Acknowledgements

I lived through a tumultuous time when I was writing this book, to say the
least. I had more than my fair share of reliable, competent, trustworthy people
standing with me, however, and thank God for that. I would particularly like
to thank my wife, Tammy, my great and good friend for almost fifty years.
She has been an absolute pillar of honesty, stability, support, practical help,
organization and patience during the years of writing that continued during
anything and everything else that has happened in our lives, no matter how
pressing or important. My daughter, Mikhaila, and my son, Julian, as well as
my parents, Walter and Beverley, were also right there beside me, paying
careful attention, discussing complicated issues with me, and aiding me in the
organization of my thoughts, words and actions. The same is true of my
brother-in-law, Jim Keller, computer chip architect extraordinaire, and my
always reliable and adventurous sister, Bonnie. The friendship of Wodek
Szemberg and Estera Bekier has proved invaluable to me, in many ways, for
many years, as has the behind-the-scenes and subtle support of Professor
William Cunningham. Dr. Norman Doidge went beyond the call of duty
writing and revising the foreword to this book, which took far more effort
than I had originally estimated, and the friendship and warmth he and his
wife, Karen, continually provide has been very much appreciated by my
entire family. It was a pleasure to collaborate with Craig Pyette, my editor at
Random House Canada. Craig’s careful attention to detail and ability to
diplomatically rein in excess bursts of passion (and sometimes irritation) in
my many drafts made for a much more measured and balanced book.
Gregg Hurwitz, novelist, screen-writer and friend, used many of my rules
for life in his bestseller Orphan X, well before my book was written, which
was a great compliment and indicator of their potential value and public
appeal. Gregg also volunteered as a dedicated, thorough, viciously incisive
and comically cynical editor and commentator while I was writing and