Monsoon Journal

May 6, 2010

Gas Tax Fuels Better Public Transit

Filed under: Canada news — sundeep @ 7:58 pm

McGuinty Government Investments Mean More Service, Hybrid Buses Ontario’s Gas Tax Program is getting more people out of their cars and onto public transit. This year, 93 municipal transit systems will share $316 million in gas tax funding. This investment will help purchase more conventional and specialized accessible transit vehicles, add more routes, extend hours of service, and upgrade transit infrastructure. Since 2003, the McGuinty government has invested approximately $9.3 billion in municipal public transit systems, contributing to:

- An increase in transit ridership of approximately 110 million passenger trips. - 91 million fewer car trips, reducing traffic congestion and allowing people and goods to move more quickly. - An estimated reduction of 350,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions from cars. Ongoing investments in public transit are part of the Open Ontario plan to build infrastructure and create jobs. In addition to this year’s $316 million investment, municipalities have received more than $1.3 billion in provincial gas tax funding since 2004. Ontario shares two cents per litre of provincial gas tax revenues with municipalities to expand and improve their public transit systems. Ontarians took almost 748 million trips on municipal public transit in 2008, according to the Canadian Urban Transit Association.

Time magazine honours Toronto paramedic

Filed under: Canada news — sundeep @ 7:58 pm

TIME named GlobalMedic Founder Rahul Singh to the 2010 TIME 100, the magazine’s annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world. The list, produced annually, “recognizes activism, innovation and achievement.” Singh is mentioned as a global leader in the area of disaster relief. The quick response by Singh and GlobalMedic to this year’s earthquake relief in Haiti was the catalyst for the recognition.

In the past 12 years GlobalMedic has helped at 50 disasters in all corners of the world: among them Haiti, China, Chile, Pakistan, Honduras, Indonesia and Sri Lanka. In January Monsoon Journal joined members of the Tamil community and teamed up with GlobalMedic in a campaign for financial donations to assist the people of Haiti after the devastating earth quake.

Canadian sailor killed in Afghan bomb blast

Filed under: Canada news — sundeep @ 7:57 pm

KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan — A Canadian Forces sailor has died in a Taliban bomb blast virtually at the doorstep of Canada   ’s front-line base, bringing to 143 the number of Canadian troops killed in the Afghan war. Two other Canadian soldiers were injured, one very seriously, in the improvised-explosive device (IED) attack.

Petty Officer Second Class Craig Blake had been on foot with other members of his explosivesdisposal team around 4:30 p.m. Monday, a few hundred metres from the gate of the Sperwan Ghar base in Panjwaii district.

Blast investigators determined that the IED was    “command detonated,   ” meaning it was set off by a watching insurgent. Blake was the fifth Canadian soldier to be killed this year. Blake, 37, of Simcoe, Ont., arrived in Afghanistan last month for his first tour of duty in the country. As an explosives-disposal operator, he was tasked with defusing IEDs.

Chandra Kumaran contests for Ward 2 Councillor position in Town of Ajax

Filed under: Canada news — sundeep @ 7:57 pm

Community activist Chandra Kumaran will be contesting for ward 2 councillor position in the forthcoming Ajax town council elections scheduled for October 2nd this year. Chandra, as he is popularly known has been an active community worker and social activist over the past years in the town of Ajax. He has worked with the Rotary Club, Ontario Trillium Foundation. Durham Regional Police Advisory Committee, Town of Ajax Multi cultural committee and the Durham West Arts Center.

Chandra was also associated with fund raising activities for the Rouge Valley Hospital Foundation, Big Brothers, Sisters of Ajax- Pickering and Autism- Ontario(Durham). Chandra has been a resident of Ajax for over twenty years and actively involved in community betterment activities ranging from all levels of Government and local bodies. Among some of the community betterment services he has associated himself are:-better council services and lesser taxes, traffic management relating to bottlenecks, community investment, three year plan, communication and improving quality and accessibility to council services. He has also been responsible for better working relationships with the Durham Police and also worked with the Durham West Arts center. Chandra has also actively involved himself with local, provincial and federal government politics.

