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

Raised Under the Influence

 from Wayne & Tamara

Raised Under the Influence
Q I am a divorced father of a 16-year-old son and a 21-year-old son. I have been divorced 18 months and separated for a year prior to the divorce becoming final. My ex-wife is a recovering alcoholic and has been sober for two years. During the peak of her alcoholism, she had three different affairs. She lied to me so often that I demanded she leave the home. At the time of the divorce, I structured an agreement that would allow her to leave debt-free on the condition of no child support. I took on a house that was upside down about $50,000, and I took on over $40,000 in debt, due largely to her drinking and spending sprees. I also agreed to pay all of my sons’ expenses and, in doing so, have come very close to bankruptcy.

Thankfully, I was recently promoted and received a healthy raise, which gave me some financial breathing room. The problem is, I have to move.
I enjoyed equally shared custody of our younger son up to now. Due to my relocation, my son has chosen to live with his mother because he doesn’t want to move. Were it not for her sobriety and the fact he is a sophomore in high school, I would have attempted to gain full custody and have him move with me. He pleaded to stay in his hometown. Reluctantly, I agreed.
Here is the issue. My ex-wife has successfully sued me for child support. This is besides what I already do financially for both my sons, and frankly, I can’t afford it. Honestly, I’m done getting kicked around. I will fight the ruling, and it isn’t going to be cheap. I feel I must in order to continue to support my older son in college. I’m convinced my younger son will never see the money I am legally obligated to pay to his mother.

She continues to lie as she attempts to paint me as a cheapskate who doesn’t want to pay for his son’s way. Nothing could be further from the truth. But how do I explain all this to my younger son? He won’t move with me. He sees me as the villain, and when I suggest alternatives, like spending the summer with me, he digs in his heels. He doesn’t want to give up summers with his friends, and I hate asking him to make that choice. His older brother knows everything because, early on, he confronted me with whether she cheated and I told him the truth. My youngest thinks his mother and I divorced due to her drinking. Now, I’m not sure I want to go on living that lie. I want him to understand why I’m so upset. I want him to know I’m there for him, regardless of what his mother tells him. I think my wish to spend as much time as possible with him should outweigh a summer with his friends. I want him to understand family is first.  The problem is my ex-wife won’t support that view, and because of that, I feel I should tell him the whole truth. But that feels slimy.  A part of me says it’s time for the whole truth. Another part of me says to continue to take the high road and don’t put him in the middle. What do you think?
 Robert

A Robert, you have every reason to be mad and every reason to let your son see how much you pay for his support. But the wiser course now is to withhold telling your son about his mother’s infidelity. The divorce should have come 10 years ago. If that had happened, today would be different. What you are dealing with now is the multiplier effect from past decisions. But woulda-coulda-shoulda is water under the bridge. As you say, it’s her fault you and your boys are in this position.  None of that can be fixed now. The main concern of your younger son is his friends and high school classmates.

 His life is in turmoil. If there is no abuse or no imminent harm that you can prove, how much harder and more stressful will it be on your son, if his choice is overruled? Years from now he may regret his decision, but not now.
He’s not choosing his mom over you. He’s choosing his friends.
The damage that has been done by staying with a woman who went through life drunk has been done. The relationship you have with your son has been built. The interplay between the two of you is established. Don’t destroy it.

Make him know how much you will miss him and how much you think of him. That’s your best short-, medium-, and long-term play.

Doing anything other than letting him have his way now will put a wedge between you. In time, he will learn about his mother’s infidelity (and he should), if not from you, then from his brother.
But if you force your son to move, you will become the villain his mother paints you as.
Wayne & Tamara                                             write:  Directanswers@WayneAndTamara.com

WHEN THERE IS ONLY ONE CHOICE IS IT STILL DEMOCRACY?

 WHEN THERE IS ONLY ONE CHOICE IS IT STILL DEMOCRACY?
By Joe Ingino
Editor/Publisher

“I live a dream in a nightmare world”   

   The news briefing read:    Prime Minister Justin Trudeau plans to call election for Sept. 20: sources - Trudeau aides have said for months that the ruling Liberals would push for a vote before the end of 2021, two years ahead of schedule.
  For the last 100 years we have been hiding behind false ideologies.  In North America we have been brought up to defend democracy and freedom at all costs.   Sadly many have fallen during wars in the name of the preservation of a political phantom.
Allow me to explain:  We the people all want the same.  To live free of persecution and to be able to support our families.  For our children to grow up in a society that offers opportunity based on achievements, not sexual preference, race and or ethnicity.
Democracy by definition means:  a system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives.   
Now the question on the table is.... If in a so called democracy there  is only one choice is that still democracy?
After all Communism by definition means: a political theory derived from Karl Marx, advocating class war and leading to a society in which all property is publicly owned and each person works and is paid according to their abilities and needs.
Now if we read this correctly on the first we have a choice as determined by our education/opportunity and stature in society.  On the latter you have no choice and are pigeon holed into a place in society.
  I do not know about you.  One thing both ‘isms’ share is that it is a government system to control/oppress the masses.  
In both cases you have no choice, as in democracy your choices are mandated by situation/environment/economic stature.  In Communism you are pigeon holed without any real perceived choice.  In part one could say that both “isms” are one of the same.  The only difference is the path taken to the same control.   Could this be why in many countries the traditional “isms” are failing.   Could it that this is the Chinese secret to economic success?   Unified greed.  Unified goal.  One choice in the name of national prosperity.
Now back to Canada.  In Canada we have three major political parties.  And about 30 other official unrecognized parties.   In a country with so much choice and so much freedom it appears that we may have choice but no real purpose in the selection we make.   No matter who wins.  Someone is always unhappy.   The left the right. Once in office it is business as usual.  Government in Canada has become nothing short of a marketing ploy.  People do not vote on values and principles.   On what is best for them.  Instead we as Canadians vote on nostalgia, popular thought and name recognition.   Our political system much like that in the United States is broken.   It is about greed and living through your term to possibly win again.   Now I must say that under the Liberal government during the pandemic.  Not one citizen can say they did nothing.  Sure they could have done more but that is the usual battle  cry.  With this said on has to wonder if the Conservatives had been in office if they had not done the same.   Unfortunately the conservative party in Canada has lost it’s way and in part it’s purpose. To much infighting.  The Liberals with the Trudeau flag will run with it for as long as they can.  Then we have the NDP.  A cloud in between two major storms.  Very unlikely.  Then there is the PPC proving that political ideology need change in Canada.  In Canada it appears we have no choice as no matter who we elect the same old same old will continue.  Is this democracy when we only have one choice in our wide selection?

The Election and Vaccines

 

