A Laughing Matter
I got laughed at in the grocery store today. That hasn’t happened in a while. Cases of hospitalizations/day are at their lowest since December 2021 right now, which is fantastic,…
Marie Snyder
Moral Injury and Definition Creep
In a class this week we talked about moral injury, but it was presented and discussed as if it meant any time there’s a clash of values. One of the…
On the Inclusivity of "Queer"
A bit of bell hooks to mark the middle of pride month (from here at 1:27): “All of our lives we’ve experienced ourselves as queer, as not belonging as the…
Climate Conspiracy
Journalist and activist George Monbiot wrote on why we can’t actually explain the problems with certain arguments anymore: Conspiracy fictions have succeeded, as Steve Bannon hoped, in “flooding the zone…
When Hospitals Remove Protections
Dr. Kashif Pirzada wrote yesterday about this graphic from Robbie Meriales from the perspective of a doctor in a hospital in Toronto that’s lifting all mask mandates. “So much truth…
Ideology and Indoctination
We’ve got marches and rallies surfacing, sometimes right outside of schools, with people chanting, “Leave the kids alone” in order to put an end to “gender ideology.” What does this…
We’re Reaping What We’ve Sown
There’s tons of news about all the smoke – so much about the smoke. But I’m finding very little information about the actual fires. We know that firefighters are coming…
Brain Fusion and Long Covid
I can’t find a way to embed this, but a three minute video seen at this link is making the rounds. It’s an interview with Professor Yazi Ke of MacQuarie…
Ontario School Safety
This small but mighty grassroots organization, Ontario School Safety, was at Queen’s Park Wednesday, on Clean Air Day, to plead for clean air in schools and school buses. They unmasked…
Trans Rights are Human Rights
The trans community isn’t safe in Canada, that’s why Pride month is necessary. And there’s no straight month because nobody has ever been discriminated against for being straight! Last week…
Conformity Experiments
This image comes from a century ago, of course. It’s still very hard to be different, but sometimes it’s vital. When I taught a course called the Challenge of Change,…
PSA: Ontario Pollution Concentrations
You can find how much particulate matter is in the air in your community at this link, and air quality index forecasts here. Click on the little graph beside the…
On Track for Privatization
A couple weeks ago, Texas came very close to passing a bill defunding public education: a “school choice” bill that would provide vouchers for parents to be able to “use…
Spot the Difference!
Which crowd would you feel safer in, especially with wastewater levels of Covid very high and in an upward trend in places, and no longer being monitored elsewhere! Here’s the…
Graphic Response to Mask Removal in Hospitals
Dr. Evonne Curran sent a 3,000 word letter to the medical authorities in Scotland because “prevention is primary, and our job is to keep people safe. Withdrawing masks in hospitals…
Rough-Cut Research Peer-Review: On Remote Work
One more thread to be saved before I write something of my own; this time it’s James Heathers‘ scathing take down of Talia Varley’s article in the Globe and Mail.…
Ely’s Long Covid Disability Roulette
The Washington Post put out a free article about a new study that defines long Covid. They identify 12 key symptoms to create a common language on this. The symptoms…
On Keeping Kids "Safe" From Pride
Student Trustee Kenzy Soror wrote an excellent, brief thread on the problem with parents keeping their children home because it’s pride day or month: “I take great concern with the…
Social Identity and Narratives
From Alan Levinoitz: A lot of politics can be explained by ignoring Maslow’s hierarchy and realizing that people care as much about symbolic meaning, a sense of dignity, narratives in…
Why We’re Not Keeping Kids Safe from Covid
I mentioned a bit about McKinnon and Co. in footnote to a recent post on health care privatization, but these threads need a wider audience. I can’t verify any of…