CBC web boards are full of...

I am fed up with supporting the CBC and their tolerance for racist comments on any Aboriginal story (which always goes out of its way to highlight what 'they are asking / doing now to the Joe blow Canadian taxpayer. They are not supportive, no more than that other multicultural conglomerate at City – TV, which in the early days took pride in promoting the immigrant and minority issues. Every time I am on the CBC.ca website, I am appalled by the comments that insist that Aboriginal people are lazy, do not want to resolve any issues without some kind of financial incentive, and that they should just assimilate and forget the reserves. What people fail to acknowledge is that they do not come from cities or towns over in Europe or Asia – where the system of government is somewhat similar universal – therefore, why should they continue to live as if they did? Indigenous people are not going anywhere and as the young people of this country continue to get educated (and yes, native people do sometimes use OSAP) it will lie with them to contribute to the economy when most of those looser neo-conservatives are ready for retirement and looking for their pension fund contributions. Native people will have the last laugh if it were up to them, they would stay on welfare and encourage younger people to do this – and there will be nothing to support this country but those with the money. Money does not last forever and well, they had all better die off than hanging around only to resort to eating grass and potatoes as their ancestors did.

More Daily Lifts

Daily Lift #306 - Talking to the Little Child Within

We all have many positive messages stored in our mind since childhood. Counterproductive and limiting messages are stored, too. We may have outgrown many of them. but often, not all of them. Now, in the present, we have the ability to talk to the "little child" within, as it were. You can immerse your childhood self with positive and life-enhancing messages.

Some people find that giving encouraging and empowering messages to their "inner child" helps them do more than just develop new attitudes and mindsets.

What is the main message that is so important for every child to have? It is the awareness that he is a valuable human being. He is lovable; other people will like him and want to be friends with him. He has positive qualities now and he will be able to continue developing these and other positive qualities throughout his life. He is competent and able to do many things, and he will be able to keep learning new things throughout his life.

People who already have these positive attitudes, beliefs, and mind-sets are fortunate. Those who don't yet have them need to make it a high priority to keep developing them. By talking to your "inner child" directly, you can make it easier for your mind to integrate these basic and fundamental attitudes towards yourself and your life.

Think of some positive things that you wished someone would have told you when you were growing up. Now you can say these and similar things to your "inner child." You know better than anyone else what your "inner child" needs to hear. Say it in ways that your "inner child" will understand.

As you keep growing and developing, you become more aware of your true talents, skills, and abilities. When you were younger, wouldn't it have been wonderful if some wise individual had told you all the good things about you? Now you have the ability to tell your "inner child" what it will eventually learn and know and accomplish. Imagine the good feelings that your "little child" will feel when it receives the reassurance that you can now give it.

(from Rabbi Zelig Pliskin's new book: "Conversations With Yourself", pp.276-7) [Artscroll.com]

 

Daily Lift #302 - Worry is Created by Self-Talk

The more you engage in joyful and grateful self-talk, the more your mind will be free from worry.

Some people tell themselves, "It's my nature to worry." But the truth is that no one is born a worrier. A person might have started worrying at a young age and have many early memories of worrying. A person might find it very difficult not to worry. But this isn't someone's basic nature. Worry is essentially self-talk about something negative that you hope won't happen. You feel anxious and distressed about the possibility.

One way out of the worry pattern is to think of potential solutions. Whenever you worry about something, imagine three or more alternate outcomes.

A happy and joyful person has mastered the art of thinking in patterns that create happiness and joy. Let this be your mind.

(from Rabbi Zelig Pliskin's new book: "Conversations With Yourself", pp.258-9) [Artscroll.com]

 

Daily Lift #301 – Get Beyond the Mask

It's easy to be intimidated by mean people. See through their mask. Underneath is an insecure and unhappy person. They are alienated from others because they are alienated from themselves.

Have compassion for them. Not pity, not condemning, not fear, but compassion. Feel for their suffering. Identify with their core humanity. You might be able to influence them for the good. You might not. Either way your compassion frees you from their destructiveness. And if you would like to help them change, compassion gives you a chance to succeed.

(From Rabbi Pliskin's "Happiness",p.179)

 

Daily Lift #245

Setbacks are Part of the Process;

When you try to make peace, either for yourself or between two other people, expect setbacks. They are part of the process.

