PUTIN - PUTIN - PUTANA

PUTIN

- PUTIN - PUTANA By Rosaldo Russo Allow me to begin this column by thanking the Oshawa/Central 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. In my opinion. The Editor/Publisher is a real upstanding type of guy. He shoots from the hip and hold traditional core values. My name is Rosaldo Russo. I came to this great country to make a better life for myself and my family. I thank Canada for everything it has allowed me to do and earn. I worked construction all my life. I know the value of hard work and honesty. I remember as a boy my father always telling me to work hard and buy land. So I did. I remember days when I did not have enough to eat. I go to work... but I did not wait for hand outs. I rounded up my pride my skill and my determination to succeed and went to work. In those days the only benefits we received was the fact we were employed. Before retiring I was the owner and operator of local material supply company that allowed me to retired without worry. Now that I have time to enjoy life. I look around me and have some concern for future generations. I see that the world is finished. Look at what is taking place in the Ukraine. How is it that Putin is being allowed to do such things. Mass killings, the destruction of cultural buildings. Come on people this Putana can’t be allowed to go on like this. The world seems to be sitting idled and allowing this Putana to get away with the slaughters. Then again. How is it that the world is putting so much emphasis on Putin when Biden has done the same to the Middle East. Look at the atrocities that are taking place in Africa. In China. All over the world. It appears that we don’t have to look far to find a PUTANA at work. I am not one to use profanity at large. But come on. Are we nothing more than civilized animals. I even question the civilized part. Kids are being killed all over the world on a daily basis and we never hear about it... But now the Russian devil man himself is on the war path and we can’t turn a tv without witnessing atrocity. The media are the biggest PUTANA’S. And I mean that in the traditional Italian interpretation. As they are nothing but blood thirsty rating driven bottom feeders. Before I go on. Let me define my anger... By definition: PUTANA - In Hinduism, Putana (Sanskrit: Putana, lit. "putrefaction") is a Rakshasi (demoness), who is killed by the infant-god Krishna. Putana is also considered as a foster-mother of Krishna as she breast-fed him, though it was with the motive of killing Krishna by poisoned milk. By offering her milk, Putana had performed "the supreme act of maternal devotion", in the shadow of her evil motives. The myth is told and retold in Hindu scriptures and some Indian books, which portray her variously as an evil hag or a demoness who surrendered herself to Krishna, though she initially came with evil motives. Putana is interpreted as an infantile disease or bird, symbolizing danger to an infant or desire respectively, and even as a symbolic bad mother. Ha not what you thought. My blood boils that when I think about it. How our feeling and emotions can be manipulated this way. How can we as human being do what we do to each other. Putin is the man of the hour.... so was Sadam, Bin Laden, Kadaffi and all the others before them. In part we are all Putana’s in one way or another as it says in the bible. No man is free from sin. No man can judge another. Cause we are all PUTANA’S. PUTA VIDA - Takes a whole new meaning when we come to terms with the definition, the ideology and the slang meaning that most are familiar with. They say you have to have intellect to communicate. They say you have to be educated to understand. Well in my eyes a PUTANA is a PUTANA. Putin may be a great guy in private. So far as a professional politician the media Putana’s are truly making him look like the world’s biggest Putana. Putin in his realm of power in part has most of Europe at his whim. Many European countries depend on Russian oil and gas. As apparently due to the $5.00 a gallon in the U.S. We in the west also buy from Russia.... Or so do the true PUTANA’s in Ottawa and Washington are leading us to believe so that they can continue to legally rape our wallets No matter where you look dishonesty, thieves and charlatans appear to be the most successful. The ones that get the most rewards in life. I feel bad about our future generations as the population number continue to climb. We in my eyes are heading to extinction by our own design. We have given up on responsibility, civic duty and honoring our fellow man. The Putana in our human conscious is being exposed. I DON’T LIKE IT.

When Job Searching What's More Important, Your Resume or LinkedIn Profile?

By Nick Kossovan -This question can be answered by answering: What does the world see, your resume or your LinkedIn profile? Whether you're actively or passively looking for a new job, it's no secret an up-to-date and engaging LinkedIn profile will get you noticed by employers and recruiters. Does this mean your resume is less important? The short answer: No, however, it's secondary to the importance of your LinkedIn profile. Like a salesperson handing a prospect a brochure, a resume is a marketing tool you use to apply for a job. Your LinkedIn profile establishes your professional online presence, connects you with colleagues, companies, recruiters, and other professionals, showcases your career, and is an intricate part of creating your personal brand. Most importantly, your LinkedIn profile can be a job opportunity magnet. How you apply for a role will determine whether your resume or LinkedIn is first viewed. If the job application didn't request that you submit a resume (e.g., you applied via 'LinkedIn Easy Apply'), the hiring manager will view your LinkedIn profile directly. If you upload/attach your resume to a job board, LinkedIn, or directly with the company, the hiring manager will first look at your resume and then look at your LinkedIn profile if they deem you might be a fit. TIP: Include a link to your LinkedIn profile on your resume. It doesn't matter how good your resume is; hiring managers will review your LinkedIn profile and activities (comments, posts, endorsements, articles, and projects) and your digital footprint to decide if you're interview-worthy. In an ideal world, your resume will pass the employer's Applicant Tracking System (ATS), then be read by the hiring manager, who'll think you're a possibility. Then, if the job search Gods are blessing you, after reviewing your LinkedIn profile and social media activity (e.g., Facebook, Twitter, Instagram), the hiring manager will say to themselves, "I have to meet this person!" Not long ago, the purpose of your resume was to land an interview. The goal of a resume today is to get the reader to visit your LinkedIn profile, so they learn more about you, your work, qualifications, and career story. The following are the distinguishing factors between your resume and LinkedIn profile: LinkedIn: - Opportunity to tell your career story. (past, current and ongoing) Your LinkedIn profile is a place for details, context, vivid pictures, and engagement-all that glitter you edit from your resume to make it two pages. - Isn't formal. Put yourself in the reader's position-third person resume language isn't what readers lean into. Use a conversational tone. Include details that humanize you. Don't just describe what you do; explain why you enjoy it. - You can support your claims. Your resume is taken at face value. Visiting your LinkedIn profile and interviewing you is how your skills and experience are formally accessed. Take full advantage of your LinkedIn profile to showcase your skills, talents, and career achievements. Your profile should have recommendations, articles you've published and projects you've facilitated or been a part of. - Keywords (reason for). For your LinkedIn profile to be effective, it needs to be keyword optimized, but for a different reason than using keywords throughout your resume to pass an employer's ATS. Including keywords related to your skills, experience, and desired role, will result in your profile appearing more often and higher in LinkedIn searches by employers and recruiters. - A profile picture. This is non-negotiable. Period. Resume: - Organic document. Your LinkedIn is static and only modified to add achievements and job changes. To maximize your resume's efficiency, you need to tailor it to the specific job requirements of the position you're applying for. - Concise. Get to the point. Only highlight (bullet points) your skills and experience relevant to the job you're applying for. - Keywords (reason for). Your resume needs to get past the employer's/recruiter's ATS. Mine keywords by referring to the job ad, especially qualifications and the company's website. Use these keywords throughout your resume to get past the company's ATS. - Formal. A resume is a formal document written in the third person and has a professional tone. - No picture. Never include a picture on your resume. Due to its length limitations, your resume doesn't allow you to present the best version of your experience, skills, and background. On the other hand, a LinkedIn profile enables you to present a comprehensive career story with supporting backups. This, plus LinkedIn's global reach, is why I suggest you give your LinkedIn profile "slightly" more love than your resume. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nick Kossovan, a well-seasoned veteran of the corporate landscape, offers advice on searching for a job. You can send him your questions at artoffindingwork@gmail.com

