Archives
Media bias and the U.S. presidential election
Michael Malone nails it.I don't recognize good journalistic practices as I was taught them as a journalism student in the 1970s in most of the political coverage I read. It depresses and angers me. At least I'm not alone.Margaret Atwood: nice essay, shame you screwed up the ending
Lots of people (just today, for some reason) are pointing me to Margaret Atwood's essay in the Globe & Mail last week attacking Prime Minister Stephen Harper's comment on arts funding. Naturally the people pointing it out see as a masterful bit of skewering of the Prime Minister. I think she hurt her cause among non-arts-community-types by slipping into silly hyperbole at the end.First, the Prime Minister's quote:"I think when ordinary working people come home, turn on the TV and see a gala of a bunch of people at, you know, a rich gala all subsidized by taxpayers claiming their subsidies aren't high enough, when they know those subsidies have actually gone up – I'm ...I’m still in the middle!
I haven't taken one of these politica compass tests for a while, so I thought I'd take a stab at this one and see if I'm still right in the middle of the political spectrum.You are a Social Moderate(55% permissive)and an... Economic Moderate(50% permissive)You are best described as a:Centrist ...A political rant we can all get behind
Everyone's ranting about politics today, it seems, so I guess I should, too. But since my range of acquaintances runs from gay socialist actors through libertarian atheist science fiction writers all the way over to conservative fundamentalist preachers, all of whom just seem to assume that all the Right People agree entirely with their positions on everything, and I don't want to exclude anyone, I've decided to make my rant interactive. Make your own selections from the options provided, or simply fill in the blanks!I think this captures the flavor of political "debate" I've been seeing recently:*****McCain/Obama/Palin/Biden/Harper/Layton/Dion/_________ is a canker on the body politic of this great country!He/she/they/_______ will strip us of ..."Critical Times for Critical Thinking"
Here's a rather depressing essay that ties in with my post about high school debate ruining my blogging career. As Elizabeth Scalia asks:"How can significant issues be tackled when a culture of cynicism and relativism has destroyed appreciation for the truth?""Critical Times for Critical Thinking"
Here's a rather depressing essay that ties in with my post about high school debate ruining my blogging career. As Elizabeth Scalia asks:"How can significant issues be tackled when a culture of cynicism and relativism has destroyed appreciation for the truth?""Critical Times for Critical Thinking"
Here's a rather depressing essay that ties in with my post about high school debate ruining my blogging career. As Elizabeth Scalia asks:"How can significant issues be tackled when a culture of cynicism and relativism has destroyed appreciation for the truth?"How high school debate ruined my blogging career
Occasionally I'm tempted to make some strong political statement on this blog, but I usually avoid it for one simple reason: I was a high school debater, and a pretty good, one, too. (I placed high enough in the Open category in provincials my Grade 12 year to advance to nationals, except that provincials were only my third actual tournament and you had to be in more than that to qualify.)Why does that keep me from making political pronouncements?Simply this: in formal debate, you have to argue both sides of a resolution. (Our provincial debate tournament resolution, back in 1976, as I recall it: "Be it resolved that future leaders of major political parties in Saskatchewan ...How high school debate ruined my blogging career
Occasionally I'm tempted to make some strong political statement on this blog, but I usually avoid it for one simple reason: I was a high school debater, and a pretty good, one, too. (I placed high enough in the Open category in provincials my Grade 12 year to advance to nationals, except that provincials were only my third actual tournament and you had to be in more than that to qualify.)Why does that keep me from making political pronouncements?Simply this: in formal debate, you have to argue both sides of a resolution. (Our provincial debate tournament resolution, back in 1976, as I recall it: "Be it resolved that future leaders of major political parties in Saskatchewan ...Research shows conservatives are nicer than liberals
I work in the arts, so I'm surrounded by people who (often without giving it much thought, I suspect) would call themselves politically liberal (usually, at least based on their Facebook profiles, "very liberal").Myself, I'm more a middle-of-the-road distrustful-of-extremes kind of guy (and I have the test results to prove it!). If there's one thing that gets my back up about some of those of the liberal persuasion, though, it's the holier-than-thou attitude they exude, the sense that they occupy the moral high ground in all things, which is why they look down on anyone who doesn't see things exactly the way they do. (And, yes, there's a certain strain of conservative that annoys me for ...
Edward Willett is a Subscribe to my weekly science column for free!
Advertisement
Donate
Magebane
“Spectacular” – Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Evil wizards, multi-level conspiracies, hidden kingdoms…Lee Arthur Chane…has done a marvelous job…Magebane is a very entertaining book and well worth the time.” – A.M. Donovan, Night Owl Reviews
I happily recommend Magebane and I’ll certainly give Chane’s next novel a try based on this one.” —Bill Capossere, Fantasy Literature
“…an original and delightful tale of epic fantasy and magic, steampunk science, adventure, tragedy, and love…” – Errant Dreams Reviews
Eight centuries ago, the world changed. A devastating war swept the lands, and the MageLords, who had long ruled by virtue of their spell powers, were driven to a distant place, separated from those they had ruled by a magical Barrier. With magic banished from the rest of the world, the MageLords became mere legend and people turned to science to improve their lives. But if one man has his way, all that is about to change….
