You can see it on the faces of people whose resourcefulness is celebrated by India’s Barefoot College. They are competent, and they know it. So many development agencies miss that. Even with the best of intentions, they can fall into…
For 96 people from 24 countries, a two-hour Canada Day celebration in Kelowna changed their lives. Today they became citizens, with all the privileges and responsibilities that entails. They swore their oath in a packed auditorium, with friends and families…
The first time I stumbled onto Kelowna’s Kasugai Japanese Garden, I felt the city around it fall away. A waterfall hid much of the traffic sounds. Birds and butterflies flitted from branch to flower. Graveled paths crunched under my feet.…
Cigarette butts. For a non-smoker like me, seeing them lying in parks, on sidewalks, in gutters, on the beach, even in my beloved marsh makes me crazy. I have no idea how many cigarettes are sold in Kelowna every year,…
Whatever stereotypes I had of aging were shattered by the talented actors, storytellers, and singers I met at Stagebridge. The Oakland-based company is America’s longest-running senior theatre troupe. Most of the cast come from professional ranks, taking the stage when…
The world’s a pretty precarious place, and women face additional challenges because of their gender. Honour killings, genital mutilation, rape, domestic violence, forced prostitution, gender-based abortion, sex tourism, bride kidnapping, denial of education, sexual assault, date rape—the list is horrendous…
In the chaos of my third-grade class, I often built an imaginary enclosure around my desk. Inside it I could work in a quiet, uninterrupted space, beyond the reach of unruly classmates and a nervous teacher whose scolding fell on…
The Great Blue Heron is a regular visitor to the marsh that is steps away from my home. Occasionally I see him flying overhead. Sometimes he’s ducking the harassing red-winged blackbirds, if he has strayed too near their nests. Mostly…
Listening to the TED talk by Thomas Heatherwick makes me wonder if I’ve been sleepwalking. I’ve been something of a divergent thinker since I was a child, with a mother who had her own opinions and encouraged us to express…
Anyone not living under a rock knows pollinators are in trouble. Pesticides, climate change, human habitat, genetically-modified crops, hive transportation. Name a bee trauma, and it’s likely to play a role in the loss of those little guys who fly…
