in
This page provides an Index to my columns for 2008 published in the Kamloops Daily News
EYE VIEW 
2008
Harper fails to see the art of politics An act of parliament can no more prevent accidents at Canada's aging nuclear reactors than ignoring the problems of global warming will make them go away. Yet Prime Minister Harper seems to think that he can control nuclear reactors by political will and his environment minister is an embarrassment in Bali. Harper must know something that we don't. He must have a plan so substantial that it can withstand the blustery storms of popular opinion. January 9
The timing couldn't be better for a national energy policy
We are burning fossil fuels like there is no tomorrow.
Unfortunately for our children and grandchildren there will be a tomorrow so it
might be a good idea to start planning
now. In the absence of a national plan, nothing is done. Or worse, irrational
regulations develop. Despite the fact that we have large oil fields, we
have no oil security. January 22
China and the USA are the Yin and Yang of globalization One way is to build an economy that revolves around weapons. Use the weapons to impose national will. Have a well equipped army and a global network of military bases. Build up a nuclear arsenal while insisting that others can't. Invade countries frequently. Prepare citizens for war through heightened fear of invasion from enemies. Invent enemies when necessary. Another way to conquer the world is to structure your economy around the manufacture of consumer goods. Accumulate foreign currency. Use that accumulation of wealth to buy the world. February 5
Antibacterials can
do more harm than good Hand washing
is the single most effective way to prevent the
spread of communicable diseases. If it's that good, why are
there so many antibacterial soaps, wipes, and household
products on the market?
They are found everywhere but not easily identified.
Antibacterials go by obscure names; such as Triclosan,
triclocarban and quaternary ammonium compounds. And they
are found in things you wouldn't expect; plastic kitchen
tools, highchairs, toys, bedding, and fabrics. February 19
Well-known doctor has no business tinkering with health system The new president of the Canadian Medical Association, Dr. Brian Day, preaches public health care but his private practice suggests otherwise. He says: "I will commit to a policy that all Canadians receive timely access to medically necessary services, regardless of their ability to pay." But at his private Cambie Surgery Centre in Vancouver, he also openly lets those who wish to pay privately to jump the queue - - in clear violation of the law according to the Toronto Star (August 23, 2006). March 11
Pilot program shows promise Thankfully, digital TV offers more than high definition, wide-screen TV. It also offers a practical solution to small TV markets like Kamloops. The timing of a digital solution for Kamloops couldn't be better. It comes at a time when the world is converting to digital TV. It doesn't make sense to build one new transmitter to carry one station but it does make sense to built one transmitter that carries several stations. That's what digital TV has to offer through something called multiplexing. March 25
Do the right thing and bring Khadr home to Canada The U.S. court will soon decide whether a Canadian boy is an enemy combatant guilty of war crimes. Or was he a victim of adult coercion - - a child soldier? Contradictions swirl about and the events that happened in 2002 when Omar Khadr was only15 years old but it seems by all reasonable accounts that he is innocent. Instead of being complicit in the U.S. prosecution of a juvenile in what appears to an inevitable miscarriage of justice, why doesn't Prime Minister Stephen Harper do the right thing and bring Kadar home? April 8
Secularization
has yet to bring an end to religion
The theory of secularization forecasts the
end of religion. It started with political thinkers of the twentieth
century, such as John Stuart Mill and Karl Marx, who said that religion was a
byproduct of ignorance, poverty and political repression. A new day would dawn
when tyranny was vanquished. Instead, religion lives on in the secular
state with the best that religion has to offer; justice, charity, tolerance, the
rule of law, equality and choice. April 22
Employ forest workers and make electricity One way or another, the beetle-killed forests of B.C. will release carbon dioxide. We might as well employ forestry workers cut some of them down, burn the trees in biomass generators, and make electricity. May 6, 2008
Time for something completely different in politics One of the few advantages of our current system of electing government, called first-past-the-post, is that it's supposed to deliver stable governments. But stability, as we found out with the Liberals, is not always an advantage. And four years of minority government have achieved nothing. It's time for something completely different. British Columbia has a chance to lead Canada into a new way of electing by proportional representation next May when the question of appears on the ballot. The reasons keeping the old system are rapidly fading. May 20, 2008
We should follow Manitoba's model on payday stores The B.C. government needs to follow the example of Manitoba and set caps on interest rates. Sure, it would shake out the less efficient store but the ones remaining will loved a little more and hated a little less by their customers. June 3, 2008
Dirty oil From Alberta tarsands won't save Canada's economy The housing bubble has burst, long live the next bubble. Without it, things look bleak for the U.S. economy and by extension, Canada's. Governments in the 1940s took careful measures to prevent the kind of speculative bubbles that brought about the Great Depression of the Dirty Thirties. Now governments seem to have forgotten the devastation that deregulation can bring as free-wheeling finance tries to organize the next big thing. "The only thing worse than a new bubble would be its absence," worries Eric Jansen. June 17, 2008
You use more
water than you think you do How
big is your water footprint? Mine is about 820,000 litres per year
according to the quick calculator at
www.waterfootprint.org. That doesn't include the water I use
around the house for
washing and irrigating. It's the water hidden in products I consume. My
morning cup of coffee requires more than a cup of water to make. When the water
required to grow and process the coffee is included, it adds up to 140 litres.
