COGECO models Air Canada, customer indifference service model ! !


Dear COGECO,  @COGECO and the world!

The third COGECO modem in a year died Thursday. In twitter e-language - #cogecofail, #cogecoepicfail, #fail. 

I  went to a COGECO store Friday as directed by CSR, on the telephone, both of which are not what you think they are. Adventures of indifference and apathy and broken customer service follows.

AS directed, I can wait a week for a field technician or I can go to a COGECO store. I opt for the store and use my gas, my time and I bring home a new "faster" modem. Install!  No signal. Store has not set up the new modem properly,  no MAC id.  I still have no internet connectivity.

Next, call COGECO (third time now in less than 12 hours,  give name and number and info  FOUR times, to four different COGECO support people (See a pattern here?)  and finally get to an "internet technician". 

COGECO internet technician" on phone is useless. COGECO "technicians" are CSR reps who can read messages on their computer screen confirming what you already know.

Told they would have technical support, inside COGECO, fix and install the correct MAC id and modem would be “provisioned properly” and running Saturday. HAH!

Called Saturday morning about status of technical support on my “order” and told it could take another 24-48 hours. NOT A HAPPY CAMPER but monopoly means no choices.

When calling COGECO Saturday morning, caller (me) has two choices, push 1 if you wish UFC pay TV tonight, push 2 if you need customer support. Can you guess? CORRECT! No access to COGECO customer support by pushing 2 as directed.

So, I reluctantly push 1 and get a pay TV CSR who would be pleased to take my $49.95.

COGECO claims to provide in home telephone service. They can't get their own phone service working as CSR noted they were having troubles. Glad I called to confirm what I knew.

After playing something like “chatroulette” when COGECO transfers you, I am transferred to other silo for CSR support. Notice they don't call this customer help. And they definitely work in narrow vision silos at COGECO.

Well you can guess … after transfer, this also took me the mandatort routine of giving ID and all personal info FOUR times and then I reach a CSR "internet technician". Now ask for someone to help. NOT A HAPPY CAMPER.

After much soul searching by COGECO CSR rep, I am deigned worthy of speaking with a Technical internet supervisor, who is actually technically literate and knows their systems.  Supervisor says modem not set up properly and tries to help but RF indicators out of spec. Confirms what I know and called to tell them.

Really upset at this point with indifference of everyone in COGECO,  CSR Support and technical support. They should be called CSR No-support reps.

Supervisor finally agrees to send out a technician tomorrow (Sunday) however I would have to remain at home all day.  I AGREE to this because I want what I am paying for!

After hanging up, I go back to the start of my home cable connections and unplug everything and re-plug same setup and make sure all my cables are still plugged in and tight, as they were before.

Amazingly, after about 20 minutes, I finally get an internet signal connection through my new high speed modem and  voilà,  I have THE Internet. YEAH!

Called back to COGECO to see if they wish to save some money and not have a field technician come out because I am now working and have internet connection. (You know the drill, same routine their phone system still not working and usual 4x to give personal info before you can actually speak with someone).  

Can you see why they are less profitable, as reported yesterday in their earnings release? Maybe someone in executive management should actually try calling their own support services.

Not deemed significant enough to speak to same supervisor I spoke with fifteen minutes ago, we both agree that maybe there is a signal degrade outside the home, and the technician will still be sent and I need to stay home ALL day Sunday. (better than a work day as to availability for me). COGECO equipment technician will still come out.

So, I will be under  “COGECO house arrest” Sunday, all day, because COGECO has poor quality,  poor training, poor service and poor customer assitance. 

COGECO is fast becoming a Rogers cable clone and they are taking aim at becoming the totally indifferent uncaring business that Air Canada is known for. Customer indifference!

These same cable companies were the same cable companies that spent tens, if not hundreds of millions of share holder equity telling the public and coercing the CRTC that they should keep their monopolies and charge customers MORE for even less support, service, poor quality cable TV, internet  services and phone services.

Tomorrow,  I am chained to my computer from 8:00 AM Sunday to 7:00 PM (I do this during the week however I get remuneration)  wasting more of my time. If it is sunny and warm and I miss a whole day of time, money and living waiting for COGECO … well you know!

So COGECO, I will be cancelling my cable TV Monday. Yes, I know it will take me the four times to connect with a person to cancel my cable TV. But I will endure so I don't have to in the future.

Maybe ongoing loss of revenue will convince COGECO that customers are important to their operation and ultimate survival.

COGECO if I could get another internet provider here in monopoly land I would be totally gone from your indifference and lack of service.

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Sneezing and your personal health!