Anxiety, Moodiness, Irritability, and Sadness

Filed under: Monsoon Health — sundeep @ 7:56 pm

By Dr. J. Douglas Salmon, Jr. Adapted with permission from Multi-Health Systems & Dr. J. Douglas Salmon, Jr. from Rehabilitation Education and Coping Pamphlet Series It is important to recognize that a certain degree of moodiness and depression is not unusual in response to an illness or accident that has altered one’s lifestyle. Symptoms of anxiety and depression may also be common when one is going through a difficult time due to stressors or any traumatic events that have occurred in life. As a person adjusts to his or her change in lifestyle and goes through the normal recovery process or overcomes the stressful event, many of these symptoms should gradually resolve themselves. The following are common symptoms related to anxiety, depression, and emotional upset: sleep disturbance, worry, sexual disturbance, reduced appetite, social withdrawal, poor emotional control (e.g., crying easily, losing one’s temper), increased heartbeat, increased perspiring, and reduced activity.

The strategies listed below may he helpful in dealing with these symptoms: Anxiety, Moodiness and Irritability Identify Sources of Aggravation By identifying the factors that cause your moodiness or irritability, you may be able to find a simple solution. Factors such as tiredness, certain topics of discussion, certain times of the day, certain medications, certain situations, or certain people, may be the primary triggers of your aggravation. Once you have determined these factors, you may be able to avoid them or develop specific ways of dealing with them. Practice Self-Talk When you feel yourself growing upset, try repeating to yourself statements such as, “stay calm”, “relax”, “cool down”, “I don’t have to get mad.” Praise yourself for your success with statements such as, “that was good”, “good job”, or “I did it.” Leave the Situation When you feel that you are becoming angry, frustrated, or upset, leave what you are doing and return to the task later.

If these uneasy feelings occur during a discussion, tell the individual( s) that you need to relax and that you will discuss the topic after you have calmed down. Use a Relaxation Technique You may try one of several programs available in books, on tapes, or through counselling, which have proven to be effective methods to assist in relaxation. Less formal techniques include counting to ten, taking a few long and deep breaths, taking a walk in a serene place, listening to soothing music, sleeping, or just finding a nice, quiet spot in which to relax. Exercise Regular exercise, and exercising when you are feeling upset, can help to reduce tension, frustration, and anger, which often lead to moodiness and irritability.

Discuss or Write Out Your Problems Discussing or writing down your problems and your feelings about things may make you feel better. You may wish to consult with a religious leader, family doctor, or professional for counselling. If your anger is at the point where either physical violence or injury to others is a concern, please seek professional help immediately. Depression: Feeling Sad or Down If you feel that your sadness is not a serious problem for you and that professional help is unnecessary, the following suggestions should be sufficient to assist you in dealing with your sadness. If you have experienced thoughts of suicide or feel that depression is a serious concern for you, seek professional help immediately. Exercise regularly. Remain active. Make a list of positive thoughts upon which to focus and negative thoughts to avoid. Do things that you are good at and that usually make you happy.

Discuss or write down your problems and how you feel about them. Seek out those things in life that are meaningful to you (e.g., friends, family, religion, volunteer work, devoting time to a cause). Avoid people who are negative, critical of you, or who are often depressed themselves. Change to a more pleasant environment (e.g., visit or call on a friend who is usually in a good mood, go to a late night movie, or take a pleasant walk). Have fun and think of things that are funny. Do something to help someone else. Take on simple, manageable tasks to focus your attention and give you a sense of accomplishment (e.g., clean up, organize a room, or mow the lawn). If you have experienced thoughts of suicide or feel that these emotional difficulties are becoming a serious concern for you or are lasting too long, seek help from your family doctor or a qualified mental health professional.

The Amazing Cucumber

Filed under: Monsoon Health — sundeep @ 7:55 pm

I love to eat cucs, but haven ‘t paid attention to how I feel afterwards or tried them for the uses below; wouldn ‘t be surprised of multiple uses though. AHEM!!! NOT TO CONFUSE YOU WITH ANYTHING ELSE I ‘VE USED CUC ‘S FOR TO KEEP ANTS AWAY, FOR SOME REASON AND IT SEEMS TO CONTROL THEM The Amazing Cucumber This information was in The New York Times several weeks ago as part of their  “Spotlight on the Home ” series that highlighted creative and fanciful ways to solve common problems.

1. Cucumbers contain most of the vitamins you need every day, just one cucumber contains Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3, Vitamin B5, Vitamin B6, Folic Acid, Vitamin C, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium and Zinc.

