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Bring a Stranger Dinner Party; A truly unique dining experience

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BY SIMONE J. SMITH

“I was in a room filled with people I didn’t know, but strangely, I felt comfortable.”

On June 21st, 2020 at 6:00 pm EST, I met with over 70 strangers I didn’t know in Johannesburg, South Africa. The diaspora was in full affect, with Africans from the United States, Canada, and the UK. Here I was, in a room full of beautiful African people, and I felt at peace.

I know you are wondering; Simone, you were in South Africa? Yes! I was. Virtually, but with energy that I was receiving, I can only describe the feeling as déjà-visité (the peculiar sensation of knowing your way around somewhere you’ve never been before).

Bring A Stranger Dinner Party (BASDP) is the brainchild of Tania Habimana (Co-Founder of NONZēRO) as a means to bring diverse and enthralling individuals with varying interests into one room, under a unique dinner party experience. This party is normally a face-to-face affair, but as you know, COVID-19 has altered all of our plans.

A Belgo-Rwandan entrepreneur and speaker based in Johannesburg, Tania is an unshakeable enthusiast who is passionate about helping: businesses, corporate executives and SME business owners in Africa grow using digital technology.

As host of the Tailored Business Show, she had had the privilege of dialoguing with some of Africa’s top business leaders. One of the things that she wants to share with the world is that African entrepreneurs are uniquely creative.

Certain things seem to be consistent with being an entrepreneur, regardless of where you live on the globe. Most start their businesses with often

(1) Little or no financial resources

(2) Limited formal education or training

(3) More often than not, cataclysmic economic and political landscapes

Yet, for some reason, some of the world’s most innovative inventions have come straight out of the African continent. This phenomena is now recognized as NEEDS-BASED innovation™, innovation that is born out of a need.

The Bring a Stranger Dinner Party is definitely a NEEDS-BASED innovation™.

In its original format, the BADSP would bring together four people who know each other relatively well. They are selected to become ‘core hosts’. Each person invites two strangers who don’t know the other three individuals. The result is a dinner party of 12 where everyone knows at least one other person.

What makes this an exciting venture is that because the people invited have so much in common, people feel familiar enough to be comfortable and to let go and be authentic. My good friend Daniel Cole (Growing Success contributor at the Toronto Caribbean Newspaper) was the one who introduced me to Tania, and then invited me to the dinner. For this month’s “Youth Month” edition, Tania opened it up to 100 Africans from all over the continent – and the Diaspora – and worked her way around the pandemic by utilizing the ZOOM platform.

  • “The most exciting thing about operating in Africa, is that you can still be the #1st to do something” Tania Habimana

For this dinner, the theme was The Future Of Africa: The Legacy We’re Building, and it included three courses and a finely curated conversation menu. With such a large turnout, we were able to have breakout rooms, and I was asked to be a facilitator for these sessions.

It was a well-organized event with two main teams:

Breakout Room ‘Table-topic’ Facilitators

This was my role for the day. As a TTF, my main job was to make sure the conversation was flowing and that everyone who wanted to speak had a chance to.

Tech Team (Technical Support)
This team was set up for technological illiterate people like me. They helped keep the event running smoothly. They worked as undercover angels helping everyone navigate zoom.

Appetizers
The meet and greet started at 6:00 pm sharp. I was happily surprised to be greeted by Afro-beats, and popular music that kept all of us dancing, and moving in our seats as we waited for the event to begin.

Light chatter began as people signed into the party and at about 6:15 pm, we were sent into our breakout groups to have our appetizing dialogue.

Here I presented a series of questions to my group of eight strangers. We discussed what it meant to be an African, and the dialogue led to some intriguing talk about what it felt like to be an African living in the Diaspora, and how Africans living on the continent treat us.

Right before the entrée the soulful ElvisWho treated us to a live acoustic performance. He had a euphonious voice and was able to draw people in with his performance. He was like that much-needed swig of wine during a meal.

