Toronto Police: Again and Again and Again ….
Albert Einstein famously defined insanity as doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. By that standard, perhaps both the Toronto Police force and I are…
Lorne
Beyond Cynical By Any Standard
Using the legislative power that Bill 115 provides, Ontario Education Minister Laurel Broten has announced she will impose contracts on Ontario teachers but then rescind Bill 115 because it has…
To Read, Perchance To Think
Shakespeare purists will perhaps forgive my titular, out-of-context paraphrasing of a famous line from Hamlet, but it occurred to me yesterday and today as I read two fine essays published…
But We’re A Peace-Loving Country
My, my, my, the sins that are committed in our name. Recommend this Post
Industry Self-Regulation – Another Update
Last week I wrote two posts on the Harper regime’s ideological decision not to impose mandatory reporting of drug shortages on the pharmaceutical industry. The government instead has placed its…
The Good News: It’s a New Year – the Bad News: Expect More of the Same
Best wishes to everyone in 2013. I would like to express my hope that all will enjoy a prosperous 12 months ahead, but given both domestic and international realities, I…
Noam Chomsky Reflects on Contemporary Education
Despite the fact that it was fraught with a marking load I would not wish on anyone, my career as an English teacher offered many satisfactions, not the least of…
What A Man Must Be
“What a man can be, he must be.” – Abraham Maslow Whenever I taught Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, I also taught my students about Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, his theory…
Industry Self-Regulation – An Update
Yesterday I wrote a post about the plight of Ryan Harrington, the young man who, were it not for a drug called Celontin, would suffer upwards of 200 seizures a…
Industry ‘Self-Regulation’
In a world rife with the environmental, economic and social consequences of unfettered capitalism, the term ‘industry self-regulation’ has always struck me as little more than a oxymoron. Examples abound…
A Tale of Two Men
No one is born hating another person because of the colour of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn…
An Insatiable Appetite
I couldn’t think of a single hole to punch in this letter-writer’s logic, but then, of course, I am not part of the 1%: Re: Bonuses at Canadian banks hit…
To Extend A Helping Hand
Still in the throes of a Christmas dinner-induced torpor, this will be a relatively brief post related to material in today’s Toronto Star dealing with microloans. As a teacher for…
A Christmas Message
As a retired teacher, I am well familiar with the works of Charles Dickens. Although his literary legacy is one of predominantly lengthy works, he is probably best remembered for…
Oh Lord, Spare Me From The Overly Earnest
For someone like me, who strives not to be crushed by the many cruel absurdities the world has to offer, a sense of humour is a key survival mechanism. In…
Some Star Readers Respond To Anti-Unionism
I have to confess that my last few blog posts have felt singularly uninspired. I therefore yield to one of my favourite sources for perceptive analysis, the readers of The…
”Twere to consider too curiously, to consider so.’
The title of my post today, taken from Act Five of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, occurs in a graveyard. Hamlet begins musing on what may become of one’s earthly remains, as even…
And Now, A Word From America’s Most Powerful Lobby
Such unctuous and pious hypocrisy I have rarely seen or heard: BTW, what law were the protesters breaking that got them ejected? Recommend this Post
What I Really Want For Christmas…
Were I given to the Christmas flights of fancy that prompt people to compile impossible wish lists that usually include a desire for world peace, the end of disease, and…