Pussy Riot October-November 2012

Inside

October/November 2012

Page 2

PUBLISHERS

COPY CHIEF

EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF MARKETING

CREATIVE DIRECTOR

PHOTO ARCHIVIST

CONTRIBUTORS

METANOIAEXECUTIVE AND STAFF

METANOIA MAGAZINE is a publication of METANOIA CONCEPTS INC. For questions, comments, or advertising contact by

Phone: 604 538 8837, Email: [email protected], Mail: 3566 King George Blvd, Surrey, BC, Canada, V4P 1B5

SALME JOHANNES LEIS & ALLISON PATTON

CALEB NG

JR LEIS AND HEINO LEIS

DAL FLEISCHER

DAN DENIS

GALINA BOGATCH

On The Cover: Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, a member of the Russian feminist punk-rock band, Pussy Riot, with a t-shirt that bears the anti-fascist slogan “!No pasaran!” which in Spanish

means “They Shall Not Pass!”

Maureen BaderAlex Barberis

Andy Belanger Donald J. Boudreaux

Tim BrownBrian Croft

Miki DawsonCheryl Gauld Kulraj Gurm

Marilyn HurstPeter and Maria Kingsley

Marilyn LawrieHank Leis

Salme LeisChris MacClure

Seth MeltzerCaleb Ng

Janice OleandrosAllison Patton

Cara RothKaela ScottPepe Serna

Christina ReidDan Walker

Harvey White

A NEW WAY OF THINKING

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METANOIA MAGAZINE is a publication of METANOIA CONCEPTS INC. For questions, comments, or advertising contact by

Phone: 604 538 8837, Email: [email protected], Mail: 3566 King George Blvd, Surrey, BC, Canada, V4P 1B5


METANOIAExecutive Summary

Metanoia

Our Man Dal

The Art of Malou Flato

Coffee, Tea, and Me

Songs of Defiance

There’s Something about Mary

The Gallery

Punk Prayer

The Rant

Outdated Education Part II

Missives

The METANOIA Horoscope

CONTENTS

4578101214 161821222831

More & more to discover

Who we are

In South Africa

This well-known Texan Artist shares her work with us

Find out what all the buzz has been about

Music that really means something

An interivew with Minister Mary Polak

Panache and Parties

Pussy Riot proves Punk is not dead

Who is Heino Leis?

Article by Harvey White

From Donald J Boudreaux

If you dare

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This month’s edition of Metanoia is devoted to the Russian singing group, Pussy Riot. Music critics have often taken the position that a singer has mangled a song so badly that they deserve to be incarcerated. In this case, it actually happened, not so much because of the singing, but because of whom the group was singing about.

Vladimir Putin is not someone to be toyed with – and the young girls who dared, found themselves in shackles and in prison. They are lucky. A few years earlier and they might have found themselves in Siberia or executed by a fi ring squad. The KGB had no sense of humour and because of that the Russians as always end up being their own worst enemy.

Harvey White continues his very interesting article on the need to completely reform education and Dan Walker continues his story on his travels through China.

And as always there is more.

Executive Summary

Protesting President Putin

Mary PolakMinister of Transportation and Infrastructiure

For your enjoyment and educational pleasure, Metanoia recommends the following two web videos by John Papola:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0nERTFo-Sk

www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTQnarzmTOcOur man Dal Fleischer in Africa

By Hank Leis

The Greek origins of the word Metanoia [met-uh-noi-uh] convey the notion of an experience or a moment that is transformative. In fact the change itself would be so remarkable as to shift paradigms and these shifts actually would cause a change in behavior and ultimately the consequences of those behaviors. The articles in this magazine are intended to introduce a different way of thinking so that ideas and notions we take for granted can be reframed in such a way as to renew our life by making it more interesting, challenging and rewarding.

Many of us have abandoned our intelligence, our ability to think, our various gifts for being able to create and instead joined the masses whose only goal is to perpetuate the species and dwell in a complacent and apathetic state amounting to nothing more than mere existence.

We at Metanoia believe we are all capable of more than that and more importantly are able to generate epiphanous moments for you. We hope that our plethora of deep-thinking writers will be able to transform your life into something meaningful and wondrous. Every one of us, to a varying degree, has experienced these moments and most of us who have been so transformed are driven to rediscovering the process that fi rst allowed us our enlightened clarity of mind.

In the last decade, scientifi c advancements have given insights into human phenomena that were previously thought science fi ction, such as the viral theory as a contributing factor in the feeling of “love”. Anthropologists may have noticed nuances in human behavior early in our development, but these scientifi c discoveries now actually explain the physiology of “metanoic thinking”. Our own behaviors are being re-examined in light of these discoveries about brain function, and in particular that our usual way of thinking leads us to our usual results. Moreover mostly we do not think- but react- not unlike reptiles- and this process does not always serve us well.

Man is evolving, and more and more the primitive fears that govern our behaviors are being discovered to be limiting rather than opportunistic. What man is discovering about himself is what our evolution is all about; the beast within will soon be quelled and what will emerge is anybody’s guess.

Individually, the context of one man within a population of seven billion suggests his insignifi cance – let alone a lifetime in the span of eternity. And yet we still have this narcissistic sense that our existence is of tremendous relevance. And while there may be something to this belief, how do these enormous discrepancies in size and time fi t together to explain the relevance of this epic story? Simplifi ed, what is the relevance of man making a living to pay for food and shelter to the formula E=mc2. Our mission, certainly for Metanoia is to explore all those ideas, and to change ourselves and you in pursuit of this intelligence. To put it another way, we want your brain to be engaged in way it never has been before. Are you ready for the challenge?


METANOIAMarch/April 2012 Edition

METANOIAFebruary/March 2012 Edition

Pepe SernaActor, Artist & Motivational Speaker

The Scarface Anniversary

what it was like on set

778-788-0073/604-542-5213 [email protected]

the December 7 Steve Nash Christmas Bash

Present

METANOIA

DECEMBER 2011 SPECIAL EDITION

Thank you for 10 years

METANOIAWeThank You For 10 Years!

Special Fall 2011 Edition

METANOIA METANOIA

La lumiere d’une Chandelle

Betty Mobley

Daughter of Texas

TOUR DE WHITE ROCK Events list & schedule

GEORGE SHULTZ PART 3

Interview with a Statesman

THE RANT

J u l y 2 0 1 1

METANOIA

METANOIA

The Rant

Vancouver Is Burning June 2011 CAND Health Fusion Issue

WILL JOHN CUMMINS BE ABLE TO CHANGE BC’S POLITICAL LANDSCAPE?

An Interview with George P. Shultz

cont.

METANOIA METANOIA

The New Face of BC Politics

Dr. Allison Patton, MBA

President of the BC Conservatives White Rock-Surrey Constituency Association

Naturopathic Medicine Week 2011 May 9-15

March 2011

METANOIA magazine

2011 Media Kit

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2011 Media Kit

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2011 Media Kit

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2011 Media Kit

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2011 Media Kit

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2011 Media Kit

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2011 Media Kit

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2011 Media Kit

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2011 Media Kit

METANOIA

Her Lynx, Her Passion, Her Lullabies

METANOIAJune /July 2012 Edition

Apollonia VanovaSings us... “Lullabies”

Facebook has made its investors billionaires but it's not the only company that will win big from the advertising revolution. Snipp Interactive and Fabrice Taylor invite you to come and learn how the online ad industry is changing and how you can benefit.

Fabrice Taylor, CFA, is an award-winning financial journalist and analyst. He is also the author of the market-beating President’s Club Newsletter.

PROFIT FROMSOCIALMEDIA’SEXPLOSIVEGROWTH

October 10, 2012 | 3550 King George Boulevard, Surrey, BC | 7pmOctober 10, 2012 | 3550 King George Boulevard, Surrey, BC | 7pm

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Near the top of almost everyone's' Bucket List is an African Safari.

The upside, the grass lands, jungles, mountains and waterways are spectacular and fi lled with exotic wildlife, fl ora, structures, cities and peoples.

