After hearing the perspectives of many of the key players in the latest round of nastiness inspired by School District 20’s (SD 20’s) Planning for the Future document, I can only conclude that the well-being of the entire region is at stake, and in more far-reaching issues than education alone. The angry rhetoric being wantonly […]

Oh, sometimes there is nothing better and more Rossland-ish than sitting out on the sidewalk in front of the Sunshine Cafe, enjoying a nice sandwich and a cool drink, chatting with friends and passersby, meeting some convivial dogs - all accompanied by the idyllic soundtrack of DT Chambers and other assorted semis trundling...

Food Banks Canada released its HungerCount 2010 survey in November. The report paints a grim picture of poverty in Canada and the continued growth in the need for services like food banks and other charitable food providers in our communities.  This snapshot from thousands of hungry Canadians and from hundreds of food banks across the […]

It seems like such a simple right: I’m sitting here writing my blog, or you’re sitting there reading it …neither of us fearing that the state Police will break down our doors, throw handcuffs on us, scare the hell out of our families, seize our computers and cart us away to be imprisoned … maybe even beaten. […]

 A common theme heard over and over again whenever conversations shift towards taxes, services and growth or recession in Rossland is the idea that we must either raise taxes or cut services. Depending on which side of the fence you're on, the result of either is likely pay more to maintain the quality of life we enjoy or see...

Last May, the OECD put out figures comparing infant mortality rates in countries around the world. Perhaps the biggest story of all the figures were those attributed to Canada. This country has always boasted of its social stats — life expectancy, infant mortality, university graduates, and other measures of our success as a nation.   But not […]

I love stuff that is epic.  Epic music, epic stories, epic events, epic vistas - epic anything. The more epic the better. Except the Aeneid and anything by Dickens, that is. And that terrible Oliver Stone movie about Alexander the Great. But other than that, bring on the epic. I love the Kootenays because there is tons of...

“Like sand through the hourglass, so too are the shaves of our lives.”-Fabrizzio Mioggia, world renowned moustachier   Mo’vember 2010 has officially drawn to a close, the only remaining formalities a handful of gala parties in big bergs and metropolae where well connected Bay Street movers and shakers will handshake and...

 This episode of Faultlines on the Real News Network explores how Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper is working to conflate the concepts of ‘anti-Israel as an apartheid state’ and ‘anti-semitism’ so that anyone critical of Israel will be considered anti-semitic. Essential viewing for anyone who cares about reason, democracy, and human rights.

As an adult, I think I’ve always had a bit of a love/hate relationship with Christmas. Don’t get me wrong – I love the festive lights, the excitement of seeing my children enjoy the holidays, get-togethers and all the cooking…but I  really, really hate the commercialization, obligation and fake sentiment that also seems to have come to accompany the entire season. […]