On a national pastime that has captured the hearts of many Canadians — Canadians are obsessed with Americans. Let me clarify: Canadians are obsessed with hating on Americans. They smugly complain about American politics, culture, society, and everything in between. If it came from the United States, Canadians are guaranteed to turn their nose up at it. Our obsession with bashing the United…

It’s time to ditch the ‘our kids’ messaging in climate discourse — At a local climate rally that coincided with the global climate strikes of September 2019, an older climate activist took to the stage to say a few words. She ended her speech with a message to younger activists, “Your generation is our last hope!” As she walked off the stage…

The epidemic of fear has ravaged humankind more than any disease — “If you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the thing itself, but to your estimate of it; and this you have the power to revoke at any moment.” — Marcus Aurelius In recent years, I’ve noticed an alarming existential threat gripping the world. While it’s…

The dangers of micro-content in the information age — The other day I came across a popular story circulating Medium about the benefits of microblogging. In it, the author writes, “Twitter has had a renaissance of late. People are going back for the written word. We’re exhausted by 15-second TikToks that are a sensory overload.” This is news to…

On psychologist B.F. Skinner’s controversial invention — Note: Unfortunately I am not able to share an image of the ‘baby box’ as the LIFE photographs are owned by Time Inc. I would have had to pay $325 to use the image — which I was told was a discounted rate. To avoid getting kicked off of Medium…

On conviction scarcity and the risk of societal collapse — On Earth Day (April 22) 2022, a significant incident occurred interrupting the usual corporate-driven eco-posturing that characterizes this day. Climate activist Wynn Alan Bruce set himself on fire on the steps of the United States Supreme Court. While engulfed in flames, for a brief moment, Bruce sat upright in complete…

A 1966 snapshot of Reagan before his rise in politics — Early in his political career, Ronald Reagan was a polarizing figure. His supporters saw him as sincere and charming, others thought he was duplicitous and conniving. A compassionate man, but only selectively so. Authentic and earnest, but politically inexperienced. A persuasive man who had the gift of gab. …

A snapshot of the booming diet industry in the mid-20th century — This LIFE article, “The end of the rainbow may be tragic — scandal of the diet pills,” from January 26, 1968, takes a look at the booming diet industry and one of its biggest money makers: diet pills. The article states that at the time, there were some 5,000 to…

On a fractured country and how we got here — Canada is often overlooked in the international community. Canadians are caricaturized as being neutral, harmless, and even a little dull — a polite, sensible, open-minded people. Compared to other countries, this seems like a favourable public perception to have — and one that even Canadians boast about. But the problem…