JOE Ingino

GOD BLESS ME WITH MERCY AS I RAN OUT OF BULLETS AN HOUR AGO By Joe Ingino Editor/Publisher... I live a dream in a nightmare world What is wrong with people. How can there be so many idiots amongst us? I say this because there are so many out there that clearly lack any self respect and that for their fellow man. I was shopping at the grocery store... Wearing my riot gear of course. Two condoms,(in case any old lady tries to get frisky in the produce sextion) a jock (in case an eye twitch is misinterpreted as a wink), a bullet proof vest (incase someone disagrees with a ‘ALL LIVES MATTER’ hater), a mouth guard (in case of sudden riot in the fight to get a 12 roll of toilet paper), a mask (to fight the COVID), a shield to cover my shame and a pair of dark eye protective glasses in case of an eclipse... Ok stop laughing... I wore no condom. lol On the floor of the store there were clearly marked arrows for people to follow and here comes this ditsy blond and her mother walking the opposite way. I told her... Hey are you blind or are you directional challenged. Pardon the language but last time I checked I was red blooded and was on the verge of going postal in that store wearing all my protective gear. She looked at me and actually said, actually yes I am directionally challenged as she bounced her way by me.... what could I say... she did bounce by me....lol. On the next isle there stood a tall husky BLACK LIVE MATTER martyr type starring towards the shelves... standing there staring as if it was an art gallery. As he seen me stop 2 meters away awaiting. He did not seem to care. To me it looked like he was attempting to build courage to actually select an item he wanted to shoplift. My blood was boiling...as a grocery store is not a place to remnance on full wallets gone by. Buy the dam thing or get out of the way. Finally he finished and instead of walking in the direction of the arrow. He has the balls to walk towards me.... I said hey buddy.... google why the store puts arrows on floors... He looked at me and gave me some un-understandable dribble that I am sure if it was in English it would have had something to do with my mother. I got in his face and told him... You have two seconds before you become a YOU TUBE sensation. It was la cosa nostra vs black lives matter moment. He looked at me and he understood that if he did not comply there would have been a huge spill on isle three. Two, three isles passed and everyone seemed to be doing their due diligence. As I reached the freezer isle there stood this young punk. No mask. no care of direction. Going from freezer to freezer. I looked at this guy and almost had a ‘HULK’ moment. I said hey buddy, CAN’T AFFORD A MASK? I WILL BUY YOU ONE. He looked at me and gave me the Trudeau salute. This is where he made a mistake. I quietly walked towards him. I asked him to show me that finger again as I am farsighted. He did with this real intimidating face. So i grabbed his finder and shoved it in his ear. He was shocked as some of the other shoppers. Then I rolled his head into one of the cooler doors and told him. ‘YOU SHOW RESPECT. YOU WILL BUY A MASK AND WEAR IT AND IF I FIND YOU NOT WEARING ONE THAT FINGER WILL COME OUT OF THE OTHER END.’ By this time all his toughness had gone away and he was more in a begging, crying mode. I felt sad for him... as it is not his fault he is a social fuck up. I blame his parents and society for allowing these punks to think that disrespecting elders is OK. It is not.... Now this brings me to the current COVID situation in Peel. How does Peel explain the infection numbers. On Thursday they recorded 472 new cases in Toronto, 448 in Peel Region. What is going on in Peel? Why so many cases. Where is the Ontario government muscle enforcing the use of masks and social distancing? This brings me back to my experience at the grocery store.... are people that stupid. That ignorant to not realize the importance of unity during this time of COVID. MUST THEY BE FORCED TO USE COMMON SENSE. Life is not about you. It is about all of us. I hate to resort to force. After all we live in a free democratic society. Civil liberties are for one and for all... but what much like my experience at that grocery store above. People for whatever reason have lost their value. Their duty to humanity and their fellow man. What has happened to being a responsible member of society. To assure we preserve our way of life by living as a model of how society should be. By contributing and taking a stand when norms and customs are being violated and or compromised. Is it not our duty to contribute and assure that our children are brought up with the core values that has made this country what it is? It appears that today. It is all about me. You accept me. You adapt to my way of life. You have no say or I will label you. The problem with society and civilization is that we have stopped being the West and we are becoming a third world country. From our policies to those in government. Our standards have been lowered so much that we are becoming that of which many people have fled their native lands from. It appears that today being different is good and conformity for the betterment of humanity is bad. We are forced to accept when we should be demanding conformity. We are compromising our way of life to accommodate customs and traditions that confuses and changes the quality of life for all including those demanding acceptance and denouncing conformity. We as people are all good. We as people all have special qualities that can make the world a better place. Sadly our ignorance to acknowledge that we need not all be labeled as equal but as important to the betterment of humanity is crippling society. How do you explain the so many stupid people that are forcing the hand of authority to oppress us. Much like my incident at the store. One is left to wonder if the human conscience can’t exist without oppression of the stupid. Maybe I am wrong. But God please bless me with mercy as I have run out of bullets an hour ago. I can’t swallow that pill no longer. They say that COVID kills. I agree but our worst killer is our own ignorance and lazy attitude that it is not my responsibility. ALL LIVES MATTER. ALL PEOPLE MATTER. ALL ENTAILS EVERYONE.

