To thine own self be true

is the most honest, thorough, best ever done on this famous American writer.

Although Hem had talent and some great, memorable books, he was a failure as a decent, kind, compassionate, responsible human being, drinking himself to death after numerous concussions from carelessness and bad luck.

His egregious, nasty, vile treatment of his wives, his kids, and his friends was abominable. He had to destroy them in order to build himself up and to put his writing above all else.

I will still come back to his some of his best writing, but, after viewing this documentary, I see nothing noble or admirable about the rest of his violent, pompous, hedonistic existence.

The directors have done justice to those who suffered with this crazy, infantile, selfish loser, allowing most of them to speak, in writing or on camera.

And they have done enough justice to his writing career with numerous excerpts and praise from critics. A well-done balancing act, indeed.

Recommended for any fans of Hem’s work and for those who want a fuller, truthful depiction of the man, his personality, character, and relationships with others. A long-overdue, necessary and justly-deserving debunking of the Hemingway myth.

if you’ll have to walk 15-20 minutes to get to a bus all winter? Why use it if you are constantly at risk of being robbed and assaulted at transit centres?

City Council has blown it bigtime and will only create more vehicle owners who can’t afford to live this way, who can’t park at transit stations, and who have found it way too expensive to continue using ETS. Iveson and other perpetrators of this major failure are abandoning ship before the next election.

that broke the camel’s back for Nenshi and Iveson. The former had to manage the big flood and hailstorm. The latter was not prepared to fix the mess he created city-wide with the LRT expansions. Of the two, Iveson should be made to hang in to face the music eventually coming about the failed ETS, new garbage collection, destroyed downtown, bike lane wastage, and wasteland-created LRT. Overall, Nenshi was the better, more responsible mayor.

is always more than one perspective/take on any experience, any problem, any issue.

Hence, perpetual conflicts, arguments, and disagreements between any two people.

starting tonight (Mon. Apr. 5) on PBS. Should be interesting.

(above: his buddy Hotchner’s legendary bio of Papa–recommended also)

(why I went into teaching)

was incredibly important in saving, maintaining, and bettering the world, and still do today and in the future.

If you read the draft document for K to 6 in Alberta, you’d have good reason that education is in a very precarious state when government fools like LaGrange or Kenney try to control how kids are brought up to be good, little, dumb-ass entrepreneurial ignoramuses like them.

World-wide stupidity and ignorance are increasing as evidenced by anti-science, anti-fact, anti-authority attitudes and hoi-polloi choices.

This is the kind of thing that leads to irrational belief in conspiracy theories, Trump-style dictators, racism, violence against non-Caucasians and others who disagree with one, GOP-style voting and rights suppression, insurrection, treason, anti-masking, and killing in the streets.

Education was the glue that once held Western civilization together, but now we see it coming undone with increased defunding of education (notably in higher education–“can’t have too many autonomous, independent-minded individuals in society not voting UCP or GOP).

Education, like life, is about possibilities and offering myriad possibilities to young people and young adults. The betrayal of this promise is fodder for tyrants and autocrats, be they Putin, Trump, or Kenney.

No, education is the most important thing in life once basic security (health, food, home, family) has been addressed. It is the true major portal to lifelong opportunities and significant human growth on all levels.

that things and humans are never as bad as they appear or seem to be.

Here in Edmonton lives a spirited three-year-old boy, who recently had a brain operation and may only have six months to live.

Like many young toddlers, he is fascinated by wheel toys and motorcycles, and a local motorcycle club organized a drive-by event with many other motorcyclists joining in to make possible a wish-fulfillment event for him.

As Bregman points out, through many historical examples, you cannot write off human nature and the human race. Often people you wouldn’t expect are capable of incredible kind, thoughtful, unselfish gifting for and toward others.

If you need to have your shaken faith in humankind restored, the above book and the many examples of human generosity and kindness in the world are worth checking out and noting. These two will go a long way to providing a more balanced perspective and a sense of the best of humankind via sharing, gifting, charity, and sacrifice.

the Easter Bunny remembered to show up for kids this year. (S/he is lying by the right tree beside the sidewalk.)

While so many adults are losing their heads, it is important to try and preserve as much of childhood innocence in an ever-increasing chaotic and fearful world. The value of illusions, dreams, and idealism are all well-worth preserving in order to give hope, optimism, and a sense of possibilities about life in society and on the planet.

Hope, optimism, spirit, and rebirth are what Easter is mainly about anyway. Let’s hope that most kids and adults are able to hang on to those inspirations today and in the world to come.

“If we had a keen vision and feeling for all ordinary human life, it would be like hearing the grass grow and the squirrel’s heart beat, and we should die of that roar which lies on the other side of silence. As it is, the quickest of us walk about well wadded with stupidity.”

Kenney fiddles in Alberta refusing to budge despite the province’s doctors–who care much more about people’s health and lives–telling him to lock down. He is a ‘genius’ and never going to listen to authorities and people much smarter than he is. Albertans are at the mercy of an out-of-control tyrant. He is responsible for the spiralling cases in AB.