Are you tired of working for the man?

Are you tired of working for the man?

Aren't you?

Because I am.

It is one of the reasons why I am investing every spare dollar I have in the stock market, so that I can eventually retire earlier.

It is something we all want, regardless of whether your goals are to get rid of your credit card debt or your mortgage, or whether you just want a healthy nest egg so you can retire sooner.

What you need is Darling Stock Tips from darlingstocks.blogspot.com, which lists Canadian stocks in tech, mining and other industries that continue to go up and out perform their competitors. This way you get to invest locally in the Canadian economy (and you don't have to pay at 15% withholding tax for investing in American stocks) and make good returns on your investments.

Want a hot tip right now? Buy Shopify (SHOP). Well worth it. It is destined to go over $2200 per share before Christmas this year, thanks to Christmas shopping and increased online shopping.

And using Wealthsimple you can buy fractional shares, which means you can invest as little as $1 to buy fractions of a share. To join Wealthsimple use this link, and get TWO free stocks to trade https://my.wealthsimple.com/app/public/trade-referral-signup?code=I30GVG

 Update!

 The stock mentioned above is now worth $2095 CDN per share and it is only mid-November. I am still expecting it to hit $2200 by Christmas or around that time. The stock's value has almost doubled in the past year.

Fake Lawyers = Debt Collectors + Scams

A friend of mine today told me how he was being harassed by debt collectors who are using fake names / fake personas and pretending to be fake lawyers.

It is the kind of thing you hear about in scams involving Nigerian princes.

You know the scam. They contact you offering money, then tell you to contact a lawyer who will help arrange the transaction, the (fake) lawyer then claims they can only process the transaction for a fee. Usually a ridiculous amount like $5,000.

At which point, if you actually pay them money you are clearly a gullible moron.

So the same thing is now happening with debt collector scams here in Canada.

The Canadian (assuming they are in Canada...) debt collector threatens to sue you for the debt (whether it is a real debt or just a scam) and then they "hire" a fake lawyer - who is just them using a fake name and not a real lawyer - who then proceeds to harass you with fake legal documents sent in the mail to get you to send them money in the hopes that the debt collector/fake lawyer will stop harassing you.

My friend explained that they will go to extreme lengths to make the fake lawyer look real.

They will list the fake lawyer in lawyer directories, having a website for the lawyer (which will usually be really small and incomplete), a LinkedIn account for the lawyer, etc. But if you dig deeper you will discover that the fake lawyer doesn't have a Facebook page, that there is no records of them graduating from any law school, and that the person does not exist - although they will use a common name. Not John Smith obviously, but instead will make up a name that sounds real and when googled does come up with results of people living elsewhere - but the fake lawyer in question will not exist or have the bare minimum.

• A Facebook page that was only ever used once.
• A Twitter account that is mostly empty.
• A LinkedIn account with very few colleagues / no real colleagues.
• Etc.

They will not have anything that isn't free. For example a listing in the Yellow Pages, because that costs money.

Now real lawyers do sometimes get hired to sue people for very large debts. That does happen. But when their retainer fee is $5000, you can be sure that they are not being hired to track down and harass people who have debts less than $25,000. It just isn't financially worth the trouble of suing people for small amounts when the cost of the lawyer is so much.

Imagine for example suing someone for $20,000 over a debt (a real debt) and paying the lawyer $5,000 in retainer fee. Even if they are successful in court, there is still no guarantee the person will pay them. The person could declare bankruptcy, they could move overseas and refuse to pay, they could "disappear" into northern Ontario and live in a cabin / drop off the grid for a year, etc. So the people suing would have lost $5,000 and still got nothing.

Suing people for money really only makes sense when the following criteria are met:

• The person you are suing has lots of money. Suing the poor is pointless.
• You are suing for a large amount. At least $25,000.
• The debt needs to be real. Not some phony scam.
• The debtor needs to have a contract with debtee*.

* The last one is actually really important. For example lets say someone had old credit card debt, and the credit card company sells that debt to a debt collection company for pennies on the dollar. So for example if someone owed MasterCard $20,000, MasterCard sells that debt for perhaps $200 to a debt collector. MasterCard's contract with the borrower is then finished. The borrower had a contract with MasterCard. They do not have any contract or agreement with the debt collector, which means they are under no legal obligation to pay them. The debt collector will then proceed to harass the person in hopes of making a profit off of the purchased debt. In this example, if they manage to get $400 out of the person then they just doubled their money.

