Toronto, Canada — The announcement of what is destined to be the world’s largest golf fundraising event ever: Golf to Conquer Cancer presented by Harry Rosen. On a single day, this one-of-a-kind nationwide fundraising event will unite thousands of Canadian golfers of all skill levels, as well as the golf industry and other corporate sponsors, to help conquer cancer. On Thursday, July 25, 2013, golfers from across Canada will step up.

All that is needed to participate are four golf clubs and a commitment to raise funds for cancer research. “One of the best things about Golf To Conquer Cancer is the format: The 4-Club Challenge,”commented Ian Leggatt, former PGA Tour champion. “It’s great for all skill levels, but more importantly, it’s designed to be played in four hours, all while raising funds to conquer cancer.”
Golf To Conquer Cancer offers a compelling format designed to challenge golfers of all levels.

Players each choose only four clubs and work as a team within their foursome to determine their strategy for the day as well as for each hole. Interested golfers can register as a foursome or as an individual at www.golftoconquercancer.ca. Golfers will be grouped into foursomes to participate in the 4-Club Challenge that will be the format of Golf To Conquer Cancer.

Hundreds of courses across Canada will host the inaugural Golf To Conquer Cancer event. Participants choose the area where they want to play and then select a participating course. New host golf courses are being added daily, so interested participants should visit the website regularly.

Harry Rosen Inc. is the national presenting sponsor for this national fundraising event, TaylorMade is the official golf equipment sponsor and the National Golf Course Owners Association (NGCOA) is the primary Canadian golf industry partner.

In Ontario, net funds will benefit The Campbell Family Cancer Research Institute at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre. Outside of Ontario, all net funds will be granted to researchers working in the province or region where the funds are raised.

At the request of The Campbell Family Cancer Research Institute, the Canada-wide Terry Fox Research Institute’s eminent researchers will determine where to allocate net funds in each province or region where they are raised.

Dr. Benjamin Neel, Director of The Campbell Family Cancer Research Institute, said, “Today, researchers are embarking on a new era of discovery with Personalized Cancer Medicine. Events like Golf to Conquer Cancer have a major impact on the resources needed to conquer cancer.”

Larry Rosen, Chairman and CEO of Harry Rosen Inc., stated, “We are very excited to be the presenting sponsor of this wonderful new event and to support the groundbreaking work that is being done at The Campbell Family Cancer Research Institute and across the country. Cancer is a cause that my colleagues and I care about deeply and have supported for many years. We hope that with this new initiative, we can all work together to achieve the collective goal of conquering cancer.”

“We are so excited to launch Golf to Conquer Cancer, the world’s largest national golf fundraising event,” stated Paul Alofs, President and CEO of The Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation. “It is a unifying event. It is uniting golfers on a single day, uniting golf courses right across Canada and, in fact, is uniting Canada. And we’re all united in conquering cancer.”

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Chicago, U.S.A - Aon Benfield, the global reinsurance intermediary and capital advisor of Aon plc, has released the latest edition of its Global Catastrophe Recap report, which reviews the natural disaster perils that occurred worldwide during May.

Published by Impact Forecasting, the firm’s catastrophe model development center of excellence, the report reveals that two earthquakes and subsequent aftershocks struck northern Italy within a nine-day period, killing 25 people, injuring more than 400 others and causing extensive damage to the cultural heritage throughout the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, in addition to businesses and personal property.

An initial, combined economic loss estimate from both tremors stood at EUR5 billion (USD6.25 billion), following significant damage in the provinces of Modena, Ferrara, Reggio Emilia, Rovigo and Mantua.

In Asia, severe and prolonged periods of rain impacted China throughout the month, affecting at least 22 provinces and killing at least 102 people.

According to China’s Ministry of Civil Affairs (MCA), at least 143,000 homes were damaged or destroyed during one prolonged event. More than 949,400 hectares (2.34 million acres) of cropland were also affected, contributing to a total economic loss listed at CNY16.88 billion (USD2.68 billion).

Meanwhile, powerful thunderstorms struck eastern Japan, resulting in high winds and tornadoes that killed at least three people, injured 59 others, and damaged more than 1,845 buildings in six separate prefectures.

