A blog about life as seen by a retired Middle School Science Teacher from California
Author: Bruce Halen
I am a retired Middle School Science Teacher that loves to sing, ride bicycles and write. I am a Unitarian Universalist by religion and thrive on exercise to keep mentally and physically healthy and happy. I am an Ovo-Lacto vegetarian.
Before you go on, an article in the May 8 & May 22, 2021 issue of Science News ran with a cover "Awash in Deception: How science can help us avoid being duped by misinformation." In the lead article titled: "The Battle Against Fake News," Alexandra Witze presents five suggestions on how to debunk bad information. They come from the News Literacy Project (see the above link).
How to Debunk:
1. Arm yourself with media literacy skills, at sites such as the News Literacy Project (newslit.org), to better understand how to spot hoax videos and stories.
2. Don't stigmatize people for holding inaccurate beliefs. Show empathy and respect, or you're more likely to alienate your audience than successfully share accurate information.
3. Translate complicated but true ideas into simple messages that are easy to grasp. Videos, graphics and other visual aids can help.
4. When possible, once you provide a factual alternative to the misinformation, explain the underlying fallacies (such as cherry- picking information, a common tactic of climate change deniers.
5. Mobilize when you see misinformation being shared on social media as soon as possible. If you see something, say something.
"Misinformation is any information that is incorrect, whether due to error or fake news.
"Disinformation is deliberately intended to deceive."
"Propaganda is disinformation with a political agenda."
Sander van der Linden Social Psychologist University of Cambridge
Source: Science News/May 8, 2021 & May 22, 2021
Update: September 22, 2023: This is more important now than ever. Be vigilant and speak in your own way. Love Wins.
In the spirit of how to debunk misinformation and disinformation, I encourage you to examine The Financial Services Forum, The American Accountability Foundation, The Epoch Times, Fox News, and One America Network(OAN), among others, using the media literacy skills taught by the News Literacy Project from #1 above under "How to Debunk." Click on the News Literacy Project link to start your work.
I know that I am not happy with the current state of political discourse in the United States.
I know that race, immigration, issues revolving around the origins of life and the role of women in society each have points that reasonable people can disagree upon.
I know that climate change is real.
I know that the United States has a Constitution to abide by.
I know bullshit when I hear it.
I know my limitations and my strengths.
I know that Americans can disagree without being disagreeable.
I know that authoritarian-run governments don’t like democracy and have infiltrated into the bowels of American institutions of government.
I know that I don’t want to spend one second having my life being ruled from Moscow.
I know that people are inherently good.
I know that good people are capable of doing bad things.
I know that people can change.
I know that Democracy is better than any alternative.
I know that their is plenty of hypocrisy to go around.
I know that the only place for chaos is in nature (entropy).
Before you go on, an article in the May 8 & May 22, 2021 issue of Science News ran with a cover "Awash in Deception: How science can help us avoid being duped by misinformation." In the lead article titled: "The Battle Against Fake News," Alexandra Witze presents five suggestions on how to debunk bad information. They come from the News Literacy Project (see the above link).
How to Debunk:
1. Arm yourself with media literacy skills, at sites such as the News Literacy Project (newslit.org), to better understand how to spot hoax videos and stories.
2. Don't stigmatize people for holding inaccurate beliefs. Show empathy and respect, or you're more likely to alienate your audience than successfully share accurate information.
3. Translate complicated but true ideas into simple messages that are easy to grasp. Videos, graphics and other visual aids can help.
4. When possible, once you provide a factual alternative to the misinformation, explain the underlying fallacies (such as cherry- picking information, a common tactic of climate change deniers.
5. Mobilize when you see misinformation being shared on social media as soon as possible. If you see something, say something.
"Misinformation is any information that is incorrect, whether due to error or fake news.
"Disinformation is deliberately intended to deceive."
"Propaganda is disinformation with a political agenda."
Sander van der Linden Social Psychologist University of Cambridge
Source: Science News/May 8, 2021 & May 22, 2021
Update: September 22, 2023: This is more important now than ever. Be vigilant and speak in your own way. Love Wins.
In the spirit of how to debunk misinformation and disinformation, I encourage you to examine The Financial Services Forum, The American Accountability Foundation, The Epoch Times, Fox News, and One America Network(OAN), among others, using the media literacy skills taught by the News Literacy Project from #1 above under "How to Debunk." Click on the News Literacy Project link to start your work.
Recently I wrote in this space about my experiences in Punta Colonet, a small community in the northern Baja Peninsula of Mexico. It was really about “love made visible” as my church likes to say.
