Thoughtful commentators to the Smithsonian and BBC recently “recommended limiting video calls to only those that are necessary. Petriglieri adds that positioning the video screen to your side may make it feel like you’re in a nearby room instead of under scrutiny. University of Québec psychologist Claude Normand tells National
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Writings of J. Todd Ring: Unplug: Nine Weeks To Basic Clarity
Important, extremely useful books here. A brain washing, in the sense of clearing away the fog and gaining some clarity and perspective, is critically needed, now more than ever. What Huxley and Orwell warned of is here. We need to read, reflect, and disconnect from the mediadrug. Shut off the
Continue readingWritings of J. Todd Ring: Rules For Good Communication – Both In Writing, and Verbally, and In The Arts (Along with core points on the philosophy of language, knowledge, perception, consciousness, ontology and epistemology, and the nature of being and reality – and lessons on how not to be long-winded!)
Here are a few thoughts on writing and verbal communication, and all forms of communication. As an author, writer, reader, lover of books, and philosopher, I believe I have some potentially helpful thoughts to share on the subject, though my own communications are not without faults themselves. I am no
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Docs fight Alberta pay cuts in court, seeking $250 million, while battling COVID-19 on the front lines of health care
Yesterday morning, Christine Molnar, president of the Alberta Medical Association, announced that the province’s doctors are launching a constitutional challenge and seeking $250 million in compensation from the United Conservative Party Government for the way it tore up their contract two months ago. Yesterday afternoon, Health Minister Tyler Shandro showed
Continue readingWritings of J. Todd Ring: Welcome To The Brave New World
Speaking of censorious scrupulosity…. While censorship is rising rapidly, with Google, Facebook and Twitter, as well as the major media, controlling and restricting what people can see or read, say or share; Facebook is now blocking me from posting my own essays from my blog to my Farcebook page. Welcome
Continue readingWritings of J. Todd Ring: “It Depends Who You Talk To” – Relativism, Nihilism & Mass Insanity
Let’s get some things out of the way, right from the start. Our society is insane. Fromm was right, and there is no doubt about it. Illusions, delusion, lies and half-truths, distortions of the truth, avoidance of reality, denial, psychological numbness, narcissism and disociation are all epidemic. That is in
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: Why DS9 is the Best Star Trek Series – In the Pale Moonlight – “I can live with it”.
I forewarn you, if you are about to start the DS9 series, you will have to persevere through the first season, as the cast and writing crew had not found their sea legs yet. But after season one (arguably) the show really started to cement in the story arcs that
Continue readingWritings of J. Todd Ring: Flash-Drive Revolution – AND – Who To Trust?
Amidst Protests, Uprisings, Simmering Revolt and Revolution, and A New Renaissance Emerging, vs Reactionary Efforts of The Establishment Powers of Entrenched Global Neo-Feudal Corporate Oligarchy To Resist Change, and To Consolidate Their Power Who Can We Trust, Who Is Worthy of Support, and Who Can Put Things Into Perspective?
Continue readingWritings of J. Todd Ring: The Sins of Assange
“Assange’s arrest represents an abuse of power, highlighting not only how true journalism has now been banished in the West, but also how politicians, journalists, news agencies and think-tanks collude with each other to silence people like Julian Assange and his Wikileaks foundation who are a nuisance to US imperialism.
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Conventional Wisdom!
A public health emergency demands that we unite mindlessly behind the government which deliberately mocked it, utterly failed to prepare us, and is now prohibiting anybody from taking stronger action.
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Civility Police, Arrest This Man
Sure, it’s common knowledge (at least among those not politically motivated to the contrary) that supervised consumption sites save lives. And it’s true that it’s a matter of government choice whether those sites get funded. But that doesn’t mean we can abide anybody pointing out that life-and-death choices – and
Continue readingWritings of J. Todd Ring: Media Analysis & Research 101: Assessing Sources
“Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense.” – the Buddha ~ * ~ People need to learn how to evaluate sources. For example, the New England
Continue readingWritings of J. Todd Ring: “Alternative Media” Failure
To the “alternative” media, I would say this – as well as to the readers, who need to be more critical, not just of the major media, but to supposed alternatives, as well. I would not play into the fear-mongering of the neoliberal fascists – who control most major media,
Continue readingWritings of J. Todd Ring: Turn Off The Propaganda Machine
This week’s cover story of the world’s leading trend analysis institute: very fitting, dead on the money, as usual. As I keep saying, turn off the state and corporate “news”. It’s not news. It’s 80% propaganda, 19% filler and fluff, and 1% useful information. Turn it off. Look for better,
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Tuesday Morning Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading. – Christiana Figueres and Tom Rivett-Carnac offer a stark look at the plausible worst-case scenario for a climate breakdown over just the next thirty years. And Zarah Sultana argues that in the UK (as elsewhere), we need to demand transformative politics to respond
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Alberta War Room finally lets loose a salvo … then hastily retreats
For a moment yesterday, it almost seemed as if Alberta’s $30-million-a-year Energy War Room was finally going to live up to its pugnacious nickname and make war on the “enemies of Alberta” and their campaign of “lies and disinformation” about the cleanest, most rule-of-law-abiding, most democratic oil in the whole
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Inside Jason Kenney’s troll factory: the UCP propaganda ecosystem goes after Alberta’s registered nurses
The president of the Alberta Federation of Labour called out the Canadian Taxpayers Federation yesterday for the partisan role it plays supporting of the Kenney Government’s contract demands in negotiations with the union that represents the province’s front-line registered nurses. Calling the CTF “a secretive anti-union lobby group,” Gil McGowan
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Wednesday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading. – John Clarke writes about the war on people living in poverty arising out of needless austerity: The OCAP years have seen the abandonment of social housing by governments, the elimination of the Canada Assistance Plan (CAP), Tory cutbacks that compare to those of
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Wednesday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading. – Joseph Stiglitz, Todd Tucker and Gabriel Zucman write about the need for governments to bring in sufficient revenue to act in the public interest. And Sophie Alexander points out some of the millionaires who want their class to contribute their fair share. –
Continue readingAlberta Politics: France is in turmoil and all we hear is crickets — what gives?
France is in turmoil and all we hear is crickets. What gives? The government of President Emmanuel Macron has introduced a scheme to overhaul pensions and retirement benefits for many workers, done as usual in the name of reform, rationalization and simplification. For most French workers, though, it will result
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