Category: Seeking Common Ground

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.”

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.

Respect.

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 want to say that I’ve been right all along. I probably have been, but it would be far too arrogant for a retired middle school science teacher to say that about anything, let alone politics in the U.S of A. in the early part of the 21st Century.

Maybe it would be better to say that it isn’t arrogant to speak your opinion (or write them as I prefer to do), but it would be arrogant to think that anyone was actually following me or, pray God, listening to me or, shockingly, agreeing with me. Now that is the epitome of arrogance. I don’t entertain any fantasy that I should be taken seriously.

I’m a big picture thinker. I often hesitate to write on specific topics because I just don’t know enough about virtually anything in order to have an opinion on anything. Thank God that there are people that I can read or listen to that actually know something that I can have an opinion on. Because I’m simply not going to take the time to dwelve deeply enough into anything, even singing, that would be worth taking the time to read in order to learn something.

I’m the antithesis of author and all-arround interesting dude, Bill Bryson. Bryson’s book “A Brief History of Just About Everything” shows that one person can accumulate (or convince you that he has accumulated) enough knowledge to write a self proclaimed history of everything. Even though he addresses an amazing variety of topics with an equally amazing amount of lucidity, Bryson is really taking a poke at himself in this book. That’s what makes it so much fun. When you’re not thinking “oh, I didn’t know that, that’s cool, you’ll most likely be laughing because Bryson has a great sense of humor and a much larger than average way of communicating that humor to make things funny.

It’s ok to laugh. In fact, you better spend more time laughing because it’s good for you. Just ask the Mayo Clinic as I did. In fact, googling for information is my second most effective method of information gathering. It is second only to listening to my wife read or summarize news stories from the New York Times or the Washington Post.

No, no, don’t stop laughing! Just because I read those left wing rags, they don’t make me dull, boring and unlikable. Us liberals really do have a sense of humor. Mine has taken a few hits since June 16, 2015 (and somewhat before that but 2015 is my standard and I’m sticking with it). I have to laugh at anything and everything that I can given that so much of what is going on makes you want to cry instead of laugh.

Because I intend to continue laughing beyond November 5, 2024, I’m going to seek out things that make me laugh and smile while working my ass off to make sure that all of us Americans have something to smile and laugh about come November 6, 2024 and January 20, 2025.

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.

During the throes of the great Depression of the 1930’s with the world economy in a shambles emerges a story as unlikely as it is inspirational and encouraging for the future of democracy.

It was an Olympic year and, as fate would have it, Germany was hosting the 1936 Summer Olympics. Adolf Hitler’s white supremacy and anti-Semitism were ramping up in Germany against the backdrop of a world mired in a great economic downturn. Back in the United States a story was unfolding that involved the sport of Rowing, a sport with a limited following and a reputation of being for elite kids.

In preparation for the Games, Joseph Goebbels, the Nazi chief propagandist for Hitler, carefully white-washed any outward signs of the blatant anti-Semitic Nazi regime and programmed the German people on how they should behave while the world was focused on Berlin and Germany. The world would not see Germany for what it was truly becoming. The world would see the perfectly normal, well adjusted and prosperous society that Hitler wanted to portray to the world.

The real story of “Boys in the Boat” is about nine boys from the state of Washington who came together to crew an eight person boat (the ninth person being the guy who called out the strokes per minute, known as the Coxswain). These young Americans were the sons of fishermen, loggers, shipyard workers and farmers. They were all students at the University of Washington in Seattle struggling to make their way through school. All of them were far from being considered elite.

On the other side of the world, Hitler was billing his German athletes as the best in the world. Superior to the athletes from other countries because they were pure blood Aryans. Hitler was using the 1936 Olympics to make his case for White Supremacy. He wanted to make a strong statement about the superiority of the Germanic race. Hitler wanted to demonstrate the eliteness of the German people.

The German boat was good, but the British were seen as the boat to beat. The Brits eight man boat was made up of students from Oxford and Cambridge, two of the most elite universities in Great Britain.

So, the stage was set for the athletic proxy battle between Fascist Germany and Democratic United States. I won’t give away the results, but suffice it to say that this is a feel good story and one that Americans should be reading and or seeing right now. I have read the book. The movie is good, see it when you can. The book is better and is worth the read.

Hang in there and be 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.

Wherever you see text underlined, you will find links to supplemental materials that I recommend for reading or listening.

Just in case you hadn’t noticed, I am quite strident in my opinions about MAGA, Donald Trump and Facism. That has not and will not change under any circumstances. I will continue to contribute where I can to making sure Trump is not reelected to his previous elected office (calling the office by it’s name and putting Trump in the same sentence is just not something I want to do. It doesn’t do justice to the office).

