Let’s Abolish the NDP,Liberals and Conservatives

Let’s Abolish the NDP,Liberals and Conservatives By Joe Ingino Edit

or/Publisher ACCOMPLISHED WRITER/AUTHOR OF OVER 800,000 Published Columns in Canada and The United States “I live a dream in a nightmare world” The other in conversation the topic of Canadian politics came up. Those to the left defended their position and those to the right theirs. Understandable. If we have not learned from our neighbors to the south. Democracy is dead. It has proven to be easily manipulated. It can be swayed and left for scrutiny on many fronts. Democracy as it was intended has lost it’s purpose and meaning in modern society. The voice in the wind appears to be directing us to a global governance mentality. Something that has merit but do to the human nature element of greed it will never work as it was intended. Many philosophers, social scientist have warned us of modern times becoming challenging when it came to dealing with the never ending population numbers. The general concept either from the left right or middle is control of the masses. During ancient times, Gods of different believes ruled the land through fear. Today with the failure of the church and many religions of the world have forced governments to dismiss religious doctrines and venture on just political ideology. The common mind is left to fend for itself. From spiritual belongnes to political affiliation. Many that have strong political believes towards one end or the other or even those that sit idled in the middle share the same frustration. Look at the disgust in Canada. The Liberals running on nothing more than Trudeau nostalgia are seeing the end of the tunnel. They are desperately attempting to regain public approval. The Liberal party has gone as far as to form and alliance with the NDP. How low can you go? The NDP led by an openly defiant leader of Canadian traditions, values and principles. Where are we going with this? Don’t think. “OH JOE”. The conservatives are no better. You are right. The conservatives are an embarrassment to politics. They are the face of greed. From O’Toole to all the ones are now attempting to jockey for the leadership. WE THE PEOPLE are becoming nothing but numbers. We have become slaves of our design. We live our lives in anticipated bubble governed by daily routine. With this said, then what is the answer to future political hope. Are we to surrender and be governend as we stand by careered politicians on either side of the spectrum. Making empty promises only to get in office and shut us down. Has our society in the past 50 years become better or worst place to live? Democracy works only in small isolated communities where survival is dependent on making the right choices for the betterment of the whole. Today’s democracy in part worst that way but looses it’s real purpose and essence due to the indifference in our national unity. This is why we have each province representing their interests in Ottawa. I believe that the democratic principle of having a say should be preserved as the root of any new political ‘ism’. I believe that having this fundamental root to work from. One can began to build a new political ‘ism’ that will unite the left and the right and bring forth all to a neutral position of satisfaction based on the fullfillment of that of which modern democracy fallaciously believes it is achieving. In principle we all want the same. We all want to feel safe. We all want to have the ability and access to opportunity. We all want to have jobs, raise a family and live our life in peace. For this reason. I support this new to be registered federal party. Canada for Canadians. Canada for Canadians is the new ‘ism’. This party will take the best from the right and from the left. For example. We as nation must protect our health care for everyone. Forget the American model. We must have post secondary education for everyone. We must graduate more medical and specialized people. We must cut back on foreign aid. We must get tough on immigration and refugee relations. We must become more focus on energy development. We must work on using foreign aid funds to create manufacturing, commerce and industry in Canada. We must make sure that veterans, seniors and those homeless are not treated like social token but assisted and treated with dignity and resources. These are just a few of the many benefits of CANADA FOR CANADIANS. Find out more. Just ask me. 905-432-2657

The Media Should Stay Out Of War

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” As a member of the media I strongly believe that the role of the media is to report on the facts and not to influence outcomes by swaying public opinion to a political agenda. I remember a time in history when the media out of respect for the dead and those suffering would limit what they would report when it came to human suffering. Today’s media seems to go out of their way to wait for something horrific to happen to someone so that they may splash their photos all over. This is not right. War is not a place anyone wants to be in. As media it is our duty to keep people informed of what is happening... Not to mind control our audiences through pictures and words. Sure people are going to die in a war. Sure, there are going to be crimes committed. Sure there is going to be bombings, refugees and chaos. It is a given. I feel for the people of the Ukraine. As I feel for those left behind in Afghanistan. What has come of them. You never hear about living conditions there. It appears that our attention has gone from COVID - Afghanistan to the Ukraine and the threat of a world war. Why is it that we are always combating something or someone? How can global peace be achieved when in our eyes, minds and heart all we hear is chaos. I feel that the war in the Ukraine is not (the west) war. I further think that by the west sending billions to fight Russia only makes it worst. Suckering us into a conflict that could end up in a world war. Don’t think for a moment that the Chinese will not become involved and take the side of the Russians. I truly hope that I am wrong. As it stands the U.S. is seen as weak and without might. The perfect time to finally achieve world dominance by communist regime. Even within our own democratic borders we have swayed more to the left then ever before. The media is not doing any service by taking sides. Report the facts. Report the real news not opinioned parts of it in order to justify and entice further action towards extinction. Think about it.

When Interviewing via Videoconference, Think Hollywood

By Nick Kossovan Even after the pandemic is declared over, interviewing candidates via Zoom, Skype, Slack, Microsoft Teams, Google Hangouts et al. will, because of its convenience, remain popular. You should expect your first interview to take place via video teleconferencing. Therefore, mastering, or at least becoming comfortable with, "Zoom meetings" and appearing interesting and professional on camera is a skill set you'd greatly benefit from. After all, image, whether face-to-face or via videotelephony, is everything. If you want to improve your videotelephony skills, avoid making the following mistakes, which I'm sure you've seen being made on video conference calls you've sat in on. Mistake #1: Not making eye contact with your interviewer(s). Look directly at the lens of your camera, not your screen. Eye contact influences your interviewer's perception of your credibility and trustworthiness. Additionally, your interviewer will be more likely to pay attention to you if you appear expressive and are looking at them. Mistake #2: Winging it or reading from notes. Before appearing in front of the camera, actors practice their lines several times-so should you. Prepare, and rehearse, answers to common interview questions (e.g., "Tell me about yourself.", "What is your greatest strength?", "Why do you want this job?") in advance. Mistake #3: Inviting your interviewer to read the titles on your bookshelf. For some reason most candidates I interview via video teleconference choose to sit in front of their bookshelves. Maybe they think it makes them look scholarly, or projects they're into self-improvement. Since I'm a voracious reader, I find myself tilting my head sideways attempting to read the titles of the books behind the candidate. During one interview, I noticed a book by Truman Capote, Other Voices, Other Rooms, which is a favourite of mine. I ended up asking the candidate about their reading habits. For 15 minutes, we talked about our mutual love for American Southern gothic literature, thus eating up interview time. (Yes, I hired the candidate, but not because of their reading diet.) Your goal is to keep your interviewer(s) engaged and focused. Therefore, avoid having a distracting background. Instead, select a location that doesn't have many details and is still. (e.g., avoid a window overlooking a busy city street). Better yet, use the video conferencing platform's virtual background feature that allows you to substitute a photo as your background. Mistake #4: Too much lighting, not enough lighting. "I think too many film students in America are losing the artistry and not learning lighting in the right way." - Vimos Zsigmond (1930 - 2016, Hungarian-American cinematographer) A significant factor in creating a professional look during a video chat is lighting. Lighting compliments video imagery by helping to deliver a crystal-clear image, making your interviewer feel like they're in the same room with you. Cameras need the right lighting to deliver a good image. Your video camera will render a poor-quality image of there's not enough light, too much light, or light that's pointed in the wrong direction. Straight-on lighting is best. The key is for your primary light source to be directly behind your camera, throwing light on your face. This ensures your face is well illuminated and clearly visible. For the best result use natural light coming in through a window, which will create accurate skin tones and colours. Before your next videotelephony interview, schedule a video conference with a friend and use the self-view feature to experiment with lighting and virtual backgrounds. Place yourself in front of a window, lamp, or both and have your friend give you feedback on how you appear. A few last-minute tips: - Make certain you're not going to be disturbed during your videotelephony interview and that your environment will be quiet. ("Quiet on the set!") The last thing you want is your spouse calling out, "What do you want for dinner!" - Call into the conference at least 10 minutes early. You want to be sure your technology is working (audio, visual), and you don't want to keep your interviewer waiting. (The equivalent of being late.) -Turn off your smartphone and close all tabs on your computer. (You don't want the pinging of emails coming in or chat messages.) - Just like a face-to-face interview, dress for the job you're interviewing for. Guys, between you and me, it's okay to use some makeup-Christian Bale, Samuel L. Jackson, Brad Pitt, Tim Hiddleston sit in a makeup chair before walking onto a film set. - When you're not talking, mute yourself. - Record the interview! (review afterwards) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 CLEVER SMOKE AND MIRRORS OF SNAP - SNAPD Neighbur. REALLY!!!

