Beyond Charity: The Philosophy of Elio Madonia

As much as we enjoy all the comforts and luxuries of Western society, there is still ample strife and chaos that afflict people across the globe. It’s easy to ignore the problems within our own country, and even easier to ignore the problems outside it. We may say we care, but we really don’t, else we would do something about it. Indeed, there are very few people willing to step up and really make a difference. Elio Madonia is one of those few.

Madonia is head of The Samaritan Foundation, a charitable organization dedicated to building homes for the poor – and I mean very poor – in the Dominican Republic. While vacationing in the Dominican in 1988, Madonia and his wife Lena took a wrong turn and stumbled upon the slums of the small village Charamicos – a terrible and unbearable sight. Maybe it was the right turn. Compelled to act, Madonia knew something had to be done Read more

Depression: Defeating the Mental Illness Stigma

In 2008, Dr. David Goldbloom, one of Canada’s leading expert psychiatrists, began a speech with an excerpt written by a young man in 1841: “I am now the most miserable man living. If what I feel were equally distributed to the whole human family, there would be not one cheerful face on Earth. Whether I shall ever be better, I cannot tell. I awfully forebode I shall not. To remain as I am is impossible. I must die or be better, it appears to me.” The young man who wrote these words was Abraham Lincoln, who later led his nation successfully through the American Civil War.

Broadcasting hope of recovery to the thousands of Canadians coping with mental illness, this gripping account mimics some of the symptoms of depression. “One of my darkest days is when I attempted suicide in 2004,” says Richard Braudo, who has suffered from familial major depressive disorder since he Read more

Joanna Cacciola-Lionti: The Next Local and Regional Councillor

With a professional demeanour, welcoming smile and unwavering determination, Joanna Cacciola-Lionti hopes to be your next local and regional councillor. With strength and confidence, she is a woman who sees the problems in Vaughan and refuses to ignore them. “I want our city to be admired and respected, not to be laughed at. You should be proud to call your city home.”

Believing that transparency is essential for politics, Cacciola-Lionti feels it’s time to bring Vaughan back to the people. “The city really belongs to the residents. We need to move forward: turn the page, look at the past, learn from it and move on.”

Cacciola-Lionti touches on the various problems of infrastructure, social services and an unaccountable government. She also voices frustration over traffic congestion and poor public transportation; lack of a communal hospital; and the negative media Read more

BP Oil Spill: A Crude Conundrum

A manmade disaster of catastrophic proportions gushed through the Gulf of Mexico two days before Earth Day this year. Millions of gallons of poison surged from the seafloor, swimming throughout the world’s ninth largest body of water. The Gulf laps onto the shores of Florida, Texas, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana – states still fragile from the destructive aftermaths of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

As flames licked the BP oil rig, a haunting déjà vu unfolded, eclipsing the Exxon Valdez disaster in size and depth and bringing a 40-year-old environmental movement to its trembling knees.

“The world should raise its eyebrows and say, ‘enough of this,’” says Dave Rauschkolb, who believes that many of the world’s problems are tied to our dependence on oil and prehistoric energy policies. A regular Joe and environmental prophet, if you will Read more

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

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

Female Oppression in 2010 — The Voice of the Voiceless

[UPDATED]

Once upon a time, a princess and her prince lived in a high tower. Then reality arrived with a forceful push, felling the princess to her battered knees. She held her bloodied head up, her gaze in the looking glass reflecting the scars of a hostage.

Shackled by custom or written law, women and girls around the world continue to live in a dark, controlled existence that is often ignored.

From Colombia to Tajikistan, Saudi Arabia to Haiti, the fairy tale of thousands of women is to embark on a flight to freedom – the right to vote and drive and walk down the road without fear of being raped or sexually mutilated or burned or murdered. Read more

City Life Great Achievers

Great Irish playwright, George Bernard Shaw, once wrote: “People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don’t believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and, if they can’t find them, make them.” City Life magazine introduces booming entrepreneurs in the GTA who have carved their own successful existences. These great achievers give us a good reason to never give up. All admirable and ambitious, with impressive businesses, these inspiring community icons are showing our readers what it takes to lead successful lives and achieve their goals. Read more

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