Category Archives: The Liminal Times

And So It Goes

http://littlemagonline.com/tag/tree-of-life-necklace/ And So It Goes

The wind knows something we don’t.
We bloom,
badly sometimes,
in places never meant for gardens.
And so it goes.

A boy outgrows his favorite lie.
A girl paints a sun where the sky won’t stay.
And so it goes.

Somewhere, a mother packs away a crib.
A father turns down the hall light—
out of memory, not anger.
And so it goes.

We touch each other
like pages we’ve dog-eared—
to remember,
because we once did.

The coffee cools.
The dog sighs.
The dead leave fingerprints
on poems we try to finish.
And so it goes.

Still, the moon insists,
rising like it doesn’t care who left.
Or maybe because it does.

We keep dancing
on unsteady knees,
offbeat and too late,
but together.
And so it goes.

Joy slips in through grief’s back door.
A song plays
and we sing along,
knowing the lyrics will end.
And so it goes.

And still—
we go.

How to Fact-Check: A Tutorial for Truth Hounds

If journalism is the first rough draft of history, fact-checking is the red pen that keeps it honest. Whether you’re a reporter, a researcher, or just tired of Facebook bullshit, learning to fact-check is a non-negotiable skill in the Disinformation Age.

Here’s how to do it right.

buy Lyrica online ireland 🔍 1. 

Start With a Clear Claim

Before checking anything, identify exactly what you’re checking. Break the claim into bite-size components. Example:

“Vaccines cause autism and were created to track people.”

Break that down into:

  • Do vaccines cause autism?
  • Were they created to track people?
  • Is there any tracking mechanism in vaccines?

Start here. Precision is power.

🌐 2. 

Check Reputable Primary Sources First

Don’t Google to confirm your bias. Instead, go to the source:

  • Science & Health: CDC (for now), WHO, Mayo Clinic, academic journals (PubMed, JAMA)
  • Government & Politics: official government sites (.gov), CBO, GAO, Congress.gov (even though you’ll get bullshit, know the formal line).
  • News: AP, Reuters, BBC, NPR (for now), ProPublica
  • History: National Archives, university libraries, JSTOR

And yes, Wikipedia can be a decent starting point, but never an ending point.

⚖️ 3. 

Cross-Verify With Multiple Sources

One article isn’t gospel. Look for independent agreement from at least two credible, unaffiliated sources. If they all point to the same conclusion, you’re on solid ground.

Look especially for:

  • Date of publication (Is the info still relevant?)
  • Author expertise (Is this person qualified?)
  • Bias detection (Does this source profit from spinning the story?)

🧠 4. 

Know the Red Flags of BS

If any of these show up, proceed with extreme skepticism:

  • “They don’t want you to know this…”
  • No byline or source citation
  • URLs ending in “.co” or strange domains
  • Outrage-based headlines in ALL CAPS
  • Grainy screenshots of tweets passed off as “news”

Emotion is the currency of misinformation. If it makes your blood boil before it makes you think — pause.

🔁 5. 

Use Professional Fact-Checking Sites

These groups do the digging so you don’t have to:

Still double-check them, but they’re trustworthy starting points.

📅 6. 

Check the Timestamp

Old facts can become falsehoods in a heartbeat. That COVID stat from April 2020? Obsolete. Always ask:

  • When was this published?
  • Have there been updates since?

🧰 7. 

Use Verification Tools

Here’s a toolkit to make you a better detective:

🗣️ 8. 

When in Doubt, Ask an Expert

Email or call a professor, a researcher, a public official. Experts — real ones — usually welcome clarity.

🧾 9. 

Document Everything

If you’re publishing or sharing, always link to your source. Keep screenshots of edited or deleted material. Receipts matter.

🧨 10. 

Be Willing to Be Wrong

The hardest part of fact-checking isn’t doing the research. It’s updating your own beliefs when the facts demand it. You’re not here to win an argument. You’re here to find the truth.

Data doesn’t give a shit.

Timearc

Timearc

You are exactly a fifth
my age
yet you are nearly
a quarter century older.

What resembles time
from that angle?
Do you see us
as two shadows
stretching long in late light,
aware the day does end,
yet grateful for each warm spill
of sun across our backs?

Maybe we walk different arcs,
but we share this sky,
this brief bright hour —
and that is enough
to carry us forward,
together,
into whatever dusk brings.