A year on the edge

(Picture – Gambian Children) As this year slowly edges towards its end, the starkness of how far the world has shifted from a centre of balance is unnerving. The world appears to be teetering on the brink (“the limit or point beyond which something begins to happen”). 

Walk a mile

(Picture-Gambian Child) An old adage, attributed by some to aboriginal Americans, says that before judging another person one should walk a mile in their shoes. But, from comments, news releases and columns in all media the refugees of the world have not only been judged, but sentenced to a life of despair. I am not […]

Untangling the World and Our Communities

(Picture: A Ukrainian community takes action to build a playground) The world appears to be wrapped in a web of diplomatic deception and intrigue, while our communities are cloaked in a clutter of jargon and empty phrases. 

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.