487 – Fake news—Turning a blind eye to the truth Comments Off on 487 – Fake news—Turning a blind eye to the truth Jan 122017 SO WHO’S FAKING IT? “You are fake news!” declared U.S. president-elect Donald Trump yesterday in reaction to a CNN reporter’s accusations. Not surprisingly, “fake news” has become a very real post-US election news story itself, and we can expect to hear a lot more of that oxymoronic term in the future since it has become the latest anti-concept of the left. Of course, “fake news” is no news. “Fake news” is really just the latest popular expression for “propaganda” or “fiction” or “lies”, things that have been a part of news reporting since the beginning of news reporting itself. The real news is that those objecting to “fake news” the loudest are primarily voices from the very media reporting the fake news. They are using this latest pejorative as their weapon against the real news so as to make it difficult for most people to tell the difference. To make matters even more confusing, like real news, fake news is often supported by facts. But facts alone are not a story, and facts alone do not reveal any truths. Continue reading »
486 – Political reform—Just follow the money / Proportional representation vs first-past-the-post 1 Response » Jan 052017 MAJORITY FOOLS: Ontario voters and taxpayers have been played for fools when promised that Kathleen Wynne’s electoral financing reform would eliminate influence peddling on the part of her Liberal Party. But Wynne has delivered on her promise. In the name of supposedly eliminating assumed “corruption” evidenced by $1000+ voluntary political contributions paid to the Liberal Party to attend some party events, the problem has now been solved. Effective January 1 of this year, you no longer have to be a Liberal supporter to contribute your cash to the Liberal Party. In fact, everyone in Ontario must now do so. If you live in Ontario, you are now being forced to support the Liberal Party – and three others – with your tax dollars, even if you strongly disagree with all of their policies. Thanks to Bill 2 (formerly Bill 201), every Ontario taxpayer has now been forced to contribute – for the first time ever – directly to the following political parties, and retroactively in 2016: Continue reading »
485 – Ghost in the machine? / Just Right year-end review Comments Off on 485 – Ghost in the machine? / Just Right year-end review Dec 292016 As 2016 draws to a close, we would like to thank you, our listeners, for making 2016 Just Right’s greatest single year in audience growth. 2016 was Just Right’s first year as an independent weekly radio broadcast and podcast, free from the constraints of the politically-correct university environment in which the show originated. Our on-line listener statistics for the 2016 tell a remarkable story: Over the past year alone, visits to our web site have increased from a few hundred per day in 2015 to an average approaching 2000 per day. “Unique visitors” to our site have increased from an average of 2000 per month to 15,000 per month. And with each passing month, thousands more are added to these numbers. Considering that Just Right is produced only once a week, the growth in the number shows downloaded over the past year is significant. In 2015 Just Right’s bandwidth traffic of 848 gigabytes represents approximately 12,110 show downloads, while in 2016, bandwidth traffic (to Dec 21) of 4.6 Terabytes represents a minimum of 65,242 show downloads. That’s a growth rate exceeding 500% over the past year alone, and the numbers show no signs of slowing down. Continue reading »
484 – Artificial intelligence gathering | Christopher Essex Comments Off on 484 – Artificial intelligence gathering | Christopher Essex Dec 222016 Is “artificial intelligence” (AI) really an artificially stupid topic? Is there even such a thing as “artificial” intelligence, or are we just playing with words? The answers are not as straightforward as one might at first glance assume. Indeed, assumptions may well determine the outcome of a tautology that would have us chasing our own tales of intelligence. Join us for a real intelligence gathering, together with our in-studio guest Professor Christopher Essex of Western University’s Department of Applied Mathematics. It’s a discussion about the pitfalls and promises of what has come to be called “artificial intelligence,” and why the discussion itself has as many pitfalls as its subject. The circular debate between “real” and “artificial” intelligence may simply be caused by assuming that the latter refers to some form of “artificial human.” It cannot. “Intelligence,” however defined, is an unreal concept when used in the attempt to distinguish between man and machine. Continue reading »
483 – “Politics”: The theatrical release Comments Off on 483 – “Politics”: The theatrical release Dec 152016 It has often been said that “politics is theatre.” That might explain why many would call politics the theatre of the absurd. But all theatrics aside, theatre in politics simply can’t be pushed aside. The play’s the thing. If there’s a lesson to be learned from the recent US election, it is that “all the world’s a stage,” and nationalism sets that stage for political theatre. Since most have never experienced good political theatre in recent times, it’s not surprising that, when encountered, few understand the plot – especially those who falsely believe they are writing the script. It’s a lesson that seems to have been forgotten, if ever learned. Imagine if television had existed during the times of William Gladstone and Benjamin Disraeli (1800s Britain); would it have been censored by political correctness? From Gladstone’s narrow escape from being tossed to his potential death out the window of Britain’s new parliament buildings, to Disraeli’s being taunted with pork on a stick while giving his electoral speeches, British politics of the era was pure drama. By comparison, Donald and Hillary’s 21st-century antics would have attracted little more attention than the mildly feuding couple next door. Continue reading »
482 – Dr. Jordan Peterson and the war of the words: The corruption of language and thought 1 Response » Dec 082016 Dr Jordan Peterson of the University of Toronto has earned the world’s attention – and our respect and admiration – for standing up and speaking out against the irrationality and destructive ideologies of the so-called “gender warriors” who are attacking him. Far from being “warriors,” they are really leftist thugs pretending to have a cause – one that they are unable to articulate or verbalize. Being as confused and ignorant about language as they are about their own sexuality, “gender warriors” must make up words in an attempt to reflect the unreality in which they exist. As a consequence their words are unreal and no one can even remember or recite them all, let alone relate to them. The “gender warriors” are victims of their own making. Now they want to victimize everyone else. Unfortunately, their self-imposed personal tragedies are now being imposed on everyone else by our leftist establishment and politicians. This should not be surprising since ideologies of the left are as unreal as the words they must force us all to use. Canadian and provincial laws have been enacted that make it a criminal offence to not recognize many of the more than 39 various make-believe words that have been created to define the indefinable. This is not a “war” about “gender.” Nor is it a war over “free speech,” though that is certainly a critical front in the war. But the real greater conflict is about speech and language itself, and the planned conscious destruction of one’s ability to think and reason. Continue reading »
481 – Trudeaumaniac / Reality check Comments Off on 481 – Trudeaumaniac / Reality check Dec 012016 With his father Pierre, it was Trudeaumania. With Justin, it’s more like Trudeaumaniac. On the heels of Cuban dictator Fidel Castro‘s death, Canada’s Prime Minister made that extra effort to show the world that he is in serious need of a reality check. Like father, like son? From the implications of Justin Trudeau’s admiration for dictatorships and dictators, to his penchant for “proportional representation,” these are signals that should alarm any freedom-minded nations and individuals. Here is the statement by the Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada, on the death of former Cuban President Fidel Castro issued from Antananarivo, Madagascar, November 26, 2016: It is with deep sorrow that I learned today of the death of Cuba’s longest serving President. “Fidel Castro was a larger than life leader who served his people for almost half a century. A legendary revolutionary and orator, Mr. Castro made significant improvements to the education and healthcare of his island nation. Continue reading »