FOOD FOR
THOUGHT
A little bit of mercy makes the world less cold and more just.
Pope Francis
A little bit of mercy makes the world less cold and more just.
Pope Francis
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OPEN ARMS-
(home for the homeless and hurting and mending)... 25 days to go for CNOY 2016
- 47 Teams and nearly $19,000 raised so far!- please join the walk or
donate..... 4 Homeless Harley Lawrence murdered down on Main Street Nova
Scotia.... Feb. 20 2016- Youth Video of the Homeless Youth... reality.... -
please walk for the homeless or donate.... we need u Canada
Coldest Night of the Year 2016: Youth- 20
February 2016
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BLOGGED:
Canada
Military News- Open Arms welcoming place for homeless and downonurluck- COLDEST
NIGHT OF THE YEAR- Feb. 20, 2016-KentvilleNS- Walk4 the Homeless Canada-Nova
Scotia-Annapolis Valley/Teach kids 2b good digital citizens and and seniors we
need 2 change old ways 4 the new world order of our youth- they will honour our
cultures-causes -Our Canada History let's change and enlighten/Embracing our
Canada’s old history and new-Teaching money care early- disabilities are
abilities in disguise
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Kenville, Nova Scotia-s new library site
Food for
Fines
Combine a visit to the library with a good deed for
your community. Once again, we are offering the Food for Fines initiative from
February 1-29. Just give us a non-perishable item for the local food bank and
we’ll forgive up to $3.00 in fines. Please note that Food For Fines applies to
fines only, not other fees like lost books or printing costs. For more details,
read our blog.
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Accentuate the positive: Change attitude to
improve life
LISA M.
PETSCHE
How to
Counteract Negative Tendencies
•Limit
your exposure to the news.
•Use
positive self-talk. Emphasize phrases such as “I can,” “I will” and “I choose.”
•Be
generous with praise and encouragement and cautious with criticism, giving only
the constructive type.
•Cultivate
a healthy sense of humour. Read the comics, watch a TV sitcom now and then or
rent funny movies. Don’t take yourself or others too seriously.
•Accept
realities you can’t change and focus on those you can influence.
•Trust
that there’s a valuable lesson in every type of adversity. And remember that no
matter what happens, you always have a choice about how to respond.
•Stay
connected to people who care. Minimize contact with those who are negative or
self-centred.
•Find
an outlet for expressing your thoughts and feelings, such as talking with a
friend or keeping a journal.
•Pick
your battles; don’t make a major issue out of every concern.
•Don’t
dwell on past mistakes, hurts or other unpleasant events.
•Look
for the good in people and situations. •Demonstrate empathy, give others the
benefit of the doubt and practise forgiveness.
•Do
something you enjoy each day: read, listen to music or take up a hobby.
•Identify
sources of stress in your life, then eliminate as many as possible and learn to
manage the rest. Practise relaxation techniques, such as deep breathing,
meditation or yoga.
•Seek
help from your primary physician or a counsellor if you continually feel sad,
angry or overwhelmed.
•Let go
of the need for perfection, and be flexible about plans and expectations. Take
things one day at a time.
•Be
receptive to learning new ways of doing things and try new activities.
•Do
nice things for others.
•Set
aside some quiet time each day; it nurtures your spirituality and helps to keep
you grounded.
•Finally,
focus on the good things in your life, such as supportive relationships, and
seek beauty and tranquility – through appreciation of art and nature, for
example.
Count
your blessings and learn to live in the moment, enjoying life’s simpler
pleasures.
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Cable companies mum on pick-and-pay and cheaper 'skinny' TV
packages
February
2, 2016
In less than a
month, big changes are coming that will usher in a new era of pick-and-pay
television. But it appears none of the major cable and satellite TV companies
wants to talk about it.
CBC News examined
many of the big TV provider websites — from Rogers to Bell to Shaw to
Telus. We couldn't find any information about the low-cost, "skinny"
basic TV package or added pick-and-pay channel deals they must offer by March
1.
The silence is
frustrating some customers who are eager to learn more.
"You'd think
because they're coming soon that they would have these options available to be
seen," says cable customer Chris Mooney, who's shopping around for a
better deal.
- LIVE
CHAT CBC Forum: What does the pick-and-pay model mean for TV?
Some industry
watchers believe customers could be kept in the dark until the March deadline.
They suspect TV providers don't want to spread the word about a basic, low-cost
TV package — until they have to.
"It's a
seismic shift that they don't really want people to know about," says
Daniel Bader, a columnist with the tech site MobileSyrup.com.
"Of course, if
it was in their best interest, they would be advertising it," he adds.
"They have absolutely no incentive to tell people there's a cheaper
option."
The skinny on
changes
Last year, the
Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission announced new rules
to give viewers more options. The regulations were sparked by viewer complaints
that they were forced to buy big bundles of channels at high prices just to get
the handful they wanted.
By March 1, TV
providers must offer a so-called "skinny" basic package priced
at $25 or less. It has to include mandatory local and regional stations, as
well as public interest Canadian channels such as APTN.
Providers can also
add selected U.S. networks like NBC and PBS — but the price can't go up.
Companies must also
let customers top up their "skinny" package with pick-and-pay
channels. They can offer them either individually or in "reasonably
priced" small bundles. Come December, companies must offer both.
In the dark
Cable customer
Mooney recently downgraded his current TV package to save money, but he had to
give up a favourite sports channel — TSN. He's anxious to know whether the
new offerings will let him get all the channels he wants at a decent price.
So he went online
to check out Cogeco and Bell — two TV providers serving Oakville, Ont.,
where he lives. To his surprise, he couldn't find any information about the
upcoming deals.
"It would be
nice to know what they're going to be so I know what my options are," he
says. "It's very frustrating."
There are no rules
forcing the cable and satellite companies to advertise early. The CRTC has only
mandated that TV providers must promote the "skinny" package by the
March 1 deadline "so that customers are aware of its availability, price
and content."
Tech analyst Bader
believes that even when providers start promoting the new deal, they won't go
all out, because it's not in their best interest.
"They're only
going to do the minimum amount required to appease the CRTC," he says.
Stay tuned
In recent days, CBC
News contacted many of the big providers to find out what deals they will be
offering come March. Not one shared any details. We also asked the companies
why they haven't posted any information yet.
Bell told CBC News
in an email that it hasn't announced anything yet, because "we're still
more than a month out from March 1."
Rogers
said, "We'll have more to say about this soon."
Eastlink stated it
will be sharing details on March 1 and to "please feel free to circle back
at that time."
Shaw said it will
be spreading the news "in the coming weeks."
Cogeco stated:
"It is too early for us to disclose any information. We will publicly
announce our new offerings in due time."
Telus never
responded.
Small player tells
all
At least one
provider is already offering details. VMedia is a
small internet-based TV service with just 18,000
subscribers.
The Toronto-based
company has a new Skinny Basic Package already available for purchase,
which it boldly promotes on its site. The package costs $17.95 and includes the
mandatory Canadian channels plus five American networks.
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We posted this on our troops on myspace in 2006 and blogspot in 2013 .... u know as WWII babies.... reading and pride in Canada was so important even though we were dirt poor white trash..... and men ruled and women knew their place.... my momma pushed the fact that women do many and get educated NOT pregnant..... and for all the lousy parenting.... she had my back and let me soar.... and she said that knowledge was the greatest power - it was the ticket to the whole world...... in the 60s and 70s as Trudeaumanias and Jackie Kennedy by day and flower children and living large at night.... AND OUR TORY parents still hugged and loved us- fed us on Saturday nights and card games and church on Sunday
Our troops.... beloved men and women of Canada who gave us our hard earned freedom was/is as ingrained as the bible into our very being.... and feeding the vagabonds and other poor trash like us was a given.... cause that could be Jesus in disguise.... so today.... Canada... am so proud of who we are and where we came from... warts and all.... our First Peoples and First Settlers built this nation for us.... and imagine...
Canada’s first and only all-black battalion honoured with special stamp
WATCH ABOVE: During World War 1, Black Nova Scotians were told it was a white man's war and largely turned away, but some formed their own segregated battalion. On Tuesday,here was a special honour bestowed upon the members of the No. 2 Construction Battalion. Global's Natasha Pace has more.http://globalnews.ca/news/2492811/canadas-first-and-only-all-black-battalion-honoured-with-special-stamp/ ------------
When u f**k-up on social media and speeches etc.... how to fix it
NEWS & ANALYSIS
On free speech and social media- what to do
when u mess up
Sara Gon |
06 January 2016
Sara Gon says that freedom of speech does not obviate from
exercising care in what one says or writes
Free Speech and Social Media: you’re not in your bedroom
As an
active privilege, it (freedom of speech) ranks with the privilege of committing
murder: we may exercise it if we are willing to take the consequences – Mark
Twain
In the age of
social media, it’s not so much committing murder as committing suicide. Penny
Sparrow (an ideal Twitter handle?) is the latest ‘victim’ of her own
carelessness.
Although
there were some laws guaranteeing some freedoms prior to the advent of
Apartheid, the Nationalist government introduced legislation to enable the
Executive to stop the publication of newspapers, magazines and books.
Only
government-controlled radio stations were allowed to operate. Television was
prohibited for a number of years. The government closed down some newspapers
and banned some journalists or prohibited them from working for news media.
