mit, free education and the story of aaron swartz

 wow, times have changed, but stayed the same: mit, free education and the story of aaron swartz

I recently came across news about the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) making thousands of its university courses available online, free of charge.

On the surface, that's wonderful. Education should be accessible. Knowledge shouldn't be reserved for people who can afford expensive tuition or academic subscriptions.

But there's a story I haven't forgotten, and I think it deserves to be remembered whenever MIT celebrates the idea of open education.

His name was Aaron Swartz.

Aaron was a brilliant young computer programmer, internet activist and advocate for an open internet. He believed that knowledge, particularly publicly funded academic research, should be accessible to everyone.

He wasn't interested in keeping information behind expensive paywalls.

In 2010 and 2011, Aaron downloaded millions of academic journal articles from JSTOR through MIT's computer network.

What followed was a federal prosecution that would change his life.

He faced 13 felony counts and the possibility of decades in prison and a million-dollar fine. JSTOR eventually settled its civil dispute with him and did not want the prosecution pursued.

But the federal case continued.

Aaron died by suicide on January 11, 2013. He was just 26 years old.

There was no trial. No opportunity for him to see how his case would ultimately be resolved.

MIT later commissioned an independent investigation into its role in the affair, including its decisions surrounding Aaron's prosecution.

the irony of free education

Today, MIT proudly offers thousands of courses and educational resources online through MIT OpenCourseWare.

And that's a good thing.

But I can't help thinking about Aaron Swartz.

A young man who believed knowledge should be shared faced an enormous legal battle involving the very institution whose network he used.

Let's be clear: MIT did not prosecute Aaron. That was the US federal government. But MIT's involvement, its institutional decisions and its response to the case remain part of the history.

Now we're celebrating the availability of free university education.

Wonderful.

But perhaps institutions should also be willing to remind people of the history behind the principles they now promote.

wow, times have changed, but have they really?

We live in an age when information is everywhere, yet access to knowledge is still controlled by corporations, publishers, subscriptions, licensing agreements and intellectual property laws.

We celebrate innovation, artificial intelligence, digital libraries and open education.

But we also have to ask who owns knowledge, who controls access, who profits from it and what happens to the people who challenge those systems.

Aaron Swartz believed the internet could be a place where information was shared rather than hoarded.

That ideal is still worth discussing.

Free courses are wonderful. Free knowledge is valuable. But progress should include remembering the people who challenged the systems that made information inaccessible.

We shouldn't celebrate the principle while forgetting the history.

Aaron Swartz deserved the opportunity to live, to learn, to question and to keep contributing.

His story should not disappear behind a university's promotional announcement.

Sometimes progress means moving forward.

Sometimes it means remembering what happened when someone tried to get there first.

---

questions worth asking

1. Should publicly funded academic research be freely accessible to everyone?
2. Who should control access to knowledge: universities, publishers, governments or the public?
3. Should the legal consequences for challenging information-access systems be proportionate to the actual harm?
4. How do institutions reconcile their present-day values with their past decisions?
5. Are we genuinely becoming more open with information, or simply finding new ways to control and monetize it?

Remember Aaron Swartz. Remember why open knowledge matters.

if you're struggling, please reach out

If Aaron Swartz's story brings up difficult feelings, or if you're experiencing depression, hopelessness or thoughts of suicide, please know that you are not alone.

You don't have to figure everything out today. You don't have to pretend you're okay. And you don't have to face those feelings by yourself.

Please reach out. Talk to someone you trust. Ask for help. Your life matters, even when it doesn't feel that way.

If you're in Canada:

- Call or text 988 — Suicide Crisis Helpline, available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

- Call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department if you are in immediate danger.

If you're elsewhere, contact your local crisis service or emergency department.

You deserve compassion, support and the opportunity to see a better tomorrow.

Please stay. Please talk. There is help.

 💚🤗🩷🙌🌲😁😉🎨🐳🐬🐋🔥🤐😁😘

art against stigma — eastside culture crawl 2026

I'm excited to announce that I'll be exhibiting 20 original paintings at Art Against Stigma, hosted by The Kettle at Recovery Café, as part of the 30th anniversary of the Eastside Culture Crawl!

Paintings by Zipolita 2026 

This year I'll be sharing paintings from two collections:

Water Is Life — inspired by the natural world, including mermaids, whales, otters, waves, forests and the creatures we share this planet with.

The Fire Next Time — a collection exploring the world around us and the things that deserve our attention.

Art has always been one of my ways of expressing ideas, telling stories and connecting with people. I'm delighted to have this opportunity to share my work alongside other talented artists.

Event details

Art Against Stigma
Recovery Café
620 Clark Drive, Vancouver

November 19–22, 2026

• Thursday, November 19: 5–10 PM
• Friday, November 20: 5–10 PM
• Saturday, November 21: 11 AM–6 PM
• Sunday, November 22: 11 AM–6 PM

Opening night reception: 

Thursday, November 19, 5:30–7 PM.

I'm looking forward to meeting visitors, connecting with fellow artists and seeing all the wonderful artwork on display.

If you're attending the Eastside Culture Crawl, please stop by and say hello. I'd love to see you!

#EastsideCultureCrawl #ArtAgainstStigma #TheKettle #RecoveryCafe #WaterIsLife #TheFireNextTime #VancouverArtists #OriginalArt #SupportLocalArtists #ArtForChange

canada: have we become too polite to speak up?

 canada: have we become too polite to speak up?

When being afraid to offend becomes more important than addressing problems, everybody loses.

I had quite an experience on public transit today. And it got me thinking about something bigger than one unpleasant bus ride.

First, there was a buggy sitting in the middle of the aisle while the bus was moving. Passengers were crowded around the front, nobody making room, nobody moving to the back. The buggy wasn't secured in an appropriate place.

