Horizon Holdings

Since I authored those two articles, practically all of the criticism has come from Laurentian elites (a former prime minister described it as "an alarming vision of Canada"!), which illustrates my thesis. Ontarians, in particular, are frequently startled and disappointed that the rest of the country to their west does not behave like a sprawling suburb of Toronto. When their intrusive ignorance produces a predictable backlash—prairie alienation or BC indifference—they emphasize the need for greater political unity. A oneness formed naturally in their own image. It is hardly unexpected that Saskatchewan (and Alberta) have had enough of Central Canadian nationalism and are now advocating for a constitutional split of powers. Saskatchewan is attempting to address an asymmetrical federalism rather than an asymmetrical nationalism, as there is only one nation in Canada. This is a federal model that gives Quebec unique (and mostly suitable) rights within a Central Canadian vision ...

In his letter, Castro stated that if the "imperialists" attacked, "then that would be the moment to eliminate this danger forever…however harsh and terrible the solution." In other words, the Soviet Union should instantly retaliate with its nuclear weapons, which are currently in Cuba. Castro emphasized that the Cuban people were determined "to confront aggression heroically" and that "people's morale is extremely high." An arrogant assumption, given that the Cuban people were never informed. It's hard to assume Moscow took Castro's message seriously. They must have understood they were dealing with a crazy. Cuban missiles were deployed to defend the Soviet Union, not Cubans. Decision-makers and political scientists have conducted extensive research on the Cuban missile crisis. President Biden appears to have learned his lessons. The United States' attitude to Putin's recent escalation is straight out of Kennedy's playbook...

The findings also suggest that new Conservative Party of Canada leader Pierre Poilievre's messaging is having an impact on local politics. During his leadership campaign, Poilievre took a novel approach to issues that have traditionally been the purview of city halls, promising to tie federal infrastructure spending to approval of high-density zoning. His forays into municipal territory looked to be warmly received in key urban locations such as Vancouver; Poilievre won the Conservative leadership vote in British Columbia. His campaign exceeded internal membership sales expectations, and thousands of new Conservative members attended his meet-and-greets in East Vancouver, which is not exactly a right-of-center bastion. Without missing a beat, Poilievre mentioned Vancouver's municipal election during last Monday's Question Period, calling the outcome a rejection of Justin Trudeau's "radical policies" and the city's NDP-affiliated mayor, Kennedy Stewart. He ...

We should therefore not underestimate the effects of the closed media environment required for linguistic separation. More than any other region, Quebec speaks for itself. Most Québécois get their news from the rest of the country second-hand, after it has been interpreted literally and culturally by the province's media. This language isolation appears to be self-perpetuating: little distinctions are accentuated, while major disparities are embedded as cultural and political orthodoxy. However, language is only part of the story. Religious differences are another source of cultural diversity in Quebec. This was evident during the first half of Canadian history, when the province stood out as a separate Catholic society in an increasingly Protestant Canada. The revolutionary rejection of the province's Catholic identity over the last three generations means that the weight of cultural identity, which was once supported by three pillars—language, culture, and religion—now rests ...

While most large Canadian cities' mayoral contests revolve around issues of cost of living and housing affordability, Brampton's race is considerably different. Following his high-profile ejection from the federal Conservative leadership campaign, the controversial incumbent, Patrick Brown, is facing a race that is virtually a vote on his integrity as mayor and the instability at Brampton City Hall But why should Brampton be important to readers across the country? According to the 2021 census findings, Brampton is Canada's fastest growing major city, with a population surpassing 700,000. As a prominent city in the Greater Toronto Area, Brampton politics have a disproportionate impact on the region's general political culture, and, for better or worse, they influence the GTA's reputation as a destination for global talent and investment. Notably, Brown has managed to become one of the most well-known big city mayors in the country. This implies that Brampton City Ha...

Russia captured all of Crimea in the Black Sea's south, as well as sections of Luhansk and Donetsk Oblasts in eastern Ukraine, in 2014. This time, Russia invaded Ukraine in the hopes of launching a blitzkrieg-style operation to conquer the country and its capital, Kyiv, in a matter of days or hours. When it failed, Russia returned to a campaign focused on Kharkiv and the northeast of Ukraine. When the Kharkiv campaign stopped, Russia successfully pursued an attack to conquer the Black Sea coast all the way to Moldova, but the offensive failed to advance beyond Kherson Oblast, which is directly above Crimea. Russia then conveniently, but not persuasively, reaffirmed its war objectives as the south coast of Ukraine and the entire Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts in the east, which have already been challenged in ongoing active conflict since 2014. By September, six months after Russia's second invasion of Ukraine, Russia controlled nearly all of Luhansk Oblast, major portions of Donet...

We live in a Universe that appears to follow a cause-and-effect law: both positive and negative outcomes are always the result of some cause. Many salesmen fail to achieve their goals because they only focus on the results they want, not the effort required to achieve them. Shifting your attention from consequences to causes will improve your results, as effort is one of the key drivers of success. Why don't you have what you want? The major reason people don't have what they desire has little to do with their birth circumstances, a lack of an Ivy League degree, or any other advantage they feel is at the base of another person's success. Some seem to have advantages, while others appear to have downsides, both of which are randomly distributed. However, what appears to be an advantage may eventually turn out to be a negative. By removing these benefits and disadvantages, we may focus on elements that are not determined by chance. Let's imagine two people wish to save ...

Usually in negotiations with management, the acquirer offers stocks at a designated exchange ratio. Should the bought firm accept an offer at a reasonable premium above the current market price of stock, the merger could go place. Sometimes contingent payments—such as stock warrants—are also given. For mergers, buyers could employ common stock, preferred stock, convertible bonds, debt, cash, and warrants among numerous finance packages. The final package's effect on current earnings per share (EPS) determines much of what to choose. A tax-free exchange results from common stock exchanges, in which case the seller's stock is given to the buyer. The disadvantage is that the outstanding shares of the buyer boost the stock issue reduces earnings per share. A taxable transaction results when cash is exchanged for common stock from the selling corporation. Since the buying company is getting fresh earnings without increasing increment, this kind of exchange could boost EPS.Finding b...

In the very competitive environment of today, knowledge and application of customer input has evolved from helpful to absolutely vital. One cannot understate the importance of client comments in formulating marketing plans. For companies trying to negotiate the convoluted realm of consumer preferences and expectations, it serves as a compass and road map. Developing marketing plans that not only appeal to target demographics but also encourage long-term brand loyalty and involvement calls for this important understanding.  But why, when creating marketing plans, is customer input so important? Basically, it provides businesses with an objective free from bias from which to assess their brand image and products. It thus provides a straight path to the needs, wants, and pain issues of the customer. This excellent tool will help companies increase the impact, relevance, and efficacy of their marketing projects. Moreover, the need of client comments in creating marketing plans goes bey...

Maintaining integrity by leaders, businesses, and companies depends on accountability. One of the toughest challenges companies have in the global stakeholder society of today is responsibility. Responsible executives strike a balance between the needs and interests of many stakeholders—including employees, consumers, suppliers, communities, shareholders, NGOs, the environment, and society. Good CSR accounting calls for including measurements into supply-chain activities as well as internal ones. Frame (2005) claims that NGOs are more and more expected to show moral, open, and responsible behavior in CSR responsibility and distribution of best practices.  A key debate voiced in some literature is the efficiency of community-led strategies for demand of corporate responsibility (Garvy & Newell, 2005). Studies point to the need of a certain mix of elements for successful community-based corporate accountability programs.This chapter addresses all elements of mergers and ...