Canada's Economic Security and Wellbeing

by Maj (ret'd) CORNELIU E. CHISU, CD, PMSC, FEC, CET, P. Eng. Former Member of Parliament Pickering-Scarborough East As the war in Ukraine continues, the issue of energy is on the minds of many people. This is especially true in Europe where countries are heavily dependant on oil and gas provided by Russia. There is an obvious connection between economic security and secure sources of energy, but some leaders, including ones in Canada, are dreaming high. Their fancies run to other, more expensive and less reliable sources of energy than oil, gas and nuclear. Canada, which could be especially well positioned to resolve the energy problems of European allies, presently lacks appropriate infrastructure to deliver, despite its enormous available reserves in energy. We need not wonder at this, if we consider that Canada's energy policy has been mired in decades of neglect, contradictions, mismanagement and obvious incompetence. We are not even able to resolve internal energy demands with our own oil, and are importing oil from abroad. We are watching energy prices skyrocket at home as Russia invades Ukraine and sanctions are applied on Russian exports. Downstream, this shows up directly in higher consumer costs at the gas station and in home heating bills. Indirectly, since energy costs are embedded in everything we consume, it manifests as widespread inflation in all the other consumables that we take for granted in modern society. For example, rising natural gas prices lead to shortages in fertilizer which in turn results in reduced crop yields and higher grain prices. Economic security depends on energy security. History has shown repeatedly how easily rampant inflation can bring down a government and destabilize a country when the cost of living exceeds the ability of the citizenry to pay. There are many examples of such economic collapses. Look at Venezuela and the Arab Spring, which erupted mostly due to food price inflation. Wise politicians understand that periods of high inflation are toxic for their political careers particularly when an election is in the offing. Consequently, we are beginning to see surprising policy reactions to this recent round of energy inflation. Ontario is sending cheques to car owners for registration rebates, and making promises of provincial tax relief on gas at the pumps after the election. Other Canadian provincial premiers are also debating the suspension of provincial gas taxes, at least for a period of time. But left-leaning politicians in Canada like the Liberal NDP coalition, are still sleeping and dreaming of renewables. For the record, let us look at the situation reasonably. Many of the people suddenly concerned about energy affordability inflation are the same ones who have been putting up barriers to increasing supply and introducing carbon taxes. The whole point of these policies was to increase prices, thereby diminishing demand and leading us into the clean energy nirvana. In the meantime, ordinary people are paying the costs of some ill conceived, untimely and insensitive policies. The idea that energy security can be neglected and postponed, and that we could painlessly transition to renewables without incurring any risks, was a comforting narrative when we thought we had reached the end of history and had a nice global village. But if anything, history teaches us that things can change abruptly, as has happened with the war in Ukraine. Now, the world is quickly waking up from a thirty-year stupor and re-discovering that there are still bad actors out there who pose a threat to our way of life. This exposes all the bad decisions we have made that increased our dependence on those, it turns out, we cannot trust. Perhaps it wasn't such a great idea for Germany to rely exclusively on Russia for its natural gas and close its nuclear power plants. Perhaps it wasn't such a great idea for Canada to rely heavily on China for pharmaceuticals and PPE in the event of a pandemic. Perhaps it wasn't such a great idea for Joe Biden to cancel the Keystone XL pipeline so that he'd have to go begging dictators in Venezuela, Saudi Arabia, and Iran for supplies after applying sanctions on Russia, and even resorting to tapping into US strategic reserves in desperation. For that matter, perhaps if Canada had built pipelines to tidewater or at least used the rail to the port of Churchill and upgraded the oil terminal there, and built LNG terminals, we'd be able to export Alberta oil and gas to help Ukraine in a tangible way. Instead, we are reduced to merely protesting against the villain, Russia, and convening talks to which nobody listens. We are getting a hard lesson and a rude awakening in geopolitical reality; the world remains a dangerous place and many people are at risk of starving or freezing due to the reprehensible actions of an autocratic world leader, and Canada is by no means safe. Even a quick resolution to the Ukraine conflict wouldn't change the fact that the Western world has now learned that it cannot be dependent on despots in Moscow, Beijing, or Riyadh and Teheran for critical inputs that drive our modern life. Due to bad mistakes made by a succession of Western politicians, including Canadians, it will take years to build alternative supplies and re-store abandoned supply chains. These actions will be necessary, however, if we wish to ensure our economic security. By now it seems clear that the three-decade experiment with globalization, if not dead, is certainly under siege, and needs to be reconsidered as a concept. For example, the Russian central bank cannot be deleted from the Western financial system as easily as the freezing of finances of a Canadian trucker, because alternative forms of financial transactions are available today, that don't require the cooperation of Western governments. We can already see this occurring in actions like India arranging to purchase Russian oil in rupees, in China's replacement system for the SWIFT system (CIPS), and in Russia's demand to be paid for natural gas in roubles. Certainly our adversaries are building alternatives to the Western financial system. Now the question is: where is our alternative to the critical commodities we source from them? Perhaps money isn't really what the Federal Reserve or the Bank of Canada should be printing in enormous quantities. Perhaps we are discovering that the actual currency is oil, natural gas, wheat, uranium, fertilizer, gold, etc.; real assets that we need that cannot be printed or otherwise wished into existence but that are gladly accepted in any country. To that end, it never made any sense for green politicians and environmentalists to advocate destroying our fossil fuel supply chain without first building its replacement. Energy transitions always take decades. Electricity from renewables can make an important contribution but needs to be backed up with natural gas, coal, or nuclear energy. The cost of upgrading the North American electrical grid will run into the trillions. The quantity of minerals required to convert the world's automobile fleet to EVs away from internal combustion will be enormous and most of the known deposits are controlled by countries we can no longer rely on. Battery technology is nowhere near ready to meet our needs. We finally need to learn that Bad things happen when reality collides with platitudes. What do you think?

MAYOR DAN CARTER IS OUR HOMELESS PROBLEM

By Joe Ingino Editor/Publisher ACCOMPLISHED WRITER/AUTHOR OF OVER 800,000 Published Columns in Canada and The United States “I live a dream in a nightmare world” 2022 is a municipal election year. After enduring almost four years of having to deal with the homeless, drug addicts, prostitutes and drug dealers. One would have thought that our elected officials would come up with solutions to the problem. After all Mayor Dan Carter won the election on the promise to do something for the homeless in Oshawa as he himself is a former Toronto area homeless, addict. One would have thought that he would be compassionate and have some insight on what the solution to the problem would be. No, instead he has sat on his hands for almost 4 years and allowed the problem to get worst. Meanwhile collecting taxpayers dollars to act as a Mayor. I say act because that is exactly what he has done. Staff run the show. City council is made up of a bunch of incompetent intellectually challenged individuals that have proven not to have the aptitude to run the city efficiently. No jobs, no opportunities, no real plan for the future. Mayor Carter boasted at the Chamber meeting boasted that the City has issued 1 billion in building permits. But fails to recognize at what cost. Building Ghetto type of housing to the north of Oshawa is not development it is a future liability. There is no planning to his madness. On top of that how can he boast on such numbers when 90% is natural growth due to the skyrocket prices in Toronto. Not to mention opportunist developers looking to make a quick buck of prime lands in Oshawa. This is purely insane. NO VISION AND THE ALLOWANCE OF THE RAPING OF PRIME FARMING LANDS TO THE NORTH. From the Mayor to his supporters... such as councillor Chapman. Here is a man that has had it’s day and now semi retired has done little or nothing for the city of Oshawa. In my opinion a hypocrite that only mission is to survive another term in office. Fluffing his pension. Councillor Hurst. A realtor that truly should not be in politics. Another Joe Biden of politics. Won by the mercy of God. Senile as they come. When asked in an interview to name all the media outlets in her City. She had no clue. When asked about particular city policy. She had no clue. Real representation. Since we are in that ward. Tito-Dante Mariempietri. Another long standing political gem that his time is long over due. HAVE WE NOT WASTED ENOUGH MONEY on this guy? What has he done for the city in all his terms in office? A guy that never returns calls to his local media... i can imagine constituents calling him...HE HAS TO GO. Just to name a few. This past week our beloved mayor once again played the political card and refused the renewal of a permit to CAMP. Community Assisted Meal Program. A 100% volunteer driven group that feed those in need at Midtown mall. Here is a release from one of the co-founders on FB. John E Walker: We can thank Mayor Dan Carter, Counselors, Gray, Chapman, Marks, Tito and Hurst for refusing to extend the CAMPs permit today. Our most vulnerable face a lot of added hardship, these politicians truly showed their true colors today! I am sure that many of us will remember this come election time! Not a single one of these individuals deserves to represent our city. Their actions will force people to go without food/clothing/necessities and this is the reality of their actions today! Wake up Carter. Just because Durham Outlook opened in Oshawa in March. You don’t shut down CAMP. Who is doing the thinking. The need exceeds that of the services out there. What is council thinking? This again is another clear example on how the City has lost touch with the needs of the community. It is not about common sense. Planning and doing what is right. Instead it is about staff recommendation. A staff that will not go out of the box as if anything goes wrong. Jobs are on the line. It is about lobbying and convincing the right councillor into voting from a bias perspective. It is about politics. If someone does not like you or your organization. You are black balled and the city will not allow you to do business with them or in the city of Oshawa. CASE IN POINT. THERE IS NOT REAL LOGICAL REASON FOR THE DENIAL. Other than CAMP makes the City look bad. As CAMP has found the magic bean when it comes to feeding those in need and the City awaits for Federal hand outs. NO CITY MONEY. NO TAX PAYER MONEY. Only a permit. Remember to make the right changes in the Municipal election 2022.

