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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

A world of dislocation

Recent statistics from the United Nations High Commission for Refugees relating to the dislocation of people gives one cause to ponder.  What kind of world have we created?  What have we done to our somewhat developed and civilized society?

Ultimately a societal failing

(Picture of a young beggar in India) The financial gap between the haves and have-nots of society is a subject of much interest.  But, there are numerous gaps between the rich and the poor, which transcends many areas of their lives.  What is transpiring in the world today is genuinely a societal failing. There is […]

Shattering Youthful Dreams

If one could look at time through a wide angle lens the visible parallels between this period and that of the 1930s would be startling. In fact, analysis of economic charts shows almost a mirror image of the economy now and then.  An analysis of political activity might be very similar. Economic disparity and political […]

From privilege to entitlement

A sense of entitlement appears to have taken over modern society, especially among those most wealthy and powerful.  Responsibility has been delegated to those with the least or without. In other eras, everyone had responsibility and those who enjoyed the greatest privileges had the most responsibilities. 

A growing human scrap pile

(Picture of my friend Omar – retirement in Gambia was not easy) The recent scandal involving one of Canada’s banks outsourcing jobs at the expense of their own employees epitomizes the societal deconstruction that is taking place.  The fact that government is doing the same is most disturbing.  This phenomenon is not unique to Canada, […]

Intolerance – society’s urgent challenge

The world appears full of intolerance.  Civility appears a thing of the past, a little used or understood concept in a world of wants and consumerism. This intolerance is evident in the struggles and wars that have grown pervasive. In the developed world, it is most apparent in the disparaging commentary, the belligerent and bigoted […]