WHY BEING PENNY-WISE FOR CHRISTMAS MAKES GOOD SENSE

For those who haven’t started shopping yet, Christmas is just a few weeks away!  If you’re like me shopping for Christmas can be a real pain.  What makes matters worse is that money is tight right now.  With the global economy in complete disarray its hard enough just getting by without having to worry about finding extra cash for things like Christmas presents. 

So before you head out to get gifts for your friends and loved ones that many of you can’t afford, here are some of my suggested tips that can help save you money when shopping for Christmas presents.  Consider this my early Christmas gift.

• First off, set a budget and stick to it. If you have a list of what you want to get each person, it will save you time and keep your spending on track.

• Re-gift.  That’s right re-gifting can save you $$$ big time.  An added bonus to this strategy is that you rid yourself of all those useless and unwanted gifts that you’ve been hiding in your closet and or basement.  Just make sure that you don’t re-gift the person who gave you the gift in the first place as this could create a very uncomfortable situation for the both of you.

• Don’t go overboard on stocking stuffers. This is a great chance to be frugal by shopping for little gifts at the dollar store and including some candies, nuts and mandarin oranges.  Besides that’s what our parents used to get when they where kids.  Going traditional suddenly has a whole new meaning! 

• You can cut down on shopping for your extended family.  Besides you didn’t marry them.  Or you could simply tell them that you converted to the Jewish faith to avoid any embarrassment just in case they get you something at which case you don't want to feel like a chump.    

• At work you can draw names and each person will only buy for the one person whose name they drew. Everyone gets a gift and you all save hundreds of dollars!  Trust me this works well. 

• Shop early if a decent sale comes along. Not only will this save you money, but it can also save you the hassle of crowds in December.  There is nothing I hate more than crowds of obnoxious people shoving and pushing each other in particular me.     

• Of course another way to avoid crowds and save money is to shop online. You can often find products cheaper, plus you are helping save the environment. This is a definite twofer.

• Avoid buying those stupid extended warranties on your purchases.  If an item is defective, it’s likely to have issues within the standard warranty’s time frame. Besides the gift is in all probability not for you anyway, so if it breaks who the F-cares.

• You might want to skip getting someone a gift card.  An estimated 10% of gift cards are never redeemed.  I know they are an easy way to say, “I don’t care enough about you to pick you out a real gift,” but there is a something you can do that is more meaningful and much cheaper.  It’s called a Christmas card.  

• Finally, and this is the suggestion that I like the best because its so selfish which makes it so rewarding.  You can simply skip town for the holidays.  That’s right; tell friends and family that you’re not going to be around for the holidays.  How do you pay for this?  Use the money that you would have spent on Christmas gifts by purchasing an airline ticket to the destination of your choice. 

MERRY XMAS 

I thought this was pretty funny when I received it the other day.  Then I thought about how many people might actually fall this phoney story and actually send money.  I came to the conclusion that if your stupid enough to send money to Liu Yan then I got a proposition for you as well!

FROM: Liu Yan

Bank of China Ltd.

13/F. Bank of China Tower

1 Garden Road

Hong Kong,

I sincerely ask for forgiveness for I know this may seem like a complete intrusion to your privacy but right about now this is my best option of communication. This mail might come to you as a surprise and the temptation to ignore it as frivolous could come into your mind, but please consider it a divine wish and accept it with a deep sense of humility.

This letter must surprise you because we have never meet before neither in person nor by correspondence, but I believe that it takes just one day to meet or know someone either physically or through correspondence. I got your contact through my personal search, you were revealed as being quite astute in private entrepreneurship, and one has no doubt in your ability to handle a financial business transaction. I am Mr. Liu Yan a transfer supervisor operations in investment section in Bank of China Ltd. Secretariat of the BOCHK Charitable Foundation 13/F. Bank of China Tower, 1 Garden Road, Hong Kong I have an obscured business suggestion for you. Before the U.S and Iraqi war our client General Mohammed Jassim Ali who work with the Iraqi forces and also business man made a numbered fixed deposit for 18 calendar months, with a value of (I will disclose amount upon your reply) in my branch.