Politicians,
activists and protesters were prohibited from speaking at or even attending
gatherings. Foreign journalists were denied visas for no apparent reason other
than they may expose the regime’s dictatorial
practices. Substantial periods of imprisonment were imposed for some of these
breaches.
Journalists
found ingenious ways of getting around the various prohibitions. The collapse
of apartheid was in part due to the contribution made by the liberal press.
Our democracy
has simultaneously created and coincided with untrammelled freedom of speech,
and not always to the good. Section 16(1) of The Constitution provides that
“Everyone has
the right to freedom of expression, which
includes —
(a) freedom
of the press and other media;
(b) freedom
to receive or impart information or ideas;…
This right,
however, is not absolute. It does not extend to—
(a) propaganda
for war;
(b) incitement
of imminent violence; or
(c) advocacy
of hatred that is based on race, ethnicity, gender or religion, and that
constitutes incitement to cause harm.”
Freedom of
speech does not obviate from exercising care in what one says or writes. On the
behemoth that is social media what one writes can carry the social,
professional or political kiss of death.
Prior to the
proliferation of Facebook, Twitter, comment links etc. publication in writing
of racist or defamatory remarks was confined to letters.
The former
required hand-to-hand distribution, in a manner of speaking. Generally,
therefore, there would be a limit to how many people would be exposed to the
comment, unless the media published it.
Letters
addressed to a newspaper were (and still are) subject to editing and you were
(and still are) required to give your full name and address to allow
verification of the origin of a letter, even if you wished to be referred to by
a pseudonym or anonymously.
The advent of
telefaxes didn’t make a great deal of difference as it only affected the speed
of the communication, but not the composition of it.
This changed
considerably with email. The ease and speed with which an email could be
composed and sent led to a considerable increase in embarrassing and unwise
communication. As emails replaced letters as the primary form of written
communication, people generally became more cautious of what they wrote before
sending, or saving them to be reread and reconsidered later.
The danger
has become more acute with the popularity of the social media. At the end of the third quarter of
2015, Facebook had 1.55 billion monthly active users. There are 650 million
used and unused Twitter accounts.
Facebook has,
in many respects, replaced oral social communication. Something unwise that may
have been said to a friend or a group of friends, now is written to a ‘friend’.
Facebook users forget that they are not teenagers confiding in each other in
the privacy of their bedrooms.
Social media has
encouraged a no-holds-barred approach to being insulting, rude, defamatory or vulgar. Racism, hate speech and anti-Semitism have
become currency on these media. So too old-fashioned defamation.
The High Courts
in Gauteng have ruled on defamation on Facebook. In one case the judge held the user liable rather than Facebook
itself, saying that this would have a more meaningful effect in discouraging
wrongdoing.
The judge also
noted that that the defence mustn’t just be that the words are true. They must
also be “in the public interest” NOT “interesting to the public”. If malice in
publishing the piece is proved, the defence will fail.
In another case
Wife No. 2 posted a series of defamatory statuses referring to Wife No. 1. Wife
No. 2 also tagged the husband. The posts only referred to Wife No. 1 by her
first name but made reference to the conflict between the two wives.
The judge found
that it wasn’t necessary to use Wife No. 1’s surname as the facts revealed
exactly who she was.
The judge said
that the publication of the Wife No. 2’s first post was gratuitous and intended
“to place the plaintiff in a bad light”.
The second post,
however, blatantly implied that Wife No. 1 allowed her teenage stepson to bathe
her young daughters, creating an impression of sexual deviance and paedophelia
that was “scandalous in the extreme”.
Although the
husband wasn’t the author of the postings, he knew about them and allowed his
name to be coupled with Wife No. 2. So, he was equally liable.
The difficulty
of removing tags or mentions suggests that the consequences of using the social
media can be more far reaching than past media were and much more difficult to
retract.
An adequate
apology may, repeat may, help you reduce your exposure to liability. Sparrow’s
comments comparing black people to monkeys is unlikely to be susceptible to any
form of apology.
The nature of
the apology matters and the judgments suggest –
Apologising on the same medium;Be sincere and clearly retract – be unequivocal;
Apologise sooner rather than later.
Compare Diane Kohler Barnard’s immediate and unequivocal apology, together with a preparedness to accept the Democratic Alliance’s punishment, with Sparrow whose apology just poured oil on troubled waters and included, amongst other extraordinary statements, “I wasn’t being nasty or rude or horrible, but it’s just that they [black people] make a mess. It is just how they are.”
Twitter has
the same sort of results but in a more public context. By virtue of its 140
character limitation, they are quick to write, to send and to respond to
without thinking through the consequences. Ask Kohler Barnard and, most
recently, Chris Hart, an economist with Standard Bank.
Hart tweeted:
“More than 25 years after Apartheid ended, the victims are increasing along
with a sense of entitlement and hatred towards minorities…” It is seldom about what you write
as how you write it.
One of the
problems with Twitter is that the brevity does not allow you to create context
or explanation. However many tweets you follow with, you are on the defensive
and invariably have to try to explain too much in order to convey it
effectively.
An English
court found retweeting to be an act of defamation.
Think, before
you write, before you send.
Freedom of
speech means setting words free. Imprisoned and freed words are consequential.
All words have consequences. – John R Dallas Jr
Sara Gon is a Policy Fellow at the IRR, a think tank that
promotes economic and political liberty. Follow the IRR on Twitter
@IRR_SouthAfrica.
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How
to shift negative thinking in four steps
Many of us who have spent time engaging in our own personal development have identified patterns of thinking and behaviours we judge to be ineffective.
In other words, we know what isn't working and we've taken action to correct those behaviours. Yet somehow, before we know it, we are in it again.
Perhaps one of the most insidious, ineffective and habitual patterns that re-surfaces is the spin-cycle of being hard on ourselves. It feels like a continuous loop of negative language that throttles us energetically.
Thoughts such as: I can't believe I said that, I should have done that better, sooner, differently. What was I thinking? I'm not smart enough or good enough, etc.
In the past, I've referred to myself as a recovering perfectionist.
I can always see how things could be made even better. It's a quality I view as a strength, as it inspires me to go to the next level of mastery in my career and in my personal goals. The trouble is, this strength becomes a weakness when taken to the extreme.
If you too have found yourself in the spin cycle or a similar negative pattern of thought, here is what I recommend: 1. Recognize that you are not your thoughts; you are just aware of them. You're not your thinking and you're not your circumstances. See your thinking clearly and without judgment.
2. Decide to make a different choice. In the moment, choose thinking that is self-validating and begin to create a different, positive-thinking loop. For example, think about what is working, what you're grateful for, or what you can learn from this.
3. Stop believing everything you're thinking. Your brain sends you false messages of negativity in order to keep you ‟safe." 4. The combination of self-compassion and a positive-thinking loop loosens the grip on the negative cycle and gets you moving in the right direction.
Recently, I was watching Bill Moyers interviewing Joseph Campbell on PBS. Joseph Campbell studied, wrote, and lectured extensively about the power of myths, psychology, religion, spirituality, and the essence of these stories for examining the meaning of our lives. One of his messages in the program was that we're not really seeking the meaning of life but we are ‟seeking the experience of feeling fully alive." Being in a negative thinking pattern is the exact opposite of feeling fully alive. It is our challenge to consciously avoid this negative thinking and get back to feeling good and generating joy.
Mara Vizzutti is a seasoned facilitator and certified executive coach. Over the past 20 years she has facilitated high caliber leadership programs to audiences of senior executives, supervisors and front line employees in diverse industries. She has completed countless professional development programs, the most recent being a MA in Organizational Development and Leadership.
Mara's areas of expertise include: leadership development, leadership coaching, installing coaching cultures in organizations and strategies for effective communication.
www.maravizzutti.ca, 902-477-2535, mara@newavenue.ca
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How I Calmed an Upset Patient and Prevented a Bad Situation From Getting Worse
By James Spoerl | Posted on
01.28.2016 | 0
comments
Photo: maylat / iStock
In the mental health facility I work in, there are
unfortunately many situations that require intervention to calm an agitated
person.
Because of the location and the purpose of my security department, I’m often directly involved in the calming process.
We admit many patients to the building through the core area I work in. Patients arrive by squad car or ambulance and walk, get wheeled, or are carried into our building.
We are a facility housing chronic, challenging, difficult, and high-security patients. 72 counties can send patients to our facility for review, evaluation, treatment, and care.
Because of the location and the purpose of my security department, I’m often directly involved in the calming process.
We admit many patients to the building through the core area I work in. Patients arrive by squad car or ambulance and walk, get wheeled, or are carried into our building.
We are a facility housing chronic, challenging, difficult, and high-security patients. 72 counties can send patients to our facility for review, evaluation, treatment, and care.
Many times, patients are scared, confused, angry, and even combative.
They arrive unsure of why they’re going to this facility and what they will face.
One older man with an obviously intense mental illness (obvious to me as a nonmedical staff member) was angry that he was being sent to a “mental hospital.” He didn’t see the need or reason. Therefore, he refused to get out of the transport van.
Since admissions are our responsibility, I got the call. We try to be ready for such circumstances. I gathered a team to deal with the situation. A gurney is always ready to transport those who are unwilling to walk. There have been a few times that one has been needed.
In this situation, one of the security officers began dialogue. Like many of our staff, he’s a first-generation immigrant, complete with an accent.
The incoming patient resented this, commenting something about “foreign” people. The situation appeared negative—it appeared that the officer’s message was not going to be well received by the patient.