Love is love. You know love when you see it, feel it, experience it. This form of love is the stuff that is the win-win-win kind of love that benefits everyone. It is symbiotic and increases exponentially. Small amounts of it get magnified in ways that we are incapable of understanding yet are linked to by its everlasting power.
Love is the reason for living. Love and the ability of our species to spread it is why our individual impact on the world is important. Each one, teach one. Or each one teach 10 or 20 or 100 or 1000 or a Billion. The power of love is tangible and real. There is nothing about it that can be faked.
The Christian Bible says in Corinthians 13:4–8a (ESV) “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.”
The central tenets of this statement are the blood cells of my blood, the carriers of the oxygen that gives me life, the stuff that guides my thoughts, that formulate my beliefs, that fuel my actions. It is the reason for my passionate beliefs about my fellow human beings, about individual liberty and freedom and the pursuit of values and actions that spread love.
Before you go on, an article in the May 8 & May 22, 2021 issue of Science News ran with a cover "Awash in Deception: How science can help us avoid being duped by misinformation." In the lead article titled: "The Battle Against Fake News," Alexandra Witze presents five suggestions on how to debunk bad information. They come from the News Literacy Project (see the above link).
How to Debunk:
1. Arm yourself with media literacy skills, at sites such as the News Literacy Project (newslit.org), to better understand how to spot hoax videos and stories.
2. Don't stigmatize people for holding inaccurate beliefs. Show empathy and respect, or you're more likely to alienate your audience than successfully share accurate information.
3. Translate complicated but true ideas into simple messages that are easy to grasp. Videos, graphics and other visual aids can help.
4. When possible, once you provide a factual alternative to the misinformation, explain the underlying fallacies (such as cherry- picking information, a common tactic of climate change deniers.
5. Mobilize when you see misinformation being shared on social media as soon as possible. If you see something, say something.
"Misinformation is any information that is incorrect, whether due to error or fake news.
"Disinformation is deliberately intended to deceive."
"Propaganda is disinformation with a political agenda."
Sander van der Linden Social Psychologist University of Cambridge
Source: Science News/May 8, 2021 & May 22, 2021
Update: September 22, 2023: This is more important now than ever. Be vigilant and speak in your own way. Love Wins.
In the spirit of how to debunk misinformation and disinformation, I encourage you to examine The Financial Services Forum, The American Accountability Foundation, The Epoch Times, Fox News, and One America Network(OAN), among others, using the media literacy skills taught by the News Literacy Project from #1 above under "How to Debunk." Click on the News Literacy Project link to start your work.
Anyway, read this article to any degree of detail that you like, but at least consider this before reading my thoughts on Iceland. …”modern liberals hold that the point of government is to remove obstacles that stand in the way of individual freedom.”
My brain is constantly looking at connections between people, ideas, events and places and time. So, here I am again going where my average brain takes me. Again, humor me. That is if I haven’t already scared you off!
On to the most intriguing place that I have ever had the opportunity to visit. Iceland.
Quick Facts:
OFFICIAL NAME: Republic of Iceland. FORM OF GOVERNMENT: Constitutional republic. CAPITAL: ReykjavÃk. POPULATION: 317,000. OFFICIAL LANGUAGE: Icelandic (Others include: English, Nordic languages, German) MONEY: Icelandic króna. AREA: 39,769 square miles (103,001 square kilometers)
Fun Facts:
You can find five, 10, 18, 100 fun facts about Iceland. Here are a few of them: _______________________________
Iceland has no mosquitos (can you guess why?). You can have 23 hours of darkness or 23 hours of sunlight (depending on the season).
It is loaded with Viking history and stories (sagas).
Iceland is constantly growing (It sits on top of an open crack in the Earth's crust)
Iceland and St. Louis, MO have about the same number of people.
Prohibition ended in 1989. Some Icelanders celebrate Beer Day on March 1.
Many Icelanders believe in the "hidden people" (Trolls and Elves)
Very strict gun policy. The Police do not carry guns except for a special force called the Viking Squad. Approximately 90,000 people own guns, but they are primarily used for hunting and sport.
Icelanders enjoy a good quality of life even though they work the longest of any country in Europe (43-44 hours per week).
It's southern-most point is the youngest place on Earth (Surtsey Island was born from 1963-67).
11% of Iceland is covered by ice. Story has it that the Vikings named the relatively hospitable island "Iceland" to discourage anyone else from coming here.
Psst: There are lots of other fun facts (do an Internet search using "fun facts of Iceland."