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” I have seen this magic trick a million times in business. Something is not working or failing, change it. Try again. In my 27 years in the publishing business I have seen magazines and newspapers come and go. One attempt after the other failing. From the debunked Oshawa Times to the many attempts by the folks at the debunked OSHAWA EXPRESS, former Oshawa news, Courtice news. The reason? It takes conviction, determination and integrity to understand the fundamental principles of success in the industry. You can’t be a flag in the wind and cater to some and not to other. The newspaper business is not about being a social butterfly and or everyone’s best friend. The newspaper business is about bringing solid balanced news with integrity and vigor. Newspaper success do not follow paths but instead create them. Most of these so called fly by night publishers have no understanding of what it takes to succeed in the printing and publishing business. Take for example the SNAP magazine. Publishing in newsprint quality as to attempt to pass off as a newspaper instead of a magazine. (Smoke and mirror attempt), even tho they published that they were not a newspaper but in fact a magazine. Originally selling franchise type of arrangement to socialites in over 25 municipalities. To folk that had little or not experience in the publishing industry but happen to be the local unicorn chasers in that particular community. Then the SNAP - SNAPD. Why the sudden change. Here in the local Oshawa market it has been the hottest potato for a while for the SNAP. Why did they SNAPD? They rebranded (ONCE) How do you explain rebranding? Definition: Rebranding is the process of changing the corporate image of an organization. It is a market strategy of giving a new name, symbol, or change in design for an already-established brand having difficulties penetrating a market. The idea behind rebranding is to create a different identity for a brand, from its competitors, in the market. Well SNAP/SNAPD really had no competitors as they do not meet the requirements to be classified or recognized as an official newspaper. SNAPD would go to places like Oshawa City Council for example and acquire tax payers dollars in the form of municipal advertising to pay for their minimal printing. City elect having no experience in the publishing industry would fall for the picture book type of presentation of events in the community and pay to advertise city notices. Knowing that these type of publication do not meet the requirements. Just recently SNAPD once again rebranded to the NEIGHBUR. Same number being printed... same content. So what has changed? Why are the local elect in Oshawa falling for it again? What is the reason for rebranding? Businesses often need to rebrand, and it can be a result of many reasons, including international growth, new management, a bad reputation or an outdated image. Whatever the reason, it's important to create a stellar brand that people will remember. So now I ask what was the reason for the rebranding? ‘BAD (NO)REPUTATION’!!! New management? I guess not as the same person own and operates the Oshawa/Whitby magazine. I approached Michael Adams as he is a fellow Rotarian. Adams by his own admission recognizes he has limited knowledge in the printing business, he attempted to defend by giving me some questionable credential, but I been in the business for to long to see the bullshit train pulling into station. I asked him to if he needed help? I even offered to meet with him to give him some pointers. He said he would come in and see me. We even set up a time and place. I am still waiting. This brings to question his motives? His integrity. Did he forget his Rotary, four way test? SNAP, SANPD and now Neighbur have no official offices in Oshawa or Whitby to my knowledge. Any publication that offers their magazine, newspaper for free. By their own admissions have no readership. 2,000 copies barely covers any readership. No market penetration and advertising revenues are limited or none. In Michaels case it appears that he is utilizing the Rotary Club of Oshawa as his commercial flag to gain accreditation. I think this may go against Rotary Club International regulation. Unless the Rotary of Oshawa is paying for the full page he publishes. Neither here or there. I have great concern over these type of publications business practices as they go out in the market place. They approach good hard working advertise. These goo hard working folk may get take in by the smoke and mirror that ‘WE ARE COMMUNITY’ base pitch. Advertise with them. Then get no results and be turned off print. This hurts the industry. Look for example at all the blind sheep Adam has attracted. In their November issue. Oshawa councillors Bob Chapman, Rick Kerr, Titto Dante-Marimpietri, Rosemary McConkey and our beloved Mayor Dan Carter. Mayor Dan Carter appears to have second page commentaries on every issue. Is this what the Mayor means by inclusion? Does the Mayor pay with your tax dollars to support magazines that help him promote, pre 2022 election campaign.... Thank God it is only 2,000 or so print, in accordance to what Adams had told me in our telephone conversation. It just shows the bias and prejudice at City Hall and the incompetence by some of our elected officials when it comes to making decisions at City hall. Wonder how many other bad decisions they make without our knowledge? Once again, using our elected officials to gain stature and accreditation. (smoke and mirrors) In conversation with Rosemary McConkey. According to her. For her advertising. She published in the neighbur, she was asked to make her cheque payable to SNAPD. Really. Is this not illegal? Rebranding give me a break... I can just hear the wheels of incompetency turning... Ha, now we can sue his ass for slander.... Think again snowflake. What's considered slander? Slander is the legal term used to describe false statements made by one party against another. It is a form of defamation that is communicated verbally to a third party, which makes it temporary. ... Slander is different from libel, which are false statements made through print or broadcast. PROVE TO ME THAT ANYTHING ON HERE IS NOT TRUE. I DARE YOU. I love fair competition. There is no place for smoke and mirrors in the success formula of any business. Do it right with honor or don’t do it.

WHY ARE POLITICIAN SO DISTANT FROM THE PEOPLE THEY REPRESENT? WHERE ARE WE GOING HERE!!!

By Rosaldo Russo Allow me to begin this column by thanking the newspaper for allowing me the opportunity and access to the press. Not to many if any allow an average person like me to tell the world what I see and think. My name is Rosaldo Russo. I came to this great country to make a better life for myself and my family. I thank Canada for everything it has allowed me to do and earn. I worked construction all my life. I know the value of hard work and honesty. I remember as a boy my father always telling me to work hard and buy land. So I did. I remember days when I did not have enough to eat. I go to work... but I did not wait for hand outs. I rounded up my pride my skill and my determination to succeed and went to work. In those days the only benefits we received was the fact we were employed. Before retiring I was the owner and operator of local material supply company that allowed me to retired without worry. Now that I have time to enjoy life. I look around me and have some concern for future generations. I see that the world is finished. I use to support the Liberal party. I was very involved both time and money. Today I totally regret my involvement. One thing I learned about politics that it is not about the people but about the rat race. One party utilizing underhanded tactics to get in power, meanwhile the taxpayers are left with the burden of their descions. Just recently I called Erin O’Toole’s office on a personal inquiry. I was treated like I was cattle. Well maybe not like cattle as at the least cattle get fed. Look at our municipal government. CAN YOU TRULY SAY YOU HAVE REPRESENTATION ON ANY ISSUE. Can you honestly say that these so called councillors represent your best interest? Look at the ones in my home riding of Columbus. John Neal... is more like John who? Up until next year election year...then he be parading/begging for votes making all kinds of empty promises. Look at Rosemary Fu$*Monkey. Oooops my mistake McConkey. Sometimes my Inglishi not to good. Anyway... here we have a councillor that I have yet to actually meet at my front door. If these two characters that are municipal representatives have no clue what they are doing. How am I to expect for a politician like Justin to even acknowledge that live in Canada. Sad times we live in as we see the same all over the world. Politicians about themselves. I been trying to get answer on Justin’s expenditures. Not even my fellow Liberal friends can come up with answers. Are we that confused of a society that we have surrendered to propaganda?