The downside, fi rstly, Africa is huge. No matter where you go and what you do, be prepared for many hours of travel. Secondly, if you don’t like bugs, all manner of creepy crawly things, birds, animals both herbivorous and carnivorous, don’t go. Thirdly, Africa is probably not as safe as staying home.

The sights, sounds, scents, textures and tastes make it all worthwhile.

There are many options for Safari’s, short ones in game reserves to long ones also including, geographic regions, national parks, countries and cities. My safari was only a two star in terms of room and board but a fi ve star adventure. We started in Johannesburg and ended 18 days later in Cape Town. Along the way we experienced, among others, Kruger national park, Game Reserves, Swaziland, Zululand, the Dolphin Coast, and the Garden Route.

The photos give you an idea of the sights to which we were treated.

In addition to the spectacular wildlife, the herds of antelope, zebra, giraffe and elephant, we learned about present day life in South Africa and what a beautiful city Cape Town is.

When your turn comes, I recommend that you too experience an African Safari.

Dal

African Safari

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Above: Claret Cactus (scott) Right: Cocktail Bluff ,

The Art of Malou Flato

Malou Flato divides her time between Texas and Paradise Valley, Montana - near Yellow Stone Park. She is a landscape painter who paints natural forms around her plus those she encounters through her travels.

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Clockwise from above: Ocotillo on Cliff , Texas Yucca, Houston Foundtain, Houston Benches, Fat Cactus, Kickapoo Cactus, and Aspen Tree.

Commisioned work of Malou Flato includes:

• Coswold Project by the City of Houston• City of Austin, TX for the Offi ce of the

President of the University of Texas• Dallas Area Rapid Transit in Plano, Texas• Logan Airport for Boston, MA• Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority for

Boston, MA• Brackenridge Children’s Hospital,

Austin, TX• HEB Corporation• Washington State Arts Commission,

Arlington, WA• Ford, Powell&Carson, San Antonio, TX

The work of Malou Flato are part of the following collections:• Allied Bank (Wells Fargo Bank)• American Bank• ARCO• Bickerstaff , Heath Smiley, Pollan, Kever,

& McDaniel• Coca-Cola• Imperial Sugar• UBS PaineWebber• Fullbright & Jaworski• Raddison Hotel• Republic Bank• Shell Oil Company• Texas A&M University• Texas Commerce Bank (Chase Bank)• Texas Instruments• 3M• Transco Energy (The Williams

Companies, Inc.)• USAA• First Victoria National Bank• Frank Welch, Architect

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The Coffee, Tea and Me event with Dr. Allison Patton had modest beginnings. The chairs surrounding the small tables with white tablecloths and a vase with a single rose, mostly sat empty. The few who did attend could not consume all the coffee and tea, let alone the generous portions of cake, cookies and tidbits. Only a few engaged in conversation on the topic chosen for discussion for each occasion.

“Build it and they will come” is the expression often times heard. Dr. Patton built it and they started coming.

One of the central figures at these events has been 92 year old holocaust and war survivor Sjenta Wilkinson. What she has brought to these meetings is her extraordinary presence and her honesty coupled with an intelligent and bawdy sense of humor. She has lots to offer, given a lifetime of extraordinary experiences and a persistent effort in educating herself and others.

Sjenta is young. There is nothing she can not undertake and she holds back very little and there is very little she has

no opinion about.

Since her arrival to Canada in 1953 she ran a show garden, became a qualified practical nurse, learned how to sail and has taken on challenges too many to list. But the most amazing thing about Sjenta is the brightness of her eyes as she talks about her past and encourages others to live with alacrity, the life that they have been given. She finds joy in everything, and those around her find her enthusiasm and generosity in giving – catching. They too want to be part of the Sjenta magic – a magic that gives every person hope, the will to persevere and to be open to receive the gifts that before Sjenta, they were blind to.

Sjenta has a special chair at the meetings, so all can hear her wisdom as she imparts great thoughts and wonderful suggestions. “Life is a party, but you have to put the decorations up yourself” she says.

Sjenta is an advocate of the Montessori teaching methods and as a youngster she herself attended

Montessori schools. There she learned how to do things for herself. But it was the horrors of Nazi Germany and living in a concentration camp that shaped her way of thinking. The hunger and the everyday threat of death became the preoccupations of each day. No matter how positive one tried to feel, terror was always close by. People fell apart during the war. Everything was on hold people worked and thought only of food. People stared at the ground or at their hands – they lived in darkness and without hope for tomorrow. It was easy to lose one’s feelings when emptiness took over.

You get used to calm and numbness and inside becomes quiet. You get used to anything- People with this kind of past never return to being who they were. Some deal with this by turning inward. They never speak of the past. Sjenta had a tremendous will to live and she used her past Labels to save her soul and avoid depression. She put the decorations up herself to save herself.

Without knowing it, she had been part of the resistance, delivering passports

Coffee, Tea, and Mewith Allison Patton

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People ask me, “Sjenta, what is the meaning of life?”

Here is my answer: the meaning of life is to be happy and have a comfortable life. If you have this, then be healthy so that you will have a long and happy life.

After living for as long as I have, I can conclude that this is how you can be happy.

You have to have a purpose in life. Also, tell yourself life is meaningful in spite of facing difficult or miserable conditions and be able as a person to always see the positive side of whatever occurs. The negative side has to turn into a positive side. We are told that we have to be happy but that is not possible if you are not convinced that through your own logotherapy you are able to turn for instance a negative aspect into something positive and constructive.

I am very concerned about the next generation and also retirees: people who do not yet have a purpose or no longer feel they have a purpose. They have nothing to live for nevertheless they have enough to live by. And also people on unemployment receiving government money are suffering from unemployment neurose. How do we solve this problem?

Being concerned about depression in people I feel it is my duty to try to bring awareness to the ability that these people have to turn their lives into something positive. This will be for everybody a different route. Some will volunteer in youth organizations, others individuals may start up an enterprise. Regardless, we should always encourage these people in their logotherapy in finding the answer that builds up their own strength.

Speaking to the younger generation and telling them your own life experience may inpire them and give them an opportunity to start thinking about doing something for themselves. Even when there are only a few students or young people who have the urge to question their own meaning of life then we have already reached something. And even if it is not working right away, they may recall that moment in their lives sooner or later which can lead them to their sense of meaning.

The Meaning of Life

Logotherapy was developed by neurologist and psychiatrist, Victor Frankl. Logotherapy is based on the theory that the primary motivational force of an individual is the striving to find meaning in one’s life.

to Jewish people. On December 7, 1943 she was arrested by the Nazi’s in her home at Bennebroek. On July 7 the Frank family had already (See Diary of Anne Frank 1947) gone into hiding. She was moved from one prison to another Auschwitz to Vught to Den Bosch. At Londesgericht she was freed after repeating “I am not guilty”

Sjenta is introspective. She asks questions of herself and others. “What’s it all about?” After 90 years she is still trying to formulate the question that will give her the answer he is seeking. She provides the decorations to her own life, to the story of what happened-and then what she did with it. It is not good enough to be giving in to the forces that wanted her and those many others to suffer. By making her life joyful, she is not yielding to those who would destroy her life. They now suffer the tortured of their own doing as she moves on.

She loves nature and has experienced the call of the wild with her friends, the wolves. She has tamed the wolf by her presence and she feels at one with them.

She talks affectionately about the great actress Audrey Hepburn, where while in Portugal with her husband she became her masseuse at the Donna Philippo Hotel.

Over a period of time they became friends and Ms. Hepburn would talk about her former husbands, Audrey Hepburn did not have to act aristocratic-she was in fact an aristocrat Ms. Hepburn was born May 4, 1929 in Brussels Belgium, her father a wealthy English banker and her mother a Dutch baroness. Audrey went to a private school in London. When visiting Holland with her mother, the Nazi’s took over and hard times followed, hence her connection to Sjenta. Ms. Hepburn was born Edda Kathleen Van Heemstra-Rustan. Although her father, was a friend of Oswald Mosley (leader of BUF) her mother worked against the Nazis and her brother and cousin were shot by them. Audrey Hepburn was told her father had died, but when she married Mel Ferrer found him alive in Ireland and so she got to meet him.