Steve Jakubowski, President of Impact Forecasting, said: “The Italian earthquakes resulted in the largest natural disaster loss for the country since the L’Aquila earthquake event in 2009. The seismic activity was not unexpected, as Italy has long been recognised as a region exposed to the possibility of significant earthquake activity. Given the level of insurance coverage in the region, it is anticipated that insured losses would reach minimally into the hundreds of millions of dollars (USD). However, it remains too early to determine how negligible re/insurance losses may be from this event.”

In the United States, two periods of severe weather impacted central and eastern sections of the country; the first causing widespread hail and wind damage from the Dakotas to Maryland, resulting in an economic loss estimated at USD275 million, and more than 30,000 insurance claims valued atUSD150 million. A secondary severe weather outbreak across the central and eastern U.S. at the end of the month spawned significant damage as well. According to a preliminary report from the South-western Insurance Information Service, insured losses in Oklahoma alone were estimated at USD400 million.

Tropical Storm Beryl made landfall near Jacksonville Beach, Florida at peak intensity with 70 mph (110 kph) winds but did not cause any significant damage, injuries or fatalities.

And wildfires burned in several U.S. states during the month, including the largest fire ever recorded in New Mexico.

Excessive rainfall affected areas of the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec in May. In Thunder Bay, at least 1,100 homes were damaged as well as businesses and infrastructure, and flood damage with a 100-year return period was recorded in Montreal, where personal property and infrastructure were widely affected.

Additional flood events were recorded in Nepal, Afghanistan, Indonesia, Nicaragua, Cuba, Georgia, Brazil and Venezuela.

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Toronto, Canada – Adding a bold voice to recent debate over the role, cost, and reach of Canada’s military, a new book Warrior Nation: Rebranding Canada in an Age of Anxiety by Ian McKay and Jamie Swift, provides a critical perspective on both Canada’s growing effort to portray itself as a militaristic Warrior Nation and its exploitation of history in achieving this end.

Taking examples from the Boer War, the First and Second World Wars, and Canada’s UN peacekeeping missions in Africa, Ian McKay and Jamie Swift consider how Canada’s valorization of military history has thrown totemic Canadian ideals of peace, tolerance, and reasoned public debate into question. Replacing these ideals, the authors assert, is a shift in Canadian political culture toward authoritarian leadership and permanent political polarization.

“It’s all about how wars are remembered, not whether we remember them,” co-author Jamie Swift observed. “Warrior Nation describes the way that government attempts to manipulate and indeed mould public opinion to suit its own agenda.”

Historian and co-author Ian McKay added that “many regimes around the world have used the technique of mobilizing fear and drawing us back to cults of blood and death, but very few of those regimes were ever called democracies.”

In pages of exhaustive research, Warrior Nation sheds light on the key players and narratives essential to understanding both Canada’s past and its current direction. Swashbuckling marauder William Stairs, the Royal Military College graduate who helped make the Congo safe for European pillage.

Vimy Ridge veteran and Second World War general Tommy Burns, leader of the UN’s first big peacekeeping operation, a soldier who would come to call imperialism “the monster of the age.” Governor General John Buchan, a concentration camp developer and race theorist who is exalted in the Harper government’s new citizenship guide.

Ian McKay is a professor of history at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario.  His previous books include Rebels, Reds, Radicals: Rethinking Canada’s Left History, For a Working-Class Culture in Canada, and the award-winning Reasoning Otherwise: Leftists and the People’s Enlightenment in Canada, 1890-1920.

Jamie Swift is a winner of the Michener Fellowship for Public Service Journalism. He has authored numerous books, from biography and history to corporate muckraking. His most recent title is Persistent Poverty: Voices from the Margins, co-authored with Brice Balmer and Mira Dineen.

Image Courtesy of   meunierd / Shutterstock.com

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Niagara Falls is more than majestic naturally made waterfalls; Niagara also hosts as a tourist attraction where people from all over the world come to see just what is so amazing about this waterfall compared to countless others around the world.

The falls are approximated to be about 12,000 years old and were formed after the last ice age known as the Wisconsin glaciation. The falls “were formed when melting glaciers formed massive fresh-water lakes (the Great Lakes) one of which (Lake Erie) ran downhill toward another (Lake Ontario).

The rushing waters carved out a river in their descent and at one point passed over a steep cliff like formation (the Niagara escarpment). From the original falls going over the Niagara Escarpment, the water began to wear its way back up the river. The path that it left is known today as the Niagara Gorge (a deeply-cut and very scenic river path,” according to www.niagarafalls.ca.

