Saturday, December 26, 2020
A Lockdown New Year!
A Lockdown New Year!
by Maj (ret'd) CORNELIU E. CHISU, CD, PMSC,
FEC, CET, P. Eng.
Former Member of Parliament Pickering-Scarborough East
Politicians all over Canada are running around like headless chickens chasing the Coronavirus pandemic, as cases increase by the minute. There is no apparent coordination, no coherent thought put into counter-measures, only sad efforts at improvisation at both the federal and provincial levels. The medical professionals in charge give contradictory advice; mask/no mask, more lockdown/less lockdown by rainbow colors, vaccine/no vaccine for allergies, and so on. Nobody seems to care about the people losing businesses and livelihood for their families, with public service employees enjoying secure jobs paid for by tax dollars, looking on, seemingly twiddling their thumbs.
Ontario, Canada's most populous Province, has announced that as of Boxing Day, southern Ontario, will be entering a 28-day lockdown. The new rules include restrictions on businesses and gatherings, as well as shutting down some outdoor activities such as downhill skiing. Parks, skating rinks and cross-country ski and snowshoe trails across Ontario will remain open. Incongruously, just across the Quebec border, hills will be still open.
The lockdown for southern Ontario will be in place from Dec. 26 until Jan. 23, but will be lifted for northern Ontario on Jan. 9. Health officials have criticized the delay, with one top infectious disease doctor saying it was ridiculous to wait until the day after Christmas to shut down. I wonder what date the good doctor had in mind for going into lockdown?
"We had hoped not to see a shutdown," Joyce Lock, the medical officer of health for Southwestern public health, said. "This has many implications for individuals, businesses and services. (No kidding! LOL). "However, this virus is raging within our communities. This is the best tool we have to keep distance between people and stop the spread."
There is no mention of the best non medical advice, of course, which would be to continuously educate people to respect each other and hygiene rules, to allow small businesses to survive. The role of the state is to help its citizens live peacefully and enjoy their freedom. It's not to impose arbitrary rules that serve their own interests; implementing contradictory, baseless, and ad hoc measures.
With the worrying surge of cases across the province potentially putting more patients into Ontario hospital beds, many seem to consider the lockdown a necessary precaution. The question is why we do not have enough doctors and nurses in the province to face this kind of exceptional event? And what about people whose life saving surgeries are on hold; being delayed indefinitely? Need they become victims of the virus too? The medical profession is silent and politicians do not know what to do. They are ready to declare however, that if the lockdown is not taken seriously, we risk more people becoming very, very sick, and will overwhelm the health-care system. My question is this: how can we justify a healthcare system in this country, which swallows billions of tax dollars every year, and gets worse, instead of getting better?
The new measures in Ontario- the most stringent since the spring lockdown - will ban in-person shopping in most retail stores, shutter gyms and recreation facilities and force restaurants to offer takeout or delivery only. The lockdown also prohibits indoor social gatherings, except with members of the same household, and caps outdoor gatherings at 10 people.
On top of these worries, there is now a new variant of COVID-19, which appeared in Britain and has prompted many countries to implement travel restrictions against the United Kingdom. Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam says that this mutation has not yet been identified in Canada. Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) has said it is analyzing known cases to determine whether the new strain, which research suggests is significantly more transmissible than the variant currently dominant in Canada, is already in the country.
"Obviously it's an evolving situation," Tam said. "We've been very active in the last couple of days and activated all the scientific networks in Canada."
Unfortunately, long before they will have all "the results" the virus will have taken many more victims. The appearance of the new variant of COVID-19 has also sparked concerns that it may reduce the efficacy of existing vaccines.
Tam is clinging steadfastly to her stock phrase, saying that current "expert research" suggests it is unlikely to have a significant effect on the current or soon-to-be-approved vaccines. "Right now, we remain optimistic on that front," she said. Tam affirmed that it was important to work with the vaccine manufacturers and international partners - particularly the United Kingdom, which is also rolling out the Pfizer vaccine - in order to determine the potential effect of the new variant. Tam also warned that Canada was currently on track for a strong resurgence of the virus over the next several months. She pointed to disturbing trends in cases, hospitalizations and mortality, and urged Canadians to continue to follow public health guidelines.
"This is a perilous time," she said, noting that unlike the first wave of the pandemic in the spring, the virus is now reaching remote communities. "With the widespread resurgence right now, there's a much more broad impact across all areas of Canada, and you can see the impact in Nunavut," Tam said. Nunavut reported its first two deaths related to COVID-19 last week. "And we're only getting into the winter," she said.
She further stated that the exhaustion of health-care workers, and ordinary Canadians, was one reason the next few months would be so difficult.
As of this week Canada had recorded a total of 520,045 cases of COVID-19, and a CBC News tally of deaths stood at 14,402. Ontario and Quebec are each recording more than 2,000 new cases daily.
