"Humans have never dealt with nature’s complexity…"
Allan Savory, on learning together: “We have learning sites, where the boundaries are soft psychologically. We’re all learning together because we don’t have answers. We just have a way forward…
Norman Farrell
Suspended coffees
From the forum at Urban Diner, a Vancouver-based online magazine for food and restaurant lovers around British Columbia. By Publisher Paul Kamon: “We enter a little coffeehouse with a friend…
BC Auditor General site down Mar 29-30
Since the website of the British Columbia Auditor General is inaccessible early morning March 30, and was down late March 29, I provide this access to recent reports from the…
Pacific Carbon Trust officials must resign
Finance Minister Mike de Jong must demand resignations of the senior executives and directors of Pacific Carbon Trust. They are officials of a publicly owned enterprise but instead dedicated their…
"Planning is not an option or a luxury"
A release from the Representative for Children and Youth, March 26, 2013 The audit found scattered and ineffective documentation of planning for these vulnerable children and youth, as well as…
Income disparity grows
Incomes of bottom 90 percent grew $59 in 40 years, Natasha Lennard, Salon.com “Pulitzer Prize-winner David Cay Johnston has highlighted yet more statistics that illuminate the spike in income inequality…
Torstar’s 20% of Black Press valued at zero
David Schreck of Strategic Thoughts provides worthwhile analysis of David Black’s Kitimat Clean proposal. If you think the refinery proposal is anything more than politically convenient fantasy aimed at boosting…
Liberal sees no evil, hears no evil
Party-boy McDonald BC Liberals selected Bruce McDonald as their candidate in Delta South, the riding held by independent Vicki Huntington. The incumbent MLA says her opponent is “an adamant and…
Feeding frenzy has begun
When a kid, I lived with a marvellous black Lab. A good-natured, well-behaved mutt, he discovered roast chicken unsupervised on the stove top one day. With no one around, temptation…
Furlong should step aside from publicly funded group
Despite numerous sworn affidavits accusing John Furlong of inappropriate conduct, despite what the Toronto Star calls “explosive new allegations“, despite indications that Furlong has been incomplete or disingenuous in recounting…
The smartest guys in the room got it wrong
The Guardian’s George Monbiot writes that, after each gained an average of $2.4 billion in 2012, the richest 100 people now hold wealth near equivalent to the United Kingdom’s GDP.…
They held World War II in 6 years and a day
In 2001, the BC Liberal platform promised to improve administration of justice in the province through “determined leadership.” In 2005, Premier Gordon Campbell told the Canadian Bar Association, “Improving access…
Good news
People using the Internet are familiar with scam, spam and phishing. For me, it seems to have accelerated in the last 2 weeks. Apparently, I’m a rich, respected person, even…
Citizens, wake up please
I mentioned in a comment on another article that I’ve heard reports from people doing business with the province who say they are required to kick-back part of what they…
Oppal inquiry: costly and unaccountable
To June 2012, Britain’s Leveson Inquiry into the culture, practices and ethics of the press had cost $6.2 million CAN. In a commission British citizens thought was a never-ending one,…
Message to Christy Clark
Anita Roddick, businesswoman, activist and founder of The Body Shop, said that when leaders are not ethically sound, innovation coming from them, “Is only innovation on puffery.” Puffery, for people…
Enbridge: into the truth machine
In an extended campaign, advertising promoting the Enbridge pipeline has become incessant noise. One problem with this particular ballyhoo is that its words are not believable. Listeners don’t need sophisticated…
After million spent on advertising
Today’s report from Statistics Canada: “In British Columbia, employment was little changed in December and the unemployment rate declined 0.3 percentage points to 6.5%. Compared with 12 months earlier, employment…
Hard for First Nations to get out the real story
Jon McComb, doing the morning show on CKNW today, had this to say about Attawapiskat: “The housing crisis that has plagued her remote reserve of about 1,900 people has been…
Bloggers can change the political landscape
Reader G. Barry Stewart said this today in comments on ‘A road to inevitable unrest’: “I had a thought today. (Pretty amazing, huh?) “As a New Year’s resolution, I am…