THANKING EVERYONE...

A King f

or the People by Alex King When most of us consider this time of year, we imagine family gatherings, robust meals, carbohydrate-induced naps, songs of carolers echoing down our streets, familiar TV programs paying tribute to the season, and of course the exchanging of presents. Then, there's the gift that keeps on giving: leftovers. I appreciate those annual customs as much as anyone else, but I feel the need to suggest a new tradition. As we're surrounded by the people we love and care about the most, perhaps we should etch out a little time to discuss politics. Sure, it apparently goes against the rules. We're not supposed to broach certain topics when we come together for the holidays. The idea of doing so may fill you with dread, causing you to imagine arguments, food fights, and other calamitous scenarios. You may even worry that bringing up a particular subject will result in less people around the table during next year's banquet. I must ask several questions, however. When did it become the norm to think we can't share our opinions without arguments breaking out? How do we challenge, communicate, and shape our own values if we aren't taking the opportunity to do so with the people who are most important to us? And finally, if we are willing to do the work, could such discussions serve to strengthen our bonds rather than weaken them? Please don't get me wrong. My goal is not to distract from the true meaning of the holidays. What I'm hoping to accomplish, as we join together in celebration of shared beliefs, is a renewed infusion of those core principles into this country's political discourse. I'm not some bleeding heart or phony intellectual who prescribes that the woes of the United States, or the world for that matter, can be solved with conversation alone. It all takes work, but that work begins by challenging our own views in a legitimate attempt to find common ground with the views of others. It is important to listen deeply, ask sincere questions, and practice your own discretion. So, instead of arguing with the in-laws about which election was stolen, maybe address how both Republicans and Democrats are waking up to how easily compromised a president might be and why that is terrifying. And, rather than debating your cousin about where tax dollars should be spent, focus on the need for a tax system that doesn't compel any citizen to finance programs that go against their morals. Those are just a few ideas. Most importantly, try to appreciate the special people in your life… regardless of how your opinions may differ. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

FEDERAL DEBATE A CANADIAN SHAME

By Joe Ingino Editor/Publisher “I live a dream in a nightmare world” I think Curly, Larry and Moe could have done a better job at the latest Federal Canadian debate. Thank God they only host 2 or else no one would vote. What a Canadian shame. I could not help but to feel disgusted that these are our choices. It is as if we do not have a choice. Justin, zigging and zagging. Ducking and jumping through the issues. You can tell he is full throttle doing the best he can do with his limited understanding of politics. You can almost feel the strings as they are being pulled by the party master minds. Erin O’Toole attempting to smile his way through it. Tossing pie in the sky answers. Doing the usual say this do that politics. You could almost hear him clicking his heels ‘One of the most famous lines from The Wizard of Oz is "Click your heels together three times and say 'There's no place like home' and you'll be there." Yes you ruby slippered politician... NO PLACE LIKE BACK HOME IN DURHAM... As he will do anything to move to Oshawa. During the debate he filled his mouth on how much he will be doing for Canadian businesses... yet he fails to give business to his local businesses. He is all that the conservatives are supposed to be against. We do not need another opportunist in office. Then we have NDP leader Jagmeet Singh. He attempted to attack anyone and everyone. He surely had it out for Trudeau. Unfortunately his attacks at times seem to resemble that of a de-railed train. Great power and presentation. But kept being derailed on the delivery of his resolutions. If we are one nation. Should we all not be doing all we can to be one people. Personally his wearing of the turban is an open defiance of unification. His individuality, his religion is no place in Canadian politics. His reluctance to recognize something as basic as that. Makes me wonder about his true alliances to Canada. Green Party leader Annamie Paul only mission was to show her bias and prejudice towards the Quebecois. Annamie was rude and off topic. In order to unite a nation you must keep under control your personal bias and prejudice towards a people a culture that is one of the founding Canadian institutions. Then comes Quebecois leader Yves-Froncois Blanchet. I have a question for Quebecers... Do you not have anyone you can elect that does not look like he has a chip on his shoulder and just finished drinking at 1am? Man this guy as hard as he tried he looked like he was way out of his league. He make a better Soprano character then a party leader.... The highlight of the evening I think was when they asked about RECONCILIATION. Personally I think that was an unfair question and a loaded question. As obvious all the candidates failed to recognize the loaded question and jumped on the tear jerking wave and attempted to care. I say that the question was loaded because. First and foremost. We are one people. Canadians. The indigineous people are by division attempting to gain special recognition. This in my eyes is wrong. The problem of the native Canadians is not a problem of the native or isolated. It is a problem we share as a nation. The recent finding of bodies at schools. Is not a us against them problem. It is a Canadian problem. A problem that is not to point at the Federal government and shame. But one of acknowledgment that we as Canadians allowed this to happen. We as Canadians should not be apologizing. It was a dark event in Canadian history as many others that we will never fix with shame and blame. But instead by learning from our mistakes so that they will never happen again. We not need to devide a nation but to build is as one people for the people. A peoples problem is a Canadian problem. Let’s stop dividing Canada by labeling and demanding special rights based on perceived false entitlement rooted on historical bashing of events that benefit the agendas cause.

WHAT ARE WE THINKING PEOPLE?

By Joe Ingino Editor/Publisher “I live a dream in a nightmare world” The other day I cam across this very interesting news item: U.S. helps bring refugees to Canada, but 1,250 Canadians remain in Afghanistan. Canada evacuated roughly 3,700 people from Afghanistan during its efforts and expanded its humanitarian program to welcome 20,000 refugees. How do you like them apples. The Americans pull out and we get dumped on. To boot 1,250 Canadians remain in Afghanistan. Who is going to get them? Canada equivalent of the Seal team? Canada Walrus force 12? OK stop laughing.... I am so disgusted by what Biden has done that I can’t even put in words. If it was that important for the U.S to be out by a particular date. Would it not have made sense to get their people out while the U.S. had the troops in control and power? No instead they pull back and Taliban go to town killing anyone that even looks at them wrong. But wait we don’t see that being reported in the news. What Biden should have done is said. We the world are not going to take it and send back in the troops. Use the same rule of thumb the Taliban used to take over a country in 10 days. You have a gun. The American’s shoot first ask questions later. This pull out was so messed up that no one in the military had the thought of destroying the 80 billion worth of equipment before leaving? Personally I think someone within the military ranks made 40 billion easy. How can you justify leaving so much equipment behind? We do not need excuses we need resolve. What will become of the 1,250 Canadians left behind? What will happen to all the American supporters left behind? The answer is obvious. They will all be killed. Some may make it out. I like for Trudeau to explain this out in public. What our magnificent leader/negotiator is going to sit down with the Taliban and have a talk. Hell Trudeau surely can’t threaten... as the Taliban just come off a win against the world military super power. If Trudeau is not nice.. the taliban may threaten him with invading Canada by sending over more refugees (wink, wink). All Trudeau can do is click his heels and wish it was not Kanasas. How is it that the American government can’t be held responsible? The worst is if the Americans actually decide to go back in. They will not find a soul that would help, as the people of Afghanistan have lost all confidence. In Canada what are we doing bringing in 5,000 refugees? Our own people are wondering our streets homeless and without food and we bring in 5,000 that in most cases do not even speak the language? How are we to know that these so called refugees are not Taliban. As it stands we should think that they are all Taliban as how else do you explain for the country to fall so quick. Come on Trudeau. You have it in the bag. This only impacts your chances of winning the federal election, unless Trudeau is giving the refugees voting rights right off the mark. I walk downtown Oshawa and the poverty is overwhelming. No matter the time of the day and there are 100’s of people wondering our city without a home or food. I think that this election is nothing short of a sham. Trudeau continues to miss the mark when it comes to Canada first on anything. If O’toole was to win. We would be set back as O'toole would grand stand on the waste of the previous government only to find a way to tax the average citizen to pay for it. Nothing would be accomplished and the changes in policy would mean little or nothing to the average Canadian. Now if the NDP for some miraculous reason won. God help us. The policy changes would be so radical that it would have us begging for Trudeau to come back. So who is left. The PPC. They have as much of a chance of getting in as the Bloc. 1,250 Canadians need us. Not 5,000 refugees. Why then did we get the refugees? Why are we allowing the Taliban to sliently invade our society, culture, country disguised as refugees?

