photographer
Toronto, Canada
- About me
Things I value:
- rigorous thinking
- independent analysis
- fair play
- open-minded curiosity
- courtesy and respect
Things I abhor:
- hysteria
- dogma
- intellectual laziness
- navel-gazing
NEW BOOK PROJECT
Working title: Not So Fast: 10 Things You Need to Know About the Global Warming Debate. History is littered with ideas that were once aggressively promoted and widely believed, only to be rejected as absurd a few decades later. Eugenics, prohibition, lobotomies were all supported by scientific luminaries of their day. Not being a scientist, I'm not equipped to evaluate the mountains of global warming research directly. What I am in a position to assess are the arguments various folks construct to support their positions. The global warming debate is as much about rhetoric and persuasion as it is about science. People who act like bullies, who behave as though measured, respectful dialogue is beneath them, shouldn't be surprised when the rest of us decline to trust their judgment.
The website NOconsensus.org is a kind of notebook of my thoughts and observations as I research my way through this daunting subject. If the topic interests you, stop by for a visit. My 2-minute YouTube video, This Is Not Fair Play, may be seen here. NOconsensus is also on Twitter.
PHOTOGRAPHY
Since August 2007, I've uploaded a new photo gallery every Monday to my website, TripodGirl.com. All these images have been formatted as free PC wallpaper. Transform your computer monitor into an art canvas by trying out a new one often.
High-resolution images are necessary to produce quality printed photos and art prints, but the low-res versions available at TripodGirl.com have little commercial value. I'm therefore happy to share them. Students and private individuals are encouraged to use them in school assignments, extra-curricular activities, art and crafts projects, etc.
AFFILIATIONS
Generally speaking, I'm not a joiner. I've never belonged to a political party. In my experience, Left-wing and Right-wing politics are pretty much mirror images of each other. I've seen folks on both sides of the spectrum twist facts to make them fit their world view. In the the blogosphere, I'm repelled by the narrow-minded vitriol on all sides of too many debates.
I'm an intellectual free spirit. I make up my mind on issues based on their individual merits. I'm pro-choice, support gay marriage, believe illicit drugs and prostitution should be decriminalized, and oppose the death penalty. I hold a degree in women's studies and consider myself a feminist. I also support the rights of divorced fathers and have criticized the mismanagement of women's shelters.
Separation of church and state is, in my view, imperative. I'm respectful toward people of faith, but am personally an atheist. I'm skeptical of global warming theory and am the founder of NOconsensus.org, a website examining this issue. I think capitalism, globalization, and biotechnology are the best way to cure widespread poverty on this planet.
Between 1993 and 2001 I was a member of the board of directors of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association. I believe most of all in freedom of expression - and the right of individuals to make their own choices.
JOURNALISM
Prior to 2002, I wrote news features, weekly columns, and daily editorials for the National Post, Globe & Mail, Toronto Star, Chatelaine, Toronto Life and other publications.
As a journalist, I had little interest in covering a story that had already been told a hundred times. I sought out stories that had yet to receive widespread attention, that revealed something new about the world. As a columnist, I attempted to challenge readers' assumptions, rather than reinforce their preconceptions.
As a result, I often found myself championing unpopular causes. After Guy Paul Morin was wrongly convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison in 1992, most journalists forgot about him. I used my weekly freelance op-ed column in the Toronto Star to expose the flawed forensic science that led to his conviction. (He was exonerated via DNA testing in 1995 and eventually financially compensated.)
My undergraduate degree in Women's Studies trained me to see the world through a gender lens. Eventually, though, this led me to ask questions such as: If it's a man's world, why do four times as many young men commit suicide as young women?
In early 1996, my book, The Princess at the Window: A New Gender Morality, was published by Penguin Canada. The person who wrote that book has continued to evolve. There are, no doubt, numerous passages I'd write differently today. Nevertheless, I stand by the book's main argument: that the North American women's movement of the 1980s and 1990s had become "extremist, self-obsessed, arrogant and intolerant."
- Companies I've worked for
- National Post (1998-2001); Toronto Star (op-ed columnist 1992-96)
- Schools I've attended
- University of Toronto (1989)
