At the whim of a beast

Elizabeth Kolbert writes in this week’s New Yorker about nations’ continuing and worsening habit of pretending to care about climate change amidst mounting, blinding evidence that the planet is in greater and more imminent danger than previously thought. It’s my biggest beef with both apathetic voters who increasingly claim they “hate politics” and politicians who […]

Best to avoid catastrophes

I recently watched a video online filmed from a car driving through one of the latest major wildfires in California. Maybe you saw it too. In the video, which is frightening and difficult to watch, you can hear someone in the car praying out loud for the ultimate safety of the passengers. Often the significance […]

This is going to be a long day

When I’m about to head out on a long morning run, it is daunting, even slightly intimidating. Running is hard. I do not love it. If I’ve been sleeping, my forty-six year old body is stiff from hours of being horizontal and motionless, and at that hour, the thought of exercise just makes me want […]

Speaking of evidence

I’m going to put my educator’s hat on for a minute here. Actually, my educator’s hat is pretty much permanently affixed to my skull at this point, being that we just completed the first week of school and we educators have basically been eating, breathing and sleeping school-related everything since well before the doors opened […]

In the absence of evidence, seek evidence

During times when information is constantly called into question, deemed fake, deemed unreliable, not believed, debunked and discredited, the importance of seeking credible evidence to support our conclusions has never been more explicit. Often, we look to support a position with evidence, yet we find none. Keep searching; whether the evidence you seek supports your […]

You must be absolutely out of your mind

This afternoon I listened to a debate broadcast on CBC between a meat farmer and a vegan advocate. It’s a topic that has long intrigued me, humans who choose to eat meat and those who do not, and it was indeed fun to listen to. Both participants had a lot to say and presented their […]

You are special

Growing up in the 70’s and 80’s, members of the so-called Generation X were the recipients of a comforting message: You are special, you can do anything you want, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. You are special because you are unique. You can do anything you want because you have will power, and […]

Be honest with yourself

Recently an article was brought to my attention that got my goat. Without getting into details (it was education related), the piece had a headline that began with the words “Research Shows…” and indicated that the reader would be surprised to find out what the research concluded, in a “we’ve been wrong all this time” […]