Protesting Cruise Missile Testing in the Canadian North 20 minutes In the winter of 1984 Jim Bohlen, one of the founders of Greenpeace and then Greenpeace Canada anti-nuclear campaigner; Kevin McKeown, Greenpeace Canada action coordinator; and two others chained themselves to the only entrance to the Cold Lake air force base 150 miles NE ofContinue reading “Refuse the Cruise”
Category Archives: Non-Fiction
Boris and Bill
In 1993, when Clinton and Yeltsin met in Vancouver, Greenpeace Canada had no action team in the west, and I was hired on contract when an action coordinator was needed. So Steve called me into the Greenpeace office and told me he wanted to do an action to get ending nuclear testing back on the table when the presidents met.
Norway, Let the Last Whales Live!
As I swung dangerously out across the water, I hoped I had properly proteced my rope from wearing on the bridge above. We were protesting Norwegian whale hunting with Greenpeace…
Himalayan Institute of Mountaineering-3
Knots in Manali, and War with Pakistan 15 Minutes [Following our ascent of a 17,000 foot ridge overlooking Tibet, we return for exams at the Himalayan Institute of Mountaineering, Manali.] We packed up our tents at high camp, leaving three foot high pedestals of snow where our tents had stood, showing us how much theContinue reading “Himalayan Institute of Mountaineering-3”
Bear Hunting, Goat Sausage and Views Over Tibet
The Himalayan Institute of Mountaineering Part 2 20 minutes. Part 1: A Princess Or An Ice Axe is the first piece on the blog. If you haven’t read it, now is the time. After ten days at the Himalayan Institute of Mountaineering, we set off to continue our training in the mountains. The day afterContinue reading “Bear Hunting, Goat Sausage and Views Over Tibet”
Of Pulque and Popo:
After enjoying Mexico’s cactus beer, I decided to climb the volcano that towers over Mexico city. Then, dammit, I did it again, But as Hericlitis said, you never climb the same mountain twice.
First Knock Door
When Victor found I had an Ewondo girlfriend from the Centre Province, he asked me if I was a serious man.
“If you are a serious man, you need to know how to dote your love,” he said. “I will tell you how to go see her father.”
The Ewondo live in the French speaking Centre province, so I asked, “How do you know about the Ewondo?”
“I had a love from there,” he told me. “You must be ready for what will happen. It is called the First Knock Door. When you go to see the father to ask for his daughter, you will say to the father, ‘You have a nice flower in the family that I love’.”
A short walk in the Cameroon rainforest
(Summer 2014) Simon Waters; 15 minutes As we left Assok, morning light streamed down through the rainforest tree tops. Soon the trail crossed a wide mud-brown river on a fallen tree trunk and Etienne strolled unconcernedly across. Although my pack was lighter than Etienne’s, I needed to protect my iPhone, and digital camera, so IContinue reading “A short walk in the Cameroon rainforest”
Canadian Customs boards US warship
I felt sick as I waited to board the USS Roark- would I get shot by the US Navy?
Nuclear Subs Deep Trouble
Stopping Canada buying nuclear submarines In the middle of the summer of 1988, I got an urgent call to go to the Greenpeace Toronto office to meet with Steve Shallhorn Canada’s Nuclear Free Seas campaigner. Steve got straight to the point: he wanted me to plan an action in Ottawa in a few weeks. IContinue reading “Nuclear Subs Deep Trouble”
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