I actually got up and called out that this wasn't allowed. I recorded it.

Then people were trying to get off, but the driver pulled away while passengers were still struggling to make their way through the crowd.

A few stops later, six Transit Police officers boarded. They checked everyones card, no sure if they checked driver.

Later

I rang the bell early. He still missed my stop.

And this isn't an isolated concern about public transportation. I've been noticing changes in our public spaces, particularly around Surrey and parts of Vancouver.

Surrey Central looked considerably better today, but one block down Broadway–Commercial, I encountered another reality: people visibly struggling with addiction, people appearing intoxicated, public disorder and the smell of urine.

It's difficult to watch communities deteriorate while residents are expected to simply accept it.

are we afraid to have an honest conversation?

Canada has welcomed people from around the world for generations. Immigration has helped shape this country.

But welcoming people is only one part of the equation.

What about integration?

What about explaining Canadian laws, public expectations, accessibility rights, transit etiquette and respect for shared spaces?

What about making sure our infrastructure, housing, healthcare and public services can accommodate population growth?

Different countries have different customs, social expectations and attitudes towards public behaviour. People arriving here may need time to understand how things work in Canada.

That's precisely why education matters.

And let's not pretend prejudice only travels in one direction. People can hold prejudices against one another regardless of where they were born. Racism, discrimination and intolerance aren't exclusive to any one community.

We need to be able to discuss these things without immediately shutting down the conversation.

respect is a two-way street

If you come to Canada, you should be welcomed and treated fairly.

But you also have responsibilities.

• Respect other passengers.
• Move down the bus and make room.
• Keep aisles and emergency exits clear.
• Respect wheelchair users and accessibility spaces.
• Allow passengers to exit before boarding.
• Follow Canadian laws.
• Respect public property and shared spaces.
• Treat other people with consideration.

These expectations apply to everyone, whether you've lived here for five generations or arrived yesterday.

And they apply to transit operators, employers, landlords, politicians and public institutions too.

Nobody gets a free pass.

canada needs to stop confusing politeness with progress

We have become so concerned about offending somebody that sometimes we seem afraid to address the actual problem.

But avoiding difficult conversations doesn't solve anything.

If immigration levels exceed our ability to provide housing, services and infrastructure, we need to discuss that.

If integration isn't working, we need to discuss that.

If public spaces are becoming unsafe, we need to address it.

If people aren't respecting one another, we need to say so.

And if governments aren't doing their jobs, we need to hold them accountable.

This isn't about blaming everyone who comes to Canada. It isn't about pretending everything was perfect before. It is about acknowledging that things are changing and asking whether we're managing those changes responsibly.

We can be welcoming without abandoning standards. We can be compassionate without abandoning accountability. We can be polite without being silent.

Canada doesn't need less kindness.

It needs more consideration, more responsibility, more honest conversations and a renewed understanding that living together means respecting one another.

Perhaps it's time we stopped being so afraid of hurting someone's feelings that we forget to look after the well-being of everyone.

---

questions worth reflecting on

1. Have Canadians become too polite to speak openly about problems in their communities?
2. Are immigration levels being matched by adequate housing, healthcare, transit and infrastructure?
3. Are newcomers receiving enough information about Canadian laws and social expectations?
4. Who is responsible for ensuring successful integration?
5. Should transit operators receive better training and support in managing overcrowding and accessibility?
6. Why should wheelchair users have to ask people to move from designated priority spaces?
7. Are we doing enough to address racism and prejudice between different communities?
8. Have we become accustomed to public disorder rather than expecting improvements?
9. Can we have honest conversations about cultural differences without stereotyping entire populations?
10. What kind of Canada do we want to leave for the next generation?

A final thought: Being a good neighbour isn't about where you were born. It's about how you treat the people who share your community.

 

consumer alert: watch those shelf prices!

I had an interesting shopping experience at Dollar Mart on Commercial Street in Vancouver.

I stopped to buy two art pads. Both were sitting on a shelf with price labels underneath displaying $2.99.

I picked up two and went to the checkout.

As the cashier rang them through, I noticed prices of $4.99 and another amount appearing on the till. Suddenly, the total was approximately $11.99.

I questioned the price and showed the cashier my photograph of the shelf display.

His response?

"Let me see what I can do."

Now, when I looked more closely at my photograph, I noticed that the small-print product description on the shelf label identified a different product. The $2.99 price was prominent, but the description wasn't for the art pads.

Was it a simple labelling mistake? Possibly. I can't establish that it was deliberate.

But it got me thinking about how easily consumers can be caught out.

know your consumer rights

British Columbia has consumer protection legislation.

Under the Business Practices and Consumer Protection Act, section 4 addresses deceptive acts or practices, including representations capable of misleading consumers.

The federal Competition Act also prohibits materially false or misleading representations.

There is a voluntary Scanner Price Accuracy Code in Canada, but there are exceptions, including when an item is placed beneath a label describing a different product.

So, no, every shelf-label mistake automatically entitles you to the advertised price. But businesses still have a responsibility to provide clear and honest pricing.

time to pay attention, shoppers!

I want consumers to become more vigilant.

• Check the shelf price before picking up an item.
• Read the product description, not just the large-print price.
• Watch the till as your purchases are scanned.
• Compare your receipt with the shelf prices.
• Photograph questionable displays.
• Ask for a manager when prices don't match.

Don't assume the checkout price is correct just because it appears on the screen.

what about mystery shoppers?

Perhaps it's time for more independent consumer monitoring.

Could consumer organizations, government agencies and independent mystery shoppers conduct random retail pricing checks?

Imagine shoppers visiting stores, photographing shelf labels, purchasing selected products and comparing the advertised prices with checkout charges.

Not to harass employees, but to identify patterns, mistakes and potentially misleading practices.