With the "Swine Flu" (Influenza A(H1N1) renamed for political correctness, moving about the world I wanted to better understand the scientific aspect of a sneeze. The "Swine Flu" has been moving around at least two of our local high schools here in Oakville, Ontario.

Today, I went to the doctor because I was exhibiting many of the symptoms associated with this flu. As a teacher, we are always infected with many illnesses found in our barn, oops sorry I meant school, which are due to the "Herd Syndrome".

Apparently ... in three days, I will know if I am a carrier or just overly concerned. The doctor said being at school was not an issue.

Will I have infected many of my students and/or fellow teachers should I return a positive A(H1N1) flu swab? Hmmm ?

With lots of unexplained personal sneezes and a low-grade fever, plus a few more of the usual cold/flu symptoms, I started reading about sneezing. I know what a fever is but wanted to know more about a SNEEZE!

The following excerpt from "Your Total Health" within iVillage, a subsidiary of NBC best describes the process of a sneeze:

"A sneeze is a reflex which causes a sudden, forceful burst of air through the nose and mouth. Sneezing is an involuntary response to many different physical stimuli or conditions.

The medical term for sneezing is sternutation. It is a way for the body to get rid of something irritating in the upper respiratory tract. It is a normal process and not usually a cause for concern. Many animals sneeze, including dogs and cats – although, unlike humans, animals sneeze only through the nose and not the mouth.

Sneezing is actually a complex physical process that involves the brain, nose, mouth and chest. It is a way for the body to get rid of a foreign object, such as particles of dirt stirred up in a cloud from a passing car. Other reasons to sneeze include exposure to bright light, which is a poorly understood reflex that appears to be an inherited trait. Individuals with this condition are called photic sneezers. Sneezing is also a symptom of allergies, colds, flu and many serious diseases.

The sneeze process begins when the nose encounters certain types of physical stimuli (e.g., dust, smoke, light). This stimulus informs a part of the brain called the sneeze center that something must be expelled from the nose and nasal cavity. The brain then sends a message to several different muscle groups. These muscles must all contract in the correct order for a sneeze to take place. The muscles and their order of contraction include:

  • Abdominal muscles
  • Chest muscles
  • Diaphragm (large muscles beneath the lungs)
  • Vocal cord muscles
  • Muscles in the back of the throat
  • Muscles in the eyelids (the eyes involuntarily close during a sneeze)"

I would urge you to go to the "Your Total Health" site and read on about sneezing and your health.

Just so you know, having your nasal cavity swabbed with some form of "semi-painful" swab, ("Naw ... this doesn't hurt!") brought tears to my right eye, the same side as the nasal swab. None to my left eye. Apparently my parasympathetic nerve system in my head still works.

Remember: Be Safe Out There and Stay Healthy!

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BusinesstoCRACY

From alleged democracy to "businesstoCRAZY" to economic ruin!

A smile of "Ahhhhh" and then a giant, sad feeling rolled over me as I read an 18 month old blog by Andy Hobsbawm from 30 April 2007. Hobsbawm was writing in his blog, " Small Is the Next Big Thing " that the world was/is rushing head long toward some type of disaster.

It is November 2008 and the ruling class "giants", the "businesstocracy" including the once might RBS, Merrill Lynch, CitiBank and the worshiped Goldman Sachs and so many more, who had have set about to collect all the marbles in the game of life, may have destroyed the economic game in which they made the rules.

In 2008, we have seen the collapse of RBS, Washington Mutual, CitiBank, Bear Stearns and the all powerful Goldman Sachs. The shell game of who has the money now is over. The difference in this game was one of scope of size in the shell. In this case, three card Monty wasn't for the one dollar a game variety it was for legalized pocket picking of billions of dollars with each play of the the game.

In "collecting things" (called money) they, the "giants", all may have set the world back to the likes of the Great Depression of the 1930s. The extent of the depression may not be seen in the same way as the '30s but for many the effects will be felt in the same way or even worse.

Will the decade of the 2010s be the new Great Depression?

Only time and history will tell, but already, during the last year, the world has seen a world economic collapse which is hundreds of times greater than that of the 1930s and for many the new depression is just beginning.It will not matter what the politicians and "leaders" of the world call it, for many it is already the new depression.

For the real poor of the world, in the undeveloped counties, the new depression will have no immediate effect. They have always been the worlds' neglected and will continue to be.

If the old order ran as a "businesstocracy" the new social and economic world order will require new rules and new leaders.

The question that can be answered rhetorically, "Did the world have any leaders during the last 20-30 years?" INDEED! It was the "businesstocracy"!

If one simply replaces the second letter "c", in businesstocracy, one has the reality of that old ruling class and the games played with other peoples lives: buinesstoCRAZY.

