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Opinion
PARKER: Pinning the tail on panic
This week, I heard a saying that inspired great thought. It went something like, “If it sounds like a gallop, it’s probably a horse — not a zebra.” I’ve been repeating it daily — not as a mantra, but as a reminder — because I like to panic about the little things, and I often...
BROTHEN: Waiting for facts is hard, but probably best
We demand answers when we see the damage at Mount Polley but inevitably those answers take longer than we like as they test and measure and study. And while we wait to understand the full scope of the carnage created when the tailings pond at the mine near Likely, B.C. failed, flooding forests and rivers...
HELSTON: A rail trail might be easier than we thought
While the scenic, lakeside railway between Vernon and Kelowna rolls closer to being put on the market, the fact remains there’s not much prospective buyers could do with the property. The land, which carves its way through several Okanagan communities past lakes and parks, comes with a few strings attached. The City of Kelowna has...
ARCHER: This one goes out to all the young people
Looking around the city council table, there are a lot of, how do I put this gently, wise faces, especially now that the youngest member, Wes Hopkin left for law school in Toronto. The 25-year-old councillor, who 22 when elected, brought a youthful spirit and fresh outlook to city governance. At his last council meeting...
GOG: In line with everyone else at ‘Timmy’s’
I am not a religious man. But I will admit, I am drawn by curiosity to those holy places where congregations gather for a daily ritual of feasting and communion. I’m talking of course, about Tim Horton’s. The last time I bought a cup of coffee was on a cold January morning in 1972. It...
LOEWEN: Resisting the culture of death
Shortly before the close of the nineteenth century, Cecil Rhodes was able in four succinct sentences to sum up the imperialist mindset common to many of Great Britain’s industrialists and wealthy, political elites. His belief in the supremacy of the white Anglo Saxon man was not unusual for his time -- after all, Great Britain...
PARKER: Standing alone with a stake for reality
My alter ego’s name is Sarah Hunter and she has huge knockers and blonde hair, but she’s not a bimbo. She currently lives in Alabama, on the run from her ex-husband who also happens to be a werewolf, but she doesn’t know this yet. All Sarah knows is that the county sheriff is a babe...
HELSTON: Confronting history in a non-threatening way
The Splatsin First Nation in Enderby is welcoming one and all to take a journey through time and memory in the stories of its people. From ancient legends to contemporary tales, the stories in an upcoming community play, Tuwitames, tell of Splatsin values, traditions and defining moments in their history. Historian and co-author of the script,...
GOG: A modest proposal for overage drivers
There is a sub-class among us, the members of which have been labelled so that the rest of us may identify and avoid them. They are, of course, the New Drivers, forced to display a prominent “N” and subject to rules and restrictions which don’t apply to anyone else. And which they happily ignore. Well,...
PARKER: Forget the Full Monty—are you up for The Full Ninety?
Listen up — there’s a new cleanse in town and it has nothing to do with juice. Immediately I know you’re intrigued. How do I know this? Because cleansing is like New Years Eve, whenever you want. It’s like being born again. It’s like a blank slate — and we’re all so messed up these...
JONESIE: What you can learn by pushing past barriers
I parked on a cul-de-sac, and had a look around. Sirens in the background, dark plumes of smoke overhead, the smell of fire in my nose. I figured I was past the police barrier, now on First Nations land, and was uncertain about my possibilities. I waved at someone not far away and soon I...