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Dangers of Disinformation/Misinformation

So, I was getting tired of an acquaintance who was continually posting extremely biased and often misinformed things on another site. At the end of another one of these ridiculous copy-pasted posts, was the question "So, what really divides Canadians?"

Well, that was a question that I was entirely prepared to answer.

TL:DR - do your research and beware of emotional reactions and confirmation bias. ---------------------------- Here is the exact response to her post

I am going to ignore much of what is posted here, though I will say ALL sides of the political spectrum are guilty of much wrongdoing and to focus or accuse only one side is a misinformation tactic.

What I will do, is answer the question at the end of the post and, I am sorry, it is a long answer that only covers one of the biggest aspects of the question:

What divides Canadians?

I think the best place to start is with the recently released Special Report on Foreign Interference. Whether foreign or domestic in origin, the biggest threat to our democratic processes is disinformation (intentional) and misinformation (unintentional) through both traditional and social media. These things aim to distort the public’s perception of reality.

What starts as disinformation can quickly become misinformation as people spread it without checking to make sure of the facts is due to confirmation bias. Now, this can occur on all sides of the political spectrum. Beyond confirmation bias, one of the reasons disinformation is so dangerous is because it designed to feed into our emotions and amplify them.

Some of the easiest emotions to manipulate are things like fear and anger in its many forms which is why much of the disinformation seen focuses on negative aspects. When disinformation is used to target any particular group of people, combined with the right language, it will create an intentional othering of that group. This is the beginning of a division between groups of people.

Now, anyone can be affected by these tactics as some methods are more subtle than others to try and catch those who can be more critical of the things they hear and read. It can be as simple as choosing a word with the same meaning, but a different connotation or emotional resonance to push thoughts and emotions towards certain beliefs.

And, the more one moves towards certain beliefs, the easier it is to manipulate those beliefs.

Now this is just basics, of the issue, but one of the largest things that create a divide between people, but that also leaves the question of:

What can we do to stop the spread of disinformation and misinformation?

There are a few things actually. First, always get your news and information from multiple sources. Ideally, find unbiased sources when possible. Media Bias Fact Check is a website that can help you check the bias of your sources and give you information on how factual their information is.

Avoid copy-paste posts that feed into your emotions without double-checking the facts of what is behind it yourself using multiple sources. The benefit is that if someone does choose to argue with what you posted, you have the facts to back it up.

Remember, no group is a monolith and one person is not always representative of an entire group. If what you are sharing uses language that seems to indicate either of these things, then you might want to do some more research or thinking before sharing it.

Lastly, take the time to think about your beliefs, about what facts support them, and be willing to have open and honest dialogue about it. Connecting with others, even through differing beliefs, can help keep people connected, foster understanding, and reduce the divide between us.

Most importantly, no matter what, keep learning, expanding and checking facts and when it comes time to voting, forget what the leaders of any party are saying. Anyone can say anything they want, that doesn’t mean they truly believe it or will follow through with it once elected into office.

If you want to know what they really think, the voting records for politicians are easy to find online for MPs and MLAs.

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I decided to organise my tools so that I can find what i need when i need it.

Can someone please explain how in the heck I have so many allen keys?

And I know I have a few more tools lying around the house and in the shed...

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First time in a very long time that I've had a chance to carve pumpkins because I'll be home to hand out candy!

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So, I got fired

I don't post much about my day job but as you can tell from the title of this post, this is kind of a big things. After almost 15 years at the same job, I was fired just the other week. My brain cannot really decide how to feel about all of this. 

Over the last few years, my ability to live the creative life I wanted to had been drowned out by the exhaustion, and burnout my day job was causing me. The mental stress induced from a non-supportive environment and excessive hours dud a real number on both my physical and mental health. 

So, in some ways, it's not bad thing that I am not working there anymore, but not working in general is very anxiety inducing. I have a positive attitude about it all, but I am not sure if that attitude stems from true belief that I will land on my feet, if it is a habit stemming for a lifetime of not wanting to let others worry about me, or something else entirely. 