He was not interested in her daughter’s fame and she went home crying and disappointed.

Sjenta has other stories about others but they are hers to tell.

Now back to the future. It starts with Coffee, Tea, and Allison Patton, but no one knows what direction the conversations will go. There are many subjects that need to be discussed, but behind each subject is a personal story. This has been one of them.

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Metanoia: Another film about Estonia and singing? What is the new film about and how is it different from The Singing Revolution?The Tustys: The Singing Revolution was largely a political story about how Estonia resisted Soviet occupation, and ultimately re-

established its independence. The song festival is part of that story, but is not “the story” of The Singing Revolution. This film is entirely about Laulupidu, the extraordinary song festival that has been recognized as a world cultural treasure by UNESCO. Laulupidu is the song festival that is only partly about the songs. It is as much about nation-building, and unification, and it helped Estonia free itself from Czarist Russia as well as the Soviet Union. There is also a style difference in the films. Songs of Defiance, which is just a working title and may change before we’re done, will also be somewhat of a concert film as we will let some songs play for long stretches of time in the film. We hope to give the audience a sense of the power of attending Laulupidu.

Much of that power is in the music, and we will let the audience hear and enjoy the music…in a way attending the festival. But there is also historical and social meaning to many of the songs, and that will be included as part of the film so that the non-Estonian audience can appreciate some of the subtext. Is it a concert film? Is it an historical documentary? We think it will be both.Metanoia: Why would the average American care about a song festival held 5,000 miles away?The Tustys: It’s a powerful story with compelling music. To make the subject matter more accessible to our audience, we filmed an American children’s choir from Oakland, California that participated in Laulupidu. We have shots of them learning Estonian

SONGS OF DEFIANCEFIGHTING POLITICAL POWER WITH MUSIC

By Heino Leis

James and Maureen Tusty have been featured in Metanoia previously for their acclaimed film The Singing Revolution, the story of Estonia’s successful nonviolent revolution that helped to free itself from the Soviet Union.The Tustys now are in production for a new documentary on Estonia tentatively entitled “Songs of Defiance”. We had a chance to talk with them about this film.

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pronunciation, rehearsing the songs, packing and traveling over, and then the audience watches them learn about Estonia themselves through this cultural visit. Our primary audience is the U.S., and we felt that having an American choir learn about Estonia and its music was an easy way for the American audience to identify with this choir and learn about Estonia through their eyes.Metanoia: The Russian punk-rock group “Pussy Riot” was recently imprisoned for singing songs offensive to Moscow. Do you have an opinion on that? And what can Pussy Riot learn from Estonia?The Tustys: Yes, we know of this event, and frankly were very surprised that they received prison time. Getting arrested and being held overnight is one thing…the regime can make an example of them….but throwing them in prison for years will perhaps make them martyrs. We think they already are to some extent. We fully support Pussy Riot’s right to free speech.That being said, there is a difference. The Estonians had developed a skill with keeping their revolutionary message “between the lines”. They used words that were fully understood by their audience, but which were hard to censor because

they were not screaming in the face of the regime. My favorite example of that is when Estonian composer Veljo Tormis used Lenin’s last words as lyrics for a protest song during the Soviet occupation. Lenin spoke of the importance of national independence for all peoples, for all ethnicities…and of course nothing of the sort was happening in Estonia, or anywhere else in the Soviet Union for that matter.

So the song survived the censors. What Soviet bureaucrat would have the guts to censor their

revered founder Lenin…even if they understood that every Estonian would hear those lyrics as revolutionary? Had Tormis simply written “Down with Communism”, we suppose he would have been arrested.Metanoia: When do you hope to finish “Songs of Defiance”?The Tustys: We hope to finish it by the end of 2012, and no later than March of 2013. We expect it to be broadcast on public television in the U.S. in the fall of 2013. Our Estonian partner Allfilm is handling European television distribution. For more information, go to www.songsofdefiance.com. Metanoia: Will it be a full length cinema film or a TV-version?The Tustys: It will be a 60-minute television special. Metanoia: Thank you.

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I’d like to start with the most important question of the day – what kind of shoes are you wearing? You always have the best shoes!Oh, I’m not wearing really great ones today! The last pair I got was a fantastic pair of nude pumps in London and they ARE nice!How do you stay healthy and balanced?Well, making sure I work out is one of them. Let me qualify that because a lot of people would not consider it as a work out because it only takes 15 minutes. But I do it every day. If I didn’t have something that I do literally as I roll out of bed, put the coffee on and exercise while the coffee is brewing, it just wouldn’t happen. I am very strict with myself and make sure that I do it EVERY morning; otherwise my days are so full that I would not get around to it later. I tried going to the gym but with my schedule and the amount of travelling I do that didn’t work for me. It’s not just that I am busy (a lot of people are busy) it’s the unpredictability of not knowing where I will be so I need a workout that I can do anywhere. I start with 40 pushups (I do the real ones) and I do three types of leg lifts and stretching. This would not work for everyone but it suits my lifestyle.And what other things do you do

to keep balanced?I read a lot! My colleagues often tease me because if we are on a plane or waiting in an airport, or in between meetings ….you will find me reading. I read a lot of professional material in my job, so it is helpful to get my mind out of what I’m doing to read a good book. I spend a lot of time with my dad and my daughter because it is important to me to see them regularly.I also manage my electronic communications. By saying that I mean you cannot let them drive your schedule. There are times when you have to monitor things but the danger is that if you don’t control it, it controls you.You are a real forerunner in social media. Tell me about that?

We are getting a lot better thanks to Todd in my office. He has succeeded in raising our profile and we have learned a lot in the past year. Todd drafts messages and then I review, edit or redraft them so it’s not like someone is ghost tweeting for me or I don’t know what is going out. This works well for us and allows us to have a much steadier presence. I augment our content with live Tweeting from events or I respond to important issues directly.

What does the public want to know from you?We respond to question that we have either put forward or from people who have randomly asked a question of us. If an issue comes out in the media, we have an opportunity to respond immediate to concerns or comments that arise from that. Social media lends itself well to what is happening in the world around us. YouTube is another important part of our Social Media plan. We use it to promote events that are happening in the community and give organizations an opportunity to educate the public about the work they do for our

citizens.What do you see as your greatest professional challenge moving forward into an election time?Wow, that’s a big question! I think its balancing the different hats one has to wear during an election. I am the MLA for Langley and I am also the Minister of Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation. One of the jobs I have taken on for the Party, leading up to the election is recruitment of new candidates. Juggling those different hats while trying to maintain a bit of a personal life can be a huge challenge. As a Cabinet Minister you don’t have any certainty with respect to your role. This can be a bit daunting when it comes to balancing the different functions of this line of work. At any time the Premier could ask me to fill a different role. That goes with the job. So when you get into a campaign, it becomes all about balancing all of these different roles as well as being the candidate.What other Ministry would you like to be involved in?Um, I don’t know if I could pick right now? I’m really enjoying what I’m doing in Aboriginal Relations, but I have enough experience now to know (this is my third ministry) that there are exciting things to do in every Ministry. The nature of the job is that you always have the thought in the back of your mind that you are fulfilling this role only for a certain time and you accept that when you take the job. So right now, although I am prepared for any challenge that might come, I really haven’t put my mind to what else would interest me because there are a whole bunch of things that would interest me.Do you have any interest in being part of the Health Ministry?That would certainly be an exciting

Interview with Mary Polak Minister of Transportation and Infrastructureby Marilyn Lawrie

