Hello! This post is going to be a change of pace from my regular teaching/librarianship content. Since schools here are closed down, I have been out of work (other than a few hours a week of online teaching and tutoring). One of the many things I've been doing to keep busy is making masks for friends, family and community. These masks have the following features: -Ties at the back for adjustable fit -Double-fold structure that creates a pocket into which a filter layer can be placed -A wire over the bridge of the nose that can be shaped to fit the face and removed for machine washing I find I can make a batch of about 10 of these in a day if I really focus. They are relatively comfortable (as far as masks go) and I feel they give better coverage than the medical masks. I feel fewer air gaps where droplets can get in or out. But be warned, they will make your face sweaty! If you're wondering about why you should wear a mask and whether or not homemade masks are for y
It's hard to turn on the news these days or go on social media without hearing about social justice issues: from the battle for SOGI 123 in schools, to hate-driven attacks on mosques, schools and night clubs, to demonstrations for indigenous rights. These arguments and events rarely lead anywhere. Change is slow to come and always seems to leave someone upset and feeling left out of the conversation. Many of us, myself included, have difficulties listening to opinions on social justice issues that differ from our own. You may be familiar with Karl Popper's "Paradox of Tolerance" Popper is quoted in Mohamed Farija's Deconstructing Karl Popper's Paradox of Intolerance as describing the Paradox of Tolerance thusly: "Unlimited tolerance must lead to the disappearance of tolerance. If we extend unlimited tolerance even to those who are intolerant, if we are not prepared to defend a tolerant society against the onslaught of the intolerant, then the tolerant