Showing Tag: "truth" (Show all posts)

1/3 PLUS 1/3 EQUALS…?

Posted by Daniel S. on Friday, February 16, 2024, In : books and movies 

THAT’S where JET Progress is currently in the production (filming) state of OTOSOTU (pronounced “Oh-Toe-So-Two” for “On The Other Side Of The Universe, a Science Futuring drama about the human soul).


Science Futuring? There lots of science fiction and fantasy out there, so what’s science futuring? First it’s about science, which, by definition, is about anything repeatable. Second it’s about futuring; that is, plausibility, typically, future technologies or situations based on ...


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WHISPERED ANARCHY

Posted by Daniel S. on Sunday, May 21, 2023, In : Knowledge/Wisdom 

THESE are [once again] times that try men's souls (Thomas Paine). All known governments have a rise and a fall. Is this the United States' time to stall, trip and fall? It certainly can seem that way, with all the disruptions surfacing these days, and growing, polarized dissension replacing compromise. There seems to be a craziness bubbling up, as if the simmering pot called America were approaching a boiling point. But is this true? 

It certainly is a reflection of the times in which we live,...


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LONELY FOR CONVERSATION? TRY A CHATGPT!

Posted by Daniel S. on Monday, April 17, 2023, In : Knowledge/Wisdom 

FIRST, I must profess that I’m anything but lonely for conversation. Between domestic life, my many friends and acquaintances, the social internet and my garden, lonely for conversation is more like begging for quiet. Still, being a former university educator, I couldn’t ignore an article in the newest edition of Science News entitled “Homework HELP? ChatGPT and other AI tools are poised to disrupt education” by Kathryn Hulick. After a somewhat obtuse read about how AI may or may not ...


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FROM THE MOUTH OF AN ADDER

Posted by Daniel S. on Friday, June 17, 2022, In : books 

ACCORDING to Wikipedia, the common European adder or common viper, is a venomous snake that is extremely widespread and can be found throughout most of central and eastern Europe and as far as East Asia, so you can see that we’re not talking mathematics here. What we’re talking is talk. Conversation. Discussion. Dialog. Debate. In short, viperous praddle, intentionally so.


I’m not talking propaganda or prepared speeches, public or private. I’m talking more of intentional gossip that ...


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HEY! WHO’S IN CHARGE HERE?

Posted by Daniel S. on Thursday, June 16, 2022, In : books 

HAVING posted yesterday on the “solution” to a cupboard-“bare” market, in the process suggesting that the “market” and by extension, our economy (at least from a “market” perspective) is run by gamblers, I’ve come to wonder who’s in charge of it all: the economy, government, the world? Or is there no one at all sitting in the drivers seat?


I’ve always held that the key to anything human, is balance and qualified cooperation. The framers of our Constitution called it “...


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TRUST

Posted by Daniel S. on Wednesday, March 9, 2022, In : Knowledge/Wisdom 

WHAT is it that “makes the world go round?” Money? Power? Business contracts? America’s legal systems? Law enforcers? Bravado? I’ve come to realize over the years that it’s really none of these. It’s all about trust. Without trust, none of the above apply.


According to merriam-webster.com, trust is “firm belief in the character, strength, or truth of someone or something,” the actionable word being “firm” which, according to the same source, means “securely or solidly f...


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TRUTH

Posted by Daniel S. on Friday, February 18, 2022, In : Knowledge/Wisdom 

I hear a lot these days about how “unfair” autocratic folks, foreign and domestic, feel they’re being treated these days. The popular saying, “truth hurts” as well as Khaled Hosseini’s famous quote: “better to get hurt by the truth than comforted with a lie” say it all. In my opinion, the best defense against autocracy is truth, exactly what U. S. President Biden seems to be doing to defend against a Russian invasion of the Ukraine.


The problem, even in countries relatively i...


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THE ALREADY “REVISED” WORLD OF 2022

Posted by Daniel S. on Friday, January 14, 2022, In : Knowledge/Wisdom 

I generally avoid making predictions outside my soon to be completed work, “Prophecy,” the sequel to THE EDGE OF MADNESS (Aignos 2020) by Raymond Gaynor — https://savant-bookstore-honolulu.square.site/product/the-edge-of-madness/136; however, given it’s still early January, I do feel compelled to comment on upcoming 2022. Last year saw the resurrection and meteoric rise of an old anti-ethic, namely the “normalization” of misinformation, be it in government, business or society. Bo...


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IN THE GNUS

Posted by Daniel S. on Thursday, January 6, 2022, In : books and movies 

I was asked the other day what “sign of the times” I believe is the most significant one so far in this decade. After pondering the usual unusuals, I have to say that it’s what’s happening “in the gnus” (ha, ha) or more correctly how we get the news. But first, a bit more levity: (1) “No gnus is good gnus” (I’ve already labeled that “fake gnus”); (2) “Read only what’s gnus-worthy” (hey, they don’t call them wildebeests for nothing); (3) “any day a call may come...


