People to Watch: Paramedic Rahul Singh

Grief often spurns action, but for Rahul Singh, the loss of his close friend David Gibson inspired him to found a charitable foundation.

Now, 12 years later, Global Medic (GM) has grown into a respected emergency relief organization as part of the David McAntony Gibson Foundation.

“I was out in Nepal for some disaster work and came home to [David’s] funeral frustrated with the way the aid system works, so I set something up more efficient and named the charity after him in his honour,” Singh says.

At 39, Singh recently gained recognition from TIME Magazine, appearing alongside the likes of Bill Clinton in the magazine’s annual “100 Most Influential People” feature. Speaking about the Read more

Organ Trafficking: Desperation and Temptation

In the poorest corners of India, the skeletal bodies of street beggars reach forward with outstretched hands. Sunken faces and mouths open, searching for relief from the sweltering hell of their unfortunate existence. Speech is heard but only one word is understood – help.

Somewhere across the world, help is the shared sentiment of a total stranger who is suffering from acute kidney failure, fed up with the nauseating and weakening dialysis treatments, and scared of the average eight- to 10-year wait period for a healthy kidney transplant (most dialysis patients die in half that time). When the pain of any unhealthy organ becomes anywhere from noticeable to unbearable, individuals may feel inclined to search for ulterior motives of survival. Restoration of their depreciating health is the ultimate end result. The question is, at what cost? Read more

Home Decor Q & A with Drapery by Anna Maria

Anna Maria’s love of fashion sparked her passion for sewing that, along with her admiration of style, she now uses to create striking customized drapes.

Q: When deciding on drapery, should the drapes or wall paint be chosen first?
A: When choosing a fabric colour for your drapes, you’ll only fall in love with maybe one, two or maybe three colours, but paint comes in thousands of different shades so it becomes easier to pick a paint colour after you’ve settled on a fabric colour for your drapes. You should also pick the drapery first because when you’re renovating you want the drapery to be incorporated into the whole décor process, not look like you just added them in last. Read more

Oh, how the Mighty Fall — Wal-Mart’s Mistake

The secrets of its retail success are price and one-stop shopping, but what happens when you fix something that’s not broken?

With its 2009 revenue of more than $400 billion US, Wal-Mart decided last year to remove hundreds of familiar products in an effort to tidy up shelves. But customers in a slowly recovering economy began to look elsewhere for their favourite brands; resulting in the world’s largest retailer suffering four straight quarters of revenue decline  – a first in its company history. Reports reveal that Wal-Mart acknowledges that the move to carry fewer items was bold. It is now replenishing the 300 products it dropped and advertising price markdowns that will continue through the summer at its U.S. stores. With a first-quarter showing an increase of 10 per cent in net income, the retail giant continues its confident stride. “They are the 800-pound gorilla, so they thought they’d throw their Read more

Wedding Guide: Oh Happy Day

Celebrate the most important day of your life with items that spin a fun, new and more personalized twist on wedding traditions.

As you read through, you’ll come across oodles of inspiration to help ease the stress of finding pieces and products to make your wedding day extra special.

Kodak Moments Having photographed weddings in places like Australia, India, Mexico, England and Puerto Rico, to name but a few, you can be sure Dave and Charlotte will snap photos of every striking and surprising moment of awe and action that takes place on your big day. www.daveandcharlotte.com

Words of Wisdom Express your happiness and congratulations for a newly married couple with a card that stands out Read more

Harley-Davidson Precious Metal Gala

Harley-Davidson celebrated female empowerment while welcoming close to 400 tastemakers of Toronto to the brand at the second annual Precious Metal Gala. The Fermenting Cellar was converted into a back-lot studio for the faux film shoot “Biker-Chic.” Guests had a chance to experience the sport of motorcycling through interactive stations such as “The Wardrobe,” “The Screen Test,” “The Cover Shot,” “The Pick-Up Shot” and “The Kissing Scene” while sipping “Precious Rocks” martinis. Just over $15,000 was raised for Rethink Breast Cancer. www.rethinkbreastcancer.com Read more

My Accounting Department: Tax Evasion Penalties

If I have self-employment income and have not filed personal taxes for three years, what can happen to me and my family?

Not filing a tax return if you owe money to the CRA (Canada Revenue Agency) is considered a crime and can lead to severe punishment. The CRA can charge you criminally and penalties and interests will be added to all amounts owing.  Penalties for not filing a tax return or other ways of evading the taxman are stiff. The CRA enforcement division efficiently tracks down and prosecutes tax evaders. The best thing to do is to come and see us so that we can assess the actual amount owing, if any. Our team will then prepare a confidential, voluntary disclosure to CRA on your behalf. This process may avoid criminal prosecution and penalties. Read more

2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa

From June 11th to July 11th, 2010, the world will come to a standstill – or at least a ‘sit-still’ – as arguably the world’s greatest sporting event takes place. The FIFA World Cup is a sporting spectacle that transcends age, economic class, social status and even religion. This year, more than 30 billion viewers are expected take in the 64 matches worldwide; this is an incredibly large number given that the global population is around the seven billion mark. In comparison, the Vancouver Olympics drew an audience of 3.5 billion viewers. This kind of audience means huge revenues and huge expenses. South Africa has 10 world class stadiums to host the matches, ranging from seaside stadiums to venues that are at such high altitude that some countries have been forced to train in parallel conditions in order to acclimatize. Five of the stadiums are new or re-built and the other five have had major renovations to ensure the highest standards for the world’s biggest stage. All of this comes at a cost Read more

Women’s Fashion — Sweet for Summer

Simplicity with a splash of blooming accessories goes a long way. This sizzling season embraces a relaxed look in lightweight apparel with highlights in footwear, jewelry and handbags. Spice up your summer wardrobe with any of these must-have pieces.

Dress to Impress
Mellow yellows never get old. This classic cut halter dress is a perfect piece for a summer picnic or with some ice cream in the park. www.dynamite.ca

Jackpot
Get sun-kissed in the Bianna top by Jackpot. Wear this loose asymmetrical linen nude with graphic floral as a cute cover-up on the beach. www.iccompanys.com Read more

Robert Downey Jr. and Mickey Rourke: Fall & Rise

There are no accidents; everything happens for a reason. Those who choose not to learn from their mistakes are doomed. As they say, there is no worse fool than an old fool. For life is a learning experience and mistakes are one of the courses available in the curriculum of life. The more lessons we learn from the mistakes we make, the wiser we will be. What we must keep in mind is our dreams, however ridiculous they sound. Everyone is good at something and belief can be the strongest driving force that can make any of our dreams possible. Fame comes and goes, stars rise and fall, but dreams live forever. Two of the greatest examples available for us to draw from are Robert Downey Jr. and Mickey Rourke. If mistakes plus lessons learnt equals wisdom, then these two must be the wisest men in Hollywood. Read more

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