On top of this, planes are still arriving with people not required to be tested before entering Canada, a precaution many nations have implemented. Public Safety Minister Bill Blair has said that the screening and quarantine measures in place since the spring in Canada are adequate and proudly claimed that Canada has been among the most aggressive countries in controlling entry during the pandemic, alas, without backing up his statement with proof. (A pompous, politically motivated understatement perhaps?) "We have not been slow and not been unresponsive to the concerns that Canadians have," Blair claimed.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford described the border as a "sieve" and argued for a more effective testing system at airports across the country.
He said that he was asking the federal government to implement a requirement for pre-departure tests for people trying to enter Canada. Blair's counter argument is that international travel was the source of just 1.8 per cent of COVID-19 cases in Canada throughout the pandemic. "What we're seeing now is that the biggest problem in Canada is community transmission inside Canada, it's not really the importation of cases," claimed Deputy Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Howard Njoo, with confidence.
With this deadly new virus cocktail on the menu for politicians and medical professionals, let us hope that we will still be able to enjoy Christmas and New Year with our families.
Wishing you and yours a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
2021
2021
By Joe Ingino
Editor/Publisher
“I live a dream in a nightmare world”
Another year has passed... and what a year it has been. Normally for the welcoming of a new year we must first ponder on the year gone by. the good and the bad. Sadly, 2020 has been one bad year and very little good can be acknowledged.
It is hard to look at the future with optimism. As per definition op·ti·mist: is a person who tends to be hopeful and confident about the future or the success of something. "only an eternal optimist could expect success".
From the COVID to the recent elections in the United States. The world is undergoing changes like never before. It is hard to look to the future with optimism. A vaccine! World peace! Social order! All long and far fetched solutions to a never growing problem.
If not to look at the future with optimism then the only other choice left would be to enter 2021 with a pessimistic outlook.
By definition a pes·si·mist. Is a person who tends to see the worst aspect of things or believe that the worst will happen. "the pessimists point to ways in which life has deteriorated".
Can we be a optimistic/pessimist? After all there are so many thing on the balance. Here in Canada it appears we govern by following global trends.... It is easier to close everything down in the hope that the VIRUS will magically disappear instead of coming up with some plan of attack to assure public places are constantly disinfected to protect against this viral attack from China.
It appears it is easier to restrict civil rights and freedoms then to actually come up with an aggressive plan to fight the virus street by street.
Why does the government not come up with trucks full of disinfectant patrolling streets. No instead they patrol the streets with pockets full of violation tags in order to fill their coffers.
Our government is of opinion of that of Thomas Jefferson.... Let us not be uneasy then about the different roads we may pursue, as believing them the shortest, to that our last abode, but following the guidance of a good conscience, let us be happy in the hope that by these different paths we shall all meet in the end. Thomas Jefferson
Well wishful thinking, I supposed. The reality of it is we will still have to deal with COVID. The reality is that due to forced closures in Ontario, many people will loose their businesses and homes.
In the word of Jesse Jackson... "Hold your head high, stick your chest out. You can make it. It gets dark sometimes, but morning comes. Keep hope alive." Jesse Jackson.
It appears that Jesse Jackson had it right.... As governments of the world surely have their chest out and awaiting for a morning to come to get us out of this pandemic.
The question is how many people need to die. After all just because you had been infected it does not mean you can’t be infected again. Not to mention what affects you will have if you become infected by the new mutated virus.
In the words of Barack Obama...The best way to not feel hopeless is to get up and do something. Don’t wait for good things to happen to you. If you go out and make some good things happen, you will fill the world with hope, you will fill yourself with hope." Barack Obama
Well Obama surely got it right. We as a people need to stop feeling hopeless. We need to take control of our future and demand on our governments to come up with a real solid plan.
The vaccine is not a government plan... It is a possible solution brought about by science. A science that has in the past proven to have many failures.
This new vaccines promises a possible solution without telling us all the risks and all the future side affects.
At the moment we are being forced to trust or die mentality. This is wrong. Our governments are taking away our rights and freedoms in the name of public health. I say malarkey. Ask us don’t tell us. Enforce those who are in violation of social norm. Why are we closing the small businesses and Walmarts and alike are allowed to stay open. This is not a democracy when our elected official pick and choose on our behalf with a hidden agenda. How dare close big Walmarts...place where large number of people use.
Happy 2021. Will we make 2022? How many of us must die? How long will we wait?
We must be optimistic/pessimists in this ironic world we live.
Staying the course
The holiday season
Written by, Sharleen Cainer, BSW RSW
There are many avenues that can lead a person into homelessness.
Staying the course, giving up, going off into the great abys where a poor decision leads to a bad outcome and a poor outcome becomes a leader into another bad decision. Things are then galloping into an uncontrollable financial, personal, relationship mess. Where do we go from there or what do we do?
We are born with 3 attributes that define ourselves: resilience, personality, and character. Resiliency is documented as a prime indicator of our ability to remain mentally healthy, to bounce back from a disaster. Personal disasters are also are a marker or challenge to our ability to succeed.
