’s Regional Public Goods initiative aimed at building the commercialization capabilities of competitively selected Caribbean entrepreneurs and firms. The project will provide institutional capacity building, training, and mentorship in three main thematic areas: (i) technology commercialization (ii) creative industries intellectual asset management and (iii) product branding value capturing.

For more information about the CaribbeanTales Incubator Program, the REACH/CaribbeanTales Scholarships, and to apply to the CTI please visit http://Caribbeantales.ca/CTI

Gearing up for the 2015 professionals Calypso tent Emily Singh TC Reporter Get ready for good company, good vibes and great music at the Professionals Calypso Tent starting on June 20th and continuing on for the next three Saturdays after that. This year Six-time Canadian Calypso Monarch Macomere Fifi (Eulith Tara Woods) and veteran Dick Lochan will be

heading this amazing musical event. This year the ninth calypso season will be especially exciting with a handful of new up and coming calypsonians.

Twelve-year-old Sada, who is Canada’s youngest calypso tent artist will be taking center stage, this is a performance you don’t want to miss out on.

Another youngster who will be making their debut this year is 14-year-old Elijah Alexander. This budding star will be in the mix with some of the biggest calypso veterans such as two time Canadian Calypso Monarch Panman Pat, Mr. Wonderful and Herbert Tyson better known as Luv Bug. Keep your eyes out for the very talented Grenadian artist, Kenny Caliste who will

also be making his big debut into the calypso scene this year. The show cannot go on without the help of an amazing band backing each performance. Live band, SHAK SHAK led by Chris Wilson will yet again be backing this year’s tent.

Under the dedicated leadership of Gail King, Frances Lochan and Judith Thompson this event is sure to be a hit yet again. The first tent will be on June 20th followed by tents on June 27th, July 4th and July 11th at the Steelworkers Union Hall at 25 Cecil Street, Downtown Toronto.

This is something that the entire family can enjoy! For more information and tickets contact Gail at 647-856-7996, Frances at 416-284-4021 or Judith at 416-769-7888.

Councillor threatens Warner with bankruptcy TRINIDAD -- Former Independent Liberal Party (ILP) member, councillor Faaiq Mohammed is moving quickly to recover an outstanding debt from his former political leader Jack Warner ahead of Warner’s case with US authorities.

Mohammed said Monday, he had started a defamation lawsuit against Warner in 2013 after Warner made defamatory remarks against him. Judgement was given in his favour in July, 2014 for $220,000 as compensation.

Justice Vasheist Kokaram held that the allegation made by Warner was “out-of-place, irresponsible and unsubstantiated.”

Warner had claimed that Mohammed accepted a bribe after he voted for a United National Congress (UNC) candidate for the post of presiding officer during the first meeting of the Chaguanas Borough Corporation, almost a month after the local government elections in October 2013.

Mohammed said since the court ruling he had made several efforts to se-

cure payment and for Warner without success.

“My lawyers have written to his lawyers and to him in his personal capacity on several occasions demanding payment. I have therefore been left with no choice but to issue bankruptcy proceedings against Mr Warner on the ground that he failed to or is unable to discharge his legal obligations to me as ordered by the High Court. This is clearly evident by his continuous refusal to pay the monies to me.”

“Having regard to Mr Warner’s recent indictment in the United States and given the magnitude and spiral web of the alleged bribery and corruption in which Mr Warner is alleged to have played a pivotal role, I fear that the United States Department of Justice and the FBI may take certain steps in relation to his assets that may prevent me from ever recovering the monies owed to me.”

Warner was arrested on a provisional warrant last Wednesday after the US Government unsealed an indictment

charging him and 13 other football officials, with racketeering, money laundering and wire fraud, linked to his tenure as a former Fifa vice president. He has been released on $2.5 m bail after spending a night in jail.

Mohammed said he had instructed my lawyers to institute proceedings to recover my monies and demand that Warner pays the debt.

“I am sure Mr Warner will not want to be declared bankrupt. If he is so declared it should be noted that he will be disqualified from standing for elections as he is prohibited under the Constitution from offering himself as a candidate in the next general elections. “ Mohammed said he now stands “vindicated in the decision I took to leave and resign from the ILP and withdraw my political allegiance in favour of the UNC as the issues now cast a shadow of doubt and have brought a dark cloud of suspicion over Mr Warner’s head.”

- Trinidad Guardian

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TORONTO CARIBBEAN

Iʼm ready to travel... but do I have all I need?

Micca Vanvield Travel Specialist You’ve dreamed about that summer vacation all year and now it’s finally around the corner. You’ve bought new outfits, a new suitcase and you’ve even told everyone that you know that you will be gone for a few weeks.

But, have you thought of everything? We don’t know what we don’t know, and many of us don’t even know where to find the answers to the things they don’t know. This article will provide you with essential information of things to consider before travelling.

Before you travel one of the first things I would recommend is that you inform yourself of what is current in the destination you will be travelling to. Some destinations experience emergencies or even act of war or unrest and you want to make sure that you’re not planning to enter a region that is being affected by unfortunate circumstances. You can visit travel.gc.ca/advice for information on safety and security, local laws and health conditions. You can also visit travel.gc.ca/issues for information on current situations of concern that would affect tourism in a particular destination.

Coupled with staying up to date on your chosen destination you should make sure that you do not require a visa/permit and also that your passport is up to date. As a

Canadian citizen, you do need a visa to enter certain countries. The most common reasons why you will require a visa will be for business, work, student and sometimes even as a tourist (tourist card). You will have to make sure that you fulfil all of the entry requirements and obtain a visa (if required) prior to travel. The best place to verify if a visa is required for travel is to contact the Canadian office of the consulate or embassy of the particular country you wish to visit. ( I would even recommend doing this prior to securing your travel plans in order to make sure that you can fulfil the entry requirements and that you have enough time to do so). You also need to make sure that you have at least six months validity on your passport as you may be denied entry to some countries if you are within six months prior to expiration. If you ever find yourself in a destination and there is an emergency or you have lost your passport you can visit any Canadian government office abroad, or if none are available an Australian or British government office for assistance.

Another area that you may over look is that we need to protect our health while travelling abroad. Travel insurance is amazing; however some issues can be avoided if we proactively protect ourselves prior to travel. I strongly recommend that you obtain sound medical advice before travelling abroad. You should generally contact a travel medicine clinic at least six weeks prior to travel for a health assessment. They will provide you with the details of what vaccines you will need and also precautions that you should take while travelling abroad. If you take medication, pack an extra supply just in case you end up being away for longer than

expected. You can also carry a duplicate of the original prescription in case the original gets lost or stolen. Do make sure that all medication is in the original labelled container to avoid any hassle at customs. Some medications are illegal in other countries. I recommend you find out if your medication is legal in your chosen country of travel and ask your doctor to provide you with a note stating the reasons for your prescriptions and recommended dosage. If you need syringes for an illness like diabetes, I recommend you carry a medical certificate stating that they are for medical use.

It is great that we have such wonderful health care in Canada, but please do not rely on this to cover you for sickness outside Canada. The cost associated to medical treatment outside Canada can be excessive in some cases, so I do recommend having supplemental travel health coverage. Ensure that this coverage will insure you whether you get sick or injured while abroad and some may even cover the cost of additional expenses associated with you being injured or hospitalized. Carry the details of the insurance with you at all times and also leave a copy with a friend/relative that is not travelling with you.

Lastly, if you are travelling or even living abroad you can register for a free service that could potentially save your life.

Registrations of Canadians Abroad will enable you to be located in case of an emergency abroad, such as earthquakes, disasters, or civil unrest. It can also notify you of disasters here in Canada while you are abroad.

You can register at travel.gc.ca/register.

Travelling? 5 helpful tips to blend in with the locals Inappropriate Colors In the Western world, we may wear black to wakes and funerals, but in parts of Asia, white is the funereal color -- good to keep in mind on the off chance you may be mourning someone’s passing while on holiday.

Meanwhile, stay away from wearing black or blue in central Africa, the favorite colors of large, biting tsetse flies.

Jeans If a visit to a factory, rural area or even a touristy spot where the locals wear jeans is

on your agenda, then, of course, jeans are acceptable. However, jeans should fit well and be wrinkle-free. It’s even better if you opt for black or dark blue jeans. Baggy, ripped, even skinny jeans are generally frowned upon outside the United States.