Hey where are we going with this! Trudeau I loved you but no more

By Rosaldo Russo Allow me to begin this column by thanking the newspaper for allowing me the opportunity and access to the press. Not to many if any allow an average person like me to tell the world what I see and think. My name is Rosaldo Russo. I came to this great country to make a better life for myself and my family. I thank Canada for everything it has allowed me to do. I worked construction all my life. I know the value of hard work and honesty. I remember as a boy my father always telling me to work hard and buy land. I remember days when I did not have enough to eat or go to work... but I did not wait for hand outs. I rounded up my pride my skill and my determination to succeed and went to work. In those days the only benefits we received was the fact we were employed. Before retiring I was the owner and operator of local material supply company that allowed me to retired without worry. Now that I have time to enjoy life. I look around me and have some concern for future generations. I see that the world is finished. I once held a relatively high position within the Liberal government riding of Oshawa. I left because I became disgusted on the way the party was running things. Today, Trudeau is destroying Canada. From his 90 million dollar scandal I ask where the money gone...to the way he treats seniors, the military and the poor. On the one hand he says he cares and on the other he does the opposite. My pension got cut cause I made more than 59,000. That is money I made and paid into and because I am blessed with being able to make more I get penalized. That is not fair. Imagine all the seniors out there...that need more than 59k a year to live. That is not fair. Yet he gives free housing, welfare and pay per child benefits to anyone crying refugee. NO MY FRIENDS. THAT IS NOT MY CANADA. Trudeau and h is cronies have the balls to call me and ask for donation. Normally I would be happy to contribute my share as I have in the past. This time around. You take from my table I forget who you are. To ad insult to injury just recently Trudeau gave seniors $500. What did he expect, for seniors to turn around and hand him back the cheque in appreciation. No, buddy screw you. Our country is ruined and there is no real change in the horizon. We need a new party. A new type of leadership that values it’s citizens. Oh my Canada it’s finished.

Summer’s Last Hurrah the Most Dangerous

W. Gifford-Jones, M.D. and Diana Gifford-Jones Are you gearing up to have some fun? It’s the stick-in-the-mud who dulls the sense of adventure, suggesting you think twice. But the dullard may be the wise one as the summer closes out with the traditional long weekend. Labour Day Weekend originated in North America in the early 1880s to recognize workers. The holiday marked the establishment of the 40-hour work week, or 8 hours of work daily for 5 days and then two days of rest. Labour unions of the day had it right. They advocated each day should have a balance of 8 hours of work, 8 hours of recreation, and 8 hours of rest – and the 2-day weekend offered a healthy break to refresh. But the extra day of celebration marking the 3-day weekend at the end of summer is a mixed story. For all the fun and games of the last summer hurrah, there is a higher-than-average rate of injury and death. Water is a common theme to many of the saddest tragedies. Drownings occur from boating accidents, misfortune at beaches, and the heart-crushing incidents of negligence involving the family swimming pool. It is an awful statistic that 350 children under the age of 5 drown in pools every year in the U.S. In Canada, with a population only a tenth of the size, a similar number of people drown in the country’s beautiful natural bodies of water each year. Inevitably, in both countries, news following Labour Day Weekend laments these kinds of tragedies. But the greatest risk comes from traffic accidents. From the Friday evening start of the long Labour Day weekend, through the end of the day on Monday, we can expect about 500 people to die on North American roads. More than 54,000 people injured in traffic accidents will require medical assistance. We know why. The trendline in holiday-period, alcohol-impaired driving fatalities has been gradually moving down from 60% in 1983 to 38% in 2019. But still, too many people are drinking and driving, especially on Labour Day weekend. The advice is clear. Don’t let loved ones drink and drive. Take action if you see anyone who has been drinking or using drugs get behind the wheel. Distracted driving increases the risk of accident by 500%, so leave the phone alone. Put it in the trunk if you struggle to comply. Don’t let inexperienced young drivers transport their friends, who unwittingly can be the most dangerous of all distractions. If driving is a necessity, then slow down. It’s a long weekend; there’s lots of time. High speed is the direct cause of 27% of traffic fatalities in Canada. Above all, wear the seatbelt. The evidence is overwhelming that seatbelts save lives. There are other sources of tragedy when the focus should be on good times with friends and family. Motorcycles, ATVs, jet skis, and even the common bicycle are all associated with fun. But just as the last run down the ski mountain at the end of a winter day claims a higher rate of falls, these activities yield more accidents during the last weekend of the summer. The holiday weekend sees more dog bites than usual too. Fires are yet another major concern, whether from grills, campfires, or fireworks. When cautions are abandoned, people will be harmed and property damaged. Absent, broken or poorly maintained smoke alarms will mean the difference between preventable deaths and disaster. So take it easy this weekend ahead, and look out for the ones you love. For comments, contact-us@docgiff.com. Follow us on Instagram @docgiff and @diana_gifford_jones Sign-up at www.docgiff.com to receive our weekly e-newsletter.

Will Social Media Companies Ever Make Fighting Online Abuse a priority?

By Nick Kossovan Is it just me who believes we've lost our ability to have civil discourse? Every day, we rely on social media platforms to engage with like-minded people, promote ourselves, our work, and/or business. Unfortunately, the downside of increasing your visibility, especially when you wade into an online discussion with an unpopular opinion, is you become a lightning rod for online abuse. Online abuse can be especially relentless if you are a woman, identified as a member of a race, religion, ethnicity, or part of the LGBTQ+ community. I believe social media companies can reduce, even come close to, eliminating, online abuse. The first step: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, et al. becoming more serious and urgent about addressing the toxicity they're permitting on their respective platform. The second step: Give users more control over their privacy, identity, and account history. Here are five features social media companies could introduce to mitigate online abuse. 1. Educate users on how to protect themselves online. I'll admit social media companies have been improving their anti-harassment features. However, many of these features are hard to find and not user-friendly. Platforms should have a section within their help center that deals specifically with online abuse, showing how to access internal features along with links to external tools and resources. 2 Make it easy to tighten privacy and security settings. Platforms need to make it easier for users to fine-tune their privacy and security settings and inform how these adjustments impact visibility and reach. Users should be able to save configurations of settings into personalized "safety modes," which they can toggle between. When they alternate between safety modes, a "visibility snapshot" should show them in real-time who'll see their content. 3. Distinguishing between the personal and professional Currently, social media accounts are all-encompassing of your professional life and personal life. If you want to distinguish between your professional and personal life, you must create two accounts. Why not be able to make one social media account that toggles between your personal and professional identities as well as migrate or share audiences between them? 4. Managing account histories. It's common for people to switch jobs and careers and their views over time. Being able to pull up a user's social media history, which can date back more than a decade, is a goldmine for abuse. Platforms should make it easy for users to easily search old posts and make them private, archive, or delete. 5. Credit cards and/or phone number authentication. All social media platforms allow the creation of anonymous accounts. Ironically, much of the toxicity permeating social media stems from people hiding cowardly behind anonymous accounts. Anonymity enables toxic behavior by facilitating and backhandedly encouraging "uncivil discourse." Eliminating the ability to create an anonymous account would literally end online abuse. Anonymity allows people to act out their anger, frustrations, and their need to make others feel bad, so they feel good. (I'm unhappy, so I want everyone else to be unhappy.). Being anonymous allows someone to say things they wouldn't even think of or have the courage to, speak publicly, let alone face-to-face. All credit cards and telephone numbers are associated with a billing address. Social media platforms could prevent anonymous accounts by asking new joiners to input their credit card information, to be verified but not charged, or a telephone number to which a link, or code, can be sent to authenticate. (Email authentication is useless since email addresses can be created without identity verification.) Undeniable fact: When people know they can easily be traced they're unlikely to exhibit uncivil behaviour. Yeah, I know-for many, handing over more data to social media giants isn't appetizing, even if it eliminates the toxic behavior hurting our collective psyche. Having to go through a credit card or telephone authentication will be pause for many to ask themselves why the feel they must be on social media. Such reflection is not a bad exercise. Online attacks have a negative impact on mental and physical health, stops free expression, and silences voices already underrepresented in the creative and media sectors and in public discourse. Respective platform user guidelines (aka. Community Standards) are open to interpretation and therefore not enforced equitably. Content moderators (human eyes) and AI crawling (searching for offensive words and content) aren't cutting it. Social media companies can't deny they could be doing a much better job creating a safer online environment. Unfortunately, a safer online environment will only evolve when social media companies begin taking online abuse seriously. Nick Kossovan writes the column 'Digitized Koffee With Nick' which appears in several newspapers and is the Customer Service Professionals Network's Director of Social Media (Executive Board Member). On Twitter and Instagram follow @NKossovan. 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 Would Make Your Skin Turn Yellow?

