“Don’t let another day go by, without the magic touch, embracing you, revealing you…  Change your mind.” – Neil Young. Change your Mind. It has become, almost without my noticing it, basic to my understanding of existence that matter and spirit are antitheses. They are “at war”. The Austrian oracle/ clairvoyant/ mystic, Rudolf...

One of the many things that Hugo Chavez, the charismatic and revolutionary president of Venezuela, contributed to the world was his demonstration for people everywhere the difference between democracy and liberal democracy. Chavez’s hyperbolic style, his tweaking the tail of the Imperial tiger and his willingness to be just...

In my last column we examined the referendum and its role in a democratic local government. When talking about referendum we cannot afford to ignore the importance of the rules that govern the referendum’s application. As with elections, the rules determine the efficacy of the referendum. Efficacy for the purpose of this...

Local NDP MP Alex Atamanenko says that, with the exception of a small business tax credit, the Conservative budget falls short of delivering results for people here in rural B.C. “The government promised to focus on jobs but has not introduced any new measures to create meaningful employment. It is good that skills training is […]

March 22nd is World Water Day – established by the UN as a day to contemplate the importance of access to water for life on earth. On World Water Day nearly 2000 children around the world will die from diarrhoea caused by unsafe water and poor sanitation – just like every other day of the year. It is almost impossible to...

I complained last column about a lack of comments left after my online columns, and behold, I got a critical response on March 11. I have to give this person my full attention. (I also got a comment of support from an acquaintance, but I will make my critic the point of departure for this column.) The critic’s main remark is...

By: Rob McLister, Canada Mortgage Trends On Friday, Manulife Bank posted its lowest rate ever on a 5-year fixed mortgage, 2.89%. It lasted for four days. When our big brothers at the Department of Finance (DoF) caught wind of it, they dialed up Manulife and swayed the bank into raising its rate back to 3.09%. “We don’t want...

In my personal affairs these days there's been a real Spring climax of amazing new life. With luck, six of my eight does will have kids in a month or two. (The owner of the buck I borrowed this winter assured me of Bradley's vital mojo, but we'll see!) The chickens are laying again after a winter molt, the baby bunnies have...

The whole issue of the housing bubble, its extent and whether there will be a soft landing as predicted by many wishful thinkers has resulted in many interesting headlines in recent weeks – including some high on the delusional scale. One suggested that house prices are a mere 20% overvalued (if you believe that, I have a...

At a time when public confidence in government is at historical lows, the B.C. government should follow Ontario's lead and have the expense claims of senior government employees reviewed by an independent office to ensure they meet both the government's guidelines and the public's smell test, according to IntegrityBC. IntegrityBC...