The Election and Vaccines
    by Maj (ret'd) CORNELIU E. CHISU, CD, PMSC,
FEC, CET, P. Eng.
Former Member of Parliament
Pickering-Scarborough East
   It looks like we are going for an early election; in late summer or early fall. The vaccination against Covid-19 seems to get special, if not dedicated attention from all political parties. As the pandemic may have another shot at increasing the number of people testing positive for the coronavirus, the issue of the vaccinated versus the not vaccinated is moving into position to take center stage.
Certainly, the issue is a little complicated:  The first question is, which vaccines? Political leaders such as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the leader of the opposition Conservative Party's Erin O' Toole are all for vaccination even though the combinations concocted in Canada, like Astra Zeneca combined with Moderna (and other combinations) are not recognized by many countries.  Hypocritically, the prime time media in this country is suspiciously silent on this issue. Might this be the reason that the US is not opening the land borders to Canadians. It might well be that the US does not like the cocktail vaccinations administered in Canada.
Never mind that the luminaries in Canadian politics, strongly supported by the dedicated civil service employed medical professionals are constantly preaching that all people should be vaccinated.  They are calling first of all for the federally employed public service to be treated, for which the PM asked to be considered. With the approximately 300,000 members of the federal public service vaccinated, and another two million in federally regulated industries and institutions treated, the copy cats will soon follow at the provincial and municipal levels.
The question now arises, whether this hysteria will ever come to an end or will people be subjected to a life-long stream of vaccinations in light of the delta, lambda and the rest of the Greek alphabet exhausted variants. Let us hope some level-headed reasoning will prevail.
But let us turn our attention to the federal election expected to come up soon. All the parties are frantically preparing their supporters and volunteers.  Excuses and spins touting that an elections can be conducted safely will abound despite the heralded pandemic.
Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole bending as the wind blows, like a true weathervane, has now said that in his opinion "all Canadians should get vaccinated so that the country can turn the page on COVID-19".
Interestingly enough however Conservative MP David Yurdiga, who represents Fort McMurray, Alta. in the Commons, said a government plan to study the value of making vaccination mandatory for federal bureaucrats was "another example of the Liberals using severe government overreach for political gain."
"Canadians deserve the right to liberty, whether they choose to be vaccinated or not. Mandating the vaccine as a requirement to work would be the beginning of a slippery slope," Yurdiga said.
The Conservative MP said that such a policy would be discriminatory, punishing Canadians for "what they choose to do with their bodies."
When asked to comment on Yurdiga's argument that mandatory shots would be "tyrannical," O'Toole was vague.
"I've been very clear - vaccines are the most critical tool in us fighting COVID-19. We encourage all Canadians to get vaccinated. It's actually why my wife and I took the unusual step of videotaping our own vaccinations," O'Toole said. But he forgot to say that was Astra Zeneca…….then the rest of the cocktail….
However, the fervent proponents of mandatory shots maintain it's the best way to develop herd immunity, protect the collective health of Canadians and rid the country of a very serious disease.
They say that almost universal vaccine coverage has eradicated other diseases, such as polio and tetanus, except that they forget to mention that Moderna and Pfizer for example are based on principles completely different from what we classically consider vaccines.
"It's time for people to get vaccinated, and for those who are hesitant to go and get their first and second doses," PM Trudeau said last week.
As the much more virulent delta strain of the virus takes hold in the U.S. and elsewhere, pushing case counts to levels not seen in months, a number of private companies and government departments already have said they will demand their employees either get a shot or find a new job. Nice way to promote equity and diversity…..
We will soon see if the choice to get vaccinated will be cancelled from Canadian democracy. It seems more and more that we are heading in that direction, the way towards a new type of elitist, globalist, delusional marxisistic society in the making.
As the leader of the PPC Maxime Bernier said:
"The vaccinated and the unvaccinated should oppose vaccine passports. Everybody's basic freedoms will be destroyed if we become a surveillance and police state."
As we near federal elections be aware for whom you vote. Vote for the people and the party whose main interest is to maintain freedom, fairness, respect and responsibility rather than buying votes.
Be aware and vote!

A King for the People

 A King for the People
by Alex King

    I submit, for the peoples' consideration, several issues I have with a recently passed state law. Following the adoption of West Virginia House Bill 2891, additional financial strain will soon be placed on smaller police departments in our state; and, while it seems a bit hyperbolic to use the word "defund," I can think of no better term for what may inevitably happen to our local police if the law is allowed to remain in its current form.

The delegate who sponsored the bill has always acted as a champion for law enforcement, so I have no reason to doubt his intentions. That said, I still find the need to call out HB 2891 as the detrimental heap it is. Aspects of the law are so awful I am left wondering if my representative bothered speaking with our local police departments before going to work on a legislation directly affecting them and their duties.
A line of this new legislation reads verbatim: requiring direct supervision of a pre-certified law enforcement officer by a certified law enforcement officer while engaged in law enforcement duties.

Such a requirement sounds practical on its surface. Until recently, many officers were trained locally and then permitted to patrol on their own, as long as they received their academy certification within a certain amount of time. There's absolutely nothing wrong with wanting stronger assurance that those who serve and protect us are adequately trained before patrolling on their own. However, the bill utterly disregards small departments employing only a handful of officers.

I find myself asking the following: What about the massive surge of payouts that will deplete department funding because officers who normally earn overtime will be forced to log even more hours babysitting? Will fatigue and burnout become issues for those officers putting in the extra hours? How are small departments to plan and budget for this when the timeline for getting an officer into the academy can be unreliable and dependent on a variety of factors? Will officers begin cracking down on petty offenses to make up for the dip in funding?
Those questions are just the beginning. House Bill 2891 gets even worse. Not only does it effectively raise the costs of local policing and drain more of the peoples' taxes (which will likely result in tax increases if we want to keep our smaller departments), it also robs our local communities of the ultimate decision regarding who polices us. Instead, that control now belongs to an unelected board at the state level.

Per HB 2891, potential officers will now undergo a polygraph test and psychological evaluation (paid for by individual departments and not the state). Those results will then be submitted to the state, coinciding with a thorough background check. Finally, a state-appointed committee will decide if that person is allowed to be an officer. And, despite how much funding and energy was invested in this applicant, the state may ultimately say no.  
Once again, those measures sound practical on the surface, and I would be willing to have a deeper conversation about the need for police reform. But despite how well-meant the regulation, this new piece of legislation creates a frightening opportunity for political discrimination when determining who polices our communities.

I wonder if the following questions will one day be asked by one or more members of the state committee: "Is the applicant a free thinker? Will the applicant enforce unlegislated state edicts, such as mask mandates and stay at home orders? Is the applicant politically active one way or another? Will the applicant adhere to the constitution or do exactly as the state says?"
I'm not posing a conspiracy theory, as if the state government is trying to enact authoritarian control over local law enforcement. I'm simply making an argument for how such a law will eventually be abused. Where there are loopholes, those who feel they can gain something by exploiting them will most certainly find a way to do so-even if those gains are a form of ideological control.

The law may have been passed under the premise of forming safer police standards, but the criteria described creates a scenario for political and ideological discrimination. In these increasingly reactionary times (with departments across the country being defunded and Washington D.C. beginning to occupy actual states with its police force), we must be more discerning of the laws we tolerate, even at the local level… especially at the local level.
I therefore call upon county commissioners, city council members, and passionate citizens to band together and fight for the right of our local communities to determine who polices us. We must overturn this bureaucratic nightmare of a law and return the powers stolen by HB 2891 to our local branches of government where they belong.

WORTHLESS WORDS

WORTHLESS WORDS

By Joe Ingino

Editor/Publisher

“I live a dream in a nightmare world”

What is happening across the world? What an exciting and yet concerning times we are living through. Believe me I have heard this cry before.... Change is good. The future holds only one end and so on and so on. Depending on who you are talking with the outcome becomes more doom and gloom.

In reality our educational systems are making us more aware of our environments. Educating us on things that in the past we were ignorant of even having a thought about. It appears we are all experts in our own fields. To me our educational systems compounded with high tech. We are producing specialist instead of free thinkers. We are creating a social culture based on perceptual norms and not facts.

The rule of thumb appears to be, that the more people you can sway to believe a particular thought... That thought becomes reality. Even though irrational.

Take for example language.... All languages suffer from the same. We today are communicating at a much higher awareness level then ever before.

Take for example simple words like ‘LOVE’. If this basic common word can have so many uses and make so much impact on the human profile. Imagine words like Democracy, Equality.

Language in modern society is being used as a weapon to control the masses. Historically, governments and the church had that domain monopolized as one the other could not exists.

Our laws and our social/civic principles are all rooted in the 10 commandments. God is used as tool to force conformity amongst the masses. After all who wants to end up in Hell.

Unfortunately that card has been played once to many times and the game has been exposed to be nothing short of a words switch and bait type of card game.