I can honestly say that I do tend to land on my feet, but I really want to find a way to not return to the day job life. However, I am not a prolific or popular enough writer to make my living that way. I am no great social media guru to find my way as an influencer. My freelance work is entirely sporadic.

I honestly am not sure what I am going to do next. I am still applying for regular jobs and hoping that it all works out.

I am sure that somehow, it will work out. Maybe not the way I would necessarily want it to, but the way it has to. 

Staying positive isn't a terrible thing when it doesn't fall into the realm of toxic positivity, but I cannot ignore the anxiety that resides with me as I look forward to the unknown. 

I am staring into the void of the future and, so far, it has stared back in unknowing silence.

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It's Ace Week!

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During the day, it's easy to hold onto the good thoughts. To distract myself with the façade of being in control. Keeping my mind and hands busy. Almost believing that it'll all work out.

But at night, as I stare into my darkened room. Silence pressing in on me until my mind begins to scream. Letting loose the caged up fear and hurt until I drown in what I want to deny.

Change thrust upon me is terrifying.

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I stood at the worn and rusted tracks that marked the impenetrable boundary of my world. Beyond it, the land is distorted by the field that keeps us trapped from the poisoned earth beyond it. My chest heaved as I tried to catch my breath. I glanced over my shoulder, not sure where else I could run. A year of hiding, staying safe in a near-empty city all ruined by one chance encounter.

A bell chimed, echoing down the streets. I ignored it, listening for footsteps instead and hoping to hear none. Another chime, and as it fades a low rumble catches my attention. It was a sound that more reverberated in my bones than was heard.

As yet another bell tolls, the rumble grows. Small pebbles dance across cracked cement. A metallic whine joins the chorus growing to a screech that almost drowns out as the clock continues to ring out the hour another two times.

A ghostly shape, large and blocky, wavers before me. A remnant from a time long gone and something I never thought I'd see. By the sixth chime, there is no denying what I am seeing.

A train. Just a single car in sleek black and red. Lights glowed warmly from inside, but it appeared otherwise empty. Doors opened as the sixth bell faded and the seventh rang out.

The soft huffing of the waiting engine filled the quiet between the bells along with a rhythmic pounding coming from the other direction. Footsteps. My stomach churned and I glanced back over my shoulder into the darkness.

There was nowhere else to go. I ran through the doors, not sure what would happen. This could simply be my brain breaking, a hallucination of the desperate. A soft chime sounded as I stumbled inside.

Empty seats, shining chrome, polished floors. It looked like this train was brand new which had to be impossible. Anything like this had long ago turned to rusted, ruined remnants of the past.

Another bell tolled and a musical tone sounded overhead before a neutral, feminine voice spoke "Please state your destination."

Movement from outside the train distracts me. It's him. He's found me. Even at this distance, I can see his eyes widen at the sight of the unexpected train.

"Where can I go?" I shout hurriedly, my words tripping over each other as the ninth bell tolls. I watch my pursuer as he speeds up, heading directly toward the still-open doors.

"Anywhere."

Anywhere? I consider the possibilities. Where was there to go? I knew of no other last vestiges of civilization and, even if I did, there would be no guarantee that it would be any better than here. Where could I go? Could my request be more abstract than specific?

Another bell echos out over the city. "Take me to safety. Can you do that?"

There is a pause as another bell marks the time. Moonlight glints on the knife the man holds. He's so close that I can hear his ragged breathing and see the evil grin that splits his filthy face. Not close enough to smell his rotting teeth--thankfully.

"Destination determined," came the robotic reply followed by another musical tone as the doors slid closed. I breathed a sigh of relief as the man stopped short. His knife drops from his hand and his mouth falls open. I can hear the last bell, the twelfth bell of midnight echoing somewhere far away.

Everything fades away, there is only silence. I feel nothing, not even my own beating heart. I try to hug myself, but I cannot. There is no me to touch.

A musical tone chimes from the darkness. "Welcome to your destination."

I want to respond to the voice, to ask where I am, but my voice has disappeared with my body. With everything.

I suppose I am safe where there is nothing.

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My WIP List

I just finished taking part in one of my favourite conferences for creatives, Flights of Foundry. (An incredible and accessible event).

