Canada shares higher at close of trade; S&P/TSX Composite up 0.05%Florida State continues torrid star with rout of UMass
No plans to convert PU into central university: Centre
We live in Orwellian times. The deceitful and antisemitic reporting on the Israeli military campaign in Gaza is a glaring example of the gaslighting endemic in parts of the media, academia, and political discourse across the Western world. This article builds on themes from my earlier piece, Gaslighting and Projection of Orwellian Proportion, to challenge whether this gaslighting stops at Israel and the Israeli Defense Forces—or if it is simply the most visible and egregious example of a broader manipulation. The distinction between persuasion and manipulation, in my judgment, lies in intent. Persuasion seeks to inform and inspire with philanthropic motives, aiming to foster understanding and thoughtful action. Manipulation, by contrast, operates with malign intent, seeking to deceive and control. The reporting on Israel exemplifies manipulation, where distortion and bias have sown mistrust and misunderstanding. This raises broader concerns about the narratives promoted by certain media outlets, academics, and political actors—a pattern suggesting deeper systemic agendas. To better understand this phenomenon, it’s worth looking back, as it becomes increasingly clear that this manipulation has been at play for some time. Consider Menachem Begin and Ronald Reagan, two leaders whose legacies are now widely celebrated but who faced relentless vilification during their time in office. Before his election as Israel’s Prime Minister, Begin was labelled a threat to democracy. David Ben Gurion refused even to mention him by name, referring to him dismissively as “the man in the basement.” Yet Begin achieved what many thought impossible: a peace treaty with Egypt, Israel’s greatest adversary at the time. Similarly, Reagan was dismissed as a “Hollywood actor turned politician,” caricatured by critics as reckless and simplistic. Despite this, he ended the Cold War without firing a shot, revitalised the American economy, and restored confidence in democratic values. The parallels with contemporary figures like Peter Dutton are striking. Leaders such as Australia’s Opposition Leader are frequently castigated as “far right” by media, academia, and political opponents. But this raises an essential question: is Dutton truly far right, or simply far right of those who now find themselves firmly entrenched on the far left? The same voices vilifying Israel and the IDF—sections of the ABC, certain academics, union agitators, and partisan journalists—are often those driving divisive narratives in other domains. Their coordination raises doubts about their trustworthiness and intent. If their approach to Israel is rooted in deception, can their messaging in other areas be trusted? Take nuclear energy policy, for example—a subject outside my area of professional expertise, but one that deserves scrutiny. Across the globe, nuclear energy is increasingly seen as a critical component of a sustainable energy future. France generates over 70% of its electricity from nuclear power, making it a leader in low-carbon energy. Canada, too, has embraced nuclear energy as part of its strategy to reduce emissions, with prominent progressive figures like Prime Minister Justin Trudeau advocating for its inclusion in achieving net-zero goals. Even in Australia, former Prime Minister Bob Hawke—a revered Labor leader and iconic figure of progressivism—advocated for nuclear power as a forward-thinking solution to the nation’s energy challenges. He argued that Australia’s vast uranium reserves offered an unparalleled opportunity to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and ensure energy security while boosting economic growth. Contrast this with the Albanese Government. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Energy Minister Chris Bowen have consistently dismissed nuclear energy as a viable option, citing high costs and long lead times. Bowen recently called nuclear power “the most expensive form of energy,” a claim that critics argue overlooks advancements in technology and the broader economic benefits of a diversified energy portfolio. This shift also extends to foreign policy. For decades, there was bipartisan support for Israel’s right to exist in peace and security, with successive Australian governments maintaining a steady alliance with Israel. Recent actions by the Albanese Government, including changes in Australia’s voting patterns at the United Nations, have been perceived by some as a departure from this bipartisan tradition. Critics argue that these moves align Australia with divisive UN resolutions that undermine Israel’s legitimacy, reflecting a broader pivot from the consensus-driven foreign policy of earlier decades. Occam’s Razor, the principle that the simplest explanation is often the correct one, offers insight here. The simplest explanation for the consistent distortion in reporting, policymaking, and public discourse is that much of the left in politics, media, and academia has been overtaken by social Marxists. Social Marxism applies Marxist principles to cultural and social structures rather than economic systems. It divides the world into oppressors and the oppressed, prioritising identity politics and victimhood narratives over truth and shared values. This framework not only explains the distorted reporting on Israel but sheds light on the broader decay in public discourse across the Western world. The connection between manipulation in media and social Marxism becomes clear when one examines how narratives are framed. The same individuals and institutions that distort facts about Israel often exhibit a broader agenda: discrediting traditional values, stifling evidence-based debate, and championing divisive ideologies. Ronald Reagan once warned, “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.” This cautionary statement resonates deeply in today’s context, where ideological rigidity and social Marxism threaten to erode democratic resilience. Leadership in such times requires clarity, integrity, and the courage to stand against prevailing tides of manipulation and deceit. Throughout my military career, I learned the importance of valuing actions over rhetoric. Words can be empty vessels, but actions reveal true intent. This principle guided me as I observed sycophants who sought to curry favour through flattery while pursuing self-serving motives. The lesson was clear: substance always outweighs superficiality. This perspective informed my reaction to the recent U.S. Presidential election, when I observed a highly educated Australian Jew catastrophise over the election of the 47th President of the United States of America and its implications for reproductive rights. My own stance on this issue is “pro-choice,” yet I found the hyperventilation unwarranted, especially given the administration’s stated policy of keeping abortions “safe, legal, and rare.” This episode revealed a deeper trend: a political platform so weak that the only strategy left was to vilify the alternative. Convincing the public that the alternative is worse is a hallmark of far-left politics, which relies on division and fear rather than constructive solutions. As I approach the conclusion of this article, I find it necessary to share my assessment: I, like many Australians, have at times been influenced by narratives shaped by social Marxists masquerading as educated and learned progressives. However, I have since begun to see through this manipulation. I encourage readers to take a moment of introspection—to reflect on some of the beliefs you may hold as incontrovertible truths. Who are the voices shaping these narratives, and what are their intentions? Because the same people who lecture us incessantly about genocide and apartheid are often the ones championing other causes, perceptions, and ideologies that I can no longer accept at face value. Abraham Lincoln wisely noted, “You can fool all of the people some of the time, and some of the people all of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time.” To this, I would add the enduring adage: “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.” Together, these sentiments remind us that discernment is not just a virtue but a necessity, especially in these Orwellian times. The reporting on Israel has taught me a vital lesson: to scrutinise, question, and seek truth—even when it challenges long-held beliefs. In these consequential times, clarity and integrity are not luxuries; they are imperatives. We have agency, and we must put a stop to this madness in 2025.The myth of the ‘lost prince’ and other historical mysteries solved in 2024 | CNN