Page 15

area to be a part of. There are many changes taking place in health and as you say, we passed a lot of legislation that allows for much more change. Minister DeJong has done a good job at starting that ball rolling and there is far more to do. I will leave it to the Premier to decide where she needs me. What do you think might happen if your party were not in power?Well, to be honest, I would be very concerned, not because there isn’t every good intention on the part of the New Democrats, there’s plenty of good intention. The problem is what we saw the last time they were in power and the time before that. You have to be able to develop the government revenues in order to support the kind of services we want in health care. As we watch health care budgets expand around the world to sizes that are unmanageable for governments, that ability to generate economic growth is critical to being able to support health care. That is where I could have great concerns around a New democratic government. They are not showing any signs of change in terms of their approach to economic development. Even now they are opposing most of the major projects that are slated to go forward for British Columbia.People certainly fear that some of the legislation you put into place may be revoked as well.There are other concerns too. They are certainly well known to have a bias in favour of unionized employees taking a greater role in designing and managing a system through their collective agreements. We have found that that removes the kind of flexibility one needs to run the system effectively and in favour of patients rather than the employees. Everyone wants to treat workers fairly, but we need to ensure that the focus is on patients and not on the employees.If there was one major change to

legislation in health care moving forward, what would that be in your eyes?Specifically to health care, if we could, although it would take more than legislation, it would be to continue to push for resources directed toward prevention to increase the likelihood of people remaining healthy. All of the data tells us that the challenges we face are a direct result of chronic disease management. If they have not looked after themselves, this becomes extremely costly as people age. The aging demographic is not the current seniors; it’s my age group and a little older. We are the ones who are going to eat up all the resources in the system if we don’t get a serious focus on the prevention of disease and promotion of good health. My dad is 83 and is not on any regular medication, his blood pressure and weight are good, he walks every day, and he lives on his own – that is a model I want to follow. There may be some good genetics in there but I have to do my part too. I heard this the other day “Genetics loads the gun, but environment pulls the tripper”. Golf is a great sport because you can continue it on into later in life. I find it therapeutic because it gets my mind off work. There are so many things to think about while you’re golfing. I don’t get much time to do it and you can tell that by my game – ha ha! My golf game just isn’t consistent. Some days I’m golfing lights out, and the next day it’s like I’ve never golfed before so you never know who is going to show up! Each shot is new!So back to something completely ridiculous – where is your favourite place to shop?My favourite place is Ella’s but I don’t get there often enough! They always have something new and they are very good at knowing what is going to suit you, but I always bring Cathy along because I would otherwise buy everything in shades

of grey and black! So Cathy is there to add a little excitement to my wardrobe.Along with your shoes – they always make a statement!I don’t keep a lot of shoes, although I like to spend money on a good pair because I will wear them for a long time. They will see many repairs or I will put them away and bring them back out when they come back in style. My very favourite pair is Stuart Weitzman black and white animal print because they are so comfortable and I’m on my feet a lot.Is one thing you want a Metanoia reader to know?I want to look back on my life in government with a feeling that I contributed something to improve things for British Columbians – that might sound a little hokey, but you just can’t take the punishment that this job dishes out without strongly believing that that is what you are here for. That really makes all the difference about whether you can put your head on the pillow at the end of the day. You are never going to see in the media all the really important things that happen for people in your community or in the province, all you see are the big issues or the controversies. What becomes important to you in this role are the things that take place day to day that no one will ever hear about but where you have really helped someone or where you have changed a circumstance in government that leaves a legacy.We are really proud of you in our community and in this province and having said that, thanks so much for your time today Mary.Thank you!

Photo submitted by Garry Osborne: Sea Feather and Whaler in Panama

GALLERYPanache&Parties

Dr. Allison Patton, ND hosting her Sunday afternoon Coffee, Tea, and Me sessions

Our man Dal on his unicycle outside Greenpoint Stadium in Cape Town, S. Africa

THE Dr. Allison Patton, ND trying her hand at archery at the Semiahmoo Fish and Game Club.

Metanoia attends the wedding of Mountainview Wellness Centre’s receptionist, Ana Maria Rotariu

Dr. Allison Patton, ND with Peter and Marilena Fluckiger and Dr. Alan Davis, President and Vice Chancellor , Kwantlen Polytechnic University

Dr. Allison Patton, ND with White Rock Mayor, Wayne Baldwin.

Drago Adam with 2010 Olypic Bronze Medalist in 4 Man Bobsleigh, Chris Le Bihan at John Furlong’s book launch party.

Lydia, Alex Barberis and Hayden at Coffee, Tea, and Me sessions

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Our Miss White Rock 2011/2012 Alex Barberis: Congratulations on a Successful Year.

This August, Dr. Allison Patton and JR Leis attended the White Rock Youth Ambassador Gala 2012 where Miss White Rock and Mountainview Wellness Centre staff member, Alex Barberis completed her year serving the community as a youth ambassador. During her final year in high school Alex juggled her studies, her many public duties as Miss White Rock and her work life at our office with grace, humour and enthusiasm.

Her final gift to the audience was a magnificent verbal and pictoral demonstration of the concept of dark matter and how it relates to the Higgs boson.

Watch out UBCO, here she comes. Alex, we wish you all the success you can possibly embrace as you journey forward onto your next adventure!

Virgin Mary, Mother of God, banish Putin, banish Putin,Virgin Mary, Mother of God, banish him, we pray thee!Congregati ons genufl ect,Black robes brag gilt epaulett es,Freedom's phantom's gone to heaven,Gay Pride's chained and in detenti on.KGB's chief saint descendsTo guide the punks to prison vans.Don't upset His Saintship, ladies,Sti ck to making love and babies.Crap, crap, this godliness crap!Crap, crap, this holiness crap!Virgin Mary, Mother of God.Be a feminist, we pray thee,Be a feminist, we pray thee.Bless our festering bastard-boss.Let black cars parade the Cross.The Missionary's in class for cash.Meet him there, and pay his stash.Patriarch Gundy believes in Puti n.Bett er believe in God, you vermin!Fight for rights, forget the rite –Join our protest, Holy Virgin.Virgin Mary, Mother of God, banish Putin, banish Putin,Virgin Mary, Mother of God, we pray thee, banish him!

Carol Rumens is the author of 14 collections of poems, as well as occasional fi ction, drama and translation. She has received the Cholmondeley Award and the Prudence Farmer Prize, and was joint recipient of an Alice Hunt Bartlett Award. Her version of Punk Prayer from the original Russian version was meant to ensure that nothing was lost in translation; it was featured in the UK newspaper, The Guardian.

Above and left: members of Pussy Riot are led to their hearing where they look out from the defendant’s cell.Below: Leader of Russian oppostion group United Civil Front and Former world chess champion, Gary Kasparaov is detained by police as he reacts to the verdict.

In August 2012, three members of Pussy Riot received a two year sentence for “hooliganism motivated by religious hatred” for a 51 second performance at Moscow’s Cathedral of Christ the Savior. Their unannouced and provacative performance was in protest of the current government’s policies that have been seen as discriminating against women and culturally indoctrinated. Although critics have said that this performance would have been unacceptable anywhere in the world, the sentence has caused reaction worldwide and has brought into question Russia’s commitment to protect human rights and freedom of expression. As bandmembers used colourful balaclavas during their performances, these bright facemasks now have become a symbol of defi ance to Putin’s Russian government.

Punk Prayer English version by Carol Rumens

Punk Protest of State and Church

ATTENTION REAL ESTATE INVESTORS:

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Guest speakers at the meetings that help you learn and grow your business

Vendors that educate us and provide group discounts

Legal, financial, and contractor assistance available to members at meetings

Making contact with like-minded people that may become your business partners... and friends for life!

For More Information Log On To:

www.AlbanyInAction.org

OPPORTUNITYIS EVERYWHEREWHEN YOU KNOW WHERE TO FIND IT!LEARN TO MAXIMIZE OPPORTUNITIES IN A DOWN REAL ESTATE MARKET WITH A GROUP OF LIKE MINDED INVESTORS.

Meetings Held in Albany, NY

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There seem so many levels of incongruities in the decision for the Russians “legal” system to throw three young ladies (children really, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova 22, Maria Alyokhina 24, Yekaterina Samutsevich 30), for a 50 second outburst of song in Moscow’s Christ the Saviour Cathedral, into prison for a period of two years. The incongruities are magnifi ed when considering the fact that Putin, a self admitted thug at the age of fi fteen (now President of Russia only because of having abused the election rules himself), would probably still be in prison if his own sins would have been punished as severely pari passu.

