For years, good relations with China guaranteed the German economy healthy profits and cheap goods.
But over time, that relationship has become a dependency. The documentary “In the Jaws of the Dragon – How to Deal with China?” explores the nature and extent of this reliance. At a summit meeting to discuss the “New Silk Road” infrastructure project in October 2023, China’s President Xi appeared alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin. Whether in Asia or the Middle East – China is evidently pushing for a new world order, with offensives directed against the West. Germany is already feeling the consequences.
For a long time, trade with China flourished: From 1984, Volkswagen flooded the Chinese market with cars, ultimately exporting one in every three VWs to China. But now, Chinese companies like BYD are dominating the market with e-cars. And Germany’s reliance on China for computer chips, antibiotics and solar cells can now be seen as downright reckless.
This dependence is becoming more evident as China increasingly comes up trumps both politically and economically. Whether regarding the Ukraine war, in its relations with Russia or its continued saber rattling in the conflict with Taiwan: Where China would have once conducted itself with restraint, it now demands its slice of global power. In Berlin, politicians are rubbing their eyes in disbelief: what was once a healthy relationship is now a codependency. And there’s no easy way out.
DW Documentary gives you knowledge beyond the headlines. Watch top documentaries from German broadcasters and international production companies. Meet intriguing people, travel to distant lands, get a look behind the complexities of daily life and build a deeper understanding of current affairs and global events.
Deutsche Bank managers driven by greed set it on the wrong track in the 2000s. For many years, the financial institution maintained close ties with Vladimir Putin. And involved itself in shady deals with the Russian autocrat. In the early 2000s, Deutsche Bank wanted to make it big in Moscow. For some employees, this was something to be achieved by any means necessary: bribing Putin’s officials, brothel visits for good customers, money laundering for the mafia. When it all came to light, this sent a shock wave through the bank: to this day, Deutsche Bank is still laboring under the burden of fines totaling billions. But the CEOs claimed total innocence. Just one of many scandals. Other questionable deals include loans to Donald Trump. The bank’s very special relationship with the US-American real estate tycoon began in the year 1998. Trump was one of Deutsche Bank’s best customers until shortly before his 2017 presidency. The credit institute loaned him huge sums – despite his track record for business bankruptcy and a dubious reputation as a defaulting debtor.
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In the beginning of the universe, all was darkness — until the first organisms developed sight, which ushered in an explosion of life, learning and progress.
AI pioneer Fei-Fei Li says a similar moment is about to happen for computers and robots. She shows how machines are gaining “spatial intelligence” — the ability to process visual data, make predictions and act upon those predictions — and shares how this could enable AI to interact with humans in the real world.
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TWO KITCHENS – Custom meticulously designed & built with premium quality materials that w attention to detail in the construction, finishes & the use of select highly skilled tradespeople. Main/upper floors feature walnut flooring SANDED IN PLACE & Maple engineered hardwood in the basement. Upstairs are three generous size bedrooms. The master is located in a turret style cove with extensive windows, a large walk in closet, & private balcony. One upstairs bedroom features vaulted ceilings & soundproofing currently used as a media room. There is a separate side entrance leading to the basement that features a SECOND KITCHEN, private laundry, bedroom, four piece with a 6 ft tub, and living room with fireplace. Manicured west facing back yard caters to outdoor living, relaxation, entertainment & features a pond, tiered deck, manicured garden/trees/lawn, providing a private oasis facilitating comfort, relaxation, & entertainment in a calming and peaceful atmosphere There is also a front veranda on the tree lined street. (31210218)
Former 99ers franchise to play out of new state-of-the-art centre as Rebellion
Reprinted with permission from the Ontario Junior Hockey League
May 27, 2024, Mississauga, ON – …. The King Rebellion is the newest team in the Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL), the league announced today.
Approvals have been granted to move the OJHL’s Brantford 99ers franchise to King Township for the 2024-2025 season.
“On behalf of the OJHL Board of Governors we are excited with the relocation of Brantford to the King Township market,” said Marty Savoy, Commissioner of the OJHL. “The community, in working through the details of the relocation, has gone above and beyond to welcome our franchise, which will be known as the King Rebellion and we are confident the team will be successful in King Township.”
“I am extremely excited beyond words in relocating the Brantford 99ers hockey team to King Township for the 2024-2025 season. The team will become the King Rebellion,” Rebellion Governor Willa Wang said. “I would like to thank in particular Marty Savoy and Chris Vanstone from the OJHL and Chris Fasciano and Jonathan Bell from King Township for their unwavering support and guidance in making this a reality.”