Regular, independent checks could encourage better pricing practices and give consumers more confidence.

a word about consumer protection around the world

People come to Canada from countries with very different consumer protection systems. Some have weaker legislation, inconsistent enforcement or fewer practical ways for customers to challenge businesses.

Canada has established consumer protection laws. Everyone doing business here should understand and follow them.

Consumers also need to understand their rights.

Being polite doesn't mean being gullible. And being unfamiliar with a store or product doesn't mean you should accept an unexplained price increase.

questions worth asking

1. Have you ever noticed a different price at the checkout?
2. Do you watch the screen while your purchases are scanned?
3. Should independent mystery shoppers conduct random retail pricing checks?
4. Should businesses face stronger consequences for repeated pricing discrepancies?
5. How many people pay the difference simply because they don't want to argue?
6. Are consumers sufficiently informed about their rights in British Columbia?

I bought two art pads, not a lesson in consumer protection.

But perhaps it's a reminder we all need.

Pay attention. Keep your eyes open. Know your rights. And don't be afraid to question a price.

#ConsumerRights #ConsumerProtection #Vancouver #BritishColumbia #MysteryShoppers #RetailTransparency #FairPricing #KnowYourRights #ShoppingSmart #EveryDollarCounts

The Year Without a Smartphone

The Year Without a Smartphone

A Christmas story for the not-so-distant future

It was December 2027, and something terrible had happened.

Santa Claus had made his annual announcement.

There would be no smartphones for Christmas.

Not one.

Not even a refurbished iPhone.

The North Pole had officially declared a global digital detox.

The elves were in revolt. Mrs. Claus was threatening to leave. Rudolph had deleted his Instagram account, and Santa couldn't find his way to the shopping mall because Google Maps had gone dark.

But that wasn't the worst of it.

The children were asking questions.

"Santa, how will we know you're coming?"

"Look out the window," Santa replied.

"Can you send us a notification?"

"No."

"Can we track your sleigh?"

"No."

"Can we FaceTime you?"

"Absolutely not."

Santa was beginning to wonder whether Christmas had become a customer service problem.

Meanwhile, down on Earth, things were getting rather strange.

People were talking to each other in grocery stores. Neighbours were suddenly discovering they lived next door to actual human beings. Parents were asking their children to look up from their hands.

One teenager had been found staring at a tree for 17 minutes.

Doctors called it a breakthrough.

Restaurants reported a mysterious increase in conversation. Parks were full. Libraries had waiting lists. People were taking photographs with actual cameras.

And then came the twist.

On Christmas morning, millions of people woke up to find a small envelope under their tree.

Inside was a note from Santa:

\*"Dear Everyone,

You wanted a new phone.

Instead, I gave you back something you had forgotten you owned.

Your time.

Your attention.

Your imagination.

Your privacy.

And, most importantly, each other.

Merry Christmas.

P.S. I did try to post this on Facebook, but apparently nobody was there."\*

But there was one final surprise.

At the bottom of the letter, in very tiny writing, was another message:

"P.P.S. The elves have been monitoring your screen time for years. We know who's been naughty."

And just like that, everyone reached for their phones.

Only to discover that they had all been replaced by little red stockings.

Inside each stocking was a handwritten list of things to do in 2028.

The first item?

Go outside and play.

And somewhere at the North Pole, Santa laughed so hard that Rudolph nearly fell off the roof.

The End.

Or perhaps, the beginning. 🎄

2027: let's take back the internet

 

2027: let's take back the internet — a year without social media?

What if we collectively decided that 2027 would be the year we stepped back, unplugged and reconsidered our relationship with technology?

And what if we invited the next generation to help us design something better?

It's not just Meta. Google and other technology companies crawl websites, collect information, index content and process enormous amounts of data. All of this requires infrastructure, electricity and water.

Our digital lives have a physical footprint, whether we think about it or not.

Somewhere along the way, we became the product.

We wait online for government services. We navigate endless automated menus, answer questions for bots, get transferred from one automated system to another, and sometimes struggle to reach an actual human being.

We've allowed convenience to become dependency.

Our phones have become alarm clocks, cameras, televisions, libraries, shopping malls, entertainment centres, banking machines and, for many, our primary connection to the outside world.

But what has it cost us?

A proposal for 2027: boycott social media

What if we collectively took a year off?

No Facebook. No Instagram. No TikTok. No X. No endless YouTube scrolling. No feeding algorithms with our time, attention, photographs, personal information and daily activities.

What if we started taking our lives back?

We could begin with an hour, a day, a week or a month. See how it feels. Go as long as we can. If we return, perhaps we take another break.

Read a book. Make art. Go for a walk. Visit a neighbour. Write a letter. Spend time with children. Learn something new. Support local businesses. Rediscover the things we used to do before smartphones occupied every spare moment.

This isn't about rejecting all technology. It's about questioning our dependence on it and deciding what deserves our attention.

A shout-out to the kids: design a better world

We want to hear from young people.

You are growing up in a world where your attention is constantly being competed for, where your personal information has commercial value and where so much of childhood happens through a screen.

You don't have to accept that this is how the future must look.

What would technology look like if it were designed around human well-being, privacy, creativity, education and the environment?

What would a healthier internet look like?

What would you keep? What would you change? What would you shut down? What would you invent?

Perhaps the next generation can help us rethink what progress really means.

Reflective questions

1. When was the last time you went an entire day without checking your phone?
2. How much of your daily screen time is genuinely necessary?
3. Do social media platforms improve your relationships, or sometimes replace real-life connections?
4. How much personal information are you willing to exchange for free online services?
5. Have you considered the electricity and water required to maintain our digital world?
6. What would happen to your mental health if you took a month away from social media?
7. Could you reconnect with friends and family without relying on Facebook or Instagram?
8. Should governments and public services always provide a way to reach a real human being?
9. What would you miss if social media disappeared tomorrow? What would you be relieved to lose?
10. If you could redesign the internet for the next generation, what would you change first?