As I mentioned in a previous article, our response to this is to substitute someone else in the speaking process.
The patient was quite pointed in that there was something he wanted to say.
I always encourage patients to state what’s on their mind, as it seems to be better when they feel heard.
Even though what this man was saying was very manic and somewhat incoherent, I tried to work with what I could make out and use it to start a conversation.
I was able to build rapport with the man and gather that he was quite solid in his convictions, seemed very worldly, and was positive that he didn’t belong at this facility.
I told him that I could bring him to people who would be able to discuss his placement and help change it if needed. He was able to recognize that ours is a mental health facility. I told him that the doctors and nurses could help guide him in the direction that he wished.
Sometimes all an angry person needs is to feel HEARD.
I find that one has to be careful not to make judgments of right or wrong
direction or make promises that cannot be fulfilled.
I can stand behind the fact that the courts have ordered this person to be here. I am able to tell the person that those who can help them live up to the mandates of the court order are in the building.
I did, in fact, tell this patient that, and reassured him that if he met with those who could help him and complied with what was expected, that his stay would be the shortest possible.
He was not thrilled with me, calling me a name at one point.
He did, however, comply with what we wanted and walked unaided through the whole building to get to his new unit. He seemed content that he had been listened to and that we were responding to his wishes.
I talked to him calmly, positively.
I find it helps to repeat the message in different ways. There has to be sincerity so you don’t come off as using a used-car-salesman approach. Our motto is “How can we help?” and that’s stamped on our ID tags. It could come off as cheesy, as that’s the same motto as a mega department store discount chain. But hopefully, the caring comes through in our speech.
The art of calming an excited person is learned through watching, listening, and reading relevant topics.
It has only been through CPI that I have been able to put together what I have learned in a single package.
It’s most helpful to have your entire arsenal of tactics and skills ready when a tense situation happens. Something will work. It’s just a question of what message and who will be listened to.
Even if you can’t prevent physical engagement with someone, the victory comes when the person’s anger is lessened, the fight doesn’t last as long as could be, and that a similar situation doesn’t happen again or as frequently.
James Spoerl is a 31-year veteran of the State of Wisconsin. He has spent 16 years in the Department of Corrections and 15 years with the Department of Health Services. He is a captain with the Mendota Mental Health Security Department. When he was young, he found disruptions thrilling and challenging. Now that he’s directly responsible for staff and patient safety, he uses every tactic he’s learned over the years to settle situations calmly and peaceably.
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Her year of buying nothing: ‘Getting and spending we lay waste’
’Tis the season for shocking credit card statements, followed closely by financial belt-tightening until Easter.For tips and tricks for spending less, Lee Simpson, author of My Year of Buying Nothing, has a few. Or a hundred.
Simpson, former publisher of Chatelaine, broke up with consumer culture in 2013. It wasn’t messy, but it was in public — in the toy aisle at Walmart.
“A generation of women who had literally changed the world within 30 years in terms of participation in the workforce were creating mountains of crystal, lavender, fluffy princess crap,” said the former magazine executive turned minister in the United Church, who lives in Lunenburg.
Chatelaine in the 1980s and 1990s were “halcyon days,” and Simpson said she was proud of the innovations and progress in women’s journalism. But she was also aware of the marketing techniques used to convince women they needed to buy more.
Simpson wrote in her book that she felt she was part of the machine and, right there in the toy aisle, felt she had to stop “contributing to a system that enslaved our grandchildren in this never-ending pattern of buy and discard.”
Simpson wrote out rules for her year of buying nothing, 2014. Toilet paper was essential, but not clothing, cosmetics and pretty much anything else she couldn’t eat. Then she started blogging about her experiences. The interest in her story prompted her to write a book.
For Simpson, it wasn’t just taking a stand against consumerism but also making a difference environmentally. She said the biggest challenge she didn’t envision was having to take unexpected flights, contributing to the burning of jet fuel, to visit her ill father and for the funeral of a friend.
“So those were my most grievous sins, in terms of carbon emissions into the environment.”
As for breaking her rules about buying stuff, in her book Simpson confesses to three episodes when she bought things. While they were purchases the average consumer wouldn’t give a second thought, the lapses still stick with her.
She took her two-year-old grandson to the Halifax waterfront for a trip on the Harbour Hopper one drizzly day. But by the time they got there, the weather turned, the sun was blazing and she had to buy a hat for the child.
“The second one was completely by accident, but it’s a really useful example that you have to apply hyper-vigilance to all your purchases.
“I accidentally bought a newspaper.”
Simpson was in the checkout at the grocery store when she thought her children, who were looking for rentals, could use the classified section. When she got out to the car, her husband questioned her purchase and she realized her mistake. While she wanted to return it, her husband thought the idea laughable.
The third purchase was more deliberate: an out-of-print, hard-to-find book for her daughter. Considering the happy memories it brought the two of them, Simpson said she doesn’t regret it at all.
The biggest difficulties she found during the year were giving up things she loved the most.
“The pure frippery of the cosmetic and toiletries aisle, I like those things. I think they’re great playthings for grown-up women,” she said.
“I’m not ashamed of it, it’s just a matter of knowing oneself.”
One big discovery was she didn’t need to carry money around with her, and she saved a bundle. By leaving her “walking around money” at home and without even a debit card in her pocket, she said she saved $2,500 to $5,000 that year.
Simpson said she has no idea how she spent that money before. But she knows now that if she doesn’t carry money around, she doesn’t spend it.
TIPS
Here are a few everyday tips from My Year of Buying Nothing:
•Dilute shampoos, body washes and conditioners with water.
•Use moisturizer only every second night and deodorant every second day.
•When tea towels look tired, transfer oldies to the rag bag and get out the souvenir ones.
•Think twice about dry cleaning anything.
•It is always OK to regift gently used books.
•Take fewer baths and showers. Your skin will thank you, and so will the water table.
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Tip sheet from @MediaSmarts to help parents
talk to kids about media coverage of traumatic events: http://ow.ly/xFs69 #monctonshooting
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Organize room by
room
While resolving to lose weight or quit smoking are popular New Year's resolutions, many people decide the dawn of a new year is a great time to get organized.
The holiday season can interfere with one's ability to stay organized. The arrival of new gifts, decorations decking the halls and overnight guests can make it seem like rooms have been turned upside down. But the end of the holiday season provides a great chance to sort through belongings and start organizing in earnest.
Men and women who want to get organized can consult with a professional organizer or tackle the job on their own, potentially enlisting the help of others in the household.
Step 1: Assess the damage.
It can be difficult to get organized without first taking inventory of your home. Go through all of the rooms in the house and decide what your goals for each room are, jotting those goals down as you go. See if the rooms have more storage potential than you're utilizing, particularly those rooms that are overrun with items. Storage can include shelves on walls, new furniture or modified closet spaces.
Again, jot down your ideas so you can refer back to them later on.
Step 2: Set up a sorting plan.
Organizing may involve sorting through belongings and getting rid of things you no longer use. One of the easier ways to handle sorting is to purchase three different containers or make three different piles.
The first one will hold items you will keep, the second includes items that can be sold or donated and the last will house items that you will discard or recycle. Separating belongings in this manner can help you stay on task and remove some of the stress from getting organized. Simply move the containers that are no longer needed from the room when youre ready to organize the remaining belongings.
Step 3: Schedule your cleaning days.
It may take a couple of sessions to get certain rooms clean, so plan ahead for that. For example, you may need a day to sort and toss items, another day to prep the room with organizational enhancements and yet another to put everything back. Separating tasks into manageable sessions will help you reach smaller goals that eventually add up to your larger goal of getting more organized.
Plan project days when you can devote time with few, if any, distractions. You may want to ask a friend or family member to take care of your children or pets for a few hours while you are tackling your tasks. Organizing around the trash pickup schedule can help, too. This way discarded items are quickly out of sight and out of mind.
Step 4: Prepare your day.
Have all of your necessary equipment on hand in advance of Day 1. This eliminates having to go on the search for supplies, which can prove distracting. Make sure you are well rested and have eaten a hearty meal. Set an alarm for how long you want the organizational session to go. If you work until you reach the point of fatigue, you may not be inclined to finish on another day.
Step 5: Reward yourself.
Every time you finish an organizational session or goal, treat yourself to something nice, such as a dinner out or a massage.
Choose something relaxing that makes you happy.
Step 6: Repeat the process.
When one room is organized, establish your plan for the next room. Once you see the success that comes from the first room, you can use that as motivation to do the others at your own pace.
Getting organized may take some time, but it can be well worth the reward when a home is clean and everything has a place.
The end of the holiday season provides a great chance to sort through belongings and start organizing in earnest.
------------
Kindness is a language that the deaf
can hear &the blind can see -MarkTwain
----------------
Big List of Random Acts!
Welcome to the “Big List of Random Acts of Kindness”! We have started it
off for you but we need your help to keep it growing. Please fill out the form
below to submit your Random Acts to the list!
Smile at people
-
Hold the Door for Someone
-
Thank a Veteran
-
Buy a Stranger’s Coffee
-
Say Please and Thank You
-
Offer to take your child’s teammate to and from a game
-
Drop off food for new parents
-
Pack an extra bag lunch so you can give it to someone in need
-
Give blood
-
Make a anonymous card for someone telling them how much they are loved
or appreciated
-
Return your shopping carts to the little cart corrals. Then line them
up!
