Dear Editor,
[Visitors to Ashcroft reflect on their experience meeting glass mosaic artist Marina Papais in a letter to friends. This extract from that letter is used with permission.]
Now about your friend Marina’s mosaics … Knowing a little about creating a piece using mosaic tiles, etc., I know how much time is involved. I was totally amazed at the size and intricacy of Marina’s projects and the time involved in planning each one.
What impressed me was the way in which she involved schools and community groups in all stages of the process. That takes a lot or organizing and total dedication; not for personal gain, but purely to enhance the local environment!
The mosaics give a potted history of the town, and are educational; the potential for tourism is enormous! Michael and I learned so much about Ashcroft’s story through the Mosaic Trail.
We offer our support of this truly gifted artist, and hope Marina gets the recognition that she deserves. I particularly loved the ones at the Chinese cemetery; I hope those were some of hers?
It was a thrill to meet her in her studio, and anyone who has the fun of working with her is very fortunate indeed! I would have loved it!
Roz and Michael Dooner
Selkirk, Scotland
Dear Editor,
The “Doomsday Clock” has been moved forward 30 seconds as a result of world tensions and the Trump government’s responses to these issues.
Thirty out of 86,400 seconds (one whole day) doesn’t seem too alarming, but when you consider it as 30 out of the remaining 120 seconds, a different picture is painted.
The two main contributing factors mentioned are nuclear weapons—enthusiastically supported by a number of the world’s leaders—and climate change, enthusiastically denied by a number of the world’s leaders.
Scientists have a reputation for being cautious, double-checking their facts and processes and only publishing results that they can stand behind, so perhaps we should listen to them. The same characteristics cannot always be seen in a number of the world’s leaders.
The clock is only symbolic, but the problems are real. Let’s listen to the scientists, as I like this world and want to do a few things in the next few years, including watching the remaining Game of Thrones episodes. Beware: our nuclear “Winter is coming”.
Dennis Fitzgerald
Melbourne, Australia
Dear Editor,
Full kudos to the Trudeau Liberals for their recent pledge to the global Partnership for Education of $180 million over three years. This couldn’t have come at a better time, with U.S. president Trump’s recent slashing of two-thirds of America’s funding to the United Nations agency that runs schools for Palestinian children. Education, especially for girls, is critical for improving lives in the developing world.
Canada still lags behind all other developed nations in terms of this kind of funding, but this new investment increases hope for a new direction for the Liberals, and that we will begin carrying our fair share.
Tracy Koebel
Victoria, B.C.
