Shucking Oysters: Power Outages

November 9, 2023

Aaah Winter. Atmospheric rivers. Gale force winds. Dark and stormy nights. Power outages. No matter how many outages my partner and I have gone through, we are never, ever prepared. Having lived on Hornby for over 28 years, we’ve experienced our share of power outages, from a few hours to over a week. You’d think we’d get it by now. But no, every year, the first outage, we aimlessly grope in the dark trying to find some source of light.

After one of our driest summers on record, be forewarned, there will be more frequent climate-related power outages. We’ve all noticed the stressed out trees everywhere. Not a comforting sight. Weakened by drought and climate-related parasites, trees are becoming more and more susceptible to wind and weight from rain and snow. Nina Bassuk, professor of urban horticulture at Cornell University, explains that climate change can kill tree cells through a confluence of stressors. “It’s not like an animal, which dies when you pierce the heart — trees die cell by cell,” she says.

If a tree falls on Denman, Hornby will not only hear it, we will often feel it too. We are connected, strangely (or shall, I say, weirdly). Not like an umbilical cord, more like one of those 16-foot retractable dog leashes. BC Hydro forgets that we have a distant attachment to each other. Last weekend’s outage on Hornby was nine hours (November 4: 2:29 am to 1:30 pm). Apparently, we are so chill that no one called Hydro, so they fixed Denman and went their merry way. But we won’t take it personally, the Hornby ferry wasn’t running anyways until later because of the storm.

Every year the first power outage, my partner and I go through the same routine. “Where did you put the flashlights?” “Why would I know?” And then finally, we find one. Turn it on, flicker, flicker, black. Dead batteries. At least we know where they are, in the cabinet drawer in the living room with Colonel Mustard. It never ceases to amaze me during outages, how I suddenly have no idea about our furniture layout. It’s as if someone rearranged the entire house overnight. Eventually, we find the six flashlights. “Now, where’s the lantern?”

The best thing we ever invested in was a propane stove/oven. In fact, we love her so much, that she has a name: Gretchen. Power outage? Whatever. We can cook, bake, and even make toast with those metal camper thingies that you put on the burner. Dirty dishes are an issue. Depending how long the power is out, we just hide them in the oven. The refrigerator. Just open for a few seconds, a little peek, that’s it. In fact, the rule should be that you can’t open it unless you know what you are getting out. This will prove to be challenging, if you have a refrigerator like ours; we have no idea what’s in there, let alone the vegetable drawers. Fact: An unopened refrigerator will keep foods cold for only about four hours. An unopened freezer for 24 to 36 hours.

When the power outage goes on longer than a day or two, is when our true personalities seem to come out. My partner likes to lie on the couch and call Hydro for updates every hour or so, until the power comes back on. I get restless and want to get out and go storm watching. Some people stay in bed and pretend all is well. Some stand for hours staring out their windows wondering when, when? Others just carry on as if it is just another day. Who are you?

I also get power outage brain, where I totally dumb down. How many times can you turn on the bathroom switch before you remember that the power has been off for 37 hours? A lot apparently. Or run the tap water and quickly turn it off as if you’ve been tasered. And is there no better sound than the din of diesel generators in the distance?

The year-round incessant cutting, trimming and chipping by the arborists isn’t cheap. BC Hydro spends more than $50 million a year on vegetation maintenance. In its 2022 Revenue Requirements Application to the BC Utilities Commission, BC Hydro has requested an additional $25 million for vegetation management, bringing the total budget to $74.4 million. Perhaps they should be looking seriously at the cost benefit analysis of burying the lines versus maintaining above-ground lines. In the US, one utility company, PG&E, are now seeing that the costs of maintaining lines above-ground are equal to burying below ground.

In the meantime, maybe I’ll finally order that NOAA/AM/FM Weather, Solar, Crank, 3-Mode Flashlight, Reading Lamp, SOS Alarm, and Compass for Home Power Failure and Outdoor, Hurricanes,Tornadoes, Emergency Crank Radio.

Richie

November 9, 2023

March 29, 2007

Richie

I just got a visit from my old cellmate, young Richie.

A number of days back now, he approached me and asked if I might help him fill out a request for a visit from his father. The rules of this place stipulate that you can’t receive a visit from anyone who has a record within the past six months. Richie’s dad has a drinking driving offence with which he’s currently under parole for. Richie’s familiarity with my penchant for writing led him to me for help. I simply asked him the details of his dad’s situation and quickly penned out the request. It certainly couldn’t hurt to try. Our complaint forms seem to get the attentions of the administrative end of this place so why not a well worded request?