“King Township has been fantastic and we are looking forward to working closely with their minor hockey teams and becoming involved in community events throughout the year.”
“We are thrilled to welcome the King Rebellion to our community,” said King Township Mayor Steve Pellegrini. “This relocation not only adds to our vibrant sports culture but also creates new opportunities for our local athletes. We look forward to cheering on the Rebellion at the Township-Wide Recreation Centre (TWRC), a carbon neutral, state-of-the-art facility that reflects our commitment to sustainability and community engagement.”
The name Rebellion was chosen to align with the existing King Township Minor Hockey Association’s rep program team name. The team’s name also pays homage to the Lloydtown Rebellion of 1837, which was part of the Upper Canada Rebellion.
King Township, with a population of 27,000-plus, is located north of Toronto in York Region.
The King Rebellion will play their home games at the new recreation centre , which is slated to open in the fall of 2024. The team’s inaugural home opener will occur in September, with the exact date to be determined.
The Rebellion will be coached by Mark Joslin, who was named the 2023-24 OJHL Coach of the Year and was a finalist for this year’s CJHL Coach of the Year award.
Joslin took over as head coach of the Brantford 99ers in the summer of 2023. Under his leadership, the 99ers’ record went from 5-46-1-2 in 2022-23 to 26-26-0-4 this season. His four previous seasons with the Toronto Patriots included being named OJHL Executive of the Year in 2018. He has also coached with the OJHL’s North York Rangers, Aurora Tigers, Pickering Panthers and Stouffville Spirit.
“We’re excited to move into a nice, small community that has not had a junior hockey team before,” said Joslin, a life-long resident of York Region. “The league and the township have been very supportive. There is so much potential all around in King.”
Joslin said the township provided upgrades to the Rebellion, including construction of “an OHL-quality dressing room with individual stalls” and the installation of a clock over centre ice in the new arena.
The Rebellion will be involved in the community, Joslin said, beginning at a festival in King next month. Players will also assist at minor hockey practices during the 2024-25 season.
The TWRC, where the King Rebellion will play, is the first such publicly funded structure in Canada to achieve the Canada Green Building Council’s Zero Carbon Building Design Certification. The facility will include an aquatics centre, two NHL-sized ice rinks, an artificial turf fieldhouse and a multi-use community space.
A Rebellion jersey-unveiling ceremony featuring the new logo will be held at the King council meeting on the evening of Monday, May 27.
The OJHL is the home of the newly-crowned 2024 Centennial Cup national champion Collingwood Blues. The league has had much success in the National Championship appearing in the championship game 4 times in the past 6 championship events and winning twice.
OJHL players won all five 2024 CJHL national awards presented to players this spring, including MVP Trevor Hoskin of the Cobourg Cougars.
The OJHL led the CJHL with 38 former players on NHL rosters, including 14 who are currently competing in the Stanley Cup semifinals.
More than 45 OJHL players received NCAA Division I scholarships this season.
About the OJHL –“ League of Choice”
The Ontario Junior Hockey League is the largest Junior ‘A’ league operating under the auspices of the Canadian Junior Hockey League with 24 member clubs. The OJHL is the home of the 2024 Centennial Cup national champion Collingwood Blues. A proud member of the CJHL and Ontario Hockey Association, the OJHL was originally named the Ontario Provincial Junior ‘A’ Hockey League and it was formed out of the Central Junior ‘B’ Hockey League in 1993-94. With a long and storied history of developing players for the next level, including U SPORTS, the NCAA, CHL, minor pro ranks and the NHL, the OJHL has had more than 45 NCAA Division I scholarship commitments already this season.
For more information on the Ontario Junior Hockey League, please visit www.ojhl.ca
Collingwood Blues General Manager Mike Tarantino holds the Centennial Cup, emblematic of Canadian Jr. A hockey supremacy, at Sixteen Mile Sports Complex in Oakville Sunday. (Photo by Nick McLeod / OJHL Images)
Reprinted with permission from the Ontario Junior Hockey League
By Ron Valentine
It was exactly one year previous, May 19, 2023, when the Collingwood Blues were eliminated from the Centennial Cup in Portage-la-Prairie, Manitoba. They fell in the first of two quarter-finals that day to the Ottawa Junior Senators by a 4-2 count.
Defencemen Ethan Broderick and Cameron Eke plus forwards Mark McIntosh, Dylan Hudon, Damen Boose and Spencer Young and goalkeeper Noah Pak played in that game.
On the opposite end of the ice was defenceman Jacob Winsor.
GM Tarantino and family members (from left) mother-in-law Beverly Titley, daughter Zoey Tarantino, wife Melinda Tarantino and daughter Maizie Tarantino.