Many extremely successful people have suffered many personal or financial disasters. Jeff Bezos started a company in his garage called Cadabra, after his parents loaned him $250,000. He gained a few other investors after a convincing sales pitch where he told everybody there was a 30% chance of success. Cadabra then became an online bookstore. Mr. Bezos then decided to name it after a river, Amazon. Mr. Bezos is now the richest man in the world, weighing in at 163.6 billion a year. You might feel that if you had a parent that was going to invest ¼ million into your impending success, you would also be quite rich and famous. Well, maybe yes, and then again maybe not.
Mr. Bezos worked on Wall Street in New York. He became aware early in 2000's that internet businesses were flourishing while the same annual growth was not evident in other financial avenues. He set up his business to ride the Ecommerce wave. His vision and his problem-solving skills propelled him forward. Long gone are the days when he was sitting in his garage plotting the success of an online book store business while conventional businesses met their demise.
Another inspirational individual, Jal Jok became a child soldier somewhere at around 7yrs of age. He, along with other children escaped and became involved with a British Aid worker, by the name of Emma McCune. This dedicated young worker smuggled a young Jal Jok into Kenya and he eventually came to Canada. He became the poster child for the story War Child. But on a personal note, he aspired to be a hip hop artist as EmmanuelJal. He amassed a large following and became remarkably successful. You might be feeling that you would never have survived with your mind intact had you been forced to be a soldier at such a young age. Well, maybe not but then again, maybe.
EmmanuelJal is very insightful while talking about suffering; how he has run from one place to another. With each episode of suffering, a resolution awaits. With each resolution another set of circumstances arises that brings a new heightened intensity of suffering and then again, the resolution. The past can not be changed, the future is unknown. What you can be in control of is the present. What do these two Iconic heroes have in common? Resilience, vision, problem-solving strategies, and self-reliance.
Institutionalization, the antithesis of self-reliance, will diminish an individual's ability to resolve their issues and expand their ability to problem solve, therefore becoming a gateway to homelessness. Hospitals discharge, with little attention of where too. Jails release with little thought of where too. Children's Aid, discharges, with a sanitized term called "aged out", and little thought as to where too. To resolve a crisis, one must be able to conceptualize the problem, then create the solution. Note where you came from, how you got here, where are you going from here, and how will you get there?
Indigenous people have been institutionalized since the arrival of the Europeans. Institutionalizing the Native inhabitants was necessary for European land ownership, which lead to the subsequent homelessness of the Indigenous. The residential schools separated the children from families and culture, leaving them to struggle with who they were, how they got into that torturous situation and how they were going to escape from it. Dominated as defenseless children, Indigenous youth struggled to conceptualize solutions. The concept of institutionalization has many arms, like an octopus. Each arm has the same agenda, to dominate the spirit of an individual so as to ensure the compliance to policy. We have lost sight of the fact that "policy" is an ever-changing concept that shifts with the flow of the political pendulum. If you are sceptical on that think back to WW11 era, when in an address to the nation, it was deemed by the Prime Minister of Canada that one Jew in Canada was one Jew too many. Think back to the days of slavery when it was policy that allowed the Prime Minister of Canada to own a slave. Policy changes because of public opinion. The role of institutions changes because of public opinion. Go Public, shelter the unsheltered.
Dream Lover
Dream Lover
Q I’m an 18-year-old girl who just finished her first semester at her new college. Things have been going okay, I guess, but there is something that keeps bugging me. I can’t seem to get over my crush from 8th grade. And no, that’s not a typo. . .since 8th grade.
Back then, 8th grade was my “transitioning stage” from wearing glasses and kids’ clothing to dressing more girly and wearing contacts. I was always called ugly and a loser back then. However, since my “change,” people in and outside of school made comments about how pretty and beautiful I am. Anyway, in 8th grade I had 4-5 classes with this boy. He was tall (still is) and had blue eyes and blond hair (still does) and was really attractive (still is). He was one of the most popular guys in my grade, while I was a shy girl with dark brown hair and hazel eyes who didn’t go out often. For some reason, he started talking to me. Even more than that, he sat next to or behind me. He used to joke with me, poke me, and in general, be very nice to me. He gave me a lot of his attention. It made me so happy!
This guy, why would he want anything to do with an unpopular girl such as myself? I didn’t know either. I was just so happy! This was the first time a boy, and a good-looking one at that, was genuinely nice to me! Thus began my crush.
I had two classes with him in 9th grade. We talked and joked around then, but in 10th grade nothing. Then 11th grade comes, and I sat right next to him as his physics partner!
We talked and laughed together. He even patted me on the head when I put my head down to rest my eyes. . .it was a wonderful feeling. Then senior year rolls around and I barely saw him, except in the hallway.
I said hi to him a few times and he said hi back, but that was it. The next thing I know, we have prom (I was dateless, he took a random friend as his date). I saw him look at me a few times as I passed by in my dress, but that was it.
