Dr. Sass and the cookie diet

A few weeks ago I was contacted by a public relations firm in New York City, asking if I would like to interview the creator of the world renowned Smart for Life Cookie Diet. My first reaction was the probable lack of a local angle, until I read the note further to discover not only did the man in question – Dr. Sasson (Sass) E. Moulavi -  grow up here, but he actually graduated with me from Wagar  High School in 1980.

Sass was indeed one of those individuals whom I completely lost contact with.  Born in Iran, his family moved to Israel when he was two and came to Montreal 11 years later. The Smart for Life Cookie Diet provides a safe and efficient way to lose weight by eating all-natural, appetite suppressing meal replacement diet cookies made without toxins and preservatives.  I reached Sass last week in Boca Raton, where he now resides.  He obtained his medical degree from the University of Toronto, holds Board Certification in Bariatric Medicine (the branch of medicine which is concerned with the treatment of obesity, as well as its causes and preventive technique) and completed the Annual Practical Approaches to the Treatment of Obesity at Harvard University. He has directed the operation of multiple Weight Loss Centers in both the United States and Canada and says his passion is “to protect our planet by keeping our food supply clean of toxins and providing healthy choices for generations.”

How did he get into the cookie diet business? “The concept was developed while I worked as an emergency room doctor in Montreal and saw the rise in heart attacks in 30 and 40 year old patients,” he explained. “I was about 30 pounds overweight.  I knew what had to be done, established Smart for Life, lost the weight and began to really grow the company while pushing for the product to contain healthy ingredients.”

Montreal presently has one Smart for Life location on Decarie Boulevard. Moulavi says new locales are  set to open in Laval and Pierrefonds next summer. He also has a book all about the cookie diet which will be published in the next few weeks. Not bad for a guy whose high school prelude book lists his ambition as  joining the Golani in the Israeli army and a  probable destination of  mission accomplished.

According to Dr Sass, what makes Smart for Life unique is that it uses mostly organic ingredients that are free of preservatives, pesticides and toxins. “Smart for Life is also a lifestyle change,” he says. “ The unique meals train you to eat multiple, small meals throughout the day. Many clients use our products as a form of maintenance, a convenient replacement for fast food, and a helpful tool for keeping weight off.

The Smart Foods (cookies, shakes, muffins and more) are designed to suppress your appetite with a unique blend of amino acids, complex carbohydrates, fiber and natural sugars.

“If you were to eat a typical lunch of a burger and soft drink, your caloric intake would equal about 800 – way too much and mostly from fat,” Dr. Sass explains. “But if you eat a Smart Cookie for lunch, not only will you eat about 100 calories, but you will also receive all of the nutrients and nowhere near the amount of fat. You will feel full longer – as if you ate more food to satisfy you. Your body will then become ‘Smart’ by releasing 200 or so calories from your fat stores. Now that is how you lose weight.

Comic Paul Morrissey is coming to town

Comedian Paul Morrissey will be in Montreal next weekend, appearing at Ernie Butler's Comedy Nest at the AMC Pepsi Forum. Here is a clip from one of his appearances on the  Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson on CBS:

Official trailer out of Julie Roberts shot Montreal movie

The official trailer for the Julia  Roberts movie Mirror, Mirror, filmed in Montreal last summer, has been released.

Have a look:

New reality show Oh My God! features Jewish atheist trying to reconnect

When Hampstead-born actor/comedian/producer TevyaHeller talks about being an atheist, he sounds almost apologetic. However, with his new reality television called Oh My  God! about to premiere on ichannel Mondays, beginning December 5 (8:30 p.m.) and more than 10 markets around the world set to air the show within six months, he won’t be able to keep this a secret.

Raised in a devout Jewish household, Heller says he lost his religious faith as a teenager.

Produced for ichannel by Toronto-based Stornoway Productions  Oh My God! follows Heller on a quest to reconnect with his own vanished faith by learning to see the world through the eyes of believers by embedding himself in the lives of young people from different Canadian faith communities – from Hindus to Muslims, Christians to Wiccans – and discovering firsthand how they experience God.

Asked why he chose ichannel, Canada’s political and social issues network, to air the show Heller told me that he had significant interest from much larger networks “but ichannel was the one which allowed me to proceed with the series exactly the way I want. In any case I believe this show is going to explode internationally.”

