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: Keep it simple
OPINION I've always loved words…a passion that comes in handy as a writer. Between third…

THOMPSON: The grand semi-annual adventure
OPINION Some of our family and friends say we're nuts. They say this because my…

THOMPSON: The HeroRATS of Africa sniff out landmines
OPINION Almost every week, my older brother, Clark, emails me some offbeat story or photo…

THOMPSON: Trump is a liar
OPINION Donald J. Trump, the 45th President of the United States, is a liar. One…

THOMPSON: Two men and the fragility of human life
OPINION Two men. One, I knew. The other, I never met. While neither realized it,…

THOMPSON: Do we live in the most dangerous times?
OPINION We live in the most dangerous times ever. You hear people say that, but…

THOMPSON: The trouble with tools
OPINION I'm not particularly handy with tools. My brother is, and so is my sister.…