A different kind of progress

We have spent years being told that everything must become faster, smarter, more connected and more automated.

But perhaps it's time to ask whether more is actually better.

We need technology that serves people, not people who spend their lives serving technology.

We need privacy, independent websites, human connections, accessible public services and a digital world that considers its environmental costs.

2027: less scrolling, less surveillance, less consumption. More living.

Let's stop playing along without asking questions.

And let's give the kids an opportunity to design something better.

What if the biggest technological breakthrough of 2027 was learning when to switch it off?

 

what if we boycotted smartphones?

A proposal for 2027:

What if we collectively decided to put our mental health first?

What if we called for a return to basic mobile phones and landlines?

No smartphones. No Facebook. No Instagram. No TikTok. No YouTube. No X.

Imagine a coordinated public movement to disconnect from social media and smartphones for one year.

We could start with a day, then a week, then a month. Eventually, make it a year.

For our mental health. For our children's mental health. For our privacy. For our relationships. For our communities. For the future.

Let's play out the scenarios.

What happens to mental health? What happens to loneliness? What happens to bullying? What happens to misinformation? What happens to advertising and consumerism? What happens to businesses built around our attention? What happens to politics? What happens to families and communities? What happens to children growing up without constant digital stimulation?

And what happens when millions of people simply stop participating?

Let's examine the consequences, good and bad.

Perhaps it's time for the biggest social experiment of our generation.

One year. One collective decision. A return to living our lives instead of watching everyone else's.

What would happen if we actually did it?

 

the artists will give us our spirit back

There is a quotation attributed to Louis Riel that has stayed with me:

“My people will sleep for one hundred years, but when they awake, it will be the artists who give them their spirit back.”

The historical source of these exact words is uncertain, but the sentiment carries an important message.

Art is more than decoration. Artists preserve history, culture, stories and memories. They challenge authority, question injustice, give voices to people who aren't being heard, and help us imagine a different future.

Artists remind us who we are.

There is a particular significance to this quotation in Métis history and cultural revival. Art, storytelling, language and cultural expression can help reconnect generations and restore a sense of identity.

I have a complicated personal relationship with this part of history. My own family research has taken me down some unexpected paths. I've spent years digging through records, following names and trying to understand my ancestry. My family connections include the Poirier and Enos families. My great-grandmother was Mary Ann Poirier, and family history led me to Joseph Poirier, who reportedly wore the Métis sash.

I've also experienced lateral violence from people within the Métis community. I was told by one woman that I could only use a lowercase 'm'. Experiences like that can make you question whether you even want to claim a connection that you've spent years researching.

I don't claim an identity I cannot establish, and I've stepped back from claiming one altogether. But nobody can take away my curiosity, my family history or my right to learn about where my ancestors came from.

And that brings me back to artists.

We are living through another enormous cultural shift. Social media platforms are harvesting content, Meta scraping is raising serious questions about consent and ownership, and AI is changing the relationship between creators and their work.

Our photographs, paintings, writing, stories and ideas have value.

What happens when the very platforms that gave independent artists a voice begin using that creative work in ways we never intended?

Perhaps it is time to reconsider our relationship with the internet.

Perhaps we need to disconnect for a while, reclaim our creativity, make our work privately, support independent artists, share stories in person and rediscover the value of making something simply because it matters.

Art doesn't need an algorithm to have meaning.

It doesn't need millions of views to change someone's life.

And it certainly doesn't need permission from a social media company to exist.

The artists will give us our spirit back.

Maybe that is what we need to remember right now.

Reflective Questions

Who owns our creativity once we put it online?

Should our photographs, paintings and writing be used to train AI without our permission?

What happens when algorithms decide whose voices get heard?

Are we losing the human connection that once made art meaningful?

Could stepping away from social media help us rediscover our creativity?

How do we preserve stories and histories that might otherwise disappear?

Can art bring people together when politics and institutions divide them?

What would you create if you weren't worried about likes, views or algorithms?

#FightBackWithArt #WarriorUpWithArt #ArtistsMatter #ArtIsResistance #LouisRiel #MétisHistory #CreativeFreedom #StopDataHarvesting #SupportIndependentArtists #WaterIsLife

 

this new year, let's go sober. let's disconnect.

Something is happening to our digital world, and I don't think we fully understand what we're participating in anymore.

We scroll, we click, we share, we watch. Algorithms decide what we see. Artificial intelligence creates content. Bots imitate people. Corporations collect our attention and information.

And most of us have absolutely no idea what's happening behind the screens, who's controlling what, how our information is being used, or what the long-term consequences will be.

Even our everyday online experiences are becoming harder to understand.

Perhaps it's time to step back.

This new year, disconnect for a year if you can. Start with one hour. Then one day. Then a week. Keep going as long as you can.

If you return, start again. There is no failure in trying.

Do it for your mental health. Do it for your children. Do it for society. Do it for the future.

Let's stop feeding the outrage, the cruelty, the violence, the endless consumerism and the systems that profit from our attention.

Let's reconnect with real people and the world around us.

We don't know where all of this is going. We don't know what is happening behind the screens. But we do know that we have a choice about how much of our lives we hand over.

Maybe it's time to take that choice back.

This new year, let's go sober. Let's disconnect. Let's reclaim our humanity.

#LetsGoSober #Disconnect #DigitalDetox #MentalHealthMatters #ReclaimYourLife #HumanityFirst #DigitalAwareness #ProtectOurFuture #EnoughIsEnough

 

the wild west never really ended. we just cleaned it up.

Sometimes I feel like we're living in the Wild West.

Not the romanticized version with cowboys riding into sunsets, saloons and heroic sheriffs.