I visited Iceland for the first time from May 10-20 and came away with the feeling that this Nordic people, decendants of the Vikings, are my people. I was initially drawn here by the natural history of this island country in the northern North Atlantic ocean.
But what has bonded me to this place is the Scandinavian roots of it’s population. They are independent, egalitarian, enterprising, compassionate, creative, hard working, fun loving and, for the most part, liberally happy people.
They eat lots of cod (baked, smoked, steamed, fried, raw…) and to help it go down, they might indulge in the Icelandic delicacy of fermented shark meat. This vegetarian was the only person in our Road Scholar group that would admit to liking it. It is supposed to have probiotic qualities. I can’t confirm or deny it, but I was able to eat a good amount of seafood and not pay the price for it.
These people have a long and rich literary tradition that goes back as far back as the 13th Century when the early Viking stories of Iceland were finally written down in the form of Sagas which have a style all there own. My own interest in the written language may very well have its roots in my Swedish blood.
Traveling around the country mostly by motor coach one can see in the stark volcanic landscape the very essence of the Icelander. Nearly 2/3 of the population live in and around the capital city of Reykjavik (Smoking Harbor/vik means harbor). The rest of the population is scattered around the island in small towns and an occasional large town.
The place generates lots of electricity. About 30% of it comes from magma heated water (geothermal) and 70% comes from running water (hydroelectric). It generates so much surplus electricity that Australia operates two Aluminum processing plants in Iceland. Yes, they ship the ore rock Bauxite all the way from Australia to Iceland to take advantage of the cheap and plentiful electricity. Aluminum processing requires very large amounts of electricity.
Iceland’s golden age of freedom and independence was the 9th and 10th centuries. The old parliament called the Alpingi was formed in 930 and in 1000 Christianity was adopted as the official state religion.
The golden age didn’t last long as warring chieftains gave in to Norwegian rule. The Norwegians gave way to the Danes who ruled Iceland from mid-13th Century to the mid-20th Century. Iceland became a sovereign state in 1918 and independent republic in 1944. It was one of the few European countries to have actually benefitted from World War Two. They gained independence and received substantial Marshall Plan Aid money. The current international airport in Keflavik was built by the American military and the domestic airport in Reykjavik was built by the British military. At one point there were 50,000 American soldiers on an island with about 120,000 Icelanders!
Economically speaking, Iceland started the 21st Century with a robust period of economic growth and prosperity. Iceland was hit hard by the global recession of 2008 in which all of the main banks collapsed. This “Crash” resulted in declining living standards and a period of “psychological shock” for the people. Bu things are looking up for Iceland thanks in large part to an increase in tourism.
So, as I reflect on this first visit to Iceland, I reflect with a sense of individual pride. The liberal traditions that Icelanders carry on from their Viking forebearers also lives on in me. I don’t think that it is any accident that the history of this island nation lives on in me as well.
Before you go on, an article in the May 8 & May 22, 2021 issue of Science News ran with a cover "Awash in Deception: How science can help us avoid being duped by misinformation." In the lead article titled: "The Battle Against Fake News," Alexandra Witze presents five suggestions on how to debunk bad information. They come from the News Literacy Project (see the above link).
How to Debunk:
1. Arm yourself with media literacy skills, at sites such as the News Literacy Project (newslit.org), to better understand how to spot hoax videos and stories.
2. Don't stigmatize people for holding inaccurate beliefs. Show empathy and respect, or you're more likely to alienate your audience than successfully share accurate information.
3. Translate complicated but true ideas into simple messages that are easy to grasp. Videos, graphics and other visual aids can help.
4. When possible, once you provide a factual alternative to the misinformation, explain the underlying fallacies (such as cherry- picking information, a common tactic of climate change deniers.
5. Mobilize when you see misinformation being shared on social media as soon as possible. If you see something, say something.
"Misinformation is any information that is incorrect, whether due to error or fake news.
"Disinformation is deliberately intended to deceive."
"Propaganda is disinformation with a political agenda."
Sander van der Linden Social Psychologist University of Cambridge
Source: Science News/May 8, 2021 & May 22, 2021
Update: September 22, 2023: This is more important now than ever. Be vigilant and speak in your own way. Love Wins.
In the spirit of how to debunk misinformation and disinformation, I encourage you to examine The Financial Services Forum, The American Accountability Foundation, The Epoch Times, Fox News, and One America Network(OAN), among others, using the media literacy skills taught by the News Literacy Project from #1 above under "How to Debunk." Click on the News Literacy Project link to start your work.
Love feels good. Really good.
Especially when you are sharing the feeling with others. I can’t really describe the feeling to you, but I’m guessing that you have experienced the feeling at least one time in your illustrious life and likely many more times than one.
