EMERGENCY ALERT OR EMERGENCY CONTROL?

By Joe Ingino Editor/Publisher ACCOMPLISHED WRITER/AUTHOR OF OVER 800,000 Published Columns in Canada and The United States “I live a dream in a nightmare world” Always Remember That The cosmic blueprint of your life was written in code across the sky at the moment you were born. Decode Your Life By Living It Without Regret or Sorrow. - ONE DAY AT A TIME - This past week you were subjected to a mass EMERGENCY ALERT - notice. In it. It stated: This is a test of the Ontario Alert Ready System. There is no danger to your health or safety. If this was an actual emergency, you would now see instructions for protecting yourself. Really!!! How considerate... I appreciate the vehicle they are using to stir fear of safety and compliance. After all would we not want to know if something had happened that may affect our health or safety? On the other hand. Is this not a form of control and proof of the power of cell technology as tracking surveillance tool? Even thought the concept may be beneficial in a time of emergency. Does this give the powers in control of cell technologies including government to send a message directly to my phone without permission? The tech minded folk will say. Oh it is an open system message and it goes to everyone. OK. Acceptable. Then they are admitting that this so called open messaging system exists. This giving to the creditability that every phone number may be accessed without consent. INTERESTING. Let’s think about this a bit more. Our so called ‘SMART PHONE’, for the general population of tech dummies is the ultimate tool go where no man has gone before in terms of access to personal information, tracking and surveillance. I remember my years as a private investigator. To the lengths that we use to go to track people. To the primitive methods... to some of the illegal methods that would allow us to develop tips and the ability to stay one step of the perpetrator. I can just imagine the technology available for both tracking, monitoring and intel gathering. By the government own admittance. They can send us a mass message. This means they can also receive as they are broadcasting over an open public medium, primarily cell. If so, then ideally anyone that has access to this type of technology may include a series of a million phone numbers and monitor all activities from these devices. In other words, a huge violation of your human rights, privacy. Remember not all criminals are caught in the act. Many arrests take months of preparation and intel gathering. From a government perspective. What better way to monitor the population at large then by having access to their most intimate means of communication. Both through speech, text, and travel. You say impossible. You say oh you are becoming paranoid and falling for conspiracy theory phenomena. I can see that thought and the rationale behind it. But think about this for a moment. Governments throughout history have rule by controlling the masses. What better way than to be able to stay one step ahead of trends and interest. Is this starting to take some resemblance to how intel services work? Government rule of governance. Keep them ignorant and make them do as we dictate. Anyone opposing us, will be deemed a threat to national security. Do you still think last week Alert was just an innocent alert? REMEMBER ALWAYS Hope for the Best. PREPARE FOR the worst.

The Doctor Game Make a Stink for Better Public Washrooms

By Common Sense Health – W. Gifford-Jones MD and Diana Gifford When asked how to become a famous comedian, Steve Martin replied, “Be so good they can’t ignore you.” It’s true, bad performers can usually be ignored. But there’s no ignoring bad public washrooms. Public washrooms have a reputation for abysmal filth, as evidenced by dirty toilets, overflowing trash, empty or broken soap dispensers, sloppy countertops, and door handles not to be touched. An American survey found that 21 percent of respondents used a public washroom at least six times a week, sometimes over 15 times! The reason was not always obvious. Youth tend to visit washrooms to use their phones, change their clothes, or “get away”. In fact, 21 percent of youth acknowledge the use of public washrooms to take a mental health break, to avoid someone, and on occasion to cry. Older people, in addition to using the facilities, also visit public washrooms to check their appearance. Whatever the reason to visit, how important is it to take precautions? The good news is that some of the germs found in public washrooms are no different than the germs found in many other places, including the bathroom at home. Take Staphylococcus aureus for example. It will be found in dirty public washrooms. But it is also commonly carried around by 20-30 percent of people on their skin or in the respiratory system. It is an opportunistic pathogen, meaning it starts to cause trouble not when commonly encountered in the washroom but when the immune system is weakened or when the natural balance of bacteria in the gut is altered. Authorities disagree on how long certain other nasty germs survive or how readily they cause infection. But many bathroom studies have shown remarkable staying power – up to 8 days for E. coli. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the flu can survive on some surfaces for 48 hours. Washing hands after using public facilities is a no brainer. Yet a study published in Antimicrobial Resistance & Infection Control found that handwashing and hand-drying equipment in public washrooms are facilitating infections due to contaminated sink handles and paper towel dispensers. Plus people don’t wash their hands with soapy water for 20 seconds or more. Even with the best of efforts, some researchers have noted that “adequate hand hygiene may not always be achievable when using public washrooms.” That’s because the door handle used to leave the washroom is covered in germs. Opting out of using a public bathroom and resorting to “holding behaviour” is not advisable. “Always go to the bathroom when you have a chance,” goes the sage advice of King George V. Royalty have their own reasons. But among common folk, holding urine in the bladder can invite bacteria in the urine to multiply and cause the development of urinary track infections. When you’ve got to go, you’ve got to go. But there’s worse news to report. A study published in 2020 in Physics of Fluids described a phenomenon known as "toilet turbulence." It’s an alarming and repulsive discovery to learn that flushing a toilet can send small droplets of water and aerosols containing fecal germs three feet into the air above the seat! One public health message advises users to turn away from the toilet when flushing. Good lord! There’s a reason for a toilet seat lid. Put it down before you flush. Making a stink about public washrooms that are poorly designed and infrequently cleaned is probably the best course of action. Afterall, what restaurant or community venue wants to be associated with disgusting washrooms? Sign-up at www.docgiff.com to receive our weekly e-newsletter. For comments, contact-us@docgiff.com. Follow us Instagram @docgiff and @diana_gifford_jones

It Is the Candidate Who Tells the Best Story Who Gets Hired

By Nick Kossovan A six-word story attributed to Ernest Hemingway: "For sale: baby shoes, never worn." Almost every hire I have ever made was a result of my being able to relate to the candidate's story. Solutions, right answers, and great ideas are as exciting as watching paint dry. On the other hand, who does not love risk-takers, plain talkers, and underdogs? For the most part, job search success depends on which candidate tells the most compelling story, a story that will compel the hiring manager to hire them. Emotions are often the difference between a candidate being hired or rejected. Logic is not the only factor in hiring decisions; emotions (feelings) play a significant role. Our emotions determine how we perceive someone when first meeting them, and those perceptions lead us to regard them positively or negatively. The quickest way to land on the hiring manager's "positive" side: Tell a compelling and relevant story in your resume, cover letters, and interviews. The power of storytelling lies in its ability to influence and persuade. Opinions are often more polarizing than persuasive, and statistics, even when used as evidence, are difficult to retain. However, you can tug at heartstrings if you blend the two into an engaging narrative. All you need to do is organize your achievements into a story that elicits positive emotions. - Start with your audience in mind. Most job seekers believe providing a long, chronological list of projects, responsibilities, and job activities is a good job search strategy. The belief is that if you stuff as much experience as you can into a 2-page resume, a 4-paragraph cover letter or a 45-minute interview, something will click with the reader/interviewer, and they will "understand" your value and fit their business Actually, the opposite is likely to happen. Will the person receiving your information remember everything? Nope! It is more strategic to prioritize your career information according to the employer's needs, to show them only what is relevant to the position and their company; hence you do not come across as being another cookie-cutter applicant, which employers typically see. (Not being cookie-cutter = Being different = Standing out) Always have your audience at the forefront of your mind. What is their role? What is their level? How are their business and industry doing? What current challenges do they face that are critical to their success? Hiring managers look for more than just a list of skills and experiences. Along with hard skills (e.g., formal education, technical, foreign languages), employers, more than ever, look for candidates with soft skills (READ: people skills), such as authenticity, strong communication, mindfulness, and inclusivity. - Have a theme. Once you know your audience, stop, and consider the one thing you want your audience to remember about you. In storytelling, this is called the 'big idea,' and it is the lynchpin of every effective story and, therefore, should be woven into all your written and verbal communications during your job hunt. Are you looking to join a marketing organization? Then the overarching theme of your resume, LinkedIn profile, cover letters and when interviewing might be: I'm a person who is driven by innovation and growth. Every example you give regarding your marketing expertise should demonstrate how your creativity contributes to brands reaching a wider audience. (e.g., Created a holistic paid acquisition strategy, leading to a 63% ROI for every dollar spent.) Tie all your experiences in your resume, cover letters, and interviews directly into your theme. In addition to guiding your narrative, your theme influences a hiring manager's memory as to what it is you do and how well you do it. - Context! Context! Context! Throughout your job search, you will have many opportunities to share your career success stories. Like all great stories, you need clear context to make your experiences meaningful. Storytelling experts call context the "why" that drives a narrative's plot. Context gives your audience a reason to listen to your story to the end and arrive happily at your resolution. There are three things that establish context: setting, characters, and conflict. 1. Setting: The place where your story unfolds. 2. Characters: The people involved in and impacted by the triggering event in your story. 3. Conflict: An event that causes you and the other characters in your story to take action. As you tell your story, make sure the context sinks in so your interviewer can see how you work with others, how you approach challenges and how you solve problems. - End your story with a clear resolution. Your goal, as you wind your story down, is to give your listener a compelling reason to care about the outcome, results that would be relevant to the job you are applying for. Now is the time to be the hero and tell your interviewer how you resolved the conflict of your story. This is where you explain how you achieve the metrics listed on your resume and LinkedIn profile in greater detail. The conclusion of your story should encourage your interviewer to hire you. Telling your career success stories effectively will greatly enhance your job search. __________________________________________________________________________ Nick Kossovan, a well-seasoned veteran of the corporate landscape, offers advice on searching for a job. You can send him your questions at artoffindingwork@gmail.com