 Entrée
One of the main sponsors of the dinner was the Global Shapers Community Sowento. A representative spoke to us briefly about the declining global economy, and the recession that has hit South Africa. The unemployment rate in South Africa is currently 30.1% with 350,000 jobs lost in the first three months of lockdown.

Due to this, the global economic landscape has transformed, leaving many skills and businesses vulnerable or irrelevant in these times. This has caused anxiety around job security and forced people to pivot businesses and change careers. It was important to hear because, as a global community, we have to find ways to pull together, and help each other out; whether it is sharing educational resources, or business resources, we have to find ways to grow together past this.

We then moved on to the meat of the already spicy meal we were indulging.

There was a change to this part of the menu, and I didn’t know about it. Sigh! Regardless, in my second group, we discussed what a perfect Africa would look like, what we were grateful for as African people, and what we had done in our professional, or personal lives in the last six months. The tastiest part of the meal was when I asked the question, “What would you do if you knew that you couldn’t fail? The responses were outstanding.

Dessert
Finally, it was time for dessert. I, and Mr. David Onaolapo, did five-minute talks about who we are, and a take-away that we wanted our dinner guests to put in their doggy bags. Our dinner party enjoyed the meal so much, that we were all given seconds. David and I were given five additional minutes to speak on our experiences.

I loved this experience, and it was a welcome change from the Zoom meetings that I had grown accustomed to. What an amazing dinner party it was.

We, as humans are guaranteed certain things in life: stressors, taxes, bills and death are the first thoughts that pop to mind. It is not uncommon that many people find a hard time dealing with these daily life stressors, and at times will find themselves losing control over their lives. Simone Jennifer Smith’s great passion is using the gifts that have been given to her, to help educate her clients on how to live meaningful lives. The Hear to Help Team consists of powerfully motivated individuals, who like Simone, see that there is a need in this world; a need for real connection. As the founder and Director of Hear 2 Help, Simone leads a team that goes out into the community day to day, servicing families with their educational, legal and mental health needs.Her dedication shows in her Toronto Caribbean newspaper articles, and in her role as a host on the TCN TV Network.

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Forgetting isn’t just something to be annoyed about, it’s a smart way to survive

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Photo credit - Press Foto

BY KHADIJA KARIM

Have you ever forgotten someone’s name, or where you left your phone and thought, “Why can’t I remember anything?” Forgetting might feel frustrating, but it turns out that forgetting things can actually be good for you. Experts believe forgetting might be an important part of human survival and could even have benefits.

You probably think that remembering everything would be better, right? If you remembered every tiny detail, like what you had for breakfast three weeks ago, or the colour of every car you saw today, you would be overwhelmed. Our brains are constantly receiving information, and if we didn’t forget some of it, we wouldn’t be able to focus on what really matters at that time.

Forgetting helps you clear out information you don’t need, and it helps your brain remember the most useful memories. Think about how hard it would be to focus on important things if your mind was filled with random thoughts. Forgetting helps you stay focused and keeps your mind from getting lost.

So, why would evolution make us forget things? Early humans had to deal with dangerous environments that changed quickly. They needed to remember things that helped them survive, like where to find food, or how to avoid predators. They didn’t need to remember every small detail, like what happened last week. Forgetting information, they didn’t need allowed them to make quick decisions based on what was most important at that moment in time.

For example, if you remember a recent storm, you might make sure to stay inside or find shelter. If you remembered every storm you’d ever seen, it would be harder to make decisions about the present. Forgetting irrelevant details helps you stay on your feet and helps you react faster to new situations. This ability to forget likely helped early humans survive and make better decisions in their everyday lives.

Next time you forget something, don’t be too hard on yourself! Forgetting is a natural part of how our brains work and can actually help you stay focused on the important things. It might seem annoying at times, but it’s helping you make better decisions. Forgetting isn’t just something to be annoyed about, it’s a smart way to survive in a world that’s always changing!

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Blink equity dives deep into the gap between people of colour and decision-making roles in Canadian law firms

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Photo Credit: AI Image

BY ADRIAN REECE

Representation in the workforce has been a topic of conversation for years, particularly in positions of influence, where people can shift laws and create fair policies for all races. Representation in the legal system is an even more talked about subject, with many Black men being subjected to racism in courts and not being given fair sentencing by judges.

