Simon Paynton

@jake I am horrified at the way you grew up with such animosity. I’m full of admiration for the fact that you’ve turned out to be so decent.

You’re much more tribal here in America. People really like labels and grouping terms. Maybe it’s because you had to invade the land you live in, and had to manage indigenous peoples, so it’s a Cowboys a…[Read more]

@enco  There is no perfection, and arguably no equality in real life.  An example of equity might be the allocation of school bus costs on a headcount basis, even though some students live much further from school than others.

It is precisely because there is no such thing as equality, that equity steps into the breach.

Although I am very aware that anti-semetic beliefs or Jew hatred exists, I have somehow managed to avoid encountering any, in all my years. It’s bewildering to me. It’s as if everyone else can physically see something and I can’t. Maybe it’s partly because I grew up in an atheist family. Maybe it’s because there were many different religions…[Read more]

We can get swallowed by our own prejudices on occasion without even being aware of that.

@Jake I disagree with your perception of ‘lefties’. Perhaps we have a different interpretation of the definition of ‘lefties’.

I am a leftie. In my world view, equity is better than equality, women should be in charge of their own fucking bodies, we should…[Read more]

@simon

”Extremists care about the one cause more than human welfare.”

I really like this point. It makes so much sense for today’s white river rafting kakistocracy.

Yes, the wholesome traditional family values of the Heritage Foundation as mentioned in that little known document called the Old Testa Project 2025.

Thanks, Reg!

Have a great week!

@Simon

In the comments people talk about how the worst part, in the new relaxation of modesty rules, is the change in God’s unchanging and immutable Word.  How does that work?  It’s a contradiction in someone’s world view.

One of the Elders must have had a divine revelation from the Creator of the Universe. “Seeing a female shoulder is no long…[Read more]

I am immune to “ChatGPT rotting my brain”:

I bring my thinking to ChatGPT, rather than leaving my thinking to it.

I value thinking as a craft, not a checkbox.

I interrogate my own ideas before accepting them.

I enjoy the process of discovery, not just the conclusion.

I use tools (including me) to refine thought, not to substitute it.

I rem…[Read more]

Yes, I agree with much of that assessment but its never to later to start. Banning cellphones during school hours and ongoing teacher training and development would be good too. In every country.

A.I. or Human…..take the test here.

One solution is to teach children critical thinking as a dedicated school subject, like math or history. Teach children how to question, explore ideas, and understand the history of thought. Learn to spot the differences between valid and invalid reasoning and cause vs. correlation. Understand how arguments are constructed and defended by knowing…[Read more]

The challenge facing the current American administration is not the pace of change, but its utter lack of a coherent vision for what should replace existing structures. This is not the “traditional conservatism” so often touted during GOP campaigns, where reform is pursued with caution and respect for institutional continuity. Instead, it is a rec…[Read more]

Thanks Reg 🙂

Have a great week everyone!

And docs are so overworked i think that it is understandable that they can’t always give good care.

One of my professional roles is to improve the IT systems of small medical practices. Most are owned by one MD with maybe a 2 or 3 other medical staff. They close every Wednesday afternoon. I once asked what she did for those afternoons. “About 5 o…[Read more]