Long live the new order ... what ever that is!

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97

97 >>> the number of Canadian soldiers who have died serving Canada in Afghanistan


November 11, 2008 was the 90th anniversary marking the end of "The War To End All Wars".

90 years later Canada is involved in the war in Afghanistan, our only war involvement since the Korean War. The time spent in the the theatre of war in Afghanistan has been longer than the time Canada was involved in either WWI or WWII.


Canada's Fallen Soldiers - 97 as of 11/11/2008 at 11:00 hours

Sgt Prescott Shipway

Age: 36

Unit: 2nd Battalion Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry Battle Group

Deceased: September 7, 2008

Incident: Improvised explosive device, Panjwayi District, Afghanistan

Corporal Andrew Paul Grenon

Age: 23

Unit: 2nd Battalion Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry Battle Group

Deceased: September 3, 2008

Incident: Insurgent attack, Zharey district, Afghanistan

Corporal Michael James Alexander Seggie

Age: 21

Unit: 2nd Battalion Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry Battle Group

Deceased: September 3, 2008

Incident: Insurgent attack, Zharey district, Afghanistan


Private Chadwick James Horn

Age: 21

Unit: 2nd Battalion Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry Battle Group

Deceased: September 3, 2008

Incident: Insurgent attack, Zharey district, Afghanistan

Sapper Stephan John Stock

Age: 25

Unit: 1 Combat Engineer Regiment (1 CER)

Deceased: August 20, 2008

Incident: Improvised explosive device, Zharey district, Afghanistan


Corporal Dustin Roy Robert Joseph Wasden

Age: 25

Unit: 1 Combat Engineer Regiment (1 CER)

Deceased: August 20, 2008

Incident: Improvised explosive device, Zharey district, Afghanistan

Sergeant Shawn Allen Eades

Age: 33

Unit: 1 Combat Engineer Regiment (1 CER)

Deceased: August 20, 2008

Incident: Improvised explosive device, Zharey district, Afghanistan

Master Cpl Erin Doyle

Age: 32

Unit: 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, Edmonton Alberta

Deceased: August 11, 2008

Incident: Insurgent attack, Panjwayi District, Afghanistan

Master Corporal Joshua Brian Roberts

Unit: 2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, Shilo, Manitoba

Deceased: August 9, 2008

Incident: Insurgent attack, Zharey District, Afghanistan.

Corporal James (Jim) Hayward Arnal

Age: 25

Unit: 2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, Shilo, Manitoba

Deceased: July 18, 2008

Incident: Improvised Explosive Device (IED), Panjwayi District, Afghanistan

Private Colin William Wilmot

Age: 24

Unit: 1 Field Ambulance, Edmonton (Alberta)

Deceased: July 5, 2008

Incident: Improvised Explosive Device (IED), Panjwayi District, Afghanistan

Corporal Brendan Anthony Downey

Age: 37

Unit: Military Police Detachment in Dundurn, Saskatchewan

Deceased: July 4, 2008

Incident: Non combat related


Captain Jonathan (Jon) Sutherland Snyder

Age: 26

Unit: 1st Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, Edmonton, Alberta

Deceased: June 7, 2008

Incident: Accident, Zhari District, Afghanistan

Captain Richard Steven Leary

Age: 32

Unit: 2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, Shilo, Manitoba

Deceased: June 3, 2008

Incident: Insurgent attack, Panjwayi District, Afghanistan.

Corporal Michael Starker

Age: 36

Unit: 15 (Edmonton) Field Ambulance, Calgary, Alberta

Deceased: May 6, 2008

Incident: Insurgent attack, Zharey District, Afghanistan.

Private Terry John Street

Age: 24

Unit: 2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, Shilo, Manitoba

Deceased: April 4, 2008

Incident: Improvised explosive device, Panjwayi district, Afghanistan

Sergeant Jason Boyes

Age: 32

Unit: 2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, Shilo, Manitoba

Deceased: March 16, 2008

Incident: Explosive device, Panjwayi district, Afghanistan.

Bombardier Jérémie Ouellet

Age: 22

Unit: 1st Regiment, Royal Canadian Horse Artillery, Shilo, Manitoba

Deceased: March 11, 2008

Incident: Non combat related

Trooper Michael Y. Hayakaze

Age: 25

Unit: Lord Strathcona’s Horse (Royal Canadians), Edmonton, Alberta

Deceased: March 2, 2008

Incident: Improvised explosive device, Panjwayi district, Afghanistan.

