In late 1970 I joined a European mining company prospecting in northern Ontario, leading a ground geophysical exploration crew of Quebecois men. These men rarely spoke English so I had to get by on schoolboy French. There were four or five us us: myself and an assistant geophysical operator, and two or three men who…
Hearing Lost, Listening Gained
In March 1969 I learned that I had a severe hearing loss when I applied for a job at International Nickel’s Sudbury mine in Northern Ontario, Canada. I was 20, apparently able-bodied and smart enough to dig ore. I failed to get the job when I failed the hearing test. Presumably my near-deafness was a…
Pom and Pommela (pomme de fair)
While traveling around the world in the mid-80’s I took a contracting job with a geotechnical engineering firm in the United Kingdom. A tall structure was planned at the Canary Wharf redevelopment of the London Docks and it was necessary to learn about the rate that water could enter the foundation caissons. When I joined…
MMMMM/Miserably Meeting Mayall
In 1970 I studied Public Relations at Humber College, a Community College in suburban Toronto, Canada. The program was affiliated with those of Journalism, Marketing, Communications and Broadcasting. As part of their mission, the Broadcasting program started CHBR, one of the first college FM radio stations in Canada. For a brief period I was an…