This year was a reaffirmation of how much life creative work fills me with. Not only did I start a few new pieces of short work, but it reminded me of the novels in progress that I want to desperately get back to. 

So, here they are. My works-in-progress.

Most importantly, I would love to finish the final edits 'Rising Darkness', the sequel to 'Falling Light', (available now) and the second book of the 'The Shadows of Fate' trilogy. This book has been sitting at the final revision stage for far too long.

The third book in the series, 'Penumbra', is still in the first draft stage, but I do want to get that out. There are a few sticky plot points I am still working through, I am sure that those who have read and loved the first book, want me to finish the story of these wonderful characters.  And yes, when all is said and done, I promise a happy ending for those "goobers" (as one fan refers to them). They deserve it after the hell I've put them through.

I really want to finish the second edition edits for the re-release of my novel 'Feathers & Fae', I even have a new concept cover for it. I have no plans to change the plot structure of this story, but I very much want to elevate this story to where I always wanted it to be. 

After that, I want to finish a story that I started years ago based on the joking challenge of how many times can I kill a main character in a story. In line with the tone of the story, it is called "Where the Dead Fern Goes'. The cover shown here is not the final cover, but something I created for fun. It has a snarky main character, Fern, who is death's assassin, killing those who are responsible for creating one too many traumatized souls. When her most recent investigation brings back memories that should have been erased, she risks losing herself and becoming an untethered, vengeful spirit.

One of the panels I attended at the conference reminded me of why representation is important. It brings me to a novel I have been longing to write for a while now, but haven't had a chance to get to that has an aro/ace main character. The tentative title of the story is 'Ace of Hearts' and this is the rough synopsis "Sam comes from a long line of demon hunters and has always been expected to learn the family business. When her entire family is brutally murdered, Sam learns that other families of hunters have been completely eliminated as well. Determined to get revenge, her investigation points to a cult of incubi and succubae. What she didn't expect was one incubus who wants to help her or the friendship that develops between them." I've also got a novella that is a few chapters away from complete that is developed from a short story that I was never a huge fan of called 'A Peccadillo Problem' that was published in an anthology called '13 Lives of Alice'. That anthology has been removed from the market now, but before that, I had already started redeveloping the story into something much bigger and better with a new plot line. The new title for this story is 'Not Alice' with the tagline, 'Alice is perfect. Smart, athletic, kind—everyone loved her. Then, one day, Alice disappeared without a trace. This isn’t her story.'

Lower on the list, but still stories I really want to get to is finishing the sapphic, gothic horror novel, 'The Curse of Oakwood Manor' which is about halfway through the first draft. I do want to keep working on the next two novels in the 'Saints & Sinners' series with a couple of chapters of the next novel, 'Shards of Shadows' having been written. Though, with the first two books being my earliest published novels, I would love to be able to revise the first two books 'Depths of Darkness' and 'Road to Redemption' up to my current standards.

There is also a book that I wrote years ago that I have never gotten out of my head. I loved the rich and detailed character. It was a fun reimagining of the sword and sorcery genre with richly developed characters. It is called 'Blessings of the Damned' which is about an immortal sorcerer hiding from the demons of his past under an assumed name in a quiet village. When an exiled queen discovers his true identity, she kidnaps his adopted niece to force him to help her break the curse his brother placed on her land. Unfortunately, this means facing the one person he never wanted to see again as they set out on a journey that can only end in death.

There is one last novel I want to talk about. This one started as a planned series of novellas of which the first was originally published in a short-lived anthology that was published by Kyanite, one of the last things they put out before they closed. The story was titled 'Call of the Void'. With the other stories in the series planned out, I wasn't going to let that work go to waste. The entire series will be under the novel name 'A Kingdom of Broken of Shadows'.  The other four parts of this are titled, 'Weight of the Throne', 'Curse of the Crown', 'Blood of the Ghost', and 'Heart of the Darkness'. 

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Some exchanges are too good not to share. And it resulted in a great photo!

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Pronouns & Gender-Neutral Language in the Workplace

I am sharing an article I wrote as part of a committee for the company I work for. I thought I might share it here. I hope you enjoy it.