Corporal Étienne Gonthier

Age: 21

Home Town:

Unit: 5 Combat Engineer Regiment, Valcartier, Québec

Deceased: January 23, 2008

Incident: Improvised explosive device, Panjwayi district, Afghanistan.


Trooper Richard Renaud

Age: 26

Home Town: Alma, Quebec

Unit: 12e Régiment blindé du Canada, Valcartier, Quebec

Deceased: January 15, 2008

Incident: Improvised explosive device, Arghandab district, Afghanistan.

Warrant Officer Hani Massouh

Age : 41

Unit: 2nd Battalion, Royal 22e Régiment, Valcartier, Quebec

Deceased: January 6, 2008

Incident: Military vehicle rollover, Nalgham, Zhari District, Afghanistan

Corporal Éric Labbé

Age : 31

Home Town: Rimouski, Quebec

Unit: 2nd Battalion, Royal 22e Régiment, Valcartier, Quebec

Deceased: January 6, 2008

Incident: Military vehicle rollover, Nalgham, Zhari District, Afghanistan

Gunner Jonathan Dion

Age: 27

Home Town: Gatineau, Quebec

Unit: 5e Régiment d'artillerie légère du Canada, Valcartier, Quebec

Deceased: December 30, 2007

Incident: Improvised explosive device, Zharey District, Afghanistan

Private Michel Jr. Lévesque

Age: 25

Home Town: Rivière-Rouge, Quebec

Unit: 3 Battalion, Royal 22e Régiment, Valcartier, Quebec

Deceased: November 17, 2007

Incident: Improvised explosive device, near Ma’sum Ghar, Afghanistan

Corporal Nicolas R. Beauchamp

Age: 28

Home Town: Montréal, Quebec

Unit: 5 Field Ambulance, Valcartier, Quebec

Deceased: November 17, 2007

Incident: Improvised explosive device, near Ma’sum Ghar, Afghanistan

Corporal Nathan Hornburg

Age: 24

Home Town: Calgary, Alberta

Unit: The King’s Own Calgary Regiment, Alberta

Deceased: September 24, 2007

Incident: Mortar attack, Panjwayi District, Kandahar Province, Afghanistan

Major Raymond Mark Ruckpaul

Age: 42

Home Town: Hamilton, Ontario

Unit: Armoured Corps, The Royal Canadian Dragoons

Deceased: August 29, 2007

Incident: Non-combat-related death, Kabul, Afghanistan

Master Corporal Christian Duchesne

Age: 34

Home Town: Montreal, Québec

Unit: 5th Field Ambulance, 5 Area Support Group, Valcartier, Québec

Deceased: August 22, 2007

Incident: Landmine, Afghanistan

Master Warrant Officer Mario Mercier

Age: 43

Home Town: Weedon, Québec

Unit: 2nd Battalion, Royal 22e Régiment, Valcartier, Québec

Deceased: August 22, 2007

Incident: Landmine, Afghanistan


Private Simon Longtin

Age: 23

Home Town: Longueuil, Québec

Unit: 3rd Battalion, Royal 22e Régiment, Valcartier, Québec

Deceased: August 19, 2007

Incident: Improvised Explosive Device, Afghanistan

Captain Jefferson Clifford Francis

Age: 37

Home Town: New Brunswick

Unit: 1 Royal Canadian Horse Artillery, Shilo, Manitoba

Deceased: July 4, 2007

Incident: Improvised Explosive Device, Afghanistan

Corporal Jordan Anderson

Age: 25

Home Town: Iqaluit, Nunavut

Unit: 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry (Edmonton, Alberta)

Deceased: July 4, 2007

Incident: Improvised Explosive Device, Afghanistan

Captain Matthew Johnathan Dawe

Age: 27

Home Town: Kingston, Ontario

Unit: 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (Edmonton, Alberta)

Deceased: July 4, 2007

Incident: Improvised Explosive Device, Afghanistan

Master Corporal Colin Stuart Francis Bason

Age: 28

Home Town: Burnaby, British Columbia

Unit: The Royal Westminster Regiment, New Westminster, British Columbia

Deceased: July 4, 2007

Incident: Improvised Explosive Device, Afghanistan

Corporal Cole D. Bartsch

Age: 23

Home Town: Saskatchewan

Unit: 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (Edmonton, Alberta)

Deceased: July 4, 2007

Incident: Improvised Explosive Device, Afghanistan

Private Lane William Thomas Watkins

Age: 20

Home Town: Winnipeg, Manitoba

Unit: 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (Edmonton, Alberta)

Deceased: July 4, 2007

Incident: Improvised Explosive Device, Afghanistan

Sergeant Christos Karigiannis

Age: 31

Home Town: Montréal, Québec

Unit: 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry (Edmonton, Alberta)