W. Gifford-Jones, M.D. and Diana Gifford-Jones A report from the Massachusetts General Hospital and published in the New England Journal of Medicine tells an interesting story. A 62-year-old man over a two-month period developed numbness, a “pins and needles” sensation in his hands, shortness of breath, trouble walking due to severe joint pain, and he began to turn yellow. Anyone faced with all these problems would think the end is near and start planning to say goodbye to loved ones. In retrospect, his symptoms could have been even worse. He could also have faced paranoia, delusions, memory loss, incontinence, loss of taste and more. But this man had a pinch of good luck. Tests revealed he had a deficiency of vitamin B-12. He wasn’t going to die. But how did he develop such acute deficiency, and how can you be sure you’re getting enough of this vitamin? B-12 is an important vitamin. The adult human body needs 2.5 micrograms daily so red blood cells can carry oxygenated blood to the brain, nerves and DNA. Since B-12 cannot be made by the body, it must be obtained from diet or supplements. What causes a lack of vitamin B-12? Some people simply don’t get enough in their diet. Others, even it they consume sufficient B-12, fail to absorb it. This is why deficiency is especially common among the elderly. One person in five over age 60 and two in five over 80, fail to absorb B-12 from food and they require a supplement. Another reason can be autoimmune disorders that make it difficult to absorb B-12. As we age, the lining of the stomach gets thinner which decreases the production of hydrochloric acid. Vitamin B-12 is firmly attached to a protein. To pry it loose so it can be absorbed it needs sufficient amounts of hydrochloric acid. It’s also possible to be low in B-12 if you’re taking medication, such as, Prevacid, Losec, and Nexium, used to treat acid reflux or a stomach ulcer. Even less powerful drugs, like Pepcid, Tagamet, or Zantac, reduce the production of hydrochloric acid. Intestinal problems such as celiac disease, Crohn’s disease, and excessive alcohol consumption reduce B-12. And with more people using gastric bypass surgery to lose weight, B-12 intake can become be affected. You can be young and develop a lack of B-12. Plants do not make B-12. So among the growing numbers of young people striving for a strict vegetarian or vegan diet, there is a high risk of B-12 deficiency. Fortified grains can be a source of B-12. Blood work will show if additional B-12 supplementation is needed. There are many reports lauding the use of B-12 to prevent heart disease, infertility, fatigue, eczema, and a long list of other chronic health problems. But according to Harvard researchers, these reports are all based on faulty evidence. Alzheimer’s disease is a good example. A deficiency of B-12 can lead to symptoms of Alzheimer’s. But even high doses of 1000 micrograms have had no effect on this disease. One case of supposed Alzheimer’s disease was cured by B-12 supplementation, but it proved to be the wrong diagnosis. For this patient, memory deficiency problems were quickly cured by B-12. As noted earlier, it’s good to be lucky. Good sources of dietary B-12 intake include steak, fish, poultry products, and eggs. Are you wondering why the patient had yellow skin? Red blood cells become fragile with decreased amounts of B-12. Then they release bilirubin, produced by the liver, into circulation resulting in jaundice. If your skin is getting yellow, see your doctor for blood work. For comments, contact-us@docgiff.com. Follow us on Instagram @docgiff and @diana_gifford_jones Sign-up at www.docgiff.com to receive our weekly e-newsletter.

PULLING OUT BY BEING PULLED IN

By Joe Ingino Editor/Publisher “I live a dream in a nightmare world” Pulling out in most cases would save you a lifetime of regret. Ok, stop smirking if you get what I mean. Looking at the Afghanistan disaster. One can appreciate the concept of pulling out at the right time for the right reason. If you don’t you are literately f&#ked. In the case of Biden without much thought of what he was doing. His pull out seems to only be pulling him back in. Trump had the right idea. The Taliban beast had been beaten and oppressed. The deal was if the Taliban would honor the government the United States put in, that in return the U.S. would pull out. It makes sense. After all if they pulled out and the government in place called on the American’s... The U.S. would return at a heart beat. Unfortunately, Trump lost the election and all that the Taliban heard was pull out. Under Trump made economic sense. Why spend all the resources the U.S. had wasted for 20 years. After all the Taliban had been written off. Biden should have had the aptitude to at the least realize the benefit of the deal under Trump. Instead Biden politicized the pull out. On a stubborn date without much thinking about the logistics. I am no expert in strategics... but would it not made sense to pull out key perssonell while the U.S. troops were on the ground. Why clear out the country of essential troops. Then start the airlift, knowing that the Taliban was gaining ground right across the land. Ok, fine I give you that no one in the Biden administration would have ever dreamed that the Taliban would come back so fast and so strong. Today we are facing a dilemma. People are being killed by the hour. People are suffering and no one is reporting. The Taliban will soon start killing Americans. So now what is America to do? In my opinion they will be forced to go back in. The only problem. No one will help them or assist them as they will be seen as a people that turned their back on the population. The Afghany people will fight shoulder to shoulder with the Taliban to fight the invading armies of the world. As of now the Taliban won the war. There is no other way of looking at it. It took the allies 20 years to oppress the Taliban. For the Taliban to only take it back in 10 days.... I have a more profound question. What was Canada doing in Afghanistan? I feel for all those families that lost a loved on in this so called war. We exposed our military to dangers for no Canadian gain. The government should be held accountable and responsible. No instead they fill air-craft with more foreigners and dump them on Canadian soil. Foreigners that in many cases do not speak English nor have the education to be contributing entities to Canadian way of life. I remember when I came to Canada from Uruguay. During Pierre era. We had to show professional status, immunization, health card and inspection, proof of language and desire to fit in by having a Canadian sponsor welcome our family to live with them. We did not want social assistance. We wanted to jump in and work. We wanted to go to school to learn Canadian customs and cultures and not impose our ideologies, belief and customs on any one. As a matter of fact. I remember working hard to shed accent, dress and even hair style. I remember the first day at a Canadian school. My mother put on a suit and tie on me. I was only 11 years old. I showed up at the school and boy did I learn fast that this was not Kansas any more. We need to think of Canadian interest first. Everyone else second. Let’s learn from our mistakes and not get suckered in once again.