People are today bringing to light the validity of the word of God. They question and defy law in the name of a right that in reality they do not have but have been fed the line that they do.

Our rights and freedoms are not mandated by anyone. No place does it say that this is a human right other than man saying so.

In reality we are nothing but animals. The human race. Governed by basic instincts and drives.

What is the difference between a drive and an instinct? As nouns the difference between drive and instinct is that drive is (senseid)self-motivation; ability coupled with ambition while instinct is a natural or inherent impulse or behaviour. Are these not what religion and government so tailored their laws and norms around. They like to give us the impression that we have the right while at the same time oppressing our natural impulse and keep us civil?

What is Freud's instinct theory?

Definition: Instinct. INSTINCT. A pre-lingual bodily impulse that drives our actions. Freud makes a distinction between instinct and the antithesis, conscious/unconscious; an instinct is pre-lingual and, so, can only be accessed by language, by an idea that represents the instinct.

Sigmund Freud, 1891. Freud, early in his studies, took the biological view that there are two basic instinctive forces governing life: self-preservation and reproduction.What is the flaw of instinct theory?

What is the flaw in instinct theory? Instincts don't explain behavior; they simply label it. Drive Reduction theory. A theory that states that some physiological need occurs that creates a state of tension which in turn motivates you to reduce the tension or satisfy the need.

If this stands true. Modern day norms can be said to be manipulated by the media and high tech. Could it be that world governments turn to the media in order to cast sublime messages of compliance in the future. But wait. Places like CNN and FOX are they not already doing this. God is being removed from most of society as any trace of history. Governments are still pushing the national pride line only to be denounced.

How is democracy to survive when love between man kind can’t be accomplished. Does this mean that we are looking at a world of misinformation or tailored information enforced by force disguised as law?

Wait in part it is today. Will the message remain the same. Just the delivery method change?

I remember growing up hearing of the many evil that the future would bring. From the end of time as the clock clicked midnight in 1999 to 2000 to the many religious devoted calling on followers to prepare in 2012.

The reality of existence is not based on events. I believe that our destiny has been predestined by our existence.

We are nothing but part of something much bigger.

We the human race create all these system to survive. To thrive in an environment that has limitation and an expiry date.

Much like our own lives. Many make it to 80. Not realizing that we sleep 40 of those years in the name of rest/health.

We communicate in part to oppress our rooted drives and instincts.

We go around professing based on confused opinion.

Even those that swear by science only to be proven to fault in their method.

I think the best thing we can take from life, society is fact that we are on this planet for a short time and during that time we must enjoy and live every moment as if it was our last.

Achieve and believe that you are not the one that is important. Your contributions to humanity are. Your compassion and understanding in the enlightenment of understanding who you really are. Worthless words or are they?

BEND OVER TAKE IN THE ASS AND LIKE IT

 

BEND OVER TAKE IN THE ASS AND LIKE IT
By Joe Ingino
Editor/Publisher

“I live a dream in a nightmare world”   

    As a child I remember how much I hated going to the doctor.   As a kid you only went there for a vaccination or a minor check up.   On the first, I remember him lowering my pants and before I knew it.  Boom he had pricked me with a needle on my ass cheek.
  I had no choice.  I was more worried about the fact that my genitalia was exposed then anything else.... Meanwhile I was getting pricked in the name of public health.   My mom would always kiss me in the forehead to comfort me as she slipped me a candy as a treat for being a good boy.
  In modern society it appears the same principles are being employed by the government.   They take us to a place out of fear.  In the name of public health.  Then without really having much choice prick us with a vaccine that in my opinion has not fully been studied or understood.  All they tell us is that it has shown in some fictitious study to have an affect on a virus that even today we(governments) of the world have no clue what it truly is.   
We have an idea.  But no one can without a doubt clearly say they know what this virus is doing across the planet.
   Could this be what they mean by ‘the writing on the wall’.   Could it be that out of our own ignorance we are entrusting governments.  Governments that go on a hit and miss agenda and not on what is best for the people they represent.
   They say that Russians are the most upfront people.  The people with the most real choices.  A people with true freedom.  I say this because as free and democratic the Russian may be.  They are only given one choice.   Therefore the choice is always right and easy.  This mentality appears to be what our so called ‘FREE AND DEMOCRATIC’ nations of the world are employing.
   I say this because it appears that governments across the globe without fully understanding the choice.  Taken choice from their citizens by creating a sublime hysteria over what they perceive to be the magic shield against COVID.   Only to be exposed for their ignorance of the truth by variants of COVID.
   You can’t blame the politicians.  They are flags in the wind of an agenda that is way beyond their intellect and understanding.  
Much like me taking it in the ass.  We are all taking it in the ass and forced to like it.
Just this week.  Some brilliant mind in government decided to put the idiotic idea in the arena of public ignorance, that somehow governments have given themselves the power to pass vaccination passports.   Not only that.   The same brilliant minds put the seed of ignorance amongst public opinionatos that it is OK to refuse services, entry and or opportunity based on vaccination choice.
This is in part sparking the debate over forced vaccination in general.   As it stands if you are not vaccinated for some disease you can be banned from schools and the like.  So why is it that the COVID vaccination has such an opposition?   Simple.  The COVID vaccine is to new and a fallacy.  We must not trust science but depend on it’s byproducts.  We must not enforce compliance but instead promote civil duty, free will and choice.  As a society we have given up common sense.  Basic human decency and for that we are being oppressed by laws and social pressure to comply.   Vaccines that have a solid proven record are obviously good.  Vaccines that are put forth in urgency to attempt to calm and unknown is wrong as it is not logical.  People  lets use common sense.  Let’s stop taking it in the ass in the name that science knows best.
Let’s first completely understand the source then let science find a logical solution that is reasonable and true.  Humanity will never move forward blinded by ignorance.  Open your eyes.

Tales from the war in Afghanistan

 