Many people misinterpret that the Horseshoe Falls is the Niagara Falls however, there are actually two falls that are considered to make up Niagara Falls and are divided by a small island commonly known as ‘Goat Island.’ One is referred to as the “American Falls,” which is on the American side while the one that receives the most attention is the one on the Canadian side called the “Canadian Horseshoe Falls.”

The Canadian Horseshoe Falls is approximately 57 meters high and the water running through the Niagara River goes at a speed of roughly 35 miles per hour. And, every single minute, approximately 6 million cubic feet fall over the crestline, which is equivalent to one million bathtubs full of water. In addition to the breathtaking view of Niagara Falls, it also serves as the main source of hydroelectric power for the city of Ontario, Canada.

Niagara Falls is much more than just a natural wonderland and the city itself has evolved into a man-made attraction arena including parks, museums, dining, nightlife, casinos and adventures for any and every type of tourist. This serves to make the trip to the Niagara a real journey and an unforgettable one.

In fact, Niagara Falls welcomes approximately 12 million tourists annually. The falls feature several man-made tunnels which a tour guide will lead you through as several water lies both above and below you. The end of the tunnel features an opening directly behind the falls where you will find your eyes gazing out in amazement as water pours down just inches in front of you. And if you are interested in seeing more natural beauty, then you can visit Niagara Falls State Park which features hiking trails, cross-country skiing, boating and biking.

For a trip to the museums, some of the most popular in Niagara include the Niagara Wax Museum of History, Niagara Aerospace Museum, or the Castellani Art Museum. For nightlife adventure, the Seneca Casino is a hot spot for traveling tourists who like to dabble in some gambling.

And the Skylon Tower, a must-see dining restaurant, is the most popular man-made place that tourists like to go to while visiting the enchanting Niagara. The Skylon Tower offers fine dining while slowly revolving in a complete circle 775 feet above the ground, giving guests the opportunity to overlook the falls as well as the cities of Buffalo, New York and Ontario.

While Niagara Falls is first known for its beautiful waterfalls, it has proven itself that it is a must visit for anyone and everyone. Whether a newlywed couple, a business convention or a family vacation, Niagara offers both a whimsical and entertaining adventure to every tourist.

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Two Afghan immigrants and their son have been convicted of murdering four women in their family. They were charged with first-degree murder for these so-called “honor killings” and were sentenced to 25 years in jail with no chance of parole by a court in Kingston, Ontario. The jury deliberated for two days before Mohammad Shafia, Tooba Mahommad Yahya, and their son Hamed were declared guilty.

Judge Robert Maranger deemed the murders “heinous” and “cold-blooded” and believed the evidence backed up the verdict. He said, “The apparent reason behind these cold-blooded, shameful murders was that the four completely innocent victims offended your completely twisted concept of honor.

It’s a sick notion of honor that has no place in a civilized society.” Mohammad Shafia and his wife protested this statement. Tooba Yahya proclaimed in her defense, “I am not a murderer. I am a mother,” and her husband responded, “We are not criminals. We are not murderers. We didn’t commit murder. This is unjust.”

After the verdict was given, Rob Nicholson, the Canadian Justice Minister, said the custom of “honor killings” is “barbaric and unacceptable in Canada.” The couple’s defense attorneys plan to appeal their sentences.

The victims were their three daughters, Zainab Shafia, Sahar Shafia, and Geeti Shafia, and Shafia’s first wife from his polygamous marriage, Rona Amir Mohammad. Many witnesses testified against the family and spoke of the abuse and death threats the four women had to endure. The eldest two daughters had boyfriends without their father’s permission which was another point of contention. The four women’s bodies were discovered in a submerged car near Kingston at a Rideau Canal lock in 2009.

The prosecutors said that the couple and their son attempted to cover up the ‘honor killings’ and make the murders look like an accident. It was thought that the father was ashamed of his daughters for damaging their family’s reputation through their choice in clothes and for reporting to school officials the abuse they experienced at home. Their internet use and socializing also were thought to have shamed the family, according to the prosecution.

The defense attorneys in turn claimed that the eldest daughter stole the car for fun late one night while the family was asleep in a motel on their way back from vacation. Their bodies were found the next morning. Hamed stated that he saw the accident, but did not phone the police from the scene. According to Chief Stephen Tanner, an email was received from a person who was most likely a family member, claiming that the supposed accident was, in reality, an “honor killng”.

