HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED? By Joe Ingino

Logic
By Joe Ingino
Editor/Publisher

“I live a dream in a nightmare world”

HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED?
   Yesterday as I was taking my morning shower.  I had some what of a revelation.   For a moment I began to think.  What if I woke up one morning and there was no  water, no hydro, no sewage?
How would life change for humanity in an instant.   We all have heard at one time or another that society and or civilization is held up by  a very thin series of logistical wires.
Take for example as you walk across your lawn to your car every morning.   All the different logistical system you are crossing over and under.  Many essential services that keep us in comfort.   From hydro wires above or below to television/telephone cables not to mention water/gas/sewage.
What if we woke up one morning and all this was compromised?
Could civilization survive?
It is a scary thought as without the essential we would encounter some major problems.
Have you ever thought of the tap water you drink?   The many miles it travels in order for it to reach your tap?   Or from where exactly does that water come from?  How about the logistics in place for that  water to flow from point A the lake to your tap, point B.
Without running water society would go into chaos as drinking water is essential to life.   Adequate sewage is essential to hygene and the spread of disease.
Without hydro we would have no contact with the world.  Without hydro the many pumps that pump sewage and fresh water would not work.
How would you deal with getting fresh water and at the same time deal with your daily bodily functions?
We live in a very complex society held by a very fragile logistical system. 
This  bringing to question the idea of what if!!!
What if due to an electromagnetic shift either man made or other would   eradicate electricity as we know it.
  How would society cope with the chaos.  Are we prepared for such mass shift from being dependents of a system to having to go out and improvise like many of our forefathers did.
Are we mentally prepared for such shift?
The world is a very fragile place and due to our own negligence and or act of war could see us in a predicament as never experienced before.   Why did the many civilizations before us all of a sudden disapeared?   They all experienced some sort of calamity due to their own failure of infrastructure logistics.
“To defend a country you need an army, but to defend a civilization you need education.”   Jonathan Sacks