Tales from the war in Afghanistan
    by Maj (ret'd) CORNELIU E. CHISU, CD, PMSC,
FEC, CET, P. Eng.
Former Member of Parliament
Pickering-Scarborough East
   The military Canadian mission in Afghanistan officially ended in May 2014. There are many memories of it and we always will remember the sacrifices made by the 158 comrades fallen. As I was deployed in 2007 at the beginning of the most violent phase of the war I remember with pleasure working with the Afghani people on the Kandahar base.
The evolution of the situation in Afghanistan and the new political events there with the Taliban rising again it is important that we think about these people who helped our mission with dedication and do something for them and their families.
As Afghanistan is on the brink of descending into a civil war we should set out to rescue those Afghans who worked with Canada's diplomats and soldiers before Taliban assassins find them and kill them. We should have envisaged a prospective of this, when Hamid Karzai, Afghanistan's first president after 9/11, who was forever pleading with the Taliban, his "brothers," his fellow Pashtuns, his "sons of the soil," to talk peace. However, you cannot make peace with mass murderers, as history has repeatedly shown.
The surviving leaders of the resistance during the dark Taliban years warned loudly and often that any effort to reconcile with Mullah Omar's mass murderers would end in disaster and here we are.  Unfortunately their warning fell on deaf ears of politicians who might have done something about it. Down through the years as I followed the events after my deployment there among Afghans, the woolly idea of peace talks was dismissed time and again as a dangerous folly.
The Afghani diaspora have said so, as many Afghani associations and especially Afghani women's associations have expressed their deep concern about dealing with the Taliban for peace. Burhanuddin Rabbani, who headed up Afghanistan's High Council for Peace before the Taliban assassinated him, also said so.
But the unfortunate wisdom in the NATO capitals purported to know better as well as former U.S. president Barack Obama who thought he knew better. Even former President Donald Trump, thought that a peaceful reconciliation between Ashraf Ghani's tenuously democratic government in Kabul and the Taliban's Islamic Emirate, comfortably domiciled in Quetta, Pakistan would be possible.  So the US has bet on the wrong horse again, because the Taliban, supported covertly and sometimes quite openly by Pakistan, has taken a step by step operation to recover the lost territories and influence. Pakistan is a principal participating factor in this equation, but nobody seems to take this into consideration.
President Joe Biden proceeded into this fantasy world with a determination that anticipated a full American withdrawal by September 11 of this year, which quickly accelerated to the objective of having American troops out before the end of the summer, and all NATO forces out with them.
It is clear now that when the foreign forces leave the country without bringing about a positive change in the security, the situation will unfold as predicted. First there will be a civil war and regional instability, and then the Taliban will rule again.
It was known that training more than 300,000 Afghan soldiers and police was never going to be enough as the rule of the Taliban has already been extended over much of the country. The Taliban have taken control of most of Afghanistan's border posts and a bloody civil war is already in the offing.  So that is the reason that Ottawa should continue to set out to rescue those Afghans who worked with Canadians and a network of military veterans who were left behind after 2011 now that the Taliban are closing in.
In 2011, when the last Canadian troops finished their combat operations, a special federal program had allowed about 800 interpreters to emigrate and settle in Canada. But many were left behind.  As the situation in Afghanistan is deteriorating at a rapid rate, the first planeload of Afghan refugees who supported the Canadian military mission in Afghanistan has arrived in Canada. It is the first of a number of flights that the government is promising to spirit refugees out of Afghanistan as the resurgent Taliban retakes control of some districts in the country following the withdrawal of American troops.
The government last month announced a special program to urgently resettle Afghans deemed to have been "integral" to the Canadian Armed Forces' mission, including interpreters, cooks, drivers, cleaners, construction workers, security guards and embassy staff, as well as members of their families. Applicants must still meet all the usual admissibility requirements, including security, criminal and health screenings.
In a statement last week, Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino, Foreign Affairs Minister Marc Garneau and Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan said the government is working "around the clock" to identify eligible individuals. "The government has been seized with the urgency on the ground and is working as quickly as possible to resettle Afghan nationals who put themselves at great risk to support Canada's work in Afghanistan," the ministers said.
They said a team is on the ground in Afghanistan to help Afghans submit applications and provide the necessary documentation. "We are doing everything we can to get every Afghan refugee out as swiftly as possible but we recognize that the security situation can change rapidly."
Hoping for the best for the people who helped Canadians in Afghanistan, we should however never forget our fallen Canadians who fought there for democracy.

Long-term survival after heart attack

 

Long-term survival after heart attack

W. Gifford-Jones, M.D. and Diana Gifford-Jones

Diana Gifford-Jones: You were 74 when a coronary attack nearly killed you. A short time later you had a coronary bypass. Readers often ask what you have done to prevent another coronary for so long?

W. Gifford-Jones, MD: I have no single answer. I’m convinced it’s been a combination of factors.

Diana: What’s your personal routine for heart health?

G-J: I was lucky to interview Dr. Linus Pauling years ago. He believed that heart disease is partially due to a deficiency of vitamin C. This causes microscopic cracks in the inner lining of arteries. A blood clot results with possibility of death. I didn’t want to pop handfuls of vitamin C tablets, so I formulated Medi-C Plus, a powder form of C in combination with lysine, and I’ve been taking 10,000 milligrams (mg) for 24 years without using cholesterol lowering drugs. Many doctors disagree with my approach. But even if doctors insist on CLDs, adding vitamin C in combination with lysine is a good idea. Since vitamin C is water soluble and therefore lost in urination, it should ideally be taken three times a day.

Diana: Should everyone be taking such a high dose?

G-J: Only those who have suffered heart attack or are at high risk. For others, 2,000 mg twice a day is a good prevention strategy. Why? Because long-term high doses of C keep the inner lining of arteries “rubbery” and help prevent the build up of blockages. If high doses of C result in diarrhea, cut back on the dosage, as bowel tolerance varies from person to person. Be patient to find the right balance. Remember, it’s better to sit on the toilet than to lie under a tombstone.

Diana: Dr. Sydney Bush, a U.K. ophthalmologist, showed that over many years of use, high doses of vitamin C reversed hardening of arteries. Sample retinal images of his patients are posted on our website. What else do you take to protect your health?

G-J: I take 500 mg daily of magnesium – nature’s natural vasodilator that helps to expand arteries. Narrowed arteries cause a lack of oxygenated blood to various organs creating a pile of trouble such as Type 2 diabetes, all its complications, and eventually coronary attack.

Diana: You’ve also been taking one tablet of NEO40 daily for years. Why?

G-J: Nitric oxide is produced by the inner lining of arteries, but production gradually decreases with age. I take NEO40 to keep arteries healthy and decrease my risk of another coronary attack.

Diana: Any others?

G-J: Actually, several more. I take natural vitamin E. I recall a 70-year-old patient who stopped playing tennis due to leg pain from poor circulation. After supplementing with 1,200 mg a day he was back playing tennis in two months. Vitamin E increases the oxygenation of blood cells.

Diana: You and I recently took an Omega 3 blood test revealing ratios of good and bad fatty acids in the body.

G-J: Omega 3 EPA and DHA fight inflammation while omega 6 fatty acids cause inflammation linked to heart attack. Studies show 97 percent of Canadians have poor ratios. A U.S study showed similar results. Researchers also found a stunning 90 percent of those taking fish oil supplements did not score well as they are hard to absorb. But Canadian researchers have developed a fish oil called MaxSimil contained in Certified Naturals Clinical Omega3X. It’s three times more soluble than standard fish oil supplements, and that’s why I’ve recommended it and take it myself.

Diana: You are in your 98th year, and it’s been 24 years since your coronary attack. Some luck, yes. But you couldn’t have done it without a healthy heart. Keep on ticking!

For comments, contact-us@docgiff.com.

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Dollars and Sense

 

Dollars and Sense

Q What advice would you have for a retired couple who twice came to the financial aid of their adult son? The first time he was laid off and unable to make payments. The second time he racked up another bill, could not make payments, and came to us after a court date was announced. He is married with three children. I would never have thought he would take money and just stop making payments, after making just two. This situation has totally wrecked our relationship. Now we don’t speak or communicate at all. Because we trusted him 100%, the loan was done with no more than a handshake and a promise of regular payments each month. The money amounts to a little over $12,000, and we can make it either way. It’s more that he has broken his word to us. That hurts more than the money. I have a feeling he has more bills and the biggest problem is his wife. For some reason, she never warmed up to us. I will put it this way. Several times since they married there have been run-ins, most often because of something taken wrong in a conversation. But we have never intentionally said or done anything to cause distress or harm. If something could be taken wrong, that’s how she takes it.

The last time I spoke to my son, he thought his wife was making monthly $250.00 payments to us, and I had to inform him it was simply not true. I made him promise to speak with his wife and call me back. I have not heard from him since. We are far from perfect, but we always try to do what is right. If I ever get to the point when I feel there is nothing to lose, I might take him to small claims court. I don’t believe he is happy about this situation. He twice needed money, and both times we were there for him. He also knows that both times he gave his word to make good on the debt. I guess he will have to live with that every time he looks in the mirror. Most of all, I hate not seeing our grandson, and I fear that isn’t going to change. I’m sorry for dumping my troubles on your lap. Royce

A Royce, an old nursery rhyme says, “Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater had a wife but couldn’t keep her.” Your son may have a wife he can’t keep because he doesn’t have enough money to satisfy her. But he wants to keep her, even to the point of damaging his relationship with you.

He thought she was making payments to you, but she wasn’t. Our surmise is that your son is in worse financial shape than you know.