The fear of Black men entering the system is something that plagues mothers and fathers as they watch their children grow up.

Blink Equity, a company led by Pako Tshiamala, has created an audit called the Blink Score. This audit targets law firms and seeks to identify specific practices reflecting racial diversity among them in Toronto. A score is given based on a few key performance indicators. These KPIs include hiring practices, retention of diverse talent, and racial representation at every level.

The Blink Score project aims to analyze law firms in Ontario with more than 50 lawyers. The Blink Score is a measurement tool that holds law firms accountable for their representation. Firms will be ranked, and the information will be made public for anyone to access.

This process is ambitious and seeks to give Canadian citizens a glimpse into how many people are represented across the legal field. While more and more people have access to higher education, there is still a gap between obtaining that higher education and working in a setting where change can be made. The corporate world, at its highest points, is almost always one race across the board, and very rarely do people of colour get into their ranks. They are made out to be an example of how anyone from a particular race can achieve success. However, this is the exception, not the rule. Nepotism plays a role in societal success; connections are a factor, and loyalty to race, even if people are acquainted.

People of colour comprise 16% of the total lawyers across the province. Positions at all levels range from 6% to 27%. These numbers display the racial disparity among law practitioners in positions of influence. Becoming a lawyer is undoubtedly a huge accomplishment. Still, when entering the workforce with other seasoned professionals, your academic accolades become second to your professional achievements and your position in the company.

What do these rankings ultimately mean? A potential for DEI-inclusive practices, perhaps? That isn’t something that someone would want in this kind of profession. This kind of audit also opens law firms up to intense criticism from people who put merit above all other aspects of professional advancement. On the other hand, there is a potential for firms to receive clientele based on their blink score, with higher ones having the chance to bring in more race-based clients who can help that law firm grow.

It is only the beginning, and changes will undoubtedly be made in the legal field as Blink Equity continues to dive deep into the gap between people of colour and decision-making roles in these law firms. This audit has the power to shift the power scale, and place people of colour in higher positions. There are hierarchies in any profession, and while every Lawyer is qualified to do what they are trained to do, it is no shock that some are considerably better than others at their jobs. The ones who know how to use this audit to their advantage will rise above the others and create a representative image for themselves among their population.

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“The Pfizer Papers!” Documentation of worldwide genocide

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BY SIMONE J. SMITH

We are living in a world where promises of health and safety came packaged in a tiny vial, one injection was promoted by powerful governments, supported by respected institutions, and championed by legacy media worldwide. Sadly, beneath the surface, a darker truth emerged.

Reports from around the globe began to tell a different story—one that was not covered in the news cycles or press conferences. Families torn apart by unexpected losses, communities impacted in ways that few could have foreseen, and millions questioning what they had been told to believe.

Those who dared to question were silenced or dismissed (the Toronto Caribbean Newspaper being one of those sources). “Trust the science,” we were told. “It’s for the greater good.” As time went on, the truth became impossible to ignore.

Now, I bring more news to light—information that demands your attention and scrutiny. The time to passively listen has passed; this is the moment to understand what’s really at stake.

I reviewed an interview with Naomi Wolf, journalist and CEO of Daily Clout, which detailed the serious vaccine-related injuries that Pfizer and the FDA knew of by early 2021, but tried to hide from the public. I was introduced to “The Pfizer Papers: Pfizer’s Crimes Against Humanity.” What I learned is that Pfizer knew about the inadequacies of its COVID-19 vaccine trials and the vaccine’s many serious adverse effects, and so did the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The FDA promoted the vaccines anyway — and later tried to hide the data from the public.

To produce “The Pfizer Papers,” Naomi, and Daily Clout Chief Operations Officer Amy Kelly convened thousands of volunteer scientists and doctors to analyze Pfizer data and supplementary data from other public reporting systems to capture the full scope of the vaccines’ effects. They obtained the data from the Public Health and Medical Professionals for Transparency, a group of more than 30 medical professionals and scientists who sued the FDA in 2021 and forced the agency to release the data, after the FDA refused to comply with a Freedom of Information Act request.

