Profile of Gerry Phelan

All articles of Gerry Phelan

• Stolen memories
  An English proverb describes the eyes as the window to the soul. Those words seemed appropriate as I listened intently this week to a reader who ...
• Labrador’s choice
  I wanted to make a plea to the people of Labra­dor, but then I thought, what gives me the right to ask them to stand up for me? After all, for ...
• Your community needs you
  A challenge to a citizen from a sitting town councillor got me thinking. He tweeted, “put your name on the ballot and stay out of the ...
• A pat on the back
  People in uniform often command respect. Years ago, I had a summer job at a hospital, stocking shelves with supplies. Most days I’d go to work in ...
• The premier needs a charisma boost
  Why don’t more of us like Kathy Dunderdale? A convenience store clerk suggested the media is being unfair in its coverage of the Dunderdale ...
• Proceed with caution
  I’m worried, and the events of the past week tell me I should be. The Dunderdale government has made a mess out of its budget cuts, proving again ...
• Let’s hope schools don’t suffer
  We will lose a piece of democracy thanks to the new provincial budget. The decision to reduce the number of school boards from five to two — one ...
• When service sucks
  I don’t mean to seem crooked, but I do feel a little ornery. I just got off the horn with my telephone/Internet/television service provider, and ...
• Let’s talk about elder abuse
  I went back to school last week. That’s what it felt like as I sat in a room with other “getting up there” people. I was learning about elder ...
• Time to resolve the airport stalemate
  The sign reads, “Last washroom for the next 1,000 miles.” Motorists driving on Craig Dobbin’s Way may have thought the warning near the picket ...
• A time for renewal for Catholics
  I don’t think it’s time for a pope in heels, but I do wish I had some say in who will be the next leader of the Roman Catholic Church. Benedict’s ...
• Polls and polarized opinions
  It is what it is. That’s the best way to summarize the fuss about the Tories supposedly influencing online media polls. I heard someone suggest ...
• Feeling powerless
  I felt like a crook as I slithered from room to room in my own house, turning thermostats up just a notch. I boiled and reboiled the kettle, got ...
• Cash headed for oblivion
  This is all about money — the money we have, the money we used to have and the money we hope to have. Let me explain. I didn’t think I’d get ...
• Just rewards
  I’ve always wanted a medal. Try as I may — at sports, journalism, heck, even life in general, that round piece of metal has eluded me. Not that I ...
• Give Burton Winters the legacy he deserves
  A year has passed but the scar remains from the Burton Winters search and rescue snafu. A child freezing to death is a tragedy; not knowing if ...
• Sobering statistics
  I was flabbergasted when I heard that 90,000 potential murderers had been cruising the streets of Canada. Wait — the number is actually more than ...
• Still not sold on Muskrat Falls
  Twelve months ago, I wrote that we were in for a pivotal year. My column on Jan. 6, 2012, said: “Sometime in the second or third quarter of 2012, ...
• Takin’ it to the street
  Everyone loves a parade, which makes me wonder why there aren’t more of them. Santa comes once a year, and we have military marches on Memorial ...
• Share the spirit of the season
  The world will not end today. For months, some people have been preaching that today is the day it all finishes. I didn’t believe it then, and ...
• Put to the test
  It wasn’t exactly Disneyland, but I had a feel-good visit to hospital that I’m itching to tell you about.Well, feel-good is an overstatement, but ...
• Feeling less than empowered
  I’m suffering a little from what I warned others about. I’ve got news fatigue about the Lower Churchill project.But last Thursday night, while I ...
• Mulling over Muskrat Falls
  I’ve thrown a few bricks Kathy Dunderdale’s way, but today, I’ve got to say thanks. She listened to pleas from this writer and others for more ...
• Strength in the eye of the storm
  You can learn a lot from another person’s tragedy. Three weeks ago, as hurricane Sandy barrelled toward New York, I was trying to get into that ...
• Warning labels can go too far
  Who will they come for next? That’s the question that popped into my head when I heard about the latest attempt to combat the obesity epidemic. ...
• Remember all who serve
  He appeared to be in his late 20s, this man in my supermarket line, but it was the military medals hanging from his jacket that caught my eye. ...
• Let the people have their say
  I want a referendum on the Muskrat Falls project. This thing is so big, with so many potential benefits and pitfalls, that we all deserve a ...
• There’s nothing wrong with asking
  I guess just asking questions can touch a nerve, and I rubbed a few last week. My 50 questions on Muskrat Falls wound up seeing me verbally drawn ...
• Many Muskrat questions
  It’s easy being an armchair expert and on Muskrat Falls there are many. We’ve been told there is information overload, but few of us understand ...
• Truly thankful
  What does turkey taste like through a feeding tube? The question might be crass if asked to a stranger, but to a good friend at Thanksgiving, ...