I experienced the feeling pretty much continuously during the week of April 8 as part of a trip with the Los Gatos United Methodist Church to the small town of Punta Colonet which is 150 miles south of San Diego on the Baja Peninsula.
I was there with 15 others to work on two service projects in Colonet. One of the projects was to build a modest home for a family identified by a local pastor. The second project was to install solar lighting systems in several residences to promote literacy in the community.
This trip, this experience and this feeling. came along at a really good time. It’s so easy to get to tied into knots over partisan politics and get sucked into the gloom and doom scenarios emanating from around the political spectrum. Experiences like this bring me back to the world of humanity, love and compassion. I almost forgot hope. Without hope its hard to see the other three.
I’m not saying ignore politics. The upcoming American elections are indeed very important. Stay involved in the way that works for you. But remember to seek out experiences with people. People and our relationships help to keep us human. Stay in touch with people you know and reach out and grasp new experiences.
I’m thankful for my friend and neighbor Pete for inviting me to a part of the 2024 Colonet team. I’ve met people that I would be proud to call my friends and would be honored to work with again.
Lastly, to Jacinto, Monica and AbriI, I wish you all the good and best things that life has to offer as you settle into your new home.
Before you go on, an article in the May 8 & May 22, 2021 issue of Science News ran with a cover "Awash in Deception: How science can help us avoid being duped by misinformation." In the lead article titled: "The Battle Against Fake News," Alexandra Witze presents five suggestions on how to debunk bad information. They come from the News Literacy Project (see the above link).
How to Debunk:
1. Arm yourself with media literacy skills, at sites such as the News Literacy Project (newslit.org), to better understand how to spot hoax videos and stories.
2. Don't stigmatize people for holding inaccurate beliefs. Show empathy and respect, or you're more likely to alienate your audience than successfully share accurate information.
3. Translate complicated but true ideas into simple messages that are easy to grasp. Videos, graphics and other visual aids can help.
4. When possible, once you provide a factual alternative to the misinformation, explain the underlying fallacies (such as cherry- picking information, a common tactic of climate change deniers.
5. Mobilize when you see misinformation being shared on social media as soon as possible. If you see something, say something.
"Misinformation is any information that is incorrect, whether due to error or fake news.
"Disinformation is deliberately intended to deceive."
"Propaganda is disinformation with a political agenda."
Sander van der Linden
Social Psychologist
University of Cambridge
Source: Science News/May 8, 2021 & May 22, 2021
Update: September 22, 2023: This is more important now than ever. Be vigilant and speak in your own way. Love Wins.
In the spirit of how to debunk misinformation and disinformation, I encourage you to examine The Financial Services Forum, The American Accountability Foundation, The Epoch Times, Fox News, and One America Network(OAN), among others, using the media literacy skills taught by the News Literacy Project from #1 above under "How to Debunk." Click on the News Literacy Project link to start your work.
In an interview that Thune did with the PBS News Hour before Biden addressed the nation, he said that the United States under President Biden was “going in the wrong direction.” Thune is one of the front runners to take over the broken Republican Senate Minority. How appropriate that he uses gaslighting, a popular tool among propagandists to convince people that something that they see happening with their own eyes isn’t really happening.
In case you missed the above link, here is the text of Thune’s comments:
“President Biden’s tenure will be defined by rampant inflation, lawlessness at the southern border, and a weakening of America’s standing on the world stage.
“No amount of words from the president tonight could have erased the actions he’s taken to undermine America’s economic security, energy security, and national security.
“The consequences of these actions are felt at home and abroad, in the grocery store and at the southern border, and these consequences will linger far beyond President Biden’s term in office.
“We must reverse course – and Republicans are eager to lead the way. We have Republican solutions to unleash American energy, strengthen our military to prepare for the rising threats in today’s world, and finally secure the southern border. Unfortunately, for the past three years, we haven’t had a willing partner in the White House to help us achieve these goals.
“Though the president and I have sharp differences in opinion when it comes to policy, one thing we can agree on is that we are fortunate to live in the greatest country in the world. The blessings that we have as Americans are made possible by the brave men and women in uniform who defend our interests around the globe – and tonight, and every night, I thank them and their families for their service and sacrifice."
Legal scholar and political analyst Barbara McQuade takes a hard look at how tactics like those that Thune is exhibiting in this piece are the foundational tactics used by totalitarian rulers and their propagandists to undermine and attempt to discredit their democratic opponents.
In her book, “Attack From Within” McQuade presents who, why and how strongman ruler wannabees attract and keep their followers and the threat that they present to free societies everywhere.