Backpacks Planning to spend the summer backpacking across Europe? Then a large backpack is practical and probably a better bet than a rollaboard suitcase for lugging onto trains and traveling between destinations. But bring a

secondary bag, like a small fabric tote bag, for everyday touring around cities. Any kind of backpack, big or small, will mark you as a tourist.

Cameras Snap a photo, then put your camera away.

Nothing screams tourist like a camera permanently hanging from your neck. Not only do you stand out, but you may get targeted by thieves. Carry a good camera that you can fit into your small bag.

Wednesday, We W ed esday, June 3, 2015 13 edn

TORONTO CARIBBEAN IBBEAN

Machel makes it to Billboard Magazine again!

Machel Montano is being saluted once again by internationally acclaimed music magazine, Billboard. The soca artiste performed at the Brooklyn Kings Theatre on Sunday night to an audience, who according to the magazine’s reporter, Natalie Weiner, couldn’t get enough of the authentic soca music Montano is traditionally known for. In the past few years, Caribbean soca entertainers, more so, Trinidad and Tobago soca acts, have been fusing the soca genre with electronic dance music, much to the appreciation of the locals it would seem, however on Mother’s Day night, Brooklyn would have nothing of that!

Machel’s lead up to the show on Sunday was much touted, with several Instagram photos posted by the artiste himself, showing a level of excitement felt ahead of the show. One day later, via his very same IG account, Montano was photographed walking through Manhattan

with two pooches in tow. Billboard has however done Machel quite an honour, writing of his 30 year career in the business of soca and underlining his desire to make it to the mainstream music market. That final destination, the magazine writes, would be his final frontier to be conquered.

For several months now, the man many are now referring to solely as Monk Monte, has been showing quite a different side of himself via his social media networks. Filled with prayerful messages, his Instagram posts have become intimate and seem to speak volumes to his peace of mind. Whether Machel, the 40 year old soca star, is preparing for his final destination in the business of soca, we can’t say, but there is certainly something different about him and that’s easy to see.

- EtceteraBuzz

A Jamaican music star will be born will likely inspire many who never thought they could make it in the music business.

Aba Luke Entertainment A Jamaican star is about to make the kind of debut, all of the Caribbean will forever remember. The reggae love-rockers vocalist has a story unlike any other breakthrough artiste on the Caribbean music circuit and added to the attained opportunity to perform at the upcoming ‘Redemption’ concert event in Trinidad and Tobago, this new buzz maker

Oneil Allen is best known by his musical sobriquet, Vytamin. With humor, he says he’s the girls’ Vitamin. His humble demeanor speaks volumes but his story is even more interesting. “It’s tough to break through in Jamaica,” he explains when questioned as to why he hasn’t made his debut onto the music scene in his Spanish Town, birthplace. He says the difficulty lies in the financial challenges often faced by up and coming acts, further explaining that the right music industry connections are required. In Trinidad, while on a recent visit, Vytamin got the attention of someone who was willing to invest in what he heard.

Constantly in songbird mode, the

budding love-rockers superstar is working arduously to ensure that the Caribbean population becomes familiar with his voice.

This week, he releases two cover versions of popular songs done by R&B artistes, Bruno Mars and James Ingram. “He has a great voice and a lot of potential,” said Millbeats Entertainment’s David Millien, the producer responsible for recording the cover versions.

Millien said he feels success is imminent for Vytamin and upon learning that he would be performing at Redemption the Concert on May 30th in Trinidad, the producer became excited. “That’s great! That’s a great look,” he said.

Vytamin meanwhile continues to keep his eyes to the heavens. “I’m a person from humble beginnings. My messages will always be about peace, love and unity,” said

the artiste. He anticipates sharing the stage in Trinidad with Beres Hammond- known as the king of reggae love rockers, and Jamelody, the T&T reggae star whose voice he loves. A new video for the James Ingram cover song, “I Don’t Have The Heart” is currently being finalized. He has also done the cover version of Bruno Mars’ “When I was You Man”. Beyond that, Allen will deliver his own songs in the weeks ahead. Having received tremendous support and encouragement from friends in T&T, he’s now hoping that everyone who gets a taste of what he’s capable of, will soon be rocking away to his very own vibe. Follow Vytamin on Instagram and Facebook @oneilvytamin - EtceteraBuzz

14 Wednesday, June 3, 2015

TORONTO CARIBBEAN

Hindrances to self knowledge - part 2 Simone Smith A Better Tomorrow Every week I do research on what I wish to write about. The community needs to be heard and understood. Each individual has their own way of thinking and behaving, and it is the ability to find balance that seems to be the hardest thing to do. This week I want to talk about another hindrance to self knowledge; blind spots.

So what is a blind spot? Webster

dictionary defines a blind spot as a tendency to ignore something especially because it is difficult or unpleasant. You would be surprised with how often this is happening in your life. Many of us are not as ignorant as we may want to appear. We know that there are certain things in our lives that must change in order for things to get better; unfortunately, we have chosen not to change them.

There are many reasons for this; one reason is that we really are unsure how to change.

There is a lot of neurotransmissions that are responsible for change. Our brains can literally be programmed by our life experiences.

You have to remember; blind spots are defense mechanisms put in place to protect the individual. Change can be hard, painful and tough to get through. It is no wonder that we will pretend that these changes in our lives don’t need to happen.

I want to break down what is happening in our brains. So we have neurons that are constantly firing in our brains. The neurons are responsible for transmitting messages throughout the entire brain. The messages are responsible for the way we perceive, act, and think. Some of these messages allow you to continue to live your life as you have been. Over time, the firing of these neurons will build pathways in your brain. These pathways become solid and are very hard to disrupt. You can think of it like a pathway through a forest. Over time this pathway becomes more distinct. In order to change it, one would have to completely alter the path. This would take time; someone would have to continuously walk this new path so that it too could be distinct. This is how our brain works. Once a pathway is set, it is difficult to change. This pathway is your

behavior; it is easier to keep acting the way you do, then it is to change your behavior. If you do decide to change, you have to continue to act in this new manner in order for it to become a habit. If we were going back to my analogy of the pathway through the forest, one would have to continue to take the new path until it became natural to go that way.

Our blind spots cannot be seen by us. These blind spots can only be seen by others around you. This is why it is so important to surround yourself with positive individuals. Individuals who will constructively help you build new paths in your life.

Be mindful of whom you share your time with; you would not want them to assist you in creating a path to your destruction.

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TORONTO CARIBBEAN

Wednesday, June 3, 2015 15

No backing down DOMINICA -- West Indies maybe languishing six spots below Australia in the international Test rankings but that will not prevent the Caribbean side from looking to stun their opponents in the upcoming series. All-rounder Jason Holder has warned that despite the gulf between the two teams in the rankings, West Indies would not allow themselves to be intimidated when the two-Test series bowled off tomorrow.

“They’re ranked number two in the world and that says a lot. We’re

currently down at eight and we need to work our way up,” the 23-year-old rising star said here. “We have to give them the respect they’re due but obviously we’re coming to compete and win this series.

We’ll be coming in quite hard at them.

[We’re] looking to be aggressive and at least continue the rich vein of form we had in the England series.”

That England series proved a confidence booster for the Caribbean side which have languished near the bottom of the Test rankings in recent years.

Seemingly headed for defeat in the first Test in Antigua last month, they batted out the final day to force a draw. And though they suffered a nine-wicket defeat in the Grenada Test, they bounced back superbly to win the final Test in Barbados by five wickets.

One familiar face will be missing for the West Indies when they square off with the Aussies in the opening Test at Windsor Park, however. Veteran lefthander Shiv Chanderpaul, who has played 164 Tests and averages nearly 50

in 20 Tests against the Aussies, was axed by selectors last week, prompting a firestorm of controversy.

Holder said it was important the team remained focussed despite the raging debate around Chanderpaul’s omission. “The exclusion of Shiv has caused a lot of talk. That’s beyond me at this present time, my focus right now is on cricket,” said Holder. “It’s quite important we put cricket first and try to perform well against Australia.”

- Trinidad Guardian

16 Wednesday, June 3, 2015

TORONTO CARIBBEAN

Spinners Paradise welcomes test cricket again DOMINICA -- Test cricket returns to Windsor Park Dominica for the fourth time and West Indies will be looking to humble the mighty Australians at a venue where spin is king. Three Test matches have been played at this venue thus far with the West Indies winning one, losing one and the other ending in a stalemate.

What is unique about this venue is the fact that the twirlers have been the ones to bring the crowds to their feet. A total off 101 wickets have fallen at Windsor Park and of this the spinners have celebrated on 58 occasions.