I'm talking about the real frontier.

The guns, the bank robbers, the violence, the exploitation of women, the murders, the land grabs, the racism and the dispossession of Indigenous peoples.

There were respectable ladies attending church, businessmen building fortunes, politicians making speeches and people living on the margins of society.

There were also women forced into prostitution, women who made their living outside respectable society, and people whose lives were shaped by poverty, violence and very limited choices.

There were people who committed terrible crimes, including crimes against Indigenous communities. There was also violence in conflicts between different communities. The history was complicated, and the consequences were devastating.

But somewhere along the way, we turned much of that history into entertainment.

We romanticized the gunslingers and cleaned up the history.

And I wonder whether we've done something similar with modern society.

The bank robberies have gone digital.

The saloons have become online platforms.

The guns have become weapons of war, intimidation and mass surveillance.

Exploitation has become a business model.

Powerful people have lawyers, publicists, corporate offices and carefully managed public images.

Violence is broadcast into our homes. Sometimes it's even monetized.

And the people who can afford the best protection aren't necessarily the people who need it most.

We have billionaires, politicians, corporations and institutions with enormous influence. We have people living in poverty, children being exploited, women experiencing violence and communities struggling to protect their land, homes and livelihoods.

We have dressed it all up in modern language.

But has human behaviour really changed as much as we like to believe?

perhaps it's time to bring back some basic principles.

Respect others.

Tell the truth.

Take responsibility.

Protect the vulnerable.

Show compassion.

Be accountable.

Practise what you preach.

And remember that public office is a responsibility, not a privilege to do whatever you please.

These should be expectations of every human being, but especially those entrusted with power.

We're paying them to represent us.

We're not paying them to rule over us.

Maybe we don't need another Wild West mythology. Maybe we need to stop pretending that wealth, respectability, expensive suits and political titles make someone a decent human being.

The frontier may have changed, but basic human decency should never have been optional.

Perhaps the real question is whether we're prepared to stop romanticizing power and start demanding responsibility.

Welcome to the Wild West of 2026.

Only this time, the gunslingers have public relations departments.

#MoralMajority2026 #WildWest2026 #BasicHumanDecency #Accountability #IndigenousRights #HumanRights #PowerAndPrivilege #PeopleBeforeProfits #HistoryRepeats #EnoughNow

 

whatever happened to basic human decency? a moral majority for 2026

What are morals? Perhaps we need to start there.

We use the words morality, morals, values and ethics all the time. Politicians talk about them. Religious leaders preach about them. Parents try to teach them. Social media is full of people telling everyone else how they should behave.

But perhaps we've lost sight of what morals actually mean.

Morals are the principles that guide how we treat other living beings and how we distinguish right from wrong.

They aren't exclusive to religion. They don't belong to one political party, one country, one culture or one generation.

At their simplest, morals are about how we treat one another.

So what are basic morals?

1. Do no harm.

Don't deliberately hurt, exploit, abuse or take advantage of another person.

2. Respect others.

Every human being deserves dignity, regardless of their age, gender, identity, income, background or social status.

3. Tell the truth.

Don't manipulate, deceive, exploit trust or knowingly spread misinformation.

4. Take responsibility.

Own your actions. Recognize the consequences. Don't blame everyone else when things go wrong.

5. Protect the vulnerable.

Children, the elderly, people experiencing poverty, people with disabilities and those who cannot easily protect themselves deserve our attention and protection.

6. Show compassion.

Other people's suffering matters, even when it doesn't affect you personally.

7. Be accountable.

Nobody should be above the law. Wealth, political connections, religious standing and celebrity should not provide immunity.

8. Practise what you preach.

Your behaviour should reflect the values you claim to believe in.

Morality and religion are not the same thing.

Religion can provide a moral framework, but morality does not belong exclusively to religion.

An atheist can have strong morals. A religious person can behave immorally.

Knowing religious teachings and actually treating people well are two very different things.

And that's where we have some serious questions to ask.

Look at the world around us.

When did making money become more important than protecting children?

When did humiliation become entertainment?

When did violence become something we watch, share and monetize?

When did exploiting vulnerable people become a business model?

When did we become so accustomed to suffering that we simply scroll past it?

When did powerful people start believing that the rules didn't apply to them?

We have social media platforms that profit from attention, websites that profit from exploitation, corporations that prioritize shareholders and political movements that spend enormous amounts of time telling other people how to live.

Yet basic human decency seems to be getting lost in the noise.

It's time for a Moral Majority 2026.

Not a return to the religious fundamentalism of the 1980s.

Not another movement telling people what to believe, who to love, how to dress or how to live their private lives.

I'm talking about ordinary people coming together around a shared understanding of right and wrong.

A movement that puts human life before corporate profits.

Children before predators.

Compassion before cruelty.

Truth before propaganda.

Accountability before privilege.

People before power.

We don't have to agree on religion, politics or philosophy to agree that children should be protected, abuse should never be tolerated and human beings deserve dignity.

We can disagree without dehumanizing one another.

We can stand up without becoming what we oppose.

We can demand better from governments, corporations, institutions and ourselves.

And we can stop supporting businesses and platforms that refuse to take responsibility for the harm they enable.

Perhaps we need to remember something very simple.

Morality isn't what you preach.

It isn't the religious label you wear, the political party you support, the amount of money you make or the public image you create.

Morality is what you practise when nobody is watching.

And perhaps the real question for 2026 isn't whether we need another set of rules.

Perhaps we need to remember how to be decent human beings.

ENOUGH NOW.

What do you think? Have we lost our moral compass, or have we simply stopped holding one another accountable?