1. A versatile chop, slice, and dice unit so you can drastically *cut* down on food prep and cleanup time with interchangeable blades that can each be popped into the dishwasher. You've been around long enough to know you never want to chop an onion by hand again. Promising review: "Makes life so much easier. I can't imagine chopping onions or bell peppers by hand anymore, and it does so much more. We used to have a Prepworks chopper which was a similar idea, but you had to press so hard to chop, and it broke after not too long. This one requires very little effort to cut through the food, and it has a generous container." — Amazon Customer Get it from Amazon for $29.99 (available in four colors and three other styles). 2. A durable honeycomb drawer for eliminating the time-consuming drawer excavation you perform every time you're looking for a specific scarf, tie, or pair of underwear before it's time to head out the door. Thanks to its super simple design, the organizer can be assembled simply by snapping the pieces together. Plus, they can expand to fit the size of your drawers. Promising review: "I am a man of many socks, and these helped organize them much better than what I was doing. It's easy to do by color and style." — Think Blue Get it from Amazon for $7.99 . 3. A budget-friendly SkinSmart facial cleanser spray that reviewers compare to the pricier Tower 28 SOS Spray for its ability to target redness and bacteria without drying out your skin. It's suitable for all skin types and is ideal for busy bodies who still want to take good care of their skin. Just spray and go — no scrubbing needed! See it in action on TikTok . Promising review: "I rarely write reviews, but I am already in love with whatever sorcery is in this bottle! This was a TikTok-influenced buy, so I was skeptical. When I got the product, I was having a horrible breakout with a HUGE irritated pimple in the crevice of my nose, and after two days of using it before and after work, it’s gone! It immediately helped the redness and irritation as well, and I'm blown away! After less than a week, my breakout has almost cleared up completely." — Catherine bunch Get it from Amazon for $17.46 . 4. A set of reusable Wad-Free tools you might recognize from Shark Tank if you're tired of laundry day getting derailed by tangled bedsheets. These help maintain a balanced washer drum, reduce dry times, and prevent wet clothes from getting trapped in the sheets. Wad-Free is a small biz that was launched during the pandemic by Cyndi Bray, who had a wadding problem and no available solutions. So they did what anyone would do (JK) — learned CAD (computer-aided design) and invented a genius solution! Promising review: "Wow!!! You wonder if things like this really work and, well, I can absolutely confirm it does! First, I was impressed that the package came with two of the devices because I was only expecting one. So there was one for the fitted sheet and the flat sheet. Finally, I tried it out, and my sheets not only did NOT wad up, but they came out of the dryer feeling fresher, more dry, and unwrinkled! I will be buying a set of these for each of my immediate family members and close friends! What a great gift!!!" — katy Get a pair from Amazon for $19.99 (also available in a four-pack). 5. A nonaerosol dry shampoo powder packed in a travel-friendly compact to prolong wash day and revive greasy locks so you can basically roll right out of bed and into the office and STILL have coworkers complimenting your fabulous hair. Promising review: "I am so glad I gave this product a try, as it works amazingly well on my fine, oily hair. I have used just about every dry shampoo product on the market, and this is by far the best one yet . My hair looks beautiful, and I can now go nearly a week without washing (while still having absolutely gorgeous hair)! I used to have to wash my hair every other day when I was using my former favorite dry shampoo (and it made my scalp itch on day two). This product is definitely worth a try, and it may soon be your favorite!" — Melanie Havert Get it from Amazon for $18 (available in eight styles). 6. Some Sock Ons because no one told you that putting (and keeping) socks on your kid was such a time-consuming, daily ordeal. These stretchy sleeves sit over their sock to keep them exactly where they belong — on their feet. These are designed for ages 6–12 months. Promising review: "These things are GREAT! I normally wouldn't spend money on something that seemed kind of silly like this, but my sister-in-law gave me a box of baby stuff when I had my second kid, and there were two pairs of Sock Ons in there, and I had no idea what they were, but l et me tell you...they are HANDY to have ! So much so that I got on Amazon and bought a pink pair for my daughter. They keep the socks from falling off nonstop. Without these, her socks will fall off like...100 times a day, and with these, they only come off maybe once or twice if she is kicking a lot. It is cold here right now, so I love that they keep her socks on and keep her feet warmer. These would be a good purchase by a parent and a GREAT purchase for a gift because it's something a lot of people won't buy themselves unless they know that they work ! The ONLY downfall is that they cover up part of the sock design...which some of the little baby socks are cute...but it's worth it!" — zoey1012 Get them from Amazon for $14.77 . 7. A convenient automatic cat feeder so your favorite feline never misses a meal, even when a million other things are vying for your attention. Create a personalized meal schedule, and this feeder will dispense a pre-set amount of food up to four times a day. You can even add a cute little mealtime voice memo for when you're away! It plugs into the wall, but it also accepts batteries in case of power outages. Promising review : " We held off for years, telling ourselves our cat would eventually accept his feeding time if we were consistent in ignoring him. Well, here we are. Wish we bought this sooner; best money I've ever spent. Plus, we can more easily leave our cat for a few days without worrying as much. The battery backup is a nice feature, and it's easy to program, and once you get it set up you basically don't need to do anything except monitor the amount of remaining food . My only slight complaint is that the bowl itself is a hollow plastic, so the food hitting the bowl was actually loud enough in the other room to wake us up. So we now just have it dispense onto the mat we have." — Jen E Get it from Amazon for $55.99+ (available in two sizes and four colors). 8. A bleach-free Wet & Forget shower cleaner for not only cleaning but preventing soap scum buildup with minimal effort. Once a week, simply give your shower a spray, let it sit overnight, rinse, and — BOOM — you're done and didn't even break a sweat. Promising review: "I have been having shower draining issues, so there was a buildup of soap scum in my shower. I have a very weak stomach, and cleaning the shower makes me physically ill. I have tried several products that have claimed to be no scrub/wipe but this has been the only one that has worked. I sprayed it after my shower and left it to sit until the next night. Found that A LOT of the grime had disappeared. Now, was it perfect? No. But I think with consistent use, it will get there. Highly recommend this product." — KZ Get it from Amazon for $20.98+ (available in two sizes and two scents). 9. A Dawn Powerwash spray bundle that eliminates the time-consuming dish pre-soak so you can clear out your sink sooner. Just spray, wait a few minutes while it works it's magic, and wipe the stains away. This bundle includes one spray bottle and three refills. It also works great for any other greasy messes you have around the house! Promising review: “The first place I tried this was in my air fryer basket. It gets caked with the grease that comes from the food. The dishwasher doesn't get it clean. I sprayed this on it, and within a few minutes, the soap started turning a brownish color. I sprayed a little more and let it sit for an hour. All of the grease came off with a rinse!! Bonus use: I just used it to get resin off of my and my daughter's hands!! How did I ever live without this??" — A D Get it from Amazon for $18.22 . 10. Or a pack of carborundum sponges if your normie sponge is failing to clear away the burnt-on bits your pans like to hold onto. Promising review: "Nice and thin. You'll find so many more uses for these around the house than just getting stuff off the underside of cookware! I had hard, scaly water deposits on the glass surrounding our powder room faucet (one of those fancy, highfalutin, modern-looking things). I've tried everything for 4 years to get this stuff off. One day, I thought, 'Maybe I'll try my sponges.' Took it all off super easily!!!! The faucet looks like new. My only rec is to spot-test your item first before using it because it will scratch certain surfaces if you scrub too aggressively (for example, it gets the burned-on, weird stuff off of the bottom of my fave Our Place pan, but I rubbed too hard in one spot and it took the color right off lol)." — Hoarder Get an eight-pack from Amazon for $7.99+ (available in two sponge thicknesses). 