Here is a preview: 

Heller grew up in  Hampstead. “All of my family is Jewish,” he said, “and so were all of my friends growing up. I went to Jewish summer camp, had a year a half of bar mitzvah lessons and went to Hebrew School. I was raised in a very traditional home. Not only did my family believe in god, but they believed god was Jewish. I simply did not have exposure to any other view. The closest I got to Jewish was the caretaker at my high school.”

During his teen years Heller kept hearing his family’s wishes that he become a lawyer, doctor “or if I really wanted to push it, an engineer with an MBA. But I wanted to be a producer on the Jerry Springer Show. Needless to say, my parents were mortified that I wanted a career in show business. Well I followed a different path.”

Heller’s road to atheism was paved when he moved away from home. “I became exposed to a million different points of view,” he says. “It really kind of blew my mind and I then realized that I did not believe in any Jewish teachings.  That being said, I mean no disrespect to the religion. I remain proud of my Jewish heritage. I am a proud Jewish atheist.”

In 2007, Heller established his production company called Go to Heller TV, creating and producing a number of TV and film projects. This included the Los Angeles real estate series Real Estate Stalker, where he snooped through the homes of super rich celebrities currently on the market for sale. In 2009, he developed Famewhore: The Tevya Heller Project , which chased him around the world causing havoc.

Heller  has high hopes for Oh My God!  While this is an atheist’s eye-view of faith, he takes pains to distance himself from the militant, religion-bashing school of atheism championed by the likes of Christopher Hitchens and Richard Dawkins.

“I’m an atheist who wants God to exist,” says Heller.  “I think belief is a gift, and that people of faith are lucky. There’s such loneliness in being an atheist, because you’re not part of a community. So this show is really about an atheist’s search for a God he can believe in. It takes us deep inside communities that most of us wouldn’t otherwise have access to, and offers a pretty cool glimpse into worlds that viewers don’t often get to see.”

One of the episodes of Oh My God! has Heller embedded with an orthodox Jewish family. “They even made a bar mitzvah for me,” he says. “When I finally told the rabbi that I was an atheist, his heart was broken. This particular episode was taped eight months ago and I still get an email from him every day with an invitation to  dinner. He has not given up.”

Heller describes the show as The Simple Life meets Touched by An Angel.

For more information log on to www. ichannel .ca.

Sneak Peek of the upcoming Jerusalem IMAX movie

In this week's Suburban Newspaper I wrote a feature story on filmmaker Jake Eberts. You can access it here and by going to page 9.

Below is a sneak peek of his upcoming IMAX movie Jerusalem, which won't hit screens until 2013.

Why would Irwin Cotler step down now?

Over the years I have often shared rumours in my Suburban Newspaper column that Mount Royal Liberal Member of Parliament Irwin Cotler might step down. He has been in office for 12 years, having taken a sabbatical from the McGill Faculty of Law to run in a by-election to replace Sheila Finestone. At the start many people figured he’d be a one or two term MP. In fact,  I remember very clearly meeting him at the Cavendish Mall very early in his mandate, at which time he seemed unhappy with the constant back and forth to Ottawa.

Nonetheless, something happened to Cotler as the years went by. He really liked being an MP. A world renowned human rights activist, he saw that with a calling card as a representative from the Canadian government, even more doors opened for him. Of course his proudest moment came in 2003 when then Prime Minister Paul Martin named him Minister of Justice and Attorney General.

When  Stephen Harper and  the  Tories came to power in 2006, the rumours that Cotler would retire intensified again. He had fulfilled a dream of being in the federal cabinet. Why would he stay on as an opposition backbencher? Well, Cotler did not go anywhere. He continued to do his work and enjoyed very friendly relations with the governing Tories. In 2008 and 2011 he was back as a candidate. Even though the Liberals were reduced  to third party status last June, Cotler continues to enjoy a high profile. This past week, though, media coverage focused yet again on his future.

 On Friday  I attended a news conference at Cotler’s riding office in Côte des Neiges at which time he called into question the polling being conducted in Mount Royal by a firm tied to the ruling Conservative Party all the more confusing.

Cotler addresses riding news conference.

This firm, Campaign Research, has been identified as having representatives call constituents of Cotler to see whether they would  support the Tories in  a “pending by-election.” 