Canada and soaring food prices

by Maj (ret'd) CORNELIU. CHISU, CD, PMSC, FEC, CET, P. Eng. Former Member of Parliament Pickering-Scarborough East We have had been assaulted with the budgets and endured the glowing predictions of the politicians in power. Now let's get back to reality. While green energy infatuated politicians continue to abuse taxpayers' money by pouring it into pie-in-the-sky futuristic projects, everyday Canadians are concerned with what they will put on the family dinner table. An example of these futuristic projects and major failures on the part of both politicians and the public service is the case of the two electric "green" ferries built in Romania, the Amherst Islander II and the Wolfe Islander IV. Built using the latest high technology available in the world, and delivered in the fall of 2021, they are still waiting to be put into service, because the clients operators lack the technology for charging their batteries. It seems that the high technology of the ferries surpassed the technology available in Canada. So, who cares that there was a major delay in the construction of the specialized dock, a landing platform providing a charger of 6MW necessary for recharging the ferries' batteries, currently expected to be ready by 2025. And why have we heard nothing about this in the official media, or from the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario, or the Federal green gurus in the Canadian government? With public money being spent so wisely, let us see what Canadians can expect in terms of food prices, which are closer to their hearts than politicians' green mania. According to a December 2022 report Canadians won't be getting a break from soaring food prices any time soon. The report forecasts that it will cost over $1,000 more to feed the average family of four in 2023. After a year of skyrocketing prices and grocers raking in profits while denying price gouging allegations, Canadians are set to see food prices rise by five to seven per cent more this year, the report found. Even a study by a parliamentary committee did not find or even recommend a solution. Canada's Food Price Report 2023, released in December 2022, estimates that price increases will mean an average Canadian family of four will spend around $16,288 per year on food, a jump of $1,065 compared to the yearly cost of food observed in 2022. The biggest increases are expected to be in the price of vegetables, dairy and meat. Vegetable prices are predicted to increase by six to eight per cent in 2023, the largest price jump for any one category of food. The smallest change is expected to be in the price of fruit, which is anticipated to increase by three to five per cent. This prediction of an overall increase by five to seven per cent for food prices in 2023 is the same prediction researchers made for 2022 - a prediction that turned out to be far too low. The food price increase recorded as of September 2022 was 10.3 per cent, the report admits, much higher than had been anticipated. At the time, the report's prediction of an increase of seven per cent "was considered by many to be alarmist," the new report stated. And yet, prices spiked even higher than expected. In 2022, Canada saw the highest rate of food inflation since the 1980s, according to the report. In 2022, vegetable prices increased by more than 12 per cent, while bakery items increased by nearly 15 per cent. Meat prices increased by 7.6 per cent, far above that category's predicted two per cent increase. In 2022, there were also nearly 1.5 million visits to food banks, with the usage in March 2022 being the highest of all time for that month. Food bank usage has been increasing since June 2020, the new report notes, and rising food prices are expected to keep this trend going as more and more Canadians find they can't afford to buy food. Is there anything that the average Canadian can do? Researchers recommend, motherhood advice as usual. Apparently, it's a good time to become a "smart shopper" and start using coupons and consulting flyers for specials, as well as finding cheaper alternatives to expensive brands. "We haven't seen food prices increase thismuch in Canada for over 40 years and based on our findings, the increases we have predicted are still quite high but not as high as the increases for 2022," Simon Somogyi, University of Guelph campus lead, said in the release. "That may be cold comfort for Canadians, as food prices are already high, but if inflation can come down, it's possible that we could see price increases for 2023 at or below 5 per cent." How likely is that, based on the recently published budgets and their dewey-eyed spending? Predictions are a dime a dozen. We need immediate and effective action to bring about solutions. Canadians need relief now. Ask your elected politicians of all stripes for their solutions.

A Game-Changing Factor to Job Search: Your Ability to Make Human Connections

By Nick Kossovan This column will be a departure from my usual job-searching topics to focus on something crucial to a successful job search and your career momentum, especially when networking and interviewing: making human connections. "The most important things in life are the connections you make with others." - Tom Ford, American fashion designer. Genuine human connections lead to positive energy exchange and trust building. Since most job search activities involve interacting with people, projecting positive energy and being seen as trustworthy greatly benefits you. According to American psychologist Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, love and belonging are the most essential needs we must fulfill, besides food, water, and safety. We are more fulfilled when our needs for love and belonging are met. We live busy lives, juggling work, family responsibilities, self-care, side hustles, and more. Therefore, often our social connections fall by the wayside. You might not think connecting with others is important, but it is. Social connections can lower anxiety and depression, help regulate emotions, increase self-esteem and empathy, and improve your immune system. These are huge pluses when job hunting. Sadly, we live in a time when there is a great deal of disconnection. While technology gives the appearance we are more connected than ever, the screens around us disconnect us from nature, ourselves, and those around us. Rather than using technology, especially social media, to enhance our human connections, we use it to replace them. Being brave, proactive, and taking chances is often required to make human connections. Striking up a conversation with a stranger can be intimidating, requiring you to step out of your comfort zone. Your lowest-hanging fruit is to reconnect with current friends and family. Then venture out and try new activities, such as joining a club or taking classes, to meet people to build a relationship with. Putting yourself out there will ultimately pay off in the form of a rewarding feeling that comes from building human connections. Here are six simple ways you can create human connections. 1. Surround yourself with people with shared interests. It is easy to bond with people who share your interests and hobbies. Identifying commonalities between your interviewer and yourself is the most straightforward way to bond with your interviewer, which will give you a competitive advantage. Do you love reading? Join a local book club. Are you a runner? Join a running club. Go where people who share your interests and beliefs are, such as clubs, volunteering, sports, taking classes, church or sitting on an advisory board. 2. Overcome your resistance. Building relationships is often intimidating because of a natural fear of rejection. However, to make human connections, you must overcome your limiting beliefs causing your resistance to change and embrace situations outside your comfort zone. The best way I know how to lower your anxiety when meeting new people is to remember showing interest is a massive gesture to anyone you meet. Therefore ask open-ended questions about the other person and make your discussion all about them. TIP: When meeting someone for the first time, ask yourself, "How can I help this person?" 3. Smile and give off a positive attitude. People prefer positive emotions to negative ones when forming a social connection; therefore, first impressions count. A positive demeanour and a genuine smile will naturally draw people to you. Before spending time with others, I find doing a gratitude exercise and taking a few minutes to reflect on the good things in my life helpful in creating a positive attitude. Putting your best self forward will maximize your chances of being a people magnet. 4. Open up. If you want to make friends more easily, allow yourself to be more vulnerable with others. This does not mean dropping all filters or boundaries. Too much, too soon, can put people off. On the other hand, you do not want to be an overly edited version of yourself and thus coming across as not being authentic. People can sense whether or not someone is genuine, so let them see the most authentic version of you. Your vulnerability will also prompt them to feel comfortable around you and connect with you on a deeper level. 5. Do not hide behind your phone. In social situations where you are uncomfortable, hiding behind your phone is easy, preventing you from making real-life connections. Being on your phone during a party or networking event makes you less approachable. Whenever you are out, focus on being present and engaging with the people around you. 6. Stay in touch. Human connections need to be nurtured. Regular contact deepens your connections. If you make a new friend, keep in touch with them and grow your friendship. Likewise, maintain your existing relationships with friends, family, and colleagues by keeping in touch. Making and maintaining human connections is an activity you should prioritize if for no other reason than the fact that opportunities (e.g., jobs, friendships, love) exist all around you; the only caveat is they are connected to people. Therefore, the more people you are connected to, the more opportunities you will be exposed to. ___________________________________________________________________________ Nick Kossovan, a well-seasoned veteran of the corporate landscape, offers advice on searching for a job. You can send him your questions at artoffindingwork@gmail.com