Many people are happy, even excited, to make peace when they see steady progress. Even if progress is slow, they are patient. But when they are faced with setbacks, they easily give up. When you realize that setbacks are an integral part of making progress, you realize that this is just another step that you have to make. It's like climbing a mountain path. The path doesn't always go straight up. At times it goes around the right and at times it goes around the left but the focus is on eventually getting to the destination. And therefore even if part of the path seems to be descending, it is a descent for the sake of ascent. This, too, is getting you closer to where you want to end up.

(from Rabbi Zelig Pliskin's book: Harmony with Others, p.109, artscroll.com)

Some Daily Lifts (from Aish.com)

Daily Lift #314

See Frustrations in Perspective

A basic reason we get angry is because we exaggerate the importance of things. When we realize that something is trivial and unimportant, we don't become angry.

Whenever you feel angry about something, try to see how petty the matter is in the big picture. The vast majority of occurrences fall into this category. Keep in mind that we are in this world for a very short time, and the things that upset us are of minor importance in the entire scheme of the universe.

(Erech Apayim ,p.94; Rabbi Pliskin's Gateway to Happiness, p .202-3)

Daily Lift #312

Boost Your Self-Esteem Objectively

People with low self-esteem are frequently very good people by objective standards, but have high aspirations and hence feel frustrated in not reaching their lofty goals. Since they are not perfect, they consider themselves failures and this leads to many negative consequences.

It is important for such people to realize they are thinking in either/or terms: "Either I am perfect, or else I am a failure."

In truth, each area of behavior and personality has numerous levels along a continuum. If you are not perfect, you need not rate yourself as a failure. Focus on improvement, instead of absolute perfection.

It is worthwhile for a person with low self-esteem to write a list of the minimum standards of a basically good person. He is then able to see more objectively whether or not he is meeting those standards.

(Rabbi Pliskin's Gateway to Happiness, p.132)

Daily Lift #311

Feel Joy In Overcoming Obstacles

A powerful general will prefer difficult military assignments because he wants to show his strength and abilities when he is victorious.

Similarly, if you feel strong love for another person, you will experience joy when you find opportunities to express the full extent of love for that person.

So, too, when you have a strong love for the Almighty, the greater the obstacles in your path when trying to serve Him, the more joy you will experience - because this is an opportunity to show the strength of your commitment.

The next time you face an obstacle, focus on the fact that this enables you to feel greater love for the Almighty. Feel a sense of joy and empowerment that you can express your love by overcoming obstacles.

(see Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto - Path of the Just, ch.19)

Daily Lift #308

Don't Let Materialism Distract You

A man once said to the Chafetz Chaim, "Rabbi, I have just bought a lottery ticket. Could you please give me a blessing that I will win, since the money I acquire will enable me to study Torah with peace of mind."

The Chafetz Chaim gently blessed him, "May the Almighty help you study Torah with peace of mind."

The man was disappointed that the Chafetz Chaim did not give him a blessing to win the lottery. It occurred to him that perhaps the Chafetz Chaim did not hear him exactly, so he repeated - this time in a louder voice - that he would like a blessing to win the lottery.

Very calmly the Chafetz Chaim reiterated the same blessing, word for word as before.

Today, ask yourself: Are my material possessions in any way distracting me from the real goals of life?

(see HaChafetz Chaim, vol.3, p.1141; Gateway to Happiness, pp.76-7)

WHY DID THE CHICKEN CROSS THE ROAD? 2008 version

BARACK OBAMA: The chicken crossed the road because it was time for a CHANGE! The chicken wanted CHANGE!

JOHN McCAIN: My friends, that chicken crossed the road because he recognized the need to engage in cooperation and dialogue with all the chickens on the other side of the road.

HILLARY CLINTON: When I was First Lady, I personally helped that little chicken to cross the road. This experience makes me uniquely qualified to ensure -- right from Day One! -- that every chicken in this country gets the chance it deserves to cross the road. But then, this really isn't about me...

DR. PHIL: The problem we have here is that this chicken won't realize that he must first deal with the problem on 'THIS' side of the road before it goes after the problem on the 'OTHER SIDE' of the road. What we need to do is help him realize how stupid he's acting by not taking on his 'CURRENT' problems before adding 'NEW' problems.

OPRAH: Well, I understand that the chicken is having problems, which is why he wants to cross this road so bad. So instead of having the chicken learn from his mistakes and take falls, which is a part of life, I'm going to give this chick en a car so that he can just drive across the road and not live his life like the rest of the chickens.

GEORGE W. BUSH: We don't really care why the chicken crossed the road. We just want to know if the chicken is on our side of the road, or not. The chicken is either against us, or for us. There is no middle ground here.

COLIN POWELL: Now to the left of the screen, you can clearly see the satellite image of the chicken crossing the road...

