On Memes and Theft
The Guardian has an article about memes, this one in particular, and I love their choice of cover photo: Because it’s not remotely important relative to everything else going on,…
Marie Snyder
On Freud and Einstein’s Correspondence
Lately many people are talking of the rise and fall of Freud’s psychotherapy and his philosophies. Some write him off completely because many of his psychoanalytical claims have been discounted…
On the Absurdist Victory: All is Well
A while back I wrote about a video comparing Stoicism and Existentialism. The video also touched on different psychology principles developed from each philosophy. Stoicism is easily seen in CBT…
On Fascist Movements and Free Speech
Some people are upset because Ryerson cancelled a panel discussion featuring Faith Goldy, of Rebel Media, who openly expresses the belief that Muslims are a problem in our country. A…
Inconceivable! His Dinner with Chomsky
Wallace Shawn sat down for a chat with Noam Chomsky, and here’s what they talked about – slightly abridged and loosely quoted (for clarification purposes) with links. It’s a great…
On Slippery Arguments and Women at Google
You can read most of the infamous Google memo here, and for the record, I don’t think opening up this discussion should be a fireable offence, but I’m just concerned…
On Community, Again
I just read local author Paul Born’s Deepening Community. In places, it’s very close to what I’ve written about in terms of ensuring that we’re kind to one another at…
Prevention as an Ounce of Cure
Here’s an update on what I’ve learned about lymphedema after an ALND. It’s way less scary now that I know how to manage it, but it’s still a drag. It…
On Having the Lowest Graduation Rates
This recent article in my local paper tells us that our region is lowest in the province for graduation rates. ON FIFTH YEAR RATES They worry that “Students who did…
The Plight of the Millennials
Further explanation here. First, a bit about statistical norms and the normal distribution. In social sciences, for something to be considered a statistically significant characteristic of a group, it just…
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.…
Arendt on Revolution and the Necessity of Eradicating Poverty
Hannah Arendt’s essay, “Thoughts on Poverty, Misery, and the Great Revolutions of History,” written in the 1960s, was apparently just recently published for the first time. It continues to be…
Chest Tattoo with a Side of Lymphedema
As a means of healing and prettying up my mastectomy scars, I looked forward to a chest tattoo. I envisioned never wearing a bathing suit top again! After my mastectomy,…
On Regret
I’ve taken many questionable risks in my life. I lean toward leading a life that’s lived fully over a safe and secure existence. Most I bounced back from easily from…
On Wasting Time
I had a brief Facebook conversation with Massimo Pigliucci about my decision to fritter away a morning watching the rain and petting my cat. He said, “It’s up to you…
Paradigm Shift in Climate Change Policy
In the news, Caroline Lucas, in The Guardian says one good policy isn’t enough; we need a paradigm shift: “Rather than simply looking for one headline-grabbing policy, the government should…
Climate Comedies
I caught Al Franken and David Letterman’s Funny or Die series on climate change: Boiling the Frog. It’s vaguely informative and not particularly funny, but fans of either guy might…
On Hedges’ Veganism Claims
Chris Hedges’ recent article, “Eating Our Way to Disease,” largely just advertises the new doc What the Health: “Kip Andersen and Keegan Kuhn—whose documentary Cowspiracy, about the environmental impact of…
Sooner Than You Think
Yesterday’s NYTimes has a lengthy article, “The Uninhabitable Earth,” subtitled, “What Climate Change Could Wreak – Sooner Than You Think.” In a nutshell: “…the swelling seas — and the cities…
On the Year that Kicked My Ass, and That Time My Ass Kicked Back
Well, it’s starting to kick back, ever so slowly. I went on another Wild Women adventure, this time to Georgian Bay to try my hand at kayaking for a change.…