On October 13th, a story appeared at the Christian Broadcasting Network about girls being harassed by a trans youth in the washroom of a Colorado-area school. Soon afterward, the story was picked up by the Daily Mail, the Examiner, FOX News, and several webmedia outlets. One even embellished it with
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The Liberal Scarf: Haven’t had a chance to vote for my idea on Common Ground? Take just a minute to support youth engagement and better civic education!
My idea is ranked 40th out of over 1000 ideas suggested, and is in the top 10 for the education section. To vote, simply sign up and agree with the idea!
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Sunday Afternoon Links
This and that for your Sunday reading. – Matt Taibbi discusses how public pension funds are being looted for the benefit of a few well-connected banksters: Hedge funds have good reason to want to keep their fees hidden: They’re insanely expensive. The typical fee structure for private hedge-fund management is
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Friday Morning Links
Assorted content to end your week. – Jordan Brennan and Jim Stanford put to rest any attempt to minimize the growth of inequality in Canada: (I)ncome inequality has reached a historic extreme. Inequality was high during the 1920s and 1930s (the “gilded age”), but fell sharply during the Second World
Continue readingThe Liberal Scarf: Brush up on my youth democratic participation and civic education policy in time for provincial council!
With provincial council coming up this weekend, here’s a brush up on my policy that got prioritized by the Ontario Young Liberals at Summer Fling back in August. Here is a blog post I wrote outlining some of the stats and evidence behind this policy, and why I think it would
Continue readingThe Liberal Scarf: Final version of my policy to be presented at Summer Fling: Encouraging Youth Democratic Participation and Improving Civic Education
My original policy had some friendly amendments for clarity and language, so here is what I’ll be presenting at Summer Fling this weekend: Encouraging Youth Democratic Participation and Improving Civic Education (Provincial) By: William Norman, Mississauga South WHEREAS – The lowest voter registration rates are for young voters 18-24
Continue readingThe Liberal Scarf: My policy for the OYL South Central Regional Policy Parliament – Encouraging Youth Democratic Participation and Improving Civic Education
I wrote about the merits of lowering the age of voter registration to 16 back in April, and I’ve turned it into a policy for the OYL South Central Regional Policy Parliament tomorrow. Take a look! Encouraging Youth Democratic Participation and Improving Civic Education WHEREAS – The lowest voter registration rates
Continue readingCanadian Political Viewpoints: All The World’s a Laboratory
Source: Maclean’s Magazine: http://www2.macleans.ca/2013/07/16/hungry-aboriginal-kids-adults-were-subject-of-nutritional-experiments-paper/ When I woke up this morning, I had intended to talk a bit more about the news that the PMO is actively withholding emails from the RCMP over Duffy-Wright, but I think this is a big issue we need to talk about. A story has come out
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Sunday Morning Links
Assorted content for your Sunday reading. – Lest anybody think the Harper Cons’ combination of dishonesty and secrecy is limited to political payoffs, Blacklock’s reveals (PDF) that they subsidized the shipment of corporate jobs out of Canada – and didn’t deign to inform the public that the program existed until
Continue readingDented Blue Mercedes: Facts about trans youth
(Previously published in March 2012, and archived here for when it might be needed as reference) Several in the Canadian media and the general public have become interested in trans youth. It’s probably inevitable that many opinions and emotions have circulated as a result. I’m concerned that some of the
Continue readingThe Liberal Scarf: What’s another 20 mil of your tax dollars, anyway?
After years of using your tax dollars for partisan self promotion, the Conservatives want $20 million more of your tax dollars to keep the ball rolling. Every time you see a taxpayer funded ad while watching the playoffs, that’s $95,000 of your tax dollars. That same amount could create 32
Continue readingThe Liberal Scarf: What’s another 20 mil of your tax dollars, anyway?
After years of using your tax dollars for partisan self promotion, the Conservatives want $20 million more of your tax dollars to keep the ball rolling. Every time you see a taxpayer funded ad while watching the playoffs, that’s $95,000 of your tax dollars. That same amount could create 32
Continue readingThe Liberal Scarf: Lowering the age of voter registration to 16: An idea worth looking at
I’ve been reading up lately on the potential benefits to lowering the age of voter registration. The BC NDP has tabled some legislation to lower the age of voter registration to 16, based on a recommendation from the Chief Electoral Officer of BC in 2011: The lowest voter registration rates are
Continue readingMy journey with AIDS...and more!: Shaun Fryday, whose faith community emulates his personal hospitality, to be this year’s recipient of the Craig Chaplin Memorial Award
Rev Shaun Fryday has been selected by Montreal’s United Theological College to receive the award, established by my late brother, at the UTC Convocation on May 8th, 2013. Fittingly, the ceremonies will take place in Shaun’s congregation of Beaconsfield United Church. When he received the news, Shaun is said to
Continue readingThings Are Good: Skateboarders Help Transform Urban Environments
Skateboarding culture is often (wrongly) lumped together with criminal behaviour amongst youth. To those that still think that way, you should check out a study in the most recent Local Environment: The International Journal of Justice and Sustainability. By looking at what young skateboarders would do in the city of
Continue readingMy journey with AIDS...and more!: Coming out as the end of a beginning
This morning on CTV’s Canada AM Kevin Newman, of Question Period fame, was promoting a very important segment on this weekend’s W5 program (Saturday at 7 p.m. ET) and, in the accompanying online article he wrote, “Coming out is toward the end of the process for our gay children” –
Continue readingDented Blue Mercedes: Guest Post: Teacher plays scene from Disney Movie to Humiliate Student in Class
[This post comes to us courtesy of Michelle Boyce at the Alphabet Community Centre. -M] Anna Saunders is a mature student who attended a summer school class at Saunders Secondary School and a teacher decided she was a “guy in a dress”, beginning to use male pronouns and “Sir” when
Continue readingThe Progressive Right: Cheaper Keggers Under Tim Hudak? #onpoli
The University of Ottawa Conservatives are notably excited by the prospect of buying cheaper booze in Ontario. I’ve noticed one other university student tweet touting the benefits of cheaper alcohol in Ontario if students vote for Tim Hudak’s Conservatives. Cheap alcohol is one way to motivate youth to vote. I’m
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Thursday Morning Links
This and that for your Thursday reading.- There’s always been reason for skepticism about the pundit-class theory that the 2011 federal election should simply be deleted from the history books as an aberration. But Abacus provides a compelling example …
Continue readingCanadian ProgressiveCanadian Progressive: 1000 youth converge in Ottawa to demand just solutions to climate and economic crises
by We Are Powershift From October 26 to October 29, 1000 youth from across the country will converge at Power Shift 2012 in Ottawa to galvanize a broad movement pushing the federal government to aggressively reduce carbon emissions and tackle the corporations that are fueling climate change, building on the momentum
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