Deceased: June 20, 2007

Incident: Improvised Explosive Device, Afghanistan


Corporal Stephen Frederick Bouzane

Age: 26

Home Town: Springdale, Newfoundland and Labrador

Unit: 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry (Edmonton, Alberta)

Deceased: June 20, 2007

Incident: Improvised Explosive Device, Afghanistan

Private Joel Wiebe

Age: 22

Home Town: Edmonton, Alberta

Unit: 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry (Edmonton, Alberta)

Deceased: June 20, 2007

Incident: Improvised Explosive Device, Afghanistan

Trooper Darryl Caswell

Age: 25

Home Town: Bowmanville, Ontario

Unit: The Royal Canadian Dragoons (Petawawa, Ontario)

Deceased: June 11, 2007

Incident: Roadside bomb, Afghanistan

Master Corporal Darrell Jason Priede

Age: 30

Home Town: Burlington, Ontario

Unit: Army News Team, 3 Area Support Group, Canadian Forces Base Gagetown

Deceased: May 30, 2007

Incident: U.S. Chinook helicopter crash in Afghanistan

Corporal Matthew McCully

Age: 25

Home Town: Orangeville, Ontario

Unit: 2 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group Headquarters and Signals Squadron, Petawawa, Ontario

Deceased: May 25, 2007

Incident: Improvised Explosive Device

Master Corporal Anthony Klumpenhouwer

Age: 25

Home Town: Listowel, Ontario

Unit: Canadian Special Operations Forces Command

Deceased: April 18, 2007

Incident: Accident, non combat related

Master Corporal Allan Stewart

Age: 31

Home Town: Newcastle, New Brunswick

Unit: The Royal Canadian Dragoons (Petawawa, Ontario)

Deceased: April 11, 2007

Incident: Roadside bomb

Trooper Patrick James Pentland

Age: 23

Home Town: Geary, New Brunswick

Unit: The Royal Canadian Dragoons (Petawawa, Ontario)

Deceased: April 11, 2007

Incident: Roadside bomb

Sergeant Donald Lucas

Age: 31

Home Town: St-John's, Newfoundand and Labrador

Unit: 2nd Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment (Gagetown, New Brunswick)

Deceased: April 8, 2007

Incident: Roadside bomb


Corporal Brent Donald Poland

Age: 37

Home Town: Sarnia, Ontario

Unit: 2nd Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment (Gagetown, New Brunswick)

Deceased: April 8, 2007

Incident: Roadside bomb

Corporal Christopher Paul Stannix

Age: 24

Home Town: Dartmouth, Nova Scotia

Unit: Princess Louise Fusiliers (Halifax, Nova Scotia)

Deceased: April 8, 2007

Incident: Roadside bomb

Corporal Aaron Edward Williams

Age: 23

Home Town: Perth-Andover, New Brunswick

Unit: 2nd Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment (Gagetown, New Brunswick)

Deceased: April 8, 2007

Incident: Roadside bomb


Private David Robert Greenslade

Age: 20

Home Town: Saint-John, New Brunswick

Unit: 2nd Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment, (Gagetown, New Brunswick)

Deceased: April 8, 2007

Incident: Roadside bomb

Private Kevin Vincent Kennedy

Age: 20

Home Town: St-John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

Unit: 2nd Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment (Gagetown, New Brunswick)

Deceased: April 8, 2007

Incident: Roadside bomb

Corporal Kevin Megeney

Age: 25

Home Town: New Glasgow, Nova Scotia

Unit: 1st Battalion, The Nova Scotia Highlanders (North) (Truro, Nova Scotia)

Deceased: March 6, 2007

Incident: Non combat related

Chief Warrant Officer Robert Girouard, CD

Age: 46

Home Town: Bouctouche, New Brunswick

Unit: 1st Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment (Petawawa, Ontario)

Deceased: November 27, 2006

Incident: Suicide bomber attack

Corporal Albert Storm, CD

Age: 36

Home Town: Niagara Falls, Ontario

Unit: 1st Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment (Petawawa, Ontario)

Deceased: November 27, 2006

Incident: Suicide bomber attack

Sergeant Darcy Scott Tedford, CD

Age: 32

Home Town: Calgary, Alberta

Unit: 1st Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment (Petawawa, Ontario)

Deceased: October 14, 2006

Incident: Insurgent attack

Private Blake Neil Williamson

Age: 23

Home Town: Ottawa, Ontario.