This has led both Australia and West Indies to include two spinners each on their squads for this game. West Indies have the Guyanese duo of Devendra Bishoo and Veerasammy Permaul, while the visitors have brought Nathan Lyon and the uncapped Fawad Alam to do their thing.

The last and only time these two countries met at this venue was three years ago, when Michael Clarkeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s men took a 75-run win over the homesters, despite a 10-wicket haul from local hero Shane Shillingford.

Batting first, Australia made 328 all out with a century from wicketkeeper Mathew Wade and a half century from opener David Warner. Shillingford was the best of the West

Indies bowlers with 6/119. West Indies replied with 218 all out with Shivnarine Chanderpaul scoring 68 and Keiran Powell 40. Lyon was the chief destroyer with 4/69.

With a lead of 110 runs, the Aussies to 259 all out in their second essay. Ricky Ponting scored 57 and Ed Cowan gritted out 55, as Shillingford would snare 4/100, to finish the match with 10/219. Set a victory target off 360, the West Indies put up a brave fight only to fall for 294. Chanderpaul again was the main run getter with 69, while Darren Sammy made 61 and Darren Bravo 45. Lyon claimed three wickets but the surprise destroyer was Clarke, who took 5/86.

The first Test at this venue was played back in 2011, when the West Indies came up against India. Batting first the West Indies put up 204, with Carlton Baugh scoring 60 and Darren Bravo 50. The pacey Ishant Sharma enjoyed the conditions and bagged 5/77.

India went to work getting past the paltry score and four half centuries took them to 347. Skipper MS Dhoni made 74, opener Abhinav Mukund 62, VVS Laxman 56 and Suresh Raina 50. With their backs against the wall, the West Indies lost both openers cheaply before centuries from Kirk Edwards and Shivnarine

Chanderpaul propped them up, taking the score to 322 and setting India a victory target off 180.

They reached 94 for three when the game was called off as a draw. The last Test to be played at the venue in 2013, led to the West Indies first victory there. Zimbabwe came calling and Shillingford gave the home fans something to celebrate, as he captured 5/59 to bowl out the Africans for 175. West Indies on the back of centuries from Chris Gayle 101, Shivnarine Chanderpaul 108 and 86 from Denesh Ramdin, batted Zimbabwe out the contest with a reply of 381 for eight declared.

That man Shillingford was up to his old tricks again, taking 5/34, as Zimbabwe could muster only 131 in their second innings.

Test Matches AT WINDSOR PARK IN DOMINICA WEST INDIES VS INDIA 2011 WEST INDIES 204 all out (Carlton Baugh 60, Darren Bravo 50, Ishant Sharma 5/77) & 322 (Shivnarine Chanderpaul 116no, Kirk Edwards 110, Harbhajan Singh 4/75) vs INDIA 343 (MS Dhoni 74, Abhinav Mukund 62, VVS Laxman 56, Suresh Raina 50, Fidel Edwards 5/102) & 94/3. Match drawn.

WEST INDIES VS AUSTRALIA 2012 AUSTRALIA 328 all out (Mathew Wade 106, David Warner 50, Shane Shillingford 6/119) & 259 all out (Ricky Ponting 57, Ed Cowan 55, Shane Shillingford 4/100) vs WEST INDIES 218 all out (Shivnarine Chanderpaul 68, Nathan Lyon 4/67) & 294 all out (Shivnarine Chanderpaul 69, Darren Sammy 61, Darren Bravo 45, Nathan Lyon 3/87, Michael Clarke 5/86) - Australia won by 75 runs.

WEST INDIES VS ZIMBABWE 2013 ZIMBABWE 175 all out (Shane Shillingford 5/59) & 131 all out (Shane Shillingford 5/34) vs WEST INDIES 381/8 dec (Chris Gayle 101, Shivnarine Chanderpaul 108, Denesh Ramdin 86) - West Indies won by an innings and 65 runs.

SPINNERS AT WINDSOR PARK 26 wickets in the 2012 clash between WI/Aus 21 wickets in the 2011 clash between WI/Ind 11 wickets in the 2013 clash between WI/ZIM. TOTALâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;58.

- Trinidad Guardian

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20 Wednesday, June 3, 2015

TORONTO CARIBBEAN

Firecracker shrimp wantons Chris De La Rosa Caribbean Cooking At a recent dinner party I was challenged by friends to come up with a firecracker shrimp recipe, but with a Caribbean twist.

Being that “challenge” is my second name..

I’m very competitive, a few days later I was in the kitchen loaded with ingredients to take that firecracker shrimp we enjoyed to a whole new level. They were good, but missing were a herbal note and true Caribbean sunshine (heat). Don’t call something

‘‘fi fi firrrecracker’ eeccra rack ckker err ’ wh w when hen tthere’s here’ he rree’s ’s nno o aac actual ctu tuaal al hheat eaatt ea buu thee so but sort ooff vi vine vinegar neggar ba base based sedd ho hott sa sauc sauce ucee th they market in North America. According to a pardna..”dem thing juss sour!.. no real heat”.

You’ll Need: 5 green cooking Bananas (green fig) 3 scallions 1 cup diced red bell pepper 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 1/2 teaspoon olive oil 1/2 cup mayonnaise 1 clove garlic 1 cup shredded saltfish (salted cod – prepared) 1 tablespoon parsley 1 sprig thyme TIP: to straighten the shrimp (from natural curve) make 2 small cuts on the inside of the curve on the shrimp so they are easier to wrap and will not curl when you fry them.

NOTE NO NOTES: TES TE S: Af S: A After ter yo you’ you’ve u’ve u’ vee ccleaned leaan le aned aand nd deveined the shrimp.. do leave on the tail ends for presentation and get ready to marinate.

Add all the ingredients mentioned above except the veg oil and wrappers, mix well and marinate for 10 minutes.

It’s now time to wrap up these into succulent little packages in the wonton wrappers and fry them till golden brown. If you’re using spring roll wrappers, which are considerably bigger than wonton wrappers, cut them in half (in two triangles). To better understand the wrapping process it may be best if you watch the video below. Basically I dip my finger in the same marinade (you can use water) and run it along the edges of the wrapper so the moisture helps to seal it.

Wrap each shrimp in the wrapper, with the tails exposed.

Heat the oil on a medium heat in a wide pan, then gently add about 4-6 to the

now hhot oil. Please don’t crowd the pan. now Takes about 3-5 minutes to fully cook, but do remember to flip them so they brown on all sides. Simply remove out of the oil, place on paper towels to drain off the extra oil and continue frying the rest.

Try to serve warm to really get the rich flavors of the Caribbean bursting in your mouth as you tuck into them. I like serving it with a basic homemade peppers sauce!

If you make these in advance, you can reheat them when your guests arrive in your oven on a low heat (do NOT microwave). If that is the plan, I would recommend not cooking them fully when you originally fry them as you don’t want to shrimp to go like rubber on you.

TORONTO CARIBBEAN

5 challenges in meditation We hear a lot about the benefits of a regular meditation practice, but life - and our own minds - can get in the way. When we do make time for our meditation practice, we can be easily distracted by some of its more common pitfalls. Here are five common challenges we face in meditation: 1) Impatience Feeling the urge to be doing something else during a meditation session is probably the biggest meditation obstacle out there. Impatience causes us to end meditation sessions early, impedes our concentration and frequently makes us stop our practice altogether.

The key to counteracting impatience is to recognize the very existence of the feeling itself. If we feel the insatiable urge to do something else, it is important to acknowledge the feeling of impatience instead of giving into it. By acknowledging our impatience, we empower ourselves to effectively deal with it versus allowing it to rule us.

After acknowledging the feeling, we must remind ourselves that the benefits from meditation will help us be more effective in everything we do afterward, including those activities that are causing our impatience. A calm, effective mind helps with decision making, anxiety and clear thinking.

Secondly, by identifying and isolating the feeling of impatience, we can then practice letting go of it, which gets to the essence of meditation—recognizing unproductive thoughts and letting go of them.

2) Lack of Time So often we set intentions to meditate regularly, but our practice ends up getting tossed aside for “more important” things. We often feel like there are a million other things we need to do before we have time for our meditation practice.

The key here is prioritizing meditation by working on our perception of it. If we view meditation as a core part of our routine, like brushing our teeth or taking a shower, then missing meditation is no longer an option. We go through a routine to prepare our physical bodies for the day, so why not have one for our minds, as well?