LEST WE FORGET IS THE CRY IN A HYPOCRITICAL SOCIETY By Joe Ingino Editor/Publisher... I live a dream in a nightmare world There is nothing more sacred in life than that of the core of humanity. INNOCENCE. Something we are all born with and sadly loose as we go through the years. Innocence becomes compromised by misconception, life experiences, cultural believes and norms. Not to mention education, religion and socio-economic environments. All social smokes and mirrors that keep the mind confused and easily influenced. We believe that we feel not that of which we understand. Understanding only confuses us further as we are left with more question that in many cases can’t be answered. It seems that in modern society we have become numb of the realities and instead pool into groups of like-wise confusion. Confusion that has nations divided. That has society torn apart in many directions and beliefs. From religion to Politics. We live our lives believing that of which we truly do not understand but instead have a very strong opinion based on misconception fueled by hearsay. We believe that we are all good people.... our actions speak other as there is not one person reading this that can attest to being pure of mind and body. To have never faulted and or pass prejudice upon another. To have never regret in the face of adversity. We are humans. During this period of remembrance one has to acknowledged the reality of what it is to be human. It is easy to say and shed a tear... LEST WE FORGET. Then turn around and go about our way with not truly understanding the emotion and or the meaning of LEST WE FORGET. By definition, ‘LEST WE FORGET’ means: formal + literary. : it should not be forgotten. LEST WE FORGET that we are all human. That we all share a common threat of confusion in a society that is set forth to oppress us and pigeon hole us. To manipulate us and to force conformity through laws, norms and or peer pressure. LEST WE FORGET - that in the name of freedom we are led to believe we have choice. As choice is predestined by wealth. The more wealth the more choices. In turn the more freedom. LEST WE FORGET - that power and wealth is attained not so much by hard work as we are led to believe, but instead by your ability to manipulate the rules/norms/policy/law/. LEST WE FORGET - that those that follow have given up on hope and have tired of trying only to be faced with the same outcomes. We can’t all be Kings but we can surely all be slaves. Slaves to our own surrender of effort. LEST WE FORGET - that it is easier to pass on responsibility. Rationalize that of which is not rational and take away ownership of ones duties and responsibilities. LEST WE FORGET - how we go about our daily routines with little or no thought of what is at stake in our lives. We say one thing our actions speak another. We love our fellow man only to turn another cheek in the name of self preservation. In a rationale that has no founding rational. LEST WE FORGET - that we go around behaving in a way that suggests one has higher standards or more noble beliefs than is the case. Claiming to have moral standards or beliefs to which one's own behavior does not conform; pretense. Please don’t read this and say in your mind... OH IT IS NOT ME.... as by making that statement you just proved this to be right. Remember we are humans. We all do it. Our innocence has been compromise and we are a confused species... by someone denouncing they are not. They are acclaiming they are. Part of understanding is acceptance. Acknowledgement and the realization what we are. But in November 11, we all humbly bow our heads.... as we should and keep in our hearts: LEST WE FORGET - those innocent lives that fell during war. In their mind and in their soul they served their countries in hope for a better tomorrow. As we should never forget anyone that has sacrificed in the name of a better tomorrow. I just wish that we as a race as a civilization use every day as a remembrance day to acknowledge the good about our psychological make up and learn from that of which we have been led to live by and as. We as human being are all good deep inside. LEST WE FORGET that we owe it to ourselves to always remember and learn from where we been and where we are going. See more

Corporate Gooses That Lay Golden Eggs. By Joe Ingino Editor/Publisher... I live a dream in a nightmare world I don’t know about you. But I have a huge problem with automated telephone systems. Bell, Enbridge, Rogers to name a few use them, as many others. The purpose of these automated systems originally was set out for the convenience of the customer. In reality, it is for the corporations best interest as they do not have to pay a live human to do proper customer service. Government at first used it to streamline direction of departments. It made sense. Today Government automated system is a portal to another dimension of questions and useless information. Calling Rogers or Bell, you best speak arabic, indian or similar questions. Our private financial records are being sent to India for some person with a very hard to understand English attempts to make you believe that they are actually in Montreal... Or Bell Canada’s automated system gets you to the Philipines were Po Rodriges answers your call in a very rude and unprofessional manner. Those calling into Bell. When prompted English or French. Always choose French. The French side will give some idiotic message in French. Press any button and when the live operator comes on you can be assured it is someone in Canada. If you press