Category: ethics

CONCLAVE – Book and Film

On By Rick McIn books, ethics, moviesLeave a comment

An excellent book. An excellent movie.

I’m not a Catholic so have never known much about how Popes are elected. It’s fascinating.

Conclave is a 2016 book by the esteemed Robert Harris.

I was interested to read about the process, complicated by ancient history.

One strength of the Catholic Church is tradition.

The big weakness is tradition. It’s very difficult to reform / improve Catholicism, though I respect Pope Francis for trying.

The Pope is dead.

Behind the locked doors of the Sistine Chapel, one hundred and eighteen cardinals from all over the globe will cast their votes in the world’s most secretive election.

They are holy men. But they have ambition. And they have rivals.

Over the next seventy-two hours one of them will become the most powerful spiritual figure on earth.

In Conclave, the hero is Cardinal Lomeli, dean of the College of Cardinals and the man responsible for presiding over the conclave. Among the papabile there is Tedesco the traditionalist, Tremblay the ambitious North American and Adeyemi the African with strong views on the role of women and gay marriage. …

 Into this gathering there arrives a cardinal no one has heard of – Vincent Benítez, a cardinal in pectore, created by the pope in secret in order to protect his identity. The stage is thus set for a showdown. …

Guardian Review – Conclave by Robert Harris review – a triumphant Vatican showdown

The 2024 film Conclave is great, perhaps even better than the book.

On Rotten Tomatoes, 93% of 296 critics’ reviews are positive.

It’s got a lot of star power, on only a $20 million production budget.

I’ve been a huge fan of Ralph Fiennes since The English Patient (1996) 

I love the ending of this film. Carlos Diehz as Cardinal Vincent Benitez is excellent.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Note ➙ The Catholic Church does not approve of either book nor film.

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

On By Rick McIn books, ethics, happiness, health & fitnessLeave a comment

I’d quit 3 of the last 4 new novels focused on a dysfunctional woman complaining about her life.

Too depressing.

YET quite enjoyed Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, the debut novel by Gail Honeyman. (2017)

I laughed out loud many times. A bit of a black comedy.

Eleanor Oliphant, our heroine, is a disaster. Anti-social. Disconnected from society and culture. A functioning alcoholic. Potentially suicidal. Perhaps slightly autistic.

Her only previous relationship was abusive — ex-husband putting her in the hospital multiple times.

Somehow … you can’t help but cheer for Eleanor.

She lives in Glasgow, Scotland, and works as a finance clerk for a graphic design company.

The novel deals with themes of isolation and loneliness, and depicts Eleanor’s transformational journey towards a fuller understanding of self and life.

It’s modern. Exploring loneliness in an internet age, the vulnerability of being uncoupled in a culture that prizes relationships.

The character I liked best in this book is Raymond Gibbons, an I.T. help desk co-worker who awkwardly tries to help Eleanor.

Uniquely, the most important relationship in this novel is friendship.

Name another hit novel without some kind of romance central to the plot.

Jenny Colgan, reviewing for The Guardian, described the novel as “a narrative full of quiet warmth and deep and unspoken sadness” with a “wonderful, joyful” ultimate message. …

Sarah Gilmartin of The Irish Times called the title character “one of the most unusual and thought-provoking heroines of recent contemporary fiction”. …

Nexus by Yuval Noah Harari

On By Rick McIn Artificial Intelligence AI, bad news, books, climate change, economics, education, ethics, GOP USA, government, happiness, health & fitness, human rights, internet, things getting worseLeave a comment

Any panel put together to save the world, would certainly include Professor Yuval Noah Harari. 

He’s a BIG thinker. 

Some feel he overstates the risks to mankind. I’d rather we err on the side of caution.

His 2024 book is …

Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI

I’m not smart enough to explain his thinking — but here’s a ChatGPT summary of the non-fiction tomb.

Main Focus: Nexus explores the intersection of technology, human evolution, and the future of societies, emphasizing the merging of biological and digital realms.

Technological Convergence: Harari examines how advancements in genetic engineering, artificial intelligence, and biotechnology are changing humanity’s relationship with itself and the world.

Human Enhancement: A central theme is the idea that humans may soon be able to enhance their biological and mental capacities through technology, leading to “post-human” forms of existence.

Ethical Implications: The book raises questions about the ethics of altering human biology, creating artificial life, and the consequences of tampering with the essence of what it means to be human.

Social and Economic Impact: Harari discusses how these technological advancements could lead to social divides, with some individuals or groups gaining access to powerful enhancements while others are left behind.