Cotler declared that he has no intention of stepping down while confirming  with me that this will be his last term in office.  That being said, the next election is not for another four years. He called the polling a potential breach of his parliamentary privilege  which “inhibits and impedes the exercise of my parliamentary functions, or indeed of any member of Parliament so targeted. For example, beyond the phone calls, emails and requests for meetings as a result of these calls, which themselves are an encumbrance, it causes confusion among the electorate. It impedes me in the discharge of my functions.”  

Cotler says he is most bothered  by the calls coming into his office from constituents asking when  a   by-election will occur. “Such questions cause damage to my reputation and credibility and would do so to any member of the House,” he said. “The insinuation, therefore, that I am abandoning my MP role here is at variance with the truth. I am saying this at the risk of sounding self-serving just to put the facts on the record, but I may have more motions on the order paper than any other member of this place. I seek to take my responsibilities as a parliamentarian very seriously, be it in committee, where now before the justice and legal affairs committee I have some 50 amendments with respect to the proposed omnibus crime bill, or in parliamentary debate, where like many other members in the House I remain an active member in take note debates, or just to use today as a case study, like other members in the House, I posed a question in question period and earlier made a statement.

“How can one correct the confusion and prejudicial damage that has been done in the minds of those who may think I am no longer their representative in Parliament or no longer discharging my duties? In short, telling my constituents that I am resigning and that there is a by-election imminently occurring is not only patently false but the clear and important point here is that it violates my privileges as a member and should be regarded by all members in this House as an unacceptable practice for this institution and its members. The particularly relevant part is that while this occurred in my riding of Mount Royal, nothing is to stop this from occurring in another riding and this practice ends up being an affront to all who serve in this place.

Cotler has asked the Speaker of the House of Commons to rule that this is a prima facie breach of privilege. He would like to see an investigation done to get to the bottom of this matter and recommend appropriate sanctions in the circumstances where appropriate.

Cotler confers with chief of staff Howard Liebman.

The by-election rumours were not, in fact, the intended focus of the news conference. Cotler regularly meets with the local community media to update them on his agenda. In this case he knocked the  Conservative government for shutting down Justice Committee work on omnibus crime bill (C-10).  He has moved 50 amendments , including those of the Quebec government. Meanwhile, he has been  retained as international legal counsel to detained and convicted Egyptian blogger Maikel Nabil,  88 days into a hunger strike at the time of the news conference. A day earlier he spearheaded an all-party MP press conference in Ottawa   for Nabil and introduced a unanimously adopted resolution at the Subcommittee for International human rights.  He also pressed the government to act urgently on Iran in the wake of the UN’s IAEA report: listing the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist entity; sanctioning the Iranian Central bank and regime officials.

Mount Royal has been a Liberal stronghold for decades and last May the Tories, with former Montreal city councillor Saulie Zajdel as their candidate, came close to an upset. Cotler earned 41.4 percent of the vote, with Zajdel grabbing 35.6 percent. Most observers agreed that if not for Cotler’s personal star power, the Grits would have lost. Zajdel recently landed a job with the federal government reporting on regional concerns for Heritage Minister James Moore. It is widely considered that in the event Cotler does step down before his term ends in four years, Zajdel would be a favourite to take the riding.

 The media turnout for the news conference extended beyond the usual community press, as local radio and television reporters came. Some of them even apologetically asked more questions about the rumours than any of the human rights matters.

If the Tories were behind this in any way, it was very poor strategy. Why do so a mere six months into the new mandate. Even if Cotler were contemplating retirement – and it was abundantly clear from our talk today he is not –at least wait a full year!  The end result of this entire exercise just makes him dig his heals in more.

With chief  of staff Howard Liebman running the show, Cotler’s office in Ottawa and here in Montreal have never been  busier. Hardly the sign of someone looking to walk off into the sunset.

Here is Cotler at his last campaign launch:

Investment advisor expands on why we should Occupy the Bell Centre

When I picked up a copy of La Presse recently and saw Montreal investment dealer David Ipperciel’s proposal to “Occupy the Bell Centre” I was really intrigued.  I have found the salaries being paid to professional athletes revolting for some time. In the case of the Canadiens, I was shocked to see former GM Bob Gainey trade for  past his prime $7.3 million a year  forward Scott Gomez and then give Mike Cammalari ($6 milllion) and Brian  Gionta ($5 million) annual contracts beyond their worth. Yes, as my good friend Abe Hefter from CJAD always reminds me, “Gainey got Gomez in order to attract free agents like Cammalari and Gionta.”

