Experiment: take human brain, add consciousness, stir “We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience.” — Pierre Teilhard de Chardin This column is a far stretch from my columns on history or culture, I admit. Be forewarned, I’m playing with ideas, not establishing facts, about consciousness […]

Would you believe me if I told you that the positioning of a stop sign at an intersection has nothing to do with where you must stop? Yes, the sign tells you that you must stop, but the markings on the roadway, or lack of them, tell you where the stop has to take place. […]

Last week I had the honour to cut the ribbon at the opening of The Confluence Castlegar. It is so exciting that this Passive House certified, Mass Timber building, which will operate with 85% reduced emissions is now open for events, office space, and welcoming visitors from around the world!! Thank you to Tammy Verigin-Burk who made […]

This summer, five climate activists in the U.K. were sentenced to four and five years in jail for taking part in nonviolent actions. Their sentences are considerably longer than those recently handed down to people convicted of participating in violent racism-fuelled riots in the U.K., which were on average two years, with some escaping jail […]

Two years ago I wrote about my experience that a significant part of the safety problem in a school zone was caused by teachers and parents themselves. Their driving behaviour as they showed up to work or dropped off their children sometimes left a lot to be desired. Did they not realize that they were […]

The tree fruit industry is an iconic part of the economy in the southern Interior of BC, particularly in the Okanagan Valley.  Bowls of sweet black cherries, juicy fresh peaches and bright red apples have always brought visitors and a good way of life to the region.  But it has never been easy for the […]

The lives of the people in Jasper, a mountain town beloved by Canadians, a place so many of us have spent time in, have been devastated because of a fast-spreading wildfire. Our hearts go out to the people of Jasper and all of the communities and Indigenous Nations facing evacuation, the loss of their homes, […]

[Editor’s Note: The article below focuses on the federal carbon pricing system; please be aware that in BC, the Province runs its own carbon pricing system, but the carbon price for each is the same, and both the federal and the BC systems have rebates – paid quarterly – to benefit low-income and medium-income households. […]

“History will be kind to me for I intend to write it.” — Winston Churchill, historian, maker of historic events “People are trapped in history and history is trapped in them.” — James Baldwin Our minds and our living: thoughts that shape our characters The two epigraphs above frame the entire focus of my Arc […]

By Jesse Zeman  How many more Jaspers, how many more Lyttons, before we wake up? I am living with my family in a rental home provided by my insurance company after a fire swept through West Kelowna, destroying my home and property. It will take years to recover, and the damage may never be completely […]