Then we had graduation. My last name starts with a “K” and his with an “L.” Three people were between us when we sat down to graduate. I saw him look at me a few times, but I thought it was nothing.
That brings me to college. I go to an all-women’s school, but many men from a coed school take classes at my school and roam around. However, I feel sad that my little talks and times with my crush have ended. But I can’t stop thinking about him from time to time.
I thought I would have the opportunity to meet new guys at my new school, but every time I see photos of my crush at his college with friends who are girls, I get jealous. Why couldn’t that have been me? It’s so unfair! The guys I see now don’t compare to him.
I know this sounds weird, but I’ve fantasized and had a few dreams where he was in it, and even in my dreams he was a gentleman. The last dream I had of him was yesterday. Unfortunately, my mom woke me up in the middle of it. The fact that I wanted the dream to last made me so mad I almost wanted to cry! I was so sad my mom interrupted, you have no idea.
I know it sounds stupid, but I just can’t get over this guy! I wish I could have been his girlfriend so I could do anything to make him happy, but it’s too late.
Monique
A Monique, we go through life. We meet a lot of people. Some of them older, some of them younger. Some of them are pretty, some are plain. Some are friendly, some are standoffish. It doesn’t mean that every one of them, or any particular one, is the one for us.
You happened to meet a guy your age, good-looking and friendly, who didn’t ask you out. He treated you well, but as a classmate.
Because he was handsome and nice to you, you saw him as someone to date. Though you were lab partners in physics, the chemistry that makes people like each other in that way was not there on his side. Everything else was made up in your mind.
Maybe as a boyfriend he would have been terrible; maybe as a boyfriend you would have been jealous all the time; maybe you were not ready for that kind of relationship. That you say you would do anything to make him happy means it was a fantasy. A crush.
What are crushes for? They are one-sided, practice relationships. You get over them and then start having real relationships. Now you must do the grownup part. You don’t get to measure every male by a daydream.
You may have heard, time and again, that you have your whole life ahead of you. But you do! You don’t get to pick a boyfriend like you pick next semester’s classes. It has to be a two-way boulevard. It might be next year, or it might be six years from now. We don’t know.
But it will not happen when you are focusing on the wrong place. It will happen when you are acting from the place where you now are, as a beautiful, educated young woman.
Wayne & Tamara
Email us at DirectAnswers@WayneAndTamara.com
What Did You Learn in Disastrous 2020?
What Did You Learn in Disastrous 2020?
W. Gifford-Jones, M.D. and Diana Gifford-Jones
How carefully have you been reading our column over the past year? Take our True or False quiz.
#1: Excessive amounts of fructose, one of the main carbohydrates in refined sugar, is converted by the liver into fat. Glucose, the other component of sugar, is burned up as energy by all cells.
#2: It’s prudent to brush the tongue after eating, not just your teeth, as this removes bacteria, fungi, and even protozoa from deep fissures with benefits for your overall health.
#3 Magnesium found in dark leaf greens and whole grains helps to dilate arteries and lower blood pressure.
#4 The World Health Organization and 15,000 scientists have signed a petition warning humanity to cut back on eating meat, citing the environmental harm of methane-emitting cattle.
#5 Light therapy releases morphine-like substances, helps with the formation of new-blood vessels, and cures 60% of patients with degenerative changes in the lumbosacral region of the spine and compression of spinal nerves.
#6 Artificial intelligence developed by a Canadian company is assisting in early diagnosis among the 425 million patients worldwide who have diabetes, complicated by retinal atherosclerosis, and stand to lose their sight.
#7: Men suffering from chronic obstructive lung disease are more often correctly diagnosed than women with the same problem who are more likely to be labelled as having a psychiatric problem.
#8 There may be 2,000 ticks in an acre of forestland. A classical tick bite rash looks like a bull’s eye with a clear center, but only three people in ten get this rash.
#9 Keep the toilet seat down when flushing. A report in Physics of Fluids advises it’s better to keep viruses in the bowl. Spray, they say, can fly as high as three feet and in public toilets even higher.
#10 Dr. Charles Matthews of the Nutrition Cancer Institute in the U.S. pooled data from 9 studies which analyzed how activity affected 15 types of cancer. Those who engaged in 7-15 hours of physical activity a week showed significantly lower risk of 7 of the 15 cancers.
#11 Authorities say that the safe limit for canned goods such as acidic foods like canned tomatoes and other fruit is 18 months. For canned vegetables, beans, meats and poultry, it’s two to five years. A dented or rusty is a red flag. A swollen can means harmful bacteria are present and the can must be thrown away.
#12 A Gifford-Jones Law states that one degenerative disease often leads to another and another. This is why the epidemic of obesity often leads to type 2 diabetes and the complications of blindness, kidney failure and amputation of legs due to atherosclerosis (hardening of arteries).
#13 For baby boomers (born between 1945 and 1965) having hepatitis C, it most likely was transmitted long ago through contact with contaminated blood before robust controls were in place.
