Welcome

I am a Canadian writer and blogger, and a former MP. This site reflects my interest in politics, social justice, rhetoric and books.  You will see on the sidebar that I write two Blogs which I invite you to follow.  I have written or edited eight Books, which I would be delighted to have you read. Some of my  Journalism is posted on the site as well. Please check out the selections below to see what I am following and writing in recent days. I refresh this page regularly. You can follow it, but if you prefer to receive an email when I post, please Contact Me and I will add you to the list.

Tourism in San Miguel de Allende

We spent two weeks this winter in San Miguel de Allende about four hours to the northwest of Mexico City. An American blogger recently described San Miguel as “an expat retiree heaven in Mexico.” I am working on a blog post that examines such comments in more detail. Stay tuned for that.

Global warming targets in peril

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has issued another report. It predicts that by some time in the 2030s we will blow by the Paris accord target of holding the increase in global temperatures to 1.5 C. While these predictions are scary the IPCC report also points to some hopeful signs. For example, new technologies are coming along quickly, but we must use them.

Katharine Hayhoe is hopeful

I am providing a link to a CBC Radio interview with climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe, a Canadian who teaches and works in Texas. Katherine talks about what needs to happen now and whether the world is likely to respond. She is always hopeful but never naively so. You can find the interview some ways into the audio of the program.

From the archive

Vietnamese students, polite to a fault

In February 1996, I went to southern Vietnam to teach video production to a group of young agrologists in the Mekong Delta. In this piece broadcast on CBC Radio’s Morningside, then hosted by Peter Gzowski, I talk about the video course and describe some of my students.

Quotable Quote

“What we desire for ourselves, we wish for all. To this end, may we take our share in the world’s work and the world’s struggles” -J.S. Woodsworth