And they do it via threats of legal action, fake lawyers who do not exist, fake legal documents that are not real (or filled out correctly), etc.

And in some cases debt collectors are apparently now running scams, because they have realized that the debt doesn't even need to be real. They just need to harass people until they get the money.

The whole conversation reminded me of James Veitch. A comedian who makes fun of email scams by playing along with them.







Now all joking aside...

Pretending to be a lawyer and harassing people for money. Shouldn't that be illegal?

And it is illegal. Because it is FRAUD. And possibly Grand Larceny if the amount is over a certain amount.

The problem is that the scammers / debt collectors are using fake names, and the "fake lawyer" does not exist. So how do you prove who was sending the fake legal documents and pretending to be a lawyer?

The problem is it is very difficult to prove. And most people don't go through the effort of trying to expose the frauds who are claiming to be lawyers.

So here is a challenge for anyone reading this. If you know of a fake lawyer / debt collector, please leave their name and supposed location in the comments below. This way when people google that fake lawyer / debt collector's name and city, this blog post will come up in the google search results and people will be able to instantly recognize that the person in question is just running a scam.

Oh no, not the Fenians!

 I saw this a few months ago and felt it was funny in light of the uproar regarding Syrian refugees.

Fenians, as you may or may not recall, were Irish "terrorists" from the 19th century who were reviled because they "bred like rabbits", were violent religious fanatics (Catholics) and a nation of drunkards.

"Like many of you I was shocked to hear of the recent Fenian attacks on Fort Erie. How can our government allow Irish immigrants to flow into this United Province of Canada while we continue to be terrorized by Fenian religious zealots? Every Sunday in Catholic churches across the land, radical preachers are whipping their flocks into a cataclysmic frenzy, urging them to cram their Nicene orthodoxy down our throats three different ways. On every ship coming into Montreal or Halifax, hidden among the malnourished, diseased Irish there are sure to be Fenian terrorists ready to slit your throat at the first opportunity. This needs to stop now.

We all know that the Irish are a bunch of uneducated, colonial savages with a primitive religion. How will our women and children be safe while hoards of drunken Irish flow into our cities and roam the streets? Meanwhile they breed like rabbits, all part of their plan of Papist domination. It is a scientific fact that if Irish immigration continues apace Canada will be a Catholic state by 1910. Enjoy having your wine with communion, because that's all about to end. And if we let the Irish in, who's next - Ukrainians? Chinese? Musalmen?

It is our sacred duty to preserve Canadian values now, before it's too late. In 150 years your children's children will look back and know that you did the right thing.

Be sure to share this leaflet with all your friends (or at least those of them who can read... and you can probably skip the women, not like they can vote anyways). Say yes to Canada staying Canadian. Say no to Irish immigrants!

Rev. John Strachan,
York
June 1866"

Note: "Musalmen" is an older derogatory way of saying "Muslim". So evidently if we are still worried about "Musalmen" then we really have not progressed much in the last 150 years.

It should also be noted that Irish slavery (that being the slavery of Irish people by the British) only ended in 1833 in Britain and in the East Indies in 1843, so when the above letter was written in 1866 many Irish were still considered to be "less than human" by many people in Britain and America. The history of Irish slavery isn't often spoken of, but it is the reason why many African-Americans also have mixed Irish blood.

African slaves were more expensive during the 1600s (50 sterling silver) whereas Irish slaves were cheap (5 sterling) because they might run away and gain their freedom somehow. At the time a practice developed of breeding Irish women with African men to produce more expensive children slaves. The practice not only allowed the masters to make more money, but also to ensure that if the Irish women ever gained their freedom they would stick around for the sake of their children - which being mixed race, were considered to be less likely to ever be emancipated.

The American Emancipation Proclamation in 1862-63 meant that suddenly everyone was free, Irish slaves and African slaves, and the slave masters (in the southern states where slavery was still practiced) were none too pleased about it. The American Civil War (1861 to 1865) happened around the same time, and thus the two events are often considered to be a war about slavery - although this is hardly the only reason. The main reason was because the southern states wanted to form their own country and live independently with their own rules (something Texas to this day continues to claim it wants to do).

During it all many Irish freed slaves went north, settling in Chicago, Boston and other locations now famous for its Irish heritage. Many African freed slaves also went north, some to Canada, and others to various locations where they felt more welcome.

Fast forward to 2016.

Canada.

One of the most welcoming countries in the world. Arguably the least racist, more open minded. It is often called the best country in the world. A veritable Mecca of diversity of races, religions and ethnicities.

