On John Stuart Mill, Free Speech, and Climate Change
I got caught up in a few arguments about climate change recently that just reinforced to me, that there’s still such a strong bashlash against the entire idea that we’re…
Marie Snyder
On Celebrating History
I’ve got a funny story. A while ago – like months – a colleague asked if I’d do some website or advertising work of some sort for a sesquicentennial event…
Stoic Environmentalism
I’m doing the Stoic Week thing this week. It’s just a matter of contemplating specific quotations each day. Even though I studied them years ago, and teach about them even,…
A Little Hope is Effective…
A lot of hope is dangerous. – President Snow This may be a little hokey, but I think Catching Fire is an important film to see right now. And it’s…
On Alain de Botton
de Botton Alain de Botton wrote one of my favourite under-praised books, Status Anxiety. I also quite like using his Consolations of Philosophy in my class as an additional resource…
All for Nought
It’s kind of a riddle: there are 5 essential learning components in the course. A student did two with an average of 68, but stopped working and hasn’t handed in…
On Designer Vaginas and Media Influence
Labiaplasty is on the rise. Who knew? There’s an article in the Guardian in which Daisy Buchanan argues that we can’t blame porn for this rush towards plastic surgery to…
Moving Beyond the Rational
Unlike everything else in the news, this isn’t about Rob Ford. I’m going to merge some Fraser Institute news with recent discussions in class, an old Munk Debate on religion,…
Munk Debates: Are Men Obsolete?
While I was waiting for the newest Munk Debate to show up on the site, I watched an old one. An excellent debate between Tony Blair and Christopher Hitchens on,…
On Russell Brand’s Politics
I want to look at a few things Russell Brand has to say – in print and on video (quotations below are from both). As Elizabeth Renzetti said in yesterday’s…
Unexpected Side Effects
It’s about teaching again. We used to deduct 5% each day an assignment was late, and after one week, it gets a big fat zero. Typically I’d get almost all…
On Regulating Smoking for Youth
Letter to the Editor in the Record today. It’s hard for me to stick to 200 words! Make it illegal for teenagers to smoke RE: Ontario bans youth from tanning…
On Strength and Contempt: Skyler and Sinead
the infamous album I want to start with the admission that the first DVD I ever got was Sinead O’Connor’s I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got. It’s attached…
It Doesn’t Matter
It doesn’t matter why they’re dressed as a tiger, have they got my leg? Just one more thing about educational reform. Well, for the weekend at least. It relates to…
Margaret Trudeau on Mental Health
There’s a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in. – Leonard Cohen From CBC Books I had the fortune of seeing Margaret Trudeau speak on mental health a…
AER and Educational Reform: Makin’ It Work
From Free Info Society Whenever people start talking about A.E.R., I hear the letters being “sung” by Johnny Rotten. Somehow it seems to help. So we’re getting to a point…
If You Build It, They Will Come – Really!
Photo Cred: Harrogate Cycling Group In today’s Record, Jeff Outhit comes very close to suggesting that if we bike in K-W, we should expect to get hit by a car.…
On Celebrating Talent
Convalescing from a wicked cold that’s beating the crap out of me, I watched a trio of movies about amazing musicians: Joe Strummer, Ginger Baker, and Sixto Rodriguez. In the…
On the On-Going, Never-Ending Regional Bike/Car Conflict
On Friday, I had a conversation in class about cyclists being hit so much in the region because of our culture around cycling here relative to other cities, and then…
Law-Abiding Politicians
“I think politicians are entitled to private lives,” – John Baird Yet another article in today’s G&M – page 3 no less – about pot smoking politicians. Recently Trudeau admitting…