‘Liminal space” is not a phrase we talk about every day, but is something I have thought about recently. The word liminal comes from the Latin word “limen,” meaning threshold. A liminal space is a time between the “what was” and the “next.”
Earlier this month, Canadian economist David Card received a Nobel Prize for an essay he wrote in 1994, examining how minimum wage, immigration, and education affect the labour market.
Do you remember the good old days, when a prank phone call was the worst thing, you could do with a phone? Recently revived and made famous by Bart Simpson.
I fear the United States is moving rather quickly down the road to becoming a non-democratic nation. One of the two main political parties appears to no longer believe in or support the democratic institutions that the U.S. has lived under since the Constitution took effect in 1789.
I was in my second year at university when, in October 1957, the Soviet Union became the first nation to put a satellite in orbit. That was the first step in an amazing saga of firsts that not only led to humans landing on the moon, but also enabled communications around the world using sate…
Now that the two Michaels are back in Canada, it’s time for Canada to carefully reconsider our relationship with China.
Having spent over $600 million on an unnecessary election, we now need to hope that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will attend to the outstanding issues that remain critical to administering the government of the nation successfully.
My last report as a Member of Parliament was on Aug. 11. While that was just six weeks ago, it is remarkable what has happened in that time.
The right-wing People’s Party of Canada almost quadrupled its votes in the two Kelowna-area ridings on Monday.
Back in 2015, then provincial Environment Minister Mary Polack was looking for additional financial resources for several programs she wanted to initiate. Budget resources under the BC Liberals were tight, so she proposed that, since one of the responsibilities of her department was water re…
These evenings, the Big Dipper is lurking low in the northern sky. The two stars opposite the handle, named Dubhe and Merak, are known as the “pointers”, because they point to the North Star, which is also known as the Pole Star.
As publisher of a cannabis website and magazine, I’m personally interested — and invested — in Okanagan cannabis.
It’s summertime in British Columbia. The scene is becoming all too familiar. The sticky smell of smoke from wildfires hangs in the air and a grey haze hangs over communities with a red, glowing sun breaking through. The news is filled with fire stories and the devastating short- and long-ter…
Housing is a critical issue in the current election. Two factors in particular have highlighted this issue. First, the escalating prices of housing, particularly single-family detached residences. Secondly, the limited supply of lower-cost housing such as rowhouses and affordable rental properties.
The hardest critic in our lives is that relentless, accusing inner voice, one that can hinder our purpose.
Jim Taylor, who usually occupies this
Fire, of any kind, is a tremendous force we often use to our advantage. Obviously, forest fires may help to rekindle new growth, but they can also be horribly destructive with vast economic repercussions.
At a Kelowna city council meeting on Aug. 27, a proposal by developer Grant Gaucher to change the composition of the 1,300 units previously approved in the McKinley Beach area went down to defeat. The new proposal reduced the number of multi-family units and townhouses and increased the numb…
This week, Jews around the world will enter into the High Holy Days, the Yamim HaNoraim, the Days of Awe.
If ABBA was able to hold off for 39 years without releasing new music, it would have been cool for the Swedish pop quartet to stay
The self-discipline to keep the Sabbath day a rest day is a topic we don’t hear about too much.
I had my 85th birthday this last week. It’s a new experience for me. I’ve never had an 85th birthday before; I’ll know I’ll never have one again. Obviously.
By Bernie Bates
The North Star, situated at the end of the little dipper, is a faithful friend to travellers and sailors alike.
Dear God: Why do you keep picking on Haiti? It is, by far, the poorest country in the Americas. It has the fewest resources to recover from a disaster. It has no industries, no exports, no assets, and no hope.
I want to tell you about a word that will change the world, but first, let me tell you about a large bag of seeds I was given—thousands of specks, with the promise of bright perennial flowers.
Another school classmate died last week. David Scott died in Washington, D.C., on Aug. 5.
I remember years ago, when I was in my twenties, spending hours upon hours, frustratingly trying to decode the legal minutia of a 7th Century Babylonian Talmudic text: What happens when an honorary trustee accidentally comes upon a piece of lost property?
On July 23, Minister of Immigration Marco Mendicino and his cabinet colleagues announced the launch of a new resettlement program for interpreters who worked with the Canadian Armed Forces, as well as cooks, drivers, cleaners, construction workers, security guards and locally engaged staff e…
The Olympic Games have once again captured our imagination.
Seventy-six years ago yesterday, the world’s first atomic bomb seared the city of Hiroshima in Japan. A blast of heat erased buildings, much like the forest fire that burned the village of Lytton to its foundations earlier this summer.
If you follow the rumours out of Ottawa, it has been reported, as early as Monday Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will request our new governor general, Mary Simon, dissolve Parliament and call an election.
With modern astronomical instruments showing us collisions between black holes, and the traces of the birth of the universe, it is easy to think these were the most challenging problems in astronomy. However, the most challenging thing has been to understand stars: those dots in the sky.
For too long, Canada has dragged its feet on the urgent need to battle climate change, a hesitancy largely caused by concerns over the economy and jobs.
Rabbi Yaakov Shimshon of Kosov (Ukraine, 1814-1880) loved to share with his students the stories of the great Jewish mystics, the Hassidim.
The public schools of the 1950s and ‘60s were not the best places for young children or even teenagers. Physical punishment was still allowed, i.e. strapping, and was used liberally and without parent consent.
One lesson from the COVID-19 pandemic is that we must permanently adjust how we live with others. In particular, unless we find some foolproof way of verifying vaccination status, the economy, in my opinion, will grind to a halt.
In our solar system, all but two planets have moons, smaller bodies orbiting around them. Pluto, which used to be called the ninth planet out from the sun, also has a moon.
As my summer listening tour continues around the riding of Central Okanagan Similkameen Nicola, one topic that’s raised often is vaccine passports.
Every strata corporation suffers wear and tear on its capital. To account for that and plan an orderly replacement, each strata needs to have a plan as to the amount projected to be spent on capital replacement each year. In B.C., the Contingency Reserve Fund is intended to fund common expen…
What truly brings us happiness?
“A teenage girl who stabbed a boy to death in downtown Kelowna was sentenced to one day in custody after pleading guilty to manslaughter.”
Prime Minister Trudeau fails regularly at key tasks of the governance of Canada.
My wife sent me a text this week, which is not unusual; however, this message had several dates for weddings we have been asked to attend or officiate.
COVID-19 cases have started surging again, in places like Brazil, India, Indonesia, and the U.S.. Reports blame the rise on anti-vaccine movements, distrust of authorities, misinformation, and government incompetence.
In the Okanagan, Similkameen and Nicola valleys, we have many small family-run farms and small-business operations.
Last week, China celebrated the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese Communist Party. The occasion was marked by extensive celebrations across the nation and receptions world-wide at its embassies and consulates.
Trying to look as innocent as possible, I pretended to stretch and yawn, as I scanned the yard to make sure we weren’t being watched or overheard. “OK,” I whispered, “this is our escape plan.”
Public education must move beyond just including Indigenous symbolism as part of its public image to a point where requirements of Indigenous culture are integrated into the day-to-day organization of what are still Eurocentric assumptions about how to organize public schools.
I’ve always thought the only way one could make a fast slash of cash (legally) was to win the Lotto Max. The recent actions of the government of Kelowna under the direction of city manager Doug Gilchrist and the mayor and council offer hope of an alternate route.
This Sunday is Fathers Day. Fathers throughout the Okanagan will be celebrated, the aroma of sizzling barbecues will drift gently over our neighbourhoods.
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