Social Order & Disorder – Page 16

Taking words out of context

Council, along with the media, the auditor general, the CBC, our MP and MPP,and a few others, were recently sent a letter complaining about council’s decision to build new, year-round recreational facilities without raising taxes. Fair enough. Everyone has the right to write letters. We’re open to public criticism, even after the issue has been decided, contracts signed, and council (and most of the town) has moved on. You can read the letter on the EEU. The letter contains two quotes – both by dead Americans – to open and close the letter. Because I am a bit of a quote-authenticity fanatic (see my other ……… click below for more ↓

The Erosion of Civil Debate

2012-09-21 2012-09-21 Books & Reviews / Canadian Politics / Collingwood / Municipal Politics / Personal Reminiscences / Social Order & DisorderOne Comment

I’ve been dismayed by the tone of the recent debate over the town’s proposed and new recreational facilities. Not by the debate itself – I love the engagement and interaction, even arguing because it’s intellectually stimulating – but rather by what has become an increasingly strident, angry, confrontational and personal tone in many of the comments council has received, or which have been directed towards council. I’m disappointed because I know we, as Canadians, can have rational, calm, thoughtful debate without rancour, without resorting to insults and name-calling, without raising our voices in anger, without resorting to gossip and rumour ……… click below for more ↓

Should you run for municipal council?

2012-09-11 2012-09-11 Collingwood / Media Issues / Municipal Politics5 Comments

There’s a poll online asking if a resident should run for council next election. I believe I understand the intent, but decision-making by poll is not effective leadership. Internet polls, in particular, are weak, inaccurate, easily manipulated, and ignore necessary demographic constraints – they are unacceptable as the foundation for any serious decision. Sure, you want public input for major issues, and you are legislated to get it on some planning matters. Council tries very hard to be as open and transparent as possible. But in the end, you get elected to make decisions. You can’t keep deferring while you ……… click below for more ↓

Do “psychics” make you laugh or cry?

2012-09-10 2012-09-10 Balderdash & Hoaxes / Faith / Religion / Social Order & DisorderLeave a comment

A small handout for a local “psychic studio” that arrived in my mailbox offers “Superior PSYCHIC and Spiritual Cleanser.” I never know whether to laugh at the silliness of these people or cry over how they continue to bilk gullible, superstitious fools. We are still so Medieval in our thinking, in so many ways. Here’s an entire “studio” – apparently a one-stop shopping centre for balderdash where you can go and get all your superstitions cleansed, or whatever it is they do (aside, that is, from cleansing your wallet…). Apparently having a “studio” is all the rage among “psychics.” You ……… click below for more ↓

Yet More Quotes with False Attributions

2012-07-13 2012-07-13 Balderdash & Hoaxes / Books & Reviews / Language & Grammar / Memes; Internet & Social6 Comments

It seems a good week for mis-attributed Francis of Assisi quotes. Someone on Facebook posted an image with the following quote: “He who works with his hands is a laborer. He who works with his hands and his head is a craftsman. He who works with his hands and his head and his heart is an artist. St. Francis of Assisi” That’s simply “Francis of “Assisi” for the non-Catholics among us, of course. But even without the questionable transformation of mortal flesh into an immortal, supernatural being, Francis didn’t write those words. This quote was written by Louis Nizer, an ……… click below for more ↓

And again, more mis-attributed quotes online

2012-07-04 2017-01-17 Arts / Balderdash & Hoaxes / Books & Reviews / Memes; Internet & Social5 Comments

“It’s easier to fool people than to convince them they have been fooled.” Allegedly by Mark Twain, but unlikely, and not found in any published source I have of Twain’s quotations. Online sources, of course, don’t count as authorities because they lack all credibility. As one person commented on Yahoo, The fact that “Quora attributes it to him” is worthless. Quora is yet another one of those idiotic “quote websites” that misquote and misattribute things all the time. Note that Quora doesn’t bother to give an actual citation — what book was it from, what page, etc. Without a full ……… click below for more ↓

The Decline of Information Quality

2012-06-19 2012-06-19 Arts / Balderdash & Hoaxes / Media Issues / Memes; Internet & Social / Social Order & Disorder / Uncategorized2 Comments

I’ve been troubled the last year or so by the increasing amount of trivial crap that is being presented on media sites as news, rather than what it really is: shallow gossip, pseudoscience, trivia, anecdote, voyeurism and personal experience. As titillating as some glitterati’s wardrobe malfunction might be, it is not front page news. In fact, it isn’t worthy of the description news even when relegated to a more appropriate location, buried deep inside the site. Gossip belongs with the horoscope, cartoons and word-search puzzles. Nor is a cute animal in some anthropomorphic posture news. Kitten and bunny wrestling? Why ……… click below for more ↓