-
Ask the Cashier How They Are Doing
-
Donate Books to the Library. Leave a Nice Note in One of Them
-
Give Out Flowers to Strangers
-
Help a Neighbour With Yard Work
-
Compliment Someone
-
Leave coupons you can’t use on top of items at the supermarket
-
Tell someone how wonderful they are (at their job or what great
qualities they possess)
-
take someone’s shift at work
-
Take care of your elders
-
Donate clothes to the homeless
-
Write an actual letter and mail it! Snail mail can be a great surprise.
-
------------
Accentuate
the positive: Change attitude to improve life
LISA M.
PETSCHE
How to
Counteract Negative Tendencies
•Limit
your exposure to the news.
•Use
positive self-talk. Emphasize phrases such as “I can,” “I will” and “I choose.”
•Be
generous with praise and encouragement and cautious with criticism, giving only
the constructive type.
•Cultivate
a healthy sense of humour. Read the comics, watch a TV sitcom now and then or
rent funny movies. Don’t take yourself or others too seriously.
•Accept
realities you can’t change and focus on those you can influence.
•Trust
that there’s a valuable lesson in every type of adversity. And remember that no
matter what happens, you always have a choice about how to respond.
•Stay
connected to people who care. Minimize contact with those who are negative or
self-centred.
•Find
an outlet for expressing your thoughts and feelings, such as talking with a
friend or keeping a journal.
•Pick
your battles; don’t make a major issue out of every concern.
•Don’t
dwell on past mistakes, hurts or other unpleasant events.
•Look
for the good in people and situations. •Demonstrate empathy, give others the
benefit of the doubt and practise forgiveness.
•Do
something you enjoy each day: read, listen to music or take up a hobby.
•Identify
sources of stress in your life, then eliminate as many as possible and learn to
manage the rest. Practise relaxation techniques, such as deep breathing,
meditation or yoga.
•Seek
help from your primary physician or a counsellor if you continually feel sad,
angry or overwhelmed.
•Let go
of the need for perfection, and be flexible about plans and expectations. Take
things one day at a time.
•Be
receptive to learning new ways of doing things and try new activities.
•Do
nice things for others.
•Set
aside some quiet time each day; it nurtures your spirituality and helps to keep
you grounded.
•Finally,
focus on the good things in your life, such as supportive relationships, and
seek beauty and tranquility – through appreciation of art and nature, for
example.
Count
your blessings and learn to live in the moment, enjoying life’s simpler
pleasures.
----------------
Restless Leg Syndrome & Fibromyalgia
Restless Leg Syndrome – What It Is
Restless legs syndrome is a disorder of the part of the nervous system that affects the legs. It is characterized by throbbing, pulling, creeping, or other unpleasant sensations in the legs and an overwhelming urge to move them. Moving the legs relieves the discomfort.Symptoms occur primarily at night when a person is relaxing or at rest. Symptoms can increase in severity during the night. Because it usually interferes with sleep, it also is considered a sleep disorder.
Restless Leg Syndrome – What Causes RLS
In many cases the cause of Restless leg syndrome is unknown. Evidence suggests that RLS may be due to the way the brain uses dopamine, a brain chemical that helps with muscle movement. Genes may play a role. Nearly half of people with RLS also have a family member with the condition.Other factors associated with the development or worsening of restless legs syndrome include:
- Chronic Illness – a chronic (long-term) health condition – such as chronic kidney disease, diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, rheumatoid arthritis, an underactive thyroid gland or fibromyalgia
- Iron Deficiency – Low levels of iron in the blood can lead to a drop in dopamine, triggering restless legs syndrome
- Medications – Some types of medications, including antinausea drugs, antipsychotic drugs, some antidepressants, and cold and allergy medications containing sedating antihistamines may worsen symptoms.
- Pregnancy – Some women experience RLS during pregnancy, especially in the last trimester. Symptoms usually go away within a month after delivery.
Restless Leg Syndrome – Symptoms
The symptoms of restless legs syndrome can be different from person to person. The symptoms can range from mildly annoying to severely disabling. You may experience the symptoms only once in a while or every night.These are the signs and symptoms of RLS:
- Uncomfortable sensation in the legs with a clear need or urge to move the legs – These sensations usually occur in the lower leg, but may be felt anywhere from the thigh to the foot. One or both legs may be affected. For some people, the sensations are also felt in the arms. These sensation are often described as:
- pulling or tugging
- itchy, creepy crawly
- burning, stinging, prickly, pins and needles
- aching, throbbing, pain
- Rest triggers the symptoms – Restless leg symptoms start or become worse when you’re sitting, relaxing, or trying to rest.
- Symptoms get worse night – RLS typically flares up at night, especially when you’re lying down. In more severe cases, the symptoms may begin earlier in the day, but they become much more intense at bedtime.
- Symptoms improve when you move your legs – The uncomfortable sensations temporarily get better when you move, stretch, or massage your legs. The relief continues as long as you keep moving.
- Nighttime leg movements – Approximately 85% of people with restless legs syndrome also have periodic limb movement disorder (PLMD), a sleep disorder. Periodic limb movements are repetitive cramping, jerking or twitching of the legs during sleep. These movements can occur about every 20-40 seconds, sometimes all night long, disrupting sleep.
Restless Leg Syndrome – Treatment Options
There is no cure for restless leg syndrome. Various treatments can help lessen the symptoms. Treatment options include lifestyle changes, self-care and medication. Here are some things to try:- Review your diet to ensure it is healthy and balanced. Avoid foods that may be causing or worsening the problem, such as alcohol and caffeine.
- Correct vitamin or mineral deficiencies. Iron deficiency is strongly linked to RLS. A deficiency in magnesium causes muscle tightening which can cause the leg spasms common in RLS. A deficiency in vitamin B can cause neurological problems, which is what causes the creepy, crawly sensations.
- Wear compression stockings during the day or try wrapping your legs in ace bandages to see if this helps.
- Develop good sleep habits.
- Stretch and massage. Begin and end your day with stretching exercises or gentle massage. It is important to stretch your hamstrings, calf and thigh muscles.
- Take a bath before bed. Soak in a warm epsom salt, baking soda or vinegar bath to relax your muscles.
- Apply warm or cool packs. Use of heat or cold, or alternating use of the two, may lessen your limb sensations.
- Try relaxation techniques, such as meditation or yoga. Stress can aggravate RLS. Learn to relax, especially before bedtime.
- Try using a TENS unit. TENS stands for Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation. A TENS unit is attached to the skin in order to send electrical signals to certain parts of the body. TENS is believed to help the symptoms of RLS by blocking pain signals.
- Find ways to keep your mind engaged while you are sitting, with activities like needlework, reading or video games.
- Examine prescription drugs, over-the-counter medications or herbal remedies you are taking. Some can trigger RLS symptoms and make them worse.
Medications Used For RLS
Several prescription medications are available to reduce the restlessness in your legs. These include:- Medications that increase dopamine. There are three FDA approved medications for treatment of moderate to severe Restless Leg Syndrome: Mirapex, Neupro and Requip. These medications reduce motion in your legs by affecting the level of the chemical dopamine in your brain.
- Anticonvulsant medications, such as gabapentin and Lyrica, work for some people with RLS.
- Narcotic medications can relieve mild to severe symptoms, but they may be addicting if used in high doses.
- Muscle relaxants, anti-anxiety and sleep medications. These medications help you sleep better at night, but they don’t eliminate the leg sensations, and they may cause daytime drowsiness. Examples are Klonopin, Lunesta, Restoril, Sonata and Ambien.
A non-drug option is Relaxis, a vibrating pad you place under the affected area. It uses specific vibrations to disrupt RLS symptoms. Relaxis is for people with moderate to severe RLS. To obtain the device, a doctor’s prescription is required. You can read more about it here.
The Link between Restless Leg Syndrome & Fibromyalgia
RLS has been linked to fibromyalgia according to study published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine. The link is so strong that those with fibromyalgia are 11 times more likely to have RLS than the general population.The study followed 172 people suffering from fibromyalgia. 93% were female and the average age was fifty. They were compared with a control group of 63 people who had no symptoms of fibromyalgia. The researchers found that 33% of the fibromyalgia group also had RLS as compared to only 3.1 percent of the control group.
Professor Nathaniel F. Watson of the University of Washington in Seattle commented: “Sleep disruption is common in fibromyalgia and often difficult to treat. It is apparent from our study that a substantial portion of sleep disruption in fibromyalgia is due to restless legs syndrome.”
------------
Author
provides insights into challenging folks- HOW TO DEAL WITH DIFFICULT PEOPLE...
BUSINESS BOOKSHELF
KAYE PARKER
kparker@herald.ca @ThinkKayeParker
Countless books have been written about difficult people. I have five in my library, and there are 61 pages listing similar books on Amazon.
What makes Gill Hasson's book different? At first glance, not much.
The book is divided into three parts. The first was pretty predictable. What makes other people act the way they do and what is the best way to respond?
The second part is about putting what we have hopefully learned from the author into practice, and the third zeros in on the truly impossible.
Like every similar book, he warns us that perhaps we are the difficult person.
Hasson has a checklist of 15 statements that help us take a look at our own behaviour, examine our expectations of ourselves and others, and determine if our expectations are reasonable and whether we have a ‟learned helplessness" when we meet difficult people.
He urges us to adopt a ‟beginner's mind" in order to wipe out history and begin anew with the difficult people in our life.