ANDERSON COOPER - CNN: We have reason to believe there is a chicken, but we have not yet been allowed to have access to the other side of the road.

JOHN KERRY: Although I voted to let the chicken cross the road, I am now against it! It was the wrong road to cross, and I was misled about the chicken's intentions. I am not for it now, and will remain against it.

NANCY GRACE: That chicken crossed the road because he's GUILTY! You can see it in his eyes and the way he walks.

PAT BUCHANAN: To steal the job of a decent, hardworking American.

MARTHA STEWART: No one called me to warn me which way that chicken was going. I had a standing order at the Farmer's Market to sell my eggs when the price dropped to a certain level. No little bird gave me any insider information.

DR SEUSS: Did the chicken cross the road? Did he cross it with a toad? Yes, the chicken crossed the road, but why it crossed I've not been told.

ERNEST HEMINGWAY: To die in the rain. Alone.

JERRY FALWELL: Because the chicken was gay! Can't you people see the plain truth? That's why they call it the 'other side'. Yes, my friends, that chicken is gay. And if you eat that chicken, you will become gay too. I say we boycott all chickens until we sort out this abomination that the liberal media white washes with seemingly harmless phrases like 'the other side'. That chicken should not be crossing the road. It's as plain and as simple as that.

GRANDPA: In my day we didn't ask why the chicken crossed the road. Somebody told us the chicken crossed the road, and that was good enough.

BARBARA WALTERS: Isn't that interesting? In a few moments, we will be listening to the chicken tell, for the first time, the heartwarming story of how it experienced a serious case of molting, and went on to accomplish its life long dream of crossing the road.

ARISTOTLE: It is the nature of chickens to cross the road.

JOHN LENNON: Imagine all the chickens in the world crossing roads together, in peace..

BILL GATES: I have just released eChicken2007, which will not only cross roads, but will lay eggs, file your important documents, and balance your checkbook. Internet Explorer is an integral part of the Chicken. This new platform is much more stable and will never cra... #@&&^(C%<mailto:cra...#@&amp;&amp;^(C%> .........reboot.

ALBERT EINSTEIN: Did the chicken really cross the road, or did the road move beneath the chicken ?

BILL CLINTON: I did not cross the road with THAT chicken. What is your definition of chicken?

AL GORE: I invented the chicken!

COLONEL SANDERS: Did I miss one?

DICK CHENEY: Where's my gun?

AL SHARPTON: Why are all the chickens white? We need some black chickens.

Green Housing

Green living is an attempt to reduce greenhouse gases in our environment.

"The tendency today is towards changes in behaviour. It has become necessary for new and renovated homes to consume less energy and release less harmful gas. The High Environmental Quality (HQE) standard has been set up as a reference.

A home becomes green through its choices of energy for heating or electricity (heat pumps, wind, thermal or solar power), means of control of water consumption (low flow systems, use of rainwater), and materials, such as wood for interior walls and hemp as insulation. It is important not to confuse natural materials and eco-friendly or green ones. 'Asbestos is a natural material but far from an eco-friendly one,' warns the French Building Federation (FFB).

Homes can also be sensible or passive in their designs, notably by readiness for bioclimatic energy. It is possible to combine an extremely low consumption of energy (less than 15kWh/m²/year) with a pleasant room temperature throughout the year, all without the use of conventional heating." (Source: http://www.cafebabel.com/eng/article/21596/the-green-housing-boom.html)

The housing project 'Dockside Green' in Victoria, BC, received PLATINUM LEED status for their mixed housing complex. They achieved this by using mostly recycled, reusable or alternatives to conventional materials. For example, instead of using wood – which would take up to 100 years to replenish, flooring and façade fixtures used bamboo and recycled wood that was buried below the ground. Most of the material is found locally. Bamboo takes around 3 years to replenish making this a better alternative to trees. When you see the floors, you would never notice the difference. Other features include using cement that used materials from older buildings that have been grinded down and mixed with non-gas producing materials. This not only recycled existing material but also cost less to produce and did not add any additional gases into the environment. There is no air conditioning in these units. All of the appliances are high energy saving European appliances. The windows have temperature controlling blinds. In the common area, all the carpeting is made of recycled carpeting that has been re-processed to remove harmful gases. The rooftop garden offers a wonderful view of the nearby mountains while tending to the herb and vegetables grow alongside wild flowers that help the environment and encourage a natural outdoor living experience. The housing project also plays a part in how people travel – offering a $40,000 discount if you don't own a car (thereby not needing a parking spot), using one of 10 hybrid vehicles purchased for the residents to use, discounts on transit passes for the first 3 years.

