Strange Harper Clone Appears Before National Media

Posted on: Out of the Shadows
Some guy looking like, sounding like and claiming to be Stephen Harper appeared before the media yesterday to talk about Manley's report. What made the media, and others question, who this guy was is that what came out of this guy's mouth was a bit of humble speak which included sounding like someone who would compromise and work with at least one other party to make the mission work. -- read more

Canadians Increasingly non-Partisan

Posted on: Out of the Shadows
A recent Canadian Press Harris-Decima survey indicates that Canadians are becoming increasingly non-partisan just as it seems that there is nothing in Ottawa that is not defined by partisan bickering. Maybe it is Canadians desire to see leadership shaped by what is good for the country more than the stroking of egos that comes with partisan politics. -- read more

AFGHAN PRESS Launches

Posted on: Out of the Shadows
An independent media outlet in Afghanistan has launched, Afghan Press. The site's objective is to be a free and independent source of otherwise unreported news of what is happening in Afghanistan. The success of projects like this are part of what goes into building a democracy. -- read more

Flocke Learns to Crawl

American Aid Worker Kidnapped

Where are the Detainees?

Posted on: Out of the Shadows
After months of controversy over the status of detainees, prisoners taken by Canadian soldiers during their operations in Afghanistan, federal lawyers revealed in court on Wednesday that Canada halted transfers of detainees to the Afghans last November. The halt immediately followed the uncovering of credible evidence that a detainee had been beaten in Afghan custody. The weapons used on him were found in his cell by a Canadian officer on an inspection visit to a detainee. -- read more

We Will Remember Him

They shall grow not old, as we who are left grow old
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn
At the going down of the sun, and in the morning
We will remember them

In memory of our fallen Canadian:

Trooper Richard Renaud – Afghanistan January 15, 2008

Always Caring — Always Canadian — Never Defeated

Support Our Troops — Wear Red on Fridays

Leadership Approach Laid Bare

Posted on: Out of the Shadows
Further to my closing comments yesterday on Harper's need to demonstrate the leadership he claims he has in order to build consensus on the mission in Afghanistan, Chantal Hebert writes an excellent column today on this very subject. Harper's management of this issue leaves a lot to be desired and if he's the leader he likes to lay claim to, he needs to learn from his mistakes, quietly eat some crow and change his communication style. -- read more

Mixed Reaction to Manley Report

Posted on: Out of the Shadows
Exploring around the mainstream media sites for response to the Manley report has been interesting. They range from an interpretation of the report as just being more of the same dictated to a Liberal from the Conservative Prime Minister to claiming the report calls for an end to the mission. It seems that it depends on the bias of the reader as to the analysis. -- read more

Manley Report - No End Date Makes Sense

Posted on: Out of the Shadows
I spent some time today reading carefully through the report from the "Independent Panel on Canada's Future Role in Afghanistan" chaired by John Manley, the former Liberal Deputy Prime Minister. The report on the whole seems to be in depth and well thought out. It doesn't sugar coat the mission in Afghanistan nor is it doom and gloom. It raises some tough issues and makes some tough recommendations.

Partisan politics aside, the report lays out some obvious truths that don't fit well in sound bites for partisan politicians. -- read more

We Will Remember Them

They shall grow not old, as we who are left grow old
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn
At the going down of the sun, and in the morning
We will remember them

In memory of our fallen Canadians:

Cpl Eric Labbe – Afghanistan January 6, 2008
WO Hani Massouh – Afghanistan January 6, 2008

Always Caring — Always Canadian — Never Defeated

Support Our Troops — Wear Red on Fridays

Dion in Afghanistan, Liberal Position Remains the Same

Posted on: Out of the Shadows
So, Stephane Dion hopped over to Afghanistan this weekend. He was accompanied by his deputy, Micheal Ignatieff (keep your friends close and your enemies closer, wise move). Of course, I just know that he went over there with an open mind, just itching to get a clear picture of what Canada is doing over there and if we are even needed or wanted there.

That would be why he and his party released their position on our future mission in Afghanistan last week and why even after being on the ground there, he’s still mouthing the same stupidity. -- read more

Search Provides Small Business Lessons

Posted on: It's All About Money
Matt over at Small Business SEM has an interesting article about how the search industry can teach small business owners about marketing their business online. If you’re into online marketing, or trying to be, you are a small business person. That is something I tend to forget now and again because I don’t see my visitors like I would if I was meeting with clients at my offline work. -- read more

Thinking About Joining an Ad Network?