But that doesn't mean we don't have mean people who say awful things about immigrants or refugees. Just look at the Conservative Party of Canada and you know how blatantly racist they are, even if they won't always admit it.

But it really is no surprise that Canada is the #1 choice for many refugees to come to. Free education, free health care, an open and free democracy that 'on paper at least' is accepting of immigrants of all nationalities and has such a great reputation internationally.

Unfortunately our reputation wasn't enough to save Aylan Kurdi, the little boy whose parents applied to immigrate to Canada as refugees. Chris Alexander, the Minister of Immigration under the 2015 Conservative Party of Canada personally vetoed the family's application to Canada. Why? Because the Conservative Party of Canada is racist. It is as simple as that. Chris Alexander is a racist. Just one of many in the Conservative Party.


New Democrat MP Fin Donnelly, personally delivered a letter to Minister Chris Alexander asking for his help from his office for young Alan Kurdi and his family, and Chris Alexander vetoed the idea, and later denied ever receiving an application even though all the paper work was handed in and he had received a personal letter from a fellow MP requesting the admission of the family to Canada.

And so Alan Kurdi took his young son on a dangerous boat trip to Greece, trying to make his way towards Germany, their 2nd choice to immigrate to, and desperately trying to get there. But the boat capsized and many refugees drowned, including the boy, Aylan Kurdi, below.

And we should note their last name: Kurdi. The Kurds were NATO's allies during the Afghanistan and Iraq Wars, and continue to be our allies during the war with ISIL in Syria. Now admittedly that is reading into the name quite a bit, but it seems silly that would we deny entry to Canada to people who are:

A. Not our enemy.
B. Our allies which fought alongside us in various wars.

I will give another example:

During the Afghanistan War the USA offered Green Cards to Afghan translators and guides to help American troops during the occupation of Afghanistan. They fought alongside the troops, translated for them, kept them alive in dangerous situations, put themselves at risk, and for what?

It took the U.S. government YEARS to process and finally issue Green Cards to the thousands of translators and guides who assisted them during that war. Many of them NEVER even got their Green Card and gave up on ever getting it because the American government gave them a ridiculous bureaucratic runaround of forms to fill out in order to make it practically impossible for them to ever become American citizens.

What this really shows is the lengths governments (and the people in power) will go to in order to make it as hard as possible to move to a country and become a citizen there.

And Canada isn't much better. We are actually worse. Canada is the HARDEST country in the world to immigrate to. Worse than the USA.

But we do have loopholes. eg. If you are rich, Canada will let you in if you are promising to bring your money to Canada and start a business. So really what that means is anyone with lots of money can immigrate to Canada, but people who are refugees - who need a country where they can be free and safe from war and violence - are left to die on the beaches of uncaring world.

And it doesn't matter whether you are Irish, African or Syrian. People need a country they can call home.

Because it is 2015

"Because it is 2015." - Justin Trudeau, after swearing in as Canada's 23rd Prime Minister.

The question was asking why Justin Trudeau chose to have a cabinet of ministers that was equal men and women.

And Justin gave the reporter, in my opinion, a kick ass answer.

It is well past time women had equal representation in politics. This should have happened 50 years ago and it took until now to make it a reality.

Ever since then however I have heard men (and only men) complaining about how women don't deserve those cabinet post because they lack merit or experience or competence. I have heard it so many times, mostly on Facebook, that is annoying me to the point of frustration.

So here is the thing, those 15 women do actually deserve the jobs they've been given.

#1. Jane Philpott - Minister of Health

Why is she qualified? Philpott has been a family doctor at the Markham Stouffville Hospital since 1988. She also served as the hospitals’ chief of the Department of Family Medicine, and is an associate professor at the University of Toronto’s Department of Family and Community Medicine. Note - She is the first actual doctor to hold the post of Minister of Health. Who better than a doctor to be in charge of Canada's health care? An accountant? A lawyer? A businessman?

#2. Jody Wilson-Raybould - Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada

Why is she qualified? Wilson-Raybould is a former crown prosecutor, and adviser at the B.C. Treaty Commission and First Nations chief. She will be in charge of the inquiry into murdered and missing indigenous women, and is herself indigenous. Who better for the job than an indigenous lawyer?

#3. Carolyn Bennett - Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs

Why is she qualified? Served as Minister of State for Public Health under Prime Minister Paul Martin. So she has already been a minister before.