Judge Marina Syrova who sentenced the group, known as Pussy Riot, seems to think that both Russia and the Russian Orthodox Church were victims of a vile plot to endanger the sensitivities of believers by this outburst.

The holy alliance between Vladimir Putin and the leader of the church, Patriarch Kirill, apparently established that limits to free speech not only be imposed by the State, but by God as well.

Mikhail Gorbachev is quoted as saying that this event was “a completely pointless undertaking that should never have gone to trial.” But to trial it went, making a mockery of the government, the justice system and the church, as well as ridiculing and revealing Putin and Kirill for the asses that they really are. Yeah God! But the Russians themselves are divided on the severity of the crime. To them Jesus seems to be a severe and critical parent who punishes those who would speak out for the freedom to speak out.

Of course with the experience of the Estonians, Latvians and Lithuanians behind them, the Russians already know the dangers of singing. James and Maureen Tusty’s documentary, The Singing Revolution (www.singingrevolution.com), profoundly describes the dangers of singing to those who want to control the minds and voices of freedom.

And now their new upcoming documentary, Songs of Defi ance (www.songsofdefi ance.com), shows how the Estonians used singing to overthrow Russian Czars as well. Singing truth to power is a known political weapon in Estonia (see the Songs of Defi ance article on page 12). This will not go over well in Russia, because singing changes minds and gives people courage, while bullets change attitudes and create fear.

It is up to the Russians to decide what they will tolerate or not tolerate within their own country, but the world is watching, and learning that what they do to their own is an indication of what they would do to others.

Born-again Christian, Vladimir Putin, who has only recently discovered his inner religion and Patriarch Kirill, who after all represents the voice of God, should both kneel before Him and ask the question “What would Jesus do?”

by Hank Leis

The RantBack in the U.S.S.R.

Page 21Page 21

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The whole brain is needed to “teach” creativity and innovation

There are numerous studies, writings and confirmation that the use of the whole brain fosters and strengthens creativity and innovation such as Daniel Pink’s book – A Whole New Mind, subtitled Why Right Brained People Will Rule the Future. In it he writes we are moving from the Information Age (powered by the logical, sequential and analytical left side of the brain) to a “Conceptual Age” (powered by the inventive, empathetic and big picture skill right side of the brain).

Robert Root-Bernstein, a biochemist and MacArthur prizewinner did a study of 150 biographies of eminent scientists, from Pasteur to Einstein, in the early 1990’s. It dealt with this relationship between the two sides of the brain. He found that nearly all of the great inventors and scientists were also musicians, artists, writers or poets. Galileo, was a poet and literary critic; Einstein was a passionate student of the violin; Samuel Morse, was a portrait painter, etc. He and his wife co-authored Sparks of Genius, that studied and reported on inventive people and showed creativity is encouraged and enhanced by the exercise of thinking tools – i.e., the right side of our brains.

Dr. Brinkley, the former Provost of Columbia in a recent article in Newsweek – “Half a Mind is a Terrible

Thing to Waste” writes that the “left” side of our brain is the logical side and supports the learning of facts and deducing logical answers while the “right” side deals with perceptual thinking and supports creative and instinctive thinking. He writes that science and technology aspire to clean, clear answers to problems (as elusive as those answers might be). The humanities address ambiguity, doubt and skepticism – essential underpinnings in today’s complex and diverse and turbulent world. While he supports excellence in technical education he firmly believes and states that the idea that we must choose between science and humanities – is false.

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) education is important

Well-trained STEM graduates are an essential component of the US’s ability to develop new products and businesses for the economy of the future. Recently major steps have been taken to improve STEM education at all levels of our schools and colleges. The country and its people have become aware of, and support, that STEM is so important to the US economic future that adding federal and local funds for it has actually become politically acceptable, even in this era of budget restraint.

Business and educators know Arts

are also important

A recent Conference Board study, “Ready to Innovate”, surveyed of a large number of executives and school superintendents and dealt with the US businesses needing more innovative employees. It reported agreement in the need for more innovative employees at all levels of the workforce and that education in Arts was a leading and reliable indicator of the creativity and innovation in applicants.

Arts use the right side of the brain but have recently been stripped out of the public education system by multiple budget cuts leaving the US with mainly a “half a brain” system. Arts need to be returned to the national curricula where it was for the years leading up to our more prosperous years.

STEM education is necessary but not sufficient – we need STEAM based education

Our success requires graduating very competent people whose training combines the best STEM education and the best creativity and innovation education for a whole brain system that includes Arts – to form STEAM. It is imperative that our education system focuses on a curriculum that includes, uses and develops, all the tools and skills that are available to support creativity and innovation.

Our Education System Is Not So Much “Broken”

As It Is Totally Outdated!Part II

by Harvey White

Page 23

Carl Sagan summed up the need for using both sides of the brain when he said

“It is the tension between creativity and skepticism that has produced the stunning unexpected findings of science.”

Standardized Tests results and the second “Sputnik” challenge

Standardized tests which have become the world-wide measure of education system competence, like STEM education are mostly left-brain – i.e., fact based. Recent reports on standardized test results show the US near the bottom on Math and about the middle on many other tests while selected Chinese cities and other emerging economies surged to the top of the standings.

The President called these results our generation’s “Sputnik” event saying we need to marshal our resources so the US would regain superiority in education as we did in the space exploration field in the 1950’s. It was almost a national pride issue.

Kennedy’s Sputnik challenge was thought to be a national pride issue. In fact it became the driver for our economy to take off. The innovation that took us to the moon created whole new industries, millions of jobs and drove our economy for decades. As was true in responding to the first “Sputnik challenge” – a national commitment to restructuring the education system will do the same – the country needs to realize that it is basically an economy building issue and act accordingly!

College admissions bias fact based vs. whole brain innovation K-12 education

Colleges are swamped by applications in response to the politician’s promise that “everyone can go to college”. To screen and select who to admit they use SAT scores and GPA’s, both of which are largely fact based measures. K-12 school systems are judged on their ability to prepare students to “go to college” so they teach to these tests. Schools that show improvements get plaudits; more money and happy parents thus teaching to the tests are well supported by administrators and funders who are willing to sacrifice

right brain subjects to the budget axe to get these improvements.

The current system was founded to teach students fact-based skills – not to teach students to think. It still focused on doing this does that is a very big problem in today’s need to educate innovators.

Technologists and technology policy -

The US used to graduate more top technical PhD’s than any country but that has significantly declined. India and China each have 3 times population of the US and soon they will graduate more, PhD’s and highly educated scientists and then the US will. Since we will no longer have numerical superiority we must have the best skilled, most innovatively trained graduates in order to compete.

Other emerging and developed countries are also investing heavily in capital to upgrade their technical universities and in attracting top technical professors from the US to teach there.

US technology policy in areas such as stem cell research, mean that our best and brightest scientists go off shore where government policy fosters innovation and discovery. New companies and jobs will grow there – not in the US as a result.

Government immigration policies reduce new business formation – and new jobs.

US technical universities are the best in the world and attract and graduate many of the best foreign students. Historically many of these graduates remained in the US and worked as engineers or managers in technology based companies. A number of them helped to establish new businesses and industries in the US. Some VC’s report that over 70% of all start-ups in the Silicon Valley in the past few years have at least one Asian as a founder.

Current US immigration policy almost forces graduates to return to their native land where they now start new businesses there to compete with us. Their booming economies also lure these graduates to return home because of the increased number of exciting

opportunities that are now available.

China and the rest of the world are also dedicated to be innovative world leaders

Until 2008 the US was ranked 1st as the most innovative economy in the world. That is no longer true. Recent studies show the US to be 3rd, 4th, 6th or 8th., depending on the report. One report stated that in recent years the US has made the least progress of 39 countries in improving it innovation capacity and internal competitiveness, but that decision makers, when asked, continue to rank the US first by a wide margin. So public perception has not have caught up with reality.

A Newsweek article compared what Chinese and American parents thought was the most important skills their children will need to drive innovation. The most important skill for 42% of Chinese parents, was “creative approaches to problem solving” (vs 18% of American parents) while for 52% of American parents “math and computer science” was the most important skill needed to drive innovation (vs. 9% of Chinese parents).