Perhaps his wife’s dream of white picket fences must be fulfilled without regard to their income. Perhaps she handles the money in order to conceal things from her husband. Perhaps she causes problems because she is the problem. Our suggestion is this. Do not go to court. You don’t want to alienate your son. Also, don’t lend him any more money. We suspect your son didn’t call you back because there was nothing he could say. “We don’t have the money. My wife lied to me. I don’t know what to do.” But he can’t make himself say that. He may be too embarrassed to talk to you because he finds the problem insoluble.

For now, leave the ball in his court. Behave normally. Send the normal birthday cards and gifts. Make customary plans for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Remain open so that he can come to you in every way but financially, and cut your losses at $12,000. If they go into bankruptcy, they go into bankruptcy. Some parents lose a son to illness, some to an accident, some to a wife. Growing up it appears you had a good relationship with your son. Now he must grow up a little more and learn to deal with money, and his wife, in a realistic way. The wisest course is to be open to him, if and when he comes to understand that.

Wayne & Tamara write: Directanswers@WayneAndTamara.com

Your Cover Letter's Third Paragraph Getting the Reader to Act

 Your Cover Letter's
Third Paragraph  
Getting the Reader to Act
By Nick Kossovan
 If you don't ask, you don't get.
  In the 1992 movie Glengarry Glen Ross, Alec Baldwin's character, Blake, gives a shape-up or ship-out speech to a group of real estate salesmen. He turns over a blackboard on which two sets of letters are written. One set of letters is "ABC." Blake then shouts, "A-B-C. A, always; B, be; C, closing. Always be closing! Always be closing!"
To shorten your job search, envision you're looking for your next client. Finding your next client is a sales process; therefore, you need to A-B-C. When you're in A-B-C mode, you move through an employer's hiring process much faster than passive job seekers.
A-B-C isn't only for when you're at the interview stage, intending to close the deal (obtaining a job offer). To get your network to inform you of job opportunities, get past gatekeepers, and especially to get that covenant interview, you need to A-B-C, which is why your cover letter's last paragraph needs to be a call to action.
Here are 3 examples:
With my 15+ years of sales management experience, I know I can quickly get up to speed as ACME Inc.'s next Sales Director. I'd welcome the opportunity to speak with you regarding my qualifications. Next Wednesday, I'll reach out to schedule a call to discuss my thoughts on who to raise ACME Inc.'s ROI by 25% before year-end. I look forward to speaking with you.
I'm inspired by Callister Inc's success in supporting homegrown businesses. I have several ideas for marketing strategies to increase profitability among your customer base and how I can grow your reach. I look forward to the opportunity to share my thoughts with you.
I'm looking forward to discussing my skills and my 10+ years of international hotel management experience. I've several suggestions I'd like to pass by you on how Grand Budapest Hotel can increase its occupancy rate, a challenge all hotels face during the current pandemic. Please contact me at (555) 916-225-5887 or mary.smitters@hotel.com any time. I'll be in touch next Friday to follow up.
Your closing paragraph needs to:
-Be decisive. Decisiveness projects confidence, which is not to be confused with arrogance. Confidence is a massive turn-on with employers. Before the hiring manager can feel (hiring comes down to gut feel) you can do the job, they need to feel that you feel you can do the job.
-Write to what you can do for the employer, not what they can do for you.
-Offer a teaser. To use another movie analogy, think of Marlon Brando's words in The Godfather, "I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse." This sets the foundation for what'll be discussed and therefore puts you in the driver's seat.
-Mention you'll follow up. (Then DO IT!)
The last point is a job search game-changer. Many career experts claim following up is overly aggressive. The way I see it, not following up makes you passive, which is a form of being lazy. I'm repeating myself; employers don't hire lazy.
There's been a few instances where I've been overwhelmed with resumes. Those who called me almost always got an interview. I can recall three times where I hired the person based on a "follow-up" phone conversation.
A few weeks back, a Regional Sales Director for a large pharmaceutical company told me when hiring a sales representative, he only grants interviews to those who follow up. This makes sense since sales success requires being comfortable making calls.
Bottom-line: Following up by phone will set you apart from your competition.
Of course, if the job posting says "No phone calls please.", which is uncommon, you need to respect such instruction.
Regarding signing off, use any of the following:
-Sincerely
-Best regards
-Sincere regards
-Yours truly
-Respectfully
As I've mentioned in an earlier column, there's no universal hiring methodology. Don't stress over small details, such as how to sign off. Throughout your search, focus on communicating how you're able to bring results (value). Such focus will have you A-B-C.
If you're wondering what the other set of letters Blake had written on the blackboard, they were AIDA - Attention, Interest, Decision, Action. This is what your cover letter needs to do.
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.

How Accurate Is Your Blood Pressure Reading?

 How Accurate Is Your Blood Pressure Reading?

 W. Gifford-Jones, M.D. and Diana Gifford-Jones
  Having your blood pressure taken during an annual checkup is always part of the routine. In fact, compared to CT scans and MRI procedures used to detect complex problems, most people don’t give blood pressure readings much thought. As long as the doctor reports normal readings, there’s no reason for concern. But have you ever wondered if your blood pressure reading is accurate?
Multiple studies have shown that 15 to 30 percent of those who have elevated blood pressure in a doctor’s office or other health care setting have normal blood pressure when checked at home. It is not shocking news. You must be a pretty cool patient not to be somewhat uptight in medical offices. There is always the concern the doctor will have bad news.
What may be a surprise is that there are 19 requirements to obtain a true blood pressure reading! How many of these measures are followed in a busy doctor’s office?

For instance, patients are required to sit for five minutes before a blood pressure reading is taken with back supported and feet flat on the ground. This means that perching on an examining table with feet dangling is a no, no. So is crossing your legs. Never place the cuff over clothing. And at least two measurements should be taken during the visit, with the average being recorded.

Patients should also relax and breath normally. Smoking before the test, consuming caffeine, or exercising all forbidden before a blood pressure reading. And it you are on hypertensive medication, don’t take it just before the visit to the doctor’s office.
Another important no-no which you may not have considered is that blood pressure must not be taken when you have a full bladder. So, have the courage to say, “Doctor, before you take my blood pressure, could you wait for a few minutes so I can use the bathroom?”

What about the blood pressure cuff? A cuff that is too small or large can cause an unreliable reading. So can a cuff that is too tight or not tight enough. Your arm should be resting on a table roughly the height of your heart while blood pressure is being taken. A series of readings over time are more accurate if taken at the same time of the day in a similar context.

Do you still have blind confidence in your blood pressure readings? If you have been prescribed blood pressure medication, do you need it? Or was the diagnosis the result of “white-coat hypertension”?
If these basic blood pressure requirements are not filled during a medical examination, patients left with a quandary. It requires a strong personality to say to the nurse or doctor, “I’m worried this may be not an accurate blood pressure reading because you failed to follow the standard procedures.” It’s not the best way to engender good relations between doctor and patient. So, what else can be done?

For anyone taking blood pressure drugs, it’s prudent to purchase an automatic digital blood pressure monitor. These are more accurate than the traditional manual devices used in offices that require a squeeze of the rubber bulb to inflate the cuff. All you have to do with a digital device is to wrap the cuff around the arm, push the button to inflate the cuff, and in a few moments, you have the result.

Now it’s easy to say, “Doctor my digital cuff says my blood pressure is consistently 130/80 when I am at home. Maybe I just have white coat hypertension.”

For comments, contact-us@docgiff.com.
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Job hunting is a selling process. Those who embrace this job search truism shorten their job search

 Job hunting is a
selling process. Those
who embrace this job search truism shorten their job search
By Nick Kossovan
Job hunting is a selling process. Those who embrace this job search truism shorten their job search.
There are two basic selling processes:
-Transactional
-Solution-based
 
In transactional selling, the salesperson has limited options. Basically, they're offering an inventory of products from a catalogue and negotiating a price (usually based on volume), payment, and delivery. Solution-based selling is more complicated. In a solution-based selling scenario the seller focuses on a specific issue or problem the customer faces and suggests corresponding services or products to solve that issue and customizes their offering accordingly.

