This issue of the Canadian Vindicator marks its third birthday as an e-zine linking Canada and Ireland. Building on its predecessor web site "A Home Page with an Irish Flavour", it has achieved a remarkable success in a cyberspace world where the time between launch and demise of publications can be measured in months, if not weeks.

Judged solely on the criterion of hits, averaging more than one hundred thousand a month, it has found its niche in the communications field that is the World Wide Web. Not confined to readers in the two countries, Canada and Ireland, expatriates of both have found it a valued source of information and perspective on affairs in their respective homelands.

Articles on issues pertaining to both provide a link that previously was missing through ordinary news channels. But news is not the primary focus of vindicator.ca in which commentary on happenings in either country may provide meaningful and wider insight into shared achievements and concerns.

By its very nature, existing in an unconstricted environment, accessible in every region and country of the world, from Azerbaijan to Zaire, this one web site is a striking example of Marshall McLuhan's prophesied "one world village".

In its own minor way, an independent web site can reach where other media cannot, and on a twenty-four hour day and night basis. It is little wonder that huge publishing empires, be they print, radio or television, have found it necessary to embrace the Internet in their own self interest. They may acquire a dominant presence on the Internet, but they can never obliterate other voices, other views, and therein lies the success of independent e-zines such as vindicator.ca wherein may be found such a diversity of offerings as public affairs, history, drama, short stories, poetry, memoirs, and commentaries.

This is our birthday. Please enjoy.

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