Alittle bad information can be a dangerous thing. In this day and digital age where one of the most popular and commonly referenced encyclopedias is compiled by anyone with access to a computer (Yes, Wikipedia, I’m talking about you), too many people are using what amounts to overheard gossip as a building block for their own political and environmental rants.
Not that there’s anything wrong with a good rant every now and again, but in order to make your points valid you have to get your facts straight.
As the editor of Monday, I am often criticised for some perceived political agenda. One week, I’m told the paper is too left wing, and in the next breath I’m accused of being too far right. Which goes to show that a reader’s perception is often based more on their own skew rather than in the actual information being delivered. And if my skin was a little thicker, I would know this is exactly where the magazine is supposed to be — in the middle and creating thought-provoking discussions from both sides of the spectrum.
But because it is so easy to swallow a piece of false information and have that colour one’s perception of reality, I have to applaud The Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions’ announcement that it is offering courses in climate control for B.C. civil servants. The online course, Climate Insights 101, will use a combination of animation, interviews and click-thrus to deliver the basic concepts and findings of climate science research.
Since these 26,000 civil servants help inform and shape the province’s policies and planning, PICS Executive Director Dr. Tom Pedersen hopes the classes will, “go a long way towards demystifying the physics of the climate change we are seeing.” When I ask if the courses have the potential for controversy, he assures me that “real data and real science speaks for itself.”
In other words: if the glaciers are melting, something is wrong.
And if you want to become as knowledgable as our civil servants soon will be, the courses are available for free at www.pics.uvic.ca. Be sure to check out the “Clear the Air” segment that explores common misconceptions.
SONG STUCK IN MY HEAD
Ten Pound Trout: Auto Jansz
Of all the wonderful songs on Victoria singer-songwriter Auto Jansz’s debut CD, Redlights, Money and Wine, this isn’t the one I would have predicted as the track to get stuck. But there is something in that catchy, gypsy-bluegrass groove and simple, feel-good lyrics that just gets my toes tapping and puts a smile on my face. You really have to catch Auto live to see for yourself how this is a definite keeper from a local gem. M