Canada and the Liberal NDP power deal

by Maj (ret'd) CORNELIU E. CHISU, CD, PMSC, FEC, CET, P. Eng. Former Member of Parliament Pickering-Scarborough East The recent agreement between the Trudeau Liberal government and the Jagmeet Singh New Democrats in the House of Commons to keep the minority Liberals in office until June of 2025 dramatically changes both the dynamic and policy options facing Canada in the next three years. With a decisively left oriented agenda we can probably expect more spending and climate change oriented pet projects with dubious costs to the taxpayers in a decisively falling economy. It takes 170 seats in the 338-seat House to have a clear majority. The Liberals are 11 short with 159. But with 25 from the NDP, the combined total of 184 gives the two parties together comfortable control in the House of Commons. So for the next tree years the conservative opposition will have little influence on the direction the country is going. This means that the Liberals have enough time to implement their plan to start an irreversible road to a "build back better" after a pandemic big reset. This deal in essence will substantially alter the way politics plays out over the next three years. Justin Trudeau is now guaranteed that he will remain as prime minister, should he choose to, until at least mid-2025. That would give him an even decade running the country. The Liberal - NDP agreement came just as the race for the leadership of the Conservative Party is heating up. Part of the excitement of the Conservative race was the possibility that the winner could be the next prime minister, and that there could be an election if the Liberal minority government were defeated in the House on a budget vote in 2023. As of this agreement, all these ambitions are put on hold and the future of the Conservative Party is not looking very promising. A demonstration that the Liberals are having a free hand, is the recent announcement that after noticeable delays and vehement denouncement of the project, the Liberal government has now announced negotiations with U.S. defence giant Lockheed Martin to purchase the F-35 fighter jets. Yet even as the end to that circuitous search appeared to finally be in sight, many unanswered questions remained: how much will the aircraft cost now? When will they start to arrive in Canada? And most importantly, were the past 12 years of debate and delays worth it to taxpayers? Procurement Minister Filomena Tassi and Defence Minister Anita Anand confirmed during a news conference that Lockheed Martin's stealth fighter beat out Sweden's Saab Gripen in a competition many had long considered the F-35's to lose. The government will now launch formal negotiations with the company this week for the purchase of 88 F-35s to replace Canada's CF-18s, with officials anticipating the talks will take about seven months and result in a final contract by the end of the year. The move into final negotiations for the F-35 has also prompted questions about whether Ottawa should have pressed ahead with its original deal more than a decade ago. Stephen Harper's Conservative government committed to buying 65 F-35s without a competition in 2010, before concerns about the stealth fighter's cost and capabilities forced it back to the drawing board. The Liberals promised in 2015 not to buy the F-35, but to instead launch an open competition to replace the CF-18s. They later planned to buy 18 Super Hornets without a competition as an "interim" measure until a full competition could be launched. But the government cancelled the plan after Boeing launched a trade dispute with Montreal aerospace firm Bombardier. Ottawa initiated the current bidding process in July 2019, at which point the Super Hornet and F-35 were allowed to compete. In the meantime, the government has been forced to invest hundreds of millions of additional dollars into the CF-18 fleet to keep it flying until a replacement can be delivered. By 2032, the CF-18s will have been around for 50 years. In the meantime, with this political waffling not only has Canada contributed US$613 million into the F-35's development since 1997, with another multimillion-dollar payment due in the coming weeks, but the stealth fighter is being used by the U.S. and a growing number of allies and Canada has been left far behind. As for the anticipated $19-billion cost, Anand has said that will be "further refined." The question still remains: Who should pay for these additional senseless costs incurred by taxpayers as a result of this political and civil service mismanagement? Another confirmation of the Liberal free hand is the recent new climate plan for Canada. The Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault tabled the new emissions reduction plan in the House of Commons last week. It is a legislated requirement under the net-zero emissions law the government passed last year. This projects the oil and gas industry will need to cut greenhouse-gas emissions by 42 per cent from current levels by 2030 if the country is to meet its new targets. The government report projects that emissions from the oil and gas sector - including production, refining, and transportation via pipelines - could be 110 million tonnes by 2030, down from 191 million tonnes in 2019. So what does this mean? Less oil production and higher price for the consumers at the pump? The legislation is also introducing a tougher schedule to shift Canadian vehicle sales to electric models, promising a requirement that one in five new passenger vehicles be battery-operated within four years, and 60 per cent by the end of 2030. Great plan again with the taxpayers on the hook "We are making some progress between now and 2030," Guilbeault said. "But there'll be even more progress to come between 2030 and 2035." The coming federal budget is expected to expand on this issue with more electric vehicle news to come soon. The government will also aim for one-third of medium- and heavy-duty vehicles sold to be electric by 2030 and 100 per cent by 2040. So in conclusion be prepared to live in a dream world for the next three years and pay heavily for it. Good luck!

Accepting Your Reality Is Important, Especially for Job Seekers

By Nick Kossovan Some "food for thought" when it comes to syncing your reality with your job search. Years ago, a defining moment for me occurred at 2:30 AM on a Friday morning in Times Square. A few minutes earlier, it had stopped raining. My friend was trying to hail a taxi to get us back to Hackensack, New Jersey. I took out a cigarette and then realized I didn't have a lighter. So, I asked a hunched-over man walking by for a light. He produced a Zippo. I commented on the beauty of the neon lights reflecting off the wet pavement. My new friend snapped shut his Zippo. As he walked away, he said, "For every lightbulb on Broadway, there are a thousand broken hearts." BOOM! a hit of reality-most people never realize their dream and move onto their plan B or C, assuming they had a plan B or C. The fact is most of us will never live our dreams-not entirely. At some point, you'll have to conclude "it is what it is" and either make the best of it or move on. The popular advice is you should always follow your dreams and passions. In a world (I'm thinking globally.) where most people are just looking to survive to the next day, we're privileged to think of "follow your dream" as "career advice." The self-help industry pushes this advice, as do career coaches. Marketing capitalizes on people pursuing their dreams, which created the Western cultural belief that anyone can achieve anything they desire if they work hard enough. "Follow your dream" advice is sticky because it implies that if you don't follow your dream, you're settling (God forbid) for less. Never is the advice to make peace with your reality. - She's not in love with you. - The world doesn't need another juggling mime. - Everyone is vying for the one (keyword) corner office. - You don't have what it takes to make it in Hollywood. - Only a handful of people make a living as a snowboarder. In my experience, much of life is characterized by, "It is what it is!" and the greatest source of unhappiness is unrealistic expectations. Putting your hopes on landing a job you have at best a slim chance of landing is a disservice to your job search and happiness. At 47, will you be able to pivot from being an accountant to becoming a sought-after fashion designer? Sometimes I'll ask a candidate, "When you were in high school, what were you hoping to become?" Most of the time, I hear the cliché "a rockstar," "a hockey player," "a police officer." I'm looking for insight into how the candidate saw themselves in their youth. Then I ask, "So what happened?" to see if they tend to blame others instead of themselves. Once a candidate, who I'd say was in their late 30s, told me his dream was to make a living as a comedian. As much as possible, he'd do open mic nights, hoping to get discovered. I hired this person and went to several of his open mics. Some people are naturally funny; most people aren't. While I give him kudos for his determination, he was most people. Clint Eastwood, as "Dirty Harry" Callahan, in Magnum Force (1973), gave what I consider to be sage advice: "A man's got to know his limitations." Sometimes you need to say to yourself, "I'm not cut out for being a (whatever)." I've said this to myself more than once. When it's in your best interest, there's no shame in quitting and trying something else. Often job seekers reach for jobs they're told by well-meaning family members and friends to go after. Or they have friends whose jobs they wish they had because these "friends" present themselves as being successful. They believe having the title of "Manager," or "Junior VP," or "Senior Operation Manager" will define them as being successful, or at least make them appear successful. Straight talk: All jobs ("What is it you do?") are a means to an end-an income. In today's expanding/contracting economic climate, it's foolish to have your identity dependent on your job, which you've seen can vanish in an instant. Today, many people are miserable and job search frustrated. They're pursuing "dream jobs," they think will make them happy and show the world they're successful. Even though it may seem counter-intuitive, waking up from the fantasy world of "the dream job" will benefit you and your job hunt in many ways. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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