Unit: 1st Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment (Petawawa, Ontario)

Deceased: October 14, 2006

Incident: Insurgent attack

Trooper Mark Andrew Wilson

Age: 39

Home town: London, Ontario

Unit: Royal Canadian Dragoons (Petawawa, Ontario)

Deceased: October 7, 2006

Incident: Improvised Explosive Device (IED)

Sergeant Craig Paul Gillam, CD

Age: 40

Home town: South Branch, Newfoundland and Labrador

Unit: Royal Canadian Dragoons (Petawawa, Ontario)

Deceased: October 3, 2006

Incident: Insurgent attack

Corporal Robert Thomas James Mitchell

Age: 32

Home town: Owen Sound, Ontario

Unit: Royal Canadian Dragoons (Petawawa, Ontario)

Deceased: October 3, 2006

Incident: Insurgent attack

Private Josh Klukie

Age: 23

Home town: Shuniah, Ontario

Unit: 1st Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment (Petawawa, Ontario)

Deceased: September 29, 2006

Incident: Improvised Explosive Device (IED)

Corporal Glen Arnold, CD

Age: 32

Home Town: McKerrow, Ontario

Unit: 2 Field Ambulance (Petawawa, Ontario)

Deceased: September 18, 2006

Incident: Suicide bomber attack

Private David Byers

Age: 22

Home Town: Espanola, Ontario

Unit: 2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (Shilo, Manitoba)

Deceased: September 18, 2006

Incident: Suicide bomber attack

Corporal Shane Keating

Age: 30

Home Town: Dalmeny, Saskatchewan

Unit: 2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry (Shilo, Manitoba)

Deceased: September 18, 2006

Incident: Suicide bomber attack

Corporal Keith Morley, CD

Age: 30

Home Town: Winnipeg, Manitoba

Unit: 2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry (Shilo, Manitoba)

Deceased: September 18, 2006

Incident: Suicide bomber attack

Private Mark Anthony Graham

Age: 33

Home Town: Hamilton, Ontario

Unit: 1st Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment (Petawawa, Ontario)

Deceased: September 4, 2006

Incident: Friendly fire incident

Private William Jonathan James Cushley

Age: 21

Home Town: Port Lambton, Ontario

Unit: 1st Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment (Petawawa, Ontario)

Deceased: September 3, 2006

Incident: Ground offensive

Warrant Officer Frank Robert Mellish, CD

Age: 38

Home Town: Truro, Nova Scotia

Unit: 1st Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment (Petawawa, Ontario)

Deceased: September 3, 2006

Incident: Ground offensive


Warrant Officer Richard Francis Nolan, CD

Age: 39

Home Town: Mount Pearl, Newfoundland and Labrador

Unit: 1st Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment (Petawawa, Ontario)

Deceased: September 3rd, 2006

Incident: Ground offensive

Sergeant Shane Stachnik

Age: 30

Home Town: Waskatenau, Alberta

Unit: 2 Combat Engineer Regiment (Petawawa, Ontario)

Deceased: September 3rd, 2006

Incident: Ground offensive

Corporal David Braun

Age: 27

Home Town: Raymore, Saskatchewan

Unit: 2nd Battalion Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (Shilo, Manitoba)

Deceased: August 22, 2006

Incident: Suicide bomber attack

Corporal Andrew James Eykelenboom

Age: 23

Home Town: Comox, British Columbia

Unit: 1st Field Ambulance (Edmonton, Alberta)

Deceased: August 11, 2006

Incident: Suicide bomber attack

Master Corporal Jeffrey Scott Walsh

Age: 33

Home Town: Regina, Saskatchewan

Unit: 2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (Shilo, Manitoba)

Deceased: August 9, 2006

Incident: Shooting accident


Master Corporal Raymond Arndt

Age: 31

Home Town: Edson, Alberta

Unit: The Loyal Edmonton Regiment (Edmonton, Alberta)

Deceased: August 5, 2006

Incident: Traffic accident

Private Kevin Dallaire

Age: 22

Home Town: Calgary, Alberta

Unit: 1st Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (Edmonton, Alberta)

Deceased: August 3, 2006

Incident: Ground offensive

Sergeant Vaughan Ingram

Age: 35

Home Town: Burgeo, Newfoundland and Labrador

Unit: 1st Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (Edmonton, Alberta)

Deceased: August 3, 2006

Incident: Ground offensive

Corporal Bryce Jeffrey Keller

Age: 27

Home Town: Regina, Saskatchewan

Unit: 1st Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (Edmonton, Alberta)

Deceased: August 3, 2006

Incident: Ground offensive

Corporal Christopher Jonathan Reid, CD

Age: 34

Home Town: Truro, Nova Scotia

Unit: 1st Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (Edmonton, Alberta)

