Tens of thousands of people around the world who had transfusions in the early 1980s were infected with preventable hepatitis. About a ten thousand also received blood products contaminated with HIV. Over half of those people have since died of AIDS. The first and the hardest hit were hemophiliacs and their families. The blood they depended on for a normal life proved to be an agent of their death. They were the red flag, warning that something had gone horribly wrong. The story continues almost 40 years later. In Bad Blood: The Unspeakable Truth, author Vic Parsons sets his compelling analysis of the Canadian blood system against the heartbreaking stories of those touched by this tragedy. He writes with a terrible and personal authority: his hemophiliac son is still infected with HIV but has since been cured of Hepatitis C that he also contracted through tainted blood. He now lives with his family in Vancouver, British Columbia. He is a lucky one as only 3% of those infected with HIV and Hep C are alive today. Bad Blood raises many serious and disturbing questions. Did the American and Canadian Red Cross have the public's best interests at heart, or were they more concerned with avoiding lawsuits or furthering their careers? Did Justice Horace Krever's inquiry into the scandal prevent future tragedies? Is the compensation that continues to be paid to affected Canadians enough? Why did Government Ministers and senior members of the Departments of Health treat the crisis with such skepticism leading to inaction and death. But an even bigger question, looms. Why was no one convicted of any crimes associated with distributing known tainted blood products in Canada, the hardest hit of all countries infected. In 2006 a trial began in Canada. The defendants were Roger Perrault, in his former capacity as national director of the blood transfusion service of the Red Cross; Wark Boucher and John Furesz, of the federal government’s Bureau of Biologics; and Michael Rodell, medical director of U.S.-based Armour Pharmaceuticals. Armour also found itself has a defendant. Convictions were obtained in France and Japan but they all walked away, scot free. How? It is in the book. In May of 2019 the British Government has just commenced their inquiry some 35 years after the problem was identified. Where did this bad blood come from? Well it appears much of it came from the prison systems in the state or Arkansas when then Governor Bill Clinton presided. The producers of the tainted blood products include well known household names in America. Baxter, Cutter, Armour and Miles Pharmaceutical were all part of a network of manufacturers that dealt with plasma and other blood products that Hemophiliacs and surgical patients relied on. The practices for collecting prisoner blood in the US will once again be in the spotlight. Bad Blood is fascinating reading for everyone interested in the responsibilities of Government and the agencies under them to serve the interests of the public. This international grand malfeasance is a grim reminder of how citizens are often hopeless in their pursuit of justice and compensation. Also, anyone involved in public health matters on either side of the American and Canadian border will find this an informative and compelling story of death and hope. Look for Unspeakable, The 8 part docudrama that aired on Sundance TV in the United States and CBC in Canada. Winners of 4 LEO Awards June 2019, including Best Dramatic Series. It is now playing in countries around the world and is in part based on Bad Blood, The Unspeakable Truth.