The chapter on communication is a review of things like active listening, reflective listening, asking questions and empathy. However, the several pages devoted to body language alone remind us just how critical that is when dealing with someone we consider difficult.
Hasson, a teacher, trainer and writer, recognizes that we aren't always good at standing up to difficult people and standing our ground, especially if it is someone important to us. But rehearsing confident body language and calm responses can be surprisingly effective.
I liked his simple definition of assertiveness: being direct and honest. I also liked the old Arabian proverb that says we should pass through three gates before we open our mouth and respond to a difficult person. Is what you are about to say necessary? Is it kind? Is it true?
In the second part, the author focuses on just three types of people: With aggressive people, send the message that you are strong and capable.
With people who are indirectly hostile, stay calm and ask questions to clarify what is going on.
With passive people, it is easier to deal with them if you like them, so have positive but realistic expectations of them and try to stay direct and honest yourself.
The third part focuses on people who are truly impossible. Perhaps they are critical of everything you do, or they may be extremely negative.
Perhaps they are a drama queen, or someone who is incredibly self-centred. Yes, bullying is included in this group. For this type of behaviour, he has included additional references.
Ideally, says Hasson, have as little to do with these people as possible. Cut them right out of your life.
That often isn't possible, of course. Perhaps this person is your parent, an adult son or daughter, an in-law, a friend, a colleague or your manager.
In this case, you may have to work extra hard to maintain your sense of self, your self-confidence and your optimism. Refuse to be an enabler of their difficult behaviour.
In conclusion, the author has compiled a list of dos and don'ts to consider in these instances. They really boil down to finding the courage to be yourself and not wasting your time and energy on these people. Don't be rude, but don't engage either. And if you can't cut someone out of your life, at least cut down on the amount of time you spend with them. As a last point, walking away allows you to regain control and removes their opportunity to be difficult with you.
This will not be my only reference when it comes to difficult people, but I do think it has merit. And I personally am vowing to work on having a beginner's mind with the difficult people in my life.
How to
deal with Difficult People
Gill Hasson
Capstone Publishing Ltd. $22
Gill Hasson
Capstone Publishing Ltd. $22
----------------------
ANNAPOLIS
VALLEY REGIONAL LIBRARY- KENTVILLE, NS
KENTVILLE LIBRARY-
January 10, 2016- suggestions- remembering Winnie and Joan and Gary
Pearl and Art Pope.... and June MacGregor Jain
-Recharging station for all mobiles etc.
-SKYPE room for meetings that are inclusive to all
parties... ie seniors, students etc. Bookings
-
Lots of windows
-
Card/board games area
-
Senior /disabled area with nice old wing chairs
by window
-
More washrooms and a drinking fountain
-
Easy access throughout
-
Film/movie area-
and film nights with European and asian subtitles nights so we bcome
more global
-
Pet day/nature encompassing Kentville , Kings
county and Annapolis valley nature trails and tourist highlights for 2016
–areas for access disabled to visit
-
Inclusive art and historical museum society
memorabilia loans
-
Art corner for all ages to take part and enjoy
and have a showing
-
Meeting rooms for youth decorated their way
-
First aid kits very visual/fire extinguishers
very visual and low enough for disabled to reach in emmergencly
-
All having wi-fi
-
Youth We-Day kind of projets with support for
Regional schools and School board
-
Special sessions training students on how to
hold a meeting
-
First Aid classes and Babysitting courses in
link with Red Cross and St. John’s Ambulance
-
Special sessions on learning how to help
homeless and helpless and those on hard times... RCMP, Police, Open Arms and
churches...
-
More washrooms
-
Health and wellness area
-
Uniforms for librarians for those who have poor
sight and confuse easily. 6,000 members
and many are seniors who pop in from all over.
-
PLEASE NOTE – Temp arrangements must be open and
easy accessible- and no basements... in 1970s... library was in the Rec. Centre
basement and it was a nightmare- and the poor policing next door.... Kentville
Town office seems to be huge and open and could easily fit the library in the
centre of enormous bottom floor.... so few staff there and such huge huge open
Town office with all the newbies...
-
Sincerely, Elizabeth Tarrant-Young, #306, 325
Main Street, kentville Nova Scotia B4N
1K5 tel: 902-365-2428 -landline
tarrant2009@eastlink.ca
Youth
--------------
Humanity came in the form of President Obama's tears.... we shed them 2..... thank u veterans- u never let us down...not once
Veterans Help Chicago Kids Get To School Safely http://ow.ly/WJ8As #veterans #Chicago via @nationswell
------------------------
let's
focus on small firms that define nova scotia chronicle herald january 2016
NOVA
SCOTIA- Let’s focus on small firms that define province
Efforts
in 2016 should also include investments within and about Nova Scotia
NowNS:
Let’s focus on small firms that define province
DAVID
UPTONLast Updated January 4, 2016 - 6:54pm
Efforts in 2016
should also include investments within and about Nova Scotia
Last Updated January
4, 2016 - 6:54pm
This article is part of The Chronicle Herald's Now!
Nova Scotia series, which examines — in the wake of the Ivany report — the challenges and opportunities faced by our province in
today's economy.
The year 2015
has been filled with a lot of almost-happened and coming-soons in Nova Scotia.
Although we talk about change and we feel it in the air, it has yet to touch
the ground in any meaningful way.
Two things that
I have to get off my chest right off the bat:
1. We need to
stop equating money with intelligence — who hasn’t heard of Donald Trump?
2. White (mostly
older) men have to get over themselves. We had our turn to lead. Maybe we
should let someone else try for a while. We haven’t been that good at it (this
includes the folks in No. 1). Arguing about this is like disbelieving in
climate change. The results can be seen everywhere.
We have to make
our own way in this province, and we used to be really good at it. Canadian
domestic policy has never been our best friend, and that isn’t likely to
change, so we must. I suggest we listen to some off-the-wall thinkers and try,
really try, to let someone, many someones, take a fresh turn at steering the
good ship Nova Scotia’s job-creation and quality-of-life projects. We know that
small businesses create most of the new jobs, and yet we continue to fund the
big companies to do it at the expense of little ones. It is the easy way out
and has never worked for us. Continuing is, by definition , insane.
Here are my
suggestions for 2016, in no particular order:
1.
Our future is small — embrace it. If most of us wanted to be like Toronto and
Waterloo, we would move there.
2.
Support small farmers, wood harvesters and fishers. Help them innovate and add
value to their products. Let the big money in Nova Scotia make their next
billion on their own. We’ve already done our part for them.
3.
Older people need to make way for the young. I don’t mean retire, take pay cuts
or give away our money. But surely we can all make room to share our experience
in a supportive way and provide opportunities to the generation waiting in
line. Opportunities like we received — cheap education, jobs that mattered, you
know, stuff like that.
4.
I support public pensions. In fact, my life partner will be a beneficiary in
the near future. Shouldn’t all of the public pension money be invested in Nova
Scotia? After all, most of it is ours. Create a new law and put the money to
work here, now.
5.
Create a disincentive to leave RRSPs in mutual funds that invest 98 per cent of
our money in other provinces. You want a tax break in Nova Scotia. Do something
about it. This is a good rule.
6.
Businesses that have a social, cultural or environmental mission at their core
should be the only businesses that receive support from our government. If a
company can’t prove how it provides value beyond jobs and profits for owners,
that’s fine; they’re welcome here. Just don’t expect taxpayers to support them.
7.
Let’s quit talking about growth. Not all growth is good (you should have seen
the weeds in my garden last summer). Let’s talk about value and quality of
life, let’s talk about eliminating childhood poverty in this rich place, let’s
talk about people things, not money things.
8.
No more investing in private companies that will sell themselves to Silicon
Valley. I have no problem with people making lots of money, but we know the
trickle-down theory doesn’t work. Ronald Reagan liked that theory, but he was a
television actor with a part in an eight-year presidential sitcom.
9.
Halifax is a government, university and hospital town. It is a great place, and
I love it, but it isn’t the economic driver of the province. We need to support
and celebrate rural Nova Scotia. It is what makes us great and drives our
exports.
10.
We need to care about each other a lot more. Listening to the other folks in
the conversation and giving them a little room at the table is only going to
help us in the long run.
May 2016 be the
year that Nova Scotia gets brave and dares to live up to its potential. I wish
you all the best in the new year.
David Upton is a co-founder of
Common Good Solutions, an entrepreneurship and social enterprise consulting
firm.
--------------
Wow Search engine.... wow !
http://www.wow.com/Search+Engine
------------
First, the good news
Why young adults are better off north of the
border
Jan 9th 2016 | OTTAWA | From the print edition
CANADIANS obsessively compare their country with a certain neighbouring
superpower. Often, the contrast is reassuring. Few Canadians would want the
United States’ lax gun laws or its ridiculously expensive health care. Economic
comparisons are usually more sobering. Canadians are less rich than Americans
and have fewer globally famous brands. Silicon Valley exports high-tech
disruption; Alberta’s tar sands produce pollution.For Canadians who feel economically inferior, a recent report comparing millennials on both sides of the border had cheering news. Canadians born in the 1980s are better off than their American peers. The study by TD Bank, called “Canadian and US Millennials: One of These Is Not Like the Other”, was headline news when it was published in December.