The denizens of disinformation provide the vilest, divisive, hateful speech since Joseph Goebbels did it for Hitler in the 1930s and 40s.

But, New York Times Columnist David Brooks has provided me with a new and positive way to approach conversations on difficult topics with people that disagree with me. I can’t do much about those “denizens of disinformation” (mostly, but not entirely, from the political far right) that has being foisted on the American people over the past eight years since Trump was imposed on us in 2016, but I can do something about how I approach individuals on a one-to-one personal, real world, mano-a-mano context.

Brooks’ new book “How to Know a Person: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen” is my next read in parallel with Rachel Maddow’s “Prequel.” If you can spare hour or so over the holidays, here is Brooks talking about the book. If you only have five minutes or so, here is an abridged version from the PBS NewsHour where Brooks is a regular guest commentator,

The place where I learned about this book was on a podcast called “A Braver Way” produced by a group called “Braver Angels.” In this episode of “A Braver Way,” Brooks is interviewed by Monica Guzman. If you have about a half hour to spare, listen to this discussion between two people that we could stand to listed to in these difficult times about how to be with each other.

Some things I learned about from them are USA Facts, informal helping, being an “illuminator” instead of a “diminisher,” being a LOUD Listener, approaching people with your heart instead of your head and to avoid labels because “labels make you invisible.”

May we all go into the New Year by leading with our hearts.

Peace and have a wonderful holiday season and opening of 2024,

Bruce

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.

I’m growing weary of having to define nearly every word I write. Granted there are words and sentences that need to be explained, but I find myself needing to define and explain my usage of way too many words.

Why is that? I think that it is the loss of “common” sense or “Common,” the American rapper and actor that I just learned about in search of a common meaning for the word “common.”

I have become a big fan of technology. But, with the rapid changes in technology, there has evolved an inverse correlation with the commons. The more different media options make it more likely that we will have less and less in common with anyone, even those we think we are very close to. Even the word common is subject to debate.

Technology has many upsides. The rapid dissemination of information (and regrettably, mis and dis information), the ability to stay in touch and reconnect with people all over the world basically for what seems almost free, and the ability to share thoughts and opinions at the click of a button.

I was a grade schooler in the ’60’s. I got to high school in 1970. Back in those ancient days, my classmates could go home and return to school the next day to discuss the latest episode of Gilligan’s Island. Today there are so many channels…make that so many networks, on the television screen that the odds of sharing a TV show with even one classmate are infinitesimally small.

Add to that recorded media, internet media, streaming media, social media and multimedia and the choices for information and entertainment are beyond dizzying. So many choices, so little chance of finding common ground. I did a Google powered search of the odds of two people doing the same thing at the same time and I found this from a Reddit post from eight years ago from R/Math (emidway).

what is the statistical probability of two people in this world doing the exact same thing at the exact same time?
let make it simple two people separated geographically (listing to the same song or watching the same movie) ok let me lay the ground work here (time factor is irrelevant could be day or night )to increase number but position of body (siting laying walking), direction of body east west north or south has to be the same , position of limbs, song or movie has to be played at the exact same time for both individuals) there are many variables but there are 7 billion people in the world you tube makes music available to every one could there a be a high probability that two people doing the same thing at the same time or not ?

Note:  The odds have gotten considerably smaller over the past eight years.  The world's population is now is 8.1 Billion people (8,100,000,000).

From the same Reddit thread from eight years ago, aleph_not responded to the same prompt with this response:

It depends on how specific you want to be. If "doing the same thing" means "sitting down facing the same cardinal direction listening to the same music" then probably pretty high, since at any given time the most popular current song is being listened to by thousands of people, so two of them are almost surely facing the same direction.

But if your idea of "same thing" is super specific, then the chances are almost zero. For example, with direction, is "facing west" enough? Or maybe more specific like "facing north-east at an angle of 24 degrees"? Or do you want the angle to be the same up to the thousandths-place? Millionths-place?

Do these two people need to be breathing in the same pattern? Blinking at the same time? Curling their toes in the same way? What if one of them has longer arms so is necessarily holding them in a different position. Does that count against them?

In short this isn't really a well-posed question. Try r/theydidthemath if you want some better estimates on these things.

So, maybe you’ll have the patience to look up what r/theydidthemath has to say on the subject. Alas, I’m veering off course. What else is new? My wife can relate to that.

Back to the point, if we are not watching or listening to any common information or entertainment, how are we ever going to communicate with each other in a meaningful way? This seems pretty brain-dead simple to understand in concept.