3) Lack of Sleep It is very, very difficult to meditate without enough sleep. If we begin meditating on little sleep, we often feel drowsy and end up dozing off. Not very productive! Also, a sleep deficit reduces our ability to concentrate and control our thoughts, which makes our meditation sessions far less effective. We are also less likely to meditate in the first place when fatigue undermines our resolve.

What’s the answer? Take a break and get some sleep! It’s okay to let go and allow ourselves the restoration we need to be successful.

4) Feeling “good enough” Feeling good can be our biggest inspiration and our biggest obstacle. If we are not careful, feeling good can subtlety erode our resolve to continue with our meditation practice. The idea that because we feel good, we don’t need to meditate seems like it makes

sense on the surface, but will ultimately undo our progress if we follow it. It can be as simple as waking up in the morning and deciding to lounge around and enjoy the morning instead of meditating because “we feel good, so it’s all good.” If we skip too many times we will regress in our practice and lose the positive mindset we cultivated.

Good is good, but great is even better. We can only reach great if we keep up our meditation. Focus on maintaining and improving the positive experience.

5) Stopping short This is a very subtle pitfall in our meditation practice which can take a very long time to overcome if we do not realize it is happening. This occurs during a session when our mind finally settles into a place of calm and then we decide to immediately terminate the meditation because we think that we have achieved our goal.

By terminating our session early, we are in fact missing out on the enormous benefits from continuing.

We can think of meditation in two steps. Step one is achieving the initial calm during a meditation and step two is sitting with that calm.

By residing in a tranquil state we deepen our calm, improve our clarity and strengthen our feeling of relaxation for the post-meditation period.

- My Yoga Online

Wednesday, June 3, 2015 21

Wednesday, June 3, 2015 23

TORONTO CARIBBEAN

The safest ways to detox heavy metals By now, people are aware of the ominous presence of heavy metals and the fact that they can wreak incredible havoc inside the body. These heavy metal problems get labeled as autoimmune disorders, mental problems and much more. Whatever you decide to call them, these disorders often have their state of origin in some heavy metal toxicity.

Detoxifying heavy metals is not the easiest or safest task, unless you know techniques that can largely eliminate the inherent issues with their removal. Here are two ways that it can be done much more safely.

Infrared sauna Far-infrared technology (FIR) is a non-invasive form of light therapy that can penetrate as deep as 3 inches into the body and can heat muscle tissues and internal organs to the

point that they push toxins into the bloodstream where they can be eliminated through your sweat. This includes heavy metals.

Infrared sauna’s heaters emit radiant heat that helps the body perspire at approximately 80% water and 20% waste and toxins. Traditional saunas using air and steam have a ratio of 97% water and 3% toxins. Research has indicated that infrared saunas are seven times more effective at removing toxins than traditional saunas, so for that reason, it is the clear choice!

When starting to use an infrared sauna, you need to be careful to not overdo it. Many experts recommend the first session to be about five minutes, and gradually increase by 30 seconds each session until you reach 15-30 minutes. Proper hydration and a mineral-rich diet are important factors to

consider around prolonged sauna usage, as well as a hot-cold cycled shower, to safely maximize the benefits of the process.

Clay baths Another great heavy metal detoxification process is through warm clay baths.

To understand how this works, we need to understand that toxins like heavy metals have a “positive” charge to them, whereas clays like bentonite and zeolite (both rooted in volcanic matter) have a “negative” charge to them. As a result of this difference in charges, clay uses the process of adsorption, which is the process of electronically attracting and binding to the surface, rather than absorbing like a sponge.

Since the skin functions as a pathway rather than a barrier and is one of the

primary detoxification organs of the body, soaking in a very warm bath allows this adsorption to take place, which effectively draws out bio-accumulated toxins from within the body. This also takes pressure off the liver and kidneys for removal.

There are certainly other heavy metal chelation methods like supplementation, but one has to be careful with this method, as it can put undue strain on your detoxification system and cause these metals to become lodged in other areas of the body.

You can also consider heavy metal binders like chlorella and cilantro, but again, moderation is key so as to not release heavy metals that can’t be properly metabolized due to compromised liver function.

- Natural News

Analysis reveals more than one-quarter of all supermarket food contains toxic trans fats It is not a big secret that the processed food industry thrives on selling people junk foods made from cheap, addictive and often synthetic ingredients. However, a major loophole in the regulatory system has made it easier than ever for junk food manufacturers to also add hidden trans fats to their already unhealthy products, with more than onequarter of all supermarket foods now ridden with this artery-clogging poison.

A recent analysis of the Environmental Working Group’s (EWG) comprehensive Food Scores database showed that at least 27 percent of the more than 84,000 foods cataloged by the consumer watchdog group contain artificial trans fats, which are lab-created synthetic fats that clog arteries and cause heart disease. An additional 10 percent of foods in the database likely contain the toxic substance in disguise, says EWG. The EWG Food Scores database is an amazing tool for assessing the nutritional

value, toxicity, and processing methods of tens of thousands of commercial food items.

The online tool, which is also available as a smartphone app, uses advanced algorithms to classify and compare the quality of foods based on their stated ingredients as well as their likelihood of containing geneticallymodified organisms (GMOs), pesticides, antibiotics and various other additives.

Products containing half a gram of trans fats per serving or less can legally bear “no trans fat” label The information contained in the EWG Food Scores database is invaluable, especially when it comes to the issue of trans fats, which aren’t always identifiable on food labels. This is because the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) allows processed food manufacturers to label their products as containing “no trans fats” when they contain half a gram or less per serving of trans fats.

What this means is that processed food manufacturers can simply reduce the

serving size of whatever they are selling in order to keep it under half a gram per serving of trans fats. This explains how one nutrition label can claim “Trans Fat 0g,” even though the ingredients list contains partially hydrogenated vegetable oil and hydrogenated oils, both of which are trans fats.

“EWG found that 87 percent of the over 7,500 foods containing partially hydrogenated oils -- Americans’ principle dietary source of trans fats -- didn’t disclose that fact,” says EWG, noting that only 2 percent of the foods in EWG’s database admit on their labels that they contain trans fat. “Instead, the labels of more than 6,500 of these items rounded off their trans fat content to 0 grams.”

Trans fats should be placed on Schedule I list of drugs with no known health benefits, no safe level Surprisingly, the FDA actually wants to remove trans fat from its “generally recognized

as safe,” or GRAS, designation. If this ever happens, food manufacturers would have to gain specific approval from the agency in order to use trans fats in their products, which would also require providing adequate justification for such use. Since the science is clear that trans fats provide no health benefits and are actually dangerous, this would be a tough sell.

Technically speaking, trans fats belong on the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Schedule I list of drugs or other substances that have a high potential for abuse (think binge eating on Little Debbie snack cakes and Twinkies), no currently accepted medical treatment use (trans fats kill) and a lack of accepted safety. If anything should be prohibited in this country, it’s useless and deadly substances like trans fats.

- Natural News

24 Wednesday, June 3, 2015

TORONTO CARIBBEAN

Free-range backyard chickens seem immune to the massive bird flu outbreak in chicken factories An ongoing bird flu outbreak that has devastated the U.S. poultry and egg industries seems to be leaving backyard chicken farms mostly untouched in what experts are calling an epidemiological mystery.

Bird flu is a highly lethal strain of influenza that can kill a bird or human within days. Fortunately, the disease is not transmitted very easily, and it only tends to infect human beings who work in close contact with birds. However, epidemiologists fear that the flu could be only a mutation or two away from a strain that spreads easily from person to person.

When birds are kept in close quarters, as in factory-farm operations, the disease can run wild. For this reason, the standard practice among poultry operators has been to kill an entire flock at the first sign of infection.

The current North American outbreak is the biggest in history, and it has led the poultry industry to kill 40 million birds in Canada and 16 U.S. states.

Conventional wisdom overturned According to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), as of May 14, only about 10 percent of confirmed bird flu cases have come from backyard operations.

This is true even though the official response to any confirmed case is to search the surrounding area for birds (including people’s homes) and then quarantine and test

any birds found, including those in backyard flocks.

In Iowa, for example, all flocks within 6.2 miles of an outbreak are tested.

Of the 400 flocks tested to date, more than half have been backyard operations. Yet the trend continues: it’s the factory-farmed birds getting sick.

This has been described as a mystery because the conventional wisdom holds that bird flu is spread via bird droppings -specifically, droppings left by wild, migratory birds. This means that backyard farms should be more susceptible because the birds spend more time outside, often frequenting the same ponds used by wild birds, and biosafety protocols are substantially less rigorous than those used at factory farms. Some of the explanations proposed for the spread of bird flu into the commercial farms -- such as that bird droppings and feathers are being blown in by ventilation systems -- fail to explain this paradox.