Deceased: August 3, 2006

Incident: Roadside bomb

Corporal Francisco Gomez, CD

Age: 44

Home town: Edmonton, Alberta

Unit: 1st Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (Edmonton, Alberta)

Deceased: July 22, 2006

Incident: Suicide attack

Corporal Jason Patrick Warren

Age: 29

Home town: Quebec City, Quebec

Unit: The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada (Montréal, Québec)

Deceased: July 22, 2006

Incident: Suicide attack

Corporal Anthony Joseph Boneca

Age: 21

Home Town: Thunder Bay, Ontario

Unit: Lake Superior Scottish Regiment (Thunder Bay, Ontario)

Deceased: July 9, 2006

Incident: Ground offensive

Captain Nichola Kathleen Sarah Goddard, MSM

Age: 26

Home Town: Calgary, Alberta

Unit: 1st Royal Canadian Horse Artillery (Shilo, Manitoba)

Deceased: May 17, 2006

Incident: Ground offensive

Corporal Matthew David James Dinning

Age: 23

Home Town: Richmond Hill, Ontario

Unit: 2 Military Police Platoon, Petawawa, Ontario

Deceased: April 22, 2006

Incident: Roadside bomb


Bombardier Myles Stanley John Mansell

Age: 25

Home Town: Victoria, British Columbia

Unit: 5th (British Columbia) Field Artillery Regiment (Victoria, British Columbia)

Deceased: April 22, 2006

Incident: Roadside bomb

Corporal Randy Payne

Age: 32

Home town: Gananoque, Ontario

Unit: 1 Garrison Military Police Company, Detachment Wainwright, Alberta

Deceased: April 22, 2006

Incident: Roadside bomb

Lieutenant William Turner

Age: 45

Home Town: Toronto, Ontario

Unit: Land Force Western Area Headquarters, Edmonton, Alberta (20th Field Artillery Regiment)

Deceased: April 22, 2006

Incident: Roadside bomb

Private Robert Costall

Age: 22

Home Town: Thunder Bay, Ontario

Unit: 1st Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (Edmonton, Alberta)

Deceased: March 29, 2006

Incident: Ground offensive

Master Corporal Timothy Wilson

Age: 30

Home Town: Grande Prairie, Alberta

Unit: 2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (Shilo, Manitoba)

Deceased: March 5, 2006

Incident: LAV III traffic accident

Corporal Paul Davis

Age: 28

Home Town: Bridgewater, Nova Scotia

Unit: 2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (Shilo, Manitoba)

Deceased: March 2, 2006

Incident: LAV III traffic accident

Mr. Glyn Berry

Age: 59

Home Town: United Kingdom

Unit: Director, Foreign Affairs Canada

Deceased: January 15, 2006

Incident: Suicide attack

Private Braun Scott Woodfield

Age: 24

Home Town: Eastern Passage, Nova Scotia

Unit: 2nd Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment (Oromocto, New Brunswick)

Deceased: November 24, 2005

Incident: LAV III traffic accident

Corporal Jamie Brendan Murphy

Age: 26

Home town: Conception Harbour, Newfoundland and Labrador

Unit: 1st Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment (Petawawa, Ontario)

Deceased: January 27, 2004

Incident: Suicide attack

Corporal Robbie Christopher Beerenfenger

Age: 29

Home town: Ottawa, Ontario

Unit: 3rd Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment (Petawawa, Ontario)

Deceased: October 2, 2003

Incident: Landmine explosion

Sergeant Robert Alan Short

Age: 42

Home town: Fredericton, New Brunswick

Unit: 3rd Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment (Petawawa, Ontario)

Deceased: October 2, 2003

Incident: Landmine explosion

Corporal Ainsworth Dyer

Age: 24

Home town: Montréal, Québec

Unit: 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (Edmonton, Alberta)

Deceased: April 18, 2002

Incident: "Friendly fire" incident

Private Richard Green

Age: 21

Home town: Mill Cove, Nova Scotia

Unit: 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (Edmonton, Alberta)

Deceased: April 18, 2002

Incident: "Friendly fire" incident

Sergeant Marc D. Léger

Age: 29

Home town: Lancaster (Ontario)

Unit: 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (Edmonton, Alberta)

Deceased: April 18, 2002

Incident: "Friendly fire" incident

Private Nathan Smith

Age: 26

Home Town: Tatamagouche, Nova Scotia

Unit: 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (Edmonton, Alberta)

Deceased: April 18, 2002

Incident: "Friendly fire" incident


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THE SUNDAY NEWS _ HEADLINES from Around The World March 25, 2007





State investment firm faces huge challenges

China Daily



BEIJING -- The much hyped State investment company set to be launched faces multiple challenges ranging from establishing transparent management under laws as yet to be written to showing solid financial gains.