NO HONOR AMONG CROOKS

By Rosaldo Russo Allow me to begin this column by thanking the Oshawa/Central 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. In my opinion. The Editor/Publisher is a real upstanding type of guy. He shoots from the hip and hold traditional core values. My name is Rosaldo Russo. I came to this great country to make a better life for myself and my family. I thank Canada for everything it has allowed me to do and earn. I worked construction all my life. I know the value of hard work and honesty. I remember as a boy my father always telling me to work hard and buy land. So I did. I remember days when I did not have enough to eat. I go to work... but I did not wait for hand outs. I rounded up my pride my skill and my determination to succeed and went to work. In those days the only benefits we received was the fact we were employed. Before retiring I was the owner and operator of local material supply company that allowed me to retired without worry. Now that I have time to enjoy life. I look around me and have some concern for future generations. I see that the world is finished. Much like that popular song by Men at Work - ironically entitled “I come from a land down under” sort of speaking. Many Italians are stereotyped into just because you look traditional Italian that you have some sort of Mob connection.... I wish. At least those guys have a strict code of ethics. You mess up. You pay the price. I remember reading a book where they they said that the reason why the government does not like the Mob is because government does not want competition. Unfortunately La Cosa Nostra of Oshawa (Municipal Government) messes up and lives to tell about it and do it all over again. I am disgusted on how our elected official keep wasting our money and go about their day as if nothing happens. How they make one bad decision after another. Point in case. This week it was brought to my attention the fact that at Monday council meeting. La Cosa Nostra of Oshawa denied the good people of C.A.M.P. Community Assisted Meal Program a permit to continue feeding the poor in Oshawa. Here you have a group made up of volunteers at no cost to the tax payers and the City denies them a permit... On what grounds do they do this? This group was founded by Raymond Bond and John E Walker. The City should be praising these two for the service to the City. The City is in dire need for assistance when it comes to helping those in need. Instead they play politics and favortism. I am beyond words upset at the City. I will help CAMP in any way I can. This prejudice and favortism has to stop. The City has to stop being so hypocritical and exclusive. I am beyond words on how these so called elected official can justify picking up their pay cheques every week knowing that there are people out there starving and living on our streets. This type of arrogance has to go. This is the only City that practices such prejudice. The only city that things happen and they fail to publish. Case in point. Why has the City not given any advertising to this newspaper? Politics and favortism. The City can manipulate the other media outlets so they favor them by paying them off with your tax dollar in the form of advertising. This is wrong. I have had a good life. I will do whatever I can to help those in need. Those being abused and or done wrong. La Cosa Nostra of Oshawa is about to change in the 2022 election. Do your part support C.A.M.P in any way you can.

Older And Wiser

My history with relationships stinks. I chose the wrong men because I needed to feel needed. I thought if I could fix them, they would feel so grateful they would give me undying love. I’m not making that mistake this time. The man I’m engaged to has nothing to fix. He’s perfect for me. Sounds too good to be true, right? There is one glitch. His ex-wife. They met when he was 18, and she was 23, and they had two children. In their relationship she was boss, and he did what she wanted. They fought constantly, and after seven years, she called it quits to find herself. Then I came along. We fell madly in love and became engaged. She told him he was going too fast. She tried to restrict his visits with his children. She claimed the kids needed time to adjust. He went against her restriction, and his kids and my kids get along wonderfully. After our engagement, we visited his hometown with the children. His ex-wife called ahead to warn his friends of the terrible mistake he was making. My fiancé told them he was happier than he’s ever been. When he talked to his ex-wife later, she said she’s jealous because he has become the man she always wanted him to be. He said, when he was married to her, he couldn’t be that man. Being with him has put my past in the dust. I never think of what I could have done differently because I am so happy with the way things have turned out. He’s the man of my dreams. He gives me absolutely no reason to doubt him. Why do I still feel insecure? Gail Gail, everything you say about this man shows he is now mature enough to deal with his ex-wife and the aftermath of that marriage. We don’t see anything to worry about. She is doing what jealous, controlling people always do…using the children as pawns, trying to poison his relationship with friends, attempting to deny you happiness. Share your feelings with your fiancé. The greatest joy of being with the right person--the man perfect for you--is that you can be completely honest, completely open, and completely authentic. That is what makes this relationship like no other. When you find that kind of connection, nothing life throws at you can separate the two of you. It may take a little time to get over old memories, but give your fiancé credit for learning from his past, just as you have. Wayne & Tamara Poor Odds I’ve been dating a man for three years. Rob is a great human being and I love him, but I come from a well-educated, “classy” family and his people are rather low class. His family’s ideals are very different. For example, his mother has no teeth. When his parents go to the racetrack, she walks around like that. I would spend my money on some dentures! Also, Rob and his family are big gamblers. Rob runs gambling sheets and collects bets for his bookie in football season. Even though Rob promised me he will stop working for the bookie after we marry, he fully intends to keep gambling. What should I do? I’m going crazy trying to decide. Callista Callista, don’t expect Rob to stop collecting bets after the wedding. The lament of men is, “After the wedding she changed.” In this case, my bet is he won’t change. Gambling can be an addictive and costly pursuit. Rob may use you and your income to support his lifestyle. Then there’s the difference in your backgrounds. It matters to you. Don’t deny your feelings, they won’t go away. If you go ahead with this wedding, I’ll wager 10 to 1 that it won’t work out, and I don’t trust Rob or his bookie to hold the money. Wayne Wayne & Tamara are also the authors of Age Difference Relationships, When Is the Gap Insurmountable, available from Amazon, Apple and most booksellers. Wayne & Tamara write: Directanswers@WayneAndTamara.com

Common Sense in End-of-Life Choices

Few want to think about it. But there are choices to made about death. Doing nothing is one option. Life will, inevitably, one way or another, come to an end. But making common sense decisions about personal preferences for end-of-life should not be taboo or disallowed. And politicians should get out of the way. In Canada, the would-be “just society”, the vast majority of citizens, about 80%, have repeatedly affirmed support for people who wish it to have the option of medical assistance in dying. In the U.S., over the past decade, polls have ranged from 55-75% in support. But why are there still restrictions on who is eligible? In the U.S., there is a hodgepodge legislation, as only some states have passed medical aid in dying laws. According to the U.S. group Death With Dignity, “every year, thousands of people who receive terminal diagnoses will consider uprooting their lives and moving to another state in order to avoid unnecessary suffering in death.” For Canadians in the early stages of a capacity-eroding condition, recently expanded legislation is of little help. The organization, Dying With Dignity Canada, states, “For many of these people and those without a formal diagnosis — but who fear that they will develop a serious and incurable disease after they have lost capacity — the option to make an advance request is not currently allowed under the law.” Why such nonsense when the answer is simple? It’s because vocal minorities are holding governments hostage, and politicians are lacking both courage and decency. Consider the fully competent and uncoerced person diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, Parkinson’s, or Huntington’s disease who wishes the dignity of a managed end-of-life process. It’s a problem that does not require the intellect of Einstein. But, in Canada, Members of Parliament and Senators are dithering. Readers of this column have expressed frustration with legal restrictions. One wrote, “I do not want others to feed me, give me a cookie, and have someone play the accordion.” Or another, “Why must I suffer in bed day after day while someone changes my diapers?” Some related stories of loved ones suffering unbearable cancer pain for days, in spite of narcotics, before an excruciating death. It’s sad that 25% of doctors involved in palliative care refuse to engage in medical assistance in death. These physicians claim their mission is to ease pain, not to hasten death. But surely it is cruel when patients want an end to life. A public outcry can win the day. Right now, the minority is far louder than the majority. What’s truly sad is that permitting the majority the right to medical assistance in dying does nothing to harm the interests of the minority. No one is forcing those who don’t want medical assistance in dying to have it! The Canadian Parliament has debated the issues carefully – and endlessly. The will of the people is clear. But still barriers persist. To repeat, those who do not wish medical assistance to die need not have it. It cannot be a part of medical care for those who have not initiated the paperwork while competent to do so – and assisted death cannot proceed if there is a change of mind in those who started the process. People who wish to die naturally in spite of pain should be allowed to do so. But they should not be allowed to prohibit the path of those who think otherwise. Contact Dying With Dignity Canada www.dyingwithdignity.ca or Death with Dignity www.deathwithdignity.org in the U.S. for guidance on how to let government know you want the choice to be yours. Sign-up at www.docgiff.com to receive our weekly e-newsletter. For comments, contact-us@docgiff.com. Follow us Instagram @docgiff and @diana_gifford_jones

