Make to an Employer? What Difference Will You Make to an Employer?

What Difference Will You Make to an Employer? By Nick Kossovan It’s common knowledge that companies don't hire the most qualified candidates. Employers hire the person they believe will deliver the best value in exchange for their payroll cost. Since most job seekers know the above, I'm surprised that so few mention their Employee Value Proposition (EVP). Most job seekers list their education, skills, and experience without substantiating them and expect employers to determine whether they can benefit their company; hence, most resumes and LinkedIn profiles are just a list of opinions—borderline platitudes—that are meaningless and, therefore, have no value. Job seekers need to better explain, along with providing evidence, how they'll contribute to an employer's success. Employers don't hire opinions (read: talk is cheap); they hire results. You're not offering anything tangible when you claim: · I'm a great communicator. · I'm detail oriented. · I'm a team player. Tangible: · "At Global Dynamics, I held quarterly town hall meetings with my 22 sales reps, highlighting our accomplishments, identifying opportunity areas, and recognizing outstanding performers." · "For eight years, I managed Vandelay Industries IT department, overseeing a staff of 18 and a 12-million-dollar budget while coordinating cross-specialty projects. My strong attention to detail is why I never exceeded budget." · "While working at Cyberdyne Systems, I was part of the customer service team, consisting of nine of us, striving to improve our response time. Through collaboration and sharing of best practices, we reduced our average response time from 48 to 12 business hours, resulting in a 35% improvement in customer feedback ratings." These examples of tangible answers provide employers with what they most want to hear from candidates but rarely do; what value the candidate will bring to the company. Typically, job seekers present their skills, experience, and unsubstantiated opinions and expect recruiters and employers to figure out their value, which is a lazy practice. Getting hired isn't based on "I have an MBA in Marketing and Sales," "I've been a web designer for over 15 years," "I'm young, beautiful and energetic," blah, blah, blah. Likewise, being rejected isn't based on "I'm overqualified," "I'm too old," "I don't have enough education," blah, blah, blah. Getting hired depends entirely on showing employers that you can add value and substance to their company; that you'll serve a purpose. When you articulate a solid value offer, the "blah, blah, blah" doesn't matter. Job seekers focus too much on the "blah, blah, blah," and when not hired, they say, "It's not me, it's..." The biggest mistake I see job seekers make is focusing on the "blah, blah, blah"—their experience and education—believing this is what interests employers. Hiring managers are more interested in whether you can solve the problems the position exists to solve than in your education and experience. Not impressive: Education Impressive: A track record of achieving tangible results. You aren't who you say you are; you are what you do. If you want to be somebody who works hard, you have to actually work hard. If you want to be somebody who goes to the gym, you actually have to go to the gym. If you want to be a good friend, spouse, or colleague, you have to actually be a good friend, spouse, or colleague. Actions build reputations, not words. The biggest challenge job seekers face today is differentiating themselves. To stand out and be memorable, don't be like most job seekers, someone who's all talk and no action. Any recruiter or hiring manager will tell you that the job market is heavily populated with job seekers who talk themselves up, talk a "good game" about everything they can "supposedly" do, drop names, etc., but have nothing to show for it. More than ever, employers want to hear candidates offer a value proposition summarizing what value they bring. If you're looking for a low-hanging fruit method to differentiate yourself, do what job seekers hardly ever do and make a hard-to-ignore value proposition. 1. Increase sales: "Based on my experience managing Regina and Saskatoon for PharmaKorp, I'm confident that I can increase BioGen's sales by no less than 25% in Winnipeg and the surrounding area by the end of 2025." 2. Reduce cost: "During my 12 years as Taco Town's head of purchasing, I renegotiated contracts with key suppliers, resulting in 15% cost savings, saving the company over $450,000 annually. I know I can do the same for The Pasta House." 3. Increase customer satisfaction: "During my time at Globex Corporation, I established a systematic feedback mechanism that enabled customers to share their experiences. This led to targeted improvements, increasing our Net Promoter Score by 15 points. I can increase Dunder Mifflin's net promoter score." 4. Save time: "As Zap Delivery's dispatcher, I implemented advanced routing software that analyzed traffic patterns, reducing average delivery times by 20%. My implementation of this software at Froggy's Delivery can reduce your delivery times by at least 20%, if not more." If you want to achieve job search success as soon as possible, structure your job search with a single thread that's evident and consistent throughout your résumé, LinkedIn profile, cover letters and especially during interviews; clearly convey what difference you'll make to the employer. 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

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.