What is not brain dead simple is the answer(s) to the question of how do we rediscover common sense. It is the most important human question of our time. The most important overall issue of our time is climate change. And on that point, I’ll leave you hanging.

Placard on bathroom wall in San Jose, CA

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.

I’ve been in a bit of a creative shock over the last month, overwhelmed by the shear volume of the inhumanity of humans towards each other. Responding to it from the fight or flight part of my brain would get me in trouble on many fronts (the most important of which would be from my spouse), so I endeavor to express myself from the side of love.

Love is the point of this post. Since I started recording my thoughts on this platform in the Fall of 2020, love has been at the center of my beliefs and subsequent opinions.

That is my fundamental point. I’m not going down a philosophical rabbit hole on the topic of love. I was starting to go down one as I was doing some lazy Google research just now (then by now) on the topic of what the Bible expressly says about love. None of us has the time to overthink this.

It is succinctly stated in 1 Corinthians 13:4. Any words or deeds that do not reflect love in this way simply have no place in the public discourse. I consider anything that is not done out of love to be evil, the opposite of love.

Last Summer, my philosopher friend Glenn introduced me to a little book published in 1966 that was written by Joseph Fletcher. The book, Situation Ethics, caused quite a stir. Having finally finished reading it a month or so ago, I think I know why.

It fundamentally challenged religious dogma in a way that usually gets people in a lot of trouble. Ask Michael Servetus, Martin Luther or Galileo what kind of trouble you can get in if you challenge the Christian church.

The book’s premise is that if people of faith live their lives based on the end game of love then the myriad number of decisions made by that person are or can be deemed right for that moment or situation.

For example, is it always wrong to tell a lie? Is it always wrong to kill? Is it always wrong to steal?

Fletcher says no. He says “Nothing makes a thing good except agapeic (agape form of love) expedience; nothing can justify an act except a loving purpose.”

Continues Fletcher,

"According to some theologies, William Temple's and Josiah Royce's, for a example, the problem of evil (how to explain its presence in a world created by a God who is both all-powerful and all-loving) is best resolved by the tutelage theory, the theory that God provides evil to drive men to rise to moral levels they would never reach without having to struggle and sacrifice and wrestle with evil.  Here is a theodicy based squarely on the view that the end justifies the means."

In more basic terms, an act is justifiable if the end result is based on love.

There are four factors, according to Fletcher, that are a part of every decision that we make daily, especially the most difficult decisions. Things that need to be analyzed, considered and judged, often instantaneously

1.  The end result.
2.  The means used to reach the end.
3.  The Motive
4.  The forseeable consequences of the action.

In short, Fletcher’s “New Morality,” which is the book’s sub-title, is based on the belief that the individual and not the dogma of any religious organization regardless of it’s faith tradition, practiced on a daily basis and guided by love, is the measure of morality and justice in the world.

This book challenges me and validates me in a deep way. It has helped me to bring the inhuman events in our human-centric world into sharp focus. It has enabled and empowered me to look at seemingly unconnected events and see a clear pattern emerging.

Of course my premise is based on assuming that all of us belief in the notion that love is good and should be the ultimate end in all of this thing we call Life. The book is deep. I will read and re-read parts of it. It has change me profoundly. I want to thank and applaud the evil in the world for helping me to rise to a new moral level and the opportunity to restore Love as the guiding reason for living.

Fletcher, Joseph,  Situation Ethics:  The New Morality, Library of Theological Ethics, WestminsterJohn Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky.  1966.

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.

There is analogue, angst and allegory.

Then there is Squeak.

There is bigotry, bilateralism and boasting.

Then there is Squeak.

There is calamity, calm and comedy.

Then there is Squeak.

There is despair, delight and destruction.

Then there is Squeak.

There is evolution, energy and excitement.

Then there is Squeak.

There is fanaticism, fantasy and fantastic.

Then there is Squeak.

There is greed, grandeur and grappling.

Then there is Squeak.

There is hideous, happy and honest

Then there is Squeak.

There is integrity, idiocy and intellect

Then there is Squeak.

There is jealousy, jumbalaya and joy.

Then there is Squeak.

There are kangaroos, kicking and knowledge.

Then there is Squeak.

There is listless, level and liable.

Then there is Squeak.

There is marvelous, malevolent and magic.

Then there is Squeak.

There is noxious, noble and nicotine.

Then there is Squeak.

There is opulent, oppressive and odious.

Then there is Squeak.

There is pungent, punitive and positive.

Then there is Squeak.

There is queer, questioning and quiet.

Then there is Squeak.

There is regret, realignment and reality.

Then there is Squeak.

There is suspense, surprise and surreal.

Then there is Squeak.

