Comrade Ford

and the New deal for Ontario by Maj (ret'd) CORNELIU E. CHISU, CD, PMSC, FEC, CET, P. Eng. Former Member of Parliament Pickering-Scarborough East By now it is well known that the weather vane syndrome is working more efficiently that the Covid-19 pandemic, as the so called conservatives waver in the wind, conservative in name only, far to the left of conservative in their actions. Premier Ford's recent announcement of the vaccine passport is a striking example of just that. At first he was fiercely opposed to the idea of vaccine passports, yet now he is fully endorsing them. What a turn around in a few months and again, hiding behind questionable scientific advice. Never mind. It is all about controlling you, the humble Canadian. Controlling what you do, where you go, who you associate with, maybe even extending to where you sleep, in the not too distant future. All of this is for retaining power at all costs; there is definitely no thought for your children's and grandchildren's future. The mask is off for now. Soon Ontario residents will have to show proof they've been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 even to dine indoors at restaurants or go to gyms and theatres - but not necessarily to enter retail locations - the province announced Wednesday. The "enhanced COVID-19 vaccine certificate" system, as the Ontario government is calling it, will come into effect on Sept. 22, interestingly enough, after few days of the conclusion of the federal election. Premier Doug Ford said the new system came from "in-depth conversations" with experts based on "evidence and best advice." "We need to protect our hospitals; we need to avoid lockdowns at all costs. We want our kids in schools, and our businesses to stay open," he said. If you notice, he speaks first of protecting the hospitals and not of protecting you. Lockdowns work in favor of large companies, but against small business. He has already used lockdowns to put many small businesses out of business. He is silent, however, on large companies. At first, fully vaccinated Ontarians will need their current vaccination receipt with a valid photo identification to enter premises covered under the new system. Let's go over this proposal and analyse it briefly. The receipts of proof of vaccination can be printed or downloaded from the provincial government website. "Fully vaccinated" here means having had two doses, with the most recent at least 14 days prior. At first, fully vaccinated Ontarians will need their current vaccination receipt with a valid photo identification to enter premises covered under the new system. So already "show me your ID", sounds very familiar for people who experienced communism! What about people vaccinated overseas with two same vaccines and not the cocktail ones? Ontario officials quickly pointed out that the enhanced certificate system is meant to be temporary, though how long it remains in place will depend on how the fourth wave of the pandemic unfolds in coming months. We all know by now what temporary means in government speak. Read permanent. The government says that on Oct. 22, it will shift to certificates that include QR codes containing much of the same information included on the vaccination receipts that are already available. That shift will be accompanied by the release of a "verification app" that can be used to validate the QR codes and provide the vaccination status of an individual. Nice, where is privacy for now? Big Brother will control you. Ontario officials said the purpose of the app is to relieve businesses and facilities from having to determine whether a patron has been vaccinated or not. The intention is that the enhanced certificates be usable in other provinces with vaccine passport systems in place, and eventually for them to be integrated with the federal passport for international travel. "We need to be proactive to avoid reactive closures," said Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Kieran Moore Wednesday. He said this will also be an incentive for more people to get vaccinated. Nice again, the question in how you apply it in the field. Read it to mean more bureaucracy and more useless work for well paid government workers for hire. Finally, enforcement measures for the certificate system will fall under the Reopening Ontario Act, the same officials said. Businesses, facilities and individuals who refuse to comply can face fines. We do not yet know the details, but this most certainly means further limitations on the freedom of movement and individual rights. No reactions from the major and elitist parties involved in the federal elections. Notable exception is the People's Party of Canada. They are standing fast for freedom, fairness, respect and individual responsibility. They are the only ones who oppose this blatant assault on your right to control your own body. The Conservatives are conspicuously silent on the matter, their comment will come after a polling taken to see where they can harvest more votes. In conclusion, dear readers, be prepared for a new politics of fear and division in our society with comrades like Ford shaping your future. It is time for a Great Canadian Awakening!

