Some Up: Nov 23rd – 29th

Podcast: The Border Patrol Agent I Know (The Cut)

I found this a fascinating look at a relationship between two people who are very different. This doesn’t particularly add to the discussion of how to reach out and make inroads, but it’s interesting to sit in the discomfort of their disagreement.

Article: Homework assignment to list ‘positive’ stories about residential schools under investigation (CBC News)

If there were any positive outcomes of residential schools, they would be wholly overshadowed by the systematic destruction of indigenous cultures, the rape of children and youth, and the emotional and moral destruction of the spirit of so many children.

My suspicion is that this assignment was to have the students try and understand the mindset that would allow for the creation of these schools, but this is not how you ask students to consider the historical perspective around how these schools came to be.

Something I noticed: if you zoom in on the assignment, you can find the links the teacher shared as research. One is a right wing blog post and another is from a now-defunct charity funded partially by the Catholic Church. It is wildly unprofessional for any educator to be sharing these resources with their students as if it is a reliable resource. Opinion articles can be shared absolutely, with the caveat that they are opinions! To use them as fact based evidence is absolutely wrong.

Wholly unacceptable. How upsetting for this indigenous parent to see how her community’s history is being rewritten.

Article: The death of small businesses in big cities, explained (Vox)

As someone who believes in the value of small business, this is difficult to read.

While I still think it is important to shop local and put your dollar where your community is, it hits in the gut to know that the system is so wholly rigged against the small businesses that add to the richness of our communities.

This feels similar to how just 100 companies are responsible for 71% of global emissions. This puts the weight of climate change on consumers, when even if we all did the best we could, it wouldn’t rival the impact these companies have on the environment.

Article: You Must Not ‘Do Your Own Research’ When It Comes To Science (Forbes)

Do you really believe that twenty minutes of googling is better than years of science research? Do you honestly think that because you saw a poorly cited and wildly biased YouTube video, you know better? This devaluing of experts and belittling of science has reared it’s ugly head throughout this pandemic, and it needs to stop.

Video: A Day in the Life of an ER Doctor Battling Covid-19 (AJ Plus)

We’re all tired of this virus. We’re all tired of staying away from our friends and loved ones.

If you’re tempted to bend or break the rules, please think of those who take care of us when the worst happens. Think of their families and the mental and physical effort they are putting in every day.

Podcast: Where Gratitude Gets You (Hidden Brain)

I admit that Hidden Brain gets a lot of airtime on my blog, but it is my blog and I love Hidden Brain so much that I need to share the good news!

This episode is a great reminder how we can foster a mindset that includes gratitude at the core. An incredible reminder during these hard times.

Podcast: Swamp Gravy (Update) (Planet Money)

I love that theatre was considered as an economic driver, instead of a “nice to have”. I think so many people consider art and culture a nice option instead of something that it vital to the community.

Article: In 1975, a Cat Co-Authored a Physics Paper (Atlas Obscura)

I love this! Adorable!

News of the Day: Utah Monolith Found

It’s fun to have some playful news dominating the headlines again. This monolith story is wild!

We don’t know much, but we know it’s been around since 2016.

Stephen Colbert’s Monologue on the topic moved me to such gales of laughter that I woke my partner up.

Local Spot: Urban areas Grocer

When our beloved Oxford foods closed earlier this week, we needed to find somewhere to get our regular (read: non fancy) groceries. Luckily, the perfectly sized Urban Grocer opened up with an awesome selection and well laid out aisles! Grocery shopping is saved!

Local Spot: La Roux Patisserie

For sure this has shown up on my blog before, but when is there not a good time to talk about this delughtful spot?

This time, we celebrated the weekend with an assortment of macrons (high fives to the pumpkin spice, London dog, and gingerbread flavours!), a dark chocolate and passion fruit tart, and a Christmas dark chocolate peppermint tart. Perfection!

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