Schedule and Location

Our group meets on the first and third Wednesday of each month at the Nokomis Fire Station. From Sarasota or North, proceed a few blocks south of Albee Road on US 41 (past Matthews-Currie Ford) to Pavonia Road. Turn right (West, toward the bay) at the Fire Station's flashing yellow caution traffic light. From the south on US 41, we are two blocks north of Dona Bay. Turn left onto Pavonia Road at the flashing yellow caution light. At the Fire Station, drive to the fire hall's far end or west side; PLEASE DO NOT BLOCK THE FIRE DEPARTMENT DOORS! We gather in the training room at the far end of the complex for a meet and greet at 6:00 pm but call the Meeting to order at 6:30 pm and take a Ten-minute break at around 7:50 pm. Meeting Adjourns: 9:00 pm

Friday, September 26, 2008

The Cacophony of Chatter

We've lost the art of critical thinking. There canʼt be much denial of this lack if one simply uses the powers of observation. Have you peered at the world around you lately? The recent disaster on Wall Street, if you think about it, has been silently screaming at us for months. Iʼve recently had a revelation as to the possible root cause, or at least one of them, of this lost treasure. In order to employ critical thinking, one must have a stimulant of clarity, or relevant information about which to think. Without that, the most you can do is react after the fact, or blindly follow the herd.

In order to contribute a relatively informed critique of ever-changing current events in my columns, Iʼve had to become a political talk show junkie. Personal opinions and philosophies aside, I've watched overtly partisan channels to observe the ʽbig pictureʼ of event coverage and campaign rhetoric. At the risk of blindness, Iʼve poured over every major newspaper and underground publication on the ʽnetʼ, devouring the editorials and opinion columns of every well-known journalist and a few not so known. Iʼve discovered that what we as a society have truly lost is the ʽart of listeningʼ.

Susan Haley, author of Rainy Day People

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