2. Feeling tired in the afternoon, put down the caffeinated soda and pick up a cucumber. Cucumbers are a good source of B Vitamins and Carbohydrates that can provide that quick pickme- up that can last for hours.

3. Tired of your bathroom mirror fogging up after a shower? Try rubbing a cucumber slice along the mirror, it will eliminate the fog and provide a soothing, spa-like fragrance.

4. Are grubs and slugs ruining your planting beds? Place a few slices in a small pie tin and your garden will be free of pests all season long. The chemicals in the cucumber react with the aluminum to give off a scent undetectable to humans but drive garden pests crazy and make them flee the area. (WOW)

5. Looking for a fast and easy way to remove cellulite before going out or to the pool? Try rubbing a slice or two of cucumbers along your problem area for a few minutes, the phytochemicals in the cucumber cause the collagen in your skin to tighten, firming up the outer layer and reducing the visibility of cellulite. Works great on wrinkles too!!! (DOUBLE WOW)

6. Want to avoid a hangover or terrible headache? Eat a few cucumber slices before going to bed and wake up refreshed and headache free. Cucumbers contain enough sugar, B vitamins and electrolytes to replenish essential nutrients the body lost, keeping everything in equilibrium, avoiding both a hangover and headache!

7. Looking to fight off that afternoon or evening snacking binge?Cucumbers have been used for centuries and often used by European trappers, traders and explores for quick meals to thwart off starvation.

8. Have an important meeting or job interview and you realize that you don ‘t have enough time to polish your shoes? Rub a freshly cut cucumber over the shoe, its chemicals will provide a quick and durable shine that not only looks great but also repels water.

9. Out of WD 40 and need to fix a squeaky hinge? Take a cucumber sliced rub it along the problematic hinge, and voila, the squeak is gone!

10. Stressed out and don ‘t have time for massage, facial or visit to the spa? Cut up an entire cucumber and place it in a boiling pot of water, the chemicals and nutrients from the cucumber with react with the boiling water and be released in the steam, creating a soothing, relaxing aroma that has been shown the reduce stress in new mothers and college students during final exams.

11. Just finish a business lunch and realize you don ‘t have gum or mints? Take a slice of cucumber and press it to the roof of your mouth with your tongue for 30 seconds to eliminate bad breath, the phytochemcials will kill the bacteria in your mouth responsible for causing bad breath.

12. Looking for a  ‘green ‘ way to clean your faucets, sinks or stainless steel? Take a slice of cucumber and rub it on the surface you want to clean, not only will it remove years of tarnish and bring back the shine, but is won ‘t leave streaks and won ‘t harm you fingers or fingernails while you clean.

13. Using a pen and made a mistake? Take the outside of the cucumber and slowly use it to erase the pen writing, also works great on crayons and markers that the kids have used to decorate the walls!! Dr. George I. Traitses D.C., B.Sc.(Hon.), M.Sc., C.H.N., C.C.R.D., C.N.M., A.C.R.B. 1, C.R.A. 2914 Sheppard Ave. E., Suite 206, Scarborough, Ont., Canada, M1T 3J4 +1 (416) 499-5656 Fax: +1 (416) 499-5797 h t t p : / / w w w . i n f i n i t e - health.com http://www.secretropin.ca http://www.fastdna.ca http://www.3stepdetox.ca

Inaugural Mississauga Mayor’s Cricket Festival

Filed under: Monsoon Sports — sundeep @ 7:55 pm

Corporate Canada Cricket Club (C4) is pleased to present the inaugural Mississauga Mayor’s Cricket Festival on July 17, 2010 at the Courtney Park Cricket Field in Mississauga. The objective of the festival is to raise the awareness of the corporate, adult & youth cricket as well as support the community charity partners, Heart & Stroke Foundation and Canadian Cancer Society, to raise the awareness of their causes in the Mississauga Community.

Highlights • Mayor, Honourable Hazel McCallion, will be the Chief Guest. • Corporate cricket teams such as that of BMO Financial Group, CIBC, Ernst & Young, RBC Financial Group & Scotiabank will be participating in the exhibition games About Corporate Canada Cricket Club Corporate Canada Cricket Club (C4) is an alliance of the Cricket Clubs of Financial Institutions, Consulting and Technology Companies in Canada.

