On the New Math
Elizabeth Renzetti has a funny and somewhat insightful article in the Globe & Mail today about our obsession with math. In a nutshell, we’re equating math with jobs. She says,…
Marie Snyder
On Self-Obsession and Self-Hatred
Today some students were discussing Victoria Secrets models. Some of the girls have significant contempt for the women that show off the latest fashions in lingerie. It’s curious to me…
An Eco-Conservative?
Conservative MP Peter Braid, my MP, broke ranks and admitted that this weather we’re having here and elsewhere is definitely linked to climate change. Is this another sign the party…
Teacher Blogging Challenge Meme
I had a neighbour question my blogging habits. I told him I love to get my thoughts down in writing. He scoffed, “But why put it out there for others…
On Fear of the Worst Thing and First-World Anxiety
I just successfully transferred four years of family photos onto albums on-line that got shipped to my home as big colourful books. Then I breathed a huge sigh of relief.…
On Our Continued Sexual Repression
Sherlock & John I watched the first episode of the new season of Sherlock last night. There’s a sub-plot with no spoilers here: John Watson gets engaged to Mary. Mrs.…
2013 Ideas in Review
Facebook bombarded me with everyone’s highlights of 2013 this morning, and I was struck with the urge people have to track the value of time spent by listing stuff they…
On Saying "Merry Christmas!"
I’ve come across a few recent bits of writing from people who think we should do away with “Merry Christmas.” Even though I’m an atheist, I love Christmas, and I…
On Driving Into a Wall
Have you seen Inside Job? It’s a great film about the ins and outs of the mortgage crisis all in layman’s terms so even I could get my head around…
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…
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…