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.

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.

Final Curtain

 Final Curtain
  Q My girlfriend Jessie and I were together four years. Recently, she went on a two-week family holiday. During those two weeks, I went for a night out with my work colleagues. I got extremely drunk and kissed a girl from work.

     I felt guilty the next day, but a few days later I told my friends, who are also her friends, that I wanted to break up with her. I didn’t, but I was confused at the time.
     The following Saturday, she came home. We went out that night, and I was so confused I told her we should break up. She thought I was playing games.

     She left the pub, and I followed. I told her, “I met somebody else.” I shouldn’t have said it that way, as I did not meet another girl. I just kissed her. It was the biggest mistake of my life.
     Over the next few weeks I tried contacting Jessie, but she would not answer her phone or reply to my texts. In the end, sometimes after work I drank too much and sent her text messages, some of which I’m not proud of.

     Because I was hassling her, she changed her phone number. I met up with her a few weeks later, and she talked to me for 20 minutes. She said we may be friends again, but that will be it.
     I was with Jessie four years, and we had a great relationship. I know we had our arguments, but every couple has arguments. The problem is, sometimes when we went out drinking, I would humiliate her about her weight, her makeup, or something else.
     I know I screwed up. I used to mess with her clothes when we were out in the pub, for example, lifting up her skirt, but that’s just me messing around.
     I have seen her a few times since we broke up. I send her a letter every week begging or groveling to give me a second chance. I know the mistakes I made and would not make them again.

     When I called Jessie’s house last Saturday, she wasn’t in. She rang me 30 minutes later and asked why I was still writing to her. I asked, could we meet up for a coffee?, but she said she didn’t want to as I would cry into my coffee, which is what happened last time.

     She says she is happy, and if she went back with me, she would go backwards. She said the next time she sees me in the street, she might say hello or she might not.
My heart inside was crushed. Is there anything I can do to get Jessie back?
Robert

A Robert, how is this a mistake?
     You kissed a girl in a bar. Perhaps you had too much to drink, but you weren’t drunk when you told mutual friends you wanted to break up. And when you broke up with Jessie in a pub, you said you had someone else.

That’s three “mistakes” in a row. That shows intent.
What you didn’t tell us is what you were trying to gain. Did you want to make her jump through hoops to get you back? Were you paying her back for an imagined sleight? We don’t know.
But she did not come crawling back, you did not get makeup sex, and your plan went awry.

     Often with letters like yours, the letter writer thinks they could do better. But the way you went about it, made it impossible for her to take you back. It would make her the beggar in the relationship.

She did what we would have told her to do, had she written us. Don’t take calls from him; don’t let him whisper in your ear; don’t let him wheedle his way back in.
You say you were confused, but you staged such a convincing show it was believed by all. Now you claim it was only an act, but what a great act it was. The audience applauded wildly, and you took a curtain call.

     Your letter is about how you didn’t get what you wanted, not about how you injured her. All your sorry is for yourself. Why are you concealing why you did it? Because it is not something you can say out loud.
     This was the classic breakup intended to hurt, and she was the last to know. You sealed the deal with a kiss. If you can’t be honest with us, at least be honest with yourself.
Wayne & Tamara                                             write:  Directanswers@WayneAndTamara.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.