It was formed in 2008 and incorporated in 2009. The vision of Corporate Canada Cricket Club is to promote interest and participation in the sport of cricket on a sustainable basis in Corporate Canada & communities across Canada and to provide a platform to Group Members to network with each other for games, jobs and business. For details, please visit www.corporatecricket.org

Minister Kenney Launches Asian Heritage Month

Filed under: Front Page — sundeep @ 7:54 pm

All Canadians are invited and encouraged to join in the celebra- tion of Asian Heritage Month, said Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney during an official launch ceremony on Parliament Hill. The theme of Asian Heritage Month 2010, organized in partnership with the Ottawa Asian Heritage Month Society, is Asian Canadians: A Proud History, A Promising Future. “This month helps all Canadians appreciate the impor- tant role that Canadians of Asian ancestry have played and contin- ue to play,” said Mr. Kenney.

All Canadians are invited and encouraged to join in the celebration of Asian Heritage Month, said Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney today during an official launch ceremony on Parliament Hill. The theme of Asian Heritage Month 2010, organized in partnership with the Ottawa Asian Heritage Month Society, is Asian Canadians:

A Proud History, A Promising Future.  “This month helps all Canadians appreciate the important role that Canadians of Asian ancestry have played and continue to play, ” said Mr. Kenney.  “It is appropriate that we acknowledge the contributions of Asian Canadians in this year, the 60th anniversary of the start of the Korean War, where so many Asian Canadians fought against communism. “  “It is with a great sense of personal pride that Canadians of Asian descent can reflect on our rich history and contributions toward Canada, our country, ” said Commodore H.W. Jung, Canadian Forces Surgeon General, Commander of Canadian Forces Health Services Group, one of the highest ranking Asian Canadians in the Canadian Armed Forces.

A number of Asian-Canadian veterans of the Korean War attended the ceremony.  “Asian Heritage Month highlights the significance of this history and provides an occasion for all Canadians to celebrate the advances and successes of the Asian community in Canada. ” Asian Heritage Month was first celebrated in May 2002. In December 2001, the Senate of Canada adopted a motion to designate May as Asian Heritage Month in Canada, a time to celebrate the contributions by Asian Canadians to our society. For more information on Asian Heritage Month, please visit the CIC website at www.cic.gc.ca/ asianheritagemonth.

Lanka born Sumi Kailasapathy runs for City Council in Michigan

Filed under: Monsoon Newsline — sundeep @ 7:52 pm

Sumangala Kailasapathy, currently a resident in the city of Ann Arbor, has announced in a press release that she officially filed her nominating petitions recently to appear on the Aug. 3 primary ballot for City Councilperson in Ward 1. She will challenge incumbent Democrat Sandi Smith, media in the City of Ann Arbor reported. The City of “Ann Arbor,” said to be bearing the names of spouses of the city ’s founders and its stands of trees gained a reputation in the 1960’s as a hub of the Civil Rights Movement and a forerunner against the Vietnam War.

City of Ann Arbor, home of the prestigious University of Michigan is still a bastion of liberal democratic activism and traditions. Ms. Sumangala Kailasapathy, a former student of University of Jaffna, writes as follows on her campaign website soliciting the support of the voters in the ward: I am Sumangala (“Sumi”) Kailasapathy and have been an Ann Arbor resident for 13 years. I am originally from Sri Lanka, but have been living in this country for the past 19 years. I received my undergraduate degree (magna cum laude) from Wellesley College in economics and political science. I also have an MA and an MPhil in political science from the New School for Social Research. I taught courses in Gender Studies, International Political Economy and Globalization at Eastern Michigan University for 10 years. Currently I am a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) at a downtown Ann Arbor firm.

I moved from Sri Lanka to the USA in 1991. While an undergraduate at Wellesley College, I worked with the local Chapter of Amnesty International to create awareness about the illegal incarceration of my fellow students back home. We also demanded AI change its mandate to agitate for the release of persons incarcerated by non-government actors. I lived in Jaffna, Sri Lanka during 1980s when a civil war was raging there. After finishing high school, I went to the University of Jaffna to pursue my undergraduate degree in business. I was the treasurer of the University Students’ Union and was an active student leader defending not only the democratic, civil and human rights of the student community, but also that of the larger society under the dual threat of the military as well as the rebel group Tamil Tigers.