Sen. Thune’s comments exhibit a destruction of the truth, repeat a series of un- and, at best, half-truths to distract the American people from the “Big Lie” by guarding it with a very large collection of smaller lies that are repeated and repeated and repeated.
He keeps the message simple: we good, they bad. He avoids insult, because insult is not a tool that you want to use in plain sight and earshot of those who haven’t bought into the MAGA hellscape. Republicans can only tell the lies to their devoted followers in order to exploit divisions, undermine critics, appeal to emotion over reason, stoke violence, seek to dismantle public institutions (like the Supreme Court) and, as McQuade puts it, “create an image of the Great Leader as both an Everyman and a strongman.” This is reserved for private White Nationalist self flagellation parties.
So, I have a few clarifying questions for Sen. Thune (you can answer them too). Start each one with “If we are headed in the wrong direction then…
is forgiving student debt heading in the wrong direction?
is the fact that unemployment is steadily dropping heading in the wrong direction?
is increasing domestic production of oil is at an all time high for any nation in the world? (One can argue this quite vehemently, but I mention it here because this doesn’t fit with the great leader’s message about the future of energy.)
is raising taxes on the wealthiest of America’s One Percenters a bad thing for anyone but the One Percenters?
is steadily lowering inflation a bad thing?
are “making smart investments in America, empowering workers, and promoting competition to lower costs and help small businesses” a bad thing? Source: The three pillars of Biden’s plan to restore the American economy and build it for the future.
Is providing health care for millions of Americans who otherwise couldn’t afford it a bad thing?
is strengthening voting rights a bad thing?
is preparing for a clean energy future a bad thing?
Before you go on, an article in the May 8 & May 22, 2021 issue of Science News ran with a cover "Awash in Deception: How science can help us avoid being duped by misinformation." In the lead article titled: "The Battle Against Fake News," Alexandra Witze presents five suggestions on how to debunk bad information. They come from the News Literacy Project (see the above link).
How to Debunk:
1. Arm yourself with media literacy skills, at sites such as the News Literacy Project (newslit.org), to better understand how to spot hoax videos and stories.
2. Don't stigmatize people for holding inaccurate beliefs. Show empathy and respect, or you're more likely to alienate your audience than successfully share accurate information.
3. Translate complicated but true ideas into simple messages that are easy to grasp. Videos, graphics and other visual aids can help.
4. When possible, once you provide a factual alternative to the misinformation, explain the underlying fallacies (such as cherry- picking information, a common tactic of climate change deniers.
5. Mobilize when you see misinformation being shared on social media as soon as possible. If you see something, say something.
"Misinformation is any information that is incorrect, whether due to error or fake news.
"Disinformation is deliberately intended to deceive."
"Propaganda is disinformation with a political agenda."
Sander van der Linden
Social Psychologist
University of Cambridge
Source: Science News/May 8, 2021 & May 22, 2021
Update: September 22, 2023: This is more important now than ever. Be vigilant and speak in your own way. Love Wins.
In the spirit of how to debunk misinformation and disinformation, I encourage you to examine The Financial Services Forum, The American Accountability Foundation, The Epoch Times, Fox News, and One America Network(OAN), among others, using the media literacy skills taught by the News Literacy Project from #1 above under "How to Debunk." Click on the News Literacy Project link to start your work.
Braver Angels is working to bring Americans of different generations and beliefs together by engaging them in meaningful and sincere conversations together. I donate money to Braver Angels, but I am also currently engaged in a cross generational conversation in an effort to see the world through the lens of someone with different experiences from my own.
I chose to engage in a cross generational conversation because I wanted to work on myself and my ability to step back from my beliefs and listen to someone else. Listen without trying to correct or convince is a vital skill that is needed to put the “United” back in the United States of America.
One of the foundational ideas of Braver Angels is Intellectual Humility. It’s purpose is to remind each of us that as intelligent and gifted as each of us is, our personal perspective is another one of billions of intelligent and gifted opinions about the world and how it works. The idea is a simple one. Open yourself up to the thoughts and feelings of others while not abandoning or over emphasizing your own thoughts.
Conversations are based on the principle of what I will refer to as “Deep Listening.” One person shares while the other person listens. The use of “I” statements while avoiding “You” statements is a cornerstone part of the Braver Angels way of doing things.
Braver Angels may or may not be for you, but the courage of it’s founders and members to reach out in an effort to fix what is broken is not only admirable, but vital. There are other organizations doing similar work and I urge you to seek them out in an effort to open your head to different intellectual thinking. In the process, you will most likely also open your heart. That is what is happening to me in the early stages of my ongoing conversation with a young person from Central Georgia.
