QUNFUZ: Things that happened while I was there
Editor's note: the following is a list of things that took place during the author's trip to Palestine a couple of weeks ago.A large demonstration was held in central Nablus calling for the release of the thousands of prisoners held in the Israeli gulag.Israeli forces shelled Gaza.The Palestinian Authority arrested 53 men in...
TECH TALK: You think you've got a virus, so now what?
So you've looked at some of the warning signs I talked about last week and now you're pretty sure you have a virus. Now what? The most important message I want to get across is that you have to DO SOMETHING. I frequently get told, "I don't have any data to protect, so I'm not worried." This is a terrible misconception for...
Snowy predictions and other fun for $2.99 a minute
Once upon a time our ancestors split one another open with roughly shaped stone hatchets in the interests of divining insights into future events. Given our closer ties and more intimate connections to our physical environment back in the olden days, I’m of the mind that a fair bit of the sought after information revealed...
From Mountain Kingdom to Cowtown: reflections on a visit to THE BIG CITY
A couple of weeks ago, a friend of mine I met through blogging hosted a bloggers' retreat weekend at her home in Calgary. I was so excited to participate that I booked an overnight trip on the Greyhound to get there, and another overnight trip to get back. The total cost for a round-trip on the Greyhound to Calgary, if you ...
BC Liberals inked 'hidden toll' into Sea-to-Sky deal--and we'll all be paying for the next 25 years
For years, I have often wondered why, in such ’tough economic times’, the very expensive Sea to Sky highway was not tolled. I’ve called for it, many of you have called for it, and last year, even Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson called for it as an avenue for revenue to solve Translinks money woes. What […]
Atamanenko: CRTC
New Democrats are asking tough questions about foreign ownership in light of the revelation that the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) has no research on the impact of foreign ownership in Canada’s broadcast and telecom industries. Speaking to the issue in late July, New Democrat Culture Critic Charlie Angus said the Harper government’s decision […]
It's back! - First tracks of the season claimed on Mt. Crowe
The ski season unofficially kicked off this past weekend with a bang, literally. At 4:20pm on Sunday afternoon a window pane rattling thunderclap shook Rossland before dumping several hours of heavy hail on the Golden City. Starting Saturday afternoon however the snowline has dropped significantly in the Rossland Range....
The Potash contradiction: Cracks in neo-liberal ideology?
I have argued that ideology makes you stupid and if you have power it makes you dangerous. One of the best examples is the idiocy of more and more tax cuts with the supposed goal of making Canadian business internationally “competitive.” First, tax rates regularly come about sixth or seventh down the list of factors that […]
Improved criminal records checks will not lead to better outcomes for children in care
The BC Ministry of Children and Family Development has announced that it will require more frequent criminal records checks for foster parents and caregivers of children in care – every three years instead of every five. The ministry will have access to databases from police, the courts and corrections. “BC’s programs for children at risk […]
All Hallow's Eve Ill
I grew up in a suburb that was minted in the late 1970s. Greentree Village (still standing) is a collection of town-homes, “garden apartments,” and a few cul-de-sacs of single- family detached homes in Central Burnaby. My folks still live in the house I grew up in. The whole village comprises a little over three hundred homes...