Proscutor Gerard Laarhuis said of the guilty verdict, “This jury found that four strong, vivacious, and freedom-loving women were murdered by their own family in the most troubling of circumstances.” There have been 13 honor killings in Canada since 2002. These types of slayings are more common in the Middle East and South Asia, and most of the victims are women.

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Instead of boasting about Canada’s success in avoiding much of the impacts of the recent global economic downturn at this week’s World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Prime Minister Stephen Harper should be sharing with them a ground-breaking Canadian plan to stimulate its economy with initiatives that create genuine partnerships with First Peoples.

Grand Council Chief Patrick Madahbee, one of 120 First Nations leaders from across Canada to participate in what was billed as a historic Crown-First Nations Gathering, said the post-event consensus was that Canada is intent on pushing through its own legislative agenda for First Nations, instead of working with them on comprehensive and creative solutions.

Madahbee said Canada is missing out on an opportunity to be seen as a leader on the world stage. “The National Chief has told Prime Minister Harper that a comprehensive action plan would add CDN $400 billion to the Canadian economy, and eliminate CDN $150 billion in social costs. There are 400 million Indigenous peoples around the globe — over a million in Canada. We are the fastest growing population. We are the students and workers of the future. Why do governments constantly overlook us?

“If financial self-sufficiency of First Nations” is truly the “end-goal” of the Canadian government, they need to be talking to us about the treaty promises and resource revenue-sharing. This is the only way to create certainty for corporate projects. They can no longer expect to barge into our territories without dealing with First Nations peoples.”

“We have epidemic health and social issues, gross inequities in funding for our students, and virtually no share in the billions in resources being stolen from our traditional territories,” said Madahbee, speaking for 39 member communities of the Anishinabek Nation. “What we heard from Mr. Harper was a lame re-hashing of his government’s so-called accomplishments for our communities and citizens.”

Madahbee said the Gathering began with some sources of optimism, a ceremonial opening that included numerous references to the Royal Proclamation of 1763, by which the Crown in Canada envisioned a nation-to-nation relationship in its dealings with First Peoples.

“But the Harper Conservatives just cannot bring themselves to truly honour the treaty relationship of sharing upon which Canada’s creation was based. They should be convening First Ministers’ meetings involving our people and the provinces to create comprehensive action plans.

“Instead, they continue to rely on their bureaucrats who, like the ones who created the racist Indian Act in 1876, still act more as roadblocks to First Nations progress than facilitators.

The Prime Minister himself said in Ottawa that the old rules – like the Indian Act – don’t get good results. ”Let’s start working together on some new rules.”

The Anishinabek Nation established the Union of Ontario Indians as its secretariat in 1949. The UOI is a political advocate for 39 member communities across Ontario, representing approximately 55,000 people. The Union of Ontario Indians is the oldest political organization in Ontario and can trace its roots back to the Confederacy of Three Fires, which existed long before European contact.

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American and Canadian union members who work for forest industry giant Resolute Forest Products (formerly AbitibiBowater) have joined forces to “speak with one voice” to the company.

About 100 union delegates from 10 Canadian Resolute mills in Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia and 4 U.S. mills in Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee and Alabama met recently in Montreal. They adopted a solidarity pledge to coordinate activities and work together, leading to the 2014 pattern and master agreement negotiations with the company in both countries.

“Resolute is on notice that American and Canadian workers will not compete against each other,” said United Steelworkers International Vice President Jon Geenen. “We have decided instead to make sure that we are informed and coordinated across the border and Local to Local about how this company is treating workers and communities.”

“We believe that it was the sacrifices of our members in both countries that made it possible for AbitibiBowater to restructure and become Resolute. We have every right now to insist on consultation and discussion of alternatives before more corporate decisions are taken that affect our members and their communities,” said Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada (CEP) National President Dave Coles.

At the two-day joint meeting in Montreal, Local delegates reported to each other on cost reduction and job cut demands by the company at every location, often on the basis of comparisons to other mills in each country.

A statement adopted December 18 called for an end to “job blackmail.” “USW and CEP members at Resolute Forest Products today demand respect and fairness,” said the joint statement. “We reject absolutely any form of contrived intimidation between workers and mills. We insist that the company respect our bargaining caucuses, our pattern agreements and end any form of job blackmail between the Local unions.”

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