Real Talk!

In 1981 the United Nations General Assembly passed resolution 36/67 declaring an International Day of Peace. In 2001, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a new resolution 55/282 declaring September 21st of each year as the International Day of Peace.

That’s all very nice but in the immortal words of Dr. Phil, “How’s that working for you?”

For me, not so good.

And? At moments like this, my father would look me straight in the eye and say, “So, what are you going to do about it?”

The computer has a bit of a virus. There are a few bad apples. There’s a wrench in the works. A kink in the line. A clog in the drain.

My answer has always been to look at a much used, seldom heeded, Zen adage:

"Pain Is Inevitable. Suffering is Optional."

We are capable of so much magic. When focused, our positive energy is capable of miracles. Wounds and injuries heal.

I am declaring 2008 the first YEAR of peace. Celebrate peace, daily, all day.

Let it be a year in which we build positive connections between all cultures. Let it be a year in which all nations and all people recognize and cherish our role as stewards of our home and all that shares with us, this planet Earth. Let it be the year in which we discover how to sustain world peace.

It is something many have wished for, it’s time to insist. It’s time.

The messages are all around us… and it’s not anything new.

I think we have all felt the winds of change.

An ancient Hopi prophecy, dating back thousands of years, speaks of the forces of purification “Blood will flow. Our hair and our clothing will be scattered upon the earth. Nature will speak to us with its mighty breath of wind. There will be earthquakes and floods causing great disasters, changes in the seasons and in the weather, disappearance of wildlife, and famine in different forms. There will be gradual corruption and confusion among the leaders and the people all over the world, and wars will come about like powerful winds. All of this has been planned from the beginning of creation.”

Some time ago, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith wrote, “The winds of despair are, alas, blowing from every direction, and the strife that divides and afflicts the human race is daily increasing. The signs of impending convulsions and chaos can now be discerned, inasmuch as the prevailing order appears to be lamentably defective."

Luke 21 – “And there will be signs in the sun and moon and the stars, and upon the earth dismay among nations, in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves, men fainting from fear and the expectation of the things which are coming upon the world; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.”

The prophecies of Fatima warn, “The night will be bitterly cold, the wind will howl and roar, then will come lightning, thunderbolts, earthquakes, the stars and heavenly bodies will be disturbed and restless”

A prophecy in ancient Islamic tradition (usul) indicates a black wind (huayra yana) will rise up at the beginning of "The Day" [of judgment].

Nostradamus, Edgar Cayce and other prominent “seers” have foretold of the winds.

In October, a team led by Son Nghiem of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California announced that a rapid decline in winter perennial ice the past two years has been caused by unusual winds. Nghiem said, “The winds causing this trend in ice reduction were set up by an unusual pattern of atmospheric pressure that began at the beginning of this century."

David A. Salstein, an atmospheric scientist from Atmospheric and Environmental Research, Inc., of Lexington, Mass. recently stated, “Changes in the atmosphere, specifically atmospheric pressure around the world, and the motions of the winds that may be related to such climate signals as El Niño are strong enough that their effect is observed in the Earth’s rotation signal.”

Egyptologist, Lemesurier, who has conducted one of the most recent analyses of the Great Pyramid, describes how he has decoded a message about 'The Final Reckoning': "The crisis is essentially a material one. We should expect the basic structures that underlie our whole civilization to suffer severe damage. Our financial structures, our communications networks, our supplies of raw- materials and consequently our whole standard of living are at severe risk. For some decades we may be forced back into a much more primitive way of life characterized by self- sufficiency and closeness to the land. Especially during the change over, social unrest, conflict and disintegration may result."

I have read of some who believe that predictions and warnings of wind are symbolic, as wind is void, without nourishing qualities. Wind is rather magical, if you think about it. While invisible, it is capable of enormous strength, both destructive and constructive. The wind can humble us and the wind can empower us.

So what if we are forced back into a more “primitive” way of life? Is there anything wrong with self-sufficiency? The way I see it, some of “Our financial structures, our communications networks, our supplies of raw- materials and consequently our whole standard of living” have been out of whack for a while. & Sometimes, change really is for the better.

There is nothing productive about negative emotions. In fact, they are selfish and singular. Fear, rage, anger, worry… nothing nice going on there… and I believe it is a choice we can make…

I know some people who are already practically “fainting from fear and the expectation of the things which are coming upon the world”. From my perspective, it isn’t helping anything. It just breathes life into “what if”… and what exactly is the “what if”? It’s fear and it can be paralyzing, even controlling.

Not how I want to live.

2008 is my answer.

Run virus scans and lock them in the virus vault. Bad apples go to the compost pile. Put the wrench back; on the workbench. Un-kink the line. Baking soda and vinegar will unclog the drain.

Say no to fear. Live gently and thoughtfully, love. Help one another.

As they say, I believe in traditional Lakota, tatohiyatakiya – we face the wind together.

With 10 days left in 2007, I went back to my blog of December
29th, 2006- entitled “Guess What….”

In that blog, I included many forecasts made by others and a few
predictions of my own… and while there is still time for some things
to happen, it's not all that likely...

Still, it’s interesting to look back and see how accurate last year's predictions were.

I won’t spoil it for you, if you want to skip through my blog archives, you can see for yourself.