#MoralMajority2026 #BasicHumanDecency #Morality #Compassion #Accountability #ProtectChildren #HumanRights #PeopleBeforeProfits #Ethics #EnoughNow

 

the irony of zorro ranch: morality, religion, power and the epstein files

When the people who claim to defend morality are nowhere to be found when children need protecting, we have to ask some very uncomfortable questions.

There is something deeply disturbing about the Jeffrey Epstein case that goes beyond one wealthy sex offender, one private island or one notorious guest list.

It is the scale of the network, the years of alleged abuse, the number of powerful connections and the unanswered questions surrounding the places where vulnerable girls and young women were exploited.

And then there is Zorro Ranch.

Located about 30 miles south of Santa Fe, New Mexico, the sprawling property was purchased by Jeffrey Epstein in 1993. It included a mansion, private airstrip, hangar, guest houses and extensive surrounding land.

It was one of several properties associated with Epstein.

Others included:

• Little St. James in the US Virgin Islands.
• His Manhattan townhouse.
• His Palm Beach residence.
• His Paris apartment.
• His New Mexico ranch.

These were not ordinary holiday homes. They formed part of the world in which Epstein operated and entertained wealthy, influential and powerful associates.

What do we actually know?

Let's separate the documented facts from the allegations.

1. Epstein was not simply a man surrounded by rumours.

In 2008, he pleaded guilty in Florida to state charges involving solicitation of prostitution, including a minor. In 2019, he was federally charged with sex trafficking of minors, but died in jail before that case went to trial.

Ghislaine Maxwell was subsequently convicted of helping recruit and groom underage girls for Epstein's sexual abuse.

These are established criminal proceedings, not internet speculation.

2. Zorro Ranch was largely overlooked.

New Mexico authorities had previously opened an investigation in 2019, but paused it at the request of federal prosecutors.

Following the release of additional FBI records, New Mexico reopened its investigation on February 19, 2026.

On March 9, investigators began searching the property.

New Mexico lawmakers also established a bipartisan Truth Commission to investigate what happened there, who visited, what officials knew and how Epstein was able to operate for so long.

3. There are disturbing allegations that still need answers.

One released FBI-related record contained an allegation from an anonymous sender claiming that two foreign girls had died and been buried near the ranch.

Authorities have investigated the allegation. It has not been independently substantiated.

There are also allegations of sexual abuse at the ranch from survivors and information contained in civil proceedings.

We should listen to survivors without presenting every claim in a leaked document as proven fact.

4. And then comes the irony.

Epstein's estate sold Zorro Ranch in 2023.

The new owners, the family of Texas businessman and politician Don Huffines, renamed the property San Rafael Ranch and announced plans to turn it into a Christian retreat.

Think about that for a moment.

A property associated with allegations of horrific exploitation and abuse is being proposed as a place of Christian retreat.

The new owners are not responsible for Epstein's crimes simply because they purchased the property. They have said they will cooperate with investigators.

But the contrast is extraordinary.

And it brings us to a much bigger conversation about morality.

For decades, political and religious movements have told us they are defending traditional values, protecting families and safeguarding children.

Yet the Epstein case exposes something far more important than political slogans.

Children need protection from exploitation. Survivors need justice. Powerful people must be held accountable, regardless of their political affiliations, religious associations, wealth or social connections.

A person's appearance on an address book, flight log or contact list does not establish criminal involvement. But genuine evidence of wrongdoing deserves investigation, whoever the person happens to be.

We cannot have one set of moral standards for ordinary people and another for the wealthy and connected.

And we cannot keep treating the protection of children as a political talking point.

Perhaps it is time for a Moral Majority 2026.

Not a movement built around religious conformity, political control or telling other people how to live.

A movement built around protecting human beings.

A movement that says exploitation is unacceptable, violence is not entertainment, abuse is not a private matter and wealth does not buy immunity.

We have spent far too long debating morality.

Perhaps we should start measuring it by how we treat the most vulnerable among us.

ENOUGH NOW.

---

Sources and further reading

• New Mexico Department of Justice: Investigation into Zorro Ranch reopened, February 19, 2026
• Reuters: New Mexico approves comprehensive investigation of Zorro Ranch
• Associated Press: New Mexico investigators search Epstein's former ranch
• New Mexico Department of Justice: October 21, 2026 lawsuit against Epstein associates

#EpsteinFiles #ZorroRanch #ProtectChildren #SurvivorsDeserveJustice #Accountability #HumanRights #PowerAndPrivilege #MoralMajority2026 #StopExploitation #PeopleBeforePower

 

moral majority 2026: shut down the platforms that profit from violence

Either we stand up now, or we may be next.

How much violence are we expected to watch before we finally say ENOUGH?

How many women, children and vulnerable people have to be hurt, exploited, threatened or killed before we decide that something has to change?

We have built an internet where violence can be filmed, uploaded, shared, monetized and watched around the clock. Social media companies profit from engagement. Algorithms reward outrage. Violent content circulates while victims and their families are left to live with the consequences.

And we're supposed to accept this as normal?

No.

It's time for a Moral Majority in 2026.

Not the religious fundamentalist movement of the 1980s. I'm talking about ordinary people, across generations, cultures and beliefs, coming together around one simple principle:

Human life matters more than corporate profits.

It's time to:

• Boycott Meta, Facebook and Instagram until meaningful accountability becomes a reality.
• Demand that platforms stop monetizing violence, exploitation and abuse.
• Withdraw our content, our attention and our participation from companies that refuse to protect people.
• Take a hard look at websites that profit from violent and exploitative material.
• Demand real consequences for companies that knowingly allow abuse to flourish.
• Support independent spaces that put people before advertising revenue and engagement.

We don't have to keep supplying these companies with our photographs, writing, artwork, personal information, attention and money.

We have choices.

We can stop buying. We can stop sharing. We can close accounts. We can make blogs private. We can organize boycotts. We can demand change.

And we can do it together.