#14 A study at Boston University showed that cortisone injections for knee arthritis should be limited to 2-3 a year to decrease the risk of cartilage damage.
#15 International viral experts report that 1,000 milligrams of vitamin C taken three times a day, 3,000 international units (IU), 400 milligrams of magnesium and 30 milligrams of zinc daily will decrease the risk both of developing coronavirus and of dying of it.
The answers? All items are true.
We close out this disastrous year of 2020 with a wish to all readers for your good health and a better year ahead.
Friday, December 18, 2020
AND THIS IS 2020 CHRISTMAS
AND THIS IS 2020 CHRISTMAS
By Joe Ingino
Editor/Publisher
“I live a dream in a nightmare world”
Russian author Leo Tolstoy, in his book War and Peace. a book about people trying to find their footing in a world being turned upside down by war, social and political change, and spiritual confusion. May be said that in part this is what many are going through today. We are at war with COVID-19. Our social and political leadership is being exposed for what they are.... nor left or right.... it appears they are one of the same. It is not about the people but about politicians at all levels filling their own pocket at the expense of hard working taxpayers.
George Orwell’s 1984 book another warning from the past... Litarete genius that in part fore warned us of a very real future.
What was George Orwell's purpose for writing 1984?
In writing 1984, Orwell's main goal was to warn of the serious danger totalitarianism poses to society. He goes to great lengths to demonstrate the terrifying degree of power and control a totalitarian regime can acquire and maintain.
Having witnessed firsthand the horrific lengths to which totalitarian governments in Spain and Russia would go in order to sustain and increase their power, Orwell designed 1984 to sound the alarm in Western nations still unsure about how to approach the rise of communism.
Today with the decay of political ‘isms’. The world is in a free fall. We have a Prime Minister that talks about a global social GREAT RESET.
About the world becoming one under one government. It started with the phantom of climate control to now the very true threat of a pandamic. An opening for governments to restrict movement and exercise serious violations of human right and freedoms.
We the people are being fed the pill through fear of infestation, when in reality it shoudl be the responsibility of the government to go after a vaccine and the real infectious point of threat. No, instead they put fear in people and pass all kinds of regulations to restrict movement.
As we the people have been conditioned to be a good citizen we follow with limited challenge and anyone opposing will face strict reprecautions. Tolstoy and Orwell both warned us of such powers by a govenment. Why are we not listening.
Our government has gone as far as telling us how and with who we should be celebrating one of the most important holidays of the year.
I can rationalize common sense. I can’t rationalize hypocracy. Government tells us to stay home. They tell us to shut down our businesses.... and yet they increase and or threaten to increase staple items.
As we turn with hope to 2021. One has to wonder how this GREAT RESET will play out in our daily lives. What will it mean when we are once again faced in 2021 with this COVID threat and what will be forced to give up in the name of public health.
In the words of John Lennon - ‘SO THIS IS CHRISTMAS’ -
“So this is Christmas - And what have you done? - Another year over - And a new one just begun - And so this is Christmas - I hope you have fun -The near and the dear one - The old and the young - A very merry Christmas - And a happy New Year - Let's hope it's a good one - Without any fear - And so this is Christmas - For weak and for strong - For rich and the poor ones - And so happy Christmas - For black and for white - For yellow and red ones - Let's stop all the fight. The world is so wrong”
How reflective of what is going on in our society today. As 2021 we should all be doing our part to combat COVID. Not letting government tell us what to do. But doing what makes sense in order to prevent the spread. My Christmas wish is that we as a people as a nation stop looking at each other as the same but instead as unique. As through our uniqueness we can become one strong nation of tolerance and understanding of all people. I wish that we stop worrying about foreign lands and truly take care of our people. That we stop the global thinking and put our hard earned resources into building on this great nation. It is Christmas and it will always. Let no agenda or hidden interst compromise a Canadian cultural custom and tradition. We as a nation can celebrate Christmas any way we want. It is up each and everyone to do what is right. DO IT. MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR.
Political allergies and Covid 19
by Maj (ret'd) CORNELIU E. CHISU, CD, PMSC,
FEC, CET, P. Eng.
Former Member of Parliament Pickering-Scarborough East
After nine months of a gruelling, unrelenting and frequently mismanaged battle with the pandemic, finally a vaccine has arrived in Canada and the world.
The start of vaccinations gave Canadian PM Justin Trudeau an opportunity to champion the environment, focusing on a new start of the economy in terms of the principles and promises of the Liberal Party.
In capitals around the world, political leaders have, with varying degrees of success, pinned their own political fortunes to the arrival and successful rollout of a vaccine. Who can blame them? After almost a year of unrelenting bad news, what politician wouldn't want to own the solution?
The people at Pfizer and Moderna, whom we actually have to thank for the vaccine, have worked hard to try to find a solution to fight the Covid 19 virus.
Here at home, it remains to be seen how our own political leaders will fare in their vaccine politics and whether the glory will be taken away by some unknown allergies.