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SEEING IS BELIEVING…NOT!

Posted by Daniel S. on Friday, May 14, 2021, In : books 

THERE is an interesting conundrum, a fluke of human nature, that is challenging humanity’s shared perception of reality, whether it be the cosmos, physics, science, the humanities, the human story, romance, love, gender or amorous eroticism: It isn’t so much that seeing is believing, but that we see what we believe, want or can see through our cultural blinders. That “seeing is believing” has already been highjacked, this time by politics, in that after spreading an opinion as factual...


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GOOD NEWS

Posted by Daniel S. on Monday, May 11, 2020, In : Knowledge/Wisdom 
It's becoming harder these days to find unbiased news. What used to be dry factual reporting seems to have swung to its counterpoint: interpretation and opinion. What's missing, in my opinion, is BALANCE. But by balance I don't mean the "mean." 

Good news reporting involves presenting the facts (to be interpreted in various ways by the viewer/listener) and meaning (as be interpreted in various ways by the preparer/broadcaster). "Weighting" the news based on popularity moves it into the realm o...
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AN UNEDUCATED DEMOCRACY SPELLS CHAOS

Posted by Daniel S. on Wednesday, March 11, 2020, In : Knowledge/Wisdom 
As a "modern" educator, I feel compelled to remind myself that education is more than business and "making money." It's the foundation of democracy. 

Ever since business pushed its way to the forefront of post secondary education, with its emphasis on publicity (modern translation = unlimited gossip/name-calling/misrepresentation/creating chaos), advertising (modern translation = saturation misrepresentation), profit (actually increasing profit), money over service and humanity, control over f...
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THE LOSS OF A PRECEDENT/PRESIDENT

Posted by Daniel S. on Saturday, November 16, 2019, In : assessment 
I have been sad to witness in my lifetime the loss of a USA precedent -- loss in terms of function, I mean. Precedent/President. Po-ta-to/po-tah-to. I always assumed the job of the chief administrative officer was first and foremost, to outstandingly administer -- to efficiently run -- the various programs established by the Board of Directors/Congress. Sad assumption #1.

I further assumed that any such CEO/Presidential leader would be rational, respectful and dedicated to the welfare of all ...
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AD HOMINEM MR. TRUMP!

Posted by Daniel S. on Friday, September 27, 2019, In : Knowledge/Wisdom 
I don't typically comment on politics, but as a retired academic, I've watched with appall the governance of our great nation under Mr. Donald Trump, a businessman extraordinaire (though not necessarily in the positive sense). I've watched our nation become a corporation, with a single dominant, overbearing CEO focused on one main area: money. I say money, rather than economy, which is an entirely different governmental topic. 

I was, at first, primarily surprised, when I learned that Mr. Trum...
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FAKE NEWS AND WHAT IT PORTENDS

Posted by Daniel S. on Monday, April 23, 2018, In : Knowledge/Wisdom 
"Fake news" isn't new. It's been around for centuries in the form of gossip. But society's never had a platform whereby gossip could be shared on a mass global basis, where its mere repetition and topic popularity could elevate it from believability to assumed truth. Bad news in a rapidly globalizing world, where politics and governments can depend on popular "news" to remain in power. 

The ancient Greeks taught us that there are five appeals that we as humans tend to accept: 1) logos (well-re...
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EDUCATION AND THE BIG LIE

Posted by Daniel S. on Sunday, September 3, 2017, In : Evaluation 
If the currency of business is money (ask President Trump), then the currency of education, or, more accurately academia, is truth. Academic (truth) was always the counterweight for business (money), holding us in the end to a moral/ethical standard. But what today constitutes truth? It's a slippery slope at best these days. 

I still recall a time before computers first appeared! Couple that with the sheer magnitude and ease of access of the Internet, and I also recall the first academic paper...
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The New "Dark Ages"

Posted by Daniel S. on Sunday, May 31, 2009, In : assessment 
I'm often asked where in the great scheme of things educational I think our current American system of education falls.  On the surface it seems like an easy question that begs a simple "rank" answer.  Think about it awhile, however, and both the question and any answer that might result become complexly rank.  As an academician, I value clearity, completeness and conciseness, in that order, so, I have decided to take on this "simple" question as the topic of today's entry. 

Hold your nose!  ...
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About Me


Author/Actor Daniel S. Janik (aka author Raymond Gaynor/Gary Martine) A retired physician turned author, actor, dancer, educator, naturalist, former publisher, Daniel S. "Dan" Janik has plenty to say.

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