During this time of economic recovery, many young Canadians are seeking to improve their chances at developing meaningful careers by opting to invest in higher education. But with federal funding of colleges and universities having been slashed almost continuously since the early 80s, students are expected to make up this shortfall by paying unreasonable tuition […]

There comes a time for all of us when we need help with our computers. When that happens, though, how do we find someone decent? One of the problems my profession suffers from is a lack of credentialing. All I need to do to become a “Computer Tech” is to start calling myself one. At the same time, the average user finds...

In his contribution to the debate on the rights and wrongs of violent resistance to oppression, David Bromwich tells us that non-violent action is supposed to be “visible and exemplary.” In the case of Palestine, this chimes with the dominant Western narrative that the Palestinians would have achieved liberation long ago if only they had avoided mindless […]

 Do we as a community have the right to know if there is a dangerous or violent offender in our midst? I would like to believe that most of us would respond with a resounding yes. Yet, what if that same offender was a youth? Aaahh… now the answer is not so easy, is it? […]

Getting back to the free software series, let’s take a look at Open Office (www.openoffice.org). Called OOo for OpenOffice.org, Open Office is a full-featured office suite with a word processor, spreadsheet package, presentation software and a database. To get all of those applications in a version of Microsoft Office, you would have to look at […]

Dear Editor, I would like to clarify for your readers the facts regarding statements that Mr. Alex Atamenenko made is his opinion piece on June 9. It is important for Canadians to understand that the Budget bill will not change the fundamentals of environmental assessment. These changes are about process in order to remove ...

 Bored in Castlegar is pleased to announce the launch of its new website www.boredincastlegar.com. Designed for youth with input from youth, the website stems from a Community Capacity Building Strategy supported by the BC Healthy Living Alliance (BCHLA) and the Canadian Cancer Society. As part of the initiative, through a ...

  B.C. Southern Interior MP, Alex Atamanenko is extremely disappointed that the Conservative budget bill C-9 was adopted in the House of Commons on June 8th. “This bill paves the way for the privatization of Canada Post and authorizes the sale of the Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. with no debate or public scrutiny.  It […]

Wow! What a pleasant surprise. There, as CTV Vancouver’s local news top story tonight (Tuesday), was a hidden-camera investigation into B.C.’s program to prevent voluntarily self-restricted problem gamblers from entering casinos.  The system failed … repeatedly … as a supposedly “listed” problem gambler entered three Vancouver-area casinos, gambled, and cashed in his proceeds without a single security […]

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 […]