Situation Report Canada

by Maj (ret'd) CORNELIU E. CHISU, CD, PMSC, FEC, CET, P. Eng. Former Member of Parliament Pickering-Scarborough East As the world continues to fester in turmoil with the ongoing war in Ukraine and dealing with the spectre of economic uncertainties, let's look at the situation in our own nation. First of all, the liberal government is fully concentrated on the situation in Ukraine with the Prime Minister making trips to Europe, meeting with allies to see what they can do for humanity there. A lot of talk, photo ops and the usual declaration of help and committing financial resources for the Ukrainian people in need. Back home, however, the economic situation is becoming worrisome, with the Covid 19 pandemic disappearing off the radar and province after province quickly lifting associated restrictions while the federal government follows at a slower pace. Forgotten are the usual medical "professionals'" briefing, with everybody wanting to put the pandemic behind, and looking forward to living their lives. Two years of doom seems to have been enough, with the pandemic magically gone, at least for the politicians. Now there are other issues on the horizon and the economic outlook is not good. Statistics Canada says the annual inflation rate climbed to 5.7 per cent in February, its highest level since August 1991 and the second straight month over 5 per cent. Helping to drive the increase in February were higher gasoline prices that were up 32.3 per cent compared with February 2021 and 6.9 per cent from a month earlier. Statistics Canada says that excluding gasoline prices, the headline inflation rate would have been 4.7 per cent in February. So the question is, will the governments ease their taxes on gasoline or will they continue to be greedy and insist on going more green? Grocery store prices were up 7.4 per cent for the largest yearly increase since May 2009, pushed higher by rising fuel costs that are being passed on to consumers. Statistics Canada says shelter costs, which includes prices for homes and rental units, rose at their fastest pace since August 1983. The rise in the consumer price index compared with a year-over-year gain of 5.1 per cent in January, and marked 11 consecutive months that the index has been above the Bank of Canada's inflation target zone of between one and three per cent. The average of the three measures for core inflation, which are considered better gauges of underlying price pressures and closely tracked by the Bank of Canada, was 3.5 per cent for February, up from the 3.2 per cent reported in January. February's average was the highest rate recorded since June 1991. The figures point to more pervasive and broad-based pressure on prices that has left the central bank uneasy about inflation. Two weeks ago, the bank raised its key policy rate to 0.5 per cent, marking the first hike in two years, and warned of more hikes to come to rein in inflation. Economists are warning that the inflation rate could yet go higher on the back of surging prices at the gas pumps and grocery stores as Russia's invasion of Ukraine pushed up global oil and wheat prices. With that said, I am curious to know how the liberal government will deal with this situation. Continuing with their policy of printing money and spending what they do not have will definitively not be a solution for the country and its citizens. While the government busies itself with the events unfolding internationally, responding at lightening speed, in the face of our own worrisome economic outlook at home, what is the loyal opposition doing? The Conservative Party of Canada is again busy looking for a leader who can defeat the Liberals. After Erin O'Toole was deposed, a leadership contest was called, with a new leader to be crowned on the 10th of September, just in time for the beginning of the Parliamentary fall session. The candidates are lining up with Pierre Poilievre, a feisty and outspoken conservative in the lead, and several others in pursuit. Jean Charest, a former Progressive Conservative federally and a Quebec Liberal Premier provincially, is strongly favored by party elite, and Patrick Brown, a former Ontario PC leader and Mayor of Brampton has also thrown his hat into the ring. It will be interesting to see the outcome of this leadership contest, as pandemic restrictions are lifting rapidly and the new old normal is back. The unfolding of the conservative leadership campaign should be revealing, with the country so desperately in need of new ideas and strategies for dealing with economically challenging times. In conclusion it is hard not to know what comes next. Many experts and seasoned minds make their best predictions, but nobody knows anything for certain. Significant uncertainty still exists about the future of Covid or other possible pandemics, the true health of the global economy and the growing dysfunction of politics across the board. The future seems more precarious than we even imagined in the midst of the pandemic, but there is still hope.

Consider Your Interviewer's Side

By Nick Kossovan Every story has two sides. Every person has their own perspective. Every person is looking out for their self-interest. Those with above-average people skills always consider how the world looks from the other person's point of view (POV). By imagining themselves in the other person's shoes, they're in a better position to understand, empathize, and build a relationship based on mutual respect. Think of all the possible back-of-the-mind questions going through your interviewer's head as they interview you. Some questions they're asking themselves: - "Will I be able to justify hiring Nick to my boss, my colleagues and the team members Nick will be working with?" - "Will Nick be a flight risk?" - "Is how Nick is presenting himself really who he is?" - "Will Nick be able to hit the ground running?" - "Can Nick help solve our problems?" - "Will Nick be easy to manage?" Hiring is a MASSIVE risk! According to the US Department of Labor, a bad hire can cost the company up to 30% of the employee's first-year salary. Mellon Financial Corporation did a study that reported bad hires can cost a company 1% - 2.5% of their revenue due to the cost of hiring and productivity loss. An interviewer isn't going to say to themselves, "Nick seems nice. Let's pay him tens of thousands of dollars and hope he works out." Savvy candidates always take the interviewer's POV into account. Consequently, they demonstrate empathy, which is a powerful way to establish a bond with your interviewer or anyone. In addition, your interviewer has undoubtedly been burned before by, for example, candidates who had a beard, were a Millennial, had a long commute, claimed to be a team player. During interviews candidates will "say and promise." However, often once hired, they forget what they said and promised. Understandably, your interviewer's hiring experiences create biases, which you have no visibility to. Bias is an inescapable part of human nature. Despite government efforts to eliminate employers' biases, bias will always exist in some form. This fundamental reality of human nature is why my overarching job search advice is to seek your tribe. Think: "I'm not looking for a job; I'm looking for my tribe!" Looking for your tribe mitigates the amount of bias you'll encounter during your job search. "The hiring process is broken!" is something I hear from those who aren't getting the jobs they want. The truth is employers design their hiring process (Employers own their hiring process.) to guard their self-interest, which is to make the right hires. Employers don't hire with the foremost intention of catering to the job seeker's self-interests. In addition to costing money and time, unsuccessful hiring also reflects poorly on the interviewer, who I can assure you doesn't want their hiring skills questioned. I've made my share of "bad hires"; the fallout was never pretty. Therefore, I understand why employers are cautious about hiring. Your interviewer's wanting to maintain their reputation is something as a job seeker you should empathize with. The many risks associated with hiring is why most employers tend to have a hiring process that's conservative and lengthy (several interviews, personality tests, criminal background checks, credit checks) rather than liberal and fast. Wishful thinking creates the false narrative that employers being cautious in their hiring practices hinders them from hiring qualified, and most important, culturally fitting candidates. Here are your takeaways from this column: 1. Walk into your interviews with one mission: To make your interviewer believe you belong. 2. Before an interview, envision what it feels like to sit on your interviewer's side of the desk. 3. Visualize all the risks your interviewer will face if they hire you and then present yourself as much as possible as "risk-free." Your interviews will go better if you have this POV. You'll be more persuasive simply because, right from the start, you're focused outward, towards your interviewer, rather than inward. ("What's in it for me" is a turn-off.) An interview is not as cut and dry as a skill-testing question. A human being is asking you questions and judging your answers against their concerns and biases. With me, there's no right answer, only an honest one. If your honest answer doesn't get you hired, then so be it and move on. Moving on is a survival skill all job seekers should develop. When interviewing, don't agonize over trying to get inside your interviewer's head. Keep in mind your interviewer is human and probably feels as apprehensive as you feel. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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