Afghanistan the new Vietnam

Afghanistan the new Vietnam by Maj (ret'd) CORNELIU E. CHISU, CD, PMSC, FEC, CET, P. Eng. Former Member of Parliament Pickering-Scarborough East It seems that we have learned nothing from the past. The quick failure of Afghanistan is a repeat of the failure of the intervention in Vietnam. On April 29 1975 the evacuation of Saigon was very similar to the evacuation of Kabul in August 2021. After almost a half century and two generations, we are getting the same result. The problem in Afghanistan started with the Soviet invasion on Christmas day in 1979 and ended in mid February 1989 with the withdrawal of the Soviet troops. The Soviet Union intervened in support of the Afghan communist government in its conflict with anti-communist Muslim guerrillas. The aim of the Soviet operation was to prop up their new but faltering client state, headed by leader Babrak Karmal. However, Karmal was unable to attain significant popular support. Backed by the United States, the mujahideen rebellion grew, spreading to all parts of the country. The Soviets initially left the suppression of the rebellion to the Afghan army, but the latter was beset by mass desertions and remained largely ineffective throughout the war. The Afghan War quickly settled down into a stalemate, with more than 100,000 Soviet troops controlling the cities, larger towns, and major garrisons and the mujahideen moving with relative freedom throughout the countryside. Soviet troops tried to crush the insurgency by various tactics, but the guerrillas generally eluded their attacks. The Soviets then attempted to eliminate the mujahideen's civilian support by bombing and depopulating the rural areas. These tactics sparked a massive flight from the countryside; by 1982 some 2.8 million Afghans had sought asylum in Pakistan, and another 1.5 million had fled to Iran. The mujahideen were eventually able to neutralize Soviet air power through the use of shoulder-fired antiaircraft missiles supplied by the Soviet Union's Cold War adversary, the United States. Now back to the future. In 2021, after a presence for 20 years of US lead NATO troops including our Canadian Forces, the result is the same as the Soviets then experienced. The quick disintegration of the Afghan Army supposedly trained by the US and its NATO allies is the failure of an intervention ill conceived and ill managed with lives and resources lost to a cause that was unclear from the beginning. Saigon 1975 (United States), Kabul 1989 (Soviets), Kabul 2021 (US and NATO) seems that something went wrong in that part of the world and that the leaders of the western world just gloriously ignored the lessons of history. No one thought in 2021 that by mid-August the Taliban would be in Kabul. The Taliban's ability to link their cause to the very meaning of being Afghan, was a crucial factor in America's defeat. For Afghans, jihad, better translated as "resistance" or "struggle", has historically been a means of defense against oppression by outsiders, part of their endurance against invader after invader since the time of Alexander the Great. In more recent times, they have first exhausted, then repelled the British, the Soviets and now the Americans. The 'forever war' for Americans was also a long war for Canadians. Never mind that apparently the NATO decision to invoke, for the first time, the collective security provisions of Article Five - that an attack on one is an attack on all - was the initiative of then Canadian NATO ambassador David Wright. That decision launched the US-led NATO intervention that is only now concluding in a controlled disaster. As a result, more than 40,000 Canadian soldiers served in Afghanistan including myself in 2007, with 158 killed between 2001 and 2014. More came home injured or psychologically wounded, and the Canadian Armed Forces reported that as a follow up 191 veterans have taken their own lives since 2011. It is a sad story for generations of Afghani people and a sad result of the Canadian efforts to try to build a responsible society. The Afghan experience is a cautionary tale for future Canadian interventions. The western experience in Afghanistan will oblige policy-makers to think hard about future interventions. Without an appreciation of the history, culture, geography and local politics, we may win battles but we lose the war. As the evacuation of Afghani who worked and supported the Canadian Forces continue at this moment it is a time to reflect. Unlike during the Cold War when Canada was a leading middle power within one of two bounded geopolitical blocs, today it faces the prospect of becoming a marginal state in an integrated - yet pluralistic - international order of global scope. The new era and the rapidly evolving world calls for a Canadian foreign policy that requires a drastic change in attitude. We need to embrace pragmatism over ideology, and strategic thinking over the endless invocation of platitudes. Canada's second consecutive failure in our bid for a UN Security Council seat should make us rethink the notion that the world cares at all about who we are. We need to have qualified people in leadership positions, be proactive internationally, regain the edge we have lost in science and technology and develop expertise in diplomacy. It is time to start the Great Canadian Awakening both domestically and internationally!

Hey where are we going with this!

hey where are we going with this!

By Rosaldo Russo Allow me to introduce begin this column by thanking the newspaper for allowing me the opportunity and access to the press. Not to many if any allow an average person like me to tell the world what I see and think. My name is Rosaldo Russo. I came to this great country to make a better life for myself and my family. I thank Canada for everything it has allowed me to do. I worked construction all my life. I know the value of hard work and honesty. I remember as a boy my father always telling me to work hard and buy land. I remember days when I did not have enough to eat or go to work... but I did not wait for hand outs. I rounded up my pride my skill and my determination to succeed and went to work. In those days the only benefits we received was the fact we were employed. Before retiring I was the owner and operator of local material supply company that allowed me to retired without worry. Now that I have time to enjoy life. I look around me and have some concern for future generations. I see that the world is finished. Opportunities for our youth are hard and few. The type of hard work I use to put in is hard to see. It appears we all have become robots of a system that does not appreciate honesty and hard work. I remember my motto when it came to my customers. Customer satisfaction comes first. I made millions of the fact that I treated my clients with respect and courtesy. It appears that in today’s world. Customer satisfaction is gone. Look at anyone doing business with companies like Bell or Rogers. They are not about customer satisfaction and or service. These giants treat their customers like cattle. A number in a sea of millions. You do as they say or they cut you off. Where are we going here... How can this happen. I tell you how it is happening. We Canadian people have no choice. When we allow this giants to not fear loss of clients. They treat us like cattle. Their meaning of convenience cost us. They want to get paid at a particular date and in particular way. No credit card. No service. Mis a payment. You get cut off. How dot these companies stay in business. Come on people. Wake up. Unfortunately we can’t do nothing about it as there is no other choice. What is happening to our Canada that we allow these giants to openly rape us? If anything they should be charged for false advertising as they claim 1G speeds and no one gets them. Or 1000 channels that are all repetitive.

A Hostage Situation

from Wayne & Tamara

Q My husband applied for a job behind my back and accepted the job without my consent. He convinced me, if I came with him, it would only be for a year. He moved my son and me from sunny Southern California to freezing North Dakota. The year came and went. We renegotiated a three-year stay for economic reasons, then had a second son. Well, that temporary stay came and went, and now it’s been seven long, cold years! I’ve tried to be patient, but I can’t stand these nine-month winters anymore! He says he wants to continue to live here until the economy gets better back home, which will not likely happen for at least three or four more years. Ugh! In order to stay home with my children, I have not been working. But now that my youngest is ready for kindergarten, I’ve asked my husband if I could seek a job to help us relocate. He says no, because I can’t make as much money as he can. He has an IT degree, and in my field I can only make half what he does. It gets worse. He suffers from anxiety, so he has more fear than the average person. He has opened a separate bank account in his name in order to keep me from accessing our money. He puts $900 a month in our joint account for me to buy food and other needs. He then doles out food money to buy more groceries the second half of the month. I’ve told him I dislike how he has set up our money and that the control is unfair. For a year he’s claimed he will add my name to the second account, but he has not done so. He is a conflict avoider, who tells me what I want to hear or tells me “this is not a good time” to discuss matters. We have absolutely no family close by. I’m neglected emotionally, financially, and spiritually. I take my boys to church and attend weekly Bible study in order to have some friends and support. But my patience has run out. I told him the boys and I are going home to my parents to spend time with my family. What he doesn’t know is I’m going to pursue employment, and, if I succeed, get an apartment and live there with my children. I will offer to let him join us and sell our North Dakota home so we can restart in California. Or he can visit us all he can. As it is, he is already in an uproar over me wanting to visit. If it weren’t for our boys, I would never have come here. I was trying to keep the family together. Harper A Harper, doling out money and making major decisions without your consent makes you less a wife and more an indentured servant. Your position in the family is the same as your children. Powerless. Your husband has clipped your wings to keep you from flying away, and the more you telegraph your feelings, the more he will tighten his grasp. He’s decided you aren’t leaving, but he isn’t saying that. Instead, he “tells me what I want to hear,” which is an interesting euphemism for lying. Whether he has anxiety issues or not doesn’t matter. He doesn’t have the right to take your life away from you. Whether you admit it to yourself or not, this marriage may be over. You devised a plan. You thought it was fair. He did these things to me, I get to do this one thing to him. But you must consider the legal implications. Before you do anything, privately and without your husband’s knowledge, see a lawyer to sort out custody issues. You may need to have your parents pay for the attorney or even go to another town to ensure your visit is confidential. In addition, your husband is in IT. Nearly everything you do on your home computer or phone is recoverable by someone with sophisticated knowledge. Take steps to make sure all your communications remain private. If you are worried about his reaction (and you should be), you need to be very cautious about your safety and the safety of your children. Believing you can only leave him surreptitiously means you know he could be dangerous. A lawyer can advise you here as well. You are not the proverbial bird in a gilded cage. You are a bird in a cage of ice—emotionally, financially, and spiritually. You need two plans, one legal and one for safety. Once you have them, the next step will emerge. Wayne & Tamara Wayne & Tamara write: Directanswers@WayneAndTamara.com