Well, sitting here in my room, Richie came to say that he was summoned into the bubble where alongside with the on-duty C.O., stood a white shirt. They proceeded to discuss with Richie the matter and while it isn’t a certainty as of yet, it appearss they’re going to look into it further and see what they can do. The chances for Richie to have a visit from his father, of whom he’s very close to, stand at 50/50 as of this writing. Which is to say better than zero. Better than could be expected given the rules this place so rigorously upholds. Richie is cautiously optimistic and so am I. I was flattered that he would come to me for help in this matter to begin with. To have it actually work out in his favour would please me all the more for him. Go Richie!

March 31, 2007

Richie came to me today to tell me the powers here have granted him permission to have a visit from his dad! He’s happy and this makes me happy. It still requires his father get permission from his parole officer but I imagine that shouldn’t be a problem. To my mind, the harder part of the equation was getting the heads here to make an exception to their own rul

Evolutionary Reconciliation: Part 2

November 9, 2023

“…people with social commitments have a special responsibility to intervene to end shunning, facilitate communication and to do the work to reveal complex views of human behavior as we practise self-criticism and stand up to negative groups.” Sarah Schulman in her book, Conflict is Not Abuse, urges us to ruthlessly pursue the issues of overstating harm,and the duty to repair as a community response to blame and shunning. She insists that we stand up to bullies, stay connected to people in real time and stay strong in the face of injustice. I will focus more on her work in Part Three.

Last week I was at an event and saw someone I had long ago decided was my “enemy”. I had at least 5 solid reasons to avoid them, one being that they never approached me even though we had friends in common and had sat at a potluck table together a few times. I looked up and they were suddenly walking in my direction. They came close to me, only to speak to someone else. I wanted to test out my invitation to TIG readers last week to try doing one thing to increase connection in the community. I faced the person and made it clear I wanted to talk. We made some small talk and then I asked them some deeper questions. I noticed feelings of aversion rise when the person failed to inquire about me but I listened and withheld judgement. I knew that there was an issue that we both cared about so I focused on asking questions about their related experience. Afterwards, I felt cautiously open-hearted towards that person. I noticed that my need for attention and approval from others may have been blocking my bigger needs to be curious, empowered and included. I learned that taking the high road requires taking charge of making inroads with others, especially ones I have judged to be my adversary.

We all have real and imagined conflicts with ourselves and others. Sometimes avoidance of conflict is skillful as long as we are creating new neural pathways that eventually allow the release of blame, shame, paranoia and anxiety. This kind of inner work requires guidance and long-term commitment to healing. I want to ask myself every morning: “Today, how can I re-solve my personal suffering for the sake of a healthier world?” Whenever I get triggered into harmful emotions, I know I need to take time out to care for my need for honesty, support and self-empathy.

Multiple global and local crises are colliding and threatening our mental health and civil society. When we fall in and out of numbness, anger, despair and grief, we are joining the ranks of all other delicate sentient beings. When we can stay open to the ebb and flow of our inner experience, we can sometimes get flooded; being stuck in any emotional state for too long signals a need for training the mind, self-compassion and healthy outside support. Preparing the mind, each and everyday for times of stress and turmoil is important work.

Ideally, people will make the effort to get help to become resourced enough to step up to face conflict in person. Trying to resolve conflict using the cops or the law is the very last resort. So is the use of email, Facebook, etc. Hiding behind a screen is a waste of everyone’s time. Punishment and shunning never resolves conflict, it does, however, escalate conflict.

“Perhaps the only hope for the planet lies in our willingness to end our personal suffering.” (Eli Jaxon-Bear.) I think the same holds true for community well-being.

Inflation

November 9, 2023

Years ago, when my husband and I got together we started to budget. We had to as we were really poor and had lots of debt. My husband is a methodical worker and I think he must have kept all those little monthly budget sheets from the past twenty-five years.

He showed me our monthly budgets from five years ago and our current monthly budget. The figures from five years ago were slightly less than half of what they are now. That means our expenses have increased by almost 100 percent in five years.

Our lifestyle is, possibly, even more frugal now than it was five years ago. In fact, the figures don’t tell the whole story. Five years ago, we were not producing as many of the items we consume as we currently are. We have learned to eat a great deal more out of our garden since then so the rate of food inflation in the past five years is likely a little more than 100 percent. Has your income gone up that much?

