Not so long ago, our childhoods were lived under established codes of a communal value system - one based on ethics and principles - on the concept of doing good being more powerful than being evil.

Today, value systems are considered undue impositions on the egos and psyches of individuals - especially our sweet children. We no longer believe they should know failure or even the pressures inherent in "trying". They are given trophies for simply "being" and soon learn that whining and complaining achieve more than diligence and vision. And so, depleted of their capacity to survive our children have come to live under a new system of rules of law - formulated on fear - the fear of ever powerful forces overtaking them and a code of submissiveness based on a life-style of retreat into puerile dependence and single-minded victimhood. We teach our children to evade what is real and to embrace the only "real" world they know: the virtual. In North America we seem to be achieving the impossible: the creation of a clinging, limitless infancy tethered to life-denying ear-phones - making our childen less and less intrusive on our perception of adulthood: emotionally deficient self-centeredness. - 16-08-07

Today I learned about defamation and the misuse of the airwaves for "political" purposes. I learned about editing interviews, not to improve the presentation and communication of facts but rather to improve the "look" and sound of a storyline. I learned today, that news is not necessarily about facts but rather the "theater of presentation", BBM (Bureau of Broadcast Measurement) ratings and journalistic ego.  I woke up to a lot this AM. . .

When a network edits information to tell a “truth” more suitable to the intention of a "storyline” than to fact, this is not "news" - it is a lie. But then. . . Better a twisted presentation which gets attention (even if damaged reputations occur in the process) than the actual truth obtained by an interviewer but left on the cutting-room floor because it doesn't suit the purpose of the "intended" story. . .

It is no wonder that Canada will soon be as litiginous as the United States. It is time that media professionals review what defamation is and what consequences it can bring about.

Defamation: In the most general terms, defamation is the issuance of a false statement about another person, which causes that person to suffer harm. Defamation has four elements: 1) a false or defamatory statement was made against you; 2) the statement was made to a third party (anyone other than you, either verbally or in written form); 3) if the defamation was of public concern, then the publisher of the defamation had to be negligent; and 4) you suffered damage, such as an injury to your reputation or, in some cases, mental anguish. Furthermore, there are several instances that result in defamation “per se,” i.e., the damages are presumed. These instances include attacks on a person’s character or standing, allegations that a person has committed a crime or moral turpitude. - 04-10-06

There is something truly pathetic about a once revered media conglomerate prostituting itself for ratings and, despite this, still perceiving itself as righteous and professional. - 04-10-06

How to Live to Be A Hundred - Globe and Mail, 30-04-06, Page F9.

An article on nutrition becomes a beacon of hope for all parents who believe it is their reponsibility and admirable task to raise children who actually believe in partticipation, caring and duty. This article goes far beyond discussing physical nutrition. It explores a world where children are not only taught to be good to themselves but to also participate in the betterment of their environment and the psychological well-being of their community. The mental and physical health of the people involved in this article is mind-boggling, not because how they live is (in our western terms) impossible to emulate but rather that we, the supposed evolved west, have not implemented such practices, let alone even thought about doing so. If  there is even a remote chance that the west could embark on such a healthy diet of common sense we should definitely go for it. The futures of our children and their children (and the west's existence as a whole) depend on it - if it isn't already too late. . . - 30-04-06

Without a belief system and a strong set of values, all democracies fail. - 96