Just the simple act of reaching out and making yourself vulnerable is an attitude and life changing experience.
Before you go on, an article in the May 8 & May 22, 2021 issue of Science News ran with a cover "Awash in Deception: How science can help us avoid being duped by misinformation." In the lead article titled: "The Battle Against Fake News," Alexandra Witze presents five suggestions on how to debunk bad information. They come from the News Literacy Project (see the above link).
How to Debunk:
1. Arm yourself with media literacy skills, at sites such as the News Literacy Project (newslit.org), to better understand how to spot hoax videos and stories.
2. Don't stigmatize people for holding inaccurate beliefs. Show empathy and respect, or you're more likely to alienate your audience than successfully share accurate information.
3. Translate complicated but true ideas into simple messages that are easy to grasp. Videos, graphics and other visual aids can help.
4. When possible, once you provide a factual alternative to the misinformation, explain the underlying fallacies (such as cherry- picking information, a common tactic of climate change deniers.
5. Mobilize when you see misinformation being shared on social media as soon as possible. If you see something, say something.
"Misinformation is any information that is incorrect, whether due to error or fake news.
"Disinformation is deliberately intended to deceive."
"Propaganda is disinformation with a political agenda."
Sander van der Linden
Social Psychologist
University of Cambridge
Source: Science News/May 8, 2021 & May 22, 2021
Update: September 22, 2023: This is more important now than ever. Be vigilant and speak in your own way. Love Wins.
In the spirit of how to debunk misinformation and disinformation, I encourage you to examine The Financial Services Forum, The American Accountability Foundation, The Epoch Times, Fox News, and One America Network(OAN), among others, using the media literacy skills taught by the News Literacy Project from #1 above under "How to Debunk." Click on the News Literacy Project link to start your work.
Black history is American history (A satirical clip from Michael Moore’s “Bowling for Columbine” 2002 summarizes American history in 3:42).
Any honest depiction of a comprehensive history of the United States must include Black history. More broadly speaking , Black history aside from being a story of the African diaspora in America for the past 500 years, is the story that serves as a spotlight on what it means to not have white skin in America. That is a story for another month, but one that is inextricably joined at the hip with Black History.
Perhaps it is more accurate to say that American history is merely a part of the larger story of America’s Black history. Black history is a comprehensive look at the whole of history not just cherry picked parts of it. The study of Black history is the study of long suffering as laid out in the Bible. Black history is the study of politics and the patience and perseverance required to pass the Civil Rights Act and to add the 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments to the Constitution after the Civil War. Black history is the history of the struggle of women to be treated as equals to men. Black history is enduring unspeakable physical and emotional abuse and teaching what forgiveness looks like. Black history is enduring the ravages of time knowing that a greater kingdom awaits. Black History is raw and honest unlike White History.
Studying and at least partially understanding Black history opens up the window to the soul of America. It also opens up the window to truth, reconciliation and healing that will help mend our torn nation.
Black history is more important than white history. It is the real deal. It is the flesh and blood reality of the idealism set forth in the Constitution. All of the happy and all of the sad. It is the real deal. Nothing sugar-coated about it. It’s the real thing.
Black history is the thing that white America doesn’t want to hear, but must hear. As this Black History Month draws to a close, don’t let your interest in it fade away just because it is no longer February. Read, watch, talk and listen to America through the lens of Black History. We continue to ignore it at our peril.
Here’s some material to help in our continuing study of Black history.
Before you go on, an article in the May 8 & May 22, 2021 issue of Science News ran with a cover "Awash in Deception: How science can help us avoid being duped by misinformation." In the lead article titled: "The Battle Against Fake News," Alexandra Witze presents five suggestions on how to debunk bad information. They come from the News Literacy Project (see the above link).
How to Debunk:
1. Arm yourself with media literacy skills, at sites such as the News Literacy Project (newslit.org), to better understand how to spot hoax videos and stories.
2. Don't stigmatize people for holding inaccurate beliefs. Show empathy and respect, or you're more likely to alienate your audience than successfully share accurate information.
3. Translate complicated but true ideas into simple messages that are easy to grasp. Videos, graphics and other visual aids can help.
4. When possible, once you provide a factual alternative to the misinformation, explain the underlying fallacies (such as cherry- picking information, a common tactic of climate change deniers.
5. Mobilize when you see misinformation being shared on social media as soon as possible. If you see something, say something.
"Misinformation is any information that is incorrect, whether due to error or fake news.
