Unleashing the power of people

(Picture – My friend and his children) The plight of a young friend from The Gambia epitomizes for me much of what is wrong in the world. 

Humanity’s shaky foundation

(Picture of Ukrainian War orphans who are looking for a home) When one looks at the turmoil and despair in the world, one has to give thought to the future viability of human life and existence. 

Earthquakes and aftershocks

(Cartoon by Tina Michaud) The tectonic plates of the world continue to move and shift disrupting and ending the lives of many through the earthquakes that this process causes. A parallel is the human and societal shifts taking place, as people are impacted by the detrimental policies being imposed by governments of all persuasions across […]

Charity and its demise

(Picture – a family of children and their mother in The Gambia) I was surprised to read recently that the “Harper” Government has decreed that the prevention of poverty is no longer an acceptable goal for charities in this country.  Their rationale is that people who are not poor might benefit. 

A return to self-government

(Picture – Election Rally Uzhgorod, Ukraine 2014 Parliamentary Elections) Initiative and action needed to solve our political ills I began to write this article about the growing void between politics and democracy as we face elections in Newfoundland and Labrador and in Canada in 2015. It transformed as it unfolded. We will be soon inundated […]

A year of descending darkness

As the world emerges from last year’s twilight, it has entered into darkness, a darkness that could engulf the whole world, if some get their way. The period between twilight and the breaking of a new dawn can seem forever. 

In search of peace

(Picture -Attending a Press Conference with Ukrainian Afghanistan War Veterans) This year is the centenary of the war that was supposed to end all wars, yet it appears it was only the precursor of what was to come.  It seems that humans have been at war since they first became aware of differences that are […]

Who will shed a tear?

(Picture – Taken with little Nyima) When   one considers the turmoil in the world, the wars taking place, the displaced families and the trauma they experience; it is the children who suffer the most. When one witnesses the growing world of impoverishment and the stark results of people trying to escape to a better life, […]

Glimpses of My Early Work in Quebec

(Picture-with Professor Chris Bryant and REDOs) I moved to Quebec from Scotland, where I was living at the time, to help develop province wide Community Economic Development and Employment Committees (CEDEC).  There was a Community Table representing the CEDECs and a Government Table representing the Federal Government of Canada.