What Is the Best Nutritional Advice

Ever Given? W. Gifford-Jones, M.D. and Diana Gifford-Jones How long has this column recommended a high-fiber diet? Since March 1978 when readers were informed that processed foods create a “slow assembly line” in the bowels. Now some of the world’s most highly regarded nutritional scientists at Imperial College London say dietary fiber is “the best health advice of all time”! What is it about fiber that is so important? Soluble fiber dissolves in the stomach and can help lower blood cholesterol and glucose levels. Insoluble fiber passes through the digestive system, supporting a faster assembly line that moves waste out, reducing the risks for hemorrhoids and colon disease that creep up when hard stools loiter the bowels. Experts agree that women need about 25-30 grams of fiber daily, and men about 30-35 grams. Children need substantial fiber too. But on average, North Americans are consuming only 15 grams of fiber a day. Instead, most people are choosing too much processed food – white flour, sugar, low-quality breakfast cereal, chips, pies, processed meat, and ready meals, to name a few. One must shake the head when the benefits of fiber have been known for so long. Dr. Denis Burkitt, an Irish researcher, reported decades ago that even disadvantaged populations in Africa consumed large amounts of fiber and had healthy bowel movements. Unlike better off Europeans, they did not suffer from constipation, and it was rare to see appendicitis and large bowel problems. Most people won’t remember the King George V battleship chasing the German battleship Bismarck in World War II. But the British captain was also a medical expert. He brought sacks of bran on board to fight the common ailment at sea of constipation. The bowels of the battleship and the sailors performed very well! Going back further in history, Hippocrates, who lived from 460-370 BC, told the people of Athens that to keep healthy they should have large bulky bowel movements. He scrutinized the stools of his patients to diagnose problems and recommended bread, fruits and vegetables. Today we know that whole wheat, fruits and vegetables are high in fiber. Bananas, tomatoes, prunes, celery and roasted almonds are also good choices. Don’t forget the old adage, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” The reason? An apple can contain over 3 grams of fiber. Be sure you’re not fooled by food labels. Look for the words “whole grain” or “whole wheat” on bread. One slice contains about two grams of fiber. Breads that are labelled “multigrain” may contain little or no fiber. How do you know if you’re getting sufficient fiber? Be like Hippocrates and have a look in the toilet bowl. Small, hard, stools are a problem. A high fiber diet will result in regular soft stools having the texture of bananas. Fiber also fights obesity. One apple loaded with fiber has a filling effect. Wait a few minutes after eating one to note how it eliminates the hunger reflex. Get “fiber smart” and begin the day with a bowl of high fiber cereal along with a banana, blueberries, or other fruits and nuts. Then select meals at lunch and dinner that provide more fiber. Pass on the processed options. Desserts don’t need to be loaded with unhealthy calories. Apple crumble is an example of a high fiber dessert. No one can claim that fiber is bad for your health. But keep in mind that adding too much fiber too quickly could cause a commotion in the bowels in the form of intestinal gas and bloating. Increase fiber in the diet gradually. Sign-up at www.docgiff.com to receive our weekly e-newsletter. For comments, contact-us@docgiff.com. Follow us Instagram @docgiff and @diana_gifford_jones

LET’S STOP REWARDING FAILURES

By Joe Ingino Editor/Publisher ACCOMPLISHED WRITER/AUTHOR OF OVER 800,000 Published Columns in Canada and The United States “I live a dream in a nightmare world” Always Remember That The cosmic blueprint of your life was written in code across the sky at the moment you were born. Decode Your Life By Living It Without Regret or Sorrow. - ONE DAY AT A TIME - Come on people wake up... We had an opportunity to make some serious changes in our community and we sat on our hands and reward people that by their own admission lack the intellectual capacity and or life experience to hold the position that they been elected at any other corporation. We elected as our leader a former homeless and drug addict. On the one hand... We can congratulate him on his achievements. On the other we must shake our heads and wonder... how low have our standards become that we vote on a smile and empty promises. Just recently our beloved Mayor presented before a room full of ass kissers so called businessmen at a Chamber function... Our Mayor boasted on how great our economy is doing... How our development rates are skyrocketing...How during his administration construction levels have gone through the roof. On the one hand. Are the people attending that function that ignorant that stupid and naive to swallow such shit? Really... Let me explain. First of all if we have had a record in building permits. It had nothing to do with our Mayor’s leadership. What we are experiencing if force building compliance due to real pathetic immigration reforms. If we have had such a surge in growth. We missed out on huge opportunities to better our City. Our downtown still in peril. Our airport still and eye sore. Our harbor has been given to Hamilton. Our essential services are a mess. Why do we reward failure. Drive downtown Oshawa. Is that the facade of a successful downtown? What has really changed in 30 years? We have more drugs, more homeless and crime. But wait our beloved failure of a Mayor brushes it off as he was quoted saying during the municipal race. “Oh look at B.C. it could be a lot worst.” REALLY... That is leadership. Yet 18% of you turned out and voted him back in. 82% of you are now faced with a 5% tax increase from the City and 5% tax increase from the region. Out of all the council member we only changed one. Really, you mean to tell me that many of us are happy with the quality of life in Oshawa. I keep shaking my head. I keep saying we do not need municipal government as it is a waste of taxpayers money. We have no representation and those elected have proven to have no real leadership qualities as they make desicions based on staff recommendations. Most on council are pension stuffers and or careered politicians. People wake up. Look at Toronto - Even a former MP from Durham decided for a pay increase and put her name in the Mayoral race. I think that to run for office of any kind there should be standards. There should be requirements. Voters, must be forced to turn out or face fines. I guess this would not be a democracy... but wait it is not a democracy as it is.... only a small percentage of the population turn out and self represent as a majority. Democracy as it was ideologically set out is dead. We have become nothing but mindless numbers. Numbers that have no value but that to work and be compliant with controlled social norms. So much for freedom, choice. REMEMBER ALWAYS Hope for the Best. PREPARE FOR the worst.

Ontario Increasing Minimum Wage to $16.55 an Hour

By Joe Ingino Editor/Publisher ACCOMPLISHED WRITER/AUTHOR OF OVER 800,000 Published Columns in Canada and The United States “I live a dream in a nightmare world” Always Remember That The cosmic blueprint of your life was written in code across the sky at the moment you were born. Decode Your Life By Living It Without Regret or Sorrow. - ONE DAY AT A TIME - Someone please help me. I can’t stop shaking my head. Who is doing the thinking around here. The economy is a horrible state. Just about every corporation is openly ripping off consumers. Not to mention grocery stores. They all blame it on COVID, the war, the supply chain. Small to mid size employers are struggling to keep people on pay rolls due to the poor economic climate. Then the government announces this: Ontario Increasing Minimum Wage to $16.55 an Hour. Hurray for the common worker working on minimum wage. Chaos for the employer that could barely pay the minimum wage as it was. It is no secret that big business does not care about you me or their consumers. Try calling them. They have these pathetic automated answering systems that are rigged to benefit them. You as a consumer have no say and no way to rebut the messages they spew. When you actually get someone to pick up after wasting 20 minutes in their automated system. You get some foreigner with an accent that you can barely make out. These corporation pay these foreign call centers a fraction of what they would have to pay if the call center was in Canada. The question is why do we do business with these companies. Well that is a topic for another column. The real question here is what is our government thinking? They raise the minimum wage as a great thing but fail to alleviate the problem. High cost of living. How is anyone living even with the increased minimum wage to pay for an apartment on the average $1,000 plus $300 food, cell phone $60, a car, insurance, hydro, gas and other daily expenses? When you do the math at 40hr/week they only make $2,648 before taxes... These renters will never be able to buy a home. One they don’t make enough for a down payment. Two, they don’t generate enough income to qualify to pay the monthly mortgage. Ok. Let’s assume they have two jobs and are a two income home. Still they would not have enough to save for the down payment and or afford the monthly mortgage payment. In some magical way. The government believes that by pressuring employers to pay more that it will address the economic problem of average Canadians. Wrong. All the government is doing is assuring less hours to work due to the extra cost of doing business by small to medium businesses. Here is my suggestion: 1. Take control of gasoline prices. (NO MORE GAUGING) 2. Assure that any supply chain issue have priority one. 3. Invest in local small businesses by offering grants based on business productivity and performance. The $20,000. they gave out during COVID was a great model. Every business should receive $20,000. every quarter if they can prove productivity increases of 40% plus the hiring of at least 5 new people per quarter. We waste money fighting foreign wars. Let’s invest in our people first. Do you not agree? REMEMBER ALWAYS Hope for the Best. PREPARE FOR the worst.

