Completely Random Thoughts

Stay Woke! – Issue 76 

May 3, 2022

Definition of the word “Woke”: verb – the past tense of the verb wake adjective – alert to injustice in society / aware and actively attentive to important facts and issues – especially those relating to race, social justice, and all forms of discrimination.  I find the adjective “woke” to be very clumsy. It really […]

Week of April 4th 

April 10, 2022

I have fallen behind so some of this is not from the week of April 4th. Amongst the things that I found interesting:  Vietnamese investment in the United States US insistence that Putin and Russia be charged for war crimes in the Ukraine “Don’t Say Gay” laws The Good Country Index Sunflower oil shortage VinFast […]

Was It Inevitable? – Issue 74 

March 30, 2022

We spent four weeks in France. We were in airports and train stations; on the Metro, buses, trains, airports, and airplanes! Restaurants and museums! No Covid-19! We get back to Canada and my wife, unknowingly, visits an infected family member! A few days later she has Covid, and two days later I test positive too. […]

Good Bye LinkedIn, Issue 72

February 20, 2022

Good Bye LinkedIn! Good bye social media!

Week of February 14

February 17, 2022

What caught my attention the Week of February 14 New Words (at least for me): Hellacious – very great, very bad, very overwhelming. Example: The pandemic was hellacious. Chris Selley, National Post of February 14 Selley addresses the need to manage and police protests with consistency. So, he calls out Justin Trudeau for attempting to […]

Clarity and Data are Important – Issue 71

February 11, 2022

I am fed up with the COVID-19 debates over mandates and sanitary measures. To find a path forward, agreement on data and clarity are important. Clarity: Different levels of government have different responsibilities. So, in Canada and the US mask mandates, school and office closures, restaurant and bar openings, and most of the things that […]

Week of January 24th

January 29, 2022

My head hurts!

Unfortunate Politicization of LinkedIn – Issue 70

January 28, 2022

I keep poking away at this issue. I published a newsletter on February 25, 2021 about Fact, Fiction, and Opinion. Then on June 12, I wrote about Prejudice, Discrimination, and Hate. Was the unfortunate politicization of LinkedIn inevitable?  Over the past two years, I have  watched the unfortunate politicization of LinkedIn. Probably! Any forum that allows […]

Week of January 17th

January 21, 2022

What caught my attention the Week of January 17th? Covid Risk Calculator  In its January 19 newsletter, the New York Times  publicized this online tool. Scientists at Oxford University developed this calculator available to UK clinicians on the NHS web site. It helps determine patients that can be returned home safely. Sample calculations: If vaccinated […]

All Things Robbie Burns – Issue 69

January 19, 2022

Time to buy haggis, neeps, and tatties! Make the Cullen Skink and Clootie pudding! And don’t forget a good bottle of Scotch! On January 25th, the world celebrates all things Robbie Burns with a traditional Burns’ Night Dinner. The menu explained Cullen Skink is a rich and creamy soup made with smoked haddock, potatoes, butter […]

Week of January Tenth

January 14, 2022

What caught my attention the Week of January tenth? Appeasement Did you notice that this week,  the US and NATO are taking the lead in Ukraine negotiations with Russia? If my memory of history serves me correctly, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain  left Czechoslovakia on the sidelines  while negotiating the Munich Agreement of 1938. As […]

Turn Chaos into Order – Issue 68

January 13, 2022

I have lamented global responses to COVID-19’s Omicron tidal wave. Criticism is easy, suggesting other strategies more difficult. However, I did commit to putting forward ideas to turn chaos into order.  Crisis management is always political Short term crisis management generally works to the political advantage of the governing party. The crisis creates opportunity to […]