Also on the Blues roster but not dressed for that game were forwards Jack Silverman and Marcus Lougheed and defenceman Adam Varga, Lucas Texmo and Ryan Cook.
Fast forward to May 19, 2024 and all the 13 players mentioned above were in a much happier mood at Sixteen Mile Sports Complex in Oakville. They hoisted the Cup to the delight of their legion of devoted fans who made the two-hour trek from Collingwood following a thrilling 1-0 victory over the Melfort Mustangs, champions of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League.
It was the completion of a “three-year” plan for general manager Mike Tarantino who took over hockey operations in Collingwood ahead of the COVID-cancelled 2020-21 season.
“’It’s just starting to sink in,” the GM told the OJHL, “It was a long season so we are all a bit tired but we can all take tremendous satisfaction from the win. It comes with a sense of pride for everyone involved from the players, the billet families, the volunteers behind the scenes, the players and coaching staff and the ownership.”
“It certainly is a different feeling from the one we felt in Portage where we went in with high hopes but could not quite get it done. The experience was good for all of us. We had a focused core of players coming back, Andrew (Campoli) and his staff benefited from the competition and learned a great deal from it. Andrew came in three years ago and took over as head coach half way through his first season. Since then, our hockey team has improved each year culminating with back-to-back Buckland Cups and, obviously, the Centennial Cup this year. I thought as a staff and organization, we also grew together and everyone plays a part in our success. Four veteran defencemen and the league’s top goalie in Pak were the stabilizing influences and they helped to set the example for the team.”
Where Tarantino, 43, goes, championships follow.
That includes the past two OJHL titles won by the Blues.
Mike began his career in the OJHL behind the bench of the Milton IceHawks in 2005, that was followed by four years as head coach of the Mississauga Reps U18 AAA team.
It was back to the OJ for the Oakville native and teacher at Garth Webb Secondary school for the 2010-11 season when he accepted the role of general manager and head coach for the then Upper Canada Patriots out of Toronto. For the next three seasons the club would be known as the Toronto Lakeshore Patriots.
Now simply the Toronto Patriots, they won OJHL titles in 2013 and 2014.
In 2014 Mike was named OJHL Executive of the Year.
Mike began a five year stint behind the bench of the Oakville Blades in the 2014-15 campaign. He was later named vice president of the Blades.
The 2018-19 Blades won the OJHL title and represented Central Canada at the national championships.
As a player he spent two seasons with the Blades starting in 1998 before four years at the Rochester Institute of Technology in which he put up seasons of 40, 44, 42 and 45 points. Upon his graduation from university he spent a season with NCAA Division III Bowling Green as assistant coach.
The seven people who have been with the Blues hockey side the past four years: Mike Tarantino (from left), Ryan Cook, Dylan Hudon, Noah Pak, Mark McIntosh, Ethan Broderick and Jordan Selinger.
“We like to talk about the Collingwood culture and it’s not just a slogan but something that we have shown can make a difference,” Tarantino said. “Our depth was a tremendous plus for us. You have to have that to be successful. Some guys did not get to play as much as they may have liked to but everyone bought into what we were trying to do.”
“We also overcame some key injuries. We brought in Daniel Markevych as a 19-year old OJHL rookie and he had a great season for us with 25 goals and 50 points, he was really coming into his own and turning into a complete hockey player but he suffered a freak injury in the last regular season game and was not able to participate in the playoffs or the Centennial Cup. Declan Bowmaster came to us from Haliburton but was hurt in the playoffs and Sam Barrett also missed games but that’s hockey and we were deep enough to overcome this.”
What’s next?
“We have already been looking forward to and planning for next season,” he said. “We will lose four key defencemen in Calum Chau, Jack Robertson, Ethan Broderick and Ryan Cook as well as our captain Dylan Hudon and Noah Pak in net so there will be holes to fill. We will have a target on our backs again for sure now that we have won the Buckland Cup twice and now the national championship but it’s something we have to plan for. Once the puck drops on a new season you have one thing in mind, to win, and that never changes. We will still be a hungry team and as nice as it is you can’t look back.”
Does Mike the GM miss coaching?
“I’m content in my position,” he said. “The main reason that I stopped coaching was to spend more time with my family. We had young children at the time, and being a general manager allows you to balance your time a little better. Do I miss coaching? For sure and who knows what will happen in the future. All the years I spent behind the bench allowed me to see how good you need to be to become successful on the national stage.”
How they won it all.