"Disinformation is deliberately intended to deceive."
"Propaganda is disinformation with a political agenda."
Sander van der Linden
Social Psychologist
University of Cambridge
Source: Science News/May 8, 2021 & May 22, 2021
Update: September 22, 2023: This is more important now than ever. Be vigilant and speak in your own way. Love Wins.
In the spirit of how to debunk misinformation and disinformation, I encourage you to examine The Financial Services Forum, The American Accountability Foundation, The Epoch Times, Fox News, and One America Network(OAN), among others, using the media literacy skills taught by the News Literacy Project from #1 above under "How to Debunk." Click on the News Literacy Project link to start your work.
I’m done spending any time on Trump. He’s a two-bit puppet-man grifter working for President Putin of Russia and President Xi of China. Putin pulls Trump’s strings and Xi operates behind the scenes to support Russia and protect it from Western sanctions against Russian oil proceeds as Putin continues on his mission to undermine Western democracy.
Authoritarians stick together. Putin and Xi have lots of experience in this area. Xi is careful not to dirty his own hands, but is more than willing to have Putin dirty his in the quest for global domination.
My personal attention now is on how can Putin and Xi be diminished to the point where they no longer have the power to maintain control over one of America’s two main political parties? The Republican Party is getting it’s marching orders from Moscow. Of that, there is very little to no question. The chaotic and disjointed behavior of GOP legislators at the state and federal levels in recent years is the smoke. Putin and Xi lit the fires. Cut at least one of the heads off this two headed snake and the Republican Party will mercifully die and provide room for a new party committed to the American Constitution to take it’s place. One that is free and clear of the outsider interest that brought us Trump in the first place.
This won’t happen over night, but with help from the American voter in 2024, the process can be nudged along in that direction.
No longer will the United States be openly and brazenly hacked by foreign powers. No longer will gun violence be allowed to run unabated; No longer will common criminal behavior be allowed in positions of great political power and influence; No longer will Americans be subject to the obscene levels of mis- and disinformation that come with direct outside involvement in our domestic politics; No longer will Americans die or suffer unnecessarily because rationality and science are ignored; No longer must we accept that we are Red and Blue; No longer will “alternative facts” interrupt our decision making processes; No longer will immigrants be demonized;
Trump is a waste of your time. We need to throw water on Putin and Xi and see what emerges from the smoke!
Before you go on, an article in the May 8 & May 22, 2021 issue of Science News ran with a cover "Awash in Deception: How science can help us avoid being duped by misinformation." In the lead article titled: "The Battle Against Fake News," Alexandra Witze presents five suggestions on how to debunk bad information. They come from the News Literacy Project (see the above link).
How to Debunk:
1. Arm yourself with media literacy skills, at sites such as the News Literacy Project (newslit.org), to better understand how to spot hoax videos and stories.
2. Don't stigmatize people for holding inaccurate beliefs. Show empathy and respect, or you're more likely to alienate your audience than successfully share accurate information.
3. Translate complicated but true ideas into simple messages that are easy to grasp. Videos, graphics and other visual aids can help.
4. When possible, once you provide a factual alternative to the misinformation, explain the underlying fallacies (such as cherry- picking information, a common tactic of climate change deniers.
5. Mobilize when you see misinformation being shared on social media as soon as possible. If you see something, say something.
"Misinformation is any information that is incorrect, whether due to error or fake news.
"Disinformation is deliberately intended to deceive."
"Propaganda is disinformation with a political agenda."
Sander van der Linden
Social Psychologist
University of Cambridge
Source: Science News/May 8, 2021 & May 22, 2021
Update: September 22, 2023: This is more important now than ever. Be vigilant and speak in your own way. Love Wins.
In the spirit of how to debunk misinformation and disinformation, I encourage you to examine The Financial Services Forum, The American Accountability Foundation, The Epoch Times, Fox News, and One America Network(OAN), among others, using the media literacy skills taught by the News Literacy Project from #1 above under "How to Debunk." Click on the News Literacy Project link to start your work.
Like I said in a previous post, I’m a big picture thinker. I’ll also confess to being a political conspiracy theorist. The difference between most Right Wing conspiracy theories revolving around the 2020 Election is that there is no evidence to back up any of the claims. It is based on virtually nothing, nada, zip, zero, zilch factual information.
On the other hand, my Conspiracy theory is that Russian President-for-Life Vladimir Putin successfully tampered with the 2016 election in order to get Donald Trump elected president. He has his claws sunk deeply into Donald Trump. Donald Trump has his claws sunk deeply into the MAGA controlled Republican Party. The MAGA controlled Republican Congress is holding up aid to Israel and Ukraine despite massive concessions in a Bi-partisan bill that offers Mexican border security provisions that past iterations of the Republican Party would have tripped over themselves to pass.