A kilogram of
beef requires 22,000 litres. My shirt used 713 litres of water to
assemble. It's easy to see how it adds up. July 8, 2008.
Abortion debate far from over Dr. Henry Morgentaler's award of the Order of Canada reminds Canadians that the debate is far from over. Few of us are removed. If not directly affected, we know someone who has had an abortion. This is not neutral terrain; either you favour a woman's choice to have an abortion or you find it morally repugnant. No wonder. Abortion is about the raw stuff of life: motherhood, choice, politics, and religion. August 5, 2008.
TILMA really about investors TILMA is supposed to be an agreement between Alberta and B.C. that removes barriers to labour mobility and interprovincial trade. But there never have been any barriers or border crossings that prevent Canadians from traveling between provinces to get a job. Supporters of TILMA claim that there are barriers to trade and investment that undercut competitiveness. "This is nonsense", says senior economist for the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, Mark Lee. August 26, 2008
Kamloops could be leader in digital TV Yesterday, the little city of Wilmington, North Carolina, led the United States into the digital revolution. The rest of the nation will wait five months. Wilmington has roughly the same population as Kamloops. The fraction of viewers who receive TV over-the-air with rabbit ear antennas is the same. But unlike Wilmington, Kamloops' viewers will be left in the dark when the digital switchover happens in Canada in 2011 unless something is done. September 9, 2008
Canadians truly are citizens of the world Three million Canadians live outside of Canada. One out of every ten citizens of Hong Kong is Canadian. Canadians are outward-looking. A huge majority of young Canadians say they want to live, study or work abroad. According to an Environics poll, international issues such as climate change and global social justice are primary political concerns. It's not that youths don't care what happens at home but it takes second place. The new cosmopolitan Canadian confidently strides the globe. The world is becoming Canadian, not by military conquest, but by the persuasion of our ambassadors of peace, tolerance and other Canadian values. September 23, 2008
Perils of porn
clear but erotica could be liberating for all
The risks of pornography that slides toward abuse
are clear;
the degradation of women, the exploitation of children, and the corruption of
society. But pornography as erotica is a different matter. Erotica
has been around since prehistoric times and is part of all cultures. And it
could benefit the Canadian film industry. Part of the Northern Peaks' license
requires that they have 50 per cent Canadian content. Minority women are
creating their own explicit material. October 7, 2008
Which side of America will win? As America votes today for a new president, the world holds its collective breath. Fascination in U.S. politics is not a trivial pastime. Unlike previous elections, this president will mark a significant departure from the past. The outcome will be determined by who shows up to vote. Will it be "backwoods America," as Canadian author Ronald Wright describes them or "enlightened America?" The new president presents a way forward and a repudiation of the past. That man will be decided by who shows up to vote. November 4, 2008.
When Mother Nature
take our Xbox away, how will we fare? Our
technology is not benign; it shapes our perception of
reality. Canadian communications theorist Marshall McLuhan explained: "We
shape our tools and afterwards our tools shape us." Our view of the
"real world" is restricted by the structures of our technology.
Professor Sajay Samuel urges us to return to common sense. By common
sense, he does not mean our innate, everyday common knowledge but something
quite different. "Common sense is a faculty that synthesizes separate
sensations. It forges a whole from what you see, hear and touch," Samuel told
CBC radio. November 18, 2008
Bubble cycle the 'magic' behind the delusion of wealth The delusion of wealth inflates as the nations of the world pour money into the bubble. They have no choice but to suspend disbelief in the improbable scheme; to allow it to fail would mean a massive loss of their investments. But fail it will, resulting in a world wide crisis. After each bubble bursts there are stages of mourning much like the loss of a loved one; as the one we are now in. "When trillions of dollars first die and go to money heaven, the whole economy grieves." December 2, 2008
Harper's actions those of a conflicted man As Prime Minister Harper retreats into his own world, he becomes more removed from sources that could provide a reality check. His conceit borders on delusion. Harper's actions can only be seen as symptoms of inner turmoil which seethe to the surface as irrational behaviour. Canadians should worry about this man who would lead Canada. If reckless brinkmanship characterizes his control of a minority government, what wild impulses would propel him if he had unfettered power? December 16, 2008