Thus far, Trudeau and his cabinet are heavily pursuing an unknown, ambitious and somehow unrealistic climate change based new economy that will probably be extremely expensive and might well bring an economic pandemic to the country. For example, in a recent announcement, it was predicted that the federal carbon tax would soar to $170 a tonne by 2030, adding 28 cents to the average price of a litre of gasoline. This is further evidence that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is joining a global revolution in embracing a wholesale, tax-induced adoption of less mobile, more vegetarian and generally far less consumptive lifestyles in the world's wealthiest countries, with the COVID-19 pandemic serving as a catalyst.
The Conservative Party and opposition leader Erin O'Toole are not far from the same kind of promises to Canadians; only the packaging is different. No innovative ideas, no policies in place which could mobilize the Canadian electorate to have a realistic choice and vote for a change. That said, it is a dispute purely over methods, not goals. Conservatives have committed to meeting Canada's 2030 targets under the Paris Accord, just not with a carbon tax. The Conservative team has been signalling that it plans to get serious about fighting climate change more generally, but non essentially. O'Toole's predecessor, Andrew Scheer, stumped for his "Real Plan to Protect Our Environment" as "Canada's best chance to meet the Paris targets." Even Stephen Harper's 2015 platform boasted "We've committed to ambitious greenhouse gas emission reductions by 2030," but no real action was ever taken.
With a potential election looming just around the corner, Trudeau has better hope and his team prepares for the landing, because there is no inoculation that can keep a minority government alive forever. So he is preparing himself to be best positioned to win a new majority.
Their various post-COVID slogans "build back better," "a more resilient Canada," etc; even the press release announcing the carbon-tax hike begins, "As we continue to address the impacts of COVID-19 and ensure our strong economic recovery…" go out of their way to liken the battle against climate change to the battle against the pandemic.
But now comes the unknown which nobody wants to hear about. With the vaccine in place, the issues of people with allergies being advised to be careful about taking it, might easily translate to a political allergy, as the vaccinations proceed.
Pfizer has admitted that people with a history of severe adverse allergic reactions to vaccines or the candidate's ingredients were excluded from their late stage trials. However, the allergic reactions may have been caused by a component of Pfizer's vaccine called polyethylene glycol, or PEG, which helps stabilize the shot and is not in other types of vaccines.
On Dec. 12, Health Canada issued official guidance for those with serious allergies. Noting that all vaccines in Canada "carry a warning about the risk of serious allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis, and immunization clinics are equipped to manage these rare events," the federal government warned that "people with allergies to any of the ingredients of the [Pfizer COVID-19] vaccine are currently cautioned against receiving it."
So as we approach the winter festivities, we need to be cautious and aware about the coronavirus pandemic and hope that our politicians do not become allergic to their duties. Life must go on……
Wishing you and your loved ones hope and happiness during this traditional season of giving.
Stress Won’t Kill You, But Your Reaction To It Might
Stress Won’t Kill You, But Your Reaction To It Might
W. Gifford-Jones, M.D. and Diana Gifford-Jones
“Don’t underestimate the value of doing nothing,” wrote one of the world’s foremost philosophers, Winnie-the-Pooh, “of just going along, listening to all the things you can’t hear, and not bothering.” Doing nothing is exactly what a lot of us are facing for an extended period of time. But “not bothering” is probably not how most of us are feeling.
We’re worried about our families, our next meals, our jobs, the bills, the economy. For some, self-isolation, quarantine, or lockdown is a risk factor for domestic abuse. Many people are trapped in truly precarious situations, far away from home or from needed medication. Others are just alone, and it feels like solitary confinement with no prospect of human interaction for weeks to come.
These adverse circumstances amount to considerable stress. Yet, there’s hope, as it’s not the stressors that will kill you, but rather how you react. In other words, your home isn’t going to hurt you, but your physical reaction to being cooped up might do some damage. For example, you might be fearfully producing the chemicals in your body and brain that cause your heart rate to increase, breathing to quicken, muscles to tighten, and blood pressure to rise. Your behavioural choices and how those around you handle tension can also have a huge impact on your health.
As Lou Holtz, the American football coach says, “It’s not the load that breaks you down. It’s how you carry it.” Let’s do what we can to ensure that the current crisis doesn’t manifest an avalanche of cases of anxiety and depression.
We’ve seen examples of how people are alleviating stress amid the COVID-19 crisis. Neighbours are joining in song from their balconies in China and Italy. Social media is alive with suggestions for fun, sociable activities you can do online in groups. Musicians are streaming concerts online. And everywhere, families are getting quality time together.
But being stuck at home can lead people to adopt unhealthy behaviours too. The most easily accomplished of these are smoking and eating too much. It you have started smoking, then seek help. Smoking will only pile on the problems. As for food, don’t let this be a time for poor diet choices. Those who struggle with weight management should focus on losing weight, not gaining it. Join an online exercise group and remember to step on the scale every day.