I know the Government figures do not show this but governments around the world have a vested interest in deceiving their populace about the rate of inflation. The jobless rate too is a serious work of fiction.

So, we are stuck in a situation of rampant, world-wide inflation. What should we do? The first thing is to admit that things are going to get worse before they get worse. Our industrial civilization works just fine on oil that is 20 to 25 dollars a barrel. Today, oil was priced at $80 a barrel and last week was $90 a barrel. This is where inflation comes from. Everything in our civilization is tied to our oil consumption. The price of oil goes up and so does everything else. Oil is the commodity that allows Western Civilization to run at all.

There is nothing we can do about the price of oil except to practice good conservation measures (don’t drive unless you have a series of jobs lined up that all need the car and drive at or below the speed limit) and get ready for even higher prices.

There are a couple of wildcards in the deck, the first is the possibility of war spreading in the Middle East. If the Straits of Hormuz close, expect the price of oil to soar while Western Economies go into cardiac arrest.

The other wildcard is a problem with a shortage of heavy oil, such as the Russians produce. The boycott of Russian oil has led to a shortage of diesel fuel which is used in almost all agricultural machinery and is used for the transportation of goods. The price of diesel is currently quite high and this means the price of food is probably going to be even higher next year. The situation is so dire that the American Government has started to buy heavy oil from Venezuela, formerly a pariah state for the Americans.

Here in the countryside, we can help ourselves by gardening and growing more of our own food. To get new garden beds started, or to remediate very weedy garden beds, cover the area you want to garden with layers of maple leaves, newspaper, cardboard, manure, or seaweed. By the spring, the soil will be almost weed free and will be easy to dig and already more fertile.

Having a couple of hens to eat any food scraps and to produce beautiful eggs would be good but there is no point in keeping hens unless you build a mink cage and put your hens in it. That is something Peter Karsten taught me years ago. Even if you manage to exclude mink, we now have a bear, and possibly a cougar, taking livestock on Denman.

As usual, the Government has been no help at all beyond telling us to read a pamphlet on how to coexist with bear and cougars. We are to keep our flocks and herds behind electric fences by day and lock them up at night. Fine, but what about people’s pets and children? What about smaller people who might want to go out for a walk without taking their rifle? Our various levels of Government are useless where they are not corrupt and incompetent. We are on our own with the bear.

But, back to inflation, one way to offset the high cost of food is to buy staples in bulk and cook from scratch. I love Donna’s little grocery store here on Denman where I can buy large bags of organic staples such as flour.

I also like Fieldstone Organics, a Canadian company that I purchase legumes and grains from. A lot of lentils are grown in Western Canada despite our not eating very many lentils in Canada. Most of them are exported. If you want to slim down, be healthier and reduce the cost of your groceries, then learning to cook with lentils would be my first suggestion.

Phoenix Riting! – November 9th, 2023

November 9, 2023

It is Remembrance Day this Saturday. This day has been held to remember the veterans of two very specific wars which happened a very long time ago. My cousins post family photos on Facebook of my grandparents and their two eldest sons all in uniform from the second of the two wars we are expected to remember.

My Grandpa fought in both wars. He used to tell funny stories of life in the trenches during WW1. He took the pain, degradation and misery of those days and turned it into humour, dwelling on small events, practical jokes played on fellow soldiers, the smells, the messes, the crowding. But the big stories, the actual fighting and suffering, he didn’t tell nor wish to recall. Nor did he ever talk about how it felt when his eldest son, the golden child, Bruce (the one my brother was named after) was killed stupidly just before WW2 ended.

“The War to End All Wars,” as they called, it was only the first of those two, and the second ended generations ago now. Yet still, we have wars currently in progress and new wars erupting. Why is war still a thing? Can we not learn from the pain of the past? How can we teach children that violence is not a way to resolve conflict when governments wage war?

Perhaps we need to go farther than simple remembrance, which so often equals glorification. While I fully agree that veterans of wars should be supported by the governments they sacrificed everything for, ‘heroes’ of wars are not heroes. For the most part, they are children, cannon fodder, pawns on the chessboard in the game of dominance between nations. No one can be a hero in modern war. Every soldier has committed atrocities, and are shamed and harmed by their own memories. They suffer not only their own pain, but the suffering they themselves have, under orders, inflicted on the innocent. Trauma. PTSD. Passed down through the generations, Daddy broke in the war, breaks his kids. Now, Mommy gets to break in the war, too. Progress. Yay feminism!