11. A Shark Tank -approved Souper Cubes freezer tray designed to fit a serving (1 cup) of soup or sauce per cube so you can freeze and then reheat when you need a quick meal instead of defrosting an entire big container. Souper Cubes is a family-run small business with a passion for better frozen meal prep and food waste reduction! Plus, their products are BPA-free and dishwasher-safe. This tray has fill lines on the side of the compartments for half and full cups. Promising review: "LOVE LOVE LOVE. My freezer is so much more organized now. Gone are the days of having to defrost an entire bag of chicken broth for one cup for a recipe. I now have perfectly portioned 1/2-cup and 1-cup blocks ready to go. They fit easily in freezer bags, take up less space, and make me incredibly happy. There was a lot of attention to detail put into the design, and I particularly appreciate the wire inside the rim that holds everything steady — no more worrying about spilling all the liquid on the way to the freezer. Just a fantastic product all around. I purchased this and a cheaper version from another manufacturer at the same time but returned the other product. This one is definitely worth the added cost." — Kate Get it from Amazon for $19.95 (available in four colors and a two-pack). Check out my colleague's Souper Cubes review to learn more! 12. These rust-resistant double-sided shower hooks because changing out your curtain or liner doesn't have to be such a time-consuming ordeal. Plus, they're engineered with tiny roller balls that glide over the rod without the usual tugging and pulling. Promising review: "Wow. Game changer. I have to change my shower curtain liner a lot because of a humid bathroom (yes, even with a fan on 😬). Though there are greater issues in the world, why wouldn’t you want to save yourself some time with these hooks! Not having to take the curtain off each time I change the liner has really been more satisfying than I had anticipated. Added bonus are the rings themselves; the balls that were added hug the shower curtain rod so they never pop off. Something I never knew I needed either. Love these!" — Jdbouchart Get 12 hooks from Amazon for $6.99+ (available in 12 colors). 13. An air-dry leave-in cream so you can get touchable, crunch-free curls and enjoy less frizz without getting the blow-dryer or other heat styling tools involved. It's wash and go, just like you've always dreamed. This cream helps define your natural texture and works best on those with wavy, curly, or coily hair!! Promising review: "I'm so grateful that I found this product. My hair is wavy and frizzy. Every once in a great while, my waves resemble curls, but the frizz is always there. I've only used this product once so far, and I never want to be without it. I put some on after towel-drying (no brushing) my hair, and my waves actually resembled curls! It wasn't instant, so I was skeptical, but after about 15 minutes, I caught a glimpse of my hair in the mirror, and I was amazed. It looked styled rather than a ratty mess. I slept on it, and it still looked great in the morning!!!" — mich0610 Get it from Amazon for $8.39 . 14. A beloved tub of pink cleaning paste for performing small cleaning miracles on virtually any surface in your home without endless scrubbing or constant switching between products. Try it out on those "forever" stains other solutions could never handle, and fly through your cleaning in a fraction of the time. Promising review: "Found this product on TikTok. I don’t think I’ve ever seen value like I do with this product! Literally, use it on EVERYTHING!! Kids and teens have dirt, grime, and grease on their walls? This will make it look like a new paint job. Baseboards need some love? A pea-sized amount of this makes them look brand new. Need a shoe cleaner? PERFECT for sneakers. I could name a million more uses, but I can ASSURE you this is worth every penny. What’s more? You need so LITTLE of this product that it will last a VERY long time. Thank you, TikTok! !!" — Rachel in CLT Get it from Amazon for $5.29 . 15. A genius WD-40 pen that packs all the squeak-quieting, lubricating powers of the tried-and-true formula into a precision-tip pen that's easy to use and even easier to keep on hand for quick fixes, so you don't let that squeaky door live on for far too long. Promising review: "I love WD-40 products and use them for everything. I spray on shovels to keep dirt or snow from sticking, spray around windows and thresholds to deter bugs, clean Sharpies off wood and walls, and, of course, stop squeaky doors. These small direct-point application pens are great. Keep one in the glove box, my kitchen 'junk' drawer, and the house toolbox." — BBP623 Get a three-pack from Amazon for $12.99 . 16. A pack of stain-lifting pads to take care of stains like freshly spilled wine or old pet accidents on your carpet without you even having to touch it. Simply lay down the pad, stomp, and let it sit. Promising review: "WOW! Honestly, I was a little skeptical of the promise of these pads, but I bought them just to try them out. THEY WORKED AMAZINGLY WELL! Seriously. I have some stains that are 1.5–2 years old. I've tried everything to get them out. I put these pads on the stains (two to cover the spot), let them sit for about an hour, pulled them up, and the stain was gone. I truly couldn't believe it. The pad was yellow. Somehow, the old urine was soaked up into the pad. My carpet looks like new. I couldn't recommend these any higher for what I wanted and what I got. Wish I could give this more than 5 stars. " — Matt Get a pack of 20 from Amazon for $27.48 . 17. A 40-pound bag of dust-free clumping litter because somehow you feel like all your time is spent hunched over the cat's litter box digging for gold. Make the chore quicker and easier with litter that's low tracking and quickly clumps for easy scooping. BuzzFeed Shopping editor Chelsea Stuart has this stuff on auto-ship: "I live in a third-story apartment in NYC, so I really don't have many options when it comes to cat litter. With Amazon's subscribe and save, though, I can get a 40-pound bag delivered right to my door, so I don't have to carry it back from a store or even up my own stairs! If you live in a multi-cat household, I think it's especially worthwhile because while those little two-pound bags are easy to carry, they go reallyyyy fast. This stuff also clumps up SO well and keeps odor at bay, which is a major blessing." Promising review : "I can hardly believe how well it does the job. It eliminates odors and absorbs excellently. I will only buy this litter from now on, and my cat 💘s it. P.S.: I've tried at least 10 kinds of cat litter, and they are very costly. This one's price is just right and works in every way I need it to. Thank you!" — Paula Stokes Get it from Amazon for $20.99 . 18. A Shark Tank -approved timed lock box so tempting distractions are LITERALLY inaccessible for a designated amount of time — from 1 minute up to 10 days! Pre-commitment devices like this one are a proven method for combatting decision fatigue and conserving willpower so you can fly through your to-do list and still have time for that oh-so-vital R&R. Kitchen Safe is a small business that previously appeared on Shark Tank pitching their locked timer as an effective way to handle temptations and distractions. Promising review: "This really helps to end chronic procrastination and avoid temptations. For me, I would always get distracted by my phone, but now I can finally stay on schedule and finish what I need to." — Lorenz Get it from Amazon for $59+ (available in three sizes and nine styles). 19. A nonstick microwave pasta cooker for the need-it-now noodle lover. This easy-to-use container cooks and drains so you get perfect al dente pasta every time without waiting for the water to boil or getting several dishes involved. Read our Fasta Pasta Microwave Cooker review ! Promising review: "One of those 'why didn't I think of this?' kind of things. It makes cooking pasta so easy and foolproof! No trying to bend/break pasta to get it to fit into a round pan. The instructions tell you exactly how long to microwave it for the different size proportions." — EQUUS Get it from Amazon for $16.99 . 20. A detangling kids leave-in conditioner that'll tame frizz, hydrate curls, reduce breakage, and just generally decrease the amount of time spent fussing over your kid's hair — something you'll both be grateful for. Promising review: "My daughter’s curly hair is usually filled with tangles in the morning because she tosses and turns in her sleep, but this leave-in has been an absolute lifesaver. It is lightweight, adds shine and definition to her ringlets, and best of all, it’s much easier to run a brush through her hair in the morning. This spray also has a fruity scent that my little girl loves. I highly recommend it to other moms." — AME Get it from Amazon for $9.99 . 21. A patented ChomChom pet hair remover if Fido's shedding is taking over your home and you're sick of lugging out the vacuum every three seconds. This uses bristles, not sticky tape, to catch lint meaning you can clean and reuse it over and over and over again. ChomChom Roller is a Massachusetts-based small biz creating an eco-friendly, reusable alternative to sticky lint rollers. Promising review: " TikTok made me buy this, and it is money well spent!! I’m convinced my beagle sheds a full coat of hair and regrows it daily! I use this on my bed every single day, and it blows my mind how well it works. Before this, I was going through four to five disposable sticky rollers a month and spending three times longer to remove dog hair. I am buying these for everyone in my family as Christmas gifts this year! ❤️" — tiff4short Get it from Amazon for $24.99 (available in multiple styles). 