Surveillance and Control: A significant concern is the potential for increased surveillance and control over individuals’ minds and bodies, both by governments and corporations.

Evolution of Consciousness: Harari reflects on how human consciousness may evolve or change in response to these new technologies, as well as the philosophical questions surrounding free will and identity.

End of Homo Sapiens: The book suggests that humanity might be on the verge of an epochal shift, where Homo sapiens could be replaced by a new, technologically-enhanced species—either through natural evolution or deliberate engineering.

Uncertainty of the Future: Harari emphasizes the unpredictability of the future, acknowledging that the developments discussed could lead to both utopian and dystopian outcomes.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Other booksSapiens: A Brief History of Humankind (2011)
Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow (2015)
21 Lessons for the 21st Century (2018)

What to do with OLD Glasses?

On By Rick McIn about Rick, ethics, gymnasticsLeave a comment

I hope donated OLD glasses are recycled or reused.

But I’m not sure.

I recall vividly the day in Grade 6 when a teacher told me I needed glasses. I did.

And I’ve worn them non-stop ever since, even doing Gymnastics.

Fortunately 😀 … AVIATORS were cool in my youth. Chicks dig them.

Heavy? Glass? YES !

I’ve had many different pairs over the years, including the most expensive ($500 !) available at Walmart Optical.

These days I get the cheapest 2 for 1 sale at Walmart. NO extra coatings or features.

Good enough for me.

Now … what do I do with all my OLD Glasses?

The Faithful Spy by Alex Berenson

On By Rick McIn books, ethics, government, IslamLeave a comment

If you liked the TV series Homeland — you’d likely enjoy this novel.

A CIA asset may or may not have been turned by al-Qaeda.

The Faithful Spy (2006) is a novel by The New York Times reporter Alex Berenson. …

… tells the story of a CIA agent who has infiltrated Al Qaeda and, years after 9-11, struggles to stop a terrorist attack in the United States. …

Al Qaeda detonates two truck bombs in LA, killing hundreds of people. John Wells is returned to the USA on a mission from Al Qaeda where he reconnects with the CIA. However, due to the length of his absence he is accused of being “un-faithful” because he did not warn the US about Al Qaeda attacks. …

BEST Social Networks 2025

On By Rick McIn blogs, ethics, Facebook, friends, gymnastics, hiking, human rights, internet, media, things getting worse, TwitterLeave a comment

For most people, Instagram and TikTok are the most entertaining. I don’t much look at either.

If you want to avoid POLITICS, Meta (Instagram, Facebook, Threads) has definitely reduced the emphasis on political arguments. In Canada, a bonus for using Facebook is that news links are banned.

I haven’t quit Twitter — surprisingly — as my own feeds focused on Gymnastics and Hiking are still good. If I click on Following and avoid For You, the stream is valuable. Of course I quickly block anything I don’t like.

I post today as many of the people online I trust and respect are migrating to Bluesky.

Looking more for VIDEO than anything else, these are the sites I use most:

I hate advertising. Facebook doesn’t offer paid ad-free feeds, so I use ad blockers.

I hate Elon Musk and refuse to send him even one penny. So use ad blockers.

I use WhatsApp only for small group communication. It’s excellent. Messenger, as well, only for communication with very few people.

I’ll check Reddit once in a while if I’m looking for something specific.

Mastodon could be my favourite, but it’s not caught on with the people I want to follow.

LinkedIn should be best of all. But I’ve never seen much value for my purposes.

I never signed up for Snapchat. Hikers are mostly on Instagram. Gymnastics coaches mostly on Twitter.

I’ll try Bluesky. But I’m worried it will never grow big enough.

If desperate, I’ll create a browser bookmark folder and open all these social media sites simultaneously to check the latest news in Gymnastics and Hiking. OR … could I use an A.I. client to do that for me?

Brainstorming … 😀

Framed: Astonishing True Stories of Wrongful Convictions

On By Rick McIn books, ethics, GOP USA, government, human rightsLeave a comment

I’m against Capital Punishment. I still recall the moment I decided — in Ms. Dalton’s class. She was my favourite High School teacher.

If it was wrong for people to kill, it was wrong for the government to kill.

ONE reason is the risk of wrongful conviction. Wrongful death penalty.

Check this new non-fiction publication.

In ‘Framed,’ John Grisham teams with an activist to spotlight real-life injustice

Grisham and Jim McCloskey tell 10 gripping and galling tales of the wrongly convicted.