Bad Blood: The Unspeakable Truth

Health, Fitness & Dieting

Vic Parsons

Diseases & Physical Ailments

Optimum Publishing International

Washington Post, August 20th 5 myths about Manson Myth number 2: Manson was a Hippie When the Family was indicted on murder charges, the Los Angeles Times labeled the group a “hippie clan,” and the tag has become an immutable part of the way we see them. In “Once Upon a Time . . . in Hollywood,” the character played by Leonardo DiCaprio sneeringly dismisses the Manson girls as “hippies.” And a new book on Manson, “Hippie Cult Leader,” also suggests that he shared the movement’s flower-power ethos. But that was about it! “incredible insights in your book…what was it like speaking with Manson.” Martinis and Murder E-NEWS, August 10th Helter Skelter Askew: Why the Story Behind the Manson Family Murders Is Now Full of Holes But as we've reached 50 years since four followers from the cult that was later dubbed his "Family," butchered seven people over the course of two nights in August, the story of why this all happened has started to shift with regard to the complicated mythology behind the motive that was officially given for his and his minions' most infamous crimes. And it's not as if the motive detailed in court—the triggering of "Helter Skelter"—was some sort of logical answer as to why and how these murders took place, either. "There's an element of it that remains unsolved, that keeps people talking about it," filmmaker James Buddy Day, author of the new book Hippie Cult Leader: The Last Words of Charles Manson “One of the best 9 books on Manson.” Oxygen Time Magazine, July 26th But, says James Buddy Day, a true-crime TV producer and author of the new book Hippie Cult Leader: The Last Words of Charles Manson, everyone involved in the crimes had a slightly different take on what happened. While researching the book, Day conducted interviews with Manson — who was still serving a life sentence — during the year leading up to Manson’s death on Nov. 19, 2017, at the age of 83, and is thus believed to be the last person to interview the infamous criminal at length. Inside Hook August 8th “I wrote him a bunch of letters and didn’t think in a billion years he’d call,” Day tells InsideHook. “Maybe I’d get a letter back or something. And then, out of the blue, he just called me this one time. The first time he called me, I thought he would never call again and that it would just be a story to tell at parties. Then he called again. And then he called again, and it became a reality that I could do this documentary and that he would contribute to it.” “And that even today, two years removed from his death, Manson’s story — however twisted and grim — continues to endure even two years after his death.” “He was aware of U.S. politics. I don’t recall ever speaking to him about Trump, but he definitely talked about Obama, who he wasn’t a fan of,” Day says. “Manson was raised in the Deep South in the Ohio River Basin … [And much later, in prison] he carved a swastika on his forehead. He kind of adopted a racist persona to align himself with people in prison who could protect themselves. He was definitely a bigot in that sense.” More about the book The day that etched Charles Manson into the mind of the world’s collective consciousness was Friday, August 8th, 1969. That was the fateful weekend when Manson’s alleged cult named the “Manson Family” slaughtered seven people. It wasn’t the first time the group had committed murder, nor would it be the last, but the events of that weekend are why Charlie Manson will be remembered as the devil incarnate. A real-life boogeyman capable of untold evil. A maniacal puppet master who carved a swastika in his head with a razor blade. For 50 years the legendary Manson Family Murders have fascinated and mortified all. No one could understand why such brutal acts of cold-blooded murder could have taken place in Hollywood and that women played a key role. Manson was an enigmatic drifter who could draw in a group of people into his web of deceit and evil that eventually led to the brutal Tate and then Labianca murders. The prosecution would go on to spin what was considered the de-facto theory behind the murder spree and the world bought into the "Helter Skelter" conspiracy. They needed a way to convict Manson for murder even though they had no evidence against him for the murders. Now for the first time Documentary film producer and author James Buddy Day takes readers through a more rational and believable set of reasons for the murders. In 2017 Buddy Day produced the award-winning Documentary The Final Words which brought together some of the true motivations of Manson and his followers. With first account interviews it becomes apparent that revenge and making others complicit while freeing a “brother” (Bobby Beusoleil) are more likely to have been the motives behind the murders. The myth behind "A Race War" as forwarded by Bugliosi the prosecuting attorney and originator of the now famous book "Helter Skelter" was hatched well before the trial was set to take place. Why? Because the prosecution could not convict Manson for murder based on the evidence as it presented itself. Yes, Helter Skelter was at one of the crime scenes which is the lead prosecutor hired an author to write a book about the trial prior to going to court. And what does that say about getting a fair trial based on the facts of the case in the American justice system? Was this a Noble justice case? James Buddy Day is the last author to have interviewed Charles Manson. Through those interviews you get to understand more about the person that Manson was and what motivated him on his last run before going back to prison forever. Charles Manson the most famous convicted mass murderer of all time. Did he stand for anything or was he just a cold, heartless and evil person who had spent his entire life in the prison system? The answers will shock you. This book will appeal to readers searching for facts and truths about the most iconic mass murder of the 20th century. You will leave with a lot of questions but a lot more answers about Manson and the people who were part of the commune. Hippie Cult Leader???