Canadians aged 25 to 34 are more likely to have jobs than
Americans of the same age (nearly 80% are employed, compared with less than 75%
of Americans). American millennials are worse off than their compatriots from
Generation X (the cohort that came just before them). In Canada millennials’
household incomes are 16% higher. Just over half are homeowners, compared with
36% in the United States.
Much of the millennial advantage can be traced to Canadian paternalism—that
of the state and that of the youngsters’ indulgent parents. Canada’s public
universities charge much lower tuition fees than their largely private American
rivals, so students graduate with less debt. More important is the contribution
of millennial women, whose employment rate is seven percentage points higher
than that of their American sisters. Their greater willingness to work has a
lot to do with laws that oblige employers to give new parents paid leave of up
to 50 weeks. The United States, by contrast, is one of the few countries that
do not mandate paid maternity leave.Canada avoided the housing-market crash that struck the United States in the late 2000s, thanks to prudent banking regulation. That enabled parents to help their children buy their first homes. But this points to another factor, which is less cause for self-congratulation: a big part of Canadian millennials’ wealth is explained by the barely interrupted rise in house prices. Although banks are still prudent, low interest rates have encouraged house-buying and prices are reaching scary levels. If they drop, so will millennials’ spirits
-----------
Watching our Trevor Noah’s The Daily Show Jan 6, 2016-.....
cried all over again... and he’s not Canada’s President- Sandy Hook- brilliant
and beautiful Trevor Noah calls the bastards on it with Noah global viewers
watching it all..... ugly Fox News.... because an American President cried over
little children being gunned down??? – u make fun and blather on.... and we’re
in tears again watching those parents behind President Obama..... IT’S CALLED
HUMANITY ...
------------
ELLEN DeGENERES –we need u and bully project bikers, fighters, troops, cops, RCMP, firefighters, Olympian Clara Hughes, first responders -Amazon disgrace- O World-Canadian youth- Mental Health Matters – brave so brave
Amazon suicide shirt sales prompts Calgary
teen to take action- January 6, 2016
Maggie Harder's campaign wants to end stigma
around mental illness
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/calgary-teen-amazon-mental-illness-shirts-1.3391187
-------------
QUOTE:
I met a lot of our Canadian
military personnel, both still serving and that had transitioned out, and I was
blown away by their character. You’d meet someone who had served in the
military and you’d ask them about what they did. Everything was about “our
team” or “we” or “my unit.” They were unable to talk in the first person. They’re
ultimate team players.
‘Ultimate team
players’: Wounded Canadian veterans leave for gruelling
Antarctica climb- January 6, 2016
National
Post, Alia Dharssi | January 6, 2016 8:43 PM
ET
On
Tuesday evening a team of eight wounded Canadian soldiers, 15 Canadian business
people and five specialists departed for Antarctica, where they will scale
Vinson Massif, the highest summit on the continent. In a climb that could last
15 days they will face a gruelling physical challenge made sterner by thin air
at high altitudes and temperatures as cold as -40 C.“It’s about survival, so you bond very quickly,” says Geordie Young, a board member of the True Patriot Love Foundation, the charity that organized the expedition. A vice-president and portfolio manager at Gluskin Sheff and Associates by day, he joined TPL’s board after participating in a 2014 ski expedition to the magnetic North Pole, where he says he had a “life-changing” experience meeting Canadian soldiers.
The National Post’s Alia Dharssi spoke to Young before he left for Antarctica. The interview has been condensed for length.
Q: How did the ski expedition to the magnetic North Pole affect you?
A: I met a lot of our Canadian military personnel, both still serving and that had transitioned out, and I was blown away by their character. You’d meet someone who had served in the military and you’d ask them about what they did. Everything was about “our team” or “we” or “my unit.” They were unable to talk in the first person. They’re ultimate team players.
The second thing that struck me was, after serving in the military for 10, 15, 20 years, including overseas and in combat, they would say they wanted to find a way to continue to serve the country and their community when I’d ask them about their next steps. The idea that service doesn’t end when you take the uniform off was pretty powerful. I realized I wanted to dedicate myself to try to help veterans so I joined the board of TPL.
Q: What issues do you hope to highlight through the Antarctic expedition?
A: The purpose is threefold. One is to make a high-profile statement by climbing the highest mountain in Antarctica with wounded soldiers. The hope is to raise awareness around the situation of veterans and to raise funds for TPL’s programs.
Second, it’s taking civilians like myself, who may have little experience or knowledge of the military, and putting them in an environment where they hear a little bit about the sacrifices soldiers and their families make for the rest of us.
Third, soldiers are dealing with a lot of baggage, whether it’s related to mental stress or physical afflictions. By taking them and having them accomplish something quite amazing like climbing a mountain in Antarctica, it allows them to recognize that they’re still able to function. They still have a lot to give.
Q: What issues affecting veterans would you like people to know more about?
A: There’s a few things. First, it’s around helping soldiers transition into the civilian work force. When managers look at a military resume, they don’t understand it. They can’t appreciate that a junior ranking person may have been responsible for multi-million dollar equipment and (may have) managed 10 to 20 people. The soldiers don’t have basic interviewing skills and CV skills because they aren’t trained to talk about themselves. They need to be nurtured. The expedition can open civilians’ eyes to that and hopefully produce job opportunities for soldiers.
Second, the thing that’s often forgotten is the family standing behind each soldier. When you serve and you are posted away from your family, it also takes a toll on those back home. TPL raises funds for programs or services that help the family, such as summer camps for kids from military families.
Third, post-traumatic stress disorder tends to be one of the main issues this generation of soldiers is dealing with after they serve.
National Post
adharssi@nationalpost.com
http://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/ultimate-team-players-wounded-veterans-business-people-leave-for-gruelling-antarctica-expedition
---------------
EASTERN PASSAGES: The Internet, co mments
and me
Last February, I wrote a short piece about
Internet comments, and about the trials and travails of moderating comments for
a newspaper like the St. John’s Telegram.
It wasn’t only about the comments you see, but about all of them, the ones
that commenters know will never make it online, but that they appear to love
delivering anyway, no matter how sexist, racist, violent and offensive they
might be. (You can see the piece, which ran in The Walrus magazine in December,
here)The main offshoot? That, after reading comments for over a decade, I was pretty sure they had soured me. Why write about beautiful things when commenters will simple spit on anything you find wondrous? Why write about important issues when the prevailing view you get back is that everyone — including you — is an idiot?
In other words, why write at all?
It’s an issue with some traction: the Toronto Sun dropped anonymous commenting in the fall, and the Toronto Star followed suit this month. CBC pulled comments on stories about indigenous issues, because they just couldn’t handle the constant racism. I predict that, before too long, remaining media sites with anonymous comments will see that feature wink out as well.
The piece had some personal traction with me, too. For the last few weeks, I’ve been spared the comments pit. Instead of coming into work and handling all of the overnight hate (and the occasional piece of insight), other people at The Telegram have been moderating the kiddie pool. (See? Belittlement is catching. It still adds nothing to the debate.)
So, here we are in a new year, that time when we make resolutions and do our best to keep them.
For years, I’ve been advising people who we write stories about to avoid reading the comments section — that all they’ll learn is that there are people who love nothing better than to hurt others.
Now, I’m going to start taking my own advice.
I write what I write — I’m not sure I can do anything else. If you don’t like it, that’s absolutely fine. If you disagree, please get in touch with me at my email address — it’s on every single column — and make your argument straight to me.
If I just make you irate all the time, do us both a favour — stop reading. Really. You’re only messing with your own blood pressure — and I’ve decided I’m not going to let you mess with mine, at least, not as an anonymous commenter.
Right now, TC Media’s comment system delivers your comments about my work straight to my email. From now on — actually, I’ve been doing it for two weeks — I’m deleting them all unread. Which is a shame, because there have been some that have been extremely intelligent and well thought out, and have changed my views on issues in the past. The only problem is that they have been surrounded by such a huge load of bilious dreck that it’s like panning for gold in a septic tank.
Now, I don’t mean to rob anyone of their fun — for as long as the comments experiment continues, by all means, troll away. I’m sure some will be posted, others rightfully trashed.
I just don’t have to play anymore. And to tell the truth, I feel better already.
Russell Wangersky is TC Media’s Atlantic regional columnist. He can be reached at russell.wangersky@tc.tc — Twitter: @Wangersky.
http://www.novanewsnow.com/Opinion/Columnists/2016-01-02/article-4390988/EASTERN-PASSAGES%3A-The-Internet%2C-comments-and-me/1
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Best GLOBAL definition of politics- Denial, infantilising
babble, fantasies that permeate politics | Carmen Lawrence http://gu.com/p/4g7np/stw
The denial, the infantilising babble, and the fantasies that permeate politics
If we continue to airbrush our past and ignore human
psychology in favour of glib sloganeering, how will we ever devise policies
that succeed?
‘We’re invited to take part in an elaborate game, one in
which the players face off as deadly opponents when they are, in reality,
largely indistinguishable.
There appears to be a deep attraction to
the naive idea that we can re-create ourselves and our societies at will, with
no regard to who we are and where we’ve come from. A veritable Everest of blogs
and posts and articles and books and speeches reinforce our desire to believe
that “today is the first day of the rest of your life” – that the goal of
never-ending happiness requires only a few days’ study of mindfulness to effect
a seismic shift in our wellbeing.This fantasy permeates politics as well. Even a cursory look at the language and images embedded in politics and public policy shows that asking serious questions about what the past can tell us about the likely effectiveness of proposed policies is rare. Even more uncommon is any deep exploration of what we know about human behaviour and how social structures are likely to influence it. This deficiency is nowhere more obvious than in the political class, who seem to be rendered tongue-tied – or resort to soothing, infantilising babble – whenever uncomfortable truths are broached.