English. Your call gets transferred to the Philippines... and Po answers with the usual Hello Mr. Joe - how can I help you.... I always answer the same way. In a civilized society the proper syntax is ‘tittle followed by a last name, not a first name. Rogers are the worst offenders when it comes to utilizing foreign call centers. Now don’t get me wrong. I am not being prejudice as I am a foreigner myself. But to put someone representing a Canadian company with an unaudilbe accent with a shit attitude is a little beyond my comprehension. Bottom line in my opinion. Corporations do not care about you and me. We are numbers. Customer service is unheard of. We don’t pay they cut you off. Their automated system is not consumer friendly. It is all about how you can pay them faster and how you can buy more services. You have a problem tell it to someone who gives a shit... not the company you are so slaverily paying through your nose for their over rated services. These corporations get away with it because they know they have right to ‘GOOSES THAT LAY GOLDEN EGGS and as such they are given the right to pay whatever they want. Rogers and it’s cable network. Once the network is in place... what is the charge for? Maintenance, administration? As long as the signal goes out they roll in the bucks. Same with gas, electric, phone, insurance companies. Not to mention financial institutions. We are chumps in a money making machine for companies that treat us like slaves. Modern day slaves. We have no choice we are forced to work in order to exist. We are told that hard work pays off when in reality hard work further pigeon hold us in society to not question alternative and stay within your daily routine. These corporations know better. They want the consumer to feel as they are benefiting... that is why they call it ‘for your convenience’. In reality it is for corporate benefit as the more we think we are receiving value for service that should have no cost. Corporation rake in billions. Remember the days when television broadcast was free to air. You had an antenna or a tv for that matter. You could watch tv. Same with radio. Same signal in principle. Now corporations found a way to charge you for your viewing convenience. They make claims: Better picture quality. More choice. Yet they fail to tell you that for their signal that you are paying for has no real cost once the network is set up. There is a constant charge.. not an exaggerated cost as most consumer are led to believe. They make millions on the misconception they sell as convenience. Same is with the cell companies and utilities. I remember the days when you would call a company and the friendliest voice would come on eager to assist you. The attendants were compassionate and informative. Today you call any corporation and you are confronted with 30 minutes of trivial pursuit... to end up having some foreigner that barely speaks English answer. Only to be told in a very rude and unprofessional manner that there is little or nothing they can do... Or my fav... Oh this is not my department and be put back in the automated. What happened to standards. What happened to Canada first? We have to bring back what was good about Canada. What was good for the people of Canada. We must be compassionate. I have a message to all Canadian corporation. Bring those foreign jobs back to Canada.

WELCOME HOME FOR LESS HOMEMADE COMMUNITY SOLUTIONS Written by, Sharleen Cainer, BSW RSW There are presently a number of developments and initiatives under...foot engineered to address the needs of the unsheltered. The Mayor's office continues to promote a project in Beaverton, which will house 50 people. This is a project which proposes to provide full services for a small group of unsheltered who have become overwhelmed downtrodden and unable to meet the socio/economic requirements of basic need: food and shelter. There are 50 long-suffering souls who are in the running to receive a Beaverton home. There are over 1,000 people unsheltered and displaced persons roaming Durham Region, who are equally in need of a home. Who determines the selection process? A lottery? Because for the homeless folks, that's what they feel it would take for them to attain a home. The concept of the Beaverton project is truly a great concept in many ways. It offers wrap around services to promote life stabilization. There are programs that have received the endorsement of the Durham Regional Council which include specific initiatives such as case management, income assistance, counselling, medication management and so on all included in what is termed Wrap Around Services. The opposition against this project is mounting as tensions are rising. The people of Beaverton have submitted an opposition. There is no actual break down of how these programs are going to be funded, how much they will cost and how they will be managed. Who is going to determine how one is eligible for service and who is not, how are the services to be run, what is the criteria for the delivery of the proposed services? The cost of the housing and relocating, not including the wrap around services by which to stabilize one's life, is approximately 20 million dollars for 50 people; There are more than 1,000 unsheltered, malnourished, socially challenged individuals. What will become of the remaining unsheltered 97%? Well, the townspeople of Beaverton caught wind that their quiet small town was about to be transformed into one of the biggest housing initiatives in the region for a segment of the population struggling to overcome