"In Freiburg (Germany), the project follows the model of the 'garden-city' conceived in Britain at the end of the 19th century. This urban project brings together social housing, gardens, and landscaping improvements. The Vauban and Riesenfeld neighbourhoods - home to 15 000 inhabitants 4 km from the centre of Freiburg - were built according to the following principles: low-consumption housing, use of rainwater, and priority to public
transport, pedestrians and cyclists. All of the buildings are low-consumption thanks to innovations in insulation and ventilation. Many rely on solar power for heating and electricity generation." (Source: Cafebabel, link above)

About C-51 (from an email)

Subject: More about C-51
May 20, 2008

Dangerous Precedents
by Glenn Stewart Coles

Slowly but surely, Canadians and Americans are losing the right to make personal decisions about their health. These changes are fueled by two factors: the belief that intrusive medical techniques are the only way to encourage healing and the desire of pharmaceutical companies to increase profits. Unless citizens work together to prevent these changes, we will soon lose the ability to choose methods for healing and maintaining health.

In Canada, Minister of Health Tony Clement is pushing through Bill C-51, a series of changes to the Food and Drug act that criminalizes the preparation and sale of most natural health products. Bill C-51 also gives government agents the power to invade homes and businesses, to arrest anyone involved in the production or distribution of natural supplements or holistic remedies, and to levy fines that would bankrupt most individuals and small businesses. The fact that Tony Clement is 25% owner of a $140 million pharmaceutical company that would greatly benefit from these new laws is a conflict of interest that has so far been overlooked.

In two US states (New Jersey and Maryland) it is now illegal to refuse vaccinations for children. Though the success of vaccination programs is debatable, any parents who decide that the needle is not right for their children face the potential of arrest. In these cases, the children would be taken from their homes and vaccinated by force. Since most vaccination programs are marketed to government agencies (example: vaccines for HPV and infant diarrhea), the laws are creating guaranteed customers and profits for pharmaceutical companies.

In a recent Canadian case, an eleven-year old boy who has undergone unsuccessful chemotherapy for leukemia was taken from his family and forced to go through the torturous procedure a second time. Even though the boy and his family decided that chemotherapy is not the correct treatment, government agents felt differently. When the boy and his father went to the hospital for a checkup, the father was handcuffed and the boy was taken away. He is now being held captive and suffering through treatment that he knows won't work. Those who truly understand the path of healing await the announcement of the boy's death.

In Canada, Bill C-51 is the first step towards adoption of the World Health Organization's CODEX treaty, which moves the production of supplements and health products into the hands of pharmaceutical companies. The government is stepping into the role of medical enforcer, deciding that the only way to encourage health is through pills and medications. The pharmaceutical industry is very supportive of these measures since government agents will ensure the sale of their products. These decisions are based on revenue and profit rather than health or safety.

While government spokespeople insist that these measures are intended to increase the health of citizens, the reality is that these shortsighted views follow the belief that intrusive medical treatment is the only path to healing. In addition, all of these actions show a bias towards the use of pharmaceutical drugs. Despite the fact that over 30,000 people die annually in Canada because of prescribed drugs, the industry insists that they are really just trying to help.

ur society is being brainwashed by the pharmaceutical companies to believe that drugs are the answer. Huge sales of Viagra and other sexual potency drugs are based on the implanted idea that men require a pill to function sexually. The multi-billion dollar headache industry is based on the assumption that headache relief can only be achieved with painkillers. Even the sale of sunscreen lotion is based on the implanted fear that sunlight is dangerous while the cancer-causing chemicals in sunscreen are irrelevant. While the pharmaceutical industry spent $31 billion on research in 2004, they also spent $57 billion on marketing. These expenditures define their priorities.

Up until now, those who are more enlightened about their personal health have had the ability to make their own choices. These rights are being taken away, and the driving force behind the change is the profit of pharmaceutical companies. In Canada alone, sales of prescription drugs exceeded $27 billion in 2007. These sales equate to about $800 annually for every man, woman and child in the country. Are all these pills and drugs really necessary?

A lot is going on behind the scenes. The big scam that we call the pharmaceutical industry is growing for its own benefit, and as a result the health and choices of individuals around the world are threatened. While many people are beginning to object to these changes, the majority is unaware. Unless the public stands together and says no, we will have lost many of our basic rights. Write your government representative, spread the word, and fight for your right of choice before it is gone.


© Glenn Stewart Coles 2008
http://www.glennstewartcoles.com