The Geography of Hope had an odd genesis: writer Chris Turner, contemplating his daughter’s future in Canada’s oil capital of Calgary, was driven to find some reason to believe that her life would not be defined by climatic cataclysm. I think I could teach her to face war, poverty, famine–human problems with practicible solutions, howeverContinue reading “The Geography of Hope”
Author Archives: Andrea McDowell
you're late
Recently I took myself to the bookstore to scan the magazine racks for potential markets for a pitch that came back to me the week before. (It came back nicely, with regrets and an invitation for more ideas, but I still need to find it a new home.) Three of the most promising magazines IContinue reading “you're late”
Chickadee-dee-dee
As it turns out, the friendly suggestion of emailing so-and-so for directions was less of a friendly suggestion and more of a base requirement, which makes me wonder why the directions weren’t just included with the volunteer package. In any case, we got to the right address at what I thought was the right timeContinue reading “Chickadee-dee-dee”
bird-brained
Tomorrow, early enough to drag me out of bed at an ungodly hour for a weekend, I will be standing quietly in temperatures well below zero, in a large urban park, counting birds for a couple of hours. Don’t ask me for details. I haven’t a clue what it entails, other than–presumably–silence and watchfulness. AndContinue reading “bird-brained”
Wind Turbine Noise and Human Health
I have been over-researching an article on wind energy that will supposedly be published soon, though I have yet to hear back on the edits. It’s a problem of mine, this need to make every argument impervious to nuclear attack, as if it is possible to construct an argument that will convince everyone–especially in 1,200Continue reading “Wind Turbine Noise and Human Health”
Happy New Year
I’m in the middle of Blessed Unrest by Paul Hawken, and I thought the following passage was appropriate for the first day of 2009: A familiar biological tease argues that a hen is an egg’s way of making a new egg. Likewise, have we evolved plants to create agriculture, or have plants used agriculturalists toContinue reading “Happy New Year”
Where the "wild" things are
photo credit: Ontario Parks website According to a story in today’s Globe and Mail, residents near Algonquin Park are fighting the Ontario government’s decision to try to site a wind farm nearby. Why? Because wild areas should be preserved in all their unspoiled glory. Brent Peterson, a cottager who speaks for 45 families with propertyContinue reading “Where the "wild" things are”
It's cold, not dead
I should preface the photo posts by emphasizing that I’m putting up what I find interesting, not what necessarily would win any photography contests. This creek runs through a small ravine behind several detached homes, and is part of the Don River watershed. The greenspace it runs through isn’t part of the park or trailContinue reading “It's cold, not dead”
Who
(The first couple of posts will constitute the inevitable throat-clearing while I get a few things out of the way, such as: who am I, what am I talking about, and why should you read me?) When I was a child, I spent weeks at my grandparents’ cottage, near Apsley, Ontario. It was a shack.Continue reading “Who”
First Snowfall
I snapped this about a week ago, in a mini-greenspace during our first substantial snowfall. After the snowstorms this week, no ground is visible anymore. <a href=”http://technorati.com/claim/h6k6nqjvpj” rel=”me”>Technorati Profile</a>