the most debilitating psycho/social challenges of addictions, starvation, disenfranchisement, brutality, homelessness and what seems to be a lifetime of the absence of love. Beaverton is a quiet place that is home to an older population and boasts a gross municipal tourism product during the summer months. They have approximately 6 doctors, 7 nurse practitioners, and one clinic has a social worker. The Beaverton people opposed this plan and launched a petition to stop the project. One of their main concerns was there was a lack of available information discussing how all of this was going to work. It appears there is a lack of programing information and the townspeople were left with more questions than they had answers. So are the rest of the people in Durham region who are concerned about the growing numbers of unsheltered masses. Last week I went out with two colleagues who routinely volunteer their personal time to help these vulnerable people make it through another night. I took statistics, offered strategies, and assisted several people to gain footing on a path leading them from their destitution. An interesting side note here is that many people with whom we intervened were CAS wards of the state or had been CAS wards of the state. Some had been wards of the state since infancy. They had aged out of the system and were sent out to the street to live and fend for themselves. One girl was 21, she had been unsheltered from the time she was 15 years old. She had recently been released from the hospital, after sustaining a brutal attack, which left her unconscious. While in hospital she had undergone a tracheotomy as she was unable to breath on her own. Why was she discharged to the street? Where was the discharge plan from the social work department? They could have sent her to a shelter, where staff there could have assisted her in gaining welfare, and so on. If the region can't do these simple tasks to prevent the homelessness of one barely conscious young woman, then how can they manage a 20-million-dollar program, that still ignores the needs of 97% of the population target. We called a cab, sent one young man to hospital due to the extensive injuries to his feet as he had no appropriate footwear. This young man had many challenges, not the least of which was a meth addiction. He stated he was FAS, had ADHD, and PTSD. He was in CAS since infancy and he was now 18 years old. While in the cab on his way to the hospital, he shared with the cab driver how much he appreciated what we had done for him. The cab driver was very moved by this young man's words returned to say he was very impressed by our initiatives. The thing about it is that this particular young man, despite all his challenges was able to recognize and appreciate that his basic needs were being met for at least a few hours this day and he verbalized his gratitude. How is Durham region going to be able to successfully provide sustainable housing and programing through an ill prepared plan such as the Beaverton project. You may wonder why we are suggesting the Beaverton project is ill planned and poorly prepared. The project is predicting spectacular successes based on the perceived successes of Samac Park. Where a group of unsheltered were sent to live along a bike path in a well-heeled community, this summer. There were 3 people who were termed a success after 3months, because their dependency on harsh drugs had waned. However, their successes were not sustained and the reason for this relapse, which by the way is 100% of the participants, is that the stressors that are the underpinnings of the addiction to mind altering chemicals continue to be in play and have not been addressed. Addictions are not the problem; they are a symptom of insurmountable problems in the minds of the addicted. The Durham Council believes they feels have had a great success here, when in reality more harm was created. People who want to be helped to overcome their addictions and their deplorable economic condition need more than a three-month stint in a park, a welfare cheque and some back-room finagling. How sad is all this? These folks came to the table one more time for help and were yet again set up for failure, which was endorsed by the Durham District Council as success. A question for the Council is; if success is so easy, why on earth has it taken so long to promote when there are so many people who need to feel its benefit. Last week there was a plea from the mayor to mobilize the police force in response to the escalation of assaults and attacks on people going about their daily business. Should the police department be able to anti up, to resemble the military, to deploy more officers and walk a beat 24/7 is debateable. The request is a knee jerk response to the escalation of attacks on people who have nothing left to lose. This week there is an enforced fine of $250.00 against anyone who is wantonly feeding homeless people. This hardly paints a picture of collaboration or an inclusive society. Just imagine it is ok to stand beside a starving person and then feed the squirrels. To be subjected to such a callous lack of compassion enforces a desperation that is born out of cruelty. The gap between the haves and the have nots widens daily. That is what makes a community an unsafe place. Desperate people do desperate things. What if we were able to provide a program for a fraction of the cost of the Beaverton project and it can take care of all the unsheltered people? We just might have a few things to share with you in next weeks column.