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

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

The Great Pretender

from Wayne & Tamara The Great Pretender Q I identify as a self-sufficient, independent person. I consider myself a beautiful woman, not in a conceited way, but I’ve been told this my entire life. I am an empath. I’ve dedicated my life to working in social services. I am a free spirit, yet an entrepreneur at heart. I love empowering women, and I’m working on becoming a certified self-love coach. I am 35; my partner is 38. He cheated on me during our entire relationship. He never admitted to the timeline, but he claims it wasn’t years. Still, the other woman has photos dating back to 2016. He said the pictures were old, and she was an ex who was obsessed with him. Honestly, the way she presented herself, I believed him. I also believed he worshipped the ground I walked on. From late 2016, he was living a double life. He stayed with her during the week, and we saw each other on weekends, vacations, and on random days off. We looked at houses, but he would never commit. The same with engagement rings. He got caught when I was 20 weeks pregnant, a pregnancy that was planned. On the day he was caught, I told him I would be sharing our pregnancy. I sent him a message saying so. He messaged me, saying he had been told I was cheating on him. I was distraught. I said, “No. I’d never do that to you. I love you. Who is saying this?” He said, “People you don’t know.” I said, “People I don’t know, know me and know I’m cheating on you?” I realize now he said this to use against me, because an hour after I posted our pregnancy announcement, his other girlfriend contacted me. When I confronted him, he said, “See, you never believe me! People are saying you are cheating on me, and I believe you. But you can’t do the same for me!” I feel sick thinking back to this. The next day, he eventually admitted he was cheating. For a while, he seemed remorseful. He cried. He was depressed. He lost weight. He begged and apologized all the time. I also found out he lied about his career. He had been fired from his job in 2016, but he told me he was still working as a pharmacist. I actually think he was a pharmacy tech. I now believe he was fired for stealing narcotics and selling them. A couple of days ago, I went through his computer and found an apology letter he wrote to the court saying he was sorry for stealing. On his laptop, I found a video. It was really dark, but I could hear two people having sex. I believe he had sex with a woman while he was visiting his grandparents in 2017. It was a trip I paid for. Belinda A Belinda, in 1994, a boy went missing in San Antonio, Texas. He was last seen playing basketball with friends. Three years later, a French serial imposter assumed the missing boy’s identity. He was flown to the United States and, for five months, accepted as authentic by some of the boy’s family. This was despite the fact he spoke with a French accent and had brown eyes and dark hair, while the missing boy was a blue-eyed blond. Released from prison in the U.S., this imposter repeated the deception in Spain and again in France. Your boyfriend is a serial imposter, but he doesn’t pose as an orphan. He poses as a man who loves women he does not love, like you. Men like him are without mercy and without remorse. An empath can feel things. A social worker knows to verify everything she is told. That is why she does home visits and verifies employment. But you turned all of that off because your need for someone was so great. You never met his friends or family. You never confirmed he had a job. You accepted everything at face value. When it comes to love, we cannot toss out everything we know about life. You followed a recipe for tuna casserole and continued on, even when you saw no tuna in the list of ingredients. All you can do now is learn a bitter lesson and be the best parent you can be. Wayne & Tamara write: Directanswers@WayneAndTamara.com

Summer’s Last Hurrah the Most Dangerous

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

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

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

What Would Make Your Skin Turn Yellow?

