As a new study revealed Canadians are very concerned about misinformation, I recalled something I saw recently about the difference between facts and opinions.
Welcome to the 163rd edition of The Sunday Spark, a series with weekly thoughts and highlights, nuggets of learning, and a quote of the week. Along with thoughts on facts and opinions, this week’s edition looks at an EU ban on disposing of unsold clothing, why art is good for us, and fun facts about potatoes.
On my mind this week: Just the facts, please!
A few weeks ago, I picked up a copy of Daytripping at a small store in nearby St. Jacobs. This publication is a guide to small businesses in towns and villages across Southwestern Ontario.
As I browsed the newspaper to get ideas for day trips we could make this summer, this little nugget caught my eye.
- A fact is information without emotion.
- An opinion is information shaped by experience.
- Ignorance is an opinion without knowledge.
- And stupidity is an opinion that rejects facts.
This week, Statistics Canada released a new study revealing the majority (61%) of Canadians are very or extremely concerned about online misinformation. Part of the problem could be where we get our “news.” Although 66% of us stay up to date with information from news organizations, Canadians are almost equally likely to get “news” from close contacts (62%) or social media platforms (54%).
Unsurprisingly, nearly half of Canadians (47%) reported that they were finding it harder to distinguish between true and false news or information compared to three years prior.
Those of us who are old enough will remember Sergeant Joe Friday from the old TV show Dragnet. Friday made the saying “Just the facts, ma’am.” famous although interestingly, he never actually said those words on the TV show.
The Joe Friday misquote proves misinformation isn’t a new problem. However, in an AI-fuelled world we all need to be much more diligent about fact checking.
In a free society, we may choose to get our news from close contacts. We may even be the ones spreading our version of “news” to those in our social circles. Let’s all remember that, no matter how strongly we believe our opinions to be true, opinions are not facts. Ultimately, spreading opinions as facts leads to rampant ignorance and eventual stupidity.
Three highlights of the week
It’s important to celebrate big milestones and simple pleasures in life. Keeping the trend going, here are three highlights and simple pleasures of the week gone by:
- Local asparagus is in season.
- We had a good drive to PEI to visit Colleen for her birthday. We made good time and didn’t run into any traffic issues in Toronto or Montreal.
- On our way through New Brunswick, we stopped in Florenceville, New Brunswick—the French Fry Capital of the World.
Things I learned this week
Life is all about learning. Here are three things I learned this week:
EU bans destruction of unsold clothing
The popularity of fast fashion is a huge environmental problem. In Europe, between 4% and 9% of unsold textiles are thrown away or burned before anyone ever wears them. That waste produces carbon dioxide emissions nearly equal to Sweden’s total net emissions for the year.
To fight this problem, the EU has banned large companies from destroying unsold clothing as of July of 2026. The new law requires businesses to manage their stock more carefully and handle returns differently. Rather than destroying usable clothing, companies will be required to explore options like resale, remanufacturing, charitable donations, or other forms of reuse.
(Source: Happy Eco News)
Viewing art is good for us
New research shows that viewing art activates 25 distinct dimensions of emotion. By engaging with art, we practice decoding and expanding emotions, which strengthens resilience, longevity and empathy.
(Source: Superage.com)
Fun facts about potatoes and french fries
As I mentioned above, we stopped in Florenceville, New Brunswick on our way to PEI. Florenceville is the home of the McCain family and McCain Foods. While there, we visited Potato World, where I picked up some fun facts about potatoes and french fries. Here’s what I learned:
- Cultivated potatoes originated in South America. Spanish explorers brought them back to Spain in the 1500s.
- Potatoes were introduced to North America in 1719 when Irish settlers settled in Londonderry, New Hampshire.
- Half of the potatoes grown in Canada are used for processing.
- One-third of the french fries eaten in the world today are produced by McCain Foods.
- There are 3000 varieties of potato, but only about 100 are grown on a regular basis.
- China produces the most potatoes in the world.
Quote of the week
The point of modern propaganda isn’t only to misinform or push an agenda. It is to exhaust your critical thinking, to annihilate truth. ― Garry Kasparov
I’d love to hear what you think about any of this week’s topics. Drop me a comment below and let me know your thoughts and ideas.
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That quote is a good one. While it doesn’t directly apply to Canada, the US disallowed propaganda on American soil from 1948-2012, but began allowing propaganda directed at Americans again in 2012… which, interestingly, is when politics started to get more heated. That is to say, there are no longer repercussions for intentional lies, so it’s important to own research, think critically, and trust our gut if something isn’t adding up.
I did not know that Erin. It’s fascinating, though. I also think the rise of the smartphone and social media have a lot to do with the heated and divisive nature of politics these days. And here’s to critical thinking!
How funny about “just the facts, ma’am!” Mr D has been learning about facts and opinions in 1st grade. He does this thing where he says “facts” and points to his head and “opinion” where he makes a heart with his hands.
Your potato facts are interesting. Trekking through Peru we ate a lot of potatoes. I think they said they had 900 varietals native to Peru.
Glad you had a good bday visit with Colleen. Wishing you a great week, Michelle!
Oh I love that Wynne. Head and heart is a terrific way of explaining it. May adults need to go back to first grade I think.
And yes, we found the potato facts interesting. The two provinces of New Brunswick and PEI produce more than half of Canada’s potatoes, yet they are two of the smallest provinces.
That comic infographic made me laugh. But it’s so true. A part of my this year is centred around information literacy and critical thinking – specifically developing programs to combat MDM (mis-dis-malinformation). It’s becoming quite insidious and a deterrent to democracy.
I am happy to hear the library is working on that, Ab. It really is a problem because many people take things at face value but you really have to question EVERYTHING you see now.
I know. makes me sad
My daughter, who was musically inclined rather than athletically oriented, used to lament that all the time. Sports is king, yet we don’t see the same postive benefits to watching sports which are, by their nature, divisive.
I know. it’s sad.
Whoa my goodness! That graphic!!! A keeper, for sure. Thank you, Michelle. Love it! ❤️
It’s brilliant, isn’t it Vicki? As soon as I saw it, I snapped a picture and knew I’d write about it at some point. Then when I saw the research from StatsCan this week, it all fit. Thanks for reading. Enjoy your Sunday my friend! 🤗
A keeper for sure! I’ve saved it…love how it mirrors what you do so well in your blog, dear friend. Xo! 😘
🤗❤️🤗
I’m reading a book called Art Cure which talk about how art is healing as well as preventive. while it’s example laden, it’s interesting to see how much art does help
It really does help. It’s sad that the arts are so under appreciated in our society.