Safetogototown

  I caught this  news item as I was leaving the house one Sunday morning.  I have to say I was immediately drawn in.  I was drawn in not by the fourth grader wearing the Ironman world championship hoodie but by the idea of educating elementary students on how to recognize misinformation.  My immediate reaction was that "isn't what school is supposed to be about?"  School should foster critical thinking, curiosity and not taking everything at face value.  Then I corrected myself these attributes are associated with education not school.  The difference between education and school is a topic best left for later. Me second reaction was highlighted in the video.  I wish everyone had this type of training.  I cannot count the number of times something an acquaintance has posted on social media has led to an eye roll.  I am quite tolerant of friends and acquaintances and what they post.  I value my friendships too much to get ...

Last weeks post centered around the idea of a "go to" source for information.  I looked at it from the point of view of the movie Idiocracy.  The main issue was the idea that characters in the movie were content due to the belief that a corporation (Brawndo) and it's products had all the answers.  In the movie plants were irrigated with Brawndo (basically a sports type drink) because it had electrolytes.  According to the Brawndo corporation plants crave electrolytes.  Characters in the movie had no understanding of how to grow crops.  This was especially true for the leaders of this futuristic society.  The President and his cabinet continued to try and grow crops by irrigating them with the sports drink Brawndo.  Crops continually failed.  In spite of continual failures leadership remained steadfast in their belief that Brawndo was the answer.  Why, because it had electrolytes and plants crave electrolytes. This belief was rooted in th...