V O T E !

all the views we care to share

Meet Your Candidates

Columbia River-Revelstoke Riding

As there was no all candidate forum scheduled for Kimberley during this election, we chose to provide an alternative means of getting to know the candidates in a way that would be readily accessible to most people living in the riding. (Yes, affordable and accessible broadband is still a challenge in many parts of the riding, but that's mostly another subject). We sent invitations in mid-April to the MLA candidates registered in the Columbia River-Revelstoke riding. Two candidates were certified after our deadline. We regret being unable to include Rylan Kashub (Libertarian) and Duncan Boyd MacLeod (Independent) in the discussions. We also invited the leaders of each candidate's party. They either ignored us (Green, Liberal) or declined (NDP).

We chose to talk to each candidate individually to get a better idea of who they are as people. We sometimes forget that politicians are and remain people first. All politics is local. The character of the candidate is crucial. We’ve provided the opportunity to meet the people who want to represent your interests in Victoria. You’re the judge. We learned a good bit more about our neighbors and our community. We hope you will as well.

Click on the links at the top of this column (or here) to go to the page on which the conversations with each candidate are located. Or, you can use Facebook if that's more convenient.

We thank our Paula Gordon and e-KNOW.ca's Ian Cobb for the time and attention they contributed to sharing these conversations with you.

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To Put Things into Perspective,,,

40,000 light-years is 380,000,000,000,000,000 kilometers, roughly; but who's counting.

  • • •

Crystal Deth

As we shed our winter clothes and discover that all the bulk wasn't just fabric, it's time to revisit the nutritional fairy tales we've been fed for the almost half a century.

The Guardian has revisited the fat myth. Sugar, they say, is the real enemy of our health, not fat. Researchers at the University of Queensland compare sugar addiction to cocaine addiction.

So, while you're rearranging your wardrobe, consider restocking your pantry. Other than that, have a nice day.

The President of the United States

Does Not Have a Monopoly on Misogyny

The polygamy trial of Fundamentalist Latter-Day Saints (FLDS) leaders in Cranbrook is a reminder that women still face many social, cultural and legal challenges to achieving full equality. Eight years ago, we talked with Carolyn Jessop, the first woman to successfully leave the FLDS with here children. We learned a lot about the FLDS, religion and power from Carolyn. You might too.

The program is available in video and in audio.

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Some Minutes with the Mayor

Juggling the Past, Present & Future

Knowing where we are and where we've been is essential to figuring out where we want to be. Then the hard work begins:

Mayor Don McCormick

If you prefer, you can listen to this program here.

Earlier editions of our conversations with Mayor McCormick are here.

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How British Columbia Became a Fairer Place

In late September, we sat down with Garry Merkel to talk about the Columbia Basin Trust Act ... its history and and what it might mean for our futures. As a founder and creator of the Trust, Garry is a well-placed source for understanding why the Trust Act was passed and the tools it provides to help us shape our communities. He says that the Treaty Act is much more important than most people realize:

The full program about the CBT's history is here or below:

Later we will add the second part of our conversation, about what we might want to do with our future.

Top Solar Energy Myths

Congratulation on the SunMine, Kimberley. Still!

 

Some years ago, (Sir) Harry Evans quoted for us Lord Northcliffe's incisive comment:

 

“News is something someone wants to suppress.

Everything else is advertising.”

 

Evans repeated that quote at a reception in his honor at the British Embassy in Washington, DC, celebrating the publication of his memoir My Paper Chase in 2009. Harry Evan is simply one of the best reporter/editors we have ever met. If, as do we, you think that authentic, quality journalism is important, read his book. You might also enjoy watching Sir Harry's performance at the reception. It is very informative.

 

There's probably someone out there who would like to suppress something we've presented here, but probably they lack the power or will or sufficient interest to meet Lord Northcliffe's definition. To us, what we publish here does not seem to be advertising, so we will argue for a place between the heaven of journalism and the hell of advertising ... call it neighborly conversation

Archive

Audio Bits: 

American author and playwrite E.L. Doctorow died in July. We talked with him in 2005 about his novel The March and about the relationship between writers and readers. These are excerpts from that conversation.

Why we do this

During Kimberley's 2011 election campaign, we made an offer to all the mayoral candidates to produce a regular discussion with the Mayor as part of the communication process everyone was talking about. We renewed that offer in 2014. On April 1, 2015, we recorded the first program. Here 'tis (on the right of this page).

 

This project is based on the notion of democratic dialogue, first introduced to us by Cornel West. Respectful discussions between and among the citizens of a community are the central core of a polity's ability to govern itself. That's why we're including some of our neighbors.

 

*—"Attention must be paid" is a line from Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman. In a conversation with Gay Talese in 2006, he pointed out to us the importance of attending to everyday events and the people who inhabit them.