On September 10, 2025, right-wing activist Charlie Kirk lost the gun debate. One should never celebrate the death of another individual and I am not. However, I do believe it is very important that we be aware of what Charlie Kirk had been promoting and how that contributed to the current divisive, violent atmosphere in…
It’s Well Past Time To Take Action: Ban Israeli Liquor in BC Liquor Stores
On November 29, 2024 – even before his inauguration – President-elect Donald Trump ruminated publicly at a dinner with Canada’s then Prime Minister Justin Trudeau about the United States taking over Canada. The comment was passed off as a joke. By the beginning of February, as Trump continued to propose this idea, it was clear…
The Point of No Return Is Behind Us – Doomed or Degree?
Climate change – is it past the point of no return or is it just a matter of degree? David Suzuki, long-time journalist and environmental activist, was interviewed by Stephen Quinn on CBC’s Early Edition on July 9th. Echoing a July 2nd interview he did with iPolitics, Suzuki was scathing in his indictment of those…
ABC = A Brutal Collapse
On June 9th 2025, Vancouver mayor Ken Sim’s former chief of staff, Kareem Allam, announced his plan to run for mayor against his ex-boss in the October 2026 municipal election. Then on July 3rd, the Vancouver Liberal Electors Association (known as the Vancouver Liberals) was registered with Elections BC as a new civic party. Kareem…
Mandami’s New York Victory Decisively Reshapes the Political Landscape in New York and Around The World
On Tuesday, June 24th, the world witnessed one of the largest political upsets in American history. Zohran Mamdani won the Democratic primary in the race to become mayor of New York City with 56% of the vote. This final result was confirmed on July 1st. Let me set the stage. When Mamdani first announced his…
Selective Sympathy: How the Media Frames Civilian Suffering
On Friday June 20th, I hosted my monthly virtual movie night. This month’s movie was the second half of Manufacturing Consent, a documentary based on the 1988 book written by author and activist Noam Chomsky with economist and social critic Edward S. Herman. The thesis of the book and the movie is that our media…
NO MEGATOWERS AT SAFEWAY
To the great dismay but not great surprise of Vancouver residents in general, and residents in Grandview-Woodland in particular, on June 10th Vancouver City Council approved a controversial rezoning application by the Crombie REIT (real estate investment trust) and Wesbank Projects Corp. to build three megatowers ranging in height from 36 to 43 storeys on a…