Rather, we should forget war. Forget that it exists. Take it off the table as an option. Why is war still acceptable? War is the worst thing that can possibly happen in this world, it is the most economically, environmentally and psychologically devastating thing that can be done–something this beleaguered planet can absolutely no longer afford–and yet it is still sanctioned and elevated in our fond remembrance of heroes past. Those heroes would rather be forgotten, I think, if forgetting them meant forgetting war and letting it slide farther into the past where such things belong.

We can’t forget, though, can we? It’s happening now. Right now, bombs are incinerating the homes of families. Children are being punished for the crime of existing in the wrong place at the wrong time. It’s happening in Ukraine, in Gaza, and in many small places where war is chronic, so much the norm that we don’t think of them and aren’t even certain where they all are.

What would my uncle Bruce say, if he were alive to ask? Would he think his death was a glorious sacrifice, or a stupid waste of his potential, the murder of his children and grandchildren? Would he agree that war is a glorious struggle between nations and that the winner should rightfully write the history books? Would he believe in enemies, Right vs Wrong? I will never know, and that alone seems like an answer to me.

When we remember, let it be with shame and repentance, not with pride and exaltation. We should feel compassion for the soldiers, for I doubt they remember their own deeds with pride. Support them, and help them heal their suffering. But don’t affirm their heroism or the glories of war.

White poppies stand for ‘never again.’ It is the remembrance of war without its justification. If we must wear poppies, let us wear the white one for ending all war, not the blood red ones for the glory and remembrance of heroes. If you want a white poppy, they are being given out at the Co-op till next to the red ones. Remembering alone is not enough. Whatever your personal feeling on Remembrance Day, may this day bring you blessing and peace.

That’s what I think. What do you think? Email me at phoenixonhornby@gmail.com

No Woodpeckers

November 9, 2023

Bears

November 9, 2023

Deep in thick woodland

Beyond human population

Lives the giant of nature

Seeing one brings elation

With great big snouts

And bodies built to look scary

the bear provides itself with surroundings

Weather it be salmon or berries

But far from scary

Are these wonderful creatures

Living by riverbanks

Far away from beaches

The Grizzly bear

Stands at many feet tall

Up to ten on hind legs

Truly far from small

Black bear’s keep to themselves

Keeping to forest

Rarely coming to the island for fruit

Keeping to a place with low risk

Polar bear’s are remote

Sustaining up north

The size of a small car

Lumbering slowly on forth

The spirit bear is quite breathtaking

With that shaggy white coat

Sticking to abundant vegetation

Where there leads no road

Deep in thick woodland

Beyond human population

Lives the giant of nature

Seeing one brigs elation

They are gentle giants

That are misjudged

For a fierce monster

But bears will always be loved

Letter to the Editor – Edi Johnston

November 9, 2023

November 4, 2023

Letter to the Island Grapevine Editor:

Open Letter to the members of the D.I. Fire and Rescue: Re. fireworks on Denman.

Dear Denman firefighters, thank you for your unwavering and dedicated service to our community. It would appear that it has become tradition for Denman firefighters to set off the community fireworks on Halloween. As a recipient of the 2001 DI Fire Chief’s Award I would like to respectfully engage you all, on a personal level, by way of the risks vs benefits template (that all rescuers are familiar with) in hopes that perhaps you might reconsider your participation.

The risks which include, but are not limited to~

Children between 3-18 yrs. of age are often employed in the fireworks industry. The US Dept. of Labor reports that“children in Guatemala work long hours and are exposed to explosive chemicals such as potassium nitrate and gunpowder, which can cause skin and lung diseases and cancer”.
Fireworks factory explosions in 2023 alone caused dozens of deaths and hundreds of life threatening injuries in China, Thailand, India, Mexico, the US and Canada.
Chemicals involved in the creation, explosion and colouring of fireworks include potassium nitrate, carbon, sulfur, solid potassium carbonate, solid potassium sulfate, nitrogen gas, carbon dioxide and metal salts (all of which have negative environmental consequences).
Fireworks create a toxic fog of fine particulates, poisonous aerosols and heavy metal which add to environmental pollution, are highly resistant to degradation and they easily enter and quickly accumulate in the food chain. “Inhaling smoke and particulate matter from fireworks can cause an inflammatory response in the lungs, resulting in coughing, a fever and difficulty breathing” according the the National Institute of Health.
Humans suffering from PTSD can be triggered into negative mental health episodes and pets and wild animals panic and can experience life-threatening injuries. Wild birds will crash into power lines, automobiles, buildings, trees, and even each other. The fear and panic induced by fireworks can drive farm animals to attempt to escape the perceived threat. Horses, cattle, and sheep may attempt to jump or break through fences and gates, resulting in serious injuries such as lacerations, strains, sprains, and even broken limbs. Animals that manage to escape their enclosures are at risk of being hit by vehicles. The BC SPCA reports that “roughly 49% of dogs are fearful of loud noises such as fireworks. When frightened, dogs who are normally friendly can sometimes act out of character. This places members of the public, including children, at risk of being bitten and panicked pets that can even break through windows to escape, as well, reports of lost pets increases significantly during and after firework events”.