Applying to a job posting, or a job opportunity you uncovered through networking, is comparable to solution-based selling. Keep this in mind as you write the second paragraph of your cover letter.
 
After telling the reader, in the opening paragraph of your cover letter, you're the ideal candidate for the job, you must prove it; otherwise, your first paragraph was just your opinion. As I've mentioned in an earlier column, employers don't hire opinions; they hire results.
 
The second paragraph is your sales pitch. Here's where you show the hiring manager you're a good fit for the position. This is done by choosing 3 - 6 experiences/skills/traits that connect your accomplishments with the job posting's job requirements. Remember, numbers and metrics are essential to making your "sales pitch" persuasive.
 
Here's an example:
 
For the past 8 years, I've managed Bravo Pizza's Western Canada sales territory. I increased sales by 260% during that time, averaging $48,000 in sales every day, translating into approximately 12,000 pizzas/daily. This achievement required my making daily cold calls to sign on over 345 new grocery stores to carry Bravo Pizza's line of frozen pizzas. I also implemented retargeting sales campaigns using Facebook Pixel and other data tracking technologies. As well, I created 10+ cold email templates that were adopted as a company standard. The bottom line is this: I'm able to hit the ground running and becoming a part of increasing Pumpkin Desserts' revenue.
While this paragraph will do the job personally, I prefer bullet points. Using bullet points would redesign the above example to read as follows:
 
In reference to your requirements outlined in the Marketing Analyst job ad description, I can offer Pumpkin Desserts:
-Over 8 years of sales territory management for Bravo Pizza, a nationwide frozen food company.
-Increased sales from $6.8 million annually to $17.8, a 260% increase. ($48,000 in daily sales, which is approx. 12,000 pizzas)
-Implemented retargeting sales campaigns using Facebook Pixel and other data tracking technologies.
-Created 10+ cold email templates that are now used company wide.
 
The bottom line is this: I'm able to hit the ground running and become a part of increasing Pumpkin Desserts' revenue.
Which example is more readable (skimmable)? Bullets direct the reader to important information, information that can persuade them to read your resume, and that you might be worth their time to interview.
Don't restate everything that's on your resume. Cherry-pick experiences that make you a good fit for the position - make connections between what the employer is looking for and what you have to offer.

Last week, I suggested you create a list of 5 - 6 quantified reasons (the more, the better) why an employer should hire you. Such a list will make it easy to fill in the bullet points to customize your cover letter. Hence, your achievements will be relevant to the position.
What makes me especially fond of using bullet points is its flexibility to add additional experiences/skills/traits without creating an overly enormous awkward paragraph. Appropriate additions will further increase your odds of your resume being read and receiving a call for an interview.
For example, could add one of the following:
- McMaster University (DeGroote School of Business) - Bachelor of Commerce (2008).
- Sit on the Canada Food Council Advisory board since 2016.
- Fluently bilingual. (English, French)
- Local Toastmasters (The North Toastmasters, Toronto, ON) club officer since 2013.
- University of Waterloo - Sales and Marketing Fundamentals Certificate (2015).
 
To keep your cover letter concise, don't exceed 6 bullet points.
 
Next week's column will discuss writing the third paragraph of your cover letter, a call to action. A call to action is an intricate part of the selling process.

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.
Remember, the reader will not be rea, qualified, why an employer should hire you.
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

CYBER ATTACKS CYBER SECURITY - CYBER JOKE

 

CYBER ATTACKS
CYBER SECURITY - CYBER JOKE
By Joe Ingino
Editor/Publisher

“I live a dream in a nightmare world”   

    I remember when the internet was introduced to the world.  Most people did not have a computer, forget a cell phone.  I remember coming across this technology and thought.   It has potential.   At that time here at the Central we had interest in going AM/FM but the cost would have been overwhelming and the wait time for an open frequency would have been years.  We then looked at Satellite transmission.  The costs at that time were out of this world.  Satellite transmission prior Sirius Radio was unheard.
   I remember seriously looking at the internet as an alternative.  Unfortunately at that time the signal was weak and forget bandwidth.
I remember having to wait for the modem to warm up and find a signal over the phone line.   We worked with Microsoft on many of their beta trial for industry R/D in order to learn the technology.   Microsoft at that time was a beep on the corporate line.   It seemed as a race to develop technology had been born.
  Everyone realized the potential but the work to cash heaven was far from near.   I remember the first so called browsers.   Primitive and m any took you off working on a blue screen with yellow letters.
  Browsers like Netscape allowed computer users the first glimpses at what was to come.
During those days, the rule of thumb was that the internet was FREE WARE.  What this meant was that everyone self governed as most of the information that you put on that had to be valid and come from some reputable source.   Mostly Universities and governments utilized the net.
The net was a unique place to be and reserved originally for intellectuals and computer interests only.
The introduction of chats was the spark to what the internet is today.  Chat allowed people to exchange in real time live information as before the only means of communication was via email.
  At the same time, chats created the first cloud of doubt that humanity could be trusted.  As many on chats found ways to harass and at time commit crimes that had no jurisdiction for conviction.   
From the sex talk to the many attempting to offer something they would never delivered.     The human aspect, the human decency of the net was compromised.  People would attempt to hack systems as at that time as it is today is very easily done.
Government from day one have been trying to find ways to govern and regulate the net.   An impossible feat.   The net can only be temporarily interrupted and not shut down.   The net is such a sophisticated information system that it will grow out of human touch. With the never ending capabilities of artificial intelligence in the system.   The internet technically and hypothetically can take a life form of it’s own... governed and prosecuted by no one.
Here is the danger.   You hear government complaining about cyber attacks.   The reality of it is you can encrypt all you want.   The bottom line with time anything and or anyone can be hacked.   The more sophisticated the system the easily it becomes to hack utilizing the correct technologies.  Today with the factor of algorithms... No system is safe.   
The utilization of artificial intelligence can only compound the threat of a run away network that can have serious impact on our existence.  At the moment our biggest threat through the net is human origin on human.  What will we do when the threat comes from a learned ideology on governance by a machine that has the ability to perform unlimited algorithms per second. Protecting itself from itself and any threat.   This is the real global threat when it comes to tech.

Our 2021 Civic Holiday

 