CHIRP - CHIRP

By Rosaldo Russo Allow me to begin this column by thanking the Oshawa/Central 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. In my opinion. The Editor/Publisher is a real upstanding type of guy. He shoots from the hip and hold traditional core values. My name is Rosaldo Russo. I came to this great country to make a better life for myself and my family. I thank Canada for everything it has allowed me to do and earn. I worked construction all my life. I know the value of hard work and honesty. I remember as a boy my father always telling me to work hard and buy land. So I did. I remember days when I did not have enough to eat. I go to work... but I did not wait for hand outs. I rounded up my pride my skill and my determination to succeed and went to work. In those days the only benefits we received was the fact we were employed. Before retiring I was the owner and operator of local material supply company that allowed me to retired without worry. Now that I have time to enjoy life. I look around me and have some concern for future generations. I see that the world is finished. There are conflicts all over the world. It appears that when our media tries to push an agenda for support. We are exposed to all the autrocities of war. The suffering the real heart jerking media that will entice an emotion in support of one side or another. Unfortunately for the realities of life. People suffer and are suffering all over the world. Death, is all around us. It does not take much for them to become us. Look at the recent truckers situation. Our cowardly Prime Minister instead of taking the diplomatic route. He called in the boots of war to oppress the peaceful truckers. Truckers that are no different than you or I. It took truckers to put an end to COVID and it’s ridiculous mandates. Maybe it will take truckers to bring world peace. You never know. Today we are force fed through the media the autrocities in the Ukraine. Showing us on a daily basis how bad the Russians are. How is it that when we blanket bomb Middle Easter countries we are not prevy to the images of war. To the many women and children killed. But wait. Women and children are being killed all over the world and we never hear about it. Africa, South America, Middle East, Ukraine. Funny how society works. When the powers of the day want something they will use images to move us in to action. I personally want war to end for the innocent people. For the preservation of history and humanity. Have we not learned that war is not the answer to any conflict. Only people like you and me get hurt. Then again, we been fighting one war after another. Not only military. Then why is human suffering so prevelant in the human mind? Why must we always live under this tension ban that fluctuates from one conflict right on to the other. Hell, have we forgotten that China is responsible for the release of that bio-hazardous agent called COVID to the world. We live in North America in a fragile society. We are no better than a canary in a cage. The handlers have all the control. All we can do is chirp when we need something or want something. Other than that our limitations are the same. Life is for the living. Let’s all live it.

2 Interview Questions You Will Be Asked

Second Question By Nick Kossovan In my last column, I discussed the question every interviewer begins with, "Walk me through your resume." Essentially, you're being asked, "What's your career story?" If you're employed at the time you're being interviewed, the second question you'll be asked is fraught with the potential of sending the wrong message to your interviewer. Second Question: "Why are you looking to leave your current employer?" There are infinite reasons someone looks to leave their current job. I'd hazard a guess that wanting more money is the number one reason. Not getting along with your boss or the leadership team would be a close second. I'm going to tell you a secret I learned a long time ago. To have a successful interview, you need to tell your interviewer want they want to hear and see-remember, image is everything! Therefore, you must understand why your interviewer is asking you a particular question. I can't speak for all hiring managers, but when I interview a candidate, I'm trying to gauge the following: 1. Ability to articulate. (With me having above-average communication skills is paramount.) 2. Problem-solving skills. 3. Confidence and having a clear sense of purpose. 4. Likeability. 5. Are they a flight risk? The reason I, along with every hiring manager, ask, "Why are you looking to leave your current employer?" is to gauge whether the candidate is a flight risk. Although I don't expect an employee to stick around until they cut their retirement cake in the lunchroom, I'd like to feel there's a good chance they'll stick around for a while. I mentioned in my previous column that you want to be prepared with your career story to be able to tell it succinctly and without rambling. The same "be prepared in advance" advice applies to answering why you're looking to leave your current employer. You want to answer without hesitation. The key is to make your interviewer feel comfortable that you won't jump ship after 1 or 2 years just because the mood strikes you. Before crafting your "why you're looking to leave" answer, consider these two factors: 1. Length of time at your current job. A short stint (less than 2 years) is a red flag to most employers. My suggestion: Use the "tame answer" you'll read later in this column. 2. Your employer's size, brand, and reputation. An interviewer may raise an eyebrow if you wish to leave a well-known financial institution or international pharmaceutical company. Therefore, your reason for wanting to leave needs to be convincing. Possible answer: "Acme Corporation has given me invaluable experience; however, it made me realize that I would prefer to work at a smaller company, such as Stark Industries, where I can have a greater impact." You don't want to seem like you're only looking out for yourself. Employers and employees both have self-interests-it's a given that you'll look out for yours. During your first interview, focus on the employer's self-interests. Avoid mentioning you're looking for more money, better benefits, work-life balance, more challenge or furthering your career. Employers aren't in the business of growing careers. Their success depends on having the right people doing the right things. You want to come across as the right person for the job and company, who'll do the right things. The standard advice is to never bad-mouth your employer. Again, I can't speak for all hiring managers. I encourage those I interview to be completely candid with me. I've hired several candidates who said something along the lines of, "My manager and I no longer see eye-to-eye." My follow-up question, to determine whether the candidate will be a fit with my management style: "What are you looking for from your next manager?" Yes, I've hired candidates who've admitted they were fired. (I'm drawn to candidates who are honest and transparent.) My follow-up question: "What did you learn from being fired?" Good reasons to want to leave your job: - Hours - Commute - Recently received a degree or certification The tamest answer you can give: "I wasn't considering a move, but I saw your job posting and was intrigued. It seems like an exciting opportunity, and I believe it would be a match for my qualifications." (Works well if you have been at your job for less than five years.) However, being more specific, "I got my project management certification last month. Now I'm seeking my first project management position," will show you're career-focused, which is a positive. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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

THIRD AND FINAL NOTICE

By Joe Ingino Editor/Publisher ACCOMPLISHED WRITER/AUTHOR OF OVER 800,000 Published Columns in Canada and The United States “I live a dream in a nightmare world” This past week one of our readers came to me with a very interesting problem. For those that follow The Central may have heard through the grape vine that in the past we have helped many in time of need. When we had our offices at 82 Simcoe St. south, next to the OPUC. People that had been cut off or about to get cut off would come in to the office wanting to vent their frustration over the attitude of the local OPUC. Many times we sit them down offer them a coffee and calm them down. No one should be treated rudely and or disrespect them by turning off their Hydro over non-payment. I remember good old Gord Burnette the longest sitting OPUC public appointed Chair, before Nancy Diamond decided to incorporate the OPUC and take it out of the public’s control. Gord was a rough and tough Englishman. He would not put up with much. If you thought you could put one over good old Gord. He quickly put you in your place. Staff at the OPUC feared him but respected him as he was good to clients and upheld standards like no other. I remember him always telling me. When someone comes to you for help. Look at them in the eyes. Some day those eyes could be yours. I remember him always giving extension to those that could not pay their bills. He would not dare charge surcharges, additional charges and or administrative charges. Ever since those days I used Gord’s view of the world when it came to helping others. I remember people walking in and complaining. I would call in my accountant and ask for a cheque to be made. While we talked the accountant would walk over to the OPUC and pay the bill and come back to my office with a receipt marked paid. I did this many times. The word got around and I helped many through the years. I think this in part is the reason for our success as a newspaper. People truly appreciated the gesture. People always promised to pay as soon as they had the money. I would always tell them the same. No worries, when you have it. Just this week. Someone brought me a letter from the Region. The bill was a third and final notice of non-payment. The person had medical conditions that prevented him from working. He had caught COVID and could not continue in his minimum wage paying job. He has a family of four. COVID has left him an emotional mess. He is facing a financial situation like never before. One would have thought that Durham Region would have been more compassionate. Being the third and final notice would set off red flags that this person is experiencing financial hardships. The letter threatens that if the bill is not paid by a particular date that the bill will be sent to the Municipal Tax Office and charge of $50 administrative fee. The letter also warned of possible added charges by The Municipal Tax Office for processing. My eyes teared. Gords words echo in my ears. ‘THOSE COULD BE YOUR EYES’. How dare the Region threaten added charges. THE MAN CAN’T PAY....AFTER THREE TRIES...AND THEY ARE NOT RESPONDING..DAH. No, instead the Region instead of helping rather further push the man financially by charging and additional $50 dollars. Really!!! Then they threaten to ad his bill to his tax roll. Does that sound compassionate to your? Does it sound humane? The same region that many have wondered it we in Durham are not being over taxed. We pay, property tax, we pay school tax, we pay OPUC. We pay the Region bill in the guise of a water and sewer bill. Has anyone gone through the bill? We pay a substantial amount for water and sewage. Almost the same amount we pay for property tax. Have you ever gone over your OPUC bill? Same thing. Charge over charges and surcharges that when you truly analyze them they are nothing short of a legalized rip off. Delivery charges for hydro. Maintenance charges and so on. The employees at these facilities make in excess of 60k a year up to $275,000. Plus benefits. Gord I am sure looking down and shedding a tear. Then again Gord was not one to shed tears. He would be more of the type to be haunting me through my subconscious to do the right thing. Look into people’s eyes and show some compassion some humanity as those eyes that I be looking into some day may be my own looking back for help. We strive for world peace in a sea of injustice and unfairness.