Upon maturity several notices was sent to him, even early in the war, again after the war another notification was sent and still no response came from him, We later found out that General Mohammed Jassim Ali and his family had been killed during the war, in a bomb blast that hit their home.

After further investigation it was also discovered that General Mohammed Jassim Ali did not declare any next of kin in his official papers including the paper work of his bank deposit. And he also confided in me the last time he was at my office that no one except me knew of his deposit in my bank. So, (I will disclose amount upon your reply) is still lying in my bank and no one will ever come forward to claim it. What bothers me most is that, according to the laws of my country at the expiration of 3 years the funds will be reverted to the ownership of the Hong Kong Government if nobody applies to claim the funds.

Against this backdrop, my suggestion to you is that I will like you as a foreigner to stand as the next of kin to General Mohammed Jassim Ali so that you will be able to receive his funds. I want you to know that I have had everything planned out so that we shall come out successful.

I have contacted an attorney who will prepare the legal documents that will authorize and back you up as the next of kin to General Mohammed Jassim Ali, all what is required from you at this stage is for you to provide me with your Full Names, private phone number and Address so that the attorney can commence his job.

After you have been made the next of kin, the attorney will also file in for claims on your behalf and secure the necessary approval and letter from the probate in your favor for the transfer of the funds to an account that will be provided by you with my guidance. There is no risk involved at all in the matter as we are going to adopt a legalized method and the attorney will prepare all the necessary documents.

Please endeavor to observe utmost discretion in all matters concerning this issue. Once the funds have been transferred to your nominated bank account then we shall discuss the percentage issue on your reply. If you are interested please forward to me your full names and current residential address, and I will prefer you to reach me on my private and secure email address below and finally after that I shall provide you with more details of this operation.

Best Regards

Liu Yan

Please reply to this email: liuyanbankofchina1@gmx.com

Faith, Hope, Love, Charity  

Every now and then, regular people come to a crossroads in life. They have to decide: Should I help someone else even if I don't have to? Some choose the selfless fork to travel, expecting no reward. These are everyday heroes, and the people who I have learned to admire and respect.  

Roy Foster's facility, Stand Down House, has helped about 900 male veterans since 2000.As an add-on to my recent Veterans Day posting, I wanted to take a minute to acknowledge a man who I watched on CNN recently. His name is Roy Foster. Since 2000, approximately 900 veterans have found life-changing help at Foster's facility, Stand Down House. 

"To live a pure unselfish life, one must count nothing as one's own in the midst of abundance." Buddha 

What makes CNN’s story interesting is that it made me think about a person who lives in my community and the work she does in helping our native veterans at home. This unsung hero’s name is Patsy Gray. Patsy is a community elder, mother, grandmother, and recently widowed. I greatly admire Patsy’s work in helping Listuguj’s veterans. In talking with other vets earlier this month, I'm safe in saying, "that without her help things just wouldn’t get done on Remembrance Day." While Patsy didn’t make it on CNN this year, her work in our community is just as important. So on behalf of all the veterans at home we thank you for your work and appreciate all that you do for us.  

On Veterans Day 2009, show your respect 

The armed forces of the United States are regularly honored all the time. Having recently attended military appreciation night at the Boston Garden is a case in point. They even have two holidays recognized for their service. The first holiday is Memorial Day, which takes place in the beginning of the summer. The second holiday was last week, which is now held on November 11^th.  Memorial Day is a generic celebration of those who died in service. But as for Veterans Day, it was originally created to honor a specific day in U.S. and world history.

Veterans Day or Remembrance Day in Canada is an opportunity to commemorate the contributions of living veterans. Looking back, my military service is perhaps one of my proudest accomplishments in my life. As a veteran, I believe one of the best ways we can honor all veterans is to promise them that conflicts and wars will only be started as a last resort. 

