Capitalism is all find and dandy, until you run out of people and resources to exploit. But, let’s let Ronald Wright do the talking from his book “What Is America?: A Short History of the New World Order,” on this one. “The experience of a relatively easy 500 years of expansion
Continue readingTag: Education
Dead Wild Roses: The Common Sense of Cavemen – Lawrence Krauss
Lawrence Krauss makes an interesting point during this video about how we construct the reality around us. Consider the epistemological advantages of finding ideas and theories that fit the reality of the situation, as opposed to trying to shoehorn reality into our limited perception. Having all the answers is a
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Reflections From Cuba
The following is one of several pieces I wrote on my Blackberry Playbook while on a recent holiday in Cuba. Because Internet access and outside information is limited there, I spent some time writing pieces largely drawn from things I was thinking about at the time, and therefore are perhaps
Continue readingPolitics, Re-Spun: Foundation Skills Assessment: Another Dirty Trick
By Rachel Goodine The FSAs, or Foundation Skills Assessment tests, administered annually in British Columbia since 2000 to students in grades 4 and 7, are once again under way. They began on January 14 and will continue until February 22, 2013. In the meantime, the debate is on. For many,
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: The DWR Sunday Disserivce – Preaching to the Converted
Why do we do what we do here at DWR? What can we offer to the stalwartly religious that happen on this atheistic nook of cyberspace? Not very much, some would opine, because people’s minds are made up and that is that. Searching through my video subscriptions I found this
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: Historical Notions – Women’s Rights to Choose.
Shall we wake up to some historical notions? Has history ever been kind to women? The short answer is no. Why? Because, Patriarchy. Today is not for learning about 101 level feminism. Today is calling down from pulpit the rage and the anger against the systematic oppression of women in
Continue readingToronto Lawyer | Omar Ha-Redeye, J.D. » Politics: Austerity is the Real Story at the OLP LDR Convention
Eric Hoskins | Gerard Kennedy Sandra Pupatello | Charles Sousa | Harinder Takhar | Kathleen Wynne Slush filled sidewalks are tough enough to traverse first thing in the morning. They’re even more difficult when protesters form a narrow gauntlet to the entrance of Maple Leaf Gardens. Omar Ha-Redeye speaks to protesters. Omar Ha-Redeye speaks to protesters. Teachers are in
Continue readingThe Scott Ross: Canada Has Moved Backwards On Education: Our Past Demands Free Post-Secondary
Canada 140 years ago was a more intolerant, sexist, and unequal place, but on one important issue it was far more progressive than the Canada of today, and that’s on public education. Nations often like to look back and take pride at the progress they’ve made over the years, and
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: Unhappy Statistical News Brief of the Day – Rape.
Oh hey there. Nothing like rape statistics to darken your day. However if you don’t know, you can’t fix it. So read up and get cracking to make your little part of the world safer for everyone. Women 1 out of every 6 American women has been the victim of
Continue readingThe Canadian Progressive: Trent University to Host North at Trent 2013 Lecture Series
by Trent University | Jan 18, 2013: Trent University is pleased to once again host the North at Trent 2013 lecture series, featuring three free public lectures from Trent and visiting professors about Indigenous, health and security topics in Canada’s north. “I am very pleased that Trent University and Peterborough
Continue readingDeath By Trolley: A brave new world: Why moving beyond university can precipitate crisis
As students approach the completion of their university education some are excited to enter the “Real World”. Others are in no rush to “move on” – perhaps out of fear or uncertainty about their future, anticipatory nostalgia, or a keen awareness of what a uniquely special time the university years
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: We can get there from here #nlpoli
People across the province are astounded that some students at Memorial University cannot correctly identify countries, continents, and oceans on a map of the world. Geographic illiteracy shocks people. Well, it should, just like they should be appalled that 44% of the people over 15 years of age in this
Continue readingDeath By Trolley: The Grad School Gospels – Part 5: The University Graduate Entitlement Complex
The Grad School Gospels is a series of posts inspired by Dirk Hayhurst‘s The Bullpen Gospels. In the Bullpen Gospels, Hayhurst tells stories from his struggle to self-actualize through professional baseball. Inspired by Hayhurst and the many commonalities I noticed between the minor league track to the Majors, as he
Continue readingTrashy's World: A plea to the OCDSB…
… even if the teacher’s action tomorrow is declared illegal, do NOT reverse yesterday’s decision to close all elementary schools. And here is why: Student safety – if told to go to work as usual or face consequences, many teachers will NOT and there is no way to anticipate how many, where
Continue readingTrashy's World: OCDSB elementary school closure
The Director of Education has just announced that all OCDSB elementary schools will be closed on Friday. All Ottawa peeps in the English public system should plan accordingly. (0) Trashy, Ottawa, Ontario
Continue readingTrashy's World: OCDSB Trustee to seek the…
… Ottawa-Centre Dipper nomination. Trustee Jennifer McKenzie has announced her intention to seek the nomination for the Ottawa-Centre NDP candidacy. Trustee McKenzie will continue in her role as trustee and in her capacity as Chair of the Board. I commend her for stepping up, takes guts. Although I have to
Continue readingSaskboy's Abandoned Stuff: High School Isn’t What It Used To Be
Imagine the embarrassment of being a teenager again, except now your source of torment is not limited to forced school interaction with ruthless bullies, but now occurs at home and around the WWW too. Sexual attitudes need to quickly change, and treatment of bullies needs to radically evolve if we’re
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: Rape Culture: We’re In It
It doesn’t get made any simpler than this. Yes these are US stats, but do you think it’s really all that different here in Canada? Ya, neither did I. This information is put together by Laura Bassett at The Enliven Project. Data was pulled by the FBI. Go over to
Continue readingPolitics, Re-Spun: What Does Adbusters Ask of You in 2013?
From the people who suggested the modest idea of occupying Wall Street, Adbusters has sent out a new half dozen suggestions to fix the economic cancers of capitalism. Here’s my favourite, and it’s a little policy wonky:
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: Meet the “Nice Guys” of Okcupid
But gosh and wow, all at once. There is a sociology paper to be written about this phenomena, the great mystery of why… oh why… ‘nice guys’ cannot get with women. Actually wait, it needs to be feminist paper…or actually a feminist sentence. If women aren’t into you it is
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