The Students Union played a courageous role in defending the space of the civilians in an authoritarian environment. Many of my brave colleagues and teachers lost their lives in the process of defending human rights and dignity. Their courage and selflessness continues to inspire me to stand up for issues of greater good. While I was an undergraduate in Sri Lanka, I also co-founded a women’s orgainzation called the Poorani Womens’ Oraganization. I was the treasurer of this organization after it was formed. In the initial stages, Poorani ran a safe house for the women who were victims of military rape.

Then it metamorphed into promoting and undertaking micro financing in order to empower war-widows and destitute women who wanted to set up their own small businesses and projects that would provide them and their families with a livelihood. Until Poorani inserted itself into the development arena, most NGOs were satisfied with donating sewing machines to war-widows and destitute women. Needless to say, this was informed by their limited imagination of gender stereotypes of womanhood. But a village that faced a massacre and ended up with 20 widows could not sustain 20 seamstresses.

In the end most widows sold their sewing machines in the second-hand or used equipment market and ended up where they began: dependent and poor. We at Poorani believed womens’ capacity and interests were limitless. We asked the women themselves as to what they wanted, and their answers were varied: one wanted seed money to set up a bicycle repair shop that had been run by her father and brothers before they were killed, one wanted to continue farming the fields that she and her husband had been doing and so on. Not one of them asked for a sewing machine! How does all this link-up with the Ann Arbor City Council? It has many connections.

First and foremost we need to listen to the constituents and find out what their priorities are and what they want. When everyone wants better roads and bridges why do we spend millions on a giant underground parking structure? When neighborhood committees want to preserve their single home character why do we force all these PUDs on them? Jaffna, the civil war, and all my experiences seem a life time away from Ann Arbor in certain instances. But in certain other ways it seems like deja vu all over again. Accountability, transparency and a commitment to self determination are some of the core values that I bring to my political practice from my past experiences from back home.

I give you my pledge that I will up hold these values as a City Councilperson if I am elected to office in November. I have two sons, Ashwin and Keshav who attend Clague middle school and Logan elementary school. My husband Giri Jogaratnam is a professor at Eastern Michigan University and has taught there for the past 17 years. Ann Arbor has provided us with a stimulating and nurturing environment for us to thrive. Running for City Council is a small way of saying thank you to all of you. I hope you decide to vote for me in the August 3rd primaries so that I can work for you.

There’ll be no New Year until I find my daughter

Filed under: Monsoon Newsline — sundeep @ 7:51 pm

[IRIN News] (Kilinochchi) Uthayakumari, 39, lost her husband and a son in fighting between Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and government forces in 2009, and is still searching for her daughter who went missing earlier the same year. The girl was aged 16 when she was forcibly recruited by the Tigers in 2007. Uthayakumari and her family made an ill-fated decision to stay in LTTE-controlled areas to remain in contact with her. “People in the country are celebrating the New Year this week. For me, every hour that goes by is an hour of suffering and weeping for the death of my loved ones, and trying to locate my lost daughter. “They [Tamil Tigers] were on a child-abducting spree - they wanted to expand their ranks. My daughter never wanted to join the LTTE.

They abducted her in December 2007 from Kilinochchi town and kept her in their camps on the war front. She was a beautiful child who never liked violence, but the LTTE took her away. “We were helpless. In those days, the LTTE controlled all these areas [in Kilinochchi], so we couldn’t do anything about the abductions. “We didn’t want to leave the war zone because our daughter was held by the LTTE. I didn’t feel it was right for our family to run away, leaving her. As the war and LTTE moved from Kilinochchi to Mullaitivu areas, we also moved with the LTTE. “Later on, in April 2009, we decided we had to leave as the war became unbearable. A lot of shelling was going on. “While we were fleeing Mullaitivu to government-controlled areas, a shell fell between my husband and my son.

They both died on the spot; I saw my husband\’s body being torn into pieces. I was very near to them. My spirit died that day, and I’m now living like a dead person. “Soon after the last New Year, I lost the people I loved the most. How can I celebrate another New Year? Nothing feels new or fresh to me. “I have contacted the authorities to find my daughter. I cannot locate her at all. Please help me to find my daughter. Many LTTEabducted children were rehabilitated and released by the government, but my child was not on any of those lists. “For me, there will no New Year until I find my daughter. But I just don’t know where to look for her.”

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