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

The Purpose of a Job Interview

By Nick Kossovan If I were to ask you what's the purpose of a job interview, you'd probably say something along the lines of, "To show what I can do for the company." You'd be right in that your answer implies you're asking for a chance-you understand an interview is a sales meeting, which is the mindset you need to have when being interviewed. People stress preparing for an interview. Actually, the key to a successful interview is to not over-think it. Although there's no interview formula that'll work every time, it's helpful to think of an interview as a conversation with four distinct but overlapping purposes. - Connect: Get to know the interviewer. (bond) - Culture: Understand what type of person works best at the company. - Challenges: Identify and clarify the concerns the company's management team has. - Close: What are the next steps in the hiring process. The holistic mechanics used to achieve these four purposes are the following five interview stages: - Introductions (connect, culture) - Small Talk (connect, culture) - Information Gathering (culture, challenges, matching your experience and skillset) - Question/Answer (culture, challenges) - Wrapping Up (close) Notice "culture" appears four times. I can't overstress the importance of fit when it comes to deciding you're "the one." If you're having a tough time with your job search, it's because you're trying to fit yourself into jobs and companies where you don't belong. If you make connecting with your interviewer a priority, you'll be memorable in a good way. If there's no connection, your experience, qualifications, etc., are meaningless to the interviewer. This isn't a transgression-this is human psychology 101. Maya Angelou's words, "I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." offers sage advice. Truism: We're incline to want to work with and do business with (READ: "buy from"-remember, an interview is a sales meeting.), someone who makes us feel good and whom we can relate to-people we feel comfortable with. You can call it bias-I call it what it is: human nature. As much as the government has tried to mitigate bias through numerous legislations, bias continues to exist and always will. Getting someone to feel at ease with you doesn't require repartee and dazzling verbal displays. It simply requires demonstrating interest-genuine interest, not fake I'm-trying-to-butter-you-up interest-and a willingness to listen. Do you know anyone who doesn't like being paid attention to? Listening is key to understanding what the other person wants and needs and, therefore, is the foundation of persuasion. (Reminder, an interview is a sales meeting.) A person is more likely to want to build a relationship with someone who understands their situation, their problems, and their goals. Listening and observing to understand another person is never time wasted. When it comes to asking questions ask questions that show you're eager to contribute to the company's success and not what you can get from the company. While there are infinite number of questions you could ask your interviewer, there are three questions to always ask: 1. How is success measured in this role? 2. What skills and attributes are valued by you and the leadership team? 3. [If your interviewer will be your boss.] What's your management style like? How will you manage me? Listen carefully! Be ready to interject examples of how you exceeded expectations and demonstrated the skills your interviewer mentioned are valuable. The most common interview advice I give: Lose any sense of entitlement you may have! You're not owed a job. With so many human factors being part of the hiring decision, the best candidate on paper doesn't always get the job. Entitlement is a huge turnoff. Employers aren't going to offer you the job because you only have $350 in the bank, and your mortgage is past due. The position will be offered to the person regarded as qualified to do the job (skills, experience) and is considered to be a fit (this is paramount)-the person the interviewer can envision working with, will fit in with the current team and whom they can see themselves dealing with daily and will meet their boss's approval. ______________________________________________________________ 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.

PULLING OUT BY BEING PULLED IN

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

Afghanistan the new Vietnam

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

Hey where are we going with this!

hey where are we going with this!

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

A Hostage Situation

from Wayne & Tamara

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

AN AMERICAN F*#K UP

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

AFGHANISTAN AN AMERICAN TRAGEDY

By Joe Ingino Editor/Publisher “I live a dream in a nightmare world” Why is it so hard for people to learn from history. Why is it so easy for politician to make mistakes only to have the masses pay for it. What is happening across the globe that we have lost the ability to reason and use common sense. Where is basic human decency? Canada and the Americans along with UN forces spent 20 years fighting a phantom war. It took 20 years to oppress the Taliban and all the supporters only to have the country taken over in less than 10 days. Really!!! What does that tell us? Well, I do not need to be a military strategist but common sense would tell me that the American’s were not fighting anyone other than oppressing the people of Afghanistan. Something that took 20 years to achieve. Denounced and sent back 20 years in a matter of 10 days. Now Biden is left with the reality that thousands are probably being murdered and it will never be reported. Instead the media is only allowed to report on the immediate disaster of how to get American’s out of Afghanistan. What about the hundred of thousands of Afghan all over the country that supported the American’s in one way or another. No reports on their well being. Or could it be that the West does not care about their well being. I am no CIA operative. But by looking at world history. This pull out has to be one of the biggest blunders in world history. First, Trump negotiation of the pull out to my understand was totally different than the actual pull out by Biden. Under Trump deal. The Taliban were forced to work with the government in power or the American’s would come back. Under Biden pull out. There was no respect for previous agreements and the pull out signaled a free for all. Knowing this the president of Afghanistan pulls out. His top aids also leave the country. The military surrenders as within the ranks soldiers in order to save their lives and that of their families put up minimal resistance. The real tragedy is not the political black eye to Biden. The tragedy is to the many innocent people that will be made an example for any future denouncing of the Taliban. Furthermore, in the event of a real threat as they were during 911. No one in Afghanistan would dare support the American re-invasion. 20 years wasted. Thousand of live sacrificed for no gain. Hopefully we learned a lesson. We the West should get away from the liberation business and when we send our military any place. It will be to win and conquer. No more playing peace keeper. We loose a life those responsible should pay dearly. We become involved in your country. Your country and all it’s resources will become that of the people that are invading you. What I suspect is that someone among the ranks of the military and investors that during time of war gained financially deal making broke down. Greed among the ranks cause the decay of something they had going using the American military. Trump’s pull out idea, had more than what we will ever know. The deal Trump had negotiated made sense. American’s pull out as long as the Taliban does not invade and respect the elected government. Trump lost, Afghanistan went south and the Biden administration got caught with their feet flat on the ground and still today have no clue on how to deal with the Afghan situation. I am worried that in the near future. We will begin to see attacks once again in the United States and Canada. As it stands, the Taliban have defeated the American military super power.