Benefits~ fireworks are pretty, exciting and a tradition.

As a past volunteer firefighter, I respectfully ask that you weigh the risks vs benefits and come to your own personal conclusions as to whether or not to continue to support and participate in this tradition. “To Safely Protect Life and Property”

With the greatest of respect,

Edi Johnston edijohnston@gmail.com

Denman Island

The Nature Trust of B.C.

November 2, 2023

Crowdfunding Campaign Launches to Protect Imperiled Coastal Rainforest on Denman Island

The Nature Trust of BC rallies to raise $1M to conserve rare coastal rainforest and at-risk species – including the endangered Taylor’s Checkerspot Butterfly.

October 10, 2023, Denman Island, Canada – The Nature Trust of British Columbia, one of the province’s leading non-profit land conservation organizations, announces that it has been given the opportunity to purchase 38.7 hectares (95.6 acres) of mature Coastal Douglas-fir forest on Denman Island. A Northern Gulf Island in the Salish Sea, Denman Island is close to the town of Comox on Vancouver Island and is within the K’ómoks First Nation traditional territory.

The property is adjacent to a Denman Conservancy Association conservation area called Central Park and the Denman Island Provincial Park and Protected Area. Once purchased, this ecologically valuable conservation complex will increase to 187 hectares, increasing connectivity and ensuring that it will never be sold or developed. The conservation area has merchantable timber value and its purchase will ensure that its sensitive rare mature forests and wetlands are protected in perpetuity.

The Denman Island-Coastal Rainforest includes young and mature forests interspersed with wetlands and open areas. It also contains a riparian corridor along Beadnell Creek – Denman Island’s largest Class A salmon spawning stream. The creek supports commercial and recreational fishing and is also home to the of-special-concern provincially Blue-listed Cutthroat Trout. In addition to providing a food source for humans and animals, the salmon life cycle provides vital nutrients to the forest floor and trees. This ecosystem has its own unique combination of climate, plants, and animal life; mild yet wet, the area is part of the Moist Maritime Coastal Douglas fir-biogeoclimatic subzone, encompassing some of the rarest ecosystems in British Columbia with only 11.5 per cent protected provincially.

“Coastal rainforests are some of the wettest non-tropical ecosystems on earth. The Denman Island-Coastal Rainforest is an ecological powerhouse and provides tremendous benefits to wildlife, people, and our planet. It is so important that we join together to protect these vital ecosystems and combat climate change and biodiversity loss.” said Dr. Jasper Lament, CEO of The Nature Trust of BC.

The Denman Island-Coastal Rainforest is located within an area of continental significance to waterfowl under the North American Waterfowl Management Plan (NAWMP). It is also a regionally significant wetland area within the Pacific Birds Habitat Joint Venture (PBHJV) program area. Ten bird species listed under the federal Species at Risk Act (SARA) have been seen on or near the property – the Band-tailed Pigeon, Evening Grosbeak, Peregrine Falcon, Marbled Murrelet, Barn Swallow, Western Screech Owl, Ancient Murrelet, Great Blue Heron, Olive-sided Flycatcher, and Common Nighthawk.

In addition to birds and fish, the conservation area provides designated critical habitat for the Blue-listed Little Brown Myotis and Northern Myotis and one endangered butterfly – the Red-listed Taylor’s Checkerspot.

“Not only do mature forests provide clean air and cooler temperatures, they provide breeding and foraging habitat for mammals, birds, and invertebrates.It is our responsibility to ensure that these majestic forests can continue to grow and thrive for the benefit of the planet and people.” said Dr. Jasper Lament, CEO of The Nature Trust of BC.

The purchase of this area adds to the legacy of The Nature Trust of BC, demonstrating its unwavering commitment to protecting the vulnerable ecosystems and rich biodiversity in BC and helping to mitigate the impact of climate change in our province.