It was then that the federal court ordered the agency to release 450,000 internal documents pertaining to the licensing of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. The data release was significantly and the documents so highly technical and scientific that according to Naomi, “No journalist could have the bandwidth to go through them all.”

The “Pfizer Papers” analysts found over 42,000 case reports detailing 158,893 adverse events reported to Pfizer in the first three months The centerpiece of “The Pfizer Papers” is the effect that the vaccine had on human reproduction. The papers reveal that Pfizer knew early on that the shots were causing menstrual issues. The company reported to the FDA that 72% of the recorded adverse events were in women. Of those, about 16% involved reproductive disorders and functions. In the clinical trials, thousands of women experienced: daily bleeding, hemorrhaging, and passing of tissue, and many other women reported that their menstrual cycle stopped completely.

Pfizer was aware that lipid nanoparticles from the shots accumulated in the ovaries and crossed the placental barrier, compromising the placenta and keeping nutrients from the baby in utero. According to the data, babies had to be delivered early, and women were hemorrhaging in childbirth.

Let us take us to another part of the world, where research has been done on other pharmaceutical companies. A group of Argentine scientists identified 55 chemical elements — not listed on package inserts — in the: Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, CanSino, Sinopharm and Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccines (according to a study published last week in the International Journal of Vaccine Theory, Practice, and Research).

The samples also contained 11 of the 15 rare earth elements (they are heavier, silvery metals often used in manufacturing). These chemical elements, which include lanthanum, cerium and gadolinium, are lesser known to the general public than heavy metals, but have been shown to be highly toxic. By the end of 2023, global researchers had identified 24 undeclared chemical elements in the COVID-19 vaccine formulas.

Vaccines often include excipients — additives used as preservatives, adjuvants, stabilizers, or for other purposes. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), substances used in the manufacture of a vaccine, but not listed in the contents of the final product should be listed somewhere in the package insert. Why is this important? Well, researchers argue it is because excipients can include allergens and other “hidden dangers” for vaccine recipients.

In one lot of the AstraZeneca vaccine, researchers identified 15 chemical elements, of which 14 were undeclared. In the other lot, they detected 21 elements of which 20 were undeclared. In the CanSino vial, they identified 22 elements, of which 20 were undeclared.

The three Pfizer vials contained 19, 16 and 21-23 undeclared elements respectively. The Moderna vials contained 21 and between 16-29 undeclared elements. The Sinopharm vials contained between 17-23 undeclared elements and the Sputnik V contained between 19-25 undetected elements.

“All of the heavy metals detected are linked to toxic effects on human health,” the researchers wrote. Although the metals occurred in different frequencies, many were present across multiple samples.

I am not going to go any further with this; I think you get the picture. We have been sold wolf cookies, very dangerous ones. These pharmaceutical companies must be held accountable. I am proud of anyone who has gone after them for retribution, and have received it. Regardless, in many ways, there is no repayment for a healthy life.

REFERENCES:

https://ijvtpr.com/index.php/IJVTPR/article/view/111

https://news.bloomberglaw.com/health-law-and-business/why-a-judge-ordered-fda-to-release-covid-19-vaccine-data-pronto

https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender_category/toxic-exposures/

Pfizer’s ‘Crimes Against Humanity’ — and Legacy Media’s Failure to Report on Them

55 Undeclared Chemical Elements — Including Heavy Metals — Found in COVID Vaccines

 

Public Health and Medical Professionals for Transparency

FDA Should Need Only ‘12 Weeks’ to Release Pfizer Data, Not 75 Years, Plaintiff Calculates

Judge Gives FDA 8 Months, Not 75 Years, to Produce Pfizer Safety Data

Most Studies Show COVID Vaccine Affects Menstrual Cycles, BMJ Review Finds

Report 38: Women Have Two and a Half Times Higher Risk of Adverse Events Than Men. Risk to Female Reproductive Functions Is Higher Still.

 

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