22. An upholstered armless task chair featuring a wide seat for anyone who simply cannot function without sitting like a pretzel and needs a fidget-friendly setup to help them in that the flow. Promising review: "LOVE THIS CHAIR! So comfortable I strangely look forward to sitting at my desk now." — Anonymous Get it from Wayfair for $92.99+ (available in seven colors) 23. A gel toilet cleaning stamp to keep your porcelain throne looking and smelling clean between scrub sessions with approximately zero effort. Cleansing gel releases with every flush, leaving behind a fresh scent and preventing stain buildups. Each stamp lasts for around 12 days! Promising review: "I love these 'stamps.' They keep your toilet clean and make the entire bathroom smell fantastic, clean, and deodorized at all times. They are very easy to use; don't over-complicate the instructions. I did, thinking there had to be more to it than that. You just stick it on the inside of the toilet and it will stay in place and clean the toilet each time it is flushed. I love these!" — J. D. Robinson Get six stamps from Amazon for $5.49 . 24. A windshield cover with a thermal protective layer because it'll defend your car from snow and frost before it ever has a chance to settle in and delay your commute. You'll be happy to skip the scraping, and your boss will be even happier when you actually roll in on time for once. Promising review: "I decided I wanted a windshield cover this winter for my 2012 Dodge Journey — let me just tell you — best investment ever! I live in Lincoln, Nebraska, and our winters tend to be pretty harsh. Right now, our weather is mild, but I have saved minutes of scraping in the morning when there was frost. The best thing about this product is it has elastic to go over mirrors and then flaps to go inside the car to prevent theft. It has worked fantastic. I put my windshield wipers over the material just to help it stay in place, especially when windy, and that has worked great!!" — Katherine K. Get it from Amazon for $19.95 . 25. A pair of nonstick silicone baking mats so you can say "buh-bye" to burnt-on bits that make your sheet pans impossible to clean. AND these have all the same slick, nonstick benefits of single-use parchment paper and foil but without the waste! Promising review: "I was recommended this product by a friend and all I can think is, 'Where has this been all my life?!' Nothing so far has stuck to these, and they are so easy to clean. I bought new baking sheets to go with them, and they keep them so clean!! Food still gets beautifully done but without the need to scrape the residue off your baking sheets afterward. I love this product!!!" — Charmed316 Get a pair from Amazon for $12.99+ (available in two styles). 26. A 52-sheet to-do list pad for when you're overwhelmed with all the things that need doing and just don't know where to start. Blank legal pads do not inspire, but this cutie sure does! Promising review: "I LOVE this product! I live off lists every day at work, and this keeps me super organized! I have my daily list, top three priorities, things I need to remember for the next day, and miscellaneous notes all on the same page!" — Ldsappy Get it from Amazon for $7.99+ (available in six colors/styles). 27. A handy bag holder featured on Shark Tank that'll get all your groceries from the car to the house in ONE run. It easily holds up to 80 pounds and can be carried by hand or tossed over your shoulder (it's padded) for hands-free ease. Click & Carry is a Los Angeles-based, woman-owned small biz founded by Kim Meckwood as a way to solve her own struggles lugging shopping bags around. Since then, the Click & Carry has been utilized for a range of uses, from carrying paint cans to sports equipment. Promising review: "I heard about this product from a friend and had been meaning to check it out. My only regret about this purchase is not getting it earlier! I used to dread going to the grocery store due to the hassle of struggling with all my bags and the multiple trips to and from the car. Now, those days are a thing of the past because of this ESSENTIAL product. After realizing my newfound love of this product, I did some research and found all sorts of other uses for it, such as using it to secure my purse to my shopping cart and hooking my dog leashes together to walk both dogs at the same time. I love this product and love gifting it to others as well!" — Lisa Gilroy Get it from Amazon for $13.99 (available in seven colors). 28. A wall-mounted shower hair catcher if too much of your shower time is spent working to free your fingers from a nest of loose hair. Instead of shaking it off to clog your drain or smearing it on the wall, simply run your fingers through this cat's silicone "teeth" to trap that hairball and move on. Shower Cat is the small business behind this...well..shower cat. Promising review: " This little thing has saved us so much time and effort when cleaning the shower! Just stick it up with the included adhesive, and every time you wash your hair you can just rub your finger along the silicone nubs to catch it. Holds quite a bit of hair, and has outlasted even bleaching the shower. Super simple to clean, and stood up to being sprayed directly with cleaner and rinsed out." — Gwynne Bee Get it from Amazon for $14.95 (available in white and pink). 29. A convenient waterless pet shampoo to quickly freshen up your furry friend when it's been a tad too long since their last bath. Simply spray it on, towel it off, and enjoy your dog's silky, shiny, freshly scented coat. Promising review: "This product has a somewhat strong lavender smell while applying, instructions say spray — let sit for a minute — towel off excess and brush your dog. The smell is lovely and leaves my dogs' fur feeling clean and soft. I have three large dogs and have used it three times on each dog's full body and still have half a bottle left! Will for sure order again. I have never experienced a product that works so well! " — Sarah Get it from Amazon for $13.99+ (available in three sizes and in three scents). 30. A slide-away storage bag because you're tired of feeling like every waking moment is spent picking up stray Lego blocks and other tiny (aka painful) toys. This drawstring compartment doubles as a play mat and, when your kid is done, closes in on itself to whisk away toys quicker than you can say, "Put your toys away." Promising review: "I really like this for my kid's Duplo Lego bricks, but I think it could be used for a lot more than that. I want to get one for my kid's train track. The fabric part is really large and would fit the track on it. I found the cleanup is extremely easy ; all you do is lift up the fabric and it all goes in the bin. An added bonus: My 2-year-old can dump over the bin, and it stays on the fabric part. I also would like to add that I like the fabric on the outside of the bin; it looks durable and good quality ." — KFundy Get it from Amazon for $52.99 (available in four colors). Reviews have been edited for length and/or clarity.Flying Cars Are Here: The Future is Closer Than You ThinkBoney Kapoor submits master plan for Noida Film City
Maverick McNealy closes PGA Tour season with walk-off birdie at RSM Classic
PLAINS, Ga. (AP) — Newly married and sworn as a Naval officer, Jimmy Carter left his tiny hometown in 1946 hoping to climb the ranks and see the world. Less than a decade later, the death of his father and namesake, a merchant farmer and local politician who went by “Mr. Earl,” prompted the submariner and his wife, Rosalynn, to return to the rural life of Plains, Georgia, they thought they’d escaped. The lieutenant never would be an admiral. Instead, he became commander in chief. Years after his presidency ended in humbling defeat, he would add a Nobel Peace Prize, awarded not for his White House accomplishments but “for his decades of untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development.” The life of James Earl Carter Jr., the 39th and longest-lived U.S. president, ended Sunday at the age of 100 where it began: Plains, the town of 600 that fueled his political rise, welcomed him after his fall and sustained him during 40 years of service that redefined what it means to be a former president. With the stubborn confidence of an engineer and an optimism rooted in his Baptist faith, Carter described his motivations in politics and beyond in the same way: an almost missionary zeal to solve problems and improve lives. Carter was raised amid racism, abject poverty and hard rural living — realities that shaped both his deliberate politics and emphasis on human rights. “He always felt a responsibility to help people,” said Jill Stuckey, a longtime friend of Carter's in Plains. “And when he couldn’t make change wherever he was, he decided he had to go higher.” Carter's path, a mix of happenstance and calculation , pitted moral imperatives against political pragmatism; and it defied typical labels of American politics, especially caricatures of one-term presidents as failures. “We shouldn’t judge presidents by how popular they are in their day. That's a very narrow way of assessing them," Carter biographer Jonathan Alter told the Associated Press. “We should judge them by how they changed the country and the world for the better. On that score, Jimmy Carter is not in the first rank of American presidents, but he stands up quite well.” Later in life, Carter conceded that many Americans, even those too young to remember his tenure, judged him ineffective for failing to contain inflation or interest rates, end the energy crisis or quickly bring home American hostages in Iran. He gained admirers instead for his work at The Carter Center — advocating globally for public health, human rights and democracy since 1982 — and the decades he and Rosalynn wore hardhats and swung hammers with Habitat for Humanity. Yet the common view that