The following video is a little something I created and is dedicated to the Sma'gnis Mi'gmaq. 

Veterans Tribute from MARK SARK on Vimeo.

President Barack Obama got a warm reception from Native Americans at Thursday’s White House Tribal Nations Conference, where he signed a memorandum ordering his Cabinet secretaries to give him a plan for improving the quality of life on reservations.  I got a chance to see much of speech via video stream online and I was not disappointed. 

Calling the conference “a unique and historic event,” Obama recalled his visit to the Crow Nation in Montana, where he said he was adopted by a lovely couple. “I know what they’re saying now, ‘Kids grow up so fast,’” he joked. “Only in America could the adopted son of Crow Indians grow up to be president of the United States.”  I told you this guy was cool.

President Barack Obama got a warm reception from Native Americans at Thursday’s White House Tribal Nations Conference, where he signed a memorandum ordering his Cabinet secretaries to give him a plan for improving the quality of life on reservations.Turning serious, Obama pointed out the high unemployment and poverty rates on Native American reservations and pledged to work toward turning those numbers around. “I know you may be skeptical that this time won’t be different. You have every right to be,” Obama said, pledging that he is “absolutely committed” to “getting this relationship right.”

“That begins by fulfilling my promises to you,” Obama said, noting that he had “promised you a voice on my senior staff at the White House” and had appointed Kimberly K. Teehee, a member of the Cherokee Nation, as senior policy adviser for Native American affairs.

Connecting with his audience on a personal note, Obama told the assembled leaders: “I understand what it means to be an outsider.”

“I was born to a teenage mother. ... We didn’t have much. We moved around a lot,” he said. “I know what it means to feel ignored and forgotten, what it means to struggle. So you will not be forgotten as long as I’m in this White House.”  His words commanded everyone in that room’s attention and I could hear sincerity within his voice. My only wish is that these words will resonate with our leaders north of the boarder.  We need more then just lip service and more promises. 

President Obama lights up MIT 

President Barrack Obama and my sister delivering the messageEvery so often life serves us something we don’t expect.  But you got to be fast in order to take advantage of it.  Last week was a classic example of something that caught me totally off-guard but ended with a really nice story. So out of the ordinary was my experience, I just had to write about it.

While in Toronto last week, I got an email on my Blackberry from my sister asking me if I had anything I wanted to say to President Barrack Obama. He was coming to Boston, Massachusetts to deliver a speech at MIT and my sister was going to be there.  At first, I thought she might have been joking, but I know my sister and her line of work, so I said to myself I better send something just in case.

My sister called shortly after amused with my quick response, but said in all likelihood she would be lucky just to shake his hand. We both laughed and I remember saying, “Well it’s nice that one of us gets to meet the President.” Now without getting into detail regarding a word for word account of what my message was to the President, I can tell you that essentially it was to say "please don’t forget your commitment to First Nations-Native Americans." I also asked her to tell the President of "how proud we are of him in Canada and because of his Presidency, our world is on a more inclusive path with all minorities."  Finally, I asked my sister to tell the President, “Keep up the great work because we are all counting on him.”

Later that afternoon, I got a call from Kathryn saying that my message was delivered to the President pretty much as I had emailed her earlier that morning.  "Merry Christmas" she said.  Seems like Barrack was pretty impressed with the message and kindly thanked my sister in sharing those words with him.  The exchange between my sister and the President concluded with a couple of photographs of my sister and Brother-in-Law. Being a huge fan of both my sister and Barrack Obama, I can assure you that one of these photographs will end up on my office wall as testament to "how cool it is to have someone in your family that is so connected."

Before hanging up and still trying to put all of this in the proper perspective, I thanked my sister in getting my message to the President. It meant a lot to me. In turn she responded by thanking me in giving her the courage to pass the message on in the first place.  Go figure.  Thanks Kathryn "you officially have clout," and thanks Mr. President in taking the time to listen.    