A second Newsweek article on the “Creativity Crisis” notes countries around the world are making creativity a national priority. British schools are revamping curricula – from science to foreign language – to emphasize idea generation. The EU designated 2009 as its Year of Creativity with conferences on the neuroscience of creativity, teacher training and instituting problem-based learning programs – curricula driven by real world inquiry. China is undergoing education reform to extinguish the drill-and-kill teaching style and to move to a problem-based learning approach.

There is a somewhat heightened dialog beginning

Arts leaders and educators have long voiced: lectured and held public meetings and conferences on the need to include Arts in schools but – as is true for parents at a PTA meeting -usually characterize it primarily as a cultural need – but few tie it to the real issue – the national economy and jobs.

There are more magazine and newspaper articles being written about

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the need for innovation for the economy. Also some government leaders like Education Secretary Duncan and NEA Chairman Landesman who talked about the need for innovation and thus having arts restored in our education curricula when they addressed the Arts Education Partnership National Forum in April 2010.

“The arts provide us with new ways of thinking, new ways to draw connections…and they help maintain our competitive edge by engendering innovation and creativity” (Landesman)

“The arts can no longer be treated as a frill, … arts education is essential to stimulating the creativity and innovation that will prove critical to young Americans competing in a global economy….”. (Duncan)

And there are some more substantive activity also starting to happen like -

Michelle Rhee’s work in Washington DC in the area of performance-based careers for both teachers and administrators has resulted in standardized test score performance improvements. Her ability to gain union acceptance of those change are signs that progress can be made in that arena. Her DC success has gained public interest and support and bodes well for her plan to raise significant funds to continue addressing teacher related issues. However, further action in the area needs to also take into account that a refocused system will require that teacher selection and performance measurement shift to one that also include innovation – not just on test scores.

A very important effort addressing the need to focus education on what is taught in K-12 systems was reported in the New York Times on January 29, 2011, writing that the “College Board plans to unveil a sweeping revision to Advanced Placement biology courses ….. part of a broad revamping of Advanced Placement courses and exams to reduce memorization and to foster analytic thinking.”

“As Advanced Placement courses have proliferated…..many of the courses have been criticized for

overwhelming students with facts. So the board is intending to revise its courses…..to emphasize how students can use the knowledge.” The vice president for Advanced Placement said “we think we can do a better job of how…. teachers could limit material and free up time to focus on bigger concepts.”

A recent activity that is really focused on innovative education and the economy is taking place in Massachusetts where they recently passed economic development bill that included the requirement that all its public schools are to be rated on how students perform on standardized tests and on how well the school’s curriculum is designed to foster creativity in students. It was positioned as an important step in boosting the commonwealth’s financial health “via the creative economy”.

The bill’s sponsor described this as “a means of increasing the region’s overall cash flow, fostering the arts and intellect-driven industry”. He went on to say “When we talk about a creative economy, we aren’t just talking about artists, musicians ….. but a variety of fields that rely upon creativity well beyond just the arts themselves.”

The Governor has called for the formation of a creativity index for also ranking all the public schools statewide. A committee is being established to create this index. (If such an index becomes generally accepted and adopted then colleges would have another basis beyond SAT’s and GPA’s to judge and process the large number of applications they now receive.)

These are, hopefully, harbingers of a concerted effort to refocus our education system to be more innovative and prepare our students for the jobs of the future.

SUMMARY The cost of not promptly refocusing the K-12 education system to insure our future

We must replace our current 18th century education system with one to meet the needs of the 21st century. Since good education is the underpinning of the country’s economy it is a national imperative to

do so ASAP. We must refocus this new system to insure it trains and graduates innovative students who will staff and/or create new industries so that every American will have a meaningful job and career that will allow them to keep the standard of living that we have today.

The refocused system must move from one that primarily requires memorization of facts and rote learning and is measured by standardized test scores, i.e., primarily a left brain focused curricula. It must again include right brain subjects such as arts, which have systematically been stripped out of the curricula on the basis that “we can’t afford them” – actually the reverse is true we need them.

The new economy requires that we continue to improve and encourage STEM education because mastering existing and new technologies is vital. It also requires that Arts be included in the curricula to capture the full potential of the whole-brain – i.e., a STEAM based one. It is using the combination of all these capabilities that drives creativity and innovation. The future economic cost of not having a whole brain education system that fosters creativity and innovation is immense.

It requires retraining instructors to teach how to deal with ambiguities and nuances – how to think creatively and how to construct or deal with abstract issues instead of so much of the emphasis being on teaching facts. Teachers will need to teach our students to “think” – not memorize.

Our current system’s failure is also marked by very costly high dropout rates resulting from the current “drill and kill” approach. Instead of having trained and educated Americans who would pay taxes and work in our future industries our governments pay to cover the lifetime costs of welfare and medical services. The social and societal costs are also great since many of these people, being unemployable, end up with criminal or drug records with the associated government covered costs.

How to promote and fund this new and needed refocused system

First, we must mount an effort by

Page 25

government; business; print and TV news; other media; and public and thought leaders to understand, formulate and present a united, cohesive story to the American people about the urgent need for the refocusing and replacing the 18th century designed education system with one designed in the 21st century. Unless Americans understand and support, that this new refocused education system is an economic necessity – it will not happen in a timely manner.

Their support to increase and fund STEM education indicates that Americans understood that the need for improved science based education was a national economics and well being imperative. If they now understand that this complete refocus of the K-12 education system is also a pressing national need- then the politicians can get on board and can and will fund that need.

Business knows this refocused system is essential so they will have the required work force to be able to compete. However, for businesses to provide funds they must be able to do so without being penalized by the stock market. All investors need to agree that funding this refocused

education system is a sound, prudent and necessary investment. One that, if made will result in a substantial positive return in their portfolios and in the country’s future. If not made, the future value of their individual corporations and the American industry will suffer substantially. Analysts and investors need to separate out the cost of this investment in looking at, or predicting, quarterly earnings so that the market values of investing companies are not adversely affected by, this investment. Even a GAAP or tax change may be needed.

If we make only piecemeal “improvements” we will lose the politicians and neither the government nor business will fund the refocusing of the education system. Our economy will falter – unemployment will stay high and our competitors will increase their leverage on our financial system and our role in the world as both an economic and moral leader will lessen.

The time is now – there is no time to waste because we are already late in facing this issue

We need to start this public education program immediately – gathering media, marketing, industry, education,

Stephen Richards Covey was an American educator, author, businessman and motivational speaker. His most popular book was The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.

October 24, 1932 – July 16, 2012

Milton Friedman

July 31, 1912 – November 16, 2006

Economist, statistician, and author. Milton Friedman was economic advisor to US president Ronald Regan, wrote Capitalism and Freedom and was considered by some the most influencial economist of the 20th century. Milton Friedman would have been 100 years old this year.

and government personnel to prepare the message and to attract the right spokespeople from those segments along with well-regarded thought leaders and personalities to deliver it.

We also need to assemble the best and brightest people from all disciplines – business, education, public policy, government, science, etc and probably the most patient and best mediators – to solve the myriad new system design items. This can run concurrently with the public education effort so that the time line for implementation can be streamlined and shortened.

This refocusing of the K-12 education system is not just a “nice to have” item – it is economic imperative. Like the Sputnik challenge it is a race for the future –the winners will reap great rewards

Paper by:

Harvey WhiteChairman of (SHW)2 Enterpriseswww.steam-notstem.com

Milestones and Obituaries

Page 26

Sunday, June 3, 2012

Breakfast was served at the same table as last night, again by the owner, who we talked to at length. He certainly went out of his way to ensure we wanted for nothing. At 9 AM we headed for Yellow Mountain, for which the whole area is named (Huangshan), stopping along the way for scenic photos. We stopped for permits to drive our van to the lift through many switchbacks up the mountain. High peaks were visible all around. In spite of being Sunday there was no line, we had a six seat enclosed gondola to ourselves. The fi fteen minute ride up the mountain was spectacular. This area is represented in many traditional Chinese paintings of cloud shrouded bare peaks. Walking trails could be seen along platforms built out of the sides of sheer cliffs.