he was better after the Oval Office than in it annoyed Carter, and his allies relished him living long enough to see historians reassess his presidency. “He doesn’t quite fit in today’s terms” of a left-right, red-blue scoreboard, said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who visited the former president multiple times during his own White House bid. At various points in his political career, Carter labeled himself “progressive” or “conservative” — sometimes both at once. His most ambitious health care bill failed — perhaps one of his biggest legislative disappointments — because it didn’t go far enough to suit liberals. Republicans, especially after his 1980 defeat, cast him as a left-wing cartoon. It would be easiest to classify Carter as a centrist, Buttigieg said, “but there’s also something radical about the depth of his commitment to looking after those who are left out of society and out of the economy.” Indeed, Carter’s legacy is stitched with complexities, contradictions and evolutions — personal and political. The self-styled peacemaker was a war-trained Naval Academy graduate who promised Democratic challenger Ted Kennedy that he’d “kick his ass.” But he campaigned with a call to treat everyone with “respect and compassion and with love.” Carter vowed to restore America’s virtue after the shame of Vietnam and Watergate, and his technocratic, good-government approach didn't suit Republicans who tagged government itself as the problem. It also sometimes put Carter at odds with fellow Democrats. The result still was a notable legislative record, with wins on the environment, education, and mental health care. He dramatically expanded federally protected lands, began deregulating air travel, railroads and trucking, and he put human rights at the center of U.S. foreign policy. As a fiscal hawk, Carter added a relative pittance to the national debt, unlike successors from both parties. Carter nonetheless struggled to make his achievements resonate with the electorate he charmed in 1976. Quoting Bob Dylan and grinning enthusiastically, he had promised voters he would “never tell a lie.” Once in Washington, though, he led like a joyless engineer, insisting his ideas would become reality and he'd be rewarded politically if only he could convince enough people with facts and logic. This served him well at Camp David, where he brokered peace between Israel’s Menachem Begin and Epypt’s Anwar Sadat, an experience that later sparked the idea of The Carter Center in Atlanta. Carter's tenacity helped the center grow to a global force that monitored elections across five continents, enabled his freelance diplomacy and sent public health experts across the developing world. The center’s wins were personal for Carter, who hoped to outlive the last Guinea worm parasite, and nearly did. As president, though, the approach fell short when he urged consumers beleaguered by energy costs to turn down their thermostats. Or when he tried to be the nation’s cheerleader, beseeching Americans to overcome a collective “crisis of confidence.” Republican Ronald Reagan exploited Carter's lecturing tone with a belittling quip in their lone 1980 debate. “There you go again,” the former Hollywood actor said in response to a wonky answer from the sitting president. “The Great Communicator” outpaced Carter in all but six states. Carter later suggested he “tried to do too much, too soon” and mused that he was incompatible with Washington culture: media figures, lobbyists and Georgetown social elites who looked down on the Georgians and their inner circle as “country come to town.” Carter carefully navigated divides on race and class on his way to the Oval Office. Born Oct. 1, 1924 , Carter was raised in the mostly Black community of Archery, just outside Plains, by a progressive mother and white supremacist father. Their home had no running water or electricity but the future president still grew up with the relative advantages of a locally prominent, land-owning family in a system of Jim Crow segregation. He wrote of President Franklin Roosevelt’s towering presence and his family’s Democratic Party roots, but his father soured on FDR, and Jimmy Carter never campaigned or governed as a New Deal liberal. He offered himself as a small-town peanut farmer with an understated style, carrying his own luggage, bunking with supporters during his first presidential campaign and always using his nickname. And he began his political career in a whites-only Democratic Party. As private citizens, he and Rosalynn supported integration as early as the 1950s and believed it inevitable. Carter refused to join the White Citizens Council in Plains and spoke out in his Baptist church against denying Black people access to worship services. “This is not my house; this is not your house,” he said in a churchwide meeting, reminding fellow parishioners their sanctuary belonged to God. Yet as the appointed chairman of Sumter County schools he never pushed to desegregate, thinking it impractical after the Supreme Court’s 1954 Brown v. Board decision. And while presidential candidate Carter would hail the 1965 Voting Rights Act, signed by fellow Democrat Lyndon Johnson when Carter was a state senator, there is no record of Carter publicly supporting it at the time. Carter overcame a ballot-stuffing opponent to win his legislative seat, then lost the 1966 governor's race to an arch-segregationist. He won four years later by avoiding explicit mentions of race and campaigning to the right of his rival, who he mocked as “Cufflinks Carl” — the insult of an ascendant politician who never saw himself as part the establishment. Carter’s rural and small-town coalition in 1970 would match any victorious Republican electoral map in 2024. Once elected, though, Carter shocked his white conservative supporters — and landed on the cover of Time magazine — by declaring that “the time for racial discrimination is over.” Before making the jump to Washington, Carter befriended the family of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., whom he’d never sought out as he eyed the governor’s office. Carter lamented his foot-dragging on school integration as a “mistake.” But he also met, conspicuously, with Alabama's segregationist Gov. George Wallace to accept his primary rival's endorsement ahead of the 1976 Democratic convention. “He very shrewdly took advantage of his own Southerness,” said Amber Roessner, a University of Tennessee professor and expert on Carter’s campaigns. A coalition of Black voters and white moderate Democrats ultimately made Carter the last Democratic presidential nominee to sweep the Deep South. Then, just as he did in Georgia, he used his power in office to appoint more non-whites than all his predecessors had, combined. He once acknowledged “the secret shame” of white Americans who didn’t fight segregation. But he also told Alter that doing more would have sacrificed his political viability – and thus everything he accomplished in office and after. King's daughter, Bernice King, described Carter as wisely “strategic” in winning higher offices to enact change. “He was a leader of conscience,” she said in an interview. Rosalynn Carter, who died on Nov. 19 at the age of 96, was identified by both husband and wife as the “more political” of the pair; she sat in on Cabinet meetings and urged him to postpone certain priorities, like pressing the Senate to relinquish control of the Panama Canal. “Let that go until the second term,” she would sometimes say. The president, recalled her former aide Kathy Cade, retorted that he was “going to do what’s right” even if “it might cut short the time I have.” Rosalynn held firm, Cade said: “She’d remind him you have to win to govern.” Carter also was the first president to appoint multiple women as Cabinet officers. Yet by his own telling, his career sprouted from chauvinism in the Carters' early marriage: He did not consult Rosalynn when deciding to move back to Plains in 1953 or before launching his state Senate bid a decade later. Many years later, he called it “inconceivable” that he didn’t confer with the woman he described as his “full partner,” at home, in government and at The Carter Center. “We developed a partnership when we were working in the farm supply business, and it continued when Jimmy got involved in politics,” Rosalynn Carter told AP in 2021. So deep was their trust that when Carter remained tethered to the White House in 1980 as 52 Americans were held hostage in Tehran, it was Rosalynn who campaigned on her husband’s behalf. “I just loved it,” she said, despite the bitterness of defeat. Fair or not, the label of a disastrous presidency had leading Democrats keep their distance, at least publicly, for many years, but Carter managed to remain relevant, writing books and weighing in on societal challenges. He lamented widening wealth gaps and the influence of money in politics. He voted for democratic socialist Bernie Sanders over Hillary Clinton in 2016, and later declared that America had devolved from fully functioning democracy to “oligarchy.” Yet looking ahead to 2020, with Sanders running again, Carter warned Democrats not to “move to a very liberal program,” lest they help re-elect President Donald Trump. Carter scolded the Republican for his serial lies and threats to democracy, and chided the U.S. establishment for misunderstanding Trump’s populist appeal. He delighted in yearly convocations with Emory University freshmen, often asking them to guess how much he’d raised in his two general election campaigns. “Zero,” he’d gesture with a smile, explaining the public financing system candidates now avoid so they can raise billions. Carter still remained quite practical in partnering with wealthy corporations and foundations to advance Carter Center programs. Carter recognized that economic woes and the Iran crisis doomed his presidency, but offered no apologies for appointing Paul Volcker as the Federal Reserve chairman whose interest rate hikes would not curb inflation until Reagan's presidency. He was proud of getting all the hostages home without starting a shooting war, even though Tehran would not free them until Reagan's Inauguration Day. “Carter didn’t look at it” as a failure, Alter emphasized. “He said, ‘They came home safely.’ And that’s what he wanted.” Well into their 90s, the Carters greeted visitors at Plains’ Maranatha Baptist Church, where he taught Sunday School and where he will have his last funeral before being buried on family property alongside Rosalynn . Carter, who made the congregation’s collection plates in his woodworking shop, still garnered headlines there, calling for women’s rights within religious institutions, many of which, he said, “subjugate” women in church and society. Carter was not one to dwell on regrets. “I am at peace with the accomplishments, regret the unrealized goals and utilize my former political position to enhance everything we do,” he wrote around his 90th birthday. The politician who had supposedly hated Washington politics also enjoyed hosting Democratic presidential contenders as public pilgrimages to Plains became advantageous again. Carter sat with Buttigieg for the final time March 1, 2020, hours before the Indiana mayor ended his campaign and endorsed eventual winner Joe Biden. “He asked me how I thought the campaign was going,” Buttigieg said, recalling that Carter flashed his signature grin and nodded along as the young candidate, born a year after Carter left office, “put the best face” on the walloping he endured the day before in South Carolina. Never breaking his smile, the 95-year-old host fired back, “I think you ought to drop out.” “So matter of fact,” Buttigieg said with a laugh. “It was somehow encouraging.” Carter had lived enough, won plenty and lost enough to take the long view. “He talked a lot about coming from nowhere,” Buttigieg said, not just to attain the presidency but to leverage “all of the instruments you have in life” and “make the world more peaceful.” In his farewell address as president, Carter said as much to the country that had embraced and rejected him. “The struggle for human rights overrides all differences of color, nation or language,” he declared. “Those who hunger for freedom, who thirst for human dignity and who suffer for the sake of justice — they are the patriots of this cause.” Carter pledged to remain engaged with and for them as he returned “home to the South where I was born and raised,” home to Plains, where that young lieutenant had indeed become “a fellow citizen of the world.” —- Bill Barrow, based in Atlanta, has covered national politics including multiple presidential campaigns for the AP since 2012.
Jimmy Carter: A brief bio
Why ‘The Odyssey’ from Christopher Nolan is exciting
From timeouts to challenges to talking to the players, Winnipeg Blue Bombers Head Coach Mike O'Shea said there are changes he would make in those categories during the Grey Cup. But putting blame on their game plan or decisions made during the game, he said it won't happen. Questions remain for the Bombers, who lost their third straight Grey Cup Sunday. It stayed a close game against the Toronto Argonauts until the fourth quarter, when the Argos blew it open en route to a 41-24 win. "There's not anything that Toronto did that we hadn't seen. We handled it well. We limited the pressures compared to other games. I thought it was an excellent game plan. I thought the guys were really prepared, and I'm never going to question the play calling," said O'Shea. He did admit the team didn't play their best game, but feels that shouldn't lead to all the questions that are popping up around the group. "We're the same group that went on a phenomenal run after a bad start, and a bad start for a lot of reasons that we overcame. I just, I don't question any of it," the head coach said. "I look for answers too. I watched the film over and over and over again and looked to already make notes on how we're going to be better." Putting Collaros back in after injury (subhead) O'Shea was asked about Zach Collaros going back into the game after he suffered a finger laceration that required multiple stitches, numbing, and a glove to continue to play. Collaros had previously shared his internal struggle of going back in and if it would help or hinder his squad. O'Shea said once he saw Collaros throw the ball on the sidelines, he was comfortable with him going back in. "I think what's important is the information we had at the time and the decision we made at the time, right? I feel good about putting Zach Collaros, our leader, back in the game, even though I'm putting him back in a tougher situation than when he left the game," he said. "You look at what he's done for us for the last X number of years—five, six, whatever it is years, minus the COVID year – and all he's done is win for us and compete and lead. He deserves that opportunity." Coach O'Shea also touched on Brady Oliveira not getting as many touches in the game. He said run plays were being called but were being changed on the fly as Toronto's defence was showing formations to stop the run. "You call that many runs, and then a pile of them get pulled because of the structure of the defence. So, that's OK with me at that point. You got to make a decision and live it." Overall, O'Shea said the team had a really good season, and there are lessons learned that can help them next season. "I think that these are lessons we've probably gone through before, and it's just a reminder of what we learned before. And obviously, besides the Grey Cup, the season, I think what we learned was pretty damn good for us."A popular Yoruba proverb says when a rabbit gets old, it suckles on its child’s breasts, which symbolises the prevailing mindset of children as retirement plans in Nigerian society. In this piece, OLUWAKEMI ABIMBOLA explores the multigenerational adverse effects of delayed pensions. Seated under a shed at the Federal Civil Service Club, the venue of their meeting, were about two dozen retirees, who waited patiently, their weathered faces a mixture of resignation and quiet determination. The shed offered a brief respite from the morning heat but not from the burden they carried. Most of the men wore ankara fabrics, paired with caps; the women in Yoruba ‘iro and buba,’ skirt and blouse made from ankara, and others in western-style gowns added a splash of colour to an otherwise sombre gathering. A few of the younger ones, faces lightly made up, stood out as a subtle reminder that retirement does not always come with age. This was the regular bi-monthly meeting of the Concerned Federal Pensioners, a support group formed by retirees from various federal government establishments. For many, it was more than just a meeting; it was an outlet, a moment to step out of their homes and the daily challenges they face. Here, they could air their grievances, share updates, and renew faint hopes that someone, somewhere, might finally listen. A Life of waiting Among them was Amidu Iposi, a former level-seven civil servant with the Federal Ministry of Housing. Retired for nearly two decades, Iposi has spent most of his post-service years battling incomplete pension payments, a struggle that has drained him emotionally and financially. Another retiree, Aremu Musa, retired from the Survey Department of the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing in 1999, but he tells a story of short payment. Between May 2009 and 2010, he said that his pension was inexplicably short-paid, and despite numerous appeals to the relevant authorities, his efforts to recover the funds have yielded nothing. Edevor Sunday, who retired from the Ministry of Defence in 2020 after 35 years of service, was one of the younger faces in the crowd. Though he had begun receiving his pension, he claimed that his unpaid gratuity was a significant amount that could have provided him with the stability he desperately needed as he navigated life after service. Their stories echoed the same refrain: years of loyal service met with broken promises. From unpaid pensions to short payments to outright exclusion from payrolls, these pensioners symbolise a crisis that spans generations and regions. Asked how they have been coping, most of them revealed that they have been dependent on their children. Unfortunately, it was not all the time that their children were able to provide for them because of economic hardship, and for some of them, their children couldn’t be bothered. Speaking on the experience of his members, the chairman of the group, Buraimoh Kasali, noted that what most retirees use their pensions to buy are medications and food. Kasali, who urged the government to pay retirees what it owes them, noted that it was not ideal to owe pensioners who just want to have their basic needs met. Vice chairman