There is at least some smoke coming from my conspiracy theory campfire. The 2020 Election denial theories are, well, simply based on pure fiction. And the fiction is about as good as fiction can get.
Why is the MAGA controlled Republican Congress refusing to address the Bi-partisan bill? Speaker Mike Johnson in the House of Representatives is calling the Senate-produced bill “dead-on-arrival.” He will not even allow the bill to reach the House floor for debate. Does Trump’s relationship with Putin have anything to do with this decision by Mike Johnson?
I have more questions than answers, but, be honest, who doesn’t like a GOOD Conspiracy theory? Stay tuned, the fun is only beginning.
Instead of trying to offer an inadequate summary of the evidence in the Putin-Trump connection, read it here for yourself. Pick and choose which evidence you want to read, there’s 448 pages of it.
Before you go on, an article in the May 8 & May 22, 2021 issue of Science News ran with a cover "Awash in Deception: How science can help us avoid being duped by misinformation." In the lead article titled: "The Battle Against Fake News," Alexandra Witze presents five suggestions on how to debunk bad information. They come from the News Literacy Project (see the above link).
How to Debunk:
1. Arm yourself with media literacy skills, at sites such as the News Literacy Project (newslit.org), to better understand how to spot hoax videos and stories.
2. Don't stigmatize people for holding inaccurate beliefs. Show empathy and respect, or you're more likely to alienate your audience than successfully share accurate information.
3. Translate complicated but true ideas into simple messages that are easy to grasp. Videos, graphics and other visual aids can help.
4. When possible, once you provide a factual alternative to the misinformation, explain the underlying fallacies (such as cherry- picking information, a common tactic of climate change deniers.
5. Mobilize when you see misinformation being shared on social media as soon as possible. If you see something, say something.
"Misinformation is any information that is incorrect, whether due to error or fake news.
"Disinformation is deliberately intended to deceive."
"Propaganda is disinformation with a political agenda."
Sander van der Linden
Social Psychologist
University of Cambridge
Source: Science News/May 8, 2021 & May 22, 2021
Update: September 22, 2023: This is more important now than ever. Be vigilant and speak in your own way. Love Wins.
In the spirit of how to debunk misinformation and disinformation, I encourage you to examine The Financial Services Forum, The American Accountability Foundation, The Epoch Times, Fox News, and One America Network(OAN), among others, using the media literacy skills taught by the News Literacy Project from #1 above under "How to Debunk." Click on the News Literacy Project link to start your work.
The title to Journey’s song “Don’t Stop Believin'” resonates with me. The lyrics are fine, but the title and the tune are stuck in my head. An ear worm that, to it’s credit helps to cover the tinitus buzzing in my head.
It also helps to keep positive thought and feelings guiding me through each day. A few weeks ago, a member of our church, former judge and tireless advocate for changes in the way juvenile offenders are treated by the state California, spoke to our congregation about her current work to change policy at the state level. She also shared her book of affirmations that she wrote during COVID. The book was written for kids, but I am finding the daily messages a balm to soothe my soul.
I am so thankful for my church and for the people and messages that fill me with positivity and solutions to real issues facing us. After reading and hearing about House Speaker Mike Johnson’s “dead on arrival” line regarding Bi-partisan Senate legislation aimed at getting aid packages to Ukraine and Israel along with dealing with issues at the border with Mexico, I let out a blood curding rant in response that fortunately no one else in this house could hear, except maybe the neighbors (I hope not because it wasn’t a proud moment). It also couldn’t have done my tinitus any good.
Fortunately, I almost immediately reached for the book of affirmations and read today’s message: “I share things with others. Sharing my things with another makes me feel happy inside my heart. I enjoy how sharing allows me to do my part. Sharing isa way to express love and kindness. My life is full of ways to make life visible.”
I started breathing deeply again and began to feel calmness return. I got on the computer and made small donations to two voting rights organizations. Every Monday, I choose two organizations or candidates and give them a small monetary donation. The affirmation reminded me that the best thing that I can do each day is to share goodness with others. It feels so good. I can’t tell you the sense of peace that came over me when I made those donations.
Don’t stop believing that this world is a good place. It has its problems, but it is made up of good places and good people. It is not the irretrievable mess that some would have you believe. After all, you are a part of it and you are good people. Keep spreading goodness and kindness, especially when you experience the opposite. It is the balm “that heals the sin sick soul.”