Heading Nowhere

 Direct Answers
from Wayne & Tamara

Heading Nowhere
  Q About 16 years ago, I fell in love with an elegant, well-educated, good-looking woman. We were madly in love and became a couple. I had just stepped out of a bad separation, but her divorce was even worse.
     Our relationship soon got disturbed by strange events on her side, mostly when alcohol was involved—extreme jealousy, silence, and a domineering attitude.  Sometimes she sent me away; other times I left the scene because I could not cope.  On one Christmas Eve holiday she left me at the dinner table, took a plane, and went home.
     My attempts to get her back were amazing; I even painted messages on the walls on the way to her house.  A couple of times I tried to forget her with another relationship, but after some months I missed her so much I went back.  She always received me with open arms, and we started all over again.
     Strangely, during our separations she never tried to contact me or explain her attitude.  Last year I gave it one last try, and she coldly asked me to leave.  I left heartbroken and burned my bridges, even sending her a nasty e-mail for the first time.  Since then she haunts my mind; she was the love of my life.  How can I get over this without hurting myself any longer?
Alex

A Alex, you were in an on-again, off-again relationship for 16 years. You want to focus on the on-again part, but that is not where your attention should be. You should focus on what was wrong. You should focus on the part that wasn’t there.
     In 16 years a child could go from the first day in school to a university degree.  In that same period you could have had a 16 year marriage to the right person.  But you kept going back to something which was not working, and now, because you have not found another to be with, you focus on the good times with her.
     She was with you because of her personality quirks and perhaps her alcoholism.  Without those quirks and that habit, would she have been with you at all?  If she were sober now, would she want you in her life as a reminder of her befuddled past?
     Some people can only quit a bad habit when it goes to an extreme.  They won’t watch their weight until they need to inject insulin.  They won’t quit chewing tobacco until they’ve lost part of their cheek or gum.  They are always behind, always in arrears.  Their books are always overdue.
     If you are going to have someone for the rest of your life, be open to it now.  Life never goes backwards.  It goes forward.

Wayne & Tamara                                             write:  Directanswers@WayneAndTamara.com

Time to get serious about Canada's economy

 Time to get serious about Canada's economy
    by Maj (ret'd) CORNELIU E. CHISU, CD, PMSC,
FEC, CET, P. Eng.
Former Member of Parliament
Pickering-Scarborough East
Enough is enough! The time has come for the leadership of this country to pull together and seriously look at restarting the Canadian economy.
The blunder of vaccinations, mismanagement of lockdowns, hypocrisy of mask/no mask, travel bans/no bans and fake science have collectively induced a new disease in the political establishment; that of the allergic verbiage syndrome.
Allergic Verbiage Syndrome is characterized by a lot of talk that seems to erupt (like hives) uncontrollably, attempting to justify bad decisions, spinning issues to death, and in the end, believing in one's own lies. This seems to have become the order of the day in Canada, particularly in Ottawa, provinces not excluded.
The time has come to seriously knuckle down and face facts. Otherwise the dark clouds of an economic meltdown gathering on the horizon will sweep the Canadian economy into oblivion.  Printing more money will not be able to stop the tsunami of social unrest that will accompany an economic disaster.

So get to work, as some wise people are thinking that politicians should do, to avoid this state of potential doom. Canada needs a quick start, as other nations in the developed world are already pursuing. Open the stores, open the small businesses, open the parks, open the borders and think smart if you still can, if you have any little grey cells left.
Canada's tourist industry, a major contributor to our GDP, is in shambles.  Fifteen months of restrictions, quarantines and travel bans have seen air travel plummet to only 10 percent of 2019 levels. The land border with the US is still closed for so called non essential travel, though essential travel is loosely defined and encompasses many exceptions.
We need to take immediate steps to open the border to discretionary travel and eliminate the hotel quarantine for foreign visitors, or our tourism sector may have an even more brutal summer this year than last. Even though Canadians will be able to travel internationally more easily this summer, none of the foreign visitors our tourism sector relies on will be able to visit Canada's thousands of exciting destinations, attractions and events.
This is a matter of urgency: many of Canada's trading partners, including the U.S., U.K. and Europe are also our tourism competitors and way ahead of Canada in their reopening plans.  If we do not open our borders in a safe but timely manner, vaccinated international tourists won't wait; they will happily travel to countries that are ready to welcome them.
It was rather ludicrous to see our Finance Minister be the only person wearing a mask at the recent G7 finance ministers meeting. Is this the signature of the state of the Covid -19 pandemic management in Canada we want to communicate to the world?
It's high time our MPs showed some professionalism and stopped behaving like illiterate dilettantes insisting on tyrannical solutions. Parliament is not a place to learn on the job, it is a place to lead in the interest of the nation.