Canada and the critical minerals saga

by Maj (ret'd) CORNELIU. CHISU, CD, PMSC, FEC, CET, P. Eng. Former Member of Parliament Pickering-Scarborough East Just last week, close to 25,000 people convened in Toronto for the Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada's annual convention, one of the largest mining events in the world. The mood was optimistic, with many issues discussed. However, the critical minerals issue dominated the discussions, and rightly so. The event saw multiple Federal Liberal cabinet members in attendance. In obvious attendance, were Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, Innovation, Science and Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne and Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson. The ministers, as politicians do, stressed the federal government's commitment to critical minerals development. We will see how strong this commitment is, when the federal budget is tabled on March 28. Budget 2023 has the opportunity to place a high priority on the urgent need for critical minerals development. Supports in last year's budget, the most recent Fall Economic Statement, and the Canadian Critical Minerals Strategy are positive, although silent on recycling nuclear spent Candu fuel, which is rich in critical minerals, specifically, rare earth elements. Canada has accumulated 50,000 tons of spent Candu nuclear fuel by now. We are sitting on a rich resource of materials from which the country can benefit immensely in multiple areas, including rare minerals. This can be considered a non-conventional mine of critical raw materials. I just wonder when the Laurentian political elite leading this country, will finally put the interests of this wonderful and great country at the forefront. In their wisdom, however, they have put the carriage before the horse. They do not seem to realize that the critical mineral supply chain needs to be assured before trumpeting and chest pummelling to attract new investments for electric vehicles and battery manufacturing. The sustainability of the electric battery ecosystem is contingent on the availability and supply of more critical minerals. Put simply, Canada needs to attract more investment into the critical minerals sector, or Canada's position in the race for advanced technology manufacturing and the benefits that flow from that will be significantly diminished. Looking at sourcing of critical minerals in the world today, we note that the rare earths elements market is characterised by enormous country concentration on the supply side. China's share of production has recently been above 90%. It has also mastered processing, refining and metals alloying technologies (downstream capacity). China gained this monopolistic position in the 1990s, thanks to its geological reserves of good quality, and the wide range of its rare earths elements products. Since 2010, China has tightened its production and export limits. This triggered ongoing trade disputes and brought the geopolitical aspects of the critical minerals market to the forefront. China's restrictions consequently acted as an impetus for developing strategies to diversify the critical minerals supply sources. New providers entering the market include the US, South Africa, Brazil and Russia. Long term projects to rebalance trade have been launched, but as usual lately, Canada is missing the action. In 2020 China produced 58%, USA 16%, Myanmar 12% and Australia 7% of the world total of 240,000 tonnes, which is double the amount produced in 2014 (Statista). In rare earths elements alone, China has 45 million tonnes (37.5%) of the world's 120 million tonnes of reserves, followed by Brazil with 22 million tonnes (18.3%) and Russia with 18 million tonnes (15%). In considering the importance of this sector to the wellbeing of our country, there are some applications we need to shed light on. These need particular attention from Canadian politicians who are infatuated with green technologies without knowing anything about them. Examples of industrial uses of critical minerals: - In magnets in electrical and electronic components, wind turbines, hybrid and electrical vehicles and in medical devices (e.g. magnetic resonance imaging (MRI); - In some phosphors, used for example, in screens, energy efficient lighting and laser devices; - In glass for absorbing ultraviolet radiation, colourising and decolourising, polishing or altering refractive index (e.g. camera lenses); - In protective coating used for example, in catalysts; - In alloys in metals used in rechargeable batteries; - In ceramics to improve strength and toughness (e.g. semiconductors, microwave dielectrics); - In nuclear energy and defence applications; and - Research on speed and satellite communications, magnetic refrigeration, energy storage (fuel cells) and water treatment (filtering). Just to give an idea of the need for these critical minerals, here are some examples of quantities used in various applications: - a 1.5 megawatt wind turbine includes some 350 kg of rare earths elements (REEs) (mostly neodymium), - an electrical vehicle contains REEs in the motor, up to some 30kg, in batteries (with 10-15 kg of lanthanum and 1 kg of neodymium), in glass and mirrors, in fuel and catalytic converters and in electronics. - smartphones include estimated quantities of 50 milligrams of neodymium and 10 milligrams praseodymium (in loudspeakers). Given the fact that minerals and metals mined in Canada use less carbon intensity than almost any other mining jurisdiction, Canada should be the leading supplier of these critical materials to meet our national needs, and then the global strategic demand. Announcements from auto manufacturers, including companies like Volkswagen, which recently chose Ontario as host to its first North American Electric Vehicle (EV) battery plant, will only come with increased frequency if investments are made into our critical minerals sector. Why do they choose Canada? For its potential supply of critical minerals and secure and responsible environment. So it is time for Canada to stop hesitating and start prioritizing a secure, sustainable and long-term supply of domestic battery grade materials, including expanded production of the raw inputs essential for their manufacturing. As time is of the essence, we cannot afford to wait another year for the government to prioritize the minerals and metals, particularly critical minerals, essential to the battery and EV supply chain. Let us hope the leading elite in Canada will finally act. What do you think?

Negotiate More Than Just Your Starting Salary

By Nick Kossovan If you do not ask, you do not get. While we all know money is not everything, most job seekers only negotiate salary when negotiating a job offer. Presuming the hiring manager says, "$85K is the best I can do," then your next words should be along the lines of: YOU: "Okay, I understand $85K is your best offer. I would be more comfortable if it were slightly higher, say $95K. With that in mind, could we discuss adding extra benefits and perks and revisiting the salary later, say in six months? HIRING MANAGER: "Sure, what did you have in mind?" Before I delve into "adding extra benefits and perks," I want to discuss salary-the reason we hold down jobs. Salary discussions should always take place at the end of the hiring process or, better yet, after receiving a written job offer. When "What compensation are you looking for?" is inevitably asked, I will say, "If you do not mind, I would rather leave the money discussion when you make me a job offer." (Note I do not say, "If you make me a job offer." Throughout the hiring process, I assume I will get the job.) Never start to negotiate salary in the midst of the hiring process. You are not negotiating before the employer has said: "We want to hire you," you are putting a price tag on yourself, which means that your interviewer is now going to ask themselves, "Is Bob worth the $75K he is asking?" When negotiating salary, think about these three "Ws": 1. Wish: A salary you open with and wish to receive. (e.g., $100K) 2. Want: Your actual salary target, which is lower than your wish. (e.g., $85K) 3. Walk: The salary you will not go below. (e.g., $75K) It would be great if all employers were upfront in the job postings regarding salary. However, for many reasons, many that are understandable, it is common for employers to refrain from posting salary information. If they do, it is a salary range. Therefore, during the hiring process, you will be asked what your salary expectation is. In the first five minutes of an initial conversation, which is usually the interview vetting stage, regarding an opportunity, I will ask, "So we do not waste each other's time, do you mind my asking what the salary for this position is?" Usually, I will be given a salary range and then asked what I am looking for. Unless the salary is in my "walk" range, I will answer, as I mentioned before, that the range works for me at this point and that I would rather discuss salary when I get a job offer. If you do not feel comfortable with the salary range, do not continue the interview. In addition to your "want" salary, seriously consider negotiating "extras" such as: - Bonus Ask what the position expectations are, then propose a bonus plan that says when-believe in absolute success, not "if"-you achieve XYZ, then you receive a bonus of X. Employers love it when they are able to give something in return for receiving something. On the other hand, they do not like negotiating for the sake of negotiating. The key to a successful bonus conversation is understanding what a win is for the company. - Your hours A flexible work schedule can be invaluable. Discuss how you are most productive when you work slightly different hours. (e.g., you are a morning person or an afternoon person). Maybe you have kids you want to take to school every morning or are looking after an elderly parent. - Paid time off Employers offer a set amount of starting paid vacation time, usually 2 weeks. If you are coming from a company with more weeks, say three, ask your potential employer to match that number. - Job title Depending on where you are in your career, now may be an ideal time to negotiate a title with your prospective employer. By negotiating a higher title, even if you are not getting paid more, your pay comparable will be higher at your next employer. This is because you have created the illusion of a higher-paying job. - Professional development Professional development and training should be a part of your career management activities, regardless of your profession or position, and should align with your long-term career goals. Negotiate a budget for career-enhancing activities such as classes and conferences. The above are just a few suggestions on what you can negotiate besides your starting salary. The list is endless, from money for grad school to childcare reimbursement to subsidizing your commuting costs. I once had a candidate ask if their industry magazine subscriptions, four in total, could be covered. Remember, if you do not ask, you do not get. Above all, only accept a job if you are completely satisfied with the compensation package. Do not be one of those employees who complain about their agreed-to salary. Lastly, always get everything you have negotiated in writing; otherwise, it does not exist. ___________________________________________________________________________ Nick Kossovan, a well-seasoned veteran of the corporate landscape, offers advice on searching for a job. You can send him your questions at artoffindingwork@gmail.com

