TECH TALK: Facebook not all fun and games - know the risks
I’m going to stray, this week, from my “free software” series to talk about Facebook. It’s great to stay in touch with old friends, and there are some really entertaining games … but Facebook has its dark side, too. Two issues have put the Facebook in the news lately. The first is privacy. There has […]
HE SAID: Sex education a serious matter
As parents, we may not be willing to believe that our babies are having sex, but they are. Whether we accept this fact or not, the hard reality is this: Teenagers are going to have sex! And for many of them it will be sooner than later, this is why sex education in the schools […]
SHE SAID: The dreaded sex talk
There comes a time for every parent when they realize they’ll soon need to have “the talk” with their child (ren). I don’t know what made me think I was exempt, except maybe that I blocked the idea to avoid the sheer horror of it – they say your mind can just delete certain memories, […]
TECH TALK: Free stuff - not always too good to be true
We’ve all heard the saying, “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.” Usually that is excellent advice, but there are a few exceptions. Over the next few weeks, I’m going to look at some of these exceptions within the world of computers. Before I get into specific examples, there are a […]
LETTER: Health cuts neither humane nor cost-effective
Ed. Note: The following was copied to The Source for publication as a letter to the editor: Dr. Robert Halpenny, CEOInterior Health Authority220-1815 Kirschner RoadKelowna BC V1Y 4N7 Dear Dr. Halpenny, I was dismayed to learn that the IHA has decided to cut the Social Work positions that offer direct support and care to people and […]
DOBBIN: The Canadian ‘good banks’ myth
The sorry spectacle of Conservative cabinet ministers flying around the world defending banks from a tax to cover their next, inevitable, meltdown is bad enough. What is perhaps worse is that it is being largely justified by the perpetuation of the myth that Canada did not have to bail out its banks.Wrong.We are, according ...
ATAMANENKO: Pension reform and retirement security--two visions
In March, the government released a discussion paper intended as background for its Canada-wide public consultation on pension reform and Canada’s Retirement Income System. If you haven’t heard about it, it’s not surprising. It involved only three town-hall meetings, three by-invitation expert roundtables, and a voluntary on-line component. You could also write in. Their plan […]
OP/ED: Heroes and villians in the face of an environmental disaster
The oil spill that now jeopardizes the entire ecosystem of the Gulf of Mexico, and potentially beyond, is a chilling reminder that all is not well with our planet. And what’s actually worse: the amount of oil gushing from the seemingly impossible-to-stop deep-sea oil well or the complacent attitude taken toward the spill by...
MP joins condemnation of Canada Post decision
Canada-wide changes proposed by Canada Post that will see local mail rerouted from rural communities to sorting centres in cities have drawn the ire of local NDP Member of Parliament Alex Atamanenko (BC Southern Interior). “This completely defies all logic,” said Atamanenko. “In this riding, the result will be that some letters will travel over […]
HE SAID: Climate change bill catastrophic
Leave it to the NDP to introduce a Private Members Bill that I believe will not only be devastating to the Canadian economy but also one that is seemingly based on inconclusive science. Bill C-311 requires the Canadian federal government to set regulations to attain a midterm target to bring green house gas emissions 25 […]