There is tumult, terror and trial.

Then there is Squeak.

There is unambiguous, unilateral and ugly.

Then there is Squeak.

There is vicious, vivacious and vivid.

Then there is Squeak.

There is wily, weird and wonderful.

Then there is Squeak.

There is xerophytic, xenophobic and ???

Then there is Squeak.

There is yellow, yucky and Yosemite.

Then there is Squeak.

There is zero, Zen and zaggy.

Then there is Squeak.

You may be wondering what all that was about.  It was my stream of consciousness alphabetical tribute to our cat Squeak who died in her sleep last night under the loving care of the kind and caring staff at Central Animal Hospital.  We got the call yesterday morning from Squeak's veterinarian while in our hotel room in Fortuna, CA on our way home from a roadtrip that Squeak had gone out on her own terms.  

That seems appropriate as Squeak was an independent, intuitive and sensitive creature.  

Several weeks ago, Dr. Heddon found a mass in Squeak's abdomen.  It was likely cancer, but we decided on Squeak's behalf that letting her go naturally was the right thing to do.  The treatments would be unpleasant and likely painful.  Our goal was to keep her comfortable and in a loving setting for as long as she had.  Sorry, I'm working through my tears to write this.  She was a wonderful companion, more than a pet. She was a tutor, a mentor, a friend in a cross species kind of way.

I personally have had several pets, mostly cats over the past 20+ years.  Squeak (along with a childhood poodle, Snoopy), stand out for me.  Snoopy probably doesn't get equal kudos because he's been gone for the longest time. But I'd say that Squeak, by a whisker or two, is the best cross species friend that I have ever had.

You'll always have a place on my chest to sleep. Be well my little friend.

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.

This entry was prepared for publication in The John Muir Trail Hikers 2023 Facebook Group.  It was published on September 15, 2023.  The backpacking trip featured here was from August 18-September 1, 2023.  "SOBO" means southbound and "JMT" refers to the John Muir Trail.  The John Muir Trail runs between Yosemite and Mt. Whitney.   

My two 60+ year old companions and I started SOBO from Tuolomne Meadows in Yosemite National Park on August 18 for what was planned to be a 14 day adventure on the JMT. On the second day out, we arrived about 500 vertical feet below Donohue Pass.

The winds were gusting at 40+ mph (estimate) and the three of us henceforth to be identified as “The 360’s” decided to turn back to Tuolomne Meadows.

We left Yosemite and spent a couple nights in Bridgeport assessing Tropical Storm Hillary before seeking out a new wilderness permit in an attempt to continue our hike. Three libraries and two ranger stations (or was it two libraries and three ranger stations) later we were granted a new permit to continue our trip thanks to an awesome ranger in Mammoth Lakes.

Our permit took us out of North Lake just west of Bishop over Piute Pass and back over to the JMT where we made our way back to Muir Trail Ranch to pick up our resupply of food and continue SOBO.

We had decided that Mt. Whitney was not going to be our final destination, but wanted to see the Evolution Basin. That involved getting across the south fork of the San Joaquin River. We arrived at the damaged bridge on the day that a Forest Service crew was detonating the bridge thereby assuring that we and no one else would be crossing it to continue SOBO.

From our camp we heard the blast. The next day with the ranger crew still onsite at the bridge, we were directed to the only available route around the downed bridge. This was the “Up and Over” route. We were told along the way that this would take anywhere from 1 1/2 hours to around six hours.

After a grueling six hours, we decided to camp on the east side of the canyon. The next morning we used Gaia to successfully get out of the canyon and make our way down to Evolution Creek and its basin. It took us three plus hours on the second day to trailblaze our way down to the valley. Our hats are off to the people who design, build and maintain our Sierra trails.

We enjoyed dazzling sights and sounds of the high Sierra including Muir Pass and the Dusey Basin before exiting over Bishop Pass to South Lake on September 1.

Best wishes to any of you that decided to go over Donohue Pass and take your chances with Hillary. I’m thinking in particular to the Aussie couple that I talked to on my way back to Tuolomne on August 19. And to the mother and son who we reconnected with after getting back on the JMT.

What a marvelous experience. Lots of water, downed trees and rock damage made the trails difficult. But, all the challenges of the 2023 Summer hiking season were infinitely worth it. The power and beauty of the natural world have rekindled my desire to save and protect it in any way that I can.

Congrats to everyone out on the trail and may you return safely and share your experiences.

I will get back to sharing my Europe experience sometime this Fall.  Right now I'm occupied with processing the experiences of the two week backpacking experience that I shared with Kelvin and Jerry this Summer.  This post is the first expression of what we experienced together.