Hippie Cult Leader: The Last Words of Charles Manson

Biographies & Memoirs

James Buddy Day

True Crime

Wilful Blindness, How a network of narcos, tycoons and CCP agents Infiltrated the West

A Globe and Mail and Amazon #1 bestseller If you want to understand war in the 21rst century. Read this to get part of the story" Robert Spalding, US Brigadier General(retired) "A Gripping read that you won''t want to put down" Benedict Rogers, Hong Kong Watch "This is a must-read book for concerned citizens who want to keep their democratic societies free" Solomon Yue, Vice-Chair and CEO, Republicans Overseas and the National Committee of the Republican Party of Oregon In 1982 three of the most powerful men in Asia met in Hong Kong. They would decide how Hong Kong would be handed over to the People''s Republic of China and how Chinese business tycoons Henry Fok and Li Ka-Shing would help Deng Xiaoping realize the Chinese Communist Party''s domestic and global ambitions. That meeting would not only change Vancouver but the world. Billions of dollars in Chinese investment would soon reach the shores of North America''s Pacific coast. B.C. government casinos became a tool for global criminals to import deadly narcotics into Canada and launder billions of drug cash into Vancouver real estate. And it didn''t happen by accident. A cast of accomplices - governments hungry for revenue, casino and real estate companies with ties to shady offshore wealth, professional facilitators including lawyers and bankers, an aimless RCMP that gave organized crime room to grow - all combined to cause this tragedy. There was greed, folly, corruption, conspiracy, and wilful blindness. Decades of bad policy allowed drug cartels, first and foremost the Big Circle Boys - powerful transnational narco-kingpins with ties to corrupt Chinese officials, real estate tycoons, and industrialists - to gain influence over significant portions of Canada''s economy. Many looked the other way while B.C.''s primary industry, real estate, ballooned with dirty cash. But the unintended social consequences are now clear: a fentanyl overdose crisis raging in major cities throughout North America and life spans falling for the first time in modern Canada, and a runaway housing market that has devastated middle-class income earners. This story isn''t just about real estate and fentanyl overdoses, though. Sam Cooper has uncovered evidence that shows the primary actors in so-called "Vancouver Model" money laundering have effectively made Canada''s west coast a headquarters for corporate and industrial espionage by the CCP. And these ruthless entrepreneurs have used Vancouver and Canada to export their criminal model to other countries around the world including Australia and New Zealand. Meanwhile, Cooper finds that the RCMP''s 2019 arrest of its top intelligence official, Cameron Ortis, raises many frightening questions. Could Chinese transnational criminals and state actors targeting Canada''s industrial and technological crown jewels have gained protection from the Mounties? Could China and Iran have insight into Canada''s deepest national security secrets and influence on investigations? According to the evidence Cooper has found, Ortis had oversight of many investigations into transnational money laundering networks and insight into sensitive probes of suspects seeking to undermine Canada''s democracy and infiltrate the United States. Wilful Blindness is a powerful narrative that follows the investigators who refused to go along with institutionalized negligence and corruption that enabled the Vancouver Model, with Cooper drawing on extensive interviews with the whistle-blowers; thousands of pages of government and court documents obtained through legal applications; and large caches of confidential material available exclusively to Cooper. The book culminates with a shocking revelation showing how deeply Canada has been compromised and what needs to happen to get the nation back on track with its "Five Eyes" allies. "I''m astonished that some Hollywood production company hasn''t already signed him for a big-screen treatment of this story. It''s a huge story." - Terry Glavin, National Post

