Don Thompson
Don Thompson, an American awaiting Canadian citizenship, lives in Vernon and in Florida. In a career that spans more than 40 years, Don has been a working journalist, a speechwriter and the CEO of an advertising and public relations firm. A passionate and compassionate man, he loves the written word as much as fine dinners with great wines. His essays - a blend of news reporting and opinion - will appear weekly under the title, This, That and the Other.
THOMPSON: Reflections on becoming an ‘old man’
OPINION Last month I turned 73 years old. Just to be clear, I don’t consider…
THOMPSON: Lamenting the disappearance of cursive writing
OPINION I miss cursive writing. Actually, I even cringe when reading an adult’s note “written”…
THOMPSON: Why the simple act of smiling could extend your life
OPINION How much do you smile? We’ve all heard that it takes more muscles to…
THOMPSON: Take a culinary trip down memory lane to the 50s and 60s
OPINION Those of you who grew up in the 50s and 60s will get this,…
THOMPSON: The dark history of Vernon’s First World War internment camp
OPINION Squirrelled away in some attic or basement there might be official government documents, photos…
THOMPSON: Rebuilding begins in Florida after Hurricane Idalia
OPINION Walking along streets in towns devastated by hurricanes is not new to me. I…
THOMPSON: Donald Trump will have no place to hide in a court of law
OPINION A lawyer defending former president Donald Trump in any of the four trials charging…
THOMPSON: Firefighters, the brave men and women on the frontlines
OPINION We suffer from wildfires almost every Summer here in the Okanagan, but that doesn’t…
THOMPSON: Systemic racism alive and well in America
OPINION A uniform, badge and gun mean one thing in America if you’re white, and…
THOMPSON: Republican Party wants to return America to the ‘good ole days’
OPINION Americans need to get out more, or more accurately, Republicans need to get out…
THOMPSON: Underground temperatures an important factor in climate change
OPINION If your house was on fire the immediacy of that threat would make you…
THOMPSON: What we can learn about injustice from the Alex Murdaugh case
OPINION Ask a dozen people what justice means, and you might hear a dozen different…
THOMPSON: Remembering legendary crooner Tony Bennett
OPINION When I lived and worked in New York City during the 1970s and 1980s,…
THOMPSON: Ron DeSantis has shown us who he is
OPINION I have never met Ron DeSantis, Florida’s Republican governor. But I know him, oh,…
THOMPSON: Why you should be exercising your sense of smell
OPINION What your nose knows brings forth vibrant memories, more so than your eyes, your…