Difficult relationships can be made worse when confined in close quarters. So use the occasion to talk out the troubles. Find common ground. Put time into building the foundation for new beginnings. And reach out to professionals who can help you.
Even without the COVID-19 pandemic, anxiety is already the world’s top driver of poor mental health. The incidence of anxiety is certainly skyrocketing now. So before you run for more pills, try proven natural approaches. Exercise is one of the best remedies. Yoga, meditation, even reading a good book. If you are having trouble sleeping, turn off the TV and put away your phone. Try using a weighted blanket, which has a natural comforting effect.
Finally, think about all those who may need a little help with day-to-day living during these difficult times. Call someone who may be lonely. Check to see if seniors in your neighbourhood have the supplies they need. Offer help and reassurance to those who may be facing uncertainty about their job security. And show appreciation for all those on the front lines of the pandemic – most especially by staying home and keeping healthy yourself.
The holiday season
The holiday season
Written by, Sharleen Cainer, BSW RSW
The holiday season is around the corner. I don't know too much about how others are feeling, but I feel an incongruency, hanging around my neck like an albatross. I find it difficult to celebrate a holiday, when I know there are so many people who are living the lives of the unsheltered in Durham Region.
You might wonder, why should is all of this unsheltered business be my problem, when I have shelter, and a paper to read while I enjoy my sheltered existence? You don't know why; well, I can tell you why. The homeless population is growing exponentially around the world, but let's look in our own backyard, because it is growing there too. You might wonder and say, "yeah so"? Well, I will tell you why you should worry about your ability to shelter yourself and your family.
The democratic, capitalist social structure predicates on the ability of an individual to be able to earn enough money so as to marry, produce children, own a car, and a home. For the purposes of explaining, this is overly simplistic. However, when Canada's Founding Forefathers envisioned this country, it was seen to be able to provide for Canadians a land where a basic quality of life included a house. The economic plan in Canada, was geared to an employed man being able to provide a home for his family at the cost of one quarter of his earnings. Canada then introduced personal taxation in 1917 and it was to be temporary by the way until we got over the hump, that being the deficit resulting from the war. OK, so the good old days!!
Moving forward at a galloping speed, here we are. Personal taxation is now CRA and they will take what they want. The more financially challenged members of society will be paying the most tax. That is how it is structured. It is almost embedded in the documents so that unless you have studied taxation or economics, you may not know about it. So, with the CRA taking 30% of your income, the bank taking closer to 50% of your income to pay mortgage and that other tax, the property tax, people begin to struggle. Some bills go unpaid, unexpected expenses arise, and credit ratings start to diminish.
This is where it gets interesting. With a poor, to bad credit rating you need even more money to pay your mortgage or your credit cards. Needing more money to pay the escalating costs of living, you and your declining credit scores begin an expediated ride down a slippery slope into poverty. The bank manager will demand you live within your means, but that seems difficult when you, who of gainful employment is unable to demonstrate the financial prowess required to fund an average priced accommodation to shelter you and your family.
It is in these moments that issues such as domestic violence, or depression, or substance abuses or somatic illnesses begin to take up residence in your home and the day-to-day living becomes soul crushing for many.
Homelessness is not a problem that just suddenly happens. It is the culmination of many moving parts that come together in a melody of destruction. Many components of those moving parts are beyond the control of those who live trapped in this dark web of despair. Then what happens when we throw a pandemic onto the wood pile? If you ever doubted the seriousness of this situation, just review the earlier videos of Doug Ford's facial expression when he finds out we have a pandemic. That look of fear remained on his face for months.
We at Welcome Home for Less urge everybody to explore what it means to be humane. Engage in random acts of kindness. Help those who are less fortunate. They may not have been as lucky as you, but they still deserve humane treatment. Some people are just "down on their luck" so to say. No matter how hard we work, or how gifted we are, we still need to have some luck on our side. Nobody feels you did not dig deep and work hard for your reality. Think about how you feel after you give to someone who needs to receive. Every year I donate to an organization that will match my donation by 10x instead of buying presents for my family. My family all agree there is not much that we really need.
Last week in Oshawa a number of things happened that we should be ashamed of. There was a shooter on the roof of a building shooting at homeless people. In another situation there was a homeless man who was dragged from his tent while sleeping, beaten, and robbed by three masked men. Another homeless man, sleeping in a tent, was dragged from his tent, and beaten by three masked men. These are cowardice acts of violence perpetrated on the weakened members of our society who are not in a position to defend themselves and deserve our protection.
The Prime Minister put up 1 billion dollars to solely house and care for those who continue to remain unsheltered. Mr. Trudeau understands the necessity of looking after constituents. Unfortunately, the governing bodies who are responsible to administer these funds are struggling to come forward with a direct plan to shelter the unsheltered. Despite the efforts brought forward by many community groups to pitch in their talents and efforts, the situation remains unchanged. At Welcome Home for Less, I remain hopeful. A change is gonna come.