AN AMERICAN F*#K UP

By Joe Ingino Editor/Publisher “I live a dream in a nightmare world” This is not about politics. This is not about preference. This is about common sense and basic human decency. Come on folks.... We are about to come on September 11, 2021. Have we forgotten so quickly? Was the pull out that important to national security? To National economic interests? It does not take a scholar to figure out that as soon as Biden announced the pull out. The Taliban would be ready to pounce back. 20 year war for no American benefit. Thousands of American lives sacrificed for what American benefit. American tax dollars spent to train an Afhan army that surrendered at first light. The real question is what was America doing there. Who were they really training and for what. It is obvious that all the American training of National Afghan troops was a waste and now that training is being used against the U.S. Biden has taken America back 20 years and Afghanistan 100. Then again. How are we in the West ever to begin to rationalize Afghan culture or even attempt to think we can westernize them when the Afghan people have lived under cultural restrictions not to mention religious oppression for so long by the hand of their own country men. Freedom is a word. Much like opportunity. The Afghan people are not stupid. It is Afghanistan first everyone else second. The real war was not against the Taliban. The real war was against culture, customs and traditions. Culture ruled by the sword, custom based out of tribal principles and traditions that have carried for thousand of years. Civilized and rationalize thinking was impeded by greed and power. Democracy can never work there as it is failing within our own borders. The Afghanistan war has been a phantom war with no benefit to America. Trump in his deal with Afghanistan made sense. He did say he would pull out under the conditions that the Taliban honor the government the American had put in place. Trump lost the election and all that was left in the political horizon was that America was pulling out. Biden without a clue on what he was doing disregarded the agreement Trump had put in motion and just pulled out. The Taliban sat quiet and it was open season. With no pressure to live up to Trump agrement. The Taliban took over their country with ease. Now we are left with the after math of having to shelter Afghanistan people that within their thinking and rank also hold Taliban ideology. Did we not only fight a war against a phantom but were made to pay for it and subsequently made to give refuge to possible terrorist cells. The media is so worried about those that stormed the airport looking for refuge. How about reporting the thousands of Afghan being raped, tortured and murdered right now? To assume that the country was taken without a fight or resistance is as insane as the thought that America should have been there in the first place or that America benefit in any way by being there. In my estimate thousands of people are being executed every day in Afghanistan. The Taliban in my opinion are coming back with a vengeance. The Taliban recruitment effort will now be that much more appealing as the Taliban is now seen as the winners. The Taliban fighting with sticks and stones, beat and ran out of their country the big strong Americans. We are coming to September 11. The Taliban, ISIS and Al Qaeda will come back bigger and stronger. Since Trump took office. The beheading, the bomb threats and the threat against America had stopped dead on it’s track. Under Biden administration. The gas prices have gone through the roof and still climbing. Job security has once again been compromised. Soon in my opinion we will be subjected to more bombings and terror type of attacks on American soil. Joe Biden is not a free thinking politician. He is a careered politician playing the popular opinion game. He has failed to honor or at the least carry Trump deal with Afghanistan and instead attempted to just pull out. Left with the reality of such an act. We pray and trust in God that there are no future attacks on American soil. We pray and hope that the Taliban do not celebrate their win against America by attacking on September 11. One thing for sure. We need to revise our foreign policy when it comes to the liberation of nations. America should stop declaring wars against phantoms and instead. If America deems a nation as a threat to national security and war is to play out. That the nation America attacks becomes part of America. That the American people benefit from all their resources. No more hand outs. No more retreat. No more pull out. We invest in war we the American people should be able to benefit for our military efforts. As it stands. We must pay for the deployment. We must pay for the maintenance, the up keep and the ongoing supply to keep the efforts alive and healthy. As it stands we left behind our hardware, our weapons and our structures only to be used back by those we had suppose to defeat. Biden should had been pulling people out of Afghanistan months ago. Destroying all military equiptment left behind. It smells like someone has made money on the selling of the used U.S. equiptment to the Taliban. What an American F*#k up by a F*#’d up administration.

Election fever the new virus

by Maj (ret'd) CORNELIU E. CHISU, CD, PMSC, FEC, CET, P. Eng. Former Member of Parliament Pickering-Scarborough East Prime Minister Trudeau called the election on 15th of August for Canadians to vote on September 20th. That started a frenzy of election promises being put forward by the party leaders. On top of this the Nova Scotia provincial elections produced a great surprise by the PC party winning a majority. The Nova Scotia election was originally called in the hopes of snagging a majority government for Iain Rankin's Liberals. However, the voters handed him a very different result. We will probably get some surprises in the federal election too. According to strategists, the election result is one the federal parties should be watching closely. One other item is the launching of election platforms by the parties. They are full of promises, pouring more money that the country does not have into utopia projects and promising the moon and the world. The liberals are making promises of spending big money, with the excuse of the Covid 19 pandemic and the need to restart the economy post Covid. Surprisingly the Conservatives are eager to spend even more money than the Liberals in the hope that the electorate will support them. However, knowing the nature of the Conservative leader who tends to be a real weathervane, the electorate might be suspicious of a traditionally frugal party suddenly becoming a big spender. The Bloc Québécois (BQ) are Quebec centered as usual with little regard for the rest of Canada. There are no surprises from the NDP; as usual they want to spend other peoples' money in a very socialist way promoting lack of common-sense projects. The Green Party is in turmoil and centered on internal fighting instead of focusing on putting forward some useful ideas. The only party putting forward some real and interesting ideas instead of being caught up in buying votes, is the People's Party of Canada, and they are being noticeably ignored by the prime media. A new element has appeared in the equation which will eventually become a factor in the elections. That is, that the country's headline inflation barometer has clocked in at 3.7 per cent in July. According to Statistics Canada, that was the highest year-over-year increase since May 2011 as price growth accelerated from June. There is also higher demand for houses as people spend more time at home and eye rock-bottom interest rates. The price for homes rose nearly 14 per cent year-over-year in July, the largest increase since October 1987. All this is not good news for many Canadians and the situation might rapidly deteriorate as increasing inflation hits us deeper and deeper in our pockets. Another issue that might play an important role in this election is the vaccination issue. The Liberals want to make vaccination compulsory for federal employees and people travelling on trains and by air. They are for a vaccination passport. The Conservatives, as usual, are without a clear position on the topic, probably waiting for more polling results to tailor their statement accordingly. The NDP and Green Party are enthusiastically endorsing the idea of the Liberals. Only the Peoples Party of Maxime Bernier is against the vaccine passport and sees the vaccination as a personal choice. On top of these issues and an evolving situation on the international scene, is the take over of Afghanistan by the Taliban. That will certainly add some interesting twists to the election, despite the fact that foreign affairs are not usually on the spectrum of the Canadian electorate. However, with the direct involvement of Canadians in Afghanistan both militarily and on the civilian side, and with the issue of Afghani people who supported Canadians now in need of protection, this might become a hot election issue. Just remember the issue of the Syrian refugees in 2015….. Returning our attention to the national scene, one topic that strikes at the hearts of Canadian families is the child care issue. It may prove significant since it plays into the cost-of-living debate that voters say most concerns them. The Liberal proposal and open negotiations with the provinces to provide universal $10-a-day daycare by 2025-26 is in progress right now. The massive sums being offered by Ottawa to provinces to incentivatee them to create new spaces means eight provinces and two territories have already signed up and Ontario's education minister, Stephen Lecce, said this week his province is "actively interested" in a deal. On the other hand, the Man With The Plan, aka Erin O'Toole, proposes to kill the Liberal party's $30-billion early learning and child care program and replace it with a refundable tax credit. The Conservatives argue that a "top down, one-size-fits-all" program is not the answer and parents should decide what's best for their family. Their proposal is to convert the existing Child Care Expense Deduction into a tax credit that refunds up to 75 per cent of the cost of the child care deduction for low income families (or as little as 26 per cent for families earning more than $162,975). The Liberal plan seems to be more understandable than the convoluted Conservative one, however both plans are a reach in spending carelessly without a real understanding of the problem and the real needs of the people. It seems more like a vote buying competition with taxpayers' money…. your money…. It's early days yet in this electoral campaign, more surprises will certainly emerge as people start to pay attention to the issues involved. So let the fun begin…

