"Citizen Active" Columns:
Brandon Sun, July 26, 2008:
A recent trip to England and France left my wife and me with many
wonderful memories. Plus thoughts about citizenship, technology, and
. . . Read
the full column
Brandon Sun, June 14, 2008: Three
great resources bring to life the stories buried in our
local cemeteries.
Gossip in the
Graveyard,
What Lies
Beneath, and
Every Stone a
Story all inform, inspire, and invite us to
. . . Read
the full column
Brandon Sun, May 31, 2008:
Brandon City Council recently adopted a new recycling program. But why
was
not one word said about the existing blue bag program - which the City
had claimed would save money, reduce pollution, and lower
greenhouse gases?
Read
the full column
Brandon Sun, May 3, 2008: . . . Wikinomics derives
its name and inspiration from “wiki,” which is open
source software that anyone can
. . . Read
the full column
April 7, 2008: Well,
what did we learn from the recent plebiscite? Yes, I’m going
to take another kick at
.
. . Read
the full column
Brandon Sun, March 8, 2008:
I can’t resist getting into the casino debate. Call it an
urge, a
curiosity, a desire to take a risk. Just don’t call it
an
.
. . Read
the full column
Brandon Sun, February 9, 2008: This time
of year, many of us are thinking more about money
.
. . Read
the full column
Brandon Sun, January 12, 2008:
Regardless of who is elected American President this
November,
their current political campaign offers a fascinating glimpse into the
future. And not just the future for the U.S., but for
.
. . Read
the full column
Brandon Sun, December 15, 2007: I thought
I would end this year’s columns with some reflections on the
future. Reflections prompted by looking back at the birth of Brandon
125 years ago
.
. . Read
the full column
Brandon Sun, November 17, 2007:
Do you ever look at the Brandon Crime Stoppers feature in the Sunday
Brandon Sun? The crimes profiled – from armed robbery to
vandalism – make for uncomfortable
. . . Read
the full column
Brandon Sun, October 14, 2007:
Participating in three events in the last few weeks was
enjoyable and meaningful for me. It was also a reminder of
. . . Read
the full column
Brandon Sun, September 29, 2007:
. . .
The
life story of Harold Gray is one of 42 obituaries of everyday people in
a new book by Colorado newspaper reporter Jim Sheeler
.
Obit:
Inspiring Stories of Ordinary People Who Led Extraordinary
Lives is a
.
. . Read
the full column
Brandon Sun, August 26, 2007: “Ask
not what your country can do for you,” U.S. President John F.
Kennedy famously said in 1961, “ask what you can do for your
country.” Nowadays, somewhat regrettably, we are more likely
to
ask
. .
. Read
the full column
Brandon Sun, July 12, 2007:
(Part Three of
Three.)
. . .
Another concern 150 years ago was environmental.
. . . John
Palliser and his company observed the countryside at close hand as they
travelled by canoe, foot, horseback, snowshoe, and dog sled
. . . Read
the full column
Brandon Sun, July 5, 2007:
(Part Two of
Three.)
. . . Globalization
was already a major dynamic for the Prairies 150 years ago. The fur
trade had brought Europeans to the Prairies and also drawn the First
Nations people into the global economy
. . . Read
the full column
Brandon Sun, June 28, 2007:
(Part One of
Three.)
. . . Right
now, the people of the Prairies have a unique opportunity to compare
life 150 years ago with today. John Palliser led an Expedition that
travelled through the Prairies 150 years ago. To mark this
sesquicentennial
. . . Read
the full column
Brandon Sun, June 29, 2007:
Begin in 1882 as a tiny settlement - mostly of tents. Reach
2007
as a bustling contemporary city. Quite the journey for
Brandon! Yet even in the earliest years, the inhabitants of Brandon
were surprisingly impacted by
. . .
Read
the full column
Brandon Sun, June 10, 2007: Once
Upon A Time:
It all started one Sunday when my wife noticed an item in the Brandon
Sun: there was going to be an open casting call for a movie
. . .
Read
the full column
Brandon Sun, June 3, 2007:
Apples, beets, carrots
.
. . radishes, squash, tomatoes
. . . zucchini.
This is an alphabet sampling of the delicious and nutritious fruits
and vegetables that are available to the Community Shared Agriculture
participants
.
. . Read
the full column
Brandon Sun, May 3, 2007:
The time is last Thursday evening. I am enjoying a coffee break at
Scarlatti’s Cappuccino Bar on Rosser Avenue. The coffee is
delicious and the company wonderful. Deanna Ginn is
. . .
Read
the full column
Brandon Sun, April 8, 2007:
I recently had an anti-theft immobilizer installed in our
vehicle. So naturally I read with interest the news reports from
Winnipeg about stolen cars being used there to run down
.
. . Read
the full column
Brandon Sun, March 15, 2007: Two
recent books provide fascinating reading about how the Internet is
changing our world. These are
The Long Tail
and
Wikinomics.
The author of
The
Long Tail: Why the Future of Business is Selling Less of More
is Chris Anderson, the
. . . Read
the full column
Brandon Sun, January 7, 2007:
Volunteering
is important to the vitality and sustainability of many community
efforts: from hospitals and other large institutions to the smallest
programs. Overall, in Canada
.
. . Read
the full column
Brandon Sun, December 31, 2006:
(Part Two of
Two.) According to a recent Statistics Canada
survey, almost
everyone
gives to a non-profit program or group during the year. Here are
some tips on getting the most of your donations at income tax
time.
Read
the full column
Brandon Sun, December 28,
2006: (Part
One of Two.) The
vast majority of Canadians donate money to the 160,000 charitable and
other non-profit organizations in the country. Totaling about $9
billion, these donations
.
. . Read
the full column
Brandon Sun, November 23,
2006:
What? Spend an entire day buying nothing? The very idea
challenges us, shocks us even, especially at this time of year.
Buy
Nothing Day was started in 1992 by Adbusters, a
. . .
Read
the full column
Brandon Sun, November 5,
2006:
(Part Two of Two.) Read
the full column
Brandon
Sun, November 2, 2006: (Part One of Two.)
The
way that income taxes are collected provides an interesting snapshot of
how our society works and changes.
Read
the full column
David McConkey dot com,
October 31, 2006: The
municipal elections last week showed a few things about where we are at
as a city. We got national publicity, but what else happened?
Read
the full column
Brandon Sun, October 8,
2006:
October features a number of events that remind us of
sustainability issues. There are opportunities for insight,
information, and involvement.
Read
the full column
Brandon Sun, August 31,
2006: (Part Two of Two.) Electronic
sources, especially the Internet, deliver much more news to us than we
used to get. Are we getting better news? Are we "getting" the news we
do receive?
Read
the full column
Brandon Sun, July 30,
2006:
(Part One of
Two.) How we get the news has a lot to do with
sustainable
communities:
what we know about what's happening, diversity of viewpoints, and ideas
of options for the future. Of course
. . . Read
the full column