David Ipperciel

Even if Gomez scored 30 goals, I’d have a problem with the salary he is making. Pierre Gauthier, Gainey’s successor and the man most likely truly responsible for us being saddled with Gomez, gave defenceman André Markov a three year $17 million contract last summer when there was no clear indication if his bad knee could  hold out. As of today, he has yet to play a game all season.

True, this is owner Geoff Molson’s money.  He spent $500 million to buy the Habs. It is a business. Nobody is forced to  buy tickets or souvenirs or watch the team play on television. Professional sports is entertainment. People do not complain about Daniel Radcliffe or Julia Roberts making $20 million per movie.

Here is a translation Ipperciel sent me of his piece in La Presse:

I work in the financial sector in Montreal and feel that much attention is directed towards our industry following the Occupy Wall Street movement.  Being of a generous nature, I would like to share this attention with others.

I propose a new movement: Occupy Bell Centre. People complain about the high level of salaries in the financial sector, far above the average pay.  However, the income of professional athletes is clearly higher than those of my peers.  How dare they extract such compensation!  After all, they only play a game, often in an unruly way...  Worse yet, half the teams perform below the median of their league!  How can they justify their astronomical salaries in those conditions?

Many will quickly point out than the financial sector of Wall Street had to be bailed out (not in Canada, but who’s noticing).  To those, I must recall that every penny paid out by the US government to the financial sector through the TARP program was reimbursed.  At the end, the program did not take away money from the American taxpayer.

On the other hand, professional sport teams are able to build arenas with the help of public funds, and often benefit from tax rebates or exemptions.  In contrast, the financial sector is one of the biggest contributors to government tax receipts, through corporate or personal tax, topped by a special payroll tax targeted specifically to them.

We can also expect to see new financial regulations implemented soon (Bâle, Volkner Rule).  In the hockey world, the legitimacy of violence is still being debated.  In this context, Occupy Bell Center is probably not a bad idea. 

Or why not Occupy Capitol Hill?  The governments have been important contributors of the financial crisis.  In the US, minimal targets for low income families were imposed by Congress to Fannie Mae and other agencies, in order to boost home ownership.  This helped develop the subprime market which led to the debacle.  The Chinese government manipulated the yuan’s exchange rate, which encouraged over-consumption all over the world, and launched the risk-seeking frenzy that followed because of the lower rates that it generated.  The Federal Reserve contributed by keeping rates too low for too long.  And more important, European governments exacerbated the crisis with their unrestrained accumulation of debt, threatening our social democracy.  Let us join in this popular indignation by occupying all these places!

I spoke to Ipperciel some more about his article. He agreed his tongue was planted firmly in cheek.

“No, I don’t think an Occupy Bell Centre would work,” he conceded.  “The whole ‘Occupy’  movement attracts sympathy because of its vagueness, so that everybody can relate.  An Occupy   Bell  Centre would have a more specific demand ( such as lower salaries which would bring a more polarized debate.  In any case, I was being facetious.  People are quick to denounce the big salaries of financiers.  If the salaries are too big, then why not criticize anybody else with a huge salary, like professional athletes?

“I really have no problem in principal against the high salaries of professional athletes.  I say in principal, because in practice, professional teams have become experts in blackmailing governments for handouts, whether for building a new amphitheater, or tax credits.  I’m sure you can come up with examples in hockey or Formula One. Would the salaries of these professionals be as high without government aid?  Probably not.  What they attract  -or extract- from their talent or the perceived attractiveness of their product, they entirely deserve.  They are not putting a gun to anyone’s head to buy their tickets or watch them on TV.  They deserve what they get from fans. 

"I just have a problem with what they get from government.  From what I understand, the Montreal Canadiens have paid for the Bell Centre without government aid, and they pay full taxes every year on it.  So whatever salary they pay to their team is their business, as they must remain competitive.  As for Scott Gomez, they made a bet, and do not seem to have gotten a good return on their investment.  As a citizen, I have no problem.  As a fan, I can’t be too happy.  But that  is the nature of the game.  Regarding the whole pro hockey scene, we should all be outraged as long as there is government involvement, using our tax money to make millionaires even richer? Come on!  The funny thing is that the Americans - supposedly capitalists - seem more prone to this than Canadians - supposedly socialists. Go figure."

Bravo David!   

Here is a look at Occupy Wallstreet Montreal.