You can support The Nature Trust of BC in purchasing and protecting the Denman Island-Coastal Rainforest by donating to their campaign. The funds must be raised by the end of 2023. Donate here.

_ _ _ _

About:

The Nature Trust of British Columbia is a leading non-profit land conservation organization with over 50 years of success protecting and caring for B.C.’s most critical habitats. Since 1971, The Nature Trust of BC and its partners have acquired more than 73,000 hectares (180,000 acres) of ecologically significant land to save vulnerable wildlife, fish and plants.

LEARN MORE:

Visit: www.naturetrust.bc.ca

Follow us on Twitter: @NatureTrustofBC

Become a fan on Facebook: www.facebook.com/NatureTrustofBC/

Follow us on Instagram: @NatureTrustBC

History Will Judge Us All

November 2, 2023

History Will Judge Us All Sally Campbell

“I don’t think it’s an overstatement to say we are currently facing the greatest moral reckoning of our time. A genocidal onslaught is unfolding before us in real time – countenanced by the international community and enabled by the US government. There can be no more pressing, urgent need at this moment than an immediate ceasefire to this unspeakable violence.”

These words are from Rabbi Brant Rosen, a member of the Rabbinical Council of Jewish Voice for Peace, and Rabbi of Tzedek Synagogue in Chicago (www.rabbibrant.com).

Lest we try to justify what is happening by claiming Israel is rooting out Hamas, here is Israeli army spokesperson Daniel Hagari: “We are dropping hundreds of tons of bombs on Gaza. The focus is on destruction, not accuracy.” He follows this with: “The ‘operation’ is only set to intensify.” (CNN October 30, 2023.) Violence begets violence. It is never solved without addressing its root causes. We do not need to demonize anyone in order to change the course of history. We simply need to stand up for what is right. No life is less valuable than another, and all people deserve to live in freedom and dignity.

Here are some reliable sources for news, education and action to pressure our government to do the right thing and demand an immediate ceasefire, humanitarian aid, release of hostages, and an end to occupation.

Mondoweiss

An independent online paper begun by New York journalist Philip Weiss after 9/11. They are the only news source that has a Palestinian bureau of dedicated reporters in the West Bank and Gaza. (www.mondoweiss.org)

Jewish Voice for Peace

Started in 1998, by 3 Berkeley, California undergrads, they now reach over 670,000 through Facebook, with chapters and online communities in over 40 states. (www.jvp.org) Their important and long-running counterpart in Canada is Independent Jewish Voices. (www.ijv.org)

Canadians for Justice & Peace in the Middle East (CJPME)

This group is out of Montreal and is focused on lobbying government, supporting research on Israel-Palestine, and particularly now, responding to Canadian media’s (radio, tv, print) coverage of the current crisis. You can become a Media Responder and do something concrete every day to point out media bias, fill in the gaps and acknowledge responsible reporting. (www.cjpme.org) They give you a link (several a day right now, response optional) to the piece. They outline the inaccuracies, omissions or valuable points made, and provide a link to respond respectfully and directly to the news outlet. Even a sentence or two can make a difference.

They also have a CJPME Foundation which provides funding for ambulances and medical supplies to Gaza, since its inception.

4. Helena Cobban, www.Globalities.org

I’ve been following her for a long time, as this brilliant, big-thinking British woman has a perspective honed by years of living and working as a political journalist, from Lebanon back in the 80’s until now in Washington DC. She is a prolific essayist and publisher, founded Just World Books and is President of Just World Education. She provides a justice and peace- oriented take on the geopolitics of today’s world.

Dr. Gabor Mate

Here’s the link to Gabor Mate’s deeply moving words on Israel-Palestine. Many of you will have seen this already, but in case not, in my view, he models perfectly the power of clarity and compassion. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrcYQyudLzY He also has an excellent interview on youtube with his daughter Hanna, filmed October 28^th, in which he speaks humanely and urgently to the crisis. He calls for the release of the Israeli hostages along with the release of the women and children currently held without charge in Israeli prisons, and an immediate ceasefire. He lays down why the status quo in Israel-Palestine has to change. Well worth watching!

The Secretary-General of the UN, Antonio Guterrez, reminded the world last week that the Hamas attack did not occur in a vacuum, and that we will all be judged by history by how we respond to this horrific violence. I am too upset to write about the deaths of so many innocent children – 3,000 as of writing – with the numbers mounting each day, plus more than 1,000 lost in rubble. How can we allow this to happen?

And how do we want to be remembered by history?