Joseph Whiteside Boyle

Joseph Whiteside Boyle
(Klondike Joe) the Canadian Hero of WW1 and the Spirit of Canada.
by Maj (ret'd) CORNELIU E. CHISU, CD, PMSC,
FEC, CET, P. Eng.
Former Member of Parliament Pickering-Scarborough East
    As we approach Remembrance Day, it is important to have a look at our history, traditions and values and be proud of the achievements of exceptional Canadians often forgotten by new generations. One of the heroes who defined the real spirit of what today is solely Canadian, is Col. Joseph Whiteside Boyle.
Joseph Boyle is one of Canada's genuine but little known heroes. He was born in Toronto in 1867 of Irish and Scottish parentage. He moved with his family to Woodstock, Ontario, when he was very young. There his father, a racehorse trainer, continued his business and became a successful cattle breeder. Thoroughbreds trained by him won the Queen's Plate in 1862, 1883, 1897, and 1898.
Educated in 1883-84 at Woodstock College, a school with a strong Baptist tradition, Boyle often accompanied his father to racing meets, and it was during a trip to New York in 1885 that he ran off to sea. Three years later he returned to the city a mature, hardened young man.
He then settled in New York, where he started a feed and freighting business, and was married and divorced. He began managing Australian boxer Frank Slavin in 1897 hoping to capitalize upon Slavin's reputation - he had fought notable bouts in England and was once considered to be a contender for the world championship -, touring Toronto, San Francisco Victoria and finally Juneau, Alaska.
Arriving at the height of excitement over the Klondike gold strikes Slavin and Boyle headed for the diggings in July 1897, joining the first party to reach Dawson via the White Pass. It was Boyle who opened the trail to Lake Bennet and Lake Tutshi. He and Slavin filed a claim of 8 mi (13.3 km) along the Klondike River, but Boyle immediately realized that success would depend on a large-scale operation.
He then lobbied in Ottawa for a concession to dredge, finally achieving it in 1900. Meanwhile, he established a profitable sawmill, docks and wharfs. In 1904 he formed the Canadian Klondyke Mining Co, and by 1910 had massive dredging equipment in operation, as well as a hydroelectric plant (May 1911) in Dawson, Yukon.
As a true Canadian Boyle was deeply involved in all aspects of Dawson's community life; spearheaded efforts for community improvements, promoted boxing events, and in 1904-5  financed a hockey team, variously known as the Klondikers, the Nuggets, and the Wanderers, which unsuccessfully challenged the Ottawa Silver Seven, the Stanley Cup holders. What was interesting and typically Canadian; for the love of hockey, they traveled from Dawson to Ottawa for almost a month, from December 19, 1904 to January 11, 1905, on foot, by bicycle, boat and train for the game which took place on January 13 1905 which they unfortunately lost.
With the outbreak of World War I, Boyle, too old to enlist, volunteered to recruit and finance a 50-man machine-gun company, giving the soldiers insignia made of gold, to fight in Europe. The unit was incorporated into larger units of the Canadian Army, a contribution for which he would be awarded the honorary rank of lieutenant-colonel by the Minister of Militia and Defence, Samuel Hughes.    
In July 1917, Boyle undertook a mission to Russia on behalf of the American Committee of Engineers in London to help reorganize the country's railway system. Despite reluctant support from the British Foreign and War offices, and difficulties caused by Bolshevik revolutionaries, Boyle was instrumental in rationalizing rail traffic within the military zone extending from Petrograd (St Petersburg) to Odessa (Odesa, Ukraine). By November his leadership proved to be decisive in clearing the Moscow knot, a bottleneck of abandoned, damaged, and destroyed rolling stock paralyzing the city's marshalling yards.
His role, the following month, in returning the Romanian archives and paper currency from Moscow, where they had been sent for safekeeping, and his efforts in February 1918 as the principal intermediary on behalf of the Romanian government in effecting a ceasefire with revolutionary forces in Bessarabia (Republic of Moldova) were notable exploits. They, together with his rescue in March-April 1918 of some 50 high-ranking Romanians held in Odessa by revolutionaries, made Boyle a national hero in Romania and a powerful influence within its royal court where he had a special relation with Queen Marie of Romania, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria, and well loved by the Romanian people.
At the Paris Peace Conference in 1919 he was instrumental in helping the country to obtain a $25-million credit from the Canadian government in order to save Romania from famine.
Throughout his service in Russia and Romania, Boyle, in cooperation with Captain George Alexander Hill, a Russian-speaking member of the British secret service, and the extended intelligence network, carried out clandestine operations against German and Bolshevik forces in Bessarabia (Republic of Moldova) and southwestern Russia. Unilingual, disdaining disguise, and insistent upon wearing his Canadian uniform (to the exasperation of British and Canadian authorities), he received altogether eight decorations from Great Britain, France, Romania, and Russia, however, notably, none from Canada.
Then after 2 years of action that had exhausted him to the point of death Boyle left Romania for England. Boyle, who had never fully recovered from a stroke suffered in 1918, died of heart failure in Hampton Hill, London, England on 14 April 1923 at the home of a Klondike friend.
Queen Marie of Romania installed an ancient Romanian stone cross on his grave, as well as a ledger stone on which was engraved 'man with the heart of a Viking and the simple faith of a child', quoted from the Robert Service poems he had read to the queen and her family.
Only 56, he had packed several lifetimes of adventure into his few decades, an extraordinary man of extraordinary times.
His remarkable career in Eastern Europe went unrecognized in Canada. Like many men of remarkable achievement he was held in suspicion for his independence.
In 1983, at the request of his daughter, Flora, a committee of Woodstock citizens arranged for the repatriation of Col. Boyle's English grave to Woodstock. The Department of National Defense flew his body home for a full military funeral. Among the official guests on Joe Boyle Day, June 29th, 1983, were Lt. Governor John Black Aird, Ontario Heritage Board Chair John White, Col. T.F.G. Lawson of the Royal Canadian Regiment, and Whitehorse Mayor Florence Whyard.
To commemorate Canadian-Romanian military co-operation and sacrifices during WW1, and the Canadian contribution to rebuilding Romania after the war, a plaque was unveiled in 2018, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the conclusion of WW1.  The plaque is displayed at the entrance of the Romanian Orthodox Church, St Stephen the Great and Nektarie, in Oshawa.
This is a story to reflect upon…….

Reflection

Direct Answers
from Wayne & Tamara
Reflection
I have been dating a man for seven months. We have known each other for years and were just friends who saw each other from time to time. Lately he has been distant towards me.