Election fever the new virus

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

What Would Make Your Skin Turn Yellow?

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

Interviews Are Modern Greek Tragedies

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

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

 

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

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

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

Nick Kossovan, a well-seasoned veteran of the corporate landscape, offers advice on searching for a job. You can send him your questions at artoffindingwork@gmail.com

Keep Blood Pressure Under Control

  Keep Blood Pressure Under Control
 W. Gifford-Jones, M.D. and Diana Gifford-Jones
          Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “You must do the things you think you cannot do.” Avoiding disease may be the gift of lucky genetics, but it helps to put some work into managing your chances for health and longevity.
Maintaining rubbery arteries is key to the delivery of oxygenated blood to the heart’s muscle that guards against hypertension, stroke, and heart attack. A report in the Journal of the American Medical Association says that what’s good for the heart may also be good for the brain.
The study involved 9,300 people ages, 50 and older with an average age of 68, with hypertension. They also had one other cardiovascular risk factor, history of stroke, or dementia. It was a huge study involving patients in over 100 carefully supervised medical centers across the U.S.

Half of the patients were provided “Gold Standard” care. This meant they were given medication that lowered their systolic blood pressure (the top number), to less than 120. The other half simply aimed for the standard systolic target of 140 or lower.
What happened? When a study shows after a period that one group is getting the raw end of the deal, it must be stopped for ethical reasons. So, when the gold standard group was winning after a period of three years, the study abruptly ended.
The gold standard of treatment had reduced cardiovascular problems and death by 25 percent. But the study ignited the still on-going debate as to whether normal blood pressure level should be changed from 140/80 to 130/80.
There was another effect. Researchers wondered if a lowering of blood pressure in the gold standard group would have any effect on the risk for dementia. So they followed these two groups further to see if changes in blood pressure had any effect on brain function.
The result? After another two years, researchers found no statistical difference in the amount of “probable dementia” between the two groups. But they did notice a 19 percent lower rate of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in the gold standard group.
MCI is a gray, undefinable area between normal brain function and early dementia. Looking at it another way, 287 of the 4,280 patients in the gold group and 353 of the same number in the standard group, developed MCI over a five-year period. Not a huge difference, but big enough to warrant notice.

Researchers stressed that, although some cases of MCI go on to develop dementia, many others go for years without any problems. Some patients even revert to normal.
So what’s the bottom line? Good sense dictates that controlling hypertension is a sound measure for the brain, but lowering it too much can cause hypotension (low blood pressure), fainting and possible kidney injury. In effect, in the real world, trying to obtain the perfect blood pressure can be questionable.

Researchers say the best option for brain health is to stay physically active and maintain a sense of purpose in life. This is always good for the brain. Weight control, particularly in the abdomen, is essential, as it’s linked to dementia. But since obesity is so often associated with Type 2 diabetes, hypertension and dementia, it’s difficult to know which is the main culprit.
Since Type 2 diabetes narrows cerebral arteries and decreases oxygenated blood to the brain, this along with hypertension, is a bad combination.

Take Eleanor Roosevelt’s sage advice to heart. You need more than luck to avoid these two killers. Rather, your diet and lifestyle may need to undergo dramatic changes.

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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!