Resolving the collision of public and private interests

Issue #116

Ready Set – ELECTION TIME!

Choice matters – impacting health and education, jobs and the environment

WEBINAR VIDEOS

Last week

What’s on Your Plate? French fries?

KEI’s Archive

Candidate Questions – What do you want to know?

Webinar Invitation

04MAY23

Join us 4:00PM MST Thursday

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82390691947

Deadline Midnight. Please complete the Survey assessing Alberta’s economy and innovation. HERE  https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/VKJ3SWY  The Survey includes an option to pose a question for the election candidates.  These questions and the Survey results will be discussed during each webinar in May.

CHOICE MATTERS. Thinking is important as the election brings with it responsibility to choose – hopefully NOT on ideology, NOT on personality, BUT on policy.  The personal price of freedom is a public responsibility. Hence our angst with mindless protesting, unreasonable strikes, insurrections and violence. Some want to further empower the state – collectivism with more influence, more public (health, education) entitlements – a little or a lot. Others want to empower the person – individualism with less government, lower taxes, more freedom.  Sometimes they both just opt to protest one another. Then there are the others – the more moderate, the independent, who take a more reasoned, less ideological approach with “it depends”. Where do you stand? What’s your view?

ECONOMIC GROWTH IS GOOD FOR YOUR HEALTH. The more our economy grows, the greater our ability to invest in life-improving treatments and procedures. HERE

WHAT ABOUT THE ECONOMY AND INNOVATION? For years we have been assessing the economic diversification of Alberta, it’s resilience to weathering shocks in the price of oil. The sentiment has been consistent, “Not yet, jobs are vulnerable.”  Simultaneously we assessed the effectiveness of the innovation ecosystem, viewed as essential for diversifying the economy. It too was viewed as “Weak, undeveloped”. But the sentiment seems to be shifting. How much and in what direction? Stay tuned the survey HERE closes today – April 30th with the results revealed and discussed throughout May.

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WHAT’S ON YOUR PLATE?  Our webinar last week RECORDED HERE exposed the complexity of personal choice and public consequences in our ever more complex democratic and consumer society. We tripped into this theme – a very common one today, when we explored the Freedom of Expression acknowledging that with freedom comes responsibility – personal and public. And so it is even with food choices there are personal and public consequences.

We learned that food choices are complicated by culture and convenience, appetite and appearance, price and marketing, regulations and all too rarely – nutrition. The problem with “nutrition” and health is that it requires thinking, knowledge, to learn of the not so apparent consequences. And that knowledge comes from research and others. Ahh “yes”, others. And that means trust.

Who among your “others” do you trust about what SHOULD be on your plate – when you’d rather just eat?  Eat what’s handy, tasty, popular, convenient, cheap. See, what I mean … even with eating, life has become so very complicated. Too many choices. Too much marketing and research. Too many advisors and authorities, all appealing to be trusted, complicating our lives, OUR freedom to choose. (If ChatGPT knew me better, it could help me decide.)  Please just leave me alone in my own garbage, with my own body. BUT give me low taxes and free healthcare. Whoops … seems I’ve slipped on the Canadian banana peel, healthcare and the price of freedom.

THINK TWICE ABOUT PROCESSED FOODS. To counteract the processed foods cultural trend, it is crucial to be aware of the potential health risks and make a conscious effort to prioritize real, whole foods in our diets. HERE  For more visit HERE

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IDEOLOGY IS UNDERMINING MERIT IN SCIENCE. Merit is a central pillar of liberal epistemology, humanism, and democracy. The scientific enterprise, built on merit, has proven effective in generating scientific and technological advances, reducing suffering, narrowing social gaps, and improving the quality of life globally. This article documents the ongoing attempts to undermine the core principles of liberal epistemology and to replace merit with non-scientific, politically motivated criteria. The article also discusses the philosophical origins of this conflict, documents the intrusion of ideology into our scientific institutions, discusses the perils of abandoning merit, and offers an alternative, human-centered approach to address existing social inequalities.  HERE

DEMOCRATIZING EDUCATION.  Teachers should be using AI to get education to those who need it. HERE

CAN AI DEVELOP EMPATHY & ETHICS? Just as we teach our children to be empathetic, respectful, and ethical, we must instill these values in our AIs to ensure that they are tools for good in society.  HERE For more – visit Mel Head’s commentary HERE

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Big thanks to Sean Stewart Photography for my updated headshot! It was a fun and easy process!

     Editor@KEI Network.net