He divorced his wife because she was unfaithful. One of the things he always wanted was children. Though he was married for 10 years, he had none. I have two older children and can’t have any more, nor am I willing to do that again in my life.
He is 39 and I am 44. I was upfront in the beginning about children and my feelings about them. He said sometimes he feels too old to have children and sometimes he feels too young. He means young in that he likes being able to do all the things he does without worrying about kids and what that entails.
He is active in sports, hunting and motorcycles. He keeps so busy that he would not have time for children. He also has many friends, and sometimes I feel like I’m on the list but at the bottom. I don’t want to be at the bottom of his totem pole. I don’t want to be in a one-sided relationship.  I am afraid to let go because I love him deeply. I am afraid if I let it go, he will find someone else who fits the picture.
We are perfect for each other except that I can’t have children. This puts a strain on our relationship, and I am afraid, it will eventually put a strain on our friendship. I don’t want to hurt anyone. What should I do?
Dora

Dora, he sometimes says, “I’m too old for kids,” and he sometimes says, “I’m too young for kids,” but both mean exactly the same thing. “I’m unwilling to put anyone else’s needs before my own.”
If you give credence to his idea of having children now or in the future, let it be the same as if he said, “I always wanted to be an astronaut”. But he didn’t do what it took for that to be a possibility: the study, the training, the focus, the drive, the determination.
It is likely the coming 40th birthday is making him reexamine his life. His peers and friends are telling him about their families. They are talking about children going off to college, sons getting married, and maybe even becoming a grandparent. Perhaps he thinks I’m missing out. What about my later years? What about my legacy?
Those feelings, that examination, might not only have him feeling longing but also guilt and self-recrimination. He’s looking in the mirror and not liking what he sees. So he puts the blame on someone else. He puts the problem on you. You have children, you have a legacy, you have something he doesn’t. You are a reminder of his selfishness.
He imagines children. These imaginary children can be whatever he wishes for—star athletes, award winners, valedictorians—and he can picture himself as their much loved and honored father. But that doesn’t make them real. It’s like wishing he had put more money away for retirement. The evidence suggests he isn’t willing to put in the time, effort, energy, or sacrifice to become a parent.
A classic song of the Rolling Stones says you can’t always get what you want, though sometimes you can get what you need. He’s getting what he needs now, and in a sense he is also getting what he deserves. No kids, no wife, no grandkids, no love of his life. The explanation is obvious. He doesn’t like anyone as much as he likes himself.
It’s a self-serving, hurtful excuse he uses to push you away, but it is perfect. It stiff-arms you while avoiding the truth. He doesn’t want a child. He wants to remain a child.
Wayne & Tamara
                          Send letters to:  DirectAnswers@WayneAndTamara.com

The Doctor Game

By W. Gifford-Jones M.D.
 What Should I Mix With My Rum?        
Have I been leading readers astray? For years this column has stressed that we’re all consuming too many calories, and in particular, too much sugar. I’ve always practiced what I write, so for years I’ve made sure it is a sugar-free cola that I add to my rum before dinner. But are these alternatives to sugar safe? Scientists at Tufts University report that the research on sugar substitutes continues to advance – yet few clear answers are apparent.

For over 40 years, highly refined sugar substitutes have been on the market and common additives in drinks and foods. But for food safety, a cloud has always hung overhead.
Dr. Alice H. Lichenstein, Director of the Cardiovascular Nutrition Laboratory at the USDA’s Human Nutrition Research Centre on Aging and a Professor at Tufts University, explains that sugar substitutes have various names like high intensity sweeteners, non-sugar sweeteners, low calorie sweeteners which can lead to confusion about their sources and properties. Moreover, a wide variety of compounds are used in sugar substitutes and they may not always behave the same way in the body.
Lichenstein adds that some high-intensity sweeteners are 100 to 20,000 times sweeter than sugar! This means that individuals need consume only tiny amounts to achieve the sweetness of sugar.  In fact, most sugar substitutes are non-nutritive and not absorbed by the body.

So what are the potential dangers of sugar substitutes? Lichenstein says most research has been done on beverages. The greatest risk seems to be the tendency of some to make other unhealthy choices as a result of using sugar substitutes in drinks.
Lichenstein advises that if you seek to lose weight, “Substituting beverages sweetened with sugar substitutes in place of those sweetened with sugar may be helpful, but make sure you’re not compensating by picking up those calories somewhere else.”
The Diabetes Association agrees that decreased caloric intake is of paramount importance to decrease the risk of Type 2 diabetes. And if this can be achieved by using sugar sweeteners, they can be a valid way to halt the epidemic. And using them for foods, as well as beverages, may be a beneficial option.

What about dental health? It’s generally accepted that replacing sugar with sugar substitutes reduces the risk of dental decay. And some studies suggest that the sugar alcohol xylitol in chewing gum may help to prevent the development of cavities.