WE ARE NOT LAZY WE ARE CANADIAN KUNTZ

By Joe Ingino Editor/Publisher ACCOMPLISHED WRITER/AUTHOR OF OVER 800,000 Published Columns in Canada and The United States “I live a dream in a nightmare world” Always Remember That The cosmic blueprint of your life was written in code across the sky at the moment you were born. Decode Your Life By Living It Without Regret or Sorrow. - ONE DAY AT A TIME - Have you heard the latest? According to our beloved Canadian government we in some magical place have more jobs than people. With this fallacy they are attempting to sell us the idea that we need to bring more foreigners to our beloved land. What they are not telling us that by doing so the Liberal party is buying future votes. It happened before and it is happening now. How dare the government come out and make such statements that there is a shortage in Canadian laborers. That is insulting. Then they go as far as making assumptions that we are lazy. That many rather live off the system then be employed. I find that utterly insulting. If the government is going to insult us. Let them at the least get it right. We are not lazy. We are proud lazy Kuntz. Now that is more aligned with reality. After all is it not the government that wants us to work the Costcos, Walmarts of the world... paying such great wages of minimum wage. Of course we don’t want to work those jobs. We want good paying jobs. We want jobs that at the end of the week we can afford groceries, rent and the odd beer. I can just telepathically sense the many of the anal readers fuming on how dare he call us Canadians Lazy Kuntz. Ok let me explain, the word Kuntz as per dictionary: Kuntz is a German surname. The name originated as a short form of Konrad meaning "bold adviser", or being "crafty" in German. In Yiddish the word is associated with a clever trick. Now that we got that out of the way. Are you not feeling foolish and lucky I did not call you a Canadian, cock or pussy? As by any grade 1 student would quickly recognize one a rooster and other a cat. Anyway. The point I am making here is simple. We as Canadians are privy to technology. Most of us educated in one way or another. We are very crafty at whatever we profess to be experts in. We are bold adviser on just about any topic. As some go as far as claiming status on opinion and obtain academic accreditation. With this said. We as Canadian Kuntz, have learned to enjoy curtain comforts. It is not that we shy away from hard work. Sacrificed and or hardships. The problem with modern Canada is that our beloved government is openly violating us Canadian Kuntz and forced to like it. They go as far as call us names and force us to accept or face replacement by some foreigner that can barely say “HELLO” in the English language. We Canadian Kuntz want good paying jobs. We want our government to assure us god paying jobs. We want to be able to afford homes and cars as we once use to. The question that lingers who are the bigger Kuntz here? We the people that allow to be constantly violated by a government that has truly proven to be master Kuntz. I feel for future generations as little Kuntz will be forced to become third world. Sadly we live in the land of OZ. We have no real choice when it comes to Canadian politics, all parties are infected with the gree virus and there is no antidote. No matter how hard we click our heels Dorothy. We will always be Canadian Kuntz. REMEMBER ALWAYS Hope for the Best. PREPARE FOR the worst.

Focus on the Value You Create for Employers, Not Your Skills

By Nick Kossovan "I don't believe in work, I only believe in creating value." - James Blacker. The value created by employees determines a company's survival and future. Therefore, when hiring, employers focus on the candidate's potential value to their company. Most people see work as nothing more than a means to an end-a way "to make a living." Therefore, when searching for a job, most people simply list their skills on their resume and LinkedIn profile and rattle them off when interviewing. Conversely, hiring managers are more interested in finding out how you can add value to their company with your skills and experience (READ: track record). Every time a candidate, during an interview, cites their list of "skills," which I have read on their resume or seen on their LinkedIn profile, I think, "How will these skills help me achieve my goals?" Hence hiring managers need to play detective by asking discovery questions such as, "Tell me a time when..." to identify how, for example, your claiming to possess "wizard-like" Excel skills will be of value to the company. Rather than waiting for your interviewer to ask you discovery questions, you can earn mega points when you are inevitably asked "Tell me about yourself" by: - Describing how you have used Excel to solve problems or improve processes. For instance, you might mention how you created a complex financial model, analyzed data to identify trends or patterns, or used advanced functions to streamline a process. - Explaining the potential cost savings and revenue generation resulting from your Excel skills. For example, improving financial reporting accuracy, reducing data entry errors, or accelerating decision-making through data visualization. - Discussing how your Excel skills can help the employer achieve their goals. For example, if the employer is looking to improve their supply chain management, you could discuss how you have used Excel to track inventory and forecast demand. Bottom line: Hiring managers are looking for candidates who show they understand the role and are hungry to deliver massive results. As I have stated in previous columns, employers hire candidates who they feel will achieve results and create value. You are not getting selected for interviews, or rejected after being interviewed, because... - Your resume has horizontal lines or red font. - Your resume lacked the right keywords. - Instead of five paragraphs, your cover letter had four. - Your interview attire was blue rather than grey. You are getting rejected because you are not persuasively explaining how your skills will add value to the company. There are three ways an employee creates value (Which value have you or do you currently, create?): 1. Revenue Growth: Without revenue, a business ceases to exist. Therefore, revenue-generating employees are highly valued by their employer. These employees are eliminating what every employer stresses over, keeping revenue, the lifeblood of every business, flowing. If you are a sales or marketing professional, you should be able to easily show, using numbers, which every employer understands, how you have contributed to your employer's bottom line. Tip for those looking to make a career change: Jobs are generally more secure in professions that generate revenue. 2. Cost Reduction: Cost control is crucial to a business's survival and profitability. Therefore, employers are constantly looking for ways to keep their expenses as low as possible. Consider your past and present roles. Did you save money? Did you improve delivery efficiency resulting in increasing customer retention? As a manager, do you have a track record of employee retention, thus not necessitating your employer having to go through the expense of hiring replacements? There are opportunities to control costs in virtually every position. 3. Freedom: Employees who give their employer the freedom to focus on the big picture are highly valued. Do you deliver consistently, within expectations, so your boss can focus on more than just managing your work and results? I have never encountered a manager who does not want to give their employees autonomy. However, many managers believe their employees have yet to show they can work autonomously and consistently deliver results. Call it what you will, power-hungry, micromanaging, your boss is responsible to their boss for your results, and therefore they must feel comfortable allowing you to work autonomously. In contrast to proving you can generate revenue or reduce costs through numbers, proving you can work autonomously can be challenging. I advise having at least 2 STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) stories ready to showcase your ability to work autonomously. When job searching, remember your skills are the tools you use to provide value to an employer and that employers are looking to hire the candidate they believe will provide the most value for their salary. Look at it this way: If someone asked you to list all your skills, they would be impressed. But if they were to ask you how those skills have created value for your employers, they would be even more impressed. It is not just the possession of skills that employers want. Employers want employees who can produce tangible value for them through their skills. ___________________________________________________________________________ Nick Kossovan, a well-seasoned veteran of the corporate landscape, offers advice on searching for a job. You can send him your questions at artoffindingwork@gmail.com