My Brother-In-Law Chad, my sister Kathryn and President Barrack Obama

ON THE SUBJECT OF INDIAN POLITICS 

While on my way to the POST OFFICE the other day, I ran into a couple of friends of mine, one whom I hadn’t seen in years.  After the excitement of our hello’s one of the guys mentioned to me by saying, “Hey you just missed a television news reporter!”  Unsure where he was going with his statement, I asked him why would he think I’d be interested in talking with a news reporter, and besides I said, “I’m not a politician.”  Of course we all started laughing particularly after one of them mentioned that I occasionally dressed like one.  “Very funny guys.”  Besides, I can’t help if I have fashion sense.   

Now normally I would have gone about my day and would have forgotten this encounter by dinner.  But for some reason, I felt really uncomfortable in being called a ‘politician’ even though my friends comments where made in good humor.  The more I thought about it, the more it bothered me so I started to ask myself, why does being called a politician create such internal scorn for myself for what I believe to be an admirable calling. 

Could it be my dislike for politics is because politics is such a cutthroat and malicious undertaking that in order to get elected, you pretty much have to crush your opponents values, beliefs and ideas, which discourages the best and brightest from wanting to get involved.  Or is it because the system under the 'Indian Act' does not allow for substantial and lasting change which we so desperately need in order to move forward as a people and a nation.  Don’t get me wrong there are some very sincere and competent leaders who are in politics for the right reasons, but there are also a lot of people where our interests as a community would be better served if they stayed out of politics completely.  These are the very people that darken it for others who might otherwise entertain the idea.  Still haven't figured out how they get elected in the first place!

Most of us know who ALBERT EINSTEIN is or was.  For those who don’t, well, lets just say he was a very smart dude.  Aside from his great work regarding the ‘Theory of Relativity’, he was also quoted on a variety issues.  Perhaps one of my favorite quotes of his describes his definition of the word insanity.  According to Mr. Einstein, Insanity means; “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”

Whats insane about our politics?  Every election cycle we witness well-intentioned people from all sides of the political spectrum making promises to correct the disparity others in power have created and each election cycle we put faith in these very people to bring about the change our aboriginal communities.  Yet we begin to feel slighted about half way through the election-cycle because what was promised and what is being delivered does not equate to good government.   

So... after some thought on the subject of native politics, I have come to the following conclusion.  Who in their right mind would subject themselves to the pettiness, meanness and spitefulness that politics in our communities summons up?  Not I.  So please I ask the next time you see me and you are looking for something to call me other than by my name, find another word other then, politician.

In the land of the blind the ONE - eyed Jack is King!

Earlier this week at a retreat in Arizona, two people died and another 19 had to be hospitalized after something went horribly wrong at a sweat lodge. Normally, such a story wouldn’t be something I would be interested in writing about but there’s a tech angle, as well as a price tag associated with the tragedy. 

What makes this interesting is that the guy (Mr. James A. Ray) who rented the place and threw the retreat is also an avid Twitter user.  What’s funny or terrible depending in how you look at things is that during the night of the incident Ray was tweeting about it.  That’s right he was tweeting about it.  While these tweets where later deleted they didn’t go away.  In fact, these tweets are still available in Twitter search.  

Now, I’m not presuming to know what happened that night, and authorities are still looking into the matter. Nonetheless, I think I am safe in saying, “certain people involved themselves with stuff they shouldn’t have.”  Their lack of respect towards native spirituality and the using it for capitalist means, fly’s in the face of those of us who enter the sweat lodge as a means of prayer. 

So what makes this story interesting and what lessons can be be learned as a result of this incident.  First, if you are going to go to a sweat you don’t need to tweet about it and secondly, if someone asks you for money for the experience tell them to go f*ck themselves.