From the Parking Lot

A collection of links I found interesting last month. I have been collecting and sharing these on Mastodon, so if you have any interest in seeing these in real time, give me a follow over there. I’ve been using it as a microblogging platform, which is what Twitter used to be. These links cover a wide range of things that caught my eye during the month.

• This is an example of “exaption” in the human and technological sphere, a key practice in how humans respond to emergence in complex and rapidly changing systems.
• Educator Sharon Murray shares her principles of teaching, rooted in her love and scholarship of Shakespeare.
• An important interview with TSN’s Rick Westhead who has done much to uncover scandals, abuse, and governance issues with organizations like Canada Soccer and Hockey Canada.
• In England, the FA Cup began last month. As one of 440 owners of a Canadian semi-professional football club, I have an active interest in the fates and fortunes of small teams in this competition. The prospect of giant-killings abound and having experienced it once and almost twice with my TSS Rovers FC, I can say there is almost no greater victory for a club of semi-pro punters than taking down a proper professional team.
• It has become clear to me that during the Olympics nearly everyone with an opinion on sex and gender and what women athletes have to go through. has no idea what they are talking about. You should listen to Tested with Rose Eveleth to better understand the history and complexities of sex testing and athletics.
• I would love some insight into the psychology of lawmakers who are so frightened and underdeveloped as adults that they ban books by Judy Blume. It’s like we’re being governed by nine-year-old Minecraft mods.
• A very straightforward tool for moving through complex transitions from Mirjam Hope and Sonja Blignault (@sonjabl).
• A beautiful tribute from Shireen Ahmed to our Canadian Women’s Soccer Team who had an emotionally wild Olympic tournament as they battled a six point deduction brought on them by their cheating coaching staff and won every game in their group before falling in the quarter-final.
• An interview with my friend Bob Stilger on his reflections on philanthropy and regenerative systems in the midst of collapse, from a trip he did to Brazil this summer.
• CBC ran this article about workers dismantling a pro-Palestinian camp at Vancouver Island University and in the caption on this photo failed to mention that one of the workers made friends with a bunny.
• Facilitated Workshops Create the Problems They Try to Solve. This one hits uncomfortably close to home.
• I am a Subaru owner. What does it mean?
• Kanaka Bay on Saysutshun (Newcastle Island) near Nanaimo. The bay is named for a Hawaiian man, Peter Kakua, who is buried there. But his story and the story of those he killed and what it all means is incredible. It took 150 years for someone to give it a proper airing and that someone was Noelani Goodyear-Ka’?pua and you need to read her piece.
• Vancouver has a new professional women’s soccer team. Welcome Vancouver Rise to the world.
• This is outstanding, a crowdsourced interview with Laurie Anderson and the last question is delightful. She recently did an episode of The Documentary Podcast for BBC which told a bit more of the story of her new recording.
• RIP to jazz guitarist Russell Malone. He played with such space and inspired by singers, a singular committment to extracting feel out of every line. Here is an older piece about his lineage.
• The BC Conservatives want to remove access to harm reduction resources because they feel unsettled about people being able to use them. And the BC NDP is letting them. We are failing folks with addictions. And there is no party willing to govern on the basis of good evidence. Citizens need to be properly educated on addiction and governments shouldn’t let polls dictate health science decisions.

Enjoy these reads and listens and let me know in the comments if you were struck by any of these.