Our 2021 Civic Holiday
    by Maj (ret'd) CORNELIU E. CHISU, CD, PMSC,
FEC, CET, P. Eng.
Former Member of Parliament
Pickering-Scarborough East
   As we are approaching our Civic Holiday on August the 2nd let us think for a moment of relief from the pandemic blues. Let us celebrate with our family and friends in this beautiful but short Canadian summer. Let us be optimistic about our future.
The Civic Holiday is not a statutory holiday although it's a day off for many employees across the country. The Civic Holiday is commonly referred to as the August long weekend. It is probably the busiest day on highways as tens of thousands of families go camping and to cottages on that weekend.
So let us see a little bit of history of the Civic Holiday in Ontario. The origins of a holiday on the first Monday in August appear to date back to 1869 when Toronto City Council organized the first "day of recreation."
In Ontario, the first Monday of August is technically a municipal holiday, as it is not designated as an official statutory holiday by provincial legislation even thought various private member's bills have been introduced in the Ontario Legislature attempting to make it official, but none has passed to date.
As such, the holiday takes on different names and celebrates different subjects according to municipality. Many Ontario municipalities have chosen to honour a significant local person or organization in order to localize the celebration; when not given a local name (such as in Mississauga), the day is often generically referred to as "Civic Holiday" or "August Civic Holiday".
In 2008, the Ontario Legislature passed a law identifying the first of August as "Emancipation Day", as the British Parliament abolished slavery in the British Empire as of August 1, 1834. It still does not make it an official holiday, however.
The Civic Holiday is now known by one of a number of local appellations, including, among others:
-"Founders' Day" in Brantford (named in 1982): each year, the Brantford Heritage Committee submits a report to City Council with the name or organization that is to be recognized on that day.
-"Joseph Brant Day" in Burlington (): celebrating Joseph Brant, the Mohawk Chief who became known for his treaty negotiations and loyalty to the British.
-"James Cockburn Day" in Cobourg (1999): celebrating James Cockburn, one of the "fathers of Confederation".
-"John Galt Day" in Guelph (2006): celebrating John Galt, the Scottish novelist and businessman who founded the city.
-"George Hamilton Day" in Hamilton: celebrating George Hamilton, the eponymous founder of the city.
-"McLaughlin Day" in Oshawa (1983): celebrating Robert Samuel McLaughlin, who brought General Motors to Oshawa.
-"Colonel By Day" in Ottawa (1996): celebrating Colonel John By, who led the construction of the Rideau Canal and founded Bytown, which became the city of Ottawa.
-"Peter Robinson Day" in Peterborough: celebrating Peter Robinson
-"Alexander Mackenzie Day" in Sarnia (1998): celebrating Alexander Mackenzie, the 2nd Prime Minister of Canada.
-"Simcoe Day" in Toronto: celebrating John Graves Simcoe, the first Lieutenant-Governor of Upper Canada and the leading proponent of the Act Against Slavery.
-"Benjamin Vaughan Day" in Vaughan: celebrating the eponymous Benjamin Vaughan
Here in Durham Region in Oshawa let's have a look at who  Robert Samuel McLaughlin was.
Colonel Robert Samuel McLaughlin, CC ED CD (September 8, 1871 - January 6, 1972) was a Canadian businessman and philanthropist. He started the McLaughlin Motor Car Company in 1907, one of the first major automobile manufacturers in Canada, which evolved into General Motors of Canada.
McLaughlin was born in Enniskillen, near Bowmanville Ontario, to Robert McLaughlin and Mary Smith. As a young man, he worked briefly in a local hardware store, then in 1887 became an apprentice in his father's company, McLaughlin Carriage Works, which had opened in 1867. At one time it was the largest manufacturer of horse-drawn buggies and sleighs in the British Empire.
In 1892, McLaughlin and his brother George become junior partners in their father's company.  In 1898, he married Adelaide Mowbray.
He started producing the McLaughlin-Buick Model F with engines bought from William C. Durant of Buick, incorporating the McLaughlin Motor Car Company on November 20, 1907. In its first full year of operation, 1908, it produced 154 cars. By 1910 he was a director of General Motors. He sold his Chevrolet company stock in 1918, becoming president of General Motors of Canada, which continued to sell cars under the McLaughlin-Buick brand until 1942.
Though he retired in 1945, he remained chairman of the board until his death and remained on the board of General Motors until the early 1960s. He was replaced by Royal Bank of Canada president Earle McLaughlin, his first cousin once removed.
His older brother, chemist John J. McLaughlin (1865-1914), founded the Canada Dry company. After his brother's death in 1914, McLaughlin became president of this company until it was sold around 1923. The longest continuously-serving colonel in the history of the Canadian Forces, McLaughlin was appointed as honorary lieutenant-colonel of the 34th Ontario Regiment (1921 - 1931), when he was appointed as honorary colonel of the same unit, later designated as The Ontario Regiment (RCAC), a reserve armored regiment based in Oshawa. Affectionately known as "Colonel Sam", McLaughlin served as honorary colonel until 1967.
In 1967, McLaughlin was appointed a Companion of the Order of Canada.
A great Canadian, McLaughlin made a lot of charitable contributions.
In 1951, he established the McLaughlin Foundation which, donated nearly $200 million between 1953 and 2003 to the University of Toronto and other educational causes, including the McLaughlin Planetarium at the Royal Ontario Museum.
At Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, the university's Mechanical Engineering Department is housed in McLaughlin Hall, his donation in 1948. McLaughlin Hall in Queen's University's John Deutsch University Centre is also named for him. Queen's honored his wife, Adelaide McLaughlin, in 1957, by naming the women's residence Adelaide Hall.
In 1947 McLaughlin and his wife donated land for "Camp Samac", a Boy Scout camp on the outskirts of Oshawa.
McLaughlin donated $1 million to the 1968 library building at the University of Guelph, which bears his name.
He provided partial funding to build McLaughlin College at York University in Toronto, opened in 1968. In recognition for his contributions to St. Andrew's College in Aurora, Ontario, McLaughlin Hall is named after him, which he unveiled in 1971 at the age of 99.
He endowed the Regimental Foundation of the Ontario Regiment (RCAC) and quietly paid the salaries of some of the regiment's soldiers during times of severely curtailed government funding. McLaughlin House at the Lester B. Pearson United World College of the Pacific also bears his name.
He gave generously to the art community, donating paintings from his personal collection. Among other gifts, he gave Lawren Harris`s Pic Island, Arthur Lismer`s Bright Land, and Emily Carr`s Old Tree at Dusk to the McMichael Canadian Art Collection in Kleinburg.
So get ready to celebrate but remember that here in Durham region in Oshawa, we have history to tell. Have a safe celebration.

It Starts with Your Cover Letter's First Paragraph

 It Starts with Your Cover Letter's First Paragraph
By Nick Kossovan
  You may recall in an earlier column I stated whether requested or not, not including a cover letter is lazy. Most hiring managers don't hire lazy, thus the importance of including a cover letter.

A cover letter is a one-page letter (no more than 250 words) whose job is to get the reader to read your resume, as well as persuade why you should be interviewed. At this stage of your job search, focus on getting interviews, not on getting a job offer. Job hunting is a step-by-step process.

Warren Buffett gives the following advice in Gillian Zoe Segal's book "Getting There: A Book of Mentors" - "Focus on your communication skills." His reason, "What's essential is being able to get others to follow your ideas." Persuasive writing displays strong writing skills; a skill employers value. Above all hard skills, I value communication skills the highest. I gravitate to candidates who show such skills.

Remember, the reader will not be reading; they'll be skimming. It's paramount you start with how you can add value to the employer.
TIP: Paste your cover letter into Hemingway App (www.hemingwayapp.com). This free app will assist you in making your writing concise and clear. As well, it'll highlight lengthy, complex sentences and common errors.

After you greet the hiring manager (by name), you'll begin your cover letter's first paragraph. This is where the rubber first meets the road - you'll be introducing yourself. Either you'll grab the reader's attention, and they'll keep reading and open your attached resume, or they'll click on the trash icon.
I've read more than my share of boring cookie cutter cover letters. Most didn't inspire me to keep reading after the first sentence.
Your opening paragraph doesn't need to be extravagant. Keep it simple and straightforward. State why you're writing, the position you're applying for and how you found out about the job opening.

Almost all job seekers start their cover letter with, "I'm applying for X job I saw posted on Y place." This is a waste of a cover letter's most valuable real estate. Lead with a strong opening sentence!

EXAMPLE 1 (simple, to the point):
"I'm an IT professional with more than 15 years of experience looking for an opportunity to apply my skills in new ways. I'd love to bring my expertise and high energy to your growing development team at Sirius Cybernetics Corp."

EXAMPLE 2 (show enthusiasm):
"I'm excited to see Clampett Oil is hiring an event manager who's skilled at increasing brand awareness and driving growth with high-traffic events. I've attended several of your company's speaking events. Their high calibre impressed me. With five years of experience coordinating events in the corporate world, I'm confident I'd be a great fit for the role."

