The National Rifle Association, which came out in favour of arming teachers in every school in America, must be vomiting bullets over this story. A school in one of the most violent neighbourhoods in the country shows arts, not guns,…
They started with an old computer. With no manual and no idea how to go about repairing it, they tinkered until they got it right. That encouraged them to try fixing some other laptops. Parts were a problem, but a…
When suicide, murder and loss marred her childhood, Nicky Gallas turned to a friend she could always count on. That friend was food. Food offered dependable comfort, year after year. With her 40th birthday nearing, she weighed a discouraging 212…
The year my mother was born, 1917, American women did not have the right to vote. Three years later her mother cast her ballot in tiny Inman, Nebraska. On March 14, 2013 I voted in British Columbia’s provincial election because…
They were smart and sassy, talented and confident. The Camden Sophisticated Sisters strutted their stuff with joy on Dancing With the Stars. Thanks to the dedication and determination of Tawanda Jones, the young members of this drill team had a…
When there are so many problems in the world, what can one person do? As it turns out, quite a lot. Jadav “Mulai” Payeng was only 16 when a 1979 flood in the middle of the Brahmaputra washed snakes onto…
A couple months ago I wrote about a village in Senegal that ended female circumcision. Now, thanks to Donna Duke, I’ve learned about the “Dropping of the Knife” by 30 female circumcisers in mid-April 2013. The women, who operate in…
A court in Marivan, Iran punished a man by parading him through the streets in traditional Kurdish women’s clothing. They could think of no greater humiliation. I do not know what crime landed the man in court, but his punishment…
“A succulent wild woman is one of any age who feels free to fully express herself in every dimension of her life.” ~ Susan Ariel Rainbow Kennedy (SARK) We know it is spring when this little finch returns to our…
When cities consider bicycle paths and shared-bicycle systems to be part of public transportation, something like BIXI Montréal happens. Amsterdam was a pioneer with bike sharing. Montréal came on board in 2007, with a plan to reduce car traffic. By…
