Link to First Five Years of "Dora's Page", 2019-2024
Link to Current Dora's Page
We interrupt this photoblog with a news photo of Ukraine giving up her nuclear weapons almost 20 years ago.
Click on the photo to read Gwynne Dyer's short, clear, simple explanation of what a mistake that was, and which countries do need nuclear weapons, to be safe. You don't need them if you are in a "nuclear-armed alliance" like NATO, but I don't believe we are - not any more. So I wrote my Member of Parliament, yesterday, to express my concerns. Never did that before. Here's the letter.
I've never been a political party member, or activist, but I find I have become one in the last week.
It has finally sunk-in to my consciousness that Canada cannot any longer rely upon NATO to defend us from nuclear-armed adversaries; putting us in the same position, now, as Ukraine was after surrendering theirs.
We could trust NATO back when America sacrificed blood and treasure to defend South Korea and Vietnam, on the theory that any such aggression, anywhere, was a threat to the USA. I don't think they believe that, any more. It should have entered all our minds when Mr. Trump said 'You don't pay your bills, you get no protection', over a year ago, that we cannot trust to loyalty that must be purchased; our opponents might pay them more.
Thus, after 50 years as a dyed-in-the-wool lefty, anti-militarist peacenik, I find myself in the incredible and awful position of asking my MP to support a nuclear weapons program for Canada.
No, I don't imagine nuclear combat with anybody. In the modern world, possession of these devices has become a gesture that says "Don't even think of invading". Israel, for instance, has them, and is not imagined to be courting global war, just self-protection.
In closing, I would advocate at least discussing , in public, this "think the unthinkable" proposal. The mere discussion could change the rhetoric being bandied about.
Thank you for your attention.