Interviews Are Modern Greek Tragedies

By Nick Kossovan Odds are the person interviewing you has a similar story as mine-they developed their interviewing skills "on the job." Executives and managers are thrust into the recruiting part of their job without first developing skills to evaluate talent. Outside of human resources, those whose job requires them to assess and interview candidates get little to no training. I never received any formal training regarding how to interview and evaluate a candidate. Yet, I've interviewed 1,000's throughout my career. I admit I stumbled through my first 150 - 200 interviews. I developed my interviewing skills, a skill I knew would serve me well, on job candidates, which I now admit was unfair to them. Hiring the right people who'll fit with the position, team and company can't be overstated. I keep British-American author Simon Sinek's words top of mind, "If you hire people just because they can do a job, they'll work for the money. But if you hire people who believe what you believe, they'll work for you with blood and sweat and tears." Since finding work is seeking approval, I often think of interviews as conduits to modern Greek tragedies. We spend much of our youth and adulthood seeking approval, trying to "fit in" with the right clothes, car, house, job, etc. We're constantly aware we're being judged-a cause of much of why we second-guess ourselves and the stress this causes. -Am I good enough? -Do I fit in? You desperately want to hear, "We want you." WARNING: Three interview truths coming. -When interviewing, everything goes into "the mix"-past hiring mistakes, bias, prejudices, commonalities. -At the core of every hiring decision is gut feel. -Likability is the most valuable currency a job seeker has, trumping education, skills, and experience. When a candidate is sitting in front of me, I'm asking myself: - Will this person fit in with the current team members and the company's culture? - Will this person be seen as a good hire by my boss and peers, and the team? (A bad hire = bad judgment, which is an X against my reputation.) Acing an interview is extremely hard. Much of your success depends on whom you're speaking to, and humans are the ultimate moving target. The best you can hope for is to stack the odds in your favour and hope your interviewer is in a good mood. Keep top of mind: An interview is a sales meeting, and hiring is a business arrangement. When interviewing, your job is to establish rapport (READ: connection), build trust and achieve the following goals of making the interviewer: - Believe in you. - See you as a fit. You achieve these goals by: -Clearly demonstrating what value you can bring to the employer. Connect how your track record, which needs to be quantified; otherwise, it's just your opinion, would be an asset to the employer. - Presenting yourself as a problem solver. If you look at work holistically, you'll realize every position within an organization exists to solve a problem(s). How can your experience and skills solve the problem(s) the position you applied to exists to solve? - Asking good questions. By asking good questions, your interviewer will talk about their pain points. You can then explain (sell yourself) how you'd go about solving their pain point. Three things worth noting and using as guidance when interviewing: -An employer will hire you if they're convinced you'll bring more value than you cost, therefore offer as much value as possible. -Problem solvers, those with a proven track record of solving their employer's pain points, will always be in demand. -People don't have short attention spans. They have short interest spans. Make your interviewer interested in you. There's no blueprint to guarantee interview success. All you can do is stack the odds in your favour as much as possible. However, there's one universal interview rule that'll tip the odds in your favour: Always tell the person sitting across from you what they want to hear. When you develop the ability to read your interviewer and comfortably offer solutions to their pain points, you'll have developed solid interviewing skills. Such skills will mitigate the number of Greek tragedies you'll experience while job searching. 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

As a Job Seeker There Are 3 Job Search Truisms You Need to Accept

 

As a Job Seeker There Are 3 Job Search Truisms You Need to Accept
By Nick Kossovan
A job search has many moving parts; your mindset is the most critical part. Tackling challenges, such as a job search, is easier if you have the right mindset.

Job search success isn't achieved through wishful thinking - how you wish things to be. Success is achieved by adapting to, better yet embracing, realities, not beating your head against walls that won't crumble down.
The following are three "job search truisms" every job seeker needs to accept if they want to minimize their job search frustrations and mitigate the time it takes to find their next job.

1. You're not owed a job, career or even to make a living.
With a sense of entitlement being so prevalent these days, I often see bitterness amongst job seekers ["I'm not getting what I deserve.", "I'm not getting what I want."]. Anger hinders a job seeker, along with increasing false pride, which becomes an insurmountable obstacle.
The easiest way to be disappointed, unhappy, frustrated, angry, or become depressed is to have an expectation you're owed. You, and only you, are responsible for your job search.
The upside of assuming no one owes you: You energetically help yourself. For many people, this is a massive mind shift! Approaching your job search with an "I'm helping myself" mindset gives you a considerable mental boost, which is to your advantage. As well, such a perspective will carry you through the roller coaster of emotions you'll be dealing with throughout your job hunt.
2. Employers own their hiring process.
You may recall my column back in January, There's No Universal Hiring Methodology. I brought up the fact, never mentioned by career experts, that no two hiring managers access candidates the same way. This also applies to companies - no two companies hire the same way.
As a job seeker, you need to accept that employers own their hiring process, which is their prerogative. A sense of entitlement has made it common today for job seekers to complain about how employers hire. What a waste of energy! Complaining won't change how employers decide to hire.
Many candidates try to circumvent the employer's hiring process or skip steps. By following the employer's application instructions, as frustrating as they sometimes are, you're setting yourself apart from your competition. Being able to follow instructions is a prerequisite for any job. Thus, employers look for this "willingness to follow instructions" in candidates.
3. Today, networking is non-negotiable.
The most decisive route to job search success is to do what others are afraid to do, which is to network.
Networking is creating a fabric of personal contacts that can provide support, feedback, insight, resources, and information. In 2021, and for the foreseeable future, it'll be raining resumes. Ask yourself: Who's more likely to be hired, a stranger the hiring manager doesn't know, or someone they're somewhat acquainted with, or a referral? Your answer should convince you of the power of networking.
It's common knowledge most jobs are unadvertised. Undeniable, those who build and nurture a professional network land the plumb jobs. However, many job seekers create excuses [e.g., they're an introvert, networking feels sleazy, everyone's too busy to listen to them] to avoid networking, even though networking has proven to be the most efficient way to finding a job.
Whatever your hang-ups [READ: limiting beliefs] are about networking, get over it! As a job seeker, your primary goal is to connect with people who can assist in your job search. Nothing will get you into an organization faster than having an inside person vouching for you.
Here are a few tips to get you started networking:
1.    Reconnect with old colleagues and alumni you've lost touch with.
2.    Leverage social media - connect with people online [LinkedIn, Facebook].
3.    Become comfortable talking to strangers.
4.    Read: Coffee Lunch Coffee: A Practical Field Guide for Master Networking, by Alana Muller
5.    Read: Never Eat Alone: And Other Secrets to Success, One Relationship at a Time, by Keith Ferrazzi
A job search is a huge undertaking. Having a mindset aligned with today's job market's realities is key to achieving job search success in the least amount of time. Mindset is everything!

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