The Chinese Are Not Our Enemy - We Are

By Joe Ingino Editor/Publisher ACCOMPLISHED WRITER/AUTHOR OF OVER 800,000 Published Columns in Canada and The United States “I live a dream in a nightmare world” Always Remember That The cosmic blueprint of your life was written in code across the sky at the moment you were born. Decode Your Life By Living It Without Regret or Sorrow. - ONE DAY AT A TIME - What is wrong with modern society. We want to appear as we are so advanced. Yet, by our own design we are becoming a civilization of ignoramus. One would think that with the overwhelming amount of information circulation online that we all be geniuses by now. In reality this proves a the theory that we all profess to know everything and in fact know nothing. That we the masses are nothing but sheep to a habitual go around that is controlled by misinformation, too much information and or information overload. The media plays us like a social fiddle. Just this week it hit the news.... The headline read, “Was there foreign interference in the 2021 election? What a new report says”. Followed by, “Overall, the system in place to alert Canadians of foreign interference threats to the 2021 election worked well but there are areas for improvements.” In other words they know something is up, but the power in the clouds can’t prove a thing. It appears that we go from one war right in to another. Covid kept us in fear for almost 3 years. Then came the Russians. Now the Chinese. I am sure that the Chinese are laughing about us. Saying things like, “Ha, they worry about balloons. Those are just distractions.” Think about it for a moment. Without knowing it we have slowly been invaded for the past 40 years. From our industry, to our commerce not to mention our manufacturing to our financial economies. China, owns a large part of Canada. Both in hard assets and finance. Then why worry about balloons, electronic tampering when they are basically already running the show. To boot we have a Federal government that admires the communist regime. Why should the Chinese waste a bullet. They have won the war without a single fight. Now deaths are a different thing as their negligence in the release of the COVID virus took out people all across the world. If it had been an oil spill would we the world not wanted retribution, some sort of compensation. Why should we not demand retribution for the COVID spread? Well, the Chinese are obviously smarter than we are and know how to push our social buttons. How are we Canadians with more social hang ups then the Chinese have grains of rice compete with a regime that is calculative, organized and focused on winning at all cost. We the Canadian people that would gave up our lives during world wars to protect the integrity of Canada are already dead. They hit us with vaccines that till today are truly unproven and unknown. They hit us with the control of our internet and our media. They control our financial institutions and buy lands at large. We the people are our own worst enemy. We have to awaken to the reality that China is our master and there is nothing we can do. Or can we. I would say. We need to devaluate their currency. Stop depending on their goods. And make Canada first and once in for all bring back what worked in Canada. What am I saying. This is Canada. REMEMBER ALWAYS Hope for the Best. PREPARE FOR the worst.

Canada and nuclear energy

by Maj (ret'd) CORNELIU. CHISU, CD, PMSC, FEC, CET, P. Eng. Former Member of Parliament Pickering-Scarborough East I have spoken on the importance of nuclear energy several times in past articles, in the House of Commons and at some public events. During the time I was an MP in the House of Commons in Canada, I raised the importance of Canadian Nuclear energy on several occasions. I tried to impress upon my colleagues, the need to continue developing it, and the tremendous advantages of recycling spent nuclear fuel. The latter is a hidden resource of inestimable value. Unfortunately, this advocacy lead to me being sidelined, ignored and looked upon as a kind of strange entity. I excuse my colleagues because they were not technical people, and the civil servants and staff advising them were frequently incompetent. However, I cannot forget the ignorance displayed, and the serious mishandling of the future of nuclear energy in Canada. Now, more than a decade later, the powers-that-be, are awakening to the possibilities of nuclear energy. Will wonders never cease!? Ontario is exploring the possibility of building new, large-scale nuclear plants in order to meet increasing demand for electricity and phase out natural gas generation. A report late last year by the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) found that the province could fully eliminate natural gas from the electricity system by 2050, starting with a moratorium in 2027, but it will require about $400 billion in capital spending and more generation of nuclear energy, including new, large-scale nuclear plants.Decarbonizing the grid, in addition to new nuclear, will require more conservation efforts, more renewable energy sources and more energy storage, the report concluded. The IESO said work should start now to assess the reliability of new and relatively untested technologies and fuels intended to replace natural gas. To accomplish such a radical change in how power is generated, we will need to set up large, new generation sources such as nuclear plants and hydroelectric facilities. The province has not committed to a natural gas moratorium or phase-out, or to building new nuclear facilities other than its small modular reactor plans, but it is now consulting on the prospect. A document recently posted to the government's environmental registry asks for input on how best to engage the public and Indigenous communities on the planning and location of new generation and storage facilities. Building new nuclear plants is "one pathway" toward a fully electrified system, Ontario Energy Minister Todd Smith said in an interview. "It's a possibility, for sure, and that's why we're looking for the feedback from Ontarians," he said. "We're considering all of the next steps." Not surprisingly, interest groups such as the Environmental Defence oppose new nuclear builds, as well as the continued reliance on natural gas. "The IESO's report is peddling the continued use of natural gas under the guise of a decarbonization plan, and it takes as a given the ramping up of gas generation ... and continues to rely on gas generated electricity until 2050, which is embarrassingly late," said Lana Goldberg, Environmental Defence's Ontario climate program manager. "Building new nuclear is absurd when we have safe and much cheaper alternatives such as wind and solar power." Does Ms Goldberg live in Canada or some tropical paradise where there is constant sunshine and the trade winds operate like clockwork? Is she so naïve as to dismiss the reality of the harsh and cloudy climate we enjoy here, that make solar and wind energy so inefficient and unreliable in Canada? The IESO has said the flexibility natural gas provides is needed to keep the system stable while new and relatively untested technologies are explored and new infrastructure gets built, but also as an electricity supply crunch looms. Ontario is facing a shortfall of electricity with the nuclear plant in Pickering set to be retired, others being refurbished, and increasing demands put upon the system by such innovations as electric vehicles, new electric vehicle and battery manufacturing, electric arc furnaces for steelmaking, and growth in the greenhouse and mining industries. Therefore, the need to have more nuclear plants is becoming a reality. I just wonder how long it will take for this realization to sink in and for effective action to be taken in Canada, and especially in Ontario. Other countries in the G7 and European Union are already thinking of building more nuclear plants. In France for example: President Macron recently said, "What our country needs, and the conditions are there, is the rebirth of France's nuclear industry." Promising to accelerate the development of solar and offshore wind power, Macron also said he wanted to extend the lifespan of older nuclear plants. In the world's most nuclear-intensive country, he proposes to extend the life of certain reactors to more than 50 years (currently rated for more than 40 years), provided it was safe. Is this something Canada and Ontario can learn from? President Macron's thinking has been reshaped by the European Union's ambitious goals for carbon neutrality within three decades. This goal puts renewed focus on energy forms that emit fewer, or zero, greenhouse gases than fossil fuels. Nuclear is one of these forms. So, whether for better or worse, Europe is moving to considering nuclear energy more and more. Is Canada up to the task? I hope that this will be a wake up call for Canada. Once at the forefront of development in nuclear energy reactors and power plants, Canada is presently lagging far behind on the international scene. Maybe the recent turmoil in the world will be a warning call for Canadian politicians to come out of hibernation and start looking out for the interests of Canadians first. We are a rich country and must make it a priority to use our resources wisely for the benefit of future generations. What do you think?

Vicious Cycle

My mother and I are in yet another silent period. Again, it is her choice. She is 70 and I am 48. Mother and I were reminiscing, and the conversation to that point was pleasant. When I was a child, we had a caretaker with a distinctive cry for my brothers. I mimicked her cry, and mom and I both laughed. Suddenly, the tide turned as if I stabbed my mom with a knife. It all has to do with mom’s mother. She died when mom was nine, and after this my mom’s life was tough, going from home to home, never fitting in. Her father did not handle the death well. Mom felt he blamed her for the death of his wife. When I was born, mom named me after her mother. My relationship with mom was not much better. I was a behavior problem, tall and overweight. At nine I was sent to live with my father, and at 11, sent to boarding school. The birth name mom gave me was a name other students made fun of. I wanted to die. One wonderful friend suggested, if it was so bad, why not get rid of the name? So, with much protesting from my family, I created a new identity for myself with a nickname. I cannot tell you what it was like not to be teased anymore! As a graduation present, my father allowed me to go to court and make it my legal name. Thankfully, 12 years ago I found a great therapist who helped me look to the future, but my mom never has warmed up to me. I am a fly she would like to swat and can’t. Add to this all my brothers’ wives are thin college graduates, and you get the picture. When I said my birth name in the voice of my old caretaker, it brought all this back to my mom. She said, “When you changed your name, it was like you killed all of what I had of my mother, and I had to lose her a second time.” The name change happened 30 years ago. Part of me wants to tell mom off. Part of me wants to comfort her. I am sick of trying to bend myself into something she can deal with, yet I fear doing more damage to our relationship. Sylvia Sylvia, you do see the pattern, don’t you? At nine, your mom loses her mother. Then she names you after her dead mother. When your mom sent you away at nine, she accomplished two things. She deliberately punished you in the way she had been punished by life, and she got revenge on her own mother for dying, the event she felt estranged her from her father. Some people say the family is the best of institutions, and they are right. But the family can also be the worst of institutions. It can be the home for incest, beatings, insult, and ridicule. As John Douglas, the famous profiler of violent criminals, said, “In all my years of research and dealing with violent offenders, I’ve never yet come across one who came from what I would consider a good background and functional, supportive family unit.” The biological link we value with our parents only goes so far. It can be destroyed by the lack of the important elements of caring, love, and protection. You are an adult now. Weigh in your mind what position in life your mother holds. As you make strides to move forward emotionally, you must decide how much distance to place between you and your parent. Your mother may call you selfish, but trying to make you replace a dead relative, and holding a hurt from over half a century ago, is selfishness raised to the level of cruelty. Wayne & Tamara write: Directanswers@WayneAndTamara.com Wayne & Tamara are also the authors of Cheating in a Nutshell, What Infidelity Does to the Victim, available from Amazon, Apple and most booksellers.