So how much should we be worrying about sugar substitutes? It appears that we are still waiting for a definitive study that shows sugar substitutes are totally safe. And there is some lingering concern that sugar substitutes make it too easy for people to choose a low-sugar sweet treat than a serving of nutrient rich vegetables, nuts or fruits.

You may wonder whether I`m going to change my pre-dinner routine. Regular readers know I prefer natural remedies to prescription drugs. So it’s a good question: why would I use a manufactured sugar substitute rather than a natural sugar?

Weight is not a problem for me.  I step on a scale each day and make sure it always reads the same. But nonetheless, I am no fan of sugar, and I want to limit my intake.  I’ll take the chance on an artificial sweetener in the cola that mixes with my daily dose of rum.  My wife reminds me that there is sugar in the rum too!  But I’m convinced the health benefits of alcohol in moderation have contributed to my for good health and longevity. So I’ll stick with my poison!

Remember, I’m not your doctor, and you must always get good medical advice. But if you are overweight and a candidate for Type 2 diabetes, sugar substitutes may be helpful. In my view, obesity is a far greater health hazard than sugar substitutes.

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Canada and the turbulent world around us.
by Maj (ret'd) CORNELIU E. CHISU, CD, PMSC,
FEC, CET, P. Eng.
Former Member of Parliament Pickering-Scarborough East
Dynamic global trends, challenging governance and the rapidly changing nature of power, will drive major consequences in the world in the very near future, and Canada will not be immune to these changes.
They will raise tensions across all regions and types of governments, both within and between countries. These near-term conditions will contribute to the expanding threat from terrorism and leave the future of international order in jeopardy.
The public will push governments to provide peace and prosperity more broadly and reliably at home when what happens abroad is increasingly turbulent.
A hobbled Europe, uncertainty about America's role in the world, and weakened norms for conflict-prevention and human rights create openings for the political ambitions of China and Russia, two authoritarian powers.
This combination of perceived weaknesses of established democracies, will also embolden regional and non state aggressors-breathing new life into regional rivalries, such as those between Riyadh and Tehran, Islamabad and New Delhi, and on the Korean Peninsula.
If we look closely at the European Union, it is likely to face additional problems, because the banks remain unevenly capitalized and regulated, migration within Europe and into Europe will continue, and Brexit will encourage regional and separatist movements in other European countries.
Europe's aging population will undermine economic output, shift consumption toward services-like health care-and away from goods and investment. A shortage of younger workers will reduce tax revenues, fueling debates over immigration to bolster the workforce.
The EU's future will hinge on its ability to reform its institutions, create jobs and growth, restore trust in elites (leadership), and address real public concerns that immigration will radically alter national cultures.
In the United States despite signs of economic improvement, challenges will be significant, with public trust in leaders and institutions sagging and politics highly polarized. Advances in robotics and artificial intelligence are likely to further disrupt labor markets.
Meanwhile, uncertainty is high around the world regarding Washington's global leadership role. Foreign countries and governments will be watching Washington for signs of compromise and cooperation, focusing especially on global trade, tax reform, workforce preparedness for advanced technologies, race relations, and its openness to new ideas of governance at the state and local levels.
However, a lack of domestic progress would signal a shift toward retrenchment, a weaker middle class, and potentially further global drift into disorder and regional spheres of influence.
Yet, America's capital, both human and intelligence security, is immense. Much of the world's best talent seeks to live and work in the United States, and domestic and global hope for a competent and constructive foreign policy remain high.
Finally, America is distinct because it was founded on an inclusive ideal-the pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness for all, however imperfectly realized-rather than a single race or ethnicity. This legacy remains a critical advantage for managing divisions.
Turning to opposing entities to world order let us start with China. China at present faces a daunting test-with its political stability in the balance. After three decades of historic economic growth and social change, Beijing, amid slower growth and the aftereffects of a debt binge, is transitioning from an investment-driven, export-based economy to one fueled by domestic consumption. Satisfying the demands of its new middle class for clean air, affordable housing, improved services, and continued opportunities will be essential for the government to maintain legitimacy and political order.
President Xi's consolidation of power could threaten an established system of stable succession, while Chinese nationalism-a force Beijing occasionally encourages for support when facing foreign friction-may prove hard to control in the long term.
We have seen it recently in the Hong Kong, social turbulence, which, if it continues, will also affect Canadian housing prices, health care and job market, if the 300,000 expat Canadians living in Hong Kong, decide to come back to Canada.
In addition, the trade relations between Canada and China are at the lowest ebb right now, and this will have negative effects on the Canadian economy, especially agricultural products.
With China flexing its military muscle in South East Asia and modernizing its military, we cannot expect positive outcomes in the future if reason does not prevail.
Finally, speaking about Russia; it still aspires to restore its great power status through nationalism, military modernization, nuclear saber rattling, and foreign engagements abroad. The frozen conflicts and the annexation of Crimea from the Ukraine and lately the revival and rapid modernizations of the military bases in the Arctic are vivid examples of hegemonistic Russia.
Yet, at home, it faces increasing constraints as its stagnant economy heads into a third consecutive year of recession.
Moscow prizes stability and order, offering Russians security at the expense of personal freedoms and pluralism.
Moscow's ability to retain a role on the global stage-even through disruption-has also become a source of regime power and popularity at home.
Russian nationalism is strong, with President Putin praising Russian culture as the last bulwark of conservative Christian values against the decadence of Europe and the tide of multiculturalism. Putin is personally popular, but sagging approval ratings for the ruling party reflect public impatience with the deteriorating quality of living conditions and abuse of power.
As to these authoritarian powers, we have noticed with concern, a tactical cooperation between China and Russia in which both have moved aggressively in recent years to exert greater influence in their regions, in order to contest the US geopolitically, and to force Washington to accept exclusionary regional spheres of influence-a situation that the United States has historically opposed.
Meanwhile, India's growing economic power and profile in the region will further complicate these calculations, as New Delhi navigates relations with Beijing, Moscow, and Washington to protect its own expanding interests.
I am not going to examine further the growing tensions around the Korean Peninsula which are likely to lead to serious confrontation in the region in the coming years, a possibility of great concern to Japan.
With all this turmoil simmering around the world, and at our doorstep, where is Canada to position itself as a middle power with the second largest land mass, but a small population of 36 million people?
At this stage our relations with China and Russia are at the lowest level politically. We also have political issues with India. Relations with the US are shaky both regarding the ratification of the new trade agreement, and political difficulties in our relationship with the White house and a deeply divided Congress.
So what are we to do? What can our political leadership do?
Obviously we cannot stay idle and I am hopeful that our political leadership will be able to navigate our nation out from these turbulent waters.
I will leave it with you to reflect upon these issues with the national election imminent …