Posted on: It's All About Money
Wendy Piersall over at eMoms at Home has posted an excellent article on the ups and downs of joining ad networks. If you are looking to monetize your website or blog with an advertising, don’t do so until you have read her piece. -- read more

We Will Remember Him

They shall grow not old, as we who are left grow old
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn
At the going down of the sun, and in the morning
We will remember them

In memory of our fallen Canadian:

Gunner Jonathan Dion -- Afghanistan December 30, 2007

Always Caring -- Always Canadian -- Never Defeated

Support Our Troops -- Wear Red on Fridays

Those Who Think They Failed

Posted on: It's About Motivation
Failure, the falling short of what is wanted or expected, is all too often seen as a final ending. In reality, failure is a collection of mistakes to first identify and then to learn from. Failure can be either what marks and defines your future or it can become a stepping stone to future success. What decides the direction failure will take?

The power of thought will determine the direction. People are made, or broken, according to the use they make of the power of thought. -- read more

Welcome to Chaos

Posted on: It's All About Money
For over a year I’ve been wanting to create an online business that would allow me the freedom and security to work from home. I’ve read and researched until my eyeballs were ready to fall out of my head, I’ve made notes and took runs at applying processes until I’m confused which is which and it seems I don’t make any head way towards my goal. Sound familiar?

There is a lot to distract a person in life, especially online. Add to that an offline life… do we have them?… and distraction and chaos grows exponentially. I’ve been spending a bit more time looking at what I do and how. The results is downright scary. My lack of forward movement has less to do with finding the SECRET to great income online and more to do with managing time a whole lot better. -- read more

Turning Bitching Into Winning

Posted on: Its All About Money
I was exploring the press releases over at PR Web the other day and followed a link to the site for This is True, a weekly newsletter of weird but true news items that has been publishing since 1994. I subscribed and then spent a bit of time exploring the site.

"Get Out of Hell Free" caught my eye in a graphic on the page. Curious, I took a look. It seems when you are writing about the weird, you tend to attract the weird. One of his stories prompted a reader to write to Randy Casselman, the owner and writer, that he was going to hell. He responded that the newsletter’s consulting minister liked the story to which she promptly replied that he was going to hell too. -- read more

Musharraf Blames the Victim

Post on: Out of the Shadows
In a valiant effort to divert blame from himself or his cronies, Pakistan President Musharraf has come up with a theory for who to blame for the death of Benazir Bhutto…. it was her fault.

In an interview on the American TV show 60 Minutes Musharraf blamed Bhutto for her death because she choose to see and be seen amongst the people she was asking to support her run for Prime Minister. -- read more

Military Needs to Support the Soldiers and Families

Posted on: Out of the Shadows
More than ever in the last 50 years the government, by way of the military, needs to support not only our soldiers deployed overseas but the needs of the family here at home. Our soldiers, especially in Afghanistan, are being deployed in dangerous situations. They need to go knowing that the support at home will make sure that their families receive the access to support and help that they need. -- read more

Pages of Lists

Posted on: It's About Motivation
One of the authors I spend time studying is Napoleon Hill. He was born into a dirt poor mountain family in the American south. Illiteracy and complacency compelled several generations of his family to poverty. Hill likely would have lived his life the same way had it not been for the arrival in his life of a step-mother who had no patience with poverty or illiteracy and had the will to speak up. -- read more

Salute to the Fallen

Posted on: Ides of May
Inspite of bitterly cold weather yesterday afternoon myself and a surprisingly good number of people were out on the Herley St. bridge a Colborne to pay our respects to Gunner Dion and his family as they made the sad trip with his remains from CFB Trenton to Toronto.

One of the local snowplows joined the fire service and EMS vehicles with their lights flashing on the bridge. The plow had cleared the snow from the walkway over the bridge allowing those of us who turned out to stand on the walkway instead of climbing over snowbanks. -- read more

Happy New Year

Posted on: Ides of May
I know, it is traditional to write a New Years entry on New Years Day. However, when you’re involved in the Legion, New Years Eve and New Years Day merge into one long day with a nap between 2am and 7am, if you’re lucky. So, for all my readers — Happy New Year!! — just a day late and a dollar short.

Hard to believe a whole year has passed again. So what do I resolve for 2008? Well, for this blog I want to resolve there will be at least 300 more entries by the end of the year. My prayer is that none of them will be remembrance postings for soldiers killed in Afghanistan serving my country. -- read more