Another explanation offered in the early days of the outbreak -- breaches of biosafety measures by factory farm workers -- seems to have been disproven in recent weeks. Once the scale of the epidemic became clear, commercial farms doubled down and strengthened their safety protocols. Despite these measures, the spread of the epidemic has not slowed, and it still remains mostly confined to factory farms.

“All the old dogma about high-path

influenza transmission has just gone out the window,” said infectious disease researcher Michael Osterholm of the University of Minnesota. “We’re in totally uncharted territory.”

Healthier environment, healthier birds It seems likely that it is some characteristic of factory farms themselves that is causing those birds to be susceptible to avian flu.

This could be anything from the close conditions that make disease spread easily to compromised health and immune systems among factory farmed birds, perhaps paradoxically caused by the constant barrage of antibiotics they are exposed to.

Another explanation offered by some researchers is that even if backyard chickens are exposed to the virus more because they spend more time outside, the outdoors itself provides them with protection.

That’s because sunlight and warm temperatures are lethal to the influenza virus.

It is this latter factor that has the USDA optimistic about the trajectory of the current outbreak.

“We believe the worst is behind us,” said John Clifford, USDA Chief Veterinary Officer.

“Summertime is coming. It gets hot in these places in July and because the heat and the sunlight reduces the virus present in the environment we will stop seeing cases.”

- Natural News

Studies show that personal happiness boosts your heart health Most of us know the basics of good health by heart, even if we don’t always put them into practice.

Eat right, exercise, avoid stress if you can - these are all hallmarks of good health. However, did you know that devoting yourself to increasing your personal happiness is another factor in reaching optimum health?

According to a 2010 Columbia University Medical Center survey of 1,700 Nova Scotia patients, the happiest people had 22 percent less chance of developing cardiovascular disease!

If happiness is good for your heart, what can you do to increase the joy factor in your life? Here are a couple of ideas.

Avoid too much isolation A recent study from Brigham Young University demonstrated that loneliness and social isolation are just as much a threat to longevity as obesity. Relationships with others are

vital to keeping yourself filled with joy, and it even has an effect on your heart health. Social bonds with others help keep your heart healthy because isolation is a larger risk to life longevity than alcoholism and even smoking!

So get out and meet that friend for coffee or lunch instead of simply dashing off a quick text. Make an effort to get off the computer or step away from your latest Netflix marathon and join family and friends for a night of bowling, for example.

Your heart will thank you, and your happiness is bound to increase.

Surround yourself with nature Studies show that getting yourself outside to enjoy nature increases your feelings of vitality and boosts your energy, and can even help strengthen your immune system. Richard Ryan, professor of psychology at the University of Rochester has insight about this.

“Nature is fuel for the soul,” he

said. “Often when we feel depleted we reach for a cup of coffee, but research suggests a better way to get energized is to connect with nature.”

Instead of eating lunch at your desk, pack a sack lunch (like from your elementary school field trip days!) and head to a local park to make your meal memorable and energizing.

Take a walk outside whenever you get a chance, and notice the colors around you - the changing of the leaves during fall or spring for example, a neighbor’s beautifully landscaped lawn and garden, and so on.

These things will brighten your mood and keep you balanced, so that your life isn’t all work and no play.

The bottom line is that happiness is good for your heart and your health - so do whatever you can to bring more joy into your life. Your heart, mind and body will thank you for it, and reward you for your efforts!

- Natural News

TORONTO CARIBBEAN

Increasing your metabolism for weight loss Monique Bartlett Fitness Do you know of someone who eats large amounts of food, but never seems to gain any weight? They maintain the figure of a marathon runner and when you ask them how they manage to stay so thin they respond by saying that it’s just their metabolism.

So what do you need to know about metabolism and how can it help you to achieve your weight loss goals? Your metabolism is simply the rate at which you use up energy, as in calories. The higher your metabolism, the

more calories you burn, and the more weight you will lose. The lower your metabolism, the fewer calories you burn. This can also depend on a number of different factors.

Eating less can sometimes slow your metabolism down, or at least it can slow down the amount of weight loss. When you consume less calories, your body thinks that there isn’t enough food available. So to conserve the energy that is available your body starts to slow your metabolism down, so that it can make the most use of the reserves that it has. So it is possible that eating too little can actually slow down your weight loss.

The theory is that instead of using up the reserves of fat and making you thinner, your body will actually start to use your muscle mass so that it can maintain a reserve.

One way to make sure that this doesn’t happen is to make sure that you are eating enough food to keep your body from believing that it should go into starvation mode. At the same time, you also need to control your calorie intake so that you will achieve the weight loss that you desire.

There is not an answer that will suit everyone as to how many calories is enough to help with your weight loss. The best way to figure out what is best for you is to consult a qualified professional who will be able to tell you the most appropriate amount of calories for your weight loss goals.

Although your metabolism can slow down when dieting, exercise can help.

This may help in two ways. First your metabolism increases when exercising so it will help to burn off those extra calories and help with weight loss. Also, exercising so that you gain more muscle mass can help to burn more calories at rest as muscle burns calories more quickly than fat.

So if you want to lose weight make sure you eat enough to reach your caloric intake and exercise enough increase your metabolism and build your lean muscle mass. Speak to a professional who can guide you on your way and look forward to reaching your ideal weight.

Snoring anf Obstructive Sleep Apnea Dr. Matthew Weekes BSC DDS MTh DMin

Dental Health

According to studies published by leading medical and dental professionals, an estimated 90 million people in North America have breathing problems leading to snoring and sleep apnea. Apart from snoring being a social nuisance, it is a serious health risk. People who suffer from snoring and sleep apnea have a higher incidence of heart attack and strokes due to high blood pressure as a result of lack of oxygen.

Almost all of us are familiar with snoring because it can be heard. Snoring occurs when the tongue partially blocks the airway

when a person sleeps on their back. Sleep apnea occurs when the tongue completely blocks the airway. Both situations are harmful since the person is deprived of oxygen.

Snoring noise is caused by the flapping of the tissues in the throat against each other as air passes between them on its way to the lungs.

Apnea occurs when there is a complete closure of the throat, and is defined as the cessation of breathing for ten seconds or more. The severity of this is determined by the number of these episodes per hour. The higher the number of episodes per hour the greater and more life threatening the problem. There is mild, moderate and severe OSA. Apart from the annoying effects of snoring, it is a warning sign to the person engaged in this sound blasting that something abnormal is taking place in their airway which is progressively worsening their overall health.

In OSA less air is going to the lungs than normal causing the body to be deprived of oxygen, there is also a reduction of oxygen getting the arteries. This oxygen desaturation results in the increased permeability of the ca-

rotid artery wall allowing plaque to penetrate and built up causing cardiac disease, high blood pressure and stroke, arrhythmias and heart failure.

It is important to note that all people who have OSA snore but not all people who snore have OSA. The oral appliance that is obtained from a dentist to control snoring is also the treatment of choice for mild and moderate OSA. The treatment of choice for severe OSA is the use of a CAP machine prescribed by a medical sleep specialist.

According to studies here are the chances of developing one or more of these pathological conditions as a result of the lack of oxygen with OSA. Hypertension 40-50 %, Coronary heart disease 34%, Congestive heart failure 34%, Diabetes 65 %, Erectile dysfunction 50%, Renal disease 50%, Fibromyalgia 80%, Nocturnal strokes 84%.

The role of the dentist is expected to increase significantly as more medical sleep specialists are referring patients to the few dentists that are involved with treating snoring and OSA with specific oral appliances.

Baby on the way? Reasons to choose a midwife Dr. Lydia Thurton ND BASc

Health Tips Long before the formal practice of obstetrics, there were midwives. These women (now there are men as well) upheld a long tradition of safely delivering babies into the world. On call 24/7 and with a multitude of remedies for birthing troubles these were the go-to experts for a safe and healthy delivery. Today, there are about 700 midwives practicing in Ontario and their services are covered by OHIP. This is an accessible, safe option for giving birth. If you are a healthy woman, with a low-risk pregnancy here are a few reasons to choose a midwife.

To begin, a low risk pregnancy means Mum has no issues with blood pressure, diabetes, thyroid disease, obesity, autoimmune diseases or infertility. If you are at risk of birthing complications then the best place for you is a hospital with an obstetric and gynecological doctor (OBGYN).

