Propaganda, PR and Spin
What is propaganda? The word gets thrown around easily by people who obviously mean “anything we dislike or don’t agree with.” It’s a pejorative often used by a small group…
critical thinking
The chemtrail conspiracy nonsense
Scientists need not apply for membership in the Chemtrail Conspiracy. In fact, scientists will probably be booted out for even walking on the same street where the meeting is being…
What’s this nonsense about mushrooms?
In the middle of a video parody on YouTube that skewers council on our new rec facilities, there’s a comment about “the mushroom farm debacle.” It then goes on, rather…
It’s snowing, snowing, snowing…
I was looking outside today as the snow fell in Collingwood (-11C when we awoke, -10C when I first walked my dog…) and thinking of my brother-in-law in England, where…
More Machiavellian Misquotes
Machiavelli today is known to many by sayings that aren’t actually his; pseudo-quotations or mis-attributed sayings that appear on slovenly, un-moderated, un-verified websites that do an enormous disservice to everyone…
The Bedside Library
When the books stacked beside the bed get tall enough to hold not only a cup of tea at easy reach, but a plate of toast with no threat of…
What I Really Want For Christmas…
Were I given to the Christmas flights of fancy that prompt people to compile impossible wish lists that usually include a desire for world peace, the end of disease, and…
The Taint of Ideology
Although I’m sure that I frequently fall victim to it, I am deeply offended by lazy thinking, our seemingly endless capacity to fall back on ideological bromides as a substitute…
A Humbling Lesson About Critical Thinking
I am going to be offline for a few days as I join two of my fellow retirees on a trek to Algonquin Park, so I leave you with the…
An Embargo On Ideas In The Offing?
One of the pleasures of my retired life is getting together for coffee on a regular basis with my friend Ray, a retired vice-principal and one of the rare ‘good-guys’…
Mainstream Media’s Silencing of Important Voices
Probably two of the most important voices challenging the status quo today are rarely if ever granted access to mainstream media anymore. Both highly respected, Pulitzer Prize winner and former…
What The Extreme Right Doesn’t Want Us To Think About
Although it hardly qualifies as a startling or original insight, something occurred to me this morning as I was reading my Sunday Star. Two front page items, one about the…
The Economy And The People
Several years ago, while he was still writing for Canada’s self-proclaimed ‘newspaper of record,’ Rick Salutin wrote a column entitled something like, The economy is doing fine, the people not…
What is Truth?
An age-old question without a firm answer, it is one I find myself regularly pondering as I continue striving toward an ideal I know will never attain, that of being…
What Do Bumper Stickers Reveal About Us? Part 2
I recently wrote a post entitled, What Do Bumper Stickers Reveal About Us? Part 1, in which I contemplated the implications of the one that reads: If You Don’t Stand…
The Purpose of Education
As a retired teacher who spent 30 years in the classroom, I long ago recognized how crucial the development of critical-thinking skills is to a good education. During my career,…
And the point is?
After a few years practicing being a social commenter I have come to one certain conclusion. I should probably have my fucking head examined! Grief, that’s what you mostly get.…
Nurse, Interrupted
A pretty interesting video from Beth Boynton RN on what I call status interrupticus, the incessant and often needless interruptions nurses deal with when performing duties requiring critical thinking and…
Where In The World Is This?
What follows is a series of pictures, the link to which my son Matthew sent me. They are all pictures of the same country, the last one offering you the…