of the group, Yele Oludimu, said that with the economic downturn, many of the association’s members have not been finding it easy to feed themselves. “Some have children who have been taking care of them; those who don’t have children who are doing well are left to their fate. They cannot buy food or their drugs,” he lamented. -Younger Nigerians take on the burden of care- Alimot Gambo has written the 2024 West African Senior School Certificate Examination and finished her secondary school education, but while she went through these milestones in her young life, her grandfather’s cry for his pension remained a constant and regular interjection in her life and that of her immediate family and anyone who would lend him an ear. Her grandfather, Abubakar Gambo, retired from Kings College in Lagos as a security man in 2006. His last salary was N35,000. Since he started receiving his pension, he has been paid N25,000, but it was recently increased to over N30,000. However, he has not been paid for months now. Gambo, who lives in the Berger/Ojodu area of Lagos, has been dependent on his two daughters, one who is a petty trader selling pure water and another who is a fashion designer. Although they try their best to provide for his needs, he still asks every one of his family members about his benefits. His daughter, Fatima Rahman, who also spoke with The PUNCH , said, “I have been doing petty trading, selling pure water, and my junior sister is the fashion designer. He’s disturbing us about his money. He said, ‘Christmas is here, and you people promised that my money would be paid by now; is it not yet time?’” However, for Alimot, our first respondent spoke about her grandpa’s unpaid benefits, his experience is not a deterrent to wanting to work with the government, but she wouldn’t want to live the same way. “He has been living with my aunt (his daughter) for years, and she’s the one sponsoring him. He has not received any money for a while now. He has just been going and coming with no results. I will be happy that whenever I start any work, it will have a pension attached, so at the end, I will also have a pension and not experience what my grandpa is going through,” she said. The PUNCH correspondent first met Nkoyo Sereke in August at the meeting of the Concerned Federal Pensioners. She had come to the meeting armed with some documents that would facilitate her dad’s monthly pension, which had not been paid since February. Speaking with her in December, Sereke said that her 83-year-old dad had still not been paid. Her dad is Enenyi Edet, a retiree from the Ministry of Finance (Treasury Department). He was employed in 1961, his appointment confirmed in 1963, and he retired in April 1978. Mr. Edet has been ill in recent times but is recovering. He currently has a part-time care giver who is paid N25,000 and a physiotherapist who comes in three times a week, with each session costing N10,000. “We employed a part-time care giver that we pay N25,000 monthly plus breakfast and lunch. When my dad was ill, we had to pay to bear the cost of fuelling the ambulance to take him from the hospital, amongst all other bills. I employed a part-time home help for N15,000 plus two meals a day. About two months ago, I was told that he fell, which is very risky for someone his age. My dad is getting better but needs to wear a high adjuster device to help reinforce his bone density in the affected area. Feeding cost is there, and the cost of running the home, e.g., power, gas, is about N70,000,” Sereke said. How much is her dad’s pension? She said, N30,000 per month. “We are looking at about N200,000, just small money. My dad has been ill. He’s getting better, but he keeps asking about his pension. I just tell him, ‘You know what? You should thank God that without the pension, you are fine.’ That he has children who can take care of him. But that pension ‘waka,’ I will not do it again apart from checking with the man (Vice Chairman of the Concerned Federal Pensioners) on the phone. I’m tired. I would spend so much to come there, and nothing comes out of it. I just chat with him once in a while whenever my dad won’t stop asking about it. “It is not the amount of the pension that he’s upset about but that he’s not getting his dues,” she lamented. On how her dad’s experience has impacted her, Sereke said, “I have never worked for the government and will never. The only time I worked for the government was during my service, and it was because I didn’t get a private sector placement. I have always worked for private organisations and had my pensions paid. Of all of us, my elder brother worked with the government, but every one of us has worked with private organisations. “Sometimes, when you are experiencing something or staying in an environment, you might be making choices that you don’t know are because of that. With what I saw with my dad, I just knew there was no way I could take that route. Even while working with private companies, I had interacted with government parastatals, apart from maybe NCDMB (Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board). Because of the kind of work that I do, every other one, you go to their offices and it is 30 years backwards. Where I worked, we had a cooperative where I served as the secretary for five years. When we go to the Ministry of Agric, we don’t see anybody in the afternoon. I know that I cannot function in that kind of place. Besides the fact that I want to make money, I also want to make an impact. I want to solve problems. Not that at 11 am, I’m leaving to do small chops business, drive Uber, or just go home and sit down. “And what about the process of getting to work for the government? I know that with my dad’s experience, I can save for my future better than the government can, and I’m not joking,” she asserted. Sereke noted that she always tries to dissuade him from focusing on his unpaid pension. “I try to encourage him not to bother about his pension, but you know that feeling about something that you have worked for and what you have been promised upfront; that’s what this is about. Not that the money would do so much,” she noted. Soji Oloyede, who retired from a subsidiary of the Bank of Industry, lamented that the ill-treatment of pensioners was rampant in the public sector and worse at state levels. “For the private sector, there is compliance in terms of remittance. An employer cannot withhold the contributions of the employee, so by the time the person is retiring, his or her contributions will be up to date at the Pension Fund Administrator. It is better in the private sector because you don’t have to go from one ministry to another, and I think with the National Pension Commission, the whole documentation process can be completed within a month,” he said. Reiterating the poor treatment of retirees by government entities, Oloyede said, “The issue of delayed payment mostly affects the public sector. My wife retired in January 2024. She worked with a federal agency, the National Bureau of Statistics. Till now, she has not collected a dime of her pension. She has done all the processing, but the funds have not been released. “The challenge is mostly on the government side, and for the state governments, it is worse. Go to some states, and you will find that retirees haven’t received anything for three years, and it is because they were not remitting the deductions to the PFAs at the right time. When the employee is retiring, they will now be talking about raising vouchers.” Oloyede, who is an annuitant, lamented that he has become part of his wife’s retirement package pending when the government pays what it owes. “I use an annuity because the monthly pension provided by the insurance company is higher than what the PFA is giving,” he said. Related News Lagos pledges support for pensioners Ogun pensioners hail Abiodun over N20,000 wage hike Pensioners slam Kwara's new minimum wage policy for excluding retirees Asked how his wife is coping, Oloyede said, “She has a husband now. Am I not her husband? Assuming I don’t have anything else I’m doing or she doesn’t have someone or something to fall back on, how do you think our lives would be? I’m a retiree; my wife is a retiree; the only thing is we have worked and have tried to keep some savings. My pension is not enough. It is not even up to one-third of my last salary.” Alternative retirement plans Chike Smart, a businessman selling cosmetics inside Tradefair along the Lagos-Badagry Motorway, told The PUNCH that relying on a pension is “old school.” Smart, who is in his late 40s, said, “I invested my money on land in South-East. That is my pension plan. With the level of uncertainty in this country, if anything happens, I can sell my land in South-East and start another business or feed off it. Every two years, the value of the land will appreciate. That is where I’m keeping my money for my retirement. “Even for my children, instead of saving money for them in the bank, I use it to buy land for them, and I don’t plan for any of them to have their university education in Nigeria. They will go overseas, study, and live there. That is my retirement plan, too, but a pension is not for me at all. Imagine waiting for a pension in this day and time. No, it’s old school.” He added that he had never worked in the formal sector, so a pension was not an option for him. A description of the micro pension scheme for the informal