EXAMPLE 3 (show your results):
"Last quarter, I increased Gringotts Instagram followers from 6,377 to 11,633. I also executed two successful ad campaigns that generated over $28,000 in revenue. I'd love to bring my social media expertise to Oscorp as your next social media manager and expand your social reach and deliver above-average ROI."

EXAMPLE 4 (mutual connection):
"When Alex Johnson, a former colleague, told me you were hiring for a Director of PMO, I knew I had to apply. Alex and I have worked together for many years, most recently on a complex data analysis project at Oceanic Airlines. He believes I'd be a good match for this position on your team."

TIP: It's worth the effort to find or create a connection within the company you're applying to and bring it to the hiring manager's attention. Mentioning a connection will set you apart from the other applicants. This is the reason why those who understand the value of networking land the plumb jobs.

An eye-catching first paragraph will be descriptive and robust. Action words such as "generate," "deliver," and "execute" will make your opening stronger.
Next week I'll discuss your cover letter's second paragraph, which is your sales pitch. I like to start with, "Let me draw your attention to two reasons why I'd be a great addition to (your team, your department, ABC Inc.)." For now, list 5 - 6 reasons, qualified, why an employer should hire you.
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

CAN WE AFFORD TO GIVE AWAY 17.7 MILLION?

 

CAN WE AFFORD TO GIVE AWAY
17.7 MILLION?
By Joe Ingino
Editor/Publisher

“I live a dream in a nightmare world”   

    I don’t know about you.   But I keep seeing and hearing of all the people undergoing economic hardships across the region.  Stores keep closing, people keep loosing jobs, mortgages and hope.  
  It seems as the gloom and doom cloud can’t be shaken.   On top of that we could be yet be facing another wave of the Delta variance.
How much more can the people of Canada take.   I must admit that the Federal government has been quick to respond by extending numerous plans to assure everyone in need gets some sort of assistance.
Sadly many people I talk to do not know that they are entitled to apply or for that matter even know how to.
Others get entangled in red tape only to become discouraged and given up.
This week a news item came across my desk.  It read:  Canada donating 17.7M AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines amid global disparities.
Canada continues to rapidly ramp up vaccinations against COVID-19 but there remain stark inequities in vaccine access globally, the WHO has warned.
  Now don’t get me wrong.  Nothing wrong with being generous and giving.... but should we not be thinking about our people first?
We have a record number of homeless people walking our streets.  We have a record number of people loosing their homes, jobs.   Should we not invest that money in our people?
I know the cry.  The government is doing all they can to assure people do not go without.
I can respect that.  My question is then why the need to give away 17.7 million that could go as a top up to those in need?
This covid thing is not over.  The number are being managed but the threat is still very real.   
I must acknowledge that in th covid model it appears that we found a magic bullet with possible two outcomes.  On the one.  It appears to have an impact on the spread of the virus.  On the other we are yet to uncover the true and real side ramifications of all jumping in front of the silver bullet.
 Will it hit its mark or will it end up killing us.   Did we just prolonged life only to come to realize that the cure is worst than the infection.
The theorist amongst us are already ramping up all kinds of things from the coincidence of the G5 network implemented across north America at the same time as everyone is being forced through fear of illness to vaccinate with nano-tech activator as inhibitors.   The reality of it is.  That we need to assure we Canadians lives quality of life is preserved and that before we give away any money in the name of charity or humanity to other nations, that we Canadians are taken care.

Canada's long hot summer

 Canada's long hot summer

    by Maj (ret'd) CORNELIU E. CHISU, CD, PMSC,
FEC, CET, P. Eng.
Former Member of Parliament
Pickering-Scarborough East
   As election rumors are becoming more and more persistent from the appointment of a new governor general to a flurry of spending announcements, an early Canadian federal election is now quite a foregone conclusion.

The polls are looking good for the governing liberals and NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh can ask the prime minister to hold off for another two years, but no one is ready to listen.  Across the country, parties and candidates are gearing up for the fight that's palpable in the summer heat. Apparently out of the Covid-19 pandemic scare, it seems that temptations are running high for a federal election.

The only question is when the election will be called. As parliament is not sitting non confidence votes are not on the horizon and only the Prime Minister can call the election.

Still there are many factors at play besides looking good in the polls.  There is the vaccine rollout, and regional issues including the Alberta referendum on equalization, scheduled for Oct. 7 and an imminent election in Nova Scotia.

The rules in Nova Scotia for an election campaign are, first, the vote will be held on a Tuesday and, second, the campaign must be at least 30 days long. So, if the Premier of Nova Scotia, Iain Rankin, drops the writ any time up until and including this week or the next, that implies an election day of August 17 in Nova Scotia at the earliest. His decision is almost certain to have an impact on any decision Prime Minister Justin Trudeau might make about the timing of the country's 44th general election. Trudeau and Rankin, both leaders of Liberal parties, are very close to each other and in close contact.

Let's assume then that Trudeau will call the general election at his first available opportunity after Aug. 17.
The rules for the federal campaign are, first, the vote will be held on a Monday and, second, the campaign must be a minimum of 36 days long.
So that implies that the earliest date for a federal election would be Sept. 27, with the federal writ drop sometime between Aug. 18 and Aug. 22.
Regardless of what he ultimately decides to do, the Prime Minister isn't going to announce his intentions until he's en route to Rideau Hall.

Another issue working in favor of an early federal election is the fact that Alberta Premier Jason Kenney and Ontario Premier Doug Ford, both deeply unpopular at present, may dampen federal Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole's support. Having Kenney preaching the evils of equalization while O'Toole is trying to drum up votes in Quebec is a real Liberal dream, as is reminding Ontario voters of their government's chaotic and ill-received pandemic response.

To add to the cause is the implosion of the Green Party, which is still busy playing knife-the-leader. Even if the party gets it together, much damage has been done, with voters potentially turned off and turning away. The question is who will benefit most if their 6.5 per cent of the 2019 vote slips away: the NDP or the Liberals?

So as the politicians speculate and the Prime Minister weighs all these considerations, seeking to score a coveted majority, Canadians are busily getting back to their almost-normal lives. In politics, as in post-pandemic life, it seems, everything old is new again.

While the liberals are basking in all these good news for them, the official opposition, the conservatives, are not doing so well.
The official line in Conservative circles is: Don't panic. Campaigns matter, a week is a long time in politics, remember what happened to David Peterson, etc…
However, it is becoming clearer by the day that the Conservatives are lacking leadership. Certainly Erin O'Toole's approval numbers must be dismaying to Conservative supporters. Just 14 per cent of respondents in the latest Nanos poll picked him as their preferred prime minister, versus 37 per cent for Justin Trudeau - and 18 per cent for Jagmeet Singh. With a rudderless party and a weather vane leader what can you expect?

In terms of policy on many of the most important issues of the day, Conservatives have either had nothing to say or have really actively just antagonized voters they might otherwise have reached. You cannot lead by issuing only motherhood statements. You need to have new and innovative ideas and take a strong position on what you believe to be traditional conservative policies - free markets, lower taxes, balanced budgets - and promoting and defending it with vigour. More broadly, under Erin O'Toole's guidance the Conservative party seems to have lost its nerve becoming an amorphous entity in danger of losing badly in the next election; reminiscent of the Liberal loss in the 2011 election under the leadership of Michael Ignatieff.

Moreover, while the Liberals, have always been able to recruit individuals with a record of accomplishment in other fields, the Conservatives unfortunately tend to get stuck with the lifers, people who have never done anything but partisan politics and are motivated by nothing other than hatred of the Liberals and detached from the real life and concerns of citizens. That attitude has given a bigger opportunity to the new nascent People's Party of Canada to stand up to the real conservative values.

So the imminently upcoming federal election will be an interesting one and do not forget to vote for the best people to represent you.

Have a wonderful and covidless summer