Once out of the gondola we faced a walk of about a mile to the hotel by the short route, which we took out of respect for my bum knees, however the path was paved and there were concrete steps when it was necessary to ascend or descend. The long route is about two miles and covers more area. We paused at the frequent platforms for photos and to look at the stunning scenery. Sheer cliffs drop down the mountains, with pine trees poking out of every crevice large enough to support the roots, waterfalls cascade into pools far below and dogwood trees with their white (and sometimes pink) blooms were offset by vivid red azalea plants. Pinnacles shoot hundreds of feet in the air, some topped by precariously balanced boulders.

The Bei Hai (Notthsea) Hotel looked great, nestled among towering peaks. We were given a room in the

new section, which requires taking an elevator to the 5th fl oor, walking through a long passage to another building and then climbing two fl ights of stairs. The room looked nice, but had a violent stink of sewage. After a nice lunch Liamg arranged for another room. Most of the staff in the hotel did not appear anxious to assist with anything - it is a government owned hotel and staff attitude reminded me of the old Soviet hotels. The replacement room was in the old section, but although a little more worn was large and comfortable.

Liamg and Marilynn headed off on one of the scenic walks while I stayed to do some writing in deference to my knees. Once on my own I checked out the service items and was amazed to fi nd one small bar of soap, a shampoo dispenser in the shower and half a roll of toilet paper - that was it. Due to the long walk we brought only bare essentials in a backpack, and didn’t include toothbrushes and toothpaste as they have always been provided in Chinese hotels. The rooms were cold, and there was neither heat nor air conditioning available. Surprisingly, in room wifi worked. Liamg says this hotel is the best on the mountain. Rooms start at over $300 per night and go up from there. On a scale of 1 to 10 I’d put value at less than 2. The area is truly worth seeing, but I would recommend staying elsewhere, driving to the gondola lift, spending the day on the mountain and returning in the evening.

Monday, June 4, 2012

It was a cold, bleak, rainy day, with everything obscured by fog. Once we fi nished breakfast the rain stopped, but we purchased disposable rain capes in

Huangshan to JingdezhenDan Walker is an adventurer, a businessman and raconteur. He has visited every country

in the world. His trusty Rolls Royce has taken him across many conti nents. He includes his grandchildren in some of his travels allowing them to select the desti nati on. Originally, he hails from Victoria, Briti sh Columbia, but now resides in Costa Rica. At our request he has honoured us by writi ng a journal of his most recent trip to China. We are pleased to present the Dan Walker Chronicles.

Sunday, June 3, 2012

The Dan Walker Chronicles

case it started again. On the way back I counted the steps - there were just over 800, but my knees held up far better than I thought they would. Our driver was ready and waiting for the run back to Tunxi, where we checked back into the International Hotel. We sent some laundry off to be done, then went for good lunch at a small restaurant at the entrance to Tunxi Old Town. A visit to the cultural museum and a tea tasting was laid on for the afternoon, but I had seen a book on the Haushau Mysterious Cave in the hotel, so Liamg quickly made arrangements for our program to be changed.

The caves are in low hills about 30 km from Tunxi, accessed by a long suspension foot bridge across a wide river. These caves were man made some 1,700 years ago, but no record of why they were made or by whom has ever been uncovered. The many tons of sandstone extracted from the 36 caves has never been found either. Only 3 caves are open to the public,

The Haushau Mysterious Caves outside Tunxi

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and we explored two of them, which involved a fair walk up and down stairs within the caves. One had 12,000 M2 (about 3 acres) of fl oor space and the other was slightly smaller. Ceilings averaged around 8 meters (26 feet) high and were supported by a maze of huge rough columns left when the caves were carved out. There were also pools of water, as much of the area is below river level. It was quite a feat of engineering for the time. Back to the hotel we told Liamg to spend the rest of the day with his family, however he wanted to come back to pick us up for dinner. He said Lifeng had phoned from Beijing to make sure he was looking after us. We assured him we would be fi ne, so eventually he wrote out his cell phone number and told us to call at any hour if we needed anything. The laundry was ready when we returned to the room, with even my T-shirt packaged with cardboard backing in a crisp container as used for new shirts, but it was necessary to pay cash on the delivery. In this area almost no one accepts credit cards - it is a cash society.

After a rest we made the considerable walk to Tunxi Old Street where we had spotted a tiny bar just inside the old quarter. Here we gratefully collapsed into chairs and had a couple of leisurely drinks while watching people pass by. Once rested we walked into the old section until we came to a cross street fi lled with bars and restaurants, where we selected a tiny one with a couple of cloth covered tables on the street among potted plants. We tried some local wines and several Chinese beers while making a dinner of popcorn and peanuts. We have been eating huge meals three times a day, and this was perfect. Chinese and Korean tour groups with fl ag carrying leader marching along in front seemed to take us for a tourist attraction. Our photos were taken many times, sometimes surreptitiously and at other times quite openly. We just laughed and waved.

The old town is beautiful when lit up at night, and we were reluctant to leave, but tiredness was taking over so we walked down the side street to the main street where we hired a pedal

cab to take us back to the hotel. The route along the river was lined by gaily coloured lights on both sides. The refl ections from the far side were beautiful. Once in our river view room a fi reworks display across the river capped a great evening.

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Our fi rst stop today was the cultural museum we missed yesterday, where we were shown both historic and current art work from the area. One of the professors showed us around, and explained that it was more than a museum - they held classes to teach the traditional art forms. They sell some of the wonderful works produced by both teachers and students to help support the school. Some of the items were fabulous, but well out of our budget range. We left Huangshan on a toll highway that tunnelled through mountains and bridged river valleys and villages. The construction cost must have been enormous, as it was tunnel, bridge, tunnel, bridge for many miles.

After turning down a side road we stopped at the ancient Village of Xiao Qui in Wui Uan area. It is surrounded by forests of camphor trees, but is very dependent on tourism. Most shops sold camphor chests and furniture or tourist souvenirs but there were very few tourists. The village’s claim to fame is a huge 1,000 year old camphor tree and twin wells dating back to when it was founded.

The next stop was the Village of

Wang Kou, situated on the bank of a good sized river with clear, green water. It was an important river port when the network of rivers and canals were China’s principal shipping routes. There were a few tourist shops, so we

were able to see inside stores, doctor and dentist offi ces and homes. The day was warm, and doors opened directly onto the narrow street. Today’s lunch was very local - pig intestine, local wild greens, tiny fried fi sh (minnows), bamboo with pork and monkey pekoe tea. Today’s destination was Jingdezhen, where we checked into a beautiful balcony room overlooking the river in the Zijing Hotel. We told Limang we were fi ne on our own for dinner, as we were too tired to leave the hotel. Few staff spoke any English, but we managed to get 2 beers onto the counter but when there was no sign of any intention to open them I used one against the other to pop the top. That got a laugh out of the staff and they kept us well provided with open beer after that.

A young English speaking employee named Dennis assisted us in selecting a great dinner of duck, beef, greens and a vat of won ton soup that was over a foot across. All this and half a dozen large beer came to a surprisingly low $US40. Because of the fancy hotel we thought it would be much higher. This city is famous for its porcelain - we will see more of that tomorrow.

The 1,000 year old camphor tree in the village of Xiao Qui

Camphor chests from the village of Wang Kou

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FROM DONALD J BOUDREAUXMISSIVES

Business for Shared Prosperity

Dear Mr. Keener:

Thanks for your e-mail asking me to support your group’s call for raising the legislated minimum-wage. I must, however, decline because I do not believe that the wage rate agreed to by each employer and each employee is my, or your, or the government’s business. Terms of employment are a private matter between consenting adults and should be treated as such.

But why don’t YOU - as, presumably, the owner of your own business - raise the wages that you pay to your employees? You’re perfectly free to do so.