One of the worst cops wrongfully putting people in jail was Norfolk, Virginia Police Detective Robert Glenn Ford. In February 2011, Mr. Ford was sentenced to 12 years and six months in prison for other crimes. Ford served his sentence and been released — though some are calling for further investigation into his past extorting confessions from innocent people.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Will and Harper

On By Rick McIn anti-smoking, education, ethics, GOP USA, government, happiness, human rights, movies, things getting worseLeave a comment

An important film.

Unscripted road trip.

Touching.

It’s about friendship. Life. … Aging.

Acceptance about who you are. And being tolerant of others to be who they want to be.

I was quite charmed by the warm welcome Harper got dropping into a random Oklahoma biker bar. (You can still smoke in Oklahoma bars?)

Face to face, people are most often welcoming and open minded. Even rednecks in country bars.

Since 2020, right wing politicians have been attacking the rights of transgender people — simply as a way to motivate their most deplorable voters. Very few of those haters have ever once had an encounter with a trans person.

Considered and attempted suicide rate of transgender people in the United States

from 2000 to 2022, with a forecast from 2023 to 2030

Right wing politicians and influencers like Musk and J. K. Rowling are partially responsible for those suicides.

I admire Will Ferrell trying to bring trans folks some hope with this movie.

I’d to do the same if any of my friends announced they were transitioning.

It’s a complicated process. And different for every single person.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

I found the ending of this movie just perfect.

Gumption by Nick Offerman

On By Rick McIn books, ethics, government, human rights, humour, music, philosophyLeave a comment

Nick Offerman has released four semi-autobiographical publications:

  • Paddle Your Own Canoe: One Man’s Fundamentals for Delicious Living (2013)
  • Gumption: Relighting the Torch of Freedom with America’s Gutsiest Troublemakers (2015)
  • Good Clean Fun: Misadventures in Sawdust at Offerman Woodshop (2016)
  • Where the Deer and the Antelope Play: The Pastoral Observations of One Ignorant American Who Loves to Walk Outside (2021).

Gumption is a humorous, philosophical look at some of the people who have inspired Nick over his lifetime. For example, as a young man he was a huge fan of the film Billy Jack (1971) — and its creator / star Tom Laughlin. He attended Tom’s funeral in 2013 and spent time with the family.

While focused on personal heroes, Nick finds time to expound upon many of his favorite topics such as religion, politics, woodworking, agriculture, creativity, philosophy, fashion, and, of course, meat.

21 profiles of America’s gutsiest troublemakers

  1. George Washington
  2. Benjamin Franklin
  3. James Madison
  4. Frederick Douglass
  1. Theodore Roosevelt
  2. Frederick Law Olmsted
  3. Eleanor Roosevelt
  4. Tom Laughlin
  5. Wendell Berry
  6. Barney Frank
  7. Yoko Ono
  8. Michael Pollan
  1. Thomas Lie-Nielsen
  2. Nat Benjamin
  3. George Nakashima
  4. Carol Burnett
  5. Jeff Tweedy
  6. George Saunders
  7. Laurie Anderson
  8. Willie Nelson
  9. Conan O’Brien

Remembering John Lennon – Oct. 9th

On By Rick McIn ethics, government, human rights, musicLeave a comment

I often wonder what John Lennon would be saying and doing today if he hadn’t been murdered.

His main theme at the end was …

PEACE

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Born Oct. 9, 1940, he’s celebrated annually with the lighting of the Imagine Peace Tower in Iceland.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

The words on the tower are written in 24 world languages:

English: IMAGINE PEACESwahili: TUFIKIRIENI AMANI
Japanese: 平和な世界を想像してごらんIcelandic: HUGSA SÉR FRIÐ
Korean: 평화를 꿈꾸자Turkish: BARIŞI DÜŞLE
Chinese: 想像世界有了和平Persian: به صلح بیندیش
Arabic: احلم سلامFilipino: ILARAWAN ANG MUNDONG MAPAYAPA
Portuguese: IMAGINE A PAZTamil: சமாதானத்தை நினையுங்கள்
‹See Tfd›Russian: ПРЕДСТАВЬТЕ СЕБЕ МИРHungarian: KÉPZELD EL A BÉKÉT
Hindi: शान्ति की कल्पना करेंFinnish: KUVITTELE RAUHA
‹See Tfd›German: STELL DIR VOR ES IST FRIEDENGeorgian: წარმოიდგინეთ მშვიდობა
Italian: IMMAGINA LA PACEStandard Tibetan: ཞི་བ་སྒོམས་
French: IMAGINEZ LA PAIXHebrew: חלום שלום
Spanish: IMAGINA LA PAZInuktitut: ᓴᐃᒪᖃᑎᒌᑦᑕ

related – Pentatonic covers John Lennon’s Imagine