Situation Report Canada

by Maj (ret'd) CORNELIU E. CHISU, CD, PMSC, FEC, CET, P. Eng. Former Member of Parliament Pickering-Scarborough East As the world continues to fester in turmoil with the ongoing war in Ukraine and dealing with the spectre of economic uncertainties, let's look at the situation in our own nation. First of all, the liberal government is fully concentrated on the situation in Ukraine with the Prime Minister making trips to Europe, meeting with allies to see what they can do for humanity there. A lot of talk, photo ops and the usual declaration of help and committing financial resources for the Ukrainian people in need. Back home, however, the economic situation is becoming worrisome, with the Covid 19 pandemic disappearing off the radar and province after province quickly lifting associated restrictions while the federal government follows at a slower pace. Forgotten are the usual medical "professionals'" briefing, with everybody wanting to put the pandemic behind, and looking forward to living their lives. Two years of doom seems to have been enough, with the pandemic magically gone, at least for the politicians. Now there are other issues on the horizon and the economic outlook is not good. Statistics Canada says the annual inflation rate climbed to 5.7 per cent in February, its highest level since August 1991 and the second straight month over 5 per cent. Helping to drive the increase in February were higher gasoline prices that were up 32.3 per cent compared with February 2021 and 6.9 per cent from a month earlier. Statistics Canada says that excluding gasoline prices, the headline inflation rate would have been 4.7 per cent in February. So the question is, will the governments ease their taxes on gasoline or will they continue to be greedy and insist on going more green? Grocery store prices were up 7.4 per cent for the largest yearly increase since May 2009, pushed higher by rising fuel costs that are being passed on to consumers. Statistics Canada says shelter costs, which includes prices for homes and rental units, rose at their fastest pace since August 1983. The rise in the consumer price index compared with a year-over-year gain of 5.1 per cent in January, and marked 11 consecutive months that the index has been above the Bank of Canada's inflation target zone of between one and three per cent. The average of the three measures for core inflation, which are considered better gauges of underlying price pressures and closely tracked by the Bank of Canada, was 3.5 per cent for February, up from the 3.2 per cent reported in January. February's average was the highest rate recorded since June 1991. The figures point to more pervasive and broad-based pressure on prices that has left the central bank uneasy about inflation. Two weeks ago, the bank raised its key policy rate to 0.5 per cent, marking the first hike in two years, and warned of more hikes to come to rein in inflation. Economists are warning that the inflation rate could yet go higher on the back of surging prices at the gas pumps and grocery stores as Russia's invasion of Ukraine pushed up global oil and wheat prices. With that said, I am curious to know how the liberal government will deal with this situation. Continuing with their policy of printing money and spending what they do not have will definitively not be a solution for the country and its citizens. While the government busies itself with the events unfolding internationally, responding at lightening speed, in the face of our own worrisome economic outlook at home, what is the loyal opposition doing? The Conservative Party of Canada is again busy looking for a leader who can defeat the Liberals. After Erin O'Toole was deposed, a leadership contest was called, with a new leader to be crowned on the 10th of September, just in time for the beginning of the Parliamentary fall session. The candidates are lining up with Pierre Poilievre, a feisty and outspoken conservative in the lead, and several others in pursuit. Jean Charest, a former Progressive Conservative federally and a Quebec Liberal Premier provincially, is strongly favored by party elite, and Patrick Brown, a former Ontario PC leader and Mayor of Brampton has also thrown his hat into the ring. It will be interesting to see the outcome of this leadership contest, as pandemic restrictions are lifting rapidly and the new old normal is back. The unfolding of the conservative leadership campaign should be revealing, with the country so desperately in need of new ideas and strategies for dealing with economically challenging times. In conclusion it is hard not to know what comes next. Many experts and seasoned minds make their best predictions, but nobody knows anything for certain. Significant uncertainty still exists about the future of Covid or other possible pandemics, the true health of the global economy and the growing dysfunction of politics across the board. The future seems more precarious than we even imagined in the midst of the pandemic, but there is still hope.

ARE YOU READY FOR THE TSUNAMI

by Alex King

Is a Blue Tsunami coming in November? Or perhaps a Red Wave? Either way, I have a question for those who feel that one outcome is preferable to the other. If the values represented by the party system are so important that we include them in presidential elections, then why are those symbolic party letters not printed beside the names of candidates in every election? Republicans, Democrats, Independents, Libertarians, members of the Mountain Party, etc. Is that information not beneficial to know, even when it comes to voting for town councils and school boards, which are in most cases nonpartisan elections? We are concerned about which party-affiliated ideologies will guide the decisions made for us at higher levels of government. Yet somehow, when it comes to those who determine outcomes locally, it hasn't seemed important enough to know if they align themselves with a particular party. These elected officials have influence over the future of our communities and education systems, but we are content to ignore their political allegiances, which would reveal to us where they align themselves on key issues. Much of it is a guessing game, leaving us to vote for those who may base decisions on ideas that we personally oppose. I think this needs to change. I'm not taking one side or the other (although I am in favor of far more options than Republicans or Democrats). I'm only suggesting that there is a profound hypocrisy to claiming that party affiliation is important for centralized governance but not worth the trouble when determining local leadership. Why is it that such value systems-and that is exactly what the parties serve as-are not universally applied? I have heard as argument to my point that party systems are divisive. Some contend that party elections for councils and school boards would only cause a deeper divide in our smaller communities. Yet many who protest my point, who do not want a partisan system affecting them locally, also fail to push back when decisions are taken out of the hands of local leaders. We increasingly hand choices over our lives to distant forms of government that hinge on partisan politics, and then we scratch our heads and wonder how even the most mundane of topics has become so political. It may seem like a stretch to suggest that localizing the party system will help to resolve the current frictions of representative democracy. Still, I think it will be a well-played maneuver for anyone who wants to see more accountability in government. If issues are identified as partisan locally, as they are at the county, state, and national levels, then those issues will become of clearer interest to those at higher levels who are supposed to serve the ideas of that party. What we define more locally-and within closer proximity-should therefore have a greater ability to permeate other branches of government. Some who read this may oppose the idea because they despise partisan politics or already identify with a party that is marginalized in their area. However, there are other benefits to the measure I'm suggesting. Because the prominent ideologies linked to Democrat, Republican, and third-party affiliations will be tested at closer proximities, we will be able to see the results for ourselves. If the successes or failures of a community are linked to a party, we will be able to test and even challenge those party ideas locally, creating concrete examples for when and where certain methods succeed and fail. Consider just how many state officials, for instance, will have to become more invested in smaller communities because failures of a more localized party system may reflect poorly on themselves, thus hindering their own elections or reelections as a result. They will-assuming they want to succeed in their own politicized endeavors-be compelled to pay more attention to the individual communities within the districts they claim to represent. Other than writing this column, I am not yet sure how to begin the process of making that change happen. I've had several enlightening conversations with the folks at the West Virginia Secretary of State's Office, and I'm sure they will be helpful on this matter as well. I stand by the idea that an increased level of participation in our system is a way to resolve much of the tension we feel when it comes to higher forms of government. If we are to embody freedom and create a better society for those who come hereafter, then we can no longer allow the entropy and erosion of our system to continue. We must be clever, get involved, and work together on ideas to create a better system of checks and balances.