You’ll reply that such arbitrary increases in wages by individual employers put firms that so raise their wages at a competitive disadvantage relative to firms that don’t raise their wages. That is, you understand that there’s a cost to arbitrarily raising wages - and it is a cost that you seek to shove off of yourself and onto others by having government oblige all firms to pay a higher minimum-wage.

Why, though, should I endorse a policy that shifts much of cost of arbitrarily raised wages from you to other people? A rise in the legislated minimum-wage will oblige your customers to pay higher prices (given that firms will be unable to gain competitive advantages by hiring workers at wages below the minimum). A big chunk of the cost of such an arbitrary hike in wages, therefore, will be shifted by legislation from you to consumers. Worse, to the extent that such cost-shifting is avoided, a higher minimum-wage will likely condemn many low-skilled workers to the hell of longer periods of unemployment.

Yet nowhere in your call for a higher minimum-wage do you mention even the possibility of these ill consequences. If you are unaware of these ill-consequences, shame on you for recklessly calling in so uninformed a fashion for a higher minimum-wage. If, instead, you ARE aware of these ill-consequences, shame on even more for endorsing a policy knowing that its costs will be borne largely by people other than yourself and your fellow business owners.

Sincerely,Donald J. BoudreauxProfessor of EconomicsGeorge Mason UniversityFairfax, VA 22030

Editor, The Daily Beast

Dear Editor:

Nicholas Wapshott claims that a 1988 essay that Milton Friedman wrote on J.M. Keynes is a “key lost document” in which Friedman “concedes not only that Keynesianism can work but that big government is not evil so long as it is honestly administered” (“A Lovefest Between Milton Friedman and J.M. Keynes,” July 30). In his conclusion Mr. Wapshott repeats this suggestion - astonishing to anyone who has actually read Milton Friedman’s works - that Friedman believed big government to be benign as long as it is in the right hands. Wapshott: “The lost essay ... calls into question whether those today who rail against the size of the state are blaming the system when they should be rooting out corrupt politicians and public officials instead.”

Mr. Wapshott doesn’t link to this article - a curiosity perhaps explained by the fact that in the article Friedman says almost exactly the opposite of what Mr. Wapshott claims him to say. After questioning the general applicability of Keynes’s economic notions, Friedman commented on Keynes’s politics: “I conclude that Keynes’s political bequest has done far more harm than his economic bequest and this for two reasons. First, whatever the economic analysis, benevolent dictatorship is likely sooner or later to lead to a totalitarian society. Second, Keynes’s economic theories appealed to a group far broader than economists primarily because of their link to his political approach.”*

Does Friedman sound here like a man having a “lovefest” with Keynes? Does he strike you as someone who shared Keynes’s and Wapshott’s naive confidence that the danger of big government can be avoided simply by efforts to “root out corrupt politicians and public officials”?

Sincerely,Donald J. BoudreauxProfessor of EconomicsGeorge Mason UniversityFairfax, VA 22030

US $21.95Political Science


DONALD J. BOUDREAUX

A LIVELY CRITIQUE OF THE SLOPPY POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC THINKING THAT PERMEATES AMERICA—DELIVERED ONE LETTER AT A TIME

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ITSDONALD J. BOUDREAUX

Each day, Donald Boudreaux, professor of economics at George Mason Uni-versity, writes a letter to the editor of a

major American publication. Often, he writes in response to an absurdity off ered up by a columnist or politician, or an eye-catching factoid misleadingly taken out of context. � ese are his best letters, each one off ering a well-reasoned counterpoint to an exaggera-tion, misunderstanding, or outright deception printed in a newspaper.

Without swearing allegiance to any party or ideology, Boudreaux takes aim at pundits and politicos on the left, right, and everywhere in between. He tackles issues ranging from “lookism” in the offi ce and the futility of border walls to naïve faith in alternative energy and the all-too-common tendency to trust a fallible and ever-expanding government.

Hypocrites and Half-Wits won’t change your deeply held convictions. But it will sharpen your eye for shaky facts, faulty reasoning, and intel-lectual dishonesty—all of which are threats to a free, prosperous country.

� is collection, comprised of one hundred of economist Donald Boudreaux’s best letters, provides intelligent, witty rejoinders to questions like these:

• Are taxes “really just prices”? (New York Times)

• Does the Tea Party suff er from a “fatuous infatuation” with the Constitution? (Washington Post)

• Is it “obvious” that “if there are fewer guns, there are fewer shootings and fewer funerals” (New Orleans Times-Picayune)

• Has “slowing population growth” proven to be “critical to long-term economic growth”? (Wall Street Journal)

Whatever your political affi liation, you’ll be entertained and enlightened by Boudreaux’s incisive responses.

ECONOMIC MYTHMAKERS, FORCE FETISHISTS, REGULATION ENTHUSIASTS, PAUL KRUGMAN, FOX NEWS—

THEY’RE ALL FAIR GAME FOR DONALD BOUDREAUX’S BITING, INTELLIGENT LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

COVER DESIGN BY GREENLEAF BOOK GROUP LLCAUHTOR PHOTO BY CARRIE CONKO

PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

WWW.DONALDJBOUDREAUX.COM

Boudreaux/CMYK

DONALD J. BOUDREAUX served as chairman of the department of econom-ics at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, from 2001 to 2009. He runs a blog, www.CafeHayek.com, with noted economist Russ Roberts and has lectured in the United States, Canada, Latin America, and Europe. He is the author of Globalization (2008), and his writing has been published in the Wall Street Journal, Investor’s Business Daily, Regulation, Reason, Ideas on Liberty, the Washington Times, the Journal of Commerce, the Cato Journal, and several scholarly journals.

Before chairing the economics department at George Mason, Boudreaux was president of the Foundation for Economic Educa-tion; associate professor of legal studies and economics at Clemson University, and assistant professor of economics at George Mason University.



DONALD J. BOUDREAUX


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Page 31

Cancer Ignore the signs that your health is failing, it is a trick. What your really need is a holiday. Forget about work, debts, your kids, the dog, just go away and stop

concentrating; accountability is overrated.

LeoLeo, you have just had your birthday, feeling good? Remember, it is not about how you look, it is about how you feel. Take a mirror holiday, it will do wonders for

your self esteem.

VirgoThis is your time to shine Virgo, to take a different role. Wallflowers are overrated; try life as a Dahlia or Peony. Live life large and showy, be a narcissist, find your virtue of selfishness, trample on the feelings of

others for a change.

LibraLibra, your ego has gotten the best of you again. Will you ever learn? Not if your ego has anything to do with it. Seek out a wise sage and meditate on their words of

wisdom; your subconscious will thank you later.

ScorpioHave you heard of fiscal responsibility? It appears that you have not. Google it and determine how you can bring more of it into your life. Otherwise, you might

find yourself sickening.

Sagittarius Travel, mystique, alluring perfumes in the air; this desribes the next month for you Sag. Spend the next few days resting so you can ready your mind and soul for the rollercoaster ride of emotions that are coming your

way.

Capricorn It is not the type of pie you order, it is how you describe the pie to other people. Life is created by the meaning you give your experiences and those around you.

Looking forward, keep this in mind.

Aquarius Aquarius, this is the time to dream, imagine and fantasize about what you could make of your existence. Once you have exhausted all possibilities, act them out

and see who you become.

Pisces As a perpetual victim you are able to maintain yourself in a euphoric numbed out state. Are you tired of this? If the answer is yes, remember the feeling and transfer it

to something productive like the role of enabler.

AriesYou will find yourself in a situation that makes you feel trapped; as if any thoughtsof the future are futile. Aries, this is not the end but only the beginning. Go with the feeling and use it to reinvent yourself. Pain is the

ultimate reality check.

Taurus Persistence is one of your strong suits. This talent will be required of you Taurus as you embark on a stage in your life that requires a paradigm shift every few hours. Stay true to yourself, others need you more than

even you realize.

Gemini Unlike other signs this month, Gemini has not a care in the world. Even if there was something to care about, Gemini, this month you are not in charge. Lay low, indulge, meditate and generally enjoy yourself. Let the others around you carry the weight of the world on

their shoulders; your turn will come.

Horoscope By Onieh Siel

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Pussy Riot October-November 2012