Roy Brander, constituent
2025 February 10: Shower Water
2025 February 6: Our View of Snow Days
2025 February 3: Japanese Skimmia
2025 February 1: Palm Valley Golf Course
2025 January 31: Super-Tall Crane
2025 January 29: The Gang's All Here
2025 January 28: Not-Ukrainian Demonstration
2025 January 27: Orange Rose (again)
2025 January 26: Sentinels of the Dawn
2025 January 25: Greetings from Eugene
2025 January 24: Our Beautiful Garden Shed
2025 January 22: Frozen Morn at Lost Lagoon
2025 January 21: Winter Eve at Lost Lagoon
2025 January 20: Happy Birthday Hibiscus!
2025 January 17: Sunken Garden in August
2025 January 16: Spear Thistle
2025 January 14: Two Black Eyes for Susan
2025 January 13: First Tree Buds of 2025
2025 January 11: The Red, White, and Pink
2025 January 9: White Dwarf Book Haul
2025 January 8: First Flowers of 2025
2025 January 7: Sunset at Franklin Stations
2025 January 4: Hydrangeas Galore
2025 January 1: Faith and Begonia!
2024 December 31: Bar Chart: Only Rich Kids Get Houses
2024 December 30: Hello, Dahlias!
2024 December 29: Silly Shapes Day
2024 December 28: Silly Names Day
2024 December 27: African Daisy
2024 December 26: Billions of Christmas Trees
2024 December 25: Sitting Lady Falls
2024 December 24: Vancouver Xmas Street Art(III)
2024 December 22: Vancouver Xmas Street Art(II)
2024 December 20: Vancouver Xmas Street Art(I)
2024 December 19: New Windstorm Costs
2024 December 18: Skating Rink Downtown!
2024 December 17: Xmas at Butchart (V)
2024 December 15: Three Views of Lost Lagoon
2024 December 14: Xmas at Butchart (IV)
2024 December 13: Xmas at Butchart (III)
2024 December 12: Xmas at Butchart (II)
2024 December 11: Xmas at Butchart (I)
2024 December 9: Best of Dark and Light
2024 December 8: Love Triangle Up High
2024 December 7: The (Tree) Bodies Stacked Up
2024 December 6: Misty Mountain Plays Peekaboo
2024 December 4: Last Rose of December?
2024 December 2: Ravens Up High
2024 November 30: Bombed Trees (VII)
2024 November 29: Bombed Trees (VI)
2024 November 28: Home for a Homeless
2024 November 27: Siwash Rock in a Storm
2024 November 26: Rainbow over Esquimalt
2024 November 25: Bombed Trees (V)
2024 November 24: Bombed Trees (IV)
2024 November 23: Bombed Trees (III)
2024 November 22: Bombed Trees (II)
2024 November 21: Trees Bombed by the Cyclone
2024 November 20: Very Wide Lagoonscape at Sunset
2024 November 19: Very Wide Seascape at Sunset
2024 November 18: Yarrow, and Fish-ladder
2024 November 17: Ten Years Since I Left the Old House
2024 November 16: New View of the Aquarium Pools Ruin
2024 November 15: Alan and Tracy's: Colwood from Royal Roads
2024 November 14: Rememberance Day Redux
2024 November 13: Vancouver Skyline with Perfect Mirror
2024 November 12: Still More Windstorm Costs
2024 November 11: Lest We Forget Bill Gibb
2024 November 10: Windstorm Cost IV/III
2024 November 9: Two Lilies from Alan
2024 November 8: The Cost of the Windstorm (III/III)
2024 November 7: The Cost of the Windstorm (II/III)
2024 November 6: The Cost of the Windstorm (I/III)
2024 November 5: Last Day of the Cherry Trees
2024 November 4: One Dreary Day
2024 November 3: Heron Framed in the Leaves
2024 November 2: Last Fall of the Doomed Forest (Again Again)
2024 November 1: Last Fall of the Doomed Forest (Again)
2024 October 31: Last Roses of Summer (2024)
2024 October 30: Atocha Station, Madrid
2024 October 29: Yes, It's Fall
2024 October 26: Greatest Art Store Ever
2024 October 25: Alan and Tracy at Rideau Falls
2024 October 24: Plaza Chamberi, Madrid, for Kids
2024 October 23: Hugh Costello's Timeline of Decisions
2024 October 21: Citadel of Valencia
2024 October 20: Streets of Valencia
2024 October 19: Space Hotel in Barcelona
2024 October 18: Restaurant of Lights
2024 October 17: Woman, Man, Duck in the Jardin
2024 October 16: Paris Stairs and Gardens
2024 September 20: Extra Day for Goodbye!
2024 September 19: Alan's Peahen
2024 September 18: "All Things Electric" Show IX: Odds and Ends
2024 September 17: "All Things Electric" Show VIII: Marine
2024 September 16: "All Things Electric" Show VII: Minimobility
2024 September 15: "All Things Electric" Show VI: Test Driving
2024 September 14: "All Things Electric" Show V: Electric @ Work
2024 September 13: "All Things Electric" Show IV: BIG Money
2024 September 10: "All Things Electric" Show III: Micromobility
2024 September 10: "All Things Electric" Show II: Luxury
2024 September 9: "All Things Electric" Show I: Not
2024 September 8: Two Views of Lion's Gate
2024 September 5: Tree Shadow Creates Mural
2024 September 4: Cutest Things in the Park
2024 September 3: Embracing the Aquarium
2024 September 2: The Ross Fountain
2024 September 1: Heron and Flower
2024 August 31: Pointing Up and Down
2024 August 29: Sunken Garden, Perfect
2024 August 28: Ride Around the Seawall, Busy
2024 August 27: New Otter Pups!
2024 August 26: Shakespeare; And, At the Aquarium
2024 August 25: Two Kinds of Coleus
2024 August 22: Development is Big
2024 August 20: Bluecrown Passionflower
2024 August 19: Ducks on a Log
2024 August 17: Seaside Fleabane
2024 August 16: More Ravine Trail
2024 August 14: Phone addiction at Beaver Lake
2024 August 13: Japanese Andromeda
2024 August 12: Plants with Veins
2024 August 3: One Ugly Flower
2024 August 1: Sunset the Colour of Blood
2024 July 31: Flowers I Misnamed
2024 July 30: Visit to the Sea
2024 July 28: Ready for their Closeup
2024 July 27: Spacing, Then and Now (Pandemic ends)
2024 July 25: Old House, Old Tree, Old Crow
2024 July 22: Lost Lagoon Scum
2024 July 20: 33rd Anniversary! Spiders and Spray
2024 July 17: Efficient Housing in West Kelowna
2024 July 6: Last Post for a Week: Lily
2024 July 5: Clearing Out Beairsto Bounty (II)
2024 July 4: Clearing Out Beairsto Bounty (I)
2024 July 3: Rose Garden is Back for 2024, Baby!
2024 June 30: Long Exposure at Bolton
2024 June 26-27: Splendor in the Grass
2024 June 25: Under the Canopy
2024 June 23: Catching Up With Allan
2024 June 22: I Got Back to Work!
2024 June 20: I Got Into The Newspaper
2024 June 19: Deer and Sticky Willie
2024 June 17: Alan's New Flowers: Busy Lizzie
2024 June 16: Flock Gathers Below My Podium
2024 June 15: Bell with an Ant
2024 June 13: Rugosa Rose, and Oh, Deer!
2024 June 11: Beairsto Backlog
2024 June 10: Resumption of Dora's Page with Alan!
2024 June 6: The Great Calgary Mainbreak of 2024
2024 June 5: Rainy Day Pictures
2024 May 31: Rose Garden Up and Running
2024 May 30: Beaver Lake Lily Pads
2024 May 28: Duck Couple with Two Ponds
2024 May 27: 12 Geese Parents, 20 goslings
2024 May 26: Yellow-White Iris
2024 May 27: 12 Geese Parents, 20 goslings
2024 May 24: Flowers from Alan and Loblaw
2024 May 23: Not-Dead Tree and the Lordly Goose
2024 May 22: Layers of Flowers at the Golf Course
2024 May 20: Streets of Flowers
2024 May 17: Two Gardens, One Ready, One Done