Cooper, Sam

When Politics Comes Before Patients: Why and How Canadian Medicare is Failing

Shawn Whatley

Shawn, MD Whatley

Globe and Mail, CBC, and Amazon Best Seller #1 for 32 weeks International Government Relations & Government Intelligence ''If you want to understand war in the 21rst century. Read this to get the story" Robert Spalding, US Brigadier General(retired) "This book reads like a thriller and is stranger than fiction. Gripping, racy and exciting, it is difficult to put down. A tale of gambling, narcotics, tycoons, criminal gangs and Communists. And the shocking part is that it''s not a novel, it is all true. Benedict Rogers, CEO Hong Kong Watch "This is a must-read book for concerned citizens who want to keep their democratic societies free." Solomon Yue, Vice-Chair and CEO of the Republicans Overseas Committee "I''m astonished that some Hollywood production company hasn''t already signed him for a big-screen treatment of this story. It''s a huge story." - Terry Glavin, National Post In 1982 three of the most powerful men in Asia met in Hong Kong. They would decide how Hong Kong would be handed over to the People''s Republic of China and how Chinese business tycoons Henry Fok and Li Ka-Shing would help Deng Xiaoping realize the Chinese Communist Party''s domestic and global ambitions. That meeting would not only change Vancouver but the world. Billions of dollars in Chinese investment would soon reach the shores of North America''s Pacific coast. B.C. government casinos became a tool for global criminals to import deadly narcotics into Canada and launder billions of drug cash into Vancouver real estate. And it didn''t happen by accident. A cast of accomplices - governments hungry for revenue, casino, and real estate companies with ties to shady offshore wealth, professional facilitators including lawyers and bankers, an aimless RCMP that gave organized crime room to grow - all combined to cause this tragedy. There was greed, folly, corruption, conspiracy, and wilful blindness. Decades of bad policy allowed drug cartels, first and foremost the Big Circle Boys - powerful transnational narco-kingpins with ties to corrupt Chinese officials, real estate tycoons, and industrialists - to gain influence over significant portions of Canada''s economy. Many looked the other way while B.C.''s primary industry, real estate, ballooned with dirty cash. But the unintended social consequences are now clear: a fentanyl overdose crisis raging in major cities throughout North America and life spans falling for the first time in modern Canada, and a runaway housing market that has devastated middle-class income earners. This story isn''t just about real estate and fentanyl overdoses, though. Sam Cooper has uncovered evidence that shows the primary actors in so-called "Vancouver Model" money laundering have effectively made Canada''s west coast a headquarters for corporate and industrial espionage by the CCP. And these ruthless entrepreneurs have used Vancouver and Canada to export their criminal model to other countries around the world including Australia and New Zealand. Meanwhile, Cooper finds that the RCMP''s 2019 arrest of its top intelligence official, Cameron Ortis, raises many frightening questions. Could Chinese transnational criminals and state actors targeting Canada''s industrial and technological crown jewels have gained protection from the Mounties? Could China and Iran have insight into Canada''s deepest national security secrets and influence on investigations? According to the evidence Cooper has found, Ortis had oversight of many investigations into transnational money laundering networks and insight into sensitive probes of suspects seeking to undermine Canada''s democracy and infiltrate the United States. Wilful Blindness is a powerful narrative that follows the investigators who refused to go along with institutionalized negligence and corruption that enabled the Vancouver Model, with Cooper drawing on extensive interviews with the whistle-blowers; thousands of pages of government and court documents obtained through legal applications; and large caches of confidential material available exclusively to Cooper. The book culminates with a shocking revelation showing how deeply Canada has been compromised, and what needs to happen, to get the nation back on track with its "Five Eyes" allies. "I''m astonished that some Hollywood production company hasn''t already signed him for a big-screen treatment of this story. It''s a huge story." - Terry Glavin, National Post

