A Taylor Swift fan took the brave position of calling out the beloved superstar, and everyone else involved, for the death of Ana Clara and many in need of medical attention at her concert Friday night in Rio: “First of all, Taylor made sure fans had water during the show.
Continue readingTag: responsibility
A Puff of Absurdity: We’re Mutant Enablers
A friend said, “I watch the numbers. I’ll start to mask again when cases get high. People who are sick should wear a mask.” And that, my friends, is why Covid will never go away. Absolutely people who are sick should wear a mask. But that statement misses the vitally important
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: Kenny: Rights and Responsibilities During a Pandemic
Last week when Alberta’s covid infection rate spiked to record highs, the positive-test rate climbed to 10.5%, and doctors across the province begged for more restrictive public health measures to avoid the refrigerator trucks, Mr Kenney appeared on Facebook to answer questions about the restrictions he had imposed on Nov
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: The Inanity of Pop Culture and Adultolescence – Kristine Mattis
“About ten years ago an acquaintance of mine introduced me to the term “adultolescence.” As he was recently divorced, had no children, and was not wanting for anything monetarily, he basked in reliving adolescent tendencies of embracing pop culture, faddish consumerism, and other trivialities as a middle-aged man. In short,
Continue readingScripturient: Blue bin blues
Every Monday it’s the same thing. I walk my dog along local streets, past the blue bins put out on the curb by residents, bins stuffed with content meant for recycling. Two bins are provided to every household: one for recyclable plastics and glass, the other for paper and cardboard.
Continue readingA Puff of Absurdity: So NOW What? On Power and Sexual Abuse and the Culture of Celebrity
A little over year ago, when I first heard about Louis CK’s abuse of power, I was going to write a post suggesting he might actually be the guy able to fess up, apologize sincerely, and lead the way for other men to admit to their abusive behaviours. I’m a
Continue readingThings Are Good: Good Companies Have Good Indigenous Relations
With greater awareness of environmental and social issues investors have asked companies to report on how their activities impact communities. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) reports are standard for large corporations nowadays which let investors (and interested parties) see what the company has been up to reconcile any negative impacts the
Continue readingA Puff of Absurdity: On Comparing Existentialism and Stoicism
This summer, I went on one camping trip with a book on Stoicism, then another camping trip with a book on Existentialism, and I was intrigued by the many similarities. Then I came across this video that has some overlap with what I had noticed. As they say in the video,
Continue readingScripturient: Saunderson shirks his responsibility to taxpayers
The town’s budget is by far the single most important thing elected officials have to manage. It’s complicated, affects everyone in town, reaches into every department, ranges through services, user fees, and ultimately determines the quality of life for everyone here. It is the one thing that demands the full
Continue readingA Puff of Absurdity: Eco-Hypocrites: Flights of the Anti-Flyers
I was just contemplating my own hypocrisy when I came across this NYTimes Op Ed on hypocrisy. Likely I’m not the only one in this position of explaining away, or coming to terms with, behaviour very contrary to my ethics. I’ve written before that nobody should board an aircraft for a luxury
Continue readingA Puff of Absurdity: Eco-Hypocrites: Flights of the Anti-Flyers
I was just contemplating this very idea when I came across this NYTimes Op Ed on hypocrisy. Likely I’m not the only one in this position of explaining away, or coming to terms with, behaviour very contrary to my ethics. I’ve written before that nobody should board an aircraft for a luxury
Continue readingA Puff of Absurdity: What Happens in the Arctic, Doesn’t Stay in the Arctic
There are more and more signs of climate change about to pull a number on us, but we still won’t listen. We’ve got ammonia in our atmosphere and a spike in methane concentrations: “CO2 is still the dominant target for mitigation, for good reason. But we run the risk if we
Continue readingA Puff of Absurdity: What Happens in the Arctic, Doesn’t Stay in the Arctic
There are more and more signs of climate change about to pull a number on us, but we still won’t listen. We’ve got ammonia in our atmosphere and a spike in methane concentrations: “CO2 is still the dominant target for mitigation, for good reason. But we run the risk if we
Continue readingA Puff of Absurdity: On Appropriation
I’m teaching First Nations in Canada this semester, and it’s a bit of a challenge for me. I spent 7 years in school studying philosophy and social sciences – all from a western European point of view, so I feel confident teaching those subjects from t…
Continue readingA Puff of Absurdity: On Guilt and Responsibility
I grew up in a family with a strong work ethic. You couldn’t read the comics until you finished the world news first. Sitting to do anything other than read something educational or literary wasn’t acceptable. We were made to feel guilty for every minute we wasted. Since childhood, I’ve
Continue readingA Puff of Absurdity: Upset Them at Your Peril
Professor Edward Schlosser wrote an interesting piece in Vox about, in part, the power his students have to call the shots these days. I can attest that it’s at best, defeating, and at worst, absolutely terrifying. First of all, to clarify, my students are typically a delight, but the current
Continue readingA Puff of Absurdity: On Words and Virtue
Scott Long wrote an excellent article separating the act of supporting free speech from the act of supporting the words and images created by Charlie Hebdo. But I disagree with this one bit: “Words don’t kill…” As I said in a comment there, too many young people have lost lives
Continue readingChristy's Houseful of Chaos » politics: mainly thoughts about freedom
After a couple more days of chaos and business, I have time again to sit and think. Hurray! I think back to Sunday, and taking my children to church. I remember how my most high strung child ended up sitting between a woman he barely knows and me, and how
Continue readingA Puff of Absurdity: Paternity Rights in Rape Cases
It’s an interesting moral dilemma to have a judge decide a child has access to a father when the only contact the mother and father had was a sexual assault producing this child. This isn’t entirely the story here. In this article, it could be a case of statutory rape.
Continue readingTHE FIFTH COLUMN: The George Zimmerman Verdict: How Does an Aggressor Successfully Argue Self Defence
After my initial shock at hearing the verdict and my attempt to rationalize it I have further reflected on the verdict. Perhaps it all comes down to the difference between Canadian and Floridian/American attitudes to vigilantism. I consider myself to be a reasonable man and my interpretation of self defence
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