This isn't about shutting down the free exchange of ideas. It's about refusing to accept an internet where violence is entertainment and exploitation is a business model.

The question isn't whether we can change the internet. The question is whether we have the courage to try.

Either we stand up now, together, or we wait until the violence reaches someone else we love.

And by then, it may be too late.

ENOUGH NOW.

#MoralMajority2026 #ShutItDown #BoycottMeta #BoycottInstagram #StopOnlineViolence #ProtectWomenAndChildren #DigitalAccountability #HumanRights #PeopleBeforeProfits #TakeBackTheInternet

What do we mean by the Moral Majority of 2026?

 

What do we mean by the Moral Majority of 2026?

The phrase Moral Majority has a history. In the 1980s, it was associated with a US religious conservative movement.

That is not what we mean.

The Moral Majority of 2026 is not a religious movement, a political party or an attempt to impose anyone's beliefs on others.

It is a call for people of conscience, regardless of religion, politics, age, gender or background, to stand together against exploitation, sexual violence, abuse and the normalization of cruelty.

It is about protecting children, respecting survivors, defending human dignity and demanding accountability from the powerful companies that profit from exploitation.

We are not asking everyone to think alike.

We are asking everyone to recognize that some things should never be normalized.

Human dignity is not a political position. Protecting children is not a religious position. Opposing violence is not a partisan position.

This is the Moral Majority of 2026.

A movement built on humanity, responsibility and the courage to say:

ENOUGH NOW.

 

AUX HACKERS DU MONDE ENTIER : NOUS AVONS BESOIN DE VOUS. ÇA SUFFIT MAINTENANT.

Que se passe-t-il dans notre monde ?

La violence envers les femmes. L'exploitation sexuelle. Les enfants exposés à la pornographie violente. L'étranglement banalisé comme comportement sexuel. Les vidéos d'humiliation et de violence diffusées comme divertissement.

Et des milliards de dollars sont générés grâce à tout cela.

Nous en avons assez.

Je lance un appel aux hackers, aux hackers éthiques, aux experts en cybersécurité, aux militants numériques et aux communautés technologiques du monde entier.

Nous avons besoin de vos compétences. Nous avons besoin de vos voix. Nous avons besoin de votre aide pour lutter contre cette violence.

Enquêtez sur les plateformes. Révélez l'exploitation. Identifiez les réseaux qui profitent des abus. Documentez ce qui se passe. Aidez à signaler les contenus illégaux et à protéger les personnes ciblées.

Exigeons que les entreprises rendent des comptes sur ce qu'elles hébergent, diffusent et monétisent.

Et aux autres :

Cessons de soutenir les plateformes qui refusent leurs responsabilités. Cessons de financer l'exploitation. Cessons de traiter la violence comme un divertissement.

Il ne s'agit pas de censurer la sexualité consensuelle entre adultes. Il s'agit de protéger les enfants, de prévenir les abus et de refuser la banalisation de la violence.

Je veux voir naître un mouvement mondial. Des spécialistes de la technologie, des parents, des survivants, des éducateurs, des artistes et des citoyens qui se tiennent ensemble.

Pas un autre mois de sensibilisation. Pas un autre mot-clic qui disparaît demain.

LA MAJORITÉ MORALE DE 2026 DOIT PRENDRE LA PAROLE.

Nous avons la technologie. Nous avons le nombre. Nous avons une voix.

Utilisons-les.

ÇA SUFFIT. MAINTENANT.

 

A LOS HACKERS DEL MUNDO: LOS NECESITAMOS. ¡BASTA YA!

¿Qué está pasando con nuestro mundo?

Violencia contra las mujeres. Explotación sexual. Niños expuestos a pornografía violenta. La estrangulación normalizada como comportamiento sexual. Vídeos de humillación y abuso circulando como entretenimiento.

Y miles de millones de dólares generados a costa de todo esto.

Estamos hartos.

Hago un llamamiento a los hackers, hackers éticos, expertos en ciberseguridad, activistas digitales y comunidades tecnológicas de todo el mundo.

Necesitamos sus habilidades. Necesitamos sus voces. Necesitamos su ayuda para luchar contra esta violencia.

Investiguen las plataformas. Expongan la explotación. Identifiquen las redes que se benefician del abuso. Documenten lo que está sucediendo. Ayuden a denunciar el contenido ilegal y a proteger a las personas que son víctimas.

Exijamos responsabilidades a las empresas por lo que alojan, promueven y monetizan.

Y a todos los demás:

Dejemos de apoyar las plataformas que se niegan a asumir responsabilidades. Dejemos de financiar la explotación. Dejemos de tratar la violencia como entretenimiento.

Esto no se trata de censurar la sexualidad consensuada entre adultos. Se trata de proteger a los niños, prevenir los abusos y negarnos a normalizar la violencia.

Quiero ver nacer un movimiento mundial. Expertos en tecnología, padres, sobrevivientes, educadores, artistas y ciudadanos unidos.

No otro mes de concientización. No otro hashtag que desaparezca mañana.

LA MAYORÍA MORAL DE 2026 TIENE QUE HACERSE ESCUCHAR.

Tenemos la tecnología. Tenemos los números. Tenemos una voz.

Usémoslos.

¡BASTA YA!

 

TO THE HACKERS OF THE WORLD: WE NEED YOU. ENOUGH NOW.

What the hell is happening to our world?

Violence against women. Sexual exploitation. Children exposed to violent pornography. Strangulation being normalized as sexual behaviour. Videos of degradation and abuse circulating as entertainment.

And billions of dollars being made from it.

We've had enough.

I'm calling on the hackers, ethical hackers, cybersecurity experts, digital activists and technology communities around the world.

We need your skills. We need your voices. We need you to help us fight back.

Investigate the platforms. Expose exploitation. Find the networks profiting from abuse. Document what is happening. Help identify illegal content and protect the people being targeted.

