Tomorrow is Remembrance Day.  With two larger scale wars happening on two different continents, it seems we may be having some trouble remembering.  Beyond simple remembrance however, it seems people don’t remember why we have Remembrance Day.  The Fly on the Wall has an interesting take on this issue, reminding us not only of the… Read more »

Selflessness should be the next wave of academic ideology.  That’s because present-day ideology emphasizes self-interest too much.  I’m speaking from my experiences with feminist ideology and the psychology curriculum.  These ideologies and the Western model seem fixated on meeting the needs of the self before meeting those of others.  And I believe that makes life… Read more »

One wintry night, when the wind howled and the snow blew sideways, a bear woke up mid-hibernation with a raging thirst.  He stumbled from his den and sniffed the air.  It was deep, dark winter and all the nearby water sources were iced over.  He scratched his ass and grumbled, then headed into the wind… Read more »

Sugar is an addiction.  While sugary foods can keep you full until you start eating again, sugary drinks are much sneakier, you may not know how much you’ve fully consumed since you don’t become full.  Frequently drinking sugary beverages is associated with weight gain, obesity, type two diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, non-alcoholic liver disease… Read more »

Toxic positivity is the pressure to stay upbeat despite dire circumstances, which prevents us from feeling natural emotions.  But are emotions natural, and should we let them all hang out?  Author Paul Friedman believes emotions are a byproduct of the body’s drive to survive, like a defense mechanism.  Moreover, he advances the position that a… Read more »

Orphan diseases are diseases that are so rare that most people have never heard of them and the prevalence of some of the rarest orphan diseases can be counted on one hand.  Most orphan diseases are the result of genetics, and they stick with a person for the entire duration of their life.  It is… Read more »

This research assistant posting seeks to “investigate resources, approaches, limitations, and obstacles within Western academic philosophy for engaging in conversations with philosophical thinkers who are marginalized by or outside of the discipline as it is traditionally conceived and practised within the academy.”  Ethnography, known in some contexts as audience participation, is at play here.  That’s… Read more »

November 2023 is apparently Academic Writing Month, a spin off of NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) where many writers challenge themselves to create a complete novel in a month.  It doesn’t have to be a good novel, just a complete one, with the idea being that not only does it encourage writers to actually finish… Read more »

If people say we can’t achieve something, ask what traits they feel prevent us from doing so.  And then, consider following the system I describe below to maximize our performance, regardless of our shortcomings.  The following stories illustrate how not to get blindsided by naysayers but instead maximize our potential. A long time ago, when… Read more »

We’re all very familiar with the notion of procrastination, and we’ve all engaged in it, though some more than others.  Whether we’re talking about putting off work assignments, household chores, or personal goals, everyone procrastinates at some point.  It’s important to understand that, while this is a very common phenomenon, not everyone struggle with it… Read more »