In Part I of this column, I attempted to present over whelming evidence that human activities are affecting global climate.  The intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is composed of over 2,000 atmospheric scientists from every major country.  In 2001, the IPCC stated unequivocally that human activities are having...

AN OPEN LETTER TO THE PEOPLE OF CASTLEGAR, MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL This is a call for calm. And a call for respect.  Your city workers are on a legal strike – for the first time in 60 years. That’s a long relationship and one that needs to be protected and respected. Much has been said during this dispute and while most of the...

I’d like to thank the residents of Castlegar for your patience and understanding during the labour strike by our unionized CUPE city employees. We are now in snow season and our management staff are working around the clock to keep the roads clear and safe. We appreciate that residents and businesses are helping to keep...

Nov 25., 2014 Dear Mayor Chernoff and Council, This Open Letter proposes a human-to-human way to break the labour dispute impasse that -- to put it mildly -- is negatively affecting all our citizens in a number of ways, and not just in practical terms. How about all councillors get together with all of the City's striking...

The common cold is usually an acute (short-term) viral infection of the upper respiratory tract.  It usually starts with a runny nose, sore throat and a feeling of low energy or weakness.  It may or may not have an accompanying cough that is usually dry or irritating.            Over the next 5 weeks we often over-eat many ...

I believe that true faith, no matter the stripe, is the most beautiful, miraculous thing a person can be given. And I believe it comes through questioning and soul-searching and observation. I believe that the ugliest thing ever visited upon humanity is blind faith. No questioning, no use of our God-given gift of discernment,...

RE: Radon awareness and the risk to your health.    Cigarettes, second-hand smoke, asbestos, and pollution are all well-known cancer causing agents.               However, many people do not know that radon is actually the first leading cause of lung cancer in non-smokers and the second leading cause in smokers.    With November being Radon […]

The following is a press release issued by CUPE local 2262: We all love Winterfest and your Castlegar city workers know that it's an important annual community event. Unfortunately, the unresolved labour dispute with the City of Castlegar would put the usual ceremony behind a legal picket line. Given this, CUPE Local 2262 is...

This year I was at the Nelson cenotaph for my tenth consecutive appearance with a placard promoting peace and questioning government war policies; I was physically threatened. I have been doing this for 10 years, since 2005, when our Afghan Mission got bloodier. This was the first time someone tried to grab hold of my sign,...

  “Sometimes the light’s just shinin’ on me, Other times I can barely see.”                  -- Grateful Dead, Truckin’    The Greatness of Historical Leaders: Men and their Moments.   Have you ever wondered at the sheer good luck some of the so-called “Great Men of History” have enjoyed? Have you noticed how sometimes the ...