WE Charity had changed the game. In its 25 years, the international development charity and youth empowerment movement impacted lives the world over.\nInnovation was at its core: while most charities focus on making the world a better place for our children, WE Charity focused on making better children for our world. Founded by the ubiquitous Kielburger brothers, WE Charity operated more like a Silicon Valley start-up than a traditional NGO. From creating stadium-filling events with A-list celebrity ambassadors to building schools, infrastructure, a hospital and even a university at lightning speed, the organization was always full-throttle. Its for-profit partner, ME to WE, filled shelves with socially-conscious products that allowed consumers to track the impact of their spending, invited young people and families to visit and work in communities WE Charity supported and channelled proceeds back into the charity to make it self-sustaining. Unique and disruptive, WE generated energy, engagement, and accolades. But it also bred misunderstanding and, in some quarters, resentment.\nWith a long history of propelling youth to act in support of myriad causes―making "doing good doable," the slogan went―WE Charity was the ideal candidate to administer the Canada Student Services Grant (CSSG) program. The program, if it had happened, involved matching students within non-profits in a summer in which Covid had stolen most job opportunities. And then, WE Charity in Canada was gone. It didn't crumble. It crashed. Unwittingly caught in the crosshairs of a partisan fight that reflects the increasing "Americanization" of Canadian politics, WE Charity was forced to shutter its doors in Canada.\nOnce a media darling with politicians of all stripes clamouring to appear at its events, the charity was suddenly a pariah accused (falsely) of a litany of wrongdoings: political cronyism; governance failures; heavy-handed decision-making by executives; lining the pockets of the founders; manipulating children; mistreating donors; racism and international corruption. Many were shocked. Detractors were delighted. Led by fringe commentators, the media quickly piled on. Allies who spoke out were castigated and forced to take cover. But while most Canadians have heard of the so-called "WE Charity Scandal"―at times forming strong views―few are able to recount the true facts.\nMisperceptions and confusion have ruled the day. And many of the most important voices―including those of educators and young people―have gone unreported and unheard In this book, former WE board member and lawyer Tawfiq Rangwala unpacks the evidence and provides the critical context around the headline-grabbing controversies that have shaped the narrative.\nDrawing on the factual record, his personal experiences inside the organization, and extensive interviews with supporters and critics, Rangwala cuts through the fog and explains what really happened, why it happened, and who should be held to account. The world needs to have a balanced perspective on what this International charity has achieved while coming to terms with how the two founders handled the controversy in front of the cameras during testimony. Along the way, we learn what has been lost and the personal cost to Canadians and people around the world.\n﻿

What WE Lost, Inside the attack on Canada's largest Children's Charity

Politics & Social Sciences

Tawfiq S. Rangwala

Politics & Government

The Mosaic Effect: How the Chinese Communist Party Started a Hybrid War in America's Backyard (Holding the Chinese Communist Party to Account)

McGregor, Scott

Mitchell, Ina

Since the beginning of organized societies, power and leadership have operated in human hierarchies, which are concentrating power in an accelerating manner, according to the comprehensive analysis of Dr. Anders Corr in his book The Concentration of Power: Institutionalization, Hierarchy & Hegemony.\n"This sweeping study belongs next to Niall Ferguson and Jared Diamond in our understanding of how the world works and how it can work better." - James Kraska, Harvard Law School\n"A must-read for legislators, military strategists, leading academics, regulators, and anyone interested in the existential threat that the concentration of economic, political, and informational power in an illiberal country like China creates for the leading democracies of the world." - Kyle Bass, Billionaire investor\n"...erudite and realistic appraisal of 21st century power politics." - Alex Gray, former Chief of Staff, White House National Security Council\nFrom The Book:\n"China's influence in US politics has coincided with the industrialization of China, at the expense of a deindustrializing US. Global corporations, to which US politicians answer, fled high wages and environmental regulations in the US for low wages and lax environmental standards in China. Now, the US is paying the price and might not recover sufficiently to defend itself against China's growing military. The strategic ambitions of one nation can and have upset the United Nations and the balance between powers. Now the Western world must understand the imminent threats from the hegemonic ambitions of China."\nHierarchy is the "institutionalization of power," according to Dr. Corr's The Concentration of Power, an institutionalization that is concentrating and accelerating over historical time, from prehistory to the present. Corr develops twelve historical theories and applies them to the greatest conflicts of the past and present, including during the age of empires, the present competition between superpowers such as the United States and China, as well as conflicts between the nation-state and emerging supranational powers such as the European Union and United Nations. Corr's theories apply to domestic politics as well, as illustrated by the evolution of conflicts between communism, fascism, and liberal democracy.\nCorr argues that the concentration of power acts as a ratchet. It concentrates when conditions are ripe, and force is applied. Due to mechanisms like subsidies, transfers, and corruption, however, power does not easily return to an unconcentrated state when conditions are not ripe. This dynamic dynamic of the ratchet drives international and domestic concentration of power, with no apparent end other than a global illiberal hegemon at some point in the future.\nIn sum, The Concentration of Power is a short history of the world, from the beginning to what the evidence indicates should be its logical conclusion. From politics to unions, associations, corporations, and the military, Dr. Corr analyzes them and provides readers with a sense of what the world could face if we allow hierarchy to continue its historical development toward global and illiberal hegemony. Be it in China, the United States, or the European Union, all are vying for global influence and the utilization of the structure of the United Nations to promote either the principles of human rights and democracy, or in the case of Beijing, the exact opposite. This clash between democracy and autocracy on a global level could turn into a final war of world proportions.\nNo greater stakes have ever existed in world history.