I’m making no predictions this year. I’m making no resolutions.

I will make a solid stand for “peace on earth” and “an outpouring of love for mother earth”.

I will continue giving and doing my personal best.

I will take better care of those closest to me. This, of course, includes me and my family- the furry ones, too- [Stanley (my ancient cat) and Dennis (Stanley’s cat) and Miss Billie (my dog)] and my close friends and colleagues.

I will ponder and read more, write more and enjoy more. There is never enough fun and laughter!

Besides, in the immortal words of Groucho Marx, “"Outside of a dog, a book is probably man's best friend, and inside of a dog, it's too dark to read."

I realize that winter doesn’t officially begin for another week or so… but we’ve got snow!

There are so many activities to enjoy in the winter and it’s been a long time since we’ve had such beautiful, magical and bountiful snow. This area is perfect for both active winter vacations and relaxing winter vacations. Conditions are ideal!

The enthusiast will thrill over the thousands of kilometers of groomed snowmobile trails that wind their way through the region. There are a number of locations that groom for cross-country skiing and there are downhill slopes, too.

Ice-skating, dog sledding, natural luge, tobogganing and ice fishing are other easily accessible activities that are sure to please the go-getters. Naturalists will enjoy snow shoeing, following deer and moose tracks and hiking through some of the most spectacular landscape in the province.

Snow forts, snowball fights and campfires in the snow are easily enjoyed when the weather provides such a healthy serving of winter… while some of us are more than content, just cuddling up with a good book, a classic movie, a soft blanket and a roaring fire.

Cottage country is somehow quieter and more relaxing in the winter… and definitely it is meant to be enjoyed year-round. Less than 3 hours from Ottawa and Toronto, this is the right place to find your place in the country.

There is always media attention around the business of buying and selling real estate. Lately, there has been a lot of press surrounding what is being called “Phantom Offers”.

A recent article in the Toronto Star, cited some consumers who have complained that they made offers on properties that had been on the market for an extended period of time and then, suddenly, when their offer was registered, they were informed that another offer had just been registered as well.

Is there really another offer? There had better be. If there isn't, and it's just a big fat lie, it's a phantom offer and it is against the law.

Notice of more than one offer puts the Buyer in a position of competing on the purchase- which usually means they must tender offers with fewer conditions and their highest price, among other things. So the accusation is that a fake offer is announced by the unethical as a tactic to trap the unwary consumer into paying more and investigating less. Highly unethical!

In a Toronto Star article, dated September 15, 2007 stated that “while no statistics are kept specifically involving phantom bids, the Real Estate Council of Ontario documents – obtained after a request by the Star – show the council received 60 complaints about bidding processes in the year ending March 31, 2007”.

Hmmm, “the bidding processes”… not exactly phantom offers.

My recent copy of REM (Real Estate Marketing) quotes Maureen O’Neill (Toronto Real Estate Board President) as saying, “… this issue has been sensationalized…” and “… of the 186,000 property sales in Ontario last year, there was only one incident where a seller’s agent was fined by the Real Estate Council of Ontario for misrepresenting the existence of an offer to another agent.”

There are consumer protection laws in the Province and federal legislation like the Competition Act and the Criminal Code that prohibit fake offers and every Realtor ® knows that it would be unethical to pretend to have an offer on a property. Not to mention violations under the Real Estate and Business Brokers’ Act of Ontario.

Certainly, the Offer process that is presently used in the industry is not perfect. One has to abide by the regulations which prevent a Realtor ® from disclosing the particulars of any offer. Yet, a Realtor ® must disclose the presence of competing offers and as a courtesy, most of us will reveal that there is another offer in process and promise to confirm this, once the offer is received.

Personally, I have once had a Buyer doubt the presence of competing offers and I understand his frustration when I had to explain that I could not show him the other offer.

I have also been informed by other Realtors ® of the presence of competing offers and had my clients doubt that the information was true.

Just recently, one of my sales reps was emailed by a Realtor ® from another company who demanded that he black out the Buyer’s name and the amount and send a copy of a “competing” offer as proof of its existence. YIKES. My sales rep was completely incensed! He felt he had been called a liar. Not good, not good at all.

Perhaps this other Realtor ® had been reading the recent press reports that suggest the problem of phantom offers is rampant, particulary in Toronto.

I have to admit, I have heard of phantom offers… and I’ve had occasion to question the existence of competing offers, too…. Some Realtors ® say it’s one of the oldest tricks in the books… but would anyone in my office pretend to have an offer? NO WAY. And I have had to trust that other companies are also adhering to rules, regulations and legislations.

Over the years, the business of Real Estate has seen a lot of reform. Constant tweaking of regulation attempts to secure an ethical marketplace and consumer protection. So where does it end?

I believe that my word is my word. I believe the same of everyone in my office. Not a bad egg among them. Like I said, I have to believe that all other real estate sales people are adhering to all of the rules, regulations and legislations and that the governing body (the Real Estate Council of Ontario)is overseeing this.

As usual, it only takes a few bad apples to make things awkward for the rest of us.

I love what Maureen O’Neill had to say, again quoted from that Toronto Star article of September 15th “"Boot them out, we don't need them in the business," "I don't think these people should be allowed to sell real estate."

Amen.