Vitamin D: The Sunshine Vitamin

W. Gifford-Jones, M.D. and Diana Gifford-Jones Vitamin D is often referred to as the "sunshine vitamin". This is because it is synthesized in our skin in response to sunlight. The beauty of Vitamin D is that it's free – a great model for “all things in moderation” too. There are two main forms of vitamin D: vitamin D2 and vitamin D3. Vitamin D3 is the form that is synthesized in the skin, while vitamin D2 is found in some plant-based foods and supplements. Vitamin D plays a crucial role in maintaining bone health by promoting the absorption of calcium and phosphorus from the diet. It also helps to regulate the immune system and may reduce the risk of certain types of cancer, such as colon, breast, and prostate cancer. Despite the importance of vitamin D, many people are deficient in this essential nutrient. In fact, studies suggest that up to 50% of the global population may have insufficient or deficient levels of vitamin D! Symptoms of deficiency can vary, including fatigue, depression, cognitive decline and dementia. Bone density loss increases the risk of fractures and falls in older people. Low levels of vitamin D have been associated with increased risk of heart disease and diabetes. Why does a deficiency develop? It can be difficult to get enough vitamin D from sunlight, especially during the winter months. Additionally, vitamin D is found in relatively few foods, so it can be challenging to get enough vitamin D from the diet. Scientific studies have found income, gender and ethnicity differences in vitamin D status globally. One study looked at the vitamin D status of over 1,000 healthy Japanese adults and found that 40% of women and 26% of men had vitamin D deficiency and that individuals of non-Japanese ethnicity were more likely to have vitamin D deficiency than those of Japanese ethnicity. A study in the US found that people with higher incomes were more likely to be using supplements, and therefore less likely to suffer deficiencies. Consumer choices and food prices may also be important. Studies have found that consumption of fortified milk and mild products, or example, has a major effect on likelihood of deficiency. If you need to know your vitamin D level, a blood test will determine it. But as the philosopher Voltaire once said, "the best is the enemy of the good." Getting regular intake of Vitamin D should be the goal, not trying to measure daily levels. Make it a habit to get some vitamin D everyday. The most effective way is to get sunlight directly on your skin. Spending 10-15 minutes outside in the sun each day with your arms and legs exposed will help your vitamin D levels, plus sunshine is a “feel good” prescription in general. Be sure to protect your skin with sunscreen if enjoying longer exposure. But getting outside without layers of clothes can be difficult during the winter months, especially in northern latitudes. So don’t forget you also get vitamin D from certain foods include fatty fish (such as salmon, tuna, and mackerel), egg yolks, and fortified foods (such as milk, orange juice, and cereal). If you're not one for being in the sun and concerned the Vitamin D is your diet is insufficient, a daily supplement can help. The recommended daily intake of vitamin D varies depending on age, sex, and other factors, but in general, adults need between 600 and 800 international units (IU) per day. The upper limit for vitamin D intake is 4,000 IU per day for adults, and it's important not to exceed this amount unless under medical supervision. Sign-up at www.docgiff.com to receive our weekly e-newsletter. For comments, contact-us@docgiff.com. Follow us Instagram @docgiff and @diana_gifford_jones

The Next Elections will likely occur under a new Election Boundary Map

by Maj (ret'd) CORNELIU. CHISU, CD, PMSC, FEC, CET, P. Eng. Former Member of Parliament Pickering-Scarborough East It is well known that every 10 years the federal election map of Canada is updated to reflect growth and shift in the population. The number of seats in the House of Commons is also modified accordingly. As the country moves from 338 electoral districts to 343, new seats are created. Overall, of the existing 338 ridings, 271 will see their boundaries changed. Three of the next electoral map's five new seats are going to be in Alberta. British Columbia is getting one more seat; a seat carved out of southern B.C.'s interior. Ontario gets one more seat but Toronto itself loses a seat, dropping from 25 to 24. It is worth noting that the system of independent provincial commissions re-drawing riding maps has been in place in Canada since 1964. After each decennial census, Elections Canada makes a recommendation on the adjustment of the number of seats to be added to the House of Commons, a recommendation which must be approved by the House of Commons. After that, though, it is up to three-person commissions in each province to re-draw existing maps to account for those new seats or redistribute existing seats based on population shifts. The head of each provincial commission is a judge appointed by the chief justice of each provincial court. The other two members of each provincial commission are appointed by the Speaker of the House of Commons and tend to be academics or retired civil servants. So far, at least, the Canadian system of re-drawing electoral districts has avoided the gerrymandering controversies of the United States where state legislatures get to re-draw electoral maps and often do so to obtain a partisan advantage for the party in control of that legislature. The "final reports" of each provincial commission are put forward after public consultations and after an initial report is tabled with a first draft of new riding boundaries. At this stage, the discussion on the boundary changes in many ridings continues in the various provinces and territories, carried on by the respective election commissions with input from the public, parliamentarians and other communities of interest. 'Communities of interest' refers to concerns that are relevant to the people of the particular region. It could be urban versus rural, it could be linguistic minorities, or even racialized minorities. The commissions are supposed to take those factors into account in trying to keep communities together, or at least avoiding the division of their voting power in a way that's harmful to those groups." Trying to keep communities of interest together when re-drawing riding boundaries is a concept that may appear sound, but can be quite tricky to implement. The commissions have to consider all factors and to make many tough choices. It is clear that we will see some changes in the future and the political parties are fully engaged in examining and defending their future election chances. It is a fact that realignment of the electoral boundaries creates new issues for both sitting MPs and future candidates. A new reality is being established. The commissions are expected to make their final decisions in April. By law, the new boundaries would then be in effect for any general election that occurs seven months after the finalization of boundaries. As things slowly develop across the country, it is interesting to see how the Province of Ontario deals with electoral boundary realignment. Not only because we live in Ontario, but because the sheer number of MPs elected in this province, represent a sizable portion of the House of Commons. The Ontario commission had a tendency to make changes in the electoral boundaries based on many factors, but essentially taking into consideration an argument based on urban-rural splits and communities of interest. Proposed changes in the Durham region are especially interesting, and the riding of Pickering Uxbridge, where I was a candidate in the past, stands out in particular. The Ontario commission took the Toronto-area riding of Pickering-Uxbridge and divided it up along urban-rural lines. The southern half of Pickering-Uxbridge, currently held by Liberal Jennifer O'Connell, becomes the riding of Pickering-Brooklin, picking up some polls from the northern part of the riding of Whitby. While those northern Whitby polls tended to vote Conservative, Pickering-Brooklin, because it is now more urban, should be more favourable to O'Connell's chances of re-election. The rest of the former riding of Pickering-Uxbridge, the northern, rural half, moves to a new riding to be called York-Durham that contains a much higher proportion of rural areas than urban or suburban areas and, as a result, would likely lean Conservative based on previous voting patterns. In conclusion, I ask you to follow these changes in the electoral boundaries, especially here in the Durham region. As the situation stands today, the next election will operate based on these new electoral boundaries. Be aware and be informed!