More Facebook Mis-quotes

2012-06-12 2012-06-12 Balderdash & Hoaxes / Language & Grammar / Memes; Internet & Social / Social Order & Disorder2 Comments

Saw three images (“posters”) on Facebook today with “quotes” I’m pretty sure are mis-attributions. As usual, I feel compelled to check out their validity. First is one allegedly by “St. Francis of Assisi.” This would be simply “Francis of Assisi” if you’re not Catholic or don’t believe in saints or canonization. One day I’ll post a blog piece about canonization and its politics, but not now. The quote is: “What we are looking for… is what is looking.” That seems one of those gooey, touchy-feely New Age thoughts, and Francis never said anything even remotely close to that. The late ……… click below for more ↓

Diablo III: Hype or Gaming Excellence?

2012-06-09 2012-06-11 Memes; Internet & Social / Science & TechnologyLeave a comment

The hype was huge and long. Diablo III was rumored, hinted at, promised, delayed, and even denied for years. Then it was embraced when it finally arrived after more than a decade’s hibernation since the success of Diablo II, released in 2000 (and 16 years since the original, released in 1996). Good technique for raking in the money: the anticipation meant huge sales initially. The spammers love it, of course, because it provides a wonderful, accessible platform for scams through its live in-game chat system that allows them to post text ads promising in-game gold and experience points in exchange ……… click below for more ↓

The Tin-Foil Hat Brigade in the Lab

2012-06-02 2012-06-02 Balderdash & Hoaxes / Faith / Memes; Internet & Social / Social Order & Disorder2 Comments

You have to admire science. Nothing is beneath its inquiring eye. When I read that students at Berkley U had seriously investigated the nature of the ubiquitous-in-the-wingnut-community tin foil hats, I had to smile. Once again, science saves the day. Bad news for the wingnuts. While research didn’t prove tin foil hats will stop the aliens from eating your brain, it did suggest that the hats may amplify certain frequencies that may be in the control of either governments or corporate interests. According to the researchers at berkeley.intel-research.net/arahimi/helmet/, The helmets amplify frequency bands that coincide with those allocated to the ……… click below for more ↓

A Pyramid Hoax Reappears on Facebook

2012-05-29 2012-05-29 Atheism & Spirituality / Balderdash & Hoaxes / Memes; Internet & Social / Science & Technology6 Comments

This Facebook headline caught my skeptic’s eye right away: “Energy beam coming from the Bosnian Pyramid of the Sun.” After I finished guffawing at the gullibility of some folks, I decided to spend a little time researching how widespread this silliness had become. As expected, and sad to relate, it was all over the Net. Seems every psychic-New-Age-crystal-therapy-astrology-aura-UFO-conspiracy-theory-Atlantis-Elvis-is-alive obsessed wingnut site has repeated the claims, usually copying and pasting them directly from the original source without even bothering to investigate the claims: A team of physicists detected an energy beam coming through the top of the Bosnian Pyramid of the ……… click below for more ↓

Dogs and dog owners need places to socialize

2012-05-29 2012-05-29 Collingwood / Municipal Politics / Urban Design & GrowthOne Comment

How many dogs live here in Collingwood? No one knows for sure, but we can make some good estimates, based on numerous surveys and national statistics. It’s a lot. Dog owners are a very large special interest group, perhaps larger than any other demographic group in town. I’ve done some research and read many studies on pet populations done since 1996 (like this one from 2001 and this one from 2007). All of the major census figures of the older surveys are consistent with the most recent surveys. Nationally, we have between 35 and 39 percent of homes with one ……… click below for more ↓

A Delightful Farce Called Anonymous

2012-04-29 2012-04-29 Arts / Books & Reviews / History & Biography / Memes; Internet & SocialLeave a comment

Watched a delightful, satirical farce last night, called Anonymous. It’s a spoof about the conspiracy theory that the Earl of Oxford (Edward de Vere) wrote the works of William Shakespeare. This conspiracy notion has a pop following, but lacks significant scholarly and any historical support. Like other conspiracy theories, it has gained ground on the Internet from the simple fact that most people are naturally superstitious and suspicious, and would rather not apply critical thinking or do any serious research to prove or disprove outlandish claims. As theories go, de Vere-as-Shakespeare is up there with the Elvis-is-still-alive, JFK-survived-the-Dallas-shooting or the-American-government-was-behind-the-9/11-attacks. ……… click below for more ↓