Saturday, December 12, 2020
ONE CHOICE IS NOT A CHOICE
In the name of political correctness
Homelessness a human rights disaster
HOW WOULD YOU TREAT YOUR OWN MOTHER?
WHEN THE BILL COMES DUE
Saturday, December 5, 2020
Joe Biden's collusion with Google
Joe Biden's collusion
with Google
Larry Klayman files suit against ex-veep over removal of YouTube videos
By Larry Klayman
This week, yours truly, the founder of both Judicial Watch and Freedom Watch and a former prosecutor in the U.S. Justice Department Antitrust Division, arranged to take the video deposition of Joe Biden and his campaign manager, Kate Bedingfield, who illegally interfered with the YouTube channel of Freedom Watch Inc. after I, many months ago, threatened to bring the presidential candidate before a citizens grand jury over his and his son Hunter's illegal activities in Ukraine and China during my weekly radio broadcast, "Special Prosecutor with Larry Klayman," on Radio America Network.
As a result of this interference, Google/YouTube, doing the bidding of and attempting to curry favor with Biden and his campaign – who they have put their money on to be the 46th president of the United States – removed all of my and Freedom Watch's public-interest YouTube postings for the last many years. Only after I threatened Google/YouTube through its attorney at Williams & Connolly, not coincidentally also the law firm of the Clintons, with suit were the postings restored. However, damage to my personal and professional reputations had already occurred, as it created the false impression that I had done something wrong.
I therefore filed suit against Biden and his campaign over this interference in Florida state court in Palm Beach County, and the case remains pending.
Previously, Freedom Watch and our brave and fearless client Laura Loomer, who now is running for Congress in Palm Beach County, had also filed a class action antitrust lawsuit against Google/YouTube and other big tech companies, which is headed to the Supreme Court. We did so long before the belated civil complaint filed early this week by my alma mater, the Antitrust Division, where I was on the trial team that broke up the AT&T monopoly during the Reagan administration. In the compromised filing, Attorney General Bill Barr, aka "Blowhard Bill," and the Department of Justice did not ask for the break-up of the Google monopoly as had occurred with AT&T, but only restrained and politically compromised cosmetic measures to increase competition among search engine providers. The suit frankly falls short of the relief needed and is too little too late, given all that is happening with regard to discrimination against conservatives, people of faith and President Trump. Freedom Watch will be intervening in this government lawsuit to advocate for a total break-up of Google.
Clearly, Blowhard Bill Barr's Justice Department lacks the courage to take strong action, as has been the case since he was appointed by President Donald Trump to succeed the equally worthless former AG Jeff Sessions. In filing this case now, Barr was simply trying to take the proverbial monkey off his back over criticism that he has not seen fit to indict former FBI Director James Comey, former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, the "love birds" former FBI Special Agents Peter Strzok and Lisa Page, former Justice Department official Bruce Ohr, or Obama intel agency czars James Clapper and John Brennan. To top all of his cowardly conduct off, Barr has declared the Obamas, Clintons and Bidens "off limits" and thus above the law.
Why is Blowhard Bill so cowardly? The answer is really simple and obvious. The deep state intel agencies have so much dirt on him, as they do with the overwhelming majority of public figures in the cesspool of the nation's capital, that to do anything substantive would result in "unacceptable blowback" for the attorney general.
This is the modus operandi in our body politic today and why, as I pen in my latest book, "It Takes a Revolution: Forget the Scandal Industry!" We the People must now rise up and take care of business. Time is short, and there is, as I wrote last week, no political messiah on the horizon. Even if, by the Grace of God, The Donald is reelected, the court jesters, fools and criminals in Congress will block his initiatives every step of the way. And, the ethical and moral decline, which has nearly hit rock bottom, will continue, as the fabric of our body politic has been infected with socialist, communist radical and racist ideology, thanks in large part to our so-called educational institutions.
We the People must therefore take it upon ourselves, seizing the moment, as fearless as our Founding Fathers, and wage a forceful but peaceful revolution. If we are physically attacked by the radical left, however, we must be prepared to defend ourselves to the end with our constitutional Second Amendment rights.
My having sued Joe Biden and his corrupt presidential campaign is just one battle in this war the citizenry must now rise up and win. Please order my book "It Takes a Revolution: Forget the Scandal Industry!" and enlist in our modern-day continental army, Freedom Watch's Justice League at www.freedomwatchusa.org. And, also enlist in a new public-interest group I have founded with Sheriff Joe Arpaio, "America's Sheriff, Inc.," by going to www.americassheriff.org. America's Sheriff was conceived of to protect our crucial law enforcement officers, so necessary for the safety and well-being of our families.
The Father and his Son are with us. Now we must return the favor and save Their greatest creation for mankind, the United States of America, before the money changers and criminals of the left burn down the Temple and nothing is left but ash.
We the People will show our resolve and means to fight and win this war with the left if we "forget the scandal industry," turn off cable news and get to work now, before it is too late!