Written as Lee Arthur Chane (the middle names of my older brothers, Jimmy Lee and Dwight Arthur, and myself, Edward Chane Willett).
Marseguro
Winner of the 2009 Prix Aurora Award for Best Long-Form Work in English
Water world Marseguro is home to the Selkies, a water-dwelling race created from human DNA. When an unmodified human seeks revenge on a Selkie by activating a distress beacon taken from the remains of the original colony ship, a strikeforce is sent from Earth to eradicate the genetic abomination. Yet Marseguro will not prove as easy to conquer as the Earth force anticipates…
Terra Insegura
Finalist for the 2010 Prix Aurora Award for Best Novel in English
Marseguro, a water world far from Earth, is home to a colony of humans and the Selkies, a water-dwelling race created from modified human DNA. For seventy years the colony has lived in peace. Then Earth discovers Marseguro, and a strike force is sent to eradicate this “abomination.” But Marseguro has created a genetically tailored plague to use against Earth’s Holy Warriors. With the enemy defeated, the people of Marseguro feel they are safe. But Chris Keating, the traitor who signaled Marseguro’s location to the Holy Warriors, has fled to Earth, unknowingly carrying the deadly plague within him. The people of Marseguro feel they must send a ship to Earth with a life-saving vaccine. Only time will tell what awaits them when they reach their destination.
Lost in Translation
Kathryn was a human empath whose world and life had been destroyed when the alien S’sinn slaughtered her parents before her very eyes. Jarrikk was a young S’sinn, an unproven warrior who’d seen his flight mates slaughtered by the humans who’d sought to colonize his world.
As humans and S’sinn found themselves on the brink of war, these two Translators had to work together to find a common ground and avert catastrophe. But whether their Translators’ oath and training could overcome the enemies leagued against them was very much in doubt…
Archives
Song of the Sword
My new YA fantasy novel from Lobster Press
Before the Lady called her, Ariane’s life was a mess. Two years ago, her mother disappeared. She bounced around different foster homes until her aunt finally took her in. The meanest clique at her new high school has decided to make Ariane their prime target. And to top it all off, she is having frightening premonitions, and they are becoming more intense. The moment water touches her skin, she sees visions of a lake, a lady, and a sword. When a staircase opens up in the middle of Wascana Lake and the water begins singing to her, she has no choice but to answer the call….
Historic Walks of Regina and Moose Jaw
Ten walks to points of historic and architectural interest in the cities of Regina and Moose Jaw (eight walks for Regina, two for Moose Jaw).
Johnny Cash: The Man in Black
When country music legend Johnny Cash took the stage at Folsom State Prison in 1968, he solidified the public’s perception of him as a rebel who followed his own path. Born in Arkansas during the Great Depression, Cash endured poverty, the death of his older brother, and a difficult relationship with his father. He turned to gospel and country music to express the pain, and after many years of struggling, his songs of hardship and hope would finally reach the ears of those waiting for an artist who represented them, ordinary people fighting to survive.
Andy Warhol: Everyone Will Be Famous for 15 Minutes
“Paintings are too hard. Machines have less problems…” In the 1960s, Andy Warhol became the most famous creator of a new style of art called pop art, which transformed mass-produced items of popular culture into fine works of art. From Campbell’s Soup cans to photographs of Marilyn Monroe, Warhol’s willingness to use anything and everything from the mass media in his work expanded the range of subject matter available to artists. His avant-garde films, artistic usage of American icons, and unconventional social life made him a controversial figure, both greatly admired and deeply reviled. A trendsetter rather than a trend-follower, a dispassionate observer of both the seamy and celebrity sides of life, Warhol was a true American rebel.
Disease-Hunting Scientist
The true stories of six real disease hunters. Epidemiologists travel the world trying to keep us safe from deadly diseases—from high-tech labs in Canada to remote villages in Africa. Learn how these “disease detectives” are coming up with new ways to fight disease, and find out if you have what it takes to become an epidemiologist, too!
The Bounty Mutiny
The Bounty was a British ship visiting Tahiti in 1789 when some of the crew overthrew the captain, William Bligh, and set him adrift in a tiny boat with sailors loyal to him. The mutiny resulted in a number of trials–both of the men who mutinied and of Bligh for losing command of his ship. These fascinating events have been the source for numerous Hollywood movies, most recently The Bounty. The Bounty Mutiny: From the Court Case to the Movie explores the famous case and the movies it inspired.
Facebook
Flickr
GoodReads
RSS
Twitter
Email