A proper restart plan, which would include measurable milestones and timelines for how and when Canada would lift travel restrictions is needed urgently. Many parts of the world, including the U.S., are opening up more quickly than Canada, and we cannot afford to be left behind.
To comprehend the urgency of the need to act on the economy, the political leadership of Canada need only consider that Canada's inflation rate increased to 3.6 per cent in May, the fastest pace in a decade, according to Statistics Canada.
The agency said in a news release last week that the cost of just about everything is going up at a much faster pace than usual, from shelter and vehicles, to food, energy and consumer goods.
The cost of shelter increased by 4.2 per cent in the year up to May, the fastest rise in the cost of putting a roof over one's head since 2008. And the cost of filling a home with furniture and appliances also went up, by 4.4. per cent. That's the fastest pace of increase for so-called durable goods since 1989.
Furniture prices in particular rose by 9.8 per cent in the past year, their biggest jump since 1982. Last month the government slapped tariffs of up to 300 per cent on some types of upholstered furniture from China and Vietnam.
Gasoline prices have risen by 43 per cent in the past year, a figure that looks especially high because it's being compared to May of last year, when demand and prices for gasoline cratered. But even on a monthly basis, the cost of gasoline went up by 3.2 per cent in May, compared to the cost in April.
Gas isn't the only cost of driving that's getting more expensive either, as the price of new cars increased by five per cent in the past year. That's the biggest jump in vehicle prices since 2016, and the major reason for it is an ongoing shortage of semiconductors, a global trend that has jacked up the price of anything that uses microchips.
If this trend continues, the mortgage rate on homes will soon increase, creating a major problem for many Canadians who have been caught up in the flurry of home purchases in recent months.
Business leaders have called on Ottawa for a clear path to reopen the economy and international borders.
Perrin Beatty, head of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, said:
"Canada is a G7 outlier for not having a fleshed-out reopening plan"
What we are waiting for?

THE HUMAN STUPID RACE

 

THE HUMAN STUPID RACE
By Joe Ingino
Editor/Publisher

“I live a dream in a nightmare world”   

    What is it with human kind?   Why are we so bent over backwards and keep on making the same old mistakes.   In Ontario we are down to about 700 cases per day.   Instead of keeping what is working going.  No politicians get all ansey and decide to make plans for going back to the causation of another wave of COVID.
Come on people wake up.  This COVID is not going away all of a sudden.   The fact that we have  had a large number of people vaccinated it does not mean that those people can’t still become ill.  Or worst be a carrier and further cause sickness.  This false sense of security with the vaccine in my opinion is like putting a band aid on the crack of  a dam.   It may hold for a bit.... but the crack will eventually rupture and the after affects are obvious.
  Instead of rushing to open anything back.  Why not sit on it a little longer.   Why not truly see if we can get the numbers  under 10 per day.  That to me would signify reason for opening.
  In a radio report this morning.  A bar in Chicago was allowing patrons to come in only if they had a vaccination card.  Once inside patrons could mingle without masks on.   Really.   1st, what right does the bar have to refuse entry to anyone.  2nd Are bar manager now experts in COVID transmission and are they going to accept liability in the even someone becomes sick while in their bar?
Society today faces the worst governance problem ever.   We elect politicians to do jobs they are not qualified to do.   Way over their expertise and or intellectual aptitude.  This means that their decisions have to be based on advice from so called experts.
Common sense and rational thinking become clouded by influence, greed and money.   We the human race are  becoming the stupid race as we are ignoring past mistake and continue to commit the same one expecting different results.
We can’t afford to be stupid.... can we?