ARE WE HAVING AN ELECTION?
 by Joe Ingino

   HELLO... HELLO ANYONE OUT THERE... OR have we all become mental zombies out of  our own ignorance?    This election it appears that the local candidates running have either come to the realization they don’t have a chance in hell at winning.   therefore why approach the local media to release information about themselves... Or is it that these candidates by their own recognition have surrendered to the fact that voters do not vote on information but on the party hype.
I just don’t understand if it is out of arrogance, ignorance and or not having the intellect to reach out to those they so want to represent.
We live in a real strange Canada.   A Canada slowly becoming a 3rd world nation.
My argument is strengthened by the recent debate.  What a national disgrace.   Here we have what was supposed to be Canadian leaders and instead it looked like a bunch of confused minds jockeying for a big paycheque.
I CALL FOR ALL CANADIANS TO NOT TURN OUT  this election.  Show them that we had enough and that to change for the sake of changing makes no logical sense.   Like really!!!  Andrew Scheer, is that different then Justin?    One wears red the other blue.   They are the ultimate ‘YING/YANG’ of political ideologies.    If we swap one boy for another we will never get men to work on what matters to hard working Canadians. It was so bad that during the debate the NDP leader mocked the PPC leader over questionable racist tweets.   This is the same guy that goes on Canadian National television wearing a turban.    A turban in many eyes being a clear symbol of Canadian social etiquette defiance.   Now tell me his actions as leader of the NDP are not prejudice and racist.  
We as Canadians are inclusive.  As such we must blend in not stick out.
It is not about having rights and exercise them without disregard for the bigger common good of the inclusive society.  Is it not a slap in the face to flaunt personal preferences or believes over others?  Is it not insulting  noting that on someone wanting to represent you.  To show open public defiance and in the same breath turn around and warn you.  If you say anything about my choice to social defy you. I will become insulted and point and label you racist.     Don’t get me wrong I do not have anything against turbans.  I just think like silent Canadians that we have played the prejudice victim card to far.  We as Canadians have standards and those standards have been compromised in the name of a false equality.  As equality would consider that we must put our native land cultures/cultures/traditions aside in the name of better good for Canada.
“War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength.”
  George Orwell, 1984