The majority of pregnant females are in good health. For these women, midwife lead births have been shown to be as safe as a birth with an OBGYN. Some studies show that choosing a midwife provides a better birthing experience for Mum and baby, whether at home or in the hospital.

Births with midwives have lower cesarean section rates. The rate of C-sections is about 5% for births with a midwife, versus 31% for physician lead births. Cesareans are major abdominal surgery. Any surgery has risks and benefits. Healing from a cesarean section can take up to three months. Once you have had a C-section oftentimes you will have them for future births. Many women have cesareans and are fine, however, any incision in the abdomen can lead to infection and healing

issues.

Vaginal birthing is lower risk than cesarean section. Vaginal birthing also means the baby is colonized and exposed to the mother’s bacteria. This is important for developing the baby’s immunity and bacterial profile.

Midwives use less invasive birthing techniques. What this means is that mothers have less vacuum assisted births, epidurals, damage to the perineum and less use of forceps.

For some expectant parents this it is important to have the birthing process be as unassisted as possible.

Midwives also have access to hospitals. Choosing a midwife does not mean that you have to have a home birth or an “all natural” birth. You can still choose to have an epidural administered by a physician in a hospital setting. This means you have the use a midwife, but you also have the security of being in a hospital where emergencies can be effectively managed. If you are pregnant, there are both Canadian and Ontarian associations of midwives that can set you up with a practitioner in your area.

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Making a Will - Ensuring all requirements are met Valerie Dye Legal Matters Having decided to make a will to ensure your estate will be distributed according to your wishes, it is important to note some special requirements to make sure your will is valid. What are the formal requirements in making a will?

The will must be signed by the testator (the person making the will) in the presence of two witnesses. The testatorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s signature should be placed at the bottom of the will. It is important to note that neither the witnesses to the will nor their spouses should be a beneficiary in the will. If a beneficiary or his or her spouse signs as a witness their gift in the will becomes void. This means they are no longer entitled to the gift left to them in the will.

There may be instances when the testator may be unable to place his or her signature on the will. This may occur where, although the testator has mental capacity he may not physically be able to sign his name.

In these circumstances, someone else may sign on behalf of the testator provided that the signing takes place in the presence of the testator and under his or her direction.

For obvious reasons a beneficiary should not sign on behalf of the testator.

Apart from the formal requirements to ensure the will is valid there are other requirements which, if not observed can lead to challenges to the validity of the will. It is important to ensure that at the time the will is made the testator has the mental capacity (referred to as testamentary capacity) to do so. As established in a number of court cases a person has testamentary capacity if he or she understands the nature of a will, recollects the extent of the property he or she owns, understands the extent of what he or she is giving under the will, remembers the people he or she might expect to benefit un-

der the will and understands the likelihood that claims will be made by persons who will not benefit under the will (see for instance Laframboise v. Laframboise 2011 ONSC).

Claims of lack of testamentary capacity are numerous and are often made by persons who expected to benefit under a will and did not. If a solicitor is appointed to draft a will it is expected that he or she will ensure that the testator has testamentary capacity before taking instructions to prepare the will.

Wills can also be challenged on the ground that the testator was under undue influence when giving instructions to prepare the will. This means that one or more beneficiary may have coerced the testator to leave a gift or the entire estate to that beneficiary.

To prevent such challenges one suggestion would be for the testator to give instructions for the preparation of the will when none of the beneficiaries are around. Note that if a beneficiary signs the will as a witness this may lead to the presumption of undue influence. Having a beneficiary as a witness is totally unacceptable.

How does marriage and divorce affect will?

Section 16 of the Succession Law Reform Act provides that unless it is mentioned in a will that it is being made in contemplation of marriage, a will is revoked when the testator marries.

The SLRA further provides that unless a contrary intention is shown a gift in a will to oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s spouse becomes void if the testator divorces after the will is made. If the spouse had been appointed executor under the will that appointment also becomes void and the will shall be read as if the spouse has pre-deceased the testator. Of course if the testator intends his spouse or former spouse to benefit even after a divorce the will should be worded in such a way that this is made clear.

Finally, I would like to emphasise that a will is a very important piece of document. If it is not prepared and executed in accordance with the legal requirements this may lead to many difficulties after death. It is therefore worth the while to ensure that all the requirements are met when preparing and executing your will.

Government of Canada now able to revoke citizenship of dual citizens convicted of terrorism OTTAWA -- Measures came into force officially today that enable Canada to revoke citizenship from dual nationals convicted of terrorism, treason and high treason, and/or spying for foreign governments.

Canadian citizenship can now also be revoked from dual citizens for taking up arms against Canada and the Canadian Armed Forces, whether as a member of a foreign army or in non-state terrorist groups like ISIS. Also officially in force as of today

is a new, more streamlined citizenship revocation process. This new process will help ensure Canada and Canadians are protected, and that revocation decisions can be made quickly, decisively and fairly.

Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) officials will be implementing these new measures immediately and will prioritize cases that have been tried and convicted here in Canada on at least one of the grave crimes listed above.

- CIC

TORONTO CARIBBEAN

The 407ETR - The public remains in the dark Tammy Flores 407ETR Matters Consumers don’t realize how fortunate they are that Hydro One is still a public company.

Ontario’s Ombudsman, André Marin, released a damning report called, “In the Dark” on the Hydro One billing fiasco that stemmed from the implementation of a new customer information system. He holds no punches when he describes the culture that exists within these monopolistic corporations. While his focus was on just this public sector corporation, make no mistake, the private sector is ten times worse. Having to turn a profit and answer to shareholders, trumps any public interest a private corporation should have in a P3 (Public Private Partnership) relationship.

We can’t access 407 ETR records and investigate the way the Provincial Ombudsman has been able to with Hydro One because, the private portion of the partnership that exists, between 407 ETR and the Ministry of Transportation, runs without public scrutiny or government regulation to protect consumers.

People may never really know the frustrations and financial hardship consumers have had to deal with at the hands of 407 ETR’s missteps because their communication’s culture is to paint everyone with an outstanding toll bill as a toll evader. There is no public agency willing or able to shed light on this private corporation’s dealings with the public in the way the Provincial Ombudsman has with Hydro One. But if we could access 407 ETR’s records for investigation, you can be guaranteed that André Marin’s report would be just as damning, if not worse.

One concern I have with respects to selling off 60% of Hydro One to the private sector is that the Province will set up an internal Ombudsman. With the experience the public has had with the internal Ombudsman set up for 407 ETR, it’s been nothing more than a smoke screen that abdicates accountability.

The internal Ombudsman for 407 ETR merely holds to the standard of the private company’s business practices and doesn’t have the purview to investigate the way the Provincial Ombudsman does. The Province gets to say that they have nothing to do with a private corporation’ s business practices, the Ministry of Transportation and the Ministry of Government and Consumer Services get to argue over jurisdiction and the public gets royally screwed.

There is a cautionary tale here for those that support the sale of Hydro One. The kind of investigation done by the Provincial Ombudsman will NEVER happen again if Hydro One is sold to the private sector. The next time Hydro One implements a new system and consumers are getting dinged, communications will paint the consumer as someone that is trying to avoid paying their bill just like 407 ETR does with people that have huge bills, through no fault of their own. My favorite question asked by people that don’t understand 407 ETR’s billing debacle is “How does someone allow their bill to get so high?” Hopefully André Marin’s report helps shed light on how a bill can get so high.

In 407 ETR’s 2006-2007 financial statements, they openly reveal the struggle they had with billing. 407 ETR voluntarily suspended their Plate Denial rights. The Province did an investigation and revealed some of the issues in 2004. In August of 2003, 407 ETR started to deny a limited number of people’s plates. Why only a limited number? I can speculate that they knew there could be significant changes in their reporting because they knew some of those debts were questionable, but regardless it seems to me that they were still iffy

on how the public would respond to what they were doing. Turns out the public did nothing so the company got more confident in their business practices.

I am sure the company had full knowledge of their mistakes in 2003 but they did not notify unsuspecting consumers until 2005 and even later. Then they obstructed, obfuscated, mollified and befuddled consumers with legal lingo and blocked them from getting the documentation behind the company’s claims. They just sent out a huge bill with no details, years after a charge was to have occurred. In some cases it took eleven years for the company to provide the invoices. That still didn’t prove that actual tolls occurred. Without the pictures of the actual tolls or the electronic information, there’s really no way for consumers to ascertain whether or not the company’s claims for tolls against them are valid. To quote the Ombudsman on the Hydro One fiasco, 407 ETR displays “overconfidence in its technical superiority”.

