Right in the centre - There are three kinds of lies: Lies, Damned Lies and Statistics

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Published on Friday, April 5, 2024

By Ken Waddell 

Neepawa Banner & Press

The above title, attributed to Mark Twain, pretty much sums up the manner in which citizens of the world are being mislead by politicians and academics. The current situation with regard to climate change and the global warming mantra is horrible because of how badly, even maliciously we are being mislead. 

Read more: Right in the centre - There are three kinds of lies: Lies, Damned Lies and Statistics

Right in the centre - A newspaper review

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Published on Thursday, March 28, 2024

By Ken Waddell

Neepawa Banner & Press

As of the date of this issue, I have been around for 76 years. For almost half of those years, I have been in the newspaper business full time. For 58 of those years, I have been involved in writing and publishing and that dates long before the desktop or laptop computer.

Many people have asked me questions about the newspaper industry, people from seniors to farmers to sports figures to politicians, including premiers and prime minsters. They ask questions, lots of questions, and here’s a few examples.

Read more: Right in the centre - A newspaper review

Right in the centre - Farmers feed us all

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Published on Friday, March 22, 2024

By Ken Waddell

Neepawa Banner & Press

March is a memorable month for me. Seventy-six years ago I was born on March 29. I remember many of the intervening Marches. One year, when I was in my very, very early school days, we had to travel by horse drawn sleigh and van to school because the roads weren’t passable for a truck. The snowplows of the day couldn’t keep up. Yes, students used to be hauled to school in the back of a covered in pick up truck. But that year our early 1950s rear wheel drive half ton could not make it through the snow clogged roads. It wasn’t  “over the fields we go” or “dashing through the snow”, it was more like slogging all the way.

Read more: Right in the centre - Farmers feed us all

Right in the centre - the tide is turning

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Published on Friday, March 15, 2024

By Ken Waddell

Neepawa Banner & Press

As political leaders take stands on issues, it opens up an opportunity for columnists to respond. When there is active and civil discussion on issues, we all move forward towards conclusions. Recently, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and federal Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre have stood up for women and girls with regard to what could be categorized as trans-gender issue. Most media types have been dismissive.

Heather Mallick is a Toronto-based columnist covering current affairs for the Toronto Star. Both Mallick and the Toronto Star would be considered as liberal leaning. I find it both interesting and refreshing that Mallick doesn’t view issues in the way some might expect from a liberal mind. She stands firm on some issues and some examples follow in her own words. “For instance, I don’t favour drag queen story hours for small children. I don’t think women’s breasts and bums, dresses, hair and makeup should be exaggerated publicly. It sets a bad example for boys and distorts girls’ view of themselves (it did mine). I don’t like transgender athletes blocking biological female athletes’ chances in sport by using the bigger, stronger male bodies they were born with. Transgender athletes should have their own category. In 2024, women’s rights are vanishing.”

Mallick sure has that right. Women’s rights are being pushed aside, not so much by white businessmen, as one might have thought, but an insidious agenda that Mallick clearly defines.

Universities, colleges and all political parties are being bullied and are offering little resistance. Those three groups should step up and be the leaders they are expected to be. In years gone by, in spite of some missteps and flaws, universities, colleges and all political parties have usually spoke out about standards that made sense. Now lewdness, immorality and sheer nonsense are flooding their decision making processes. But thanks to people like Mallick, the tide may be turning for the better. As to the statements on dress codes, I fully agree with Mallick. Ironically, that she should say that, as while I only saw part of the Oscars on Sunday night, it seemed the ladies dresses were more modest this year. It certainly is time that happened. For many years, Hollywood, and all the people who blindly follow the entertainment industry, have been competing fiercely for top prizes in hideous lewdness.

As to the transgender male athletes, they have no place in female sports. No place on the female podium and no place in the female locker rooms. I am pleased that Mallick has stated the issue so clearly. At a time when women’s sports are finally getting some long deserved level of recognition, it’s good to hear someone stand up against the transgender threats. The new Women’s Professional League is a great step forward in my view. Hopefully Hockey Canada will stop screwing up so badly on so many fronts. The downfalls of Hockey Canada have been, and continue to be, well documented. They have lost the moral high ground  and the moral support of thousands of Canadian families and players.

Why have Universities, colleges and all political parties gone so far astray? That’s a good question but I suspect the answer lies in the fact that open respectful debate on any topic has been suppressed. The art of respectful debate and disagreeing without being disagreeable is largely lost. Now if you disagree on a topic, it is assumed that you not only have to be disagreeable, you have to be downright nasty to the holder of a different opinion than yours. We need to return to the saying, “I may disagree with you, but I will defend your right to your opinion.” Also, opinions are opinions and they may or not necessarily be factual. Opinions should be open to change as new facts and truthful information become available.

I am grateful to Heather Mallick for her boldness.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this column are the writer’s personal views and are not to be taken as being the view of the Banner & Press staff.