Welcome to my Blog
Against the Flow is a new blog that will deal with serious and difficult topics, and occasionally with softer subjects too. It will side with politics that strives to do the right thing, as opposed to favouring quick and easy answers. Rather than practising mere public relations, it will encourage journalism that seeks the truth and explores what is really going on in the community. It will praise political leaders who take responsibility for their words, actions and mistakes. It will show respect for First Nations peoples for their great strengths and for the many injustices they are overcoming. It will salute those who recognize that our planet is both burning up and drowning due to climate change and undertake to fight on behalf of Planet Earth.
Against the Flow will also wrestle with difficult subjects such as: upholding and celebrating the free press while revenue sources are dwindling; arguing that addiction, homelessness, and mental illness are complex problems, and a variety of social tools and services will be needed to address them. Forced rehabilitation or compulsory treatment are not the answer. Sports betting feeds one type of addiction, especially for our youth. It threatens to diminish sport and recreation as key aspects of our quality of life. Touching on most other issues, climate change is of vital concern. The fires and floods of the past few months have shown that every political party in Canada, at both the federal and provincial levels, must bring forward a comprehensive strategy and action plan to combat this challenge.
Beyond the serious and difficult topics, Against the Flow will also deal from time to time with the softer side—including what is good, funny, and sweet in life. Afterall, everything does not always turn out as we had hoped. Song writer William Prince captures this well with the words of one of his songs: “The truth about love it don’t come all at once, it gets easier and harder all the time. If you don’t give up when push comes to shove, it gets easier and harder all the time.”
Against the Flow will also wrestle with difficult subjects such as: upholding and celebrating the free press while revenue sources are dwindling; arguing that addiction, homelessness, and mental illness are complex problems, and a variety of social tools and services will be needed to address them. Forced rehabilitation or compulsory treatment are not the answer. Sports betting feeds one type of addiction, especially for our youth. It threatens to diminish sport and recreation as key aspects of our quality of life. Touching on most other issues, climate change is of vital concern. The fires and floods of the past few months have shown that every political party in Canada, at both the federal and provincial levels, must bring forward a comprehensive strategy and action plan to combat this challenge.
Beyond the serious and difficult topics, Against the Flow will also deal from time to time with the softer side—including what is good, funny, and sweet in life. Afterall, everything does not always turn out as we had hoped. Song writer William Prince captures this well with the words of one of his songs: “The truth about love it don’t come all at once, it gets easier and harder all the time. If you don’t give up when push comes to shove, it gets easier and harder all the time.”
About Wires Crossed
A moving and informative set of reminiscences by a seasoned journalist that shines much needed light on the single story that dominates the state of New Brunswick’s media ... Passionately and persuasively written, it is at once testament, indictment, and lament. -William L. Randall, Professor of Gerontology, St. Thomas University
Wires Crossed...is a balanced examination of a controversial symbiosis — corporate power and media control, an issue with resonance across Canada now, as newspaper ownership is increasingly concentrated in a few large corporations. Julian Walker draws on a career as journalist, political insider, senior bureaucrat and academic for this vivid account of what can happen in society when a single corporate player acquires a dominant position in public life by owning and controlling the voice of the community. -Linden MacIntyre, long-time journalist, CBC’s Fifth Estate,best-selling novelist
...Part personal memoir, part political and journalistic history, always entertaining and insightful, it is first and foremost a love story for the fourth estate and a rallying cry to preserve its integrity across this country and beyond. -Mary McKenna, PhD, Assistant Dean, University of New Brunswick
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