Category Archives: Culture

The Winter Solstice and Trying to Explain the Movement of the Sun

Posted on December 21, 2017 by Barry Pomeroy

Many years ago I found myself trying to explain the movement of the sun during the winter to a class in Victoria, British Columbia, and ever since I have been struck by how cultural knowledge can be allowed or disallowed … Continue reading →

Posted in Ancient Peoples, Culture, History, Literature, Teaching | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on The Winter Solstice and Trying to Explain the Movement of the Sun

The Contamination of Ideas: Truth and Lies in the Internet Age

Posted on December 10, 2017 by Barry Pomeroy

A recent encounter reminds me that notions of knowledge and how it is gained can be subjective. I was told by a young person that a documentary watched by their mother—they didn’t even see the documentary themselves—argued that there was … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Internet, Media, News, News of the World, Social Media | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The Contamination of Ideas: Truth and Lies in the Internet Age

Avicii’s “Wake Me Up”: Or, Save Me from the Dirty Poor

Posted on November 18, 2017 by Barry Pomeroy

Although I usually have little to say about the fripperies and pomp of pop music, once I watched Avicii’s “Wake Me Up” I was infuriated by its rather simplistic and classist portrayal. “Wake Me Up” is likely meant to tell … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Media | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Avicii’s “Wake Me Up”: Or, Save Me from the Dirty Poor

Magazines and the Internet

Posted on October 29, 2017 by Barry Pomeroy

I was watching a video on YouTube about a man who was setting up his wilderness cabin. Although he spent most of his time complaining about a snow storm that was sweeping through his area I was most struck by … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Internet, Social Media | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Magazines and the Internet

A Use of Old Cannonballs

Posted on October 28, 2017 by Barry Pomeroy

Galileo was alone on the top of the tower. He’d asked his friends to stay away from his experiment. He’d experienced enough failure in the past to worry that his latest venture might prove to be embarrassing and he was … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, History, Supernatural, Superstition | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on A Use of Old Cannonballs

CBC’s “This is That” and the Reality of Our News Broadcasts

Posted on October 14, 2017 by Barry Pomeroy

I thought my reaction to the popular CBC parody show, This is That was unlike that of others, so I never mentioned it until this summer when I was talking to my friend in Montreal. It turned out, others have … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Media, News | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on CBC’s “This is That” and the Reality of Our News Broadcasts

Checking Your Delusions

Posted on October 8, 2017 by Barry Pomeroy

The method for checking our many delusions—that the Harry Potter letter is going to arrive for us any moment, that god is carefully listening to my prayers about the cancer He gave my mother, that the earth is flat, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate Change, Culture, Internet, News of the World, Supernatural, Superstition | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Checking Your Delusions

Waking to News about Maniacs

Posted on October 2, 2017 by Barry Pomeroy

Since I need to be awake by nearly the same time every weekday, I have taken to setting my clock radio for nine in the morning and then listening to the morning news before I actually turn off the clock … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, News, News of the World | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Waking to News about Maniacs

The Enthusiasm of the Young

Posted on September 10, 2017 by Barry Pomeroy

It’s almost a cliché that older people lose their enthusiasm. We are told that they are beaten down by their many responsibilities and powerless in the face of a fate that they can see, if they squint just right, riding … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture | Tagged , , | Comments Off on The Enthusiasm of the Young

Animals in the Cities

Posted on March 4, 2017 by Barry Pomeroy

Most of our cities, however hostile to animal life, have some hardy species who survive and even thrive amongst us. Perhaps the cockroach, mice and rats come immediately to mind, and then after a moment’s reflection, the raccoon and squirrel, … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Self-reliance | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Animals in the Cities