The Media Should Stay Out Of War

By Joe Ingino Editor/Publisher ACCOMPLISHED WRITER/AUTHOR OF OVER 800,000 Published Columns in Canada and The United States “I live a dream in a nightmare world” As a member of the media I strongly believe that the role of the media is to report on the facts and not to influence outcomes by swaying public opinion to a political agenda. I remember a time in history when the media out of respect for the dead and those suffering would limit what they would report when it came to human suffering. Today’s media seems to go out of their way to wait for something horrific to happen to someone so that they may splash their photos all over. This is not right. War is not a place anyone wants to be in. As media it is our duty to keep people informed of what is happening... Not to mind control our audiences through pictures and words. Sure people are going to die in a war. Sure, there are going to be crimes committed. Sure there is going to be bombings, refugees and chaos. It is a given. I feel for the people of the Ukraine. As I feel for those left behind in Afghanistan. What has come of them. You never hear about living conditions there. It appears that our attention has gone from COVID - Afghanistan to the Ukraine and the threat of a world war. Why is it that we are always combating something or someone? How can global peace be achieved when in our eyes, minds and heart all we hear is chaos. I feel that the war in the Ukraine is not (the west) war. I further think that by the west sending billions to fight Russia only makes it worst. Suckering us into a conflict that could end up in a world war. Don’t think for a moment that the Chinese will not become involved and take the side of the Russians. I truly hope that I am wrong. As it stands the U.S. is seen as weak and without might. The perfect time to finally achieve world dominance by communist regime. Even within our own democratic borders we have swayed more to the left then ever before. The media is not doing any service by taking sides. Report the facts. Report the real news not opinioned parts of it in order to justify and entice further action towards extinction. Think about it.

Interview Questions You Will Be Asked - First Question

By Nick Kossovan Every job exists to solve a problem, to respond to an employer's need. For example, the purpose of accounting is to accumulate and report on a business's financial information regarding performance, financial position, and cash flow. Using this information, the company's leadership makes business management decisions, investors decide whether to invest in the company, and financial institutions decide whether to lend it money. You should keep in mind the reason(s) the position you're interviewing for exists, and ensure you're checking off the following to have a successful interview: 1. Know the company, and ideally, your interviewer's story. 2. Prepare for the two questions you'll be asked. 3. Present yourself as the solution to the company's problem(s). 4. Have questions. In this column and the next, I'll discuss being prepared for the two questions your interviewer will surely ask you: First Question: "Walk me through your resume." or "Tell me about yourself." You're being asked, "What is your career story?" This is the most critical question you'll be asked in an interview, so know your career story and be able to deliver it flawlessly! Your career story will either turn on your interviewer or turn them off. The reason interviewers ask for a candidate's career story is to determine the candidate is worth investing time in and gauge how well they can articulate who they are. Therefore, you want to tell your career story in a way that's compelling, relatable, and, most importantly, paints a picture of your competencies. There's a scientific explanation for our love of stories: When we hear, read, or see (e.g., movie, Netflix series) a story that resonates with us, our "feel-good" hormone oxytocin levels increase, boosting our feelings of trust, compassion, and empathy. Storytelling, a skill I recommend you become adept at, builds connections. When interviewing, as I mentioned in previous columns, your primary objective is to establish a connection with your interviewer. Don't try to improvise. Since you'll be asked for your career story in every interview, it's worth investing some time writing out your career story and practicing delivering it. Your career story shouldn't take longer than 3 minutes to deliver and should provide details, along with several results-numbers are critical. Mention the number of people you've led, the revenue you and or your team generated, the savings you created. People don't have short attention spans. They have short interest spans. Make your interviewer interested in you! Here's my career story: "Years ago, I found myself working in Cantel's call center offering additional services to their customers. I liked it, and I was hitting my targets. Since I had some previous managerial experience managing a furniture store, I approached a recruiter about possibly landing a leadership role in a call center. She presented me to a manufacturer of promotional items that was expanding its outbound call center, Myron Manufacturing. Jackie, my manager at Myron, mentored me on coaching agents, understanding call statistics, and achieving revenue targets. I spent over 5 years at Myron learning the ins and outs of managing a sales-generating outbound call center. I left Myron to challenge myself by going to India for 3 years, building an inbound call center for As Seen On TV products and then managing a third-party call center with 85 agents over 2 shifts. Upon returning to Toronto, I joined The Travel Corporation, the ultimate sales-driven and customer-centric industry, where I supervised 85 agents for eight years. I then joined Crocs for two years as their Customer Service Manager. My next job was with Moneris, where I managed their inbound sales department. My annual revenue target was $47 million, which I reached every year. After leaving Moneris, I worked for 3 years at Cognizant, managing 60 agents who moderated content for Facebook and Instagram. Today I'm the call center operation manager at GFL Environmental Inc., overseeing 200 agents handling inbound call inquiries. For the past 10 years, I've been on the advisory board of the Customer Service Professional Network. Some fun facts about me, I'm a weekend golfer, an aspiring writer, and I enjoy taking drives in my '82 Corvette." Your career story should reflect your career in the way you want it to be portrayed and give an insight into your capabilities, along with a few "outside of work" interests. (You're more than just your work.) In my next column, I'll discuss the second question you'll be asked: Why do you want to leave your current 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

MADONA

By Rosaldo Russo Allow me to begin this column by thanking the Oshawa/Central 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. In my opinion. The Editor/Publisher is a real upstanding type of guy. He shoots from the hip and hold traditional core values. My name is Rosaldo Russo. I came to this great country to make a better life for myself and my family. I thank Canada for everything it has allowed me to do and earn. I worked construction all my life. I know the value of hard work and honesty. I remember as a boy my father always telling me to work hard and buy land. So I did. I remember days when I did not have enough to eat. I go to work... but I did not wait for hand outs. I rounded up my pride my skill and my determination to succeed and went to work. In those days the only benefits we received was the fact we were employed. Before retiring I was the owner and operator of local material supply company that allowed me to retired without worry. Now that I have time to enjoy life. I look around me and have some concern for future generations. I see that the world is finished. I am not one to be very religious but respect the faith as a good Roman Catholic. What are we doing here.... Madona Mia, We have our Prime minister going to Europe on a seudo vacation in the name of mustering up peace between Russia and the Ukraine. For What? Justin has difficulty keeping the peace with the good people that have paid his way to go to europe to play diplomat. It appears in Canada a so called democratic and free society that if you speak against the government the government will come down on you hard. If you demonstrate and they do not like it. They can pass, “war measures act”. Really and this is the same guy that is going to attempt to talk to Russia on backing down? Or to stand up for the Ukraine as they get slaughter. Come on people. If there is a God above us and you pick the faith. They or ‘He’. Hell to be politically correct these days, “She/he/it/her/him/it/ a fuck it. You get the picture”. Whom ever your god is. They must be scratching their head and wondering how he has made so many stupid people. How can so many follow a blind piper. Do we not see what is going on here. Our freedoms have been revoked. We surrendered our ability to exercise our right in a so called democracy. Forget the Ukraine. There is a war right here at home. A war that is silent but deeming many casualties in the form of economic ruins. People are loosing their homes, jobs, families over the condition our country is in. Here we have Justin playing premadona thinking he will make an impact on a foreign situation that he has no business being in. Justin. Wake up before the next election. We the people of Canada need you to lower our taxes. Cut back on waste. Put food on people’s table. Give people in need direct help so they may keep their homes and avoid being on our streets. Work on lowering our gas prices by developing our own Canadian gas and oil resources. Stop playing dress up in order to pretend you are doing something for the country. We live ina fragile society. We allow the state to lead us, as they have always supplied and given us a cushioned way of life. Things for many. It is getting real. We need to wake up from our comforted slumber and realize that the world is coming to us... and that we have no place to run. War is war. Peace is Peace. Let’s keep the two apart so we do not end up fighting a war for peace and or keeping the peace by having to go to war.