The Concentration of Power

History

Corr, Anders

Military

WE Charity had changed the game. In its 25 years, the international development charity and youth empowerment movement impacted lives the world over. Innovation was at its core: while most charities focus on making the world a better place for our children, WE Charity focused on making better children for our world. Founded by the ubiquitous Kielburger brothers, WE Charity operated more like a Silicon Valley start-up than a traditional NGO. From creating stadium-filling events with A-list celebrity ambassadors to building schools, infrastructure, a hospital and even a university at lightning speed, the organization was always full-throttle. Its for-profit partner, ME to WE, filled shelves with socially-conscious products that allowed consumers to track the impact of their spending, invited young people and families to visit and work in communities WE Charity supported and channelled proceeds back into the charity to make it self-sustaining. Unique and disruptive, WE generated energy, engagement, and accolades. But it also bred misunderstanding and, in some quarters, resentment. With a long history of propelling youth to act in support of myriad causes--making "doing good doable," the slogan went--WE Charity was the ideal candidate to administer the Canada Student Services Grant (CSSG) program. The program, if it had happened, involved matching students within non-profits in a summer in which Covid had stolen most job opportunities. And then, WE Charity in Canada was gone. It didn't crumble. It crashed. Unwittingly caught in the crosshairs of a partisan fight that reflects the increasing "Americanization" of Canadian politics, WE Charity was forced to shutter its doors in Canada. Once a media darling with politicians of all stripes clamouring to appear at its events, the charity was suddenly a pariah accused (falsely) of a litany of wrongdoings: political cronyism; governance failures; heavy-handed decision-making by executives; lining the pockets of the founders; manipulating children; mistreating donors; racism and international corruption. Many were shocked. Detractors were delighted. Led by fringe commentators, the media quickly piled on. Allies who spoke out were castigated and forced to take cover. But while most Canadians have heard of the so-called "WE Charity Scandal"--at times forming strong views--few are able to recount the true facts. Misperceptions and confusion have ruled the day. And many of the most important voices--including those of educators and young people--have gone unreported and unheard. In this book, former WE board member and lawyer Tawfiq Rangwala unpacks the evidence and provides the critical context around the headline-grabbing controversies that have shaped the narrative. Drawing on the factual record, his personal experiences inside the organization, and extensive interviews with supporters and critics, Rangwala cuts through the fog and explains what really happened, why it happened, and who should be held to account. The world needs to have a balanced perspective on what this International charity has achieved while coming to terms with how the two founders handled the controversy in front of the cameras during testimony. Along the way, we learn what has been lost and the personal cost to Canadians and people around the world. More than just a story of the rise and fall of an iconic global charity, this is a cautionary tale of the collateral damage that can be levelled by unchecked partisan politics, social media pundits, and sensationalist headlines. In the end, Canadians are left to ponder whether the real "scandal" is the demise of WE Charity and the values of fair play and due process that most of us hold dear.

What WE Lost Inside the Attack on Canada's largest Children's Charity

Rangwala, Tawfiq

Social Sciences

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