Canadian parliament returns to work

by Maj (ret'd) CORNELIU. CHISU, CD, PMSC, FEC, CET, P. Eng. Former Member of Parliament Pickering-Scarborough East The Canadian Parliament is back after a six-week break. As usual the Liberal government of the day will be facing aggressive questions from the opposition bench about various issues such as a number of ethical missteps and the sorry state of Canada's health-care system; two issues that are poised to dominate this spring sitting. Even if there's no election this year, the parties are busy positioning themselves for one as they try to have the best shot in the upcoming electoral process. This year should still be a consequential preparatory year and it will start with the legislation that was still in progress when MPs and senators broke for the winter holidays. There are some old issues with controversial legislation proposals, which will take life again. You may remember that before the break, the government's newest firearms legislation (C-21) was stuck at the public safety committee as critics accused it of overreach. In the face of that criticism, Liberals said they were willing to consider feedback; it remains to be seen what kind of changes will be necessary to move the bill forward. Also, Bill C-11, the government's contested attempt to bring major Internet platforms under Canadian broadcast regulations, was still in the Senate in December. The upper chamber seems poised to send it back to the House with amendments - the Senate committee that studied the bill recommended a dozen changes. There are other legislations in the works, at various stages in Parliament; legislations that might be interesting to see how it develops. For example, Bill C-35 sets out how and under what conditions the federal government would fund childcare and early learning programs at the provincial level. In effect, it would put into law what the Liberal government started when it negotiated a series of bilateral childcare funding agreements with each province. If C-35 passes Parliament, it will make it much harder for some future government to abandon the program. It is also , focexpected that the Liberal government will propose new legislation in view of continuing its agenda on the energy file; on reducing the dependency of the economy on fossil fuels. In the next several weeks Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson is expected to table: the government's "just transition" (or "sustainable jobs") legislation. We will have to see how this is dealt with, in view of the deep controversies surrounding this subject. The official opposition party, the Conservatives, lead at this time by a fiery focused and shrewd leader, will certainly do an excellent job of keeping the Liberal government responsible to the Canadian public. With each of the bills, the Liberals will be putting pressure on Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre to either support the government's agenda or explain what he would do differently. The Conservatives will also have their own moves to make, particularly in various House committees. The government operations committee was already investigating the creation of the Government's ArriveCan app and it will begin hearings soon, on the federal government's excessive use of private contractors and consultants like McKinsey. The issue of the contracts for the consulting firm McKinsey seems to raise some political storm. The Liberal government seems to have funnelled a huge number of pricy contracts to McKinsey, a consulting firm that has received tens of millions of dollars in government contracts over the past seven years. The U.S.-based McKinsey, with some financial controversies, was once run by Dominic Barton, the man tapped by Trudeau to be Canada's ambassador to China. McKinsey has provided advice to the federal bureaucracy also on immigration issues, among other matters. Poilievre has said that it's not clear that the government got good value for its money. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is grappling with a backlog of some 2.2 million cases as it works to review applications. While many Canadians are struggling with a shaky economy and sky-high inflation, Poilievre said "the people Trudeau surrounds himself with - like the high-priced consultants at McKinsey - are doing better than ever." Then there are several conflict of interest issues surrounding ministers such as Housing Minister Ahmed Hussen and Trade Minister Mary Ng, that Conservative members of the ethics committee will certainly pursue. An interesting report by Justice Paul Rouleau, to be tabled soon, is also worth mentioning, as it is bound to raise some political dust. He has until February 6 to present cabinet with a final report from the public commission probing the government's use of the Emergencies Act to end the convoy protests that snarled downtown Ottawa and multiple border crossings a year ago. (Cabinet will then have until February 20 to release that report.) In conclusion, with the international situation worsening, the World Economic Foundation (WEF) doing its utmost to make the world into their globalist haven, and the world economy in a downward spiral, I am certain that the spring session of the Parliament will be an interesting one. Follow it and Enjoy!

Turbocharge Your LinkedIn Profile to Generate Job Opportunities

By Nick Kossovan "The power of visibility can never be underestimated." - Margaret Cho (American comedian) Welcome to 2023! I hope this is the year you find an employer where you feel accepted and at home. A job seeker's best compass is to prioritize finding where they belong. Think: "I'm not looking for a job; I'm looking for my tribe!" Imagine how much more efficient (NOTE: I didn't say "easier") your job search would be if employers were contacting you about their open positions-asking if you'd like to join their tribe. (Throughout the hiring process, you can determine whether you'll fit in well with the employer and feel welcomed.) Your LinkedIn profile plays a crucial role in achieving this aforementioned efficiency. It's common knowledge that a well-thought-out, complete LinkedIn profile attracts attention. Truism: Visibility is essential to success. Ask yourself: "Am I missing out on opportunities because I'm not visible enough?" Odds are the answer is "Yes." Here's how to turbocharge your LinkedIn profile to generate job leads. 1. Upgrade your profile picture. Fair or unfair, your profile picture forms the first impressions of you. Hence, make it a good one! - Upload your profile picture to Photofeeler.com. - Analyze the feedback. -Based on the data, reshoot/edit your picture. Not having a LinkedIn profile photo is "damaging" and will likely prolong your job search and hinder your employment prospects. Lack of a LinkedIn profile photo can result in the following adverse effects: - It'll seem you lack a basic understanding of how LinkedIn works. There's even a possibility some viewers will presume you're incapable of uploading a photo. - Fake LinkedIn profiles abound. Most people will assume, rightfully so, a profile without a photo is fake. - Your profile is incomplete without a photo. In search results, complete profiles appear higher. According to LinkedIn Help: "Members with profile photos can receive up to 21 times more profile views than those without profile photos." - When a LinkedIn profile doesn't have a profile picture, it suggests that the person isn't committed to professional networking. If you're going to a networking event, you can't hide your face, so why are you hiding it on LinkedIn? 2. Take advantage of keywords. Recruiters and employers use keywords to find candidates. By using the right keywords, you'll appear in more searches. You can find keywords that'll help you appear in searches by following these steps: - Find 10+ job descriptions for target roles. - Paste them into Cultivated Culture's job description scanner. - Save the top 15 skills. (These are your keywords.) - Integrate these skills (keywords) throughout your profile. 3. Create a compelling headline. Your LinkedIn headline is a public one-sentence resume that tells the viewer who you are, what you do, and what you bring to the table. Using the following formula, you can write a compelling headline: [Keywords] | [Skills] | [Results-Focused Value Proposition] For example, a medical device salesperson's LinkedIn headline might look like this: Medical Device Salesperson | B2B, Cold Calling, Capital Equipment | I cultivate high-value prospective clients, thus having increased my territory's sales by 28% 4. Write an 'About' section that makes the reader say, "I must meet this person!" A great 'About' section has three parts: 1. A short paragraph that speaks to your job, years of experience, and value proposition. (Include your keywords!) 2. Five bullets that showcase specific (READ: qualified, measurable) achievements. 3. Your email address so the reader can contact you. 5. Leverage your 'Featured' section. It's hard to convey your value on a resume or LinkedIn profile, thus why LinkedIn provides a 'Featured' section where you can upload your work and demonstrate your expertise. Showing your work to employers is the best way to convey your worth. Hence in your 'Featured' section, share examples of your work, upload certificates, awards, links to your content etc. Speaking of content, create it! Content (e.g., articles, eBooks, videos, polls, charts and infographics, memes, podcasts) is networking en masse. It's possible to reach more people through one post than through your entire network of connections. Posting content, instead of simply uploading it to your 'Featured' section, illustrates what you can offer employers and your communication style and personality. Yes, it's uncomfortable and frightening to put yourself out there, which is why only 2 to 5% of people do it. However, when done strategically, the return on creating and posting is substantial. 6. Skills have an impact. LinkedIn uses a profile's 'Skills' section to rank profiles. Boost your ranking by: - Add every keyword from your Cultivated Culture scan. - Pick the five most relevant skills. - Ask colleagues, friends, family, & classmates for endorsements regarding your five most relevant skills. 7. Support and engage. The more comments you leave, the more views you get! Try this: - Find ten thought leaders in your area of focus. - Bookmark their post feed. - Every day, check their feeds. - Leave a supportive, insightful comment on new posts. If you need an additional reason why you should give your LinkedIn profile lots of love, besides turbocharging it to attract job opportunities, keep in mind that employers will review your LinkedIn profile to determine whether you're interview-worthy. _______________________________________________________ Nick Kossovan, a well-seasoned veteran of the corporate landscape, offers advice on searching for a job. You can send him your questions at artoffindingwork@gmail.com