Category Archives: Wisdom

Brazilian Inmates Can Read Books To Shorten Their Sentences (Not So Much in The US)

This is a pretty cool, innovative program with a lot of potential to pay ongoing dividends. And of course, the US is doing the opposite with prisons in Pennsylvania where inmates are no longer being allowed any form of print book sent by family members or charities but they can buy overpriced, overly restricted ebooks, […]

The Importance of the US Midterm Elections

Good overview of the history and importance of the US’s midterm elections, coming to a state near you in one month!  

Music Monday – “It’s not such a scary time for boys/They’ve always had the upper hand, they’ve always had a choice/It’s time for women to rise up, use our collective voice/The day to vote is Nov 6th so let’s go make some noise”

As I type this, Democrats have a 75% chance of taking the House of Representatives and a 20% chance of taking the Senate in the US midterm elections which happen in just under a month. In the wake of the Brett Kavanaugh decision, here’s hoping that women (and men who recognize the injustice that was done […]

Saturday Snap – Happy Thanksgiving!

Went out to Indian Head today for an early Thanksgiving supper with Shea’s parents and my parents plus us and the kids. And since it’s that time of the year, here’s a list… 10 Things I’m Thankful For That we get to have Thanksgiving supper with all four grandparents.  Many people I know aren’t so […]

Friday Fun Link – Minimal Turing Test

In computer science, the Turing Test is intended to tell if you can differentiate between who is human and who is a computer programmed to model human-like conversation in a text exchange between the two. The Turing test, developed by Alan Turing in 1950, is a test of a machine’s ability to exhibit intelligent behavior equivalent to, or indistinguishable from, […]

Secular Sunday – Happy Blasphemy Day!

Apparently it’s International Blasphemy Day. Borrowed from an atheist I know on Facebook, here’s some self-criticism of some of atheism’s “untouchables” which I (mostly) agree with… In honour of International Blasphemy Day: Christopher Hitchens was an over-rated warmonger. Sam Harris frequently comes to conclusions first and then tries forcing the evidence to fit those conclusions. […]

Music Monday – “Well, the hives are gone/I’ve lost my bees/The chickens are sleeping/In the willow trees/Cow’s in water up past her knees/Three feet high and rising”

Frightening: “We’re Moving to Higher Ground” – America’s Era of Climate-Inspired Mass Migration is Here “Five Feet High and Rising” – Johnny Cash

Secular Sunday – How Secular Family Values Stack Up

Especially with what we’re seeing in the States with an alleged pedophile endorsing an accused rapist [edit: Kavanagh’s story is blowing up tonight with two new accusers coming forward and *way* worse allegations] who was picked by a serial adulterer (among Trump’s many other mortal sins) – all as part of the party of “family values” – […]

Minor Milestones While Recovering From Breaking The Scaphoid Bone In My Wrist

It’s weird how much we take having two working hands for granted. Since breaking my wrist at the end of July, it’s been a series of minor milestones – from my first appointment with my family doctor a few days after the surgery where he changed my dressing on through things like being told I […]

Secular Sunday – Religion Is Increasingly Seen As Doing More Harm Than Good By Canadians

Even as an atheist, I’m pretty surprised that over half of the respondents to this survey said that religion is doing more harm than good in the world, up from 44% in 2011.