It is likely that any article written by a white male journalist that starts with a title like “See the veil for what it is” would raise my hackles. So when I saw the article today I had a bit of a reflexive response: here’s another white guy, with little demonstrated understanding of women’s issues, feminism, or Islam, about to tell us what the veil really is.
I love the portrayal of Richard Stallman in this short history of Linux by the Linux Foundation. Going strong since 1991.
I was listening to As It Happens on my way downtown on Wednesday, and overheard an interview with Charles McVety. I recommend listening to the interview. It’s about ten minutes. It’s worth a listen.
On November 30th, Derek Abma wrote an article for the National Post, claiming that the journal Nature, and one of it’s authors, Elliot Diringer, was recommending that we let the Kyoto accord die. While the article gets many small facts and half truths right, Abma manages to misrepresent the essential argument by Diringer. But that’s…
Went to a public forum last night to hear about fracking in Northeastern BC. I thought I already knew how bad hydraulic fracturing and shale gas extraction are. But there is nothing quite like having graphs and maps enriched by honest, heartfelt stories, told by real breathing humans…
Some time ago, I published a poster as a reference for folks, such as myself, who are not texting saavy. This post continues to get visits pretty much every day, which is cool. Over the summer, I noticed that the poster still gets some attention and decided to launch a text abbreviation reference website on this basis…
I don’t make a habit of reading the National Post. It’s what Conservative Party members read. But I did see an article from Friday, November 4. It was on page three. I was immediately struck by the overt racism and decided to try to engage the author, Scott Stinson, by Twitter…
Democracy is not a single style of governance. Democracy is not simply about having elections. Democracies come in many colours and fashions. Democracy is a matter of degree and dimension…
For anyone that hasn’t heard, John Crosbie told a joke about a Pakistani suicide bomber last week. Strangely, it occurred at the inauguration of his new position as Lieutenant Governor General of Newfoundland and Labrador. The joke was racist. The provincial government of Newfoundland has admonished Crosbie, saying the joke was inappropriate. But they came…
This piece by Jay Smooth at Illdoctrine is awesome. It’s a three card monty. And the big media spokes people are shills, ringers and ropers. You can also check out the latest news about the People’s Assembly of Victoria.
I have a warm fuzzy place in my heart for the engineers and other technical specialists with a penchant for math and a lack of understanding of social nuance, connotation or tone. Heck, in many contexts, I’m the ignorant cis white guy that doesn’t understand the impact that my language choices have on others. But I…
Given my interest in science, public relations, web design and climate change, I have been thinking for a while about building a site with some social and moral relevance to the world I inhabit. I have been building a website about climate change soundbites.
This short video features Kim Cairns speaking about the joys of working with clients on their emotional intelligence skills.
I was recently asked on Twitter what the difference is between Santa Claus and the orbital model of the atom. It was asked in a way, that suggested there was no difference, so I thought it must be humour. But now I think it wasn’t.
Some recent blog posts about bias and hypocrisy have got me thinking about how the heck we know stuff. How the heck do we know stuff? What counts as justification for our beliefs. And why are we wrong so often? These are questions that get me riled. They always have…
AMERICAN HUMANE monitored the animal action. No animals were harmed.
The National Post has a decidedly denialist narrative. Do a search for “National Post climate change” and you get a series of articles on the brave scientists “bucking the conventional wisdom.” Or, if you prefer the second choice, you get a series of article tagged “climate change” by Peter Foster, Lorne Gunter and Rex Murphy:…
I’ve been a big fan of Skeptic Magazine for many years. And I am a big fan of science. My thesis was about, in part, science and the philosophy of science. I have some science training and I have some understanding for the way various institutions of science operate.1 I say all of this because…
Folks have always understood that the various news outlets have brands. But I think this understanding has been superficial.
I’ve created this section of my personal blog with the intention of taking more photos on my cell phone and share them in real or almost real time. I take a fair portion of photos with a better camera but I’ve found that I’m less inclined to publish them to the web. And I enjoy…
Nice animation and a bit of news about the good work that Avaaz is doing…
Multi-Health Systems Inc. recently honoured, our company, The Emotional Intelligence Training Company Inc. with an award…
If you don’t know the name, Brigette DePape, you should. She risked, and lost, her job to say what most Canadians believe. Maude Barlow thinks she is “courageous and committed.” Elizabeth May thought that she undertook an act of personal courage. And, importantly, DePape’s press release and other publications are thoughtful and articulate. But my…
I went out dancing last night at Lucky bar. At the door, I was asked for my driver’s license. My license was scanned, my personal information was inputted into a database and instantly shared with the other night clubs…
