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Opinion General

HELSTON: You’re never planning on getting into trouble on the water

When you’re packing up for a day on the water, toss in a floatation device along with your suntan lotion, snacks and iPhone. It might save your life, or someone else’s. I’ll be the first to admit that packing safety gear can feel like a big nuisance. It’s certainly not as fun as loading a...

PROSKIW: What’s a dog owner to do?

PROSKIW: There’s been a lot of discussion about dogs being left in vehicles lately, and as a dog owner for the last 14 years I understand the frustration being felt right now. Bringing your dog with you in a car now means getting almost nothing else done. I don’t even want to leave my vehicle...

GOG: Exactly how ridiculous you look with that weird beard

Male grooming fascinates me. Well now, that didn’t sound quite right, did it? What I mean is, I am perpetually astonished by the fact that grown men go to such absurd lengths to make themselves look… well, absurd. Take the current obsession with facial hair. Everywhere you turn, otherwise sensible adult males have sprouted ludicrous...

LOEWEN: Okanagan Uber Alles?

Politically-speaking, the Okanagan Valley is one of the “safest” ultra-conservative regions in Canada. Enlist as a political candidate a dog with a Conservative Party of Canada or a B.C. Liberal sign around its neck, and the pooch will be invariably barking happily towards the backbenches of the nearest parliament or legislature come election time. Even...

PARKER: Rolling up her sleeves for the millennial generation

PREPARING FOR BATTLE AGAINST GENERATION Z When was the last time you put in a hard day’s work? Like, I don’t mean you busted your ass at CrossFit and did 57 kettlebell swings. I mean, when was the last time you put in a hard day’s work for someone else? Millennials seem to have a...

STAHN: Tax payers should find another way

The City of Kamloops spent $45,000 this year on a temporary tax office just to help residents who insist on paying their tax bills in person avoid the construction taking place outside of City Hall.  Does that make sense in 2014? Only 2,600 people used the temporary office at McArthur Island working out to a cost...

HELSTON: When council calls the shots on local sports

Local government has had its mitts all over three newcomer sports over the past year: longboarding, pickleball and mixed martial arts. The sports have virtually nothing in common except for the fact they are relatively new, emerging activities that are gathering fierce followings and lots of reaction from local politicians. But what is the government’s...

ARCHER: Appreciate local history before it’s lost

There’s an old adage that says “You never know what you had until it’s gone.” Yes, it’s a bit tacky to use cliches but it may be worth taking a closer look at the people and places in your life and recognize them before they go up in smoke. Earlier this week, Keremeos lost one...

GOG: Well ain’t life just some beach

Last weekend I made a ghastly mistake, one that will affect my life forever. I went to the beach.  I should have known better, but it was stiflingly hot at home and I thought an afternoon at the beach would be one of pleasure and relaxation. My mistake began to become apparent when I tried to...

LOEWEN: Youth and that contrived conviviality called “Fun”

“Fun.” Is there possibly a more risible and contemptible three-letter noun in the contemporary lexicon? Fun: it’s everywhere these days. It’s there on the margins of whatever screen you happen to stare into. It’s calling you over the airwaves of whatever radio station you’re currently dialed into. And television, of course, is awash in Fun,...

PARKER: No more justifying the junk drawer

I met a woman once who told me every time she found a box in her home that hadn’t been opened in two years, she would throw it away without looking inside of it. The idea of this propelled me into a panic attack faster than discovering a new imaginary body part. What if it...

JONESIE: When it comes to fire, how do you fix stupid?

Oh, what I wanted to do to this guy. Waiting at a light in traffic, I watched him, waited to see if he’d do it and he didn’t disappoint. Smoke billowing out the windows of his SUV, he took one last drag of his cigarillo and casually dropped it, still smoking to the street. It...