No analysis of policy is possible without a thoroughgoing understanding of human psychology. Psychology should be at the heart of good public policy – but often it is not. In fact, many policy makers assume they know, because they are human and live in society, all that they need to know about human behaviour. Or they assume that economic theory will provide all the critical insights necessary to underpin effective policy. A moment’s thought should make it clear that success in addressing complex problems requires, at least, a rudimentary understanding of human behaviour and cognition, not to mention the biological and social forces that shape us.
Such an understanding invariably draws on lessons from our own history. The displacement and killing of many of the First Peoples, and the continuing refusal by many of us to acknowledge the legacy of that incursion, should be present in any attempts at forward-thinking. Concealing the bleak side of our history and seeking to wipe it from memory is, as the German philosopher Theodor Adorno observes, the antithesis of what is needed in a truly civilised country: a serious working through of the past via an act of clear consciousness that enables us to see how we are shaped by our history.
'When will they listen to us?' Town camps on the fringe of Alice, but at the heart of Indigenous debate
Read more
Airbrushing the past also means that we are rendered incapable of properly
devising policies that are likely to succeed in reducing Aboriginal
disadvantage in particular. Imposed solutions, such as the “intervention” and
“welfare cards”, are unlikely to be real solutions at all. In fact, they simply
reinforce the sense of powerlessness that is already so pervasive among those
subject to such policies. This, after all, is not the first time they’ve been
subjected to the will of others with painful consequences. Decisions about
their lives have been taken from their hands many times before: the
appropriation of land, the removal of children, the forced relocation of
families and communities, the attacks on language and culture.It is well understood in psychology that when people repeatedly experience unpleasant events over which they have no control, they will not only experience trauma, but will come to act as if they believe that it is not possible to exercise control over any situation – indeed, that whatever they do is largely futile. Attempts to remedy the social disadvantage of Aboriginal people depend, fundamentally, on understanding the effects of past trauma and its potentially cumulative effects.
One of the more absurd examples, introduced with barely a blush from the administration at The University of Western Australia, where I work, is the direction (I’m told it’s called a “brand proposition”) that staff and students should “pursue impossible”. Even allowing for the absent noun (a current fad in marketing), what are we being asked to do? The previous, century-old motto to “seek wisdom” was a difficult enough goal, but perhaps one that allowed for degrees of success, or modest progress – a little wisdom being better than none? But “impossible”?
The accompanying TV advertisement, directed at potential students, shows a young woman sprinting around the world, through stunning landscapes and iconic city images, finishing up, panting, in a snowy northern-hemisphere forest. (What, you might ask, has that to do with Perth?) As she stops to take a breath, the voiceover solemnly intones the bizarre claim that when she stops the world stops with her. I can’t even begin to make sense of that statement, but its overreach is all too familiar – everyone can be the best, the brightest, the fastest, the most impressive, emulating Superman’s planet-reversing stunts.
Such grandiosity is all too evident in politics as well: there is little tolerance of uncertainty and a shuddering revulsion at modest claims. The current minister for the environment Greg Hunt, in defending the newly minted Turnbull government’s direct action climate-change policy, said shortly after the change of leader, “We have arguably the best and most efficient scheme in the world.” Perhaps he hadn’t yet registered that slogans were to be a thing of the past and that his new boss thinks ministers should respect people’s intelligence.
What’s wrong with admitting that this is a policy area where much is yet to be learned, that there are many proposed solutions, that most of the serious commentators are critical of his policy or, at least, that while the jury is still out on many of the policy options, any new evidence will help
shape future policy? His prime minister, captive to those who voted for him in the leadership ballot, is now praising to the heavens a policy he pilloried just weeks ago. We’re expected to respond to this with a straight face – indeed some in the media seem inclined to do so and get impatient with those who want to point backwards and ask questions about whether anything
has changed.
This is not dissimilar to the Gillard government’s refusal to countenance the possibility that single parents would be adversely affected by mooted changes to the benefits regime. “What we want to see for single parents … is that we are creating the right incentives and the right incentives for getting people into work at the right time,” Julia Gillard said. Despite evidence of the failure of similar policies in the past and informed criticism, including from a parliamentary committee report that warned the policy could drive more women and children into poverty, the government ignored them and pressed on, certain they were absolutely right.
There are countless such examples of politicians appearing to be captive to the idea that to admit uncertainty is certain death; that no failure will be tolerated and the only way to speak to people is in simple slogans. I don’t think this will change just because we have a new, more liberal prime minister. The new treasurer quickly and busily began crafting his own version of his predecessor’s “debt and deficit” mantra. Such glib sloganeering, empty of meaning and any pretence of helping to inform the electorate, inevitably diminishes trust in the possibility of real policy innovation and social improvement.
The masters at this game – those who engineer consent – typically possess the resources and the power to do so; the well-connected and the well-protected can work the system, but rarely in the interests of the ordinary citizen. Ironically, the increasing dominance of marketing in the political process has helped create a massive image problem for the politicians who rely on its services. In fact, politicians know that they are held in such low esteem that many now build their election campaigns on the pretence that they are anything but professional politicians. Although no one in the media seemed to notice or comment, a slogan typical of this strategy and used by the Liberal candidate in the 2015 Canning by-election – “Not another politician” – needed only an exclamation mark to make it rude criticism, rather than an endorsement of his candidacy. I suspect satire may be the best response to this idiocy.
This is an extract from Carmen Lawrence’s essay The Memory Ladder: Learning from the Past, Living with Doubt, published in Griffith Review 51: Fixing the System edited by Julianne Schultz and Anne Tiernan. Available now.
BEST COMMENT:
A while ago, read, maybe at Guardian or social media attachment, some snooty not so smart journo wrote “we are being governed by Pygmies” I, went WTF how insulting and offensive, to the Pygmies. Pygmies take to tree tops to get a wider world view on where and which direction to go (saw it on doco). This mob is unable to climb a workman’s ladder let alone step-up bench without imprimatur of corporate unions and “expert cream of opines” their mantra “we need economic reform to sustain our living standards”, read, unravel our social fabric, shrink our pay packet, reduce workplace safety, reduce our services than privatise so only a few than decide who the deserving and not so deserving are. So, dear God, if you’re there, if this is what the cream sounds like it would be really, really nice for the sake of future generations, if you could send some “skim or buttermilk expert opines”. For the record to that not so smart journo, they, Pygmies not only look from three tops for a world view, but they also share resources however little or lot, everybody round the camp fire.
At earlier pieces commented, we the people have allowed corporate media and corporate unions (BCA, ACCI, AIG, Banking Industry Groups, Mining Industry etc) to dictate to us what Politics is and was, guilty as charged. Yes I was one of those that had a cursory interest in Politics, voted on Polling days thinking that Politics happen in a vacuum to be articulated and interpreted for me by “the cream of political and economic opines”, how dumb was I. I had a rude awaking, WTF, while I was sleeping the rules of journalism changed, only three rules now appears to apply, misinform disinform and misdirect. We have been sleep walked into what Woodrow Wilson foresaw “the government which was designed for the people, has got into the hands of bosses and their employers, the special interests. An invisible empire has been set up above the forms of democracy”. Also as JF Kennedy reiterate “the ignorance of one voter in a democracy impairs the security of all”, again I would say no Sir it is the misinformation, disinformation and misdirection of information fed to the voters that impairs the security of all, economic of otherwise.
Australia, past generations against all odds, future proofed 20th century for us, our standard of living, excellent public health and education, infrastructure, dignity in retirement, social safety net (all considered either burdensome or unsustainable) by the “expert cream of opines”, ten to one if past generations knew what the turbo charged carbon economy would do to the Climate they probably would have chosen a different path. To add insult to injury many of the current “expert cream of opines” and Pollies rode and are riding on the future proofing of past generations and now they have the temerity to claim we are unsustainable really?. How about we start with leveling the playing field, pare back all Pollies and hangers on entitlements and conditions to current standards. I mean, none of us have job security. We cannot retire on our pay packet and conditions just ask any worker who had the indignity of being frog marched off the shop floor while the shop and booty was being offshored. The unsustainable Pollies and others gravy train which is fast becoming a Bullitt train with our backs are tracks must be stopped. Australia, we owe it to future generations to future proof Australia just as past generations did for us, if we do not may they judge us harshly. We have out, social media, much as corporate media would like to sneer and snark at us.
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We
revered our grannie/pa - our elders; to be honest we would not have survived
without them.... in the real world... biggest fear is the babies of the social
media pretend world ... will never cut it on REAL MAIN STREET... and the evil
slithering around us ...know it.... this is an amazing share older friends-
Have a great week -
QUOTE"So
many things come to your mind. Now, for instance, somebody might hurt your
feelings. You're going to get back at him or her — well, just let it be. Push
it away. So I started doing that. I found it the most wonderful thing because
everybody has uncharitable thoughts. You can't help it. Some people get on your
nerves, and that will be there until you die. But when they start, and I find
myself thinking, 'Well, now, she shouldn't do that. I should tell her that …'
Let it be. Often, before I say anything, I think, "If I did that, then
what?" And let it be. Oh, so many times I felt grateful that I did
nothing. That lesson has helped me an awful lot." — Sister Clare, a
99-year-old nun, from "30 Lessons for Living."