#4. Judy Foote - Minister of Public Services and Procurement

Why is she qualified? Former deputy house leader and former party whip. Served as a provincial MHA for 11 years, holding numerous ministerial roles. This is not her first rodeo.

#5. Chrystia Freeland - Minister of International Trade

Why is she qualified? Asides from being an economics journalist for the Financial Times and well-traveled, Freeland also speaks five languages: English, French, Ukrainian, Russian and Italian. Being a polyglot economics journalist is very handy for international trade.

#6. Marie-Claude Bibeau - Minister of International Development and La Francophonie

Why is she qualified? Tourism based businesswoman from Quebec and an executive director of a Quebec museum, so she knows issues of Quebec culture and also works well for bringing tourism dollars into Canada. Please note she is not in charge of international trade, see #7 above.

#7. Mélanie Joly - Minister of Canadian Heritage

Why is she qualified? She is a lawyer, communications partner, mayoral candidate. Not her first rodeo in politics either.

And so on and so forth. You can read the biographies for all 30 new ministers at
http://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/justin-trudeau-s-new-liberal-cabinet-full-list-and-bios-1.2642140


My point is, the people who are complaining about that these women lack experience or the proper backgrounds for the jobs they will be doing, well, they're just being sexist.

Pure and simple sexism.

They might try and hide it and claim that they love women, that they support equal rights for women, but then turn around and claim that these women don't deserve the job because they somehow lack merit.

As if men should automatically get the job just because they have testicles and maybe some merit.

Rather here is what I think what happened...

Trudeau asked his party members what cabinet jobs they would want, anyone who wanted a cabinet post put their names on the list of available posts, and then Trudeau sat down, looked at their qualifications and built a team based on their skills, experience and other merits... And for whatever reason, they ended up being 50 / 50 or roughly 50 / 50.

And for whatever jobs that were the most concerning, he picked people who he felt had lots of experience and the right background.

Take for example the two following minorities:

Navdeep Bains - Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development

Why is he qualified? Former financial and accounting analyst for years at Ford Motor Company. Economics and innovation. Also it is not his first rodeo either, he was first elected MP in 2004.

Harjit Singh Sajjan - Minister of National Defence

Why is he qualified? Former police detective and soldier. He is a highly decorated lieutenant-colonel who served three tours in Afghanistan and one in Bosnia.

Now here is why these two guys are important. They are also both Sikh. Visible minorities. Did Trudeau choose them because they are visible minorities? Or did he choose them because the one is an experienced MP who understands economics and technology, and quite possibly might be Finance Minister two decades from now, and the other is a highly decorated lieutenant-colonel who clearly knows what he is doing.

Now I haven't personally heard anyone complaining about Bains or Sajjan and saying that they are not qualified for their jobs, and even if I did, I would assume whoever is complaining is clearly a racist.

However if they were women, I bet people would be complaining about it, saying things like "Just because she is a lieutenant-colonel doesnn't mean she is qualified to be Minister of National Defence."

And other bullshit like that.

If anything it is some of the men who may not be qualified.

Like this guy:

Jim Carr - Minister of Natural Resources

Musician, journalist, Founding CEO of Business Council of Manitoba, and has been in politics since 1988. Of the first three, only business is tied to Natural Resources - and he apparently got a post as a Minister simply because he is an experienced politician. Not his first rodeo.

At which point you have to ask, what makes a person qualified for Natural Resources anyway? Being CEO of a gold mining corporation? Doesn't that really limit our options for who can hold these posts?

Canada elected 184 Liberals in October. Minus himself, Trudeau has to pick 30 people out of 183 to fill 30 cabinet postings, and he has to pick the people who are best suited for the job with only 183 people to choose from.

Chances are likely there are several people who are not qualified for the jobs they have been given. And we are not talking about the women here, but people in general.

For decades we have been giving the top jobs in Canada to unqualified men, because someone had to fulfill the role. Clearly the country did not collapse because we also have a system in place to correct any problems when people are not qualified. It is called a cabinet shuffle.

In my experience cabinet shuffles seem to happen routinely, every 6 to 9 months apart. Some people retire, some get demoted back to the benches, some people get promoted to a more prestigious ministry, and some get promoted to becoming a minister.

So how about we see what happens during Trudeau's first cabinet shuffle and see how the "game of musical chairs" plays out.

Ignoring retirements due to old age, I bet the women will fare just as well as the men do.

In the mean time please think on this phrase:

"You wouldn't be asking this question if she was a man."