It seems to me there was an opportunity for 407 ETR to have cleared things up in 2003, but didn’t. 407 ETR’s 2008-2009 financial statements reveals their excuse for this by claiming that because they did not gain access to Plate Denial until the judicial review, in November 2005 they had a “backlog” of accounts. What does Plate Denial have to do with notifying their customers that there are outstanding tolls? The company just sat on accounts for many years before they did anything. This speaks volumes as to the company’s mistakes. However, the company held consumers hostage with the threat of Plate Denial and illegal court garnishments for thousands and thousands of dollars.

To this day, people are still being billed by 407 ETR from this period of time they struggled with their billing. The interest and fees keep multiplying and people are languishing in Plate Denial because the public doesn’t have an Ombudsman to investigate the way Hydro One complaints have been. 407 ETR’s billing debacle remains in the dark, away from public scrutiny.

Hydro One has a “Retail Settlement Code” that dictates things like when billing errors occur, through no fault of the consumer, Hydro One can only make the consumer make up two years’ worth of charges. I doubt those charges are full of interest and fees and I am sure there is an amicable way to pay the charges back. When 407 ETR plays catch up on their billing mistakes, they just say you owe so pay and make no effort whatsoever to rectify the issue in an amicable way.

I haven’t really been able to ascertain what the standard for Hydro One’s “Retail Settlement Code” is based on however; the Electrical Safety Authority operates as an Administrative Authority under the Electricity Act 1998 and an Administrative Agreement with the Ministry of Government and Consumer Services.

407 ETR isn’t really different, other than it’s not a Crown Corporation. It operates under the 407 Act, the Highway Traffic Act and is subject to all the other laws of Ontario and Canada for operating their business. They have an agreement with the Ministry of Transportation, their registered lobbyist has access to Members of Provincial Parliament, Ministry of Economic Development Employment and Infrastructure, Ministry of Labour, Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Ministry of Transportation, Office of the Premier and Cabinet Office, Metrolinx and Ontario Infrastructure and Lands Corporation (Infrastructure Ontario).

What I don’t understand is why they don’t have anything to do with the Ministry of Government and Consumer Services? It only stands to reason that due to the nature of their business this should be a concern, but it isn’t.

Things that make you wonder.

Until the Province is willing to start regulating 407 ETR, the public will remain in the dark as to the billing atrocities committed by this company.

Wednesday, June 3, 2015 27

FOR SALE FOR SALE

FOR SALE LOOKING FOR

FORWANTED SALE HELP

LAND: 20 acres of gravel land excellent investment. Road, Lights, Water,1/4 mile of river, State Lands,East and West and 400 yards from National Quarry. Contact 905419-1053.

CARETAKER POSITION: Looking for a Live In Caretaker position. Preferable in the Brampton area. Call 905-791-8084

DRIVER: For a Cargo Van for Delivery.

Full time or Part time. Call Stanly 416-9383753. Message 416-686-5502

FOR SALE WANTED

FOR HOUSE SALE OPEN

CHAIRS AVAILABLE: Hair Dresser and Barber Wanted. Full and Part Time for Mississauga and Brampton Location. Contact 647-618-0074 or 905-781-8320.

BRAMPTON: Beautiful 1.5 years old detached home for sale by owner. Corner unit with stone, brick and stucco finishes.

Upgraded countertops/cabinets. Open house on Saturday and Sunday at 5 Egerton Street, Brampton ON. Call 416-219-7675.

LAND: Land for sale in South Trinidad One and 3/4 acres Highway frontage New Southern Highway Extension .Excellent for business and residential investment. Land ownership opportunity .Inescapable Commercial potential. Please contact; rballiram@par-med.com

FOR SALE COMPANIONSHIP COMPANIONSHIP WANTED: East Indian Guyanese Male, Age 41 5 foot 9 Dark hair brown eyes medium build. Seeking a Guyanese or Trinidadian female. Medium built busty age 18 to 65 for a relationship.

Call 416-422-2935

LIST UP TO 30 WORDS FREE! Send your information to info@torontocaribbean.com or call 647-722-6298

FOR SALE SERVICES

FOR SALE WORSHIP

SUNDAY SERVICE: Fountain of Truth Ministries Pastor: Reverend Maxine Campbell Worship Address: 2170 Kipling Avenue, Etobicoke Percy Johnson School – Cafeteria Sundays: 10.am – 2. pm Teaching, Worship, Ministering For info call: 416 748 0211 WORSHIP: Worship with us at Solid Rock Miracle Center 689 Warden Ave at 11am .

Sunday school at 10.05am. 416-293-1839

30 Wednesday, June 3, 2015

TORONTO CARIBBEAN

Your Horoscope - June 3rd 2015 ARIES

TAURUS

GEMINI

CANCER

Know that you can be easily talked into spending more than you probably should.

Keep your passwords well protected, count your change, run your virus-protection software, and keep vigilant for car, plumbing, or information leaks. A key person or conversation could resurface; something you’ve said or done may get a replay. Tuesday’s full moon could produce news, a surprise, or a kickoff.

Have you spent it before you earned it?

Questioning how you could have missed what should have been obvious? The next few days might send you into a financial or relationship slip-back. On the positive side, while Mercury is retrograde, a retrace or second try could do the trick. Tuesday’s opportune full moon sets big wheels in motion.

Forget the clock-watching. Take your hands off the steering wheel and go with the flow instead. Now through the weekend, time will simply evaporate. Get up to something or nothing at all; either way, it’s all good. Tuesday’s full moon in Sagittarius could spark something unexpected. Tuesday evening through Wednesday, jump on it/leap into it.

For the most part, you can coast through this one. Mercury retrograde maintains a low profile in your chart. Even so, the trickster can give you a run for it. Keep tabs on information-sharing, safety, money, and health.

On the plus side, the weekend can keep you on a great creative spurt. Tuesday’s full moon increases the workload, but also the potential progress and profit.

LEO

VIRGO

LIBRA

SCORPIO

It’s a great escape, romance, or special-event weekend. Reconnections, especially the unexpected ones, make for great fun. Even so, your attention could be on the missing person or element. Ahead of Tuesday’s full moon, plans could get waylaid or usurped.

You may have to nix something you wanted to do. Tuesday evening is an altogether different story—it’s working peachy for you.

Make sure you get a clear sense of the instructions or plans. Paperwork and communication may not be as straightforward as they should be or appear to be. As well, nothing is written in stone. Keep in mind that things can be changed, altered, or sidestepped. You can find a way to make it work/ work better. Creative solutions and modifications provide the best results.

Whether you travel or stay close to home, the weekend is well timed for a change of pace. A catch-up, special event, or revisit delivers more than you anticipate. Friends may have news to share, or you could catch wind of an opportunity. Monday is a switchtrack or make-it-official day. Tuesday’s full moon gets the show on the road.

Keeping a low profile suits you well as the workweek finishes. Come Saturday, when the moon treks into Scorpio, you’ll be good to go again. Through Sunday, you don’t have to lay it on thick—you had us at hello.

Monday through Wednesday, the full moon piles it on. Tuesday evening onward, you’re on the plus side.

SAGITTARIUS

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

An out-of-sight weekend suits you just fine.

Replenish with rest, relaxation, or a spiritual retreat. An escape into romance or music feeds the soul quite nicely too. A lover, a friend, an agent, a neighbour, or a challenger is an attention-getter through mid next week.

Great for travel or taking the plunge, Tuesday’s full moon flips a major action switch.

Opportunity comes knocking.

On the job or elsewhere it’s a work, or work-it-out, weekend. Even so, it’s easy to get caught up, lose sight of things, or forget things. In addition to Mercury retrograde, Neptune adds guesswork and uncertainty to the mix. Stay flexible, casual, open-minded, and open-ended. By Tuesday evening into Wednesday/Thursday, you’ll move into an upswing.

Even though Mercury is in retrograde, you should find yourself on a great social, creative, or romantic flow until mid next week.

Yes, there can be a switch-track or an unexpected snafu along the way, but for the most part, the stars are letting you off easy. Tuesday’s full moon can dish up something exciting, perhaps exceptional.

Home projects, home-hunting, moving, or an open house keeps you especially busy now through the end of the month. Visitors, rental matters, and family can eat up your time too. Watch for any lingering element of confusion, uncertainty, or second-guessing to be swept away by Tuesday’s full moon.

Things should get sorted out naturally and well.