In 2021, our company added pronouns into their standard email signature. It was a small gesture that goes a long way toward fostering an environment of acceptance and inclusion. However, this change is not one that has been universally adopted by all employees and, sometimes, the question is still asked: Why does it matter?

For those who have never had to worry about the pronoun someone uses to refer to them, specifying or sharing gender pronouns might not seem necessary. For people who have been questioned about their gender or are misgendered, being referred to by the wrong pronoun can leave them feeling excluded and alienated.

Using the correct pronouns is a form of basic respect and validation. Leaders who support and model the use of gender pronouns in their own workplace can go a long way in fostering an inclusive culture where everyone can belong.

For many, using gendered pronouns to describe individuals is still common practice, but this can often mean making assumptions that may not be correct. What pronouns a person uses can’t be determined by looking at them, the sound of their voice, or their name.

So, how do you know?

This is why adding pronouns to your email signature is important. It allows you to know the pronouns others use while allowing the same courtesy when it comes to your pronouns as well. You can also add them to name tags and become comfortable stating your own pronouns when introducing yourself.

What do you do when you don’t know?

Not everyone is comfortable sharing their pronouns in every situation. This is where relying on gender-neutral language can help avoid assumptions in communication. Dropping gendered terms like ‘sir’ or ‘ma’am’ or defaulting to ‘they’ can help. When it comes to addressing a large group of people consider saying ‘hey everyone’ instead of ‘hey guys’.

For those who haven’t used a lot of gender-neutral language before, it can seem clunky and awkward to do so at first. However, practice makes perfect. Even if there is no one in your office that is gender non-conforming or transgender (that you know of), starting these habits now will allow for a more welcoming space when someone does your join office who is transgender or gender non-conforming.

Normalizing pronoun usage and using gender-neutral language in the workplace is not just a matter of political correctness; it's about creating a culture of respect, equality, and belonging. By making these simple yet meaningful changes, organizations can foster a more inclusive environment where all employees feel valued, supported, and empowered to bring their whole selves to work.

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Baby Cynder is growing up. We had the regional poodle specialty and she won best of winners for standards as well as best puppy in variety!

It was a good day for her but a big one. She'll be a year old later this month!

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As I try to struggle with writing an email attempting to professionally detail a series of events and how it impacted my mental health and created an unsafe, toxic environment, my brain has been struck by a phrase that will not stop dancing across my synapses. Who knew trauma could be so traumatizing?

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Something too many people forget or fail to realize about me is that I have the type of resilience that refuses to go down without a fight.

They think that my passion, my determination, and my will is something that can be subdued or broken beyond repair.

They don't notice the scars. The ones that show when others have tried to break me and I managed to put myself together again. I don't know how they don't see them when, sometimes, I think I am made up of nothing but scars at this point.

Still, I take the pieces. I put myself together and I fight. If I still care enough, I will fight them. I will push back and make the injustice known.

And if I don't care anymore? Then my fight is for myself. To make sure that the scar left behind isn't a point of weakness but a new strength to carry with me.

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Burn Bright

A couple of years ago, I found myself diving hard into burnout. I saw it coming. I thought I would be able to handle it. I mean, I've been burnt out before.

I didn't know it would be the way it is.

Years.

Trying to crawl back up into the world of creativity. Trying to get back to my stories that I miss. The ones that call to me like a sweet siren song.

Except, I can't seem to make it them. I can't push myself past this place of stagnation. Past the smoking coals of what was once my joy and inspiration.

I wish there was a way I could see to getting past this. To find my way back into the world of brilliant, colourful creativity.

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hi it's your regularly scheduled 'nanowrimo is insane', screenshots from a post in the board response overview thread by user Elyndra (in case you're wondering, no, that's not me, I've just been watching the situation spinning out of control). disclaimer that I obviously don't know this personally and hence there may be incorrect details.

anyway. I wonder if we'll have nanowrimo, as it currently exists, next year?

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I came across this post and the responses to it on an information group for a dangerous highway that I drive a few times a year.

Thought I'd share the laugh.