Make the companies answer for what they host, promote and profit from.

And to everyone else:

Stop supporting platforms that refuse to take responsibility. Stop funding exploitation. Stop treating violence as entertainment.

This isn't about censoring consensual adult sexuality. It's about protecting children, preventing abuse and refusing to normalize violence.

I want to see a worldwide movement. Technologists, parents, survivors, educators, artists and ordinary people standing together.

Not another awareness month. Not another hashtag that disappears tomorrow.

THE MORAL MAJORITY OF 2026 NEEDS TO SPEAK.

We have the technology. We have the numbers. We have a voice.

Let's use them.

ENOUGH NOW.

 

for some of us, it's time. i'm ready to take it all down. are you?

I've been online for years. Blogging, writing, photographing, painting, sharing ideas, documenting history, building communities and giving away more creative work than I could ever count.

I did it because I believed in sharing.

But sharing is not the same as giving corporations permission to take our work, harvest our content and turn our creativity into somebody else's profit.

I'm tired of it.

I'm tired of watching independent creators get pushed aside while enormous technology companies treat the internet like their personal warehouse.

I'm tired of the excuses. I'm tired of the endless changes to terms and conditions. I'm tired of being told that this is simply the future and we should all get used to it.

Well, maybe it's time we stopped cooperating.

I'm talking about taking down our blogs, making our archives private, closing our public pages, leaving Instagram and Facebook, cancelling our participation and withdrawing the content that keeps these platforms alive.

Not for a few hours. Not just for a day.

For some of us, it's time to walk away for good.

Imagine thousands of independent bloggers, artists, photographers, writers, musicians and small publishers making the same decision.

What happens when the people who create the content stop supplying it?

What happens when the people who built the audience take that audience somewhere else?

What happens when we stop giving away our work?

I'm ready to consider taking it all down.

Are you?

This is bigger than Meta. It's about ownership, consent, copyright, creative freedom and the future of the open internet.

We need to start talking seriously about coordinated digital blackouts, rolling website closures and a mass withdrawal of content.

Our work is not theirs simply because we put it online.

The internet was built by people. Perhaps it's time the people took it back.

#TakeItAllDown #BoycottMeta #LeaveFacebook #LeaveInstagram #MakeTheWebGoDark #WhoOwnsTheOpenWeb #CreatorsRights #ArtistsRights #DigitalBlackout #ConsentCreditCompensation

 

boycott meta. take it all down. let's make the web go dark.

I'm calling on artists, writers, photographers, bloggers, independent publishers, small businesses and everyday internet users to take a stand.

Boycott Meta. Boycott Instagram. Boycott Facebook.

Stop supplying free content to corporations that want to turn the work of millions of people into commercial resources.

Don't just complain about it. Withdraw your participation.

Here's what I'm proposing:

1. Take a break from Meta. Log out of Facebook and Instagram. Stop posting, liking, sharing and scrolling.

2. Make blogs and independent websites private for a day. If you control your own site, consider temporarily restricting public access. Don't delete years of work or put your archives at risk.

3. Start rolling blackouts. Organize coordinated periods when creators and publishers take their websites offline or make them inaccessible to the public.

4. Stop feeding the platforms. No new photographs, artwork, articles, videos or original content.

5. Spread the word elsewhere. Tell people why you're participating. Share information about consent, copyright, attribution and fair compensation.

6. Keep the pressure on. Ask governments, regulators and technology companies to establish meaningful protections for creators.

This isn't a protest against the internet. It's a protest for the people who made the internet worth visiting.

We are not content farms. We are not unpaid employees. We are not an endless supply of material for somebody else's business model.

We have spent years building our blogs, communities, archives and creative portfolios. That work has value.

December 1, 2026: Let's begin with a 24-hour digital blackout.

And let's build a movement that can organize rolling blackouts beyond one day.

No consent? No content.

No credit? No contribution.

No compensation? No free ride.

The web belongs to the people who create it. Let's act like it.

#BoycottMeta #BoycottInstagram #BoycottFacebook #MakeTheWebGoDark #DigitalBlackout #WhoOwnsTheOpenWeb #CreatorsRights #ArtistsRights #StopUnpaidScraping #ConsentCreditCompensation

 

this year, stop buying shit. let's shut down the spending machine.

What if this holiday season we did something different?

What if we stopped buying things we don't need, stopped chasing sales, stopped filling shopping carts and stopped handing enormous corporations our money simply because advertising tells us we should?

I'm talking about a consumer boycott.

Start with Amazon. Think before you order. Buy less. Repair what you own. Borrow. Trade. Buy second-hand. Support local independent businesses, artists, makers and neighbourhood shops when you can.

And don't stop at Amazon. Look at the corporations that profit from cheap labour, environmental destruction, excessive packaging, disposable products and a business model built on convincing us that what we already own isn't good enough.

This isn't about shaming people who are struggling or who rely on affordable shopping. It's about those of us who have choices using them deliberately.

We have more power as consumers than we sometimes realize.

Every purchase is a decision about where our money goes. Every unnecessary purchase is money we could have kept, saved or spent closer to home.

This year, let's buy less. A lot less.

Let's make corporations compete for our business instead of assuming they are entitled to it.

Let's give independent businesses a chance. Let's support local artists. Let's stop treating consumption as entertainment.

And let's remember: the most powerful thing a consumer can do is sometimes walk away.

No more mindless spending. No more buying just because it's on sale. No more feeding a system that keeps asking for more.

This holiday season, let's make our money count by choosing not to spend it.

#BoycottAmazon #BuyLess #ShopLocal #ConsumerPower #BuyNothing #SupportIndependentArtists #EthicalConsumption #StopOverconsumption #SmallBusinessMatters #SpendWithPurpose