March 20 - April 19

July 22 - August 22

November 22 - December 21

April 19 - May 20

August 22 - September 22

December 21 - January 19

May 20 - June 21

September 22 - October 23

January 19 - February 18

Across 4) Old unit to measure grains 6) Fields of yellow 7) Not enough rainfall 8) For dairy or meat 10) Giant round bales 11) Bring in the crops 13) Bacon or ham 14) Old and had a farm, E-I-E-I-O 16) No pesticides used 17) Big red building Down 1) Land left to rest 2) Common grain 3) Starting points for plants 5) Hired helper 6) Egg producers 9) Water transport systems 12) Heavy hauler 15) Kernels on the cob

June 21 - July 22

October 23 - November 22

February 18 - March 19

TORONTO CARIBBEAN

Financing options: Leases Jelani Daniel Automotive Corner Financing, as a whole, is one option, but within the bubble of financing, there are leases. Each option suits various lifestyles and credit scores. Today, I will outline three different types of lease options and what they contain, letting you see first-hand which option is most suitable for your needs.

Note: Financing approvals are often based on current credit scores, so some options may be unavailable to those in different credit brackets.

Finance Lease: A lump sum is not required in this case since the purchaser of the vehicle is the financer.

The financer will take possession of the car, and much like a landlord, issue monthly charges to the leasee. There is no need for a large deposit or time-consuming loan. Such lease options are great if you are looking for an automobile quickly and have little to no initial capital to invest.

The driver has responsibilities that include the residual risk and general upkeep.

At the end of the agreed upon lease term, the leasor has the option to refinance, buy, or trade-in the car.

Operating Lease: An operating lease is very similar to a finance lease, but the residual risk mentioned above does not apply. Instead, the car is paid month-by-month and can be obtained quickly. The leasee can continue to rent the vehicle or upgrade to a newer model at the end of the lease term.

Commercial Hire Purchase Lease: The financer obtains the automobile initially from a manufacturer or dealer. The vehicle is then granted to a leasor, and upon completion of payments, is bought by the leasee. When the loan is paid off, the hired renter can then take full possession of the car. This allows the use of monthly payments without a hefty initial deposit.

The three options listed above include no down payment as well as standard and fixed rates. This gives the leasee sensible options when considering which automobile they would like to obtain. As well, taxdeductions may be issued on the operating leases as well as the finance leases, so speak to your broker today to see which option suits you best.

Weather disaster can happen anytime!

Be prepared... hereĘźs how!

Sherene Cole

CIP, CRM, CAIB, LLQP

Insurance Matters

Natural disasters are happening with an alarming frequency across North America, and in many cases, in areas never before affected.

If you hear that a severe storm or another type of natural disaster is headed your way, there are precautions you can take to help your family and your business be prepared.

If you are ordered to evacuate, do so. If you are not being evacuated, use your time wisely to make preparations designed to keep everyone safe during the event.

Tips to prepare you: 1. Communicate where you will be. Contact someone outside the affected area to tell them where you will be for the duration of the storm. Business owners should remind employees of your continuity plans, including information on how they will know if your facility is open for business once the storm has passed.

2. Shut off all utilities. If you do not know how to do this, now is the time to learn.

It is always a good idea to know how to turn off the gas, electricity and water in your home or place of business.

3. Learn the warning signs and alert sig-

4.

5.

6.

nals for your area. Stay tuned to your local television or radio station for disaster-related information.

Collect emergency building materials.

Depending on the type of disaster, you may want to consider having emergency materials on hand, such as plywood, sandbags and waterproof tarps.

Secure all outdoor objects or move them inside. Grills, patio furniture and flowerpots are common household items that can become airborne in high winds. Do not use grills inside or store propane tanks inside the house or garage. Business owners should also remember to secure outdoor signage, benches and equipment to minimize potential damage.

Keep your car fueled up. If you have an emergency generator, keep that fueled up as well, and always have spare fuel on hand that is stored in an approved container in a safe location.

Be sure you have car chargers or rechargeable power banks for your cell phone, and other portable devices. Having car chargers available can assist you in staying in communication if your electricity goes out.

In recent years we have seen where wind and water losses in particular have had a devastating impact in several communities across Ontario and Canada. As a result property insurance coverage and pricing are been adjusted in response to the excessive claims costs. Be sure to check with your broker or agent about how your insurance policy may have changed and inquire about available coverages that can offer additional protection.

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The secret to how your mind works Noel Walrond Professional Development Today I want to talk to you about the fact that your outer world is a mirror reflection of your inner world. Everything that is happening in your external environment is a reflection of what is happening inside you. What do I mean by that? Think about it this way: the organization of your home - whether it is in a state of disarray or is pristinely kept - is a direct reflection of your inner state. The nature of your relationships, friendships and marriages are also reflective of your inner state. If you’re looking at your bank account and you are not particularly impressed by what you see, it’s time to reflect on how your inner relationship with money has developed.

Believe it or not, some of us are totally satisfied with being broke, or with tolerating toxic relationships. Some of us are okay with being spiritually bankrupt, and some of us are okay with living in a messy environment. The truth of the matter is that if you were uncomfortable with what was around you, you would change it.

There is nobody in your life that is there without your permission. All of our actions and circumstances stem from the way we

think: you choose your thoughts, and your thoughts cause your feelings. Your feelings either cause you to act or not act. It is our action and inactions that create our reality.

It is necessary to understand that if you want to change your environment, you must first change your mindset. Imagine standing in front of your mirror: if you do not change your position, and continue standing perfectly still, does the reflection you see in the mirror change? Of course not! Changing your environment without changing your thinking is as silly an idea as you looking in the mirror and expecting a change in the reflection without moving your body. By the way, if this ever happens…..run!

The good news is that we can change the way we think at any given time.

We have control over our minds. It is time that we begin to think critically about what we’ve been thinking, and how that relates to what we are creating. Doing this allows us to take control over what we are attracting into our lives.

So, let’s break this down. The mind is made up of two parts: the conscious mind and the subconscious mind. The conscious mind is the analytical mind: you and I choose our thoughts. The subconscious mind is the emotional mind. Anything that you are “feeling” is a reflection of what is going on in your subconscious mind.

If I were to ask you, “How are you feeling right now?” what would your answer be? It could be that you’re feeling sad, depressed, or stressed out. Alternatively, you may respond that you are happy, excited, or in luuuuv! Any one of those feelings you’re

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describing is a reflection of what’s going on in your subconscious mind.

Whatever is accepted in the conscious mind must be accepted in the subconscious mind. All thoughts or images that we have in our mind have feelings associated with them. Whatever you feel about something will dictate your actions.

For example, how does the thought of going to the gym make you feel? For some of us, the thought of hitting the gym generates feelings of frustration, anxiety and inadequacy. If your thinking about going to gym has been associated with negative emotions, you will find every excuse possible to avoid the gym. Conversely, if you enjoy going to the gym, you will demonstrate a greater commitment to the process of getting into shape. Your thoughts cause your feelings, and your feelings are then expressed through your body in your actions….all of this leads to the production of our results.

It is how one feels that ultimately predicts what she/he will or won’t do. So how do you feel about becoming financially literate? How you feel will determine whether you will sit with an advisor, or take a class and learn what it takes to get your bank account, and ultimately your legacy, in order. How do you feel about relationships? Are you willing to take the time and energy that’s required to build an enriching one? If you are in business for yourself, how do you feel about sales and public speaking? How do you feel about cleanliness in your home, car or workspace? How you feel will shape your approach – or whether you will approach these issues at

all. The key to changing what is expressed in your outer world lies in your subconscious mind.

What are some of the reoccurring thoughts you are having that are holding you back or preventing you from taking your game to the next level? What feelings arise in you when you think about what you want to achieve, and the work it takes to manifest the desires of your heart? Answering these questions is the first step recognizing what changes need to be made.

Now that you understand the power of the subconscious mind, and the relationship between your thoughts and feelings, and their interplay with your results, you are now ready to begin the process of RESETTING your internal regulator so you can enjoy the tremendous benefits in your external world. The power of one thought and one idea can revitalize your situation and take you to the next level quicker than you can possibly imagine. I am not speaking in theo retical terms. As a performance coach I have helped a lot of people change their realities within sixty days. In my upcoming articles I will share some success stories of my graduates that will blow your mind. People experiencing huge jumps in income, marriages and relationships being revitalized, people’s health being restored and people beating procrastination in all areas of life that matter most to them.

Your challenge, should you choose to accept it, is get clear on what is happening internally and start creating the new internal conditions required for you to make your dreams become your reality.

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