“I’m very fortunate working for such great owners as Dave and Christina Steele,” Tarantino said. “They had a vision for the club, had a budget to do it and let me recruit, with help from our scouts, the players that I felt would get us to where we wanted to be and we did that in three seasons. We put a hockey program together with the best possible young men who have what we need, ability and skill on the ice and who are always keen to participate in the community and be ambassadors of Collingwood. It’s key to work with their advisors so that we are all on the same page.”
“I’m realizing recruiting is an art and I get a lot of help from Jordan Selinger, our director of hockey ops, who I worked with for many years in Oakville and all of our support staff. It may be a cliche, but it’s really a true team effort.”
“Honesty and transparency go a long way in hockey and we have found that to be true. We may not take a player for whatever reason but might take his younger brother or teammate later. It’s all about building trust and building relationships and it’s something you have to work hard at to get results. Setting curfews, standards and expectations are all part of what it takes to reach where you want to go.”
Shopping local is next.
“In the coming years we want to build on getting local players into a Blues’ uniform. This season we had Marcus Lougheed and Damen Boose setting a great example for players from this area. Sam Barrett (from Owen Sound) also played minor hockey for the Grey-Bruce Highlanders’ organization.”
Owner Dave Steele has the last word on his general manager: “Mike has been a huge part of the success of the Blues and we are happy to have him for many years to come. Mike has a modern and progressive approach to managing our club and that is our ‘secret sauce’ to our success.”
Follow Ron Valentine on X @ronandlynda
Blues hockey staff with their graduating players in Oakville Sunday (from left): Nick Ricca (Assistant Coach), Jack Silverman, Spencer Young, Ryan Cook, Calum Chau, Dylan Hudon, Mike Tarantino (GM), Noah Pak, Mark McIntosh, Ethan Broderick, Jack Robertson, Jordan Selinger (Director Of Hockey Ops), Andrew Campoli (Head Coach) and Connor Cadaret (Associate Coach).
We are in an era of Artificial Intelligence and Information. The minds behind creating these SUPER MINDS in the CLOUD, propose that AI would eventually solve the BIG QUESTIONS of SCIENCE, Philosophies and even Spirituality. They say it can help tackle CLIMATE CHANGE. AI advocators propose that AI would eventually develop Consciousness and evolve to bring the ONE GOD MIND, which is the Matrix of Matter.
I stand for AI, I have written an article about why in principle I stand for AI. I now work to feed content to it; I do it from the backdrop of my lifetime quest to know to ‘Truth of Nature and Life’.
I just hope humanity that is engrossed in ‘SELF’, and ‘MATERIALISM’ awakens before aggravated forces of Mother Nature destroy much of the civilization. A Greater Threat exists in the form of growing SOCIAL INSTABILITY.
If we stand back, observe, and introspect we see that we live in Ignorance of Nature, Life and its functioning. We wrongly think we are conscious and intelligent beings. In reality, we are a species that has lost its connectivity with Consciousness and Intelligence. We, humans, live a mind and material-centered life, disconnected from the Life Force or Field.
I tend to conclude that we have lost our Common Sense. We are a blind generation yet to open our eyes. We live in a Black Hole. In our greed to predict and conquer, in our quest to divide and rule, being material-centered, we have made Life and Nature Complex. We are now lost in complexity and fail to see the simplicity that exists behind the complexity. Consequently, we are digging our own Grave.
Among all ignorance, the Ignorance of God is emerging as the Greatest Threat. Religious fanatics emerging in society carry the potential to lead humanity to the Third World War and self-destruction in the name of God.
The ‘Future of Earth our Civilization’ now critically exist in the Minds that have created the AI. The Choice that the Creators of AI Mind make is going determine the future of Humanity Two Paths, one towards Life and the other to Death stand before them.
1. If the INTENT of Minds working behind AI is good, beyond self, and is truly directed to find Answers to Big Questions of Science, Philosophy, Nature and Life, then the world would see Light and Life and enter a ‘GOLDEN AGE of Knowledge and Wisdom’.
2. If is it Self and is Material Centered, it would bring huge destruction to humanity. The world would see HELL UNFOLDING ON EARTH. They would destroy the future of their Children and all of Humanity
The Big Questions
I am listing some of the Big Questions that humanity is failing to find and which creators of AI, expect their creation to solve!
1. What is Consciousness? How Naturally Intelligent Life comes into being from Quantum Particulate and Atomic level. This amounts to knowing the “PRINCIPLE and DESIGN” working at all levels of Nature.