sector also failed to elicit any interest from him. Chinyere Okorie, 52, who sells cello tapes, post-it notes, and carrier bags at the Tradefair market, revealed that her business and her children were her retirement plans. “When I’m old and can no longer work as I used to, I will hand this business over to my children. The profit from the business and whatever my children give me will be what I will be using to do one or two things,” she said. For 24-year-old Chinenye Amadi, a sales girl, retirement is not even on her radar. She said that she has not even done much with her life, so why would she think about retirement? She also didn’t know about the contributory pension scheme or the micro pension scheme, which may be of benefit to her as a player in the informal sector. A lecturer at the Lagos State University, Dr. Olalekan Hassan, said being dependent on pensions alone in his old age was not an option for him. He added that academics were moving to the Nigerian University Pension Management Company Limited, which is the licensed pension fund administrator for the Nigerian University System, maintaining that they offer a better deal for retiring academics compared to other PFAs. He said, “I cannot depend on a pension. Anyways, academics are moving to NUPEMCO. The benefit I see from where I work is that when one or two of our professors retire, they could get a substantial amount to do something tangible. It is like the regular contributory scheme, but it is specialised. ASUU fought for it during one of these strikes. One of the arguments for it was that our people suffer when they retire because they don’t have access to funds, just the monthly payment. With the lump sum they have access to, they can do something, and the other 50 per cent can be staggered over the years.” Younger for longer According to the United Nations, Africa has the youngest population in the world, with 70 per cent of sub-Saharan Africa under the age of 30. The Worldometer on Monday, December 23, 2024, put the current population of Nigeria at 234,980,186 based on its elaboration of the latest United Nations data. Nigeria’s 2024 population was estimated at 232,679,478 people at mid-year. The median age is 17.9 years with a life expectancy of 54.6 years. Experts within the country and outside have often harped on the fact that the Nigerian population would be younger for longer and called for the empowerment of the younger generations to realise their best potential. Meanwhile, the second quarter report from PenCom showed that new registrations to the Contributory Pension Scheme (in the quarter) were 100,063, which brought the total number of Retirement Savings Account Holders to 10,381,019 as of June 2024. A breakdown by age and gender indicated that out of the 100,063 registrations, 83.05 per cent were active contributors below the age of 40 years. Of this number, 12,838, or 12.83 per cent of the new registrations, were between 40 and 49 years old. According to PenCom, this trend, repeated in previous quarters, points to the increasing sustainability of the CPS, as the younger generation is actively enlisted in the scheme. As of October 2024, RSA registrations had increased to 10,535,608. Premised on the remodelling of the micro pension scheme and adoption of technology, the Director-General of PenCom, Omolola Oloworaran, is looking at the possibility of increasing the number of RSA holders to 20 million. At the 2024 PenCom Media engagement in Lagos, Oloworaran said, “What we want to do is remodel the micro pension plan and let it speak to individuals in the informal sector directly, so whether you are a farmer, fashion designer, gatekeeper, etc., we will be meeting their needs with the products that will be coming out, and I’m sure we will be able to get more people in. In addition to rebranding, we are also looking at the technology that can work for us. The numbers we are looking at are enormous. Right now, we have over 10 million contributors under the CPS in the formal sector, but under the informal sector, we have tens of millions of people. “Based on the last numbers I saw; it was north of 70 million. If we can drive this micro pension, I expect us to go up to 20 million Nigerians getting on the scheme, and the only way we can do that is with technology. It is a lot of work we are going to do on that and working with the operators so that we can ensure that between now and next year, we have more contributors.” Pension in Sub-Saharan Africa A lecturer at the University of Nairobi, Kenya, Owen Nyang’oro, in a 2022 study for the United Nations University on pension funds in sub-Saharan Africa, found that the pension systems in SSA were characterised by low coverage and participation rates, and they, therefore, failed to guarantee a basic income to the elderly. “The contributory nature of most private pension schemes is also not favourable in SSA due to high levels of informality and low levels of income, which limit contributions, and because such schemes do not promote risk-sharing and redistribution. Pension reforms in regions such as Latin America have not been overly successful, and this offers lessons for SSA countries. The pension sector in SSA is characterised by low assets under management, investment in short-term assets (mainly government securities), low returns on investment, and restrictive regulatory frameworks. “The way out for SSA is to move towards a targeted universal pension system financed through public resources; however, the shift to such a system should be gradual so as not to lead to fiscal strain,” part of the abstract of the study read. In a piece on the study published in The Conversation Africa, it was also indicated that less than 10 per cent of the workers in sub-Saharan Africa save for old age, the lowest rate for any region in the world. This suggests that many of today’s breadwinners may struggle to afford essential items upon retirement. A 2014 report by the International Labour Organisation said that in sub-Saharan Africa, about 16.9 per cent of older persons receive an old-age pension, which would provide him or her with a certain level of income security during old age. The report said that effective coverage ratios are around 5.9 per cent of the working-age population in sub-Saharan Africa due to the high proportion of informal employment in sub-Saharan Africa. As a result, only 8.4 per cent of the labour force contributes to pension insurance and earns rights to a contributory pension. Thus, leaving a significant portion of the population outside of the formal pension scheme. Regulators take The DG of PenCom also revealed that efforts were being made in collaboration with the Ministry of Finance to ensure prompt payment of retirees. “We are working on an initiative with the Ministry of Finance, and before the end of the year, that should come to fruition. The first set of people that should be getting paid at all in government should be contributors under the CPS because they have contributed. For me, it is a lasting solution. We are working with the government to ensure that once you are retired, within a month, you should get your benefits, and I’m optimistic that we should be able to achieve it,” she said. Also speaking at the media engagement, the Head of Benefits and Insurance Department at PenCom, Obiora Ibeziako, shed light on some of the challenges faced by retirees in terms of how much they get monthly. “The government was expected to have paid the lump sum at the start of the new pension regime, and if the government hasn’t paid, it means that the person has lost that income for 20 years.” Now, if you check your RSA statement, the income at retirement or even presently, for those who have worked for 15 years and above, the income recorded by the PFAs is about 40 to 45 per cent of our RSA balance. This is just to explain the magnitude of income that the person has lost because their employers weren’t remitting pension contributions when due. So, when these people retire, their RSA balance is very low; it cannot give them a good monthly pension and cannot give them a good lump sum,” he asserted. While there is a need to bring in more of the working population into the pension scheme, calls have been made, seeking a better deal for those in it. Echoing this call, a retiree, Oloyede, maintained that the pension is often not enough for pensioners and that they deserve a better deal than they are getting. “The truth of the matter is the pension cannot take care of the pensioner. The old people are still part and parcel of society. They have contributed even to the development of the country when they were young, so automatically, whether it is the public or private sector, they should be thinking that the elderly are also part of society and act accordingly. He said, “This is something that the media should be pushing because it is going to affect everyone eventually. In most of the developed countries, the elderly are not worrying about what to eat or drink because there is provision for them. Some of them even dispose of their property or will it to charity, and they are living. One day, I pray that our society will get to that stage where the leadership will be able to think holistically and those at the lower level of government will begin to think positively about citizens’ welfare. Life for the pensioner is not very easy, and it is worse in the public sector,” he affirmed.