NOW I KNOW WHY WE WEAR A MASK IN OSHAWA IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH COVID By Joe Ingino Editor/Publisher... I live a dream in a nightmare world After receiving a statement from Oshawa Mayor Dan Carter. I can appreciate why in Oshawa we must wear a mask and it has nothing to do with the risk of contracting COVID. Apperently our beloved Mayor has figured out Oshawa actually has a downtown and decided after two years in office to take a walk-through to address the many letter and phone calls I am sure he has received and ignored in regards to the horrible condition of our core. From the rampant drug deals to the endless peddlers and beggars. Not to mention the healthy crop of the ugliest prostitutes any where in the free world. His release read: In Oshawa, we are seeing heightened and unique challenges in our downtown. The City and partner agencies are reporting an increase in complex issues related to mental health, addictions and unsheltered individuals, along with a rise in unlawful and disrespectful behaviour. This is what he thinks is the problem? Mental health!!! City partner agencies!!! How about the countless letter and phone calls from citizens complaining of people using our parks as their toilets. How about the many calls from business owners asking for assistance during a time of economic crisis.... and Carter thinks mental problems is the issue? He continues: As your Mayor, I can assure you that we continue to take action to help connect individuals in need with services and shelter. At the same time, we are stressing the urgency for Durham Region and the Durham Regional Police Service to help us address unlawful and disrespectful behaviour and to ensure that our neighbourhoods, parks and trails are safe and welcoming for all. Can our good Mayor explain why there are private security guards patrolling out parks and downtown streets? Why is it all of a sudden a policing issue and not an economic recovery effort? How dare he put the blame on the people... how dare he attempt to point at the police services and demand. WAKE UP CARTER. THE PROBLEM IS NOT JOBS. NO OPPORTUNITIES. NO HOUSING. NO INVESTMENT IN OUR CORE. Carter continues: I recently led a walk-through of downtown Oshawa with Regional Chair John Henry, Regional Chair of Health and Social Services Councillor Bob Chapman, senior leaders of the Durham Regional Police Service, members of the DRPS Board and Oshawa B.I.A. members. And the outcome...the same as the walk-out a total waste of time. Henry did not care when he was mayor. Now making over 200k a year as Durham Regional King. It is not his problem. As for Chapman... what has he done for Oshawa during his two, three term in office? Carter continues: During the walk-through, I stressed the urgency for all levels of government and community partners to work together to take action and address the unique challenges in Oshawa. The Point-in-Time Count estimates that Oshawa is home to 77% of the unsheltered individuals in Durham Region. Carter wake up. You let GM leave and did nothing for the people of Oshawa. Business in the core keep closing and you have done nothing. People are living by the creek in tents and you have done nothing. Is this the type of leadership people voted you in for? What have you done to solve the ongoing public safety/health issues with the thousands of used needles along our core and most parks and creeks. Better question what have you done period for the betterment of the core? Carter continues: We cannot do this alone. We need the regional, provincial and federal governments to help develop and fund strategies to address issues related to the opioid crisis and other addictions, mental health and homelessness. By doing so, we are ensuring that our families, seniors and all residents feel safe to visit and use our parks and open spaces and that we have a welcoming downtown in which community members feel safe and comfortable to work, shop and dine. Is this guy for real? The problem is not opioid. It is lack of jobs and opportunity. People are desperate. Here is my idea. Freeze all downtown Oshawa business property taxes. Assure that the savings are passed down to lower rents to businesses. Since the OPUC is taxpayers. Eliminate all charges for a year to help local business grow and encourage others to come to the core. These types of incentive packages will attract and not cost a penny to the taxpayers or ratepayers. But wait it is easier to blame the poor people suffering and make excuses. Pass the responsibility to the Region, the Province, the Federal Government, Covid, God himself instead of taking up the initiative. I say. 1. Cut back BIA to 50k a year budget. 2. Cut all commercial property taxes to a 5 year freeze with the exception of government buildings. 3. Since the OPUC is taxpayers. Have the OPUC use the 50 million dollars they are sitting on as an emergency fund and offset any costs associated with giving free hydro to any business in the core. 4. Create a package with these incentives and have our economic development department circulated across Canada. This will bring business of all kind with the call of FREE HYDRO. NO PROPERTY TAXES for businesses. NO MORE GIVING AWAY OUR PRIME LANDS TO THE NORTH TO GHETTO BUILDING DEVELOPERS. LET’S BRING REAL OPPORTUNITY AND REAL INVESTMENT. As it stands we have a mayor that takes a walk-through and misses the real issues. He lets GM go out of Oshawa without a fight. He allows his council and corporate dictate his agenda. His solution is to close your eyes pass the responsibility to the Region and hopefully it will go away. Well it won’t. I welcome wearing the mask in public as it covers my shame of being from Oshawa. Prepare to be amazed has a whole new meaning in Oshawa.