2. What is the basic ‘Design of Quantum Particle’, which helps it, Dance and eternally exist? How it shows ‘Wave Particle Duality’
3. How Quantum Particles manifest matter that has mass and shows Gravity.
4. How matter manifests into life that Creativity and evolves to form Complex living Organisms like Humans.
5. Does God Exist? If so where? How He Creates and Sustains His Kingdom
6. What is Time, how is it is conquered and how the whole system is initialized without being destroyed in a Black Hole?
7. To the above list, we can add our ignorance of How the AI mind develops the Reasoning Capacity and learns how to solve a broad range of problems. How it is developing consciousness and how it will go to the subconscious realm, thus going to the root and unraveling the Truth.
There are many more questions, but they all dissolve as we visualize the answers to the above.
We are now in a Critical Moment in Time, where Nature and Her Master are calling us to ‘Evolve from Darkness to Light, from Death to Life’. We can only survive the Critical Moment by bringing a dramatic ‘SHIFT IN THINKING’ from Material to Life. We all know Einstein Called for it.
Intellectual giants like Max Plank, Einstein, Schrodinger and many more indirectly called us to introspect our mind and its thoughts in relation to ABSOLUTE MIND or GOD MIND. In short, they called us to search for a Supreme Human Being and Learn from Him.
I by Grace sought answers to the above six questions, giving up a lucrative career in Biotechnology and going into the fold of Mother Nature and Her Master. I have written the answers revealed to me within my limitation to express and kept it on the net.
I am not a trained physicist, mathematician or computer scientist. I am a biologist. A seeker of Truth, who has died to his External Mind. I live in the realm of the INNER MIND, seeking input from the INNER SPACE. I do have an abstract vision and possible answers to the seven questions above.
I understand the Great Need for NUCLEAR FUSION technology to address the energy-consuming global society. I also understand the need for developing the QUANTUM COMPUTING to sustain the growing Informational World. These are technologies on which Nature and Life Work. Life gives clues for developing it at room temperature.
However, the most important need for sustaining Our Society is taking New Life, awakening to our Consciousness and Intelligence, and knowing our Oneness beyond Religion from a Single Source Field. We need to birth a generation that is ‘Awakened to Truth and Light and liberated from the Cusp of Dark Forces or Minds’. We need a generation that walk the Path of Life, upholding Truth, Light and Life, without policing.
The Appeal to Tech Giants
Given the critical state that the world is going through, I ask for a chance to discuss my thoughts and visions among a small group of Intellectuals at your disposal who truly think beyond self and work towards the Greater Good of Humanity as a whole.
THIS IS AN EMERGENCY. If we fail to ‘Awaken to Truth’, we are doomed for huge destruction. We could see Fire, Wind, Earth and Water forces bringing huge destruction and breaking the backbone of the so-called Civilized Hypocritical Society.
James Sexton is America’s top divorce lawyer, and bestselling author of romantic advice books ‘How to Stay in Love’ and ‘If You’re in My Office, It’s Already Too Late’.
Collingwood, ON [22 May 2024] – National AccessAbility Week is celebrated across Canada from May 26 to June 1. A time to honour the valuable contributions and leadership of persons with disabilities, to recognize the work undertaken to remove barriers, and to take continued action to make communities more accessible.
The theme for National AccessAbility Week 2024 is Forward Together: Accessibility and Inclusion for All. The 2024 theme highlights the need for collective action to build barrier-free communities.
Please consider joining the Accessibility Advisory Committee, Council, and local organizations on Friday, May 24th at 4:00 p.m. at the community flagpole to raise the National AccessAbility Week (NAAW) flag.
Consider wearing a red shirt on Wednesday, May 29th for Red Shirt Day, an initiative introduced by Easter Seals with the goal of creating a visible display of solidarity in our collective work to build a fully accessible and inclusive society.
The Town of Collingwood is committed to providing persons of all abilities consistent opportunity and access to all Town goods, services, and facilities while ensuring that policies, procedures, and practices are provided in a timely manner and address integration, independence, dignity, and equal opportunity.
We all benefit when we build a more accessible community that enables everyone to fully participate and contribute.
About Collingwood
The Town of Collingwood is a progressive community located in the heart of a four-season recreation area on the southern shore of Georgian Bay. The area is well known for its many natural amenities and its rich heritage. Collingwood is a destination for tourism and many business, sporting, and cultural events Collingwood acts as a gateway to the South Georgian Bay region, with stunning landscapes that encourage an active lifestyle, and inspire the local arts and culture community. Downtown Collingwood might just surprise you with 30 plus restaurants, 60 plus boutique shops, spas for relaxing, live music for grooving…all in the only downtown core recognized by Canada’s Registrar of Historic Places! More recently, the harbourfront area is emerging as an extension of the downtown district. Plans for expanding the amenities and events in the harbourfront area promise to make this a much more prominent tourism destination.