Hu Xiaolian, head of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE), also said that the State investment company will be established this year, although details are yet to hammered out.



The new company is expected to be under the direction of the State Council, China's Cabinet, while professional managers will handle the reserve fund.






City Police Spied Broadly Before G.O.P. Convention



NEW YORK TIMES




NEW YORK — For at least a year before the 2004 Republican National Convention, teams of undercover New York City police officers traveled to cities across the country, Canada and Europe to conduct covert observations of people who planned to protest at the convention, according to police records and interviews.



From Albuquerque to Montreal, San Francisco to Miami, undercover New York police officers attended meetings of political groups, posing as sympathizers or fellow activists, the records show.



They made friends, shared meals, swapped e-mail messages and then filed daily reports with the department’s Intelligence Division. Other investigators mined Internet sites and chat rooms.”






Pentagon: Taking a Hard Look at CIFA

MSNBC




WASHINGTON -- The Pentagon is reviewing the charter of a controversial counterspy agency set up by former Defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld after 9/11. The Counter-Intelligence Field Activity (CIFA) was supposed to "coordinate" counterintel and antiterrorist reporting by myriad Pentagon spy outfits—including intel divisions maintained by all four military services. But CIFA seemed to overreach. As part of an assignment to collate data about suspicious incidents at U.S. military bases, CIFA also collected info on peace activists and anti-Bush protesters. CIFA's contracting practices came under investigation as part of a corruption inquiry. At one point, more than 90 percent of the people employed at CIFA HQ worked for defense contractors, rather than directly for the government; the Pentagon says the percentage of contract employees at the agency now has been reduced to 60 percent.




Hundreds held as ARD protests today

DAILY TIMES PAKISTAN



Hundreds of opposition activists have been detained ahead of a countrywide protest today called by the Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy (ARD) against the suspension of the chief justice of Pakistan.




The ARD has planned rallies at the divisional level across the country, with the major rally to be held at the District Courts Chowk in Rawalpindi. The decision to organise the protest was made by former prime ministers Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif – the heads of the two major parties in the ARD, the Pakistan People’s Party and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz – at a meeting in London last week.







Iran limits cooperation with IAEA after sanctions

REUTERS



The U.N. Security Council unanimously approved the sanctions on Saturday for Tehran's refusal to suspend its program, but major powers also offered new talks and renewed an economic and technological incentive package offer.



An Iranian government spokesman said Iran would limit its cooperation with the U.N. watchdog, the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency, in retaliation.



"Iran will not stop its peaceful and legal nuclear trend even for one second because of such an illegal resolution," Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said.





Two rescued in Gulf after falling off cruise ship

CNN

HOUSTON, Texas -- More than four hours after they fell from a cruise ship into the Gulf of Mexico, two vacationers were pulled from the water about 150 miles off the Galveston, Texas, coast early Sunday, according to the cruise line and the U.S. Coast Guard.



The 22-year-old man and 20-year-old woman apparently fell from a passenger's cabin balcony on the Grand Princess about eight hours after the cruise ship left the Galveston port, said Julie Benson, spokeswoman for Princess Cruises.



"When alerted to this, the ship stopped, initiated an emergency search operation, and returned to the position where the overboard incident was initially reported," Benson said, adding that the ship turned around and headed back within 10 minutes of getting word.







Gucci store ram raided

SYDNEY MORNING HERALD




Detectives are examining a stolen car that was left lodged in the doors of a high-end Sydney designer store after a ram-raid this morning.



The gold-coloured Honda Civic sedan smashed through the front doors of the Gucci store in Castlereagh Street near Martin Place about 2.30am.




The stolen car shattered the glass doors and bent back a security grille, allowing the thieves to loot designer handbags, clothing, sunglasses, footwear and jewellery from the store before fleeing in another vehicle.












Menu pet food recall widens

TORONTO STAR




TORONTO -- Menu Foods, the Mississauga-based company linked to the deaths of North American pets has asked retailers to remove all of its ‘cuts and gravy’ style food after reports that tainted products are still being sold.



The company had initially recalled wet dog and cat food manufactured at its Kansas and New Jersey facilities between December 3, 2006 and March 6, 2007. But the company said in a statement Saturday it would remove all 95 brands of wet food, regardless of its manufacturing date, to ensure no tainted food remained on store shelves.



“There is no known risk from items not listed on the recall list but an abundance of caution is called for in this situation,” the company said. “(The Food and Drug Administration) has been apprised of this action.”







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