People
over 65 shared their greatest regret in life – the most common one may surprise
you
Professor Karl
Pillemer was unprepared for the answer he received when he asked
older people what they regret most
Karl Pillemer spoke to more than 1,500 people over the age
of 65 Getty Images
"What do you regret when you look back on your life?"That's what Karl Pillemer, professor of human development at Cornell University, founder and director of the Cornell Institute for Translational Research on Aging, and author of "30 Lessons for Living: Tried and True Advice from the Wisest Americans" and "30 Lessons for Loving: Advice from the Wisest Americans on Love, Relationships, and Marriage," asked hundreds of older people as part of Cornell University's Legacy Project.
As he writes on Quora, he was unprepared for the answer he so often received: "I wish I hadn't spent so much of my life worrying."
Several years ago, when Pillemer, a world-renowned gerontologist (someone who studies older people), met June Driscoll, a particularly spirited 90-year old woman in a nursing home, she told him, "It's my responsibility to be as happy as I can, right here, today."
That interaction inspired Pillemer to find out how a generation that's experienced the most loss, troubling historical events, and illness could possibly be the happiest and to pass this knowledge down to younger generations.
Pillemer launched the Legacy Project in 2004 and asked more than 1,500 Americans over 65 years of age about the most important lessons they learned over the course of their lives. In "30 Lessons for Living" he refers to his subjects as "the experts" because they hold more tried-and-true wisdom than any self-help book or pundit could possibly offer.
Pillemer writes on Quora that he had expected "big-ticket items" like affairs, bad business deals, or addiction as his experts' biggest regrets.
But over and over again he heard versions of "I would have spent less time worrying" and "I regret that I worried so much about everything."
"I found this lesson from the experts to be surprising," Pillemer writes in "30 Lessons for Living." "Given that they had lived through difficult historical periods and great personal tragedies, I thought they might endorse a certain level of worry."
Instead, Pillemer explains that the experts view time as one of our most precious resources, and worrying about events that may not occur or that we have no control over is an inexcusable waste of this resource.
"The key characteristic of worry, according to scientists who study it, is that it takes place in the absence of actual stressors; that is, we worry when there is actually nothing concrete to worry about," he writes on Quora. "This kind of worry — ruminating about possible bad things that may happen to us or our loved ones — is entirely different from concrete problem solving."
To reduce how much regret we have in a lifetime, the experts suggested increasing the time spent on concrete problem solving and drastically eliminating time spent worrying. They also provided Pillemer with some ways to shift how we think about worry so that we can more readily move past it:
Focus on the short-term rather than the long-term.
"Well, I think that if you worry, and you worry a lot, you have to stop and think to yourself, 'This too will pass.' You just can't go on worrying all the time because it destroys you and life, really. But there's all the times when you think of worrying and you can't help it — then just make yourself stop and think: It doesn't do you any good. You have to put it out of your mind as much as you can at the time. You just have to take one day at a time. It's a good idea to plan ahead if possible, but you can't always do that because things don't always happen the way you were hoping they would happen. So the most important thing is one day at a time." — Eleanor Madison, 102 years old, from "30 Lessons for Living."
Instead of worrying, prepare.
"If you're going to be afraid of something, you really ought to know what it is. At least understand why. Identify it. 'I'm afraid of X.' And sometimes you might have good reason. That's a legitimate concern. And you can plan for it instead of worrying about it." — Joshua Bateman, 74, from "30 Lessons for Living."
Actively work towards acceptance.
"So many things come to your mind. Now, for instance, somebody might hurt your feelings. You're going to get back at him or her — well, just let it be. Push it away. So I started doing that. I found it the most wonderful thing because everybody has uncharitable thoughts. You can't help it. Some people get on your nerves, and that will be there until you die. But when they start, and I find myself thinking, 'Well, now, she shouldn't do that. I should tell her that …' Let it be. Often, before I say anything, I think, "If I did that, then what?" And let it be. Oh, so many times I felt grateful that I did nothing. That lesson has helped me an awful lot." — Sister Clare, a 99-year-old nun, from "30 Lessons for Living."
Read the original article on Business Insider UK.
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POPE FRANCIS.... we love u and thank u for ignoring the
world political trash and richmans lives and media roadkill brainwashing and
social media conglomerates trying to hijack our minds and hearts and souls ....
for back to basics- humanity and environment and 7 billion people matter....
the good stuff matters... decency, integrity, respect, and giving matter....
thank u..
u make the world about the 7Billion not 1%- see a little one
from Canada will be amongst the nations visiting with their letters... and how
brilliant children are- they ask the real questions about our world... what a
share
u make the world about the 7Billion not 1% Pope Francis
selects childrens’ letters for new book, due out March 1 http://herald.ca/MaA#.Vq-YmxLIRKo.twitter
============
Love u Pope Francis... just love u... in all the world's
misery... u find the humanity among us.... and give us some love to raise us up
no matter where we are, who we are or where we came from.....
Vocations crisis needs prayer, not despair or lax
admissions, pope says http://cnstopstories.com/2016/02/01/vocations-crisis-needs-prayer-not-despair-or-lax-admissions-pope-says/ …
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How to rehabilitate
capitalism
By Hugo Dixon
February 1, 2016
Capitalism is under attack. Witness the popularity of Bernie Sanders, the socialist running neck-and-neck in the opinion polls with Hillary Clinton for the Democratic caucuses in Iowa being held on Feb. 1. To rehabilitate the system of free enterprise, it needs to be buttressed by a modern conception of fairness.
Viewed from Mars, capitalism has been a huge success. Free enterprise has generated wealth and removed hundreds of millions of people from poverty. But viewed from Earth, what often stands out is how many have been left behind by the march of globalisation and technology, while others have got ahead by methods more foul than fair.
The classic left-wing response to the perceived unfairness of capitalism has been to tax and spend. That doesn’t work well. High taxes can sap entrepreneurial spirit, while high welfare spending can leave poorer people dependent on hand-outs.
Just because the classic response has been tried and failed doesn’t mean it won’t be tried again. The success of left-wing populists such as Greece’s Syriza party and the election of Jeremy Corbyn as leader of Britain’s Labour Party show that such ideas still have appeal.
This makes it important for centrists – whether they consider themselves left-wing progressives, radical centrists or liberal conservatives – to articulate a credible middle road. This should be based less on a view that fairness is the same as equality and more on the idea that people should get a fair crack at a good standard of life.
There are two main aspects. First, it is important to tackle the foul methods by which people and companies get ahead – and, in the process, make it tougher for hard-working honest people to make progress.
One example of this is evading or avoiding tax. This is rife in some countries, such as Greece. But it is a global problem that makes people furious everywhere. Consider the anger in January in the UK over how Google, the internet giant, was seemingly able to run rings around the authorities and pay what looks like a tiny amount of tax.
Corruption, which is again widespread across the world from Asia to Latin America and pretty much everywhere in between, also sticks in the craw. Sweetheart deals between politicians and business line the pockets of the few to the detriment of the many.
Another justified target of ire is the existence of markets that favour insiders at the expense of the general public. Finance is top of the list. The global financial crisis exposed how many bankers had a one-way bet: during the good times, they raked it in; during the bad, the state picked up the pieces. This was a mockery of how capitalism is supposed to work.
Monopolies and vested interests are yet another source of resentment. Sometimes, the culprits are the big oligarchs who pull the strings in government to get the rules written in their favour, by giving bribes to politicians or senior officials.
But often the beneficiaries of vested interests aren’t particularly rich or powerful as individuals. Greece is one of the best examples of the phenomenon. Over decades, it perfected the art of doling out special privileges to such an array of groups – farmers, notaries, pharmacists, civil servants, teachers and ordinary pensioners as well as shipping magnates – that its economy gummed up.
Such practices sap entrepreneurial spirits but they do so by locking people out of opportunity rather than by using the methods of old-fashioned socialism. They also inflict bigger taxes on honest citizens and higher prices on consumers.
A modern conception of fairness would put an assault of foul methods at its heart. But it would do more than that.
Although successful societies need welfare states, most of Europe’s need refocussing. Part of the problem is that too much government spending is directed to what Europeans call the middle class rather than the needy.
The situation varies from country to country but the main goodies are generous state pensions for middle-to-high earners and tax breaks that benefit relatively well-off people. To be fair, some countries are reining these in. For example, the UK no longer offers such attractive incentives for rich people to save for their retirement. But, in many countries, there is a lot that could be done.
The money saved from funding this “middle class” welfare state could then be redeployed where it is needed. The priority will often be to invest in schools so kids get a fair start in life – and in adult education so that older people whose skills become obsolete as a result of technology can retrain.
Such a conception of fairness is not really new. It has a lot in common with classic liberalism. Nor is it dead. Successful politicians around the world – such as India’s Narendra Modi with his fight against corruption or Matteo Renzi with his willingness to confront vested interests – are deploying some strategies from this playbook.
It is a rich source of ideas with which to tackle the unfairness of capitalism without falling for the inefficiency of socialism.
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TWITTER- FACEBOOK....
#KNAAN- #TREVORNOAH TDS- #justintrudeauPM Ethiopia needs us in 2016- millions starving dying- like we did for Haiti... because #blacklivesmatter Young Artists For Haiti - Wavin' Flag
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