Education and Self-Promotion
September 29, 2011 | No Comments
I hope everyone will pardon a little self-promotion, but I have two recent articles at Examiner.com that I thought I’d bring to the attention of our fair readers. First, I examine the reach of school discipline. A recent hazing incident resulted in the suspension of an Ottawa student, even though the incident occurred a good [...]
Typical Disappointment of the Tory Platform
September 29, 2011 | No Comments
I had intended to do a bit of a breakdown of the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party election platform [pdf], like I did for the NDP, but after reading through it, I just don’t have it in me. So, instead, I’ll give you some vague reflections. First off, I’ll give them this, it is well done. [...]
Ballot declined
September 29, 2011 | 1 Comment
On Oct. 6, Ontario residents will go to the polls. Actually, only about half of us will, based on past turnout rates. Would more people show up if they knew that they had the option of declining their ballot? Democracy Watch is currently investigating the possibility of a court challenge to the “continuing negligence in failing to correct [...]
Dalton McGuinty has failed the Ontario education system
September 29, 2011 | No Comments
I was scrolling through the Liberal Party’s election platform, the defensive piece of fluff it is, and I noticed this quotation, attributed to Sir Michael Barber, former education advisor to British Prime Minister Tony Blair: Ontario has led the world in education reform in recent years. The Premier is a model of the kind of [...]
Ontario Liberal government reneges on funding kindergarten
September 28, 2011 | 2 Comments
In the grand tradition of expensive government programs being expensive, the Ottawa Carleton District School Board was greeted with a $1.3M shortfall trying to live up to the promises of full-time kindergarten made by the provincial government. It seems that by offering what is, in effect, a few free hours of daycare a day, a [...]
Spain leaps into the 20th Century
September 27, 2011 | No Comments
Perhaps looking for some good karma, Spain has decided that the national infatuation with torturing animals needs to stop. Good on them. Finally. The last bull has been stabbed to death in Barcelona now that the last scheduled bullfight has taken place in Catalonia, the Spanish region that’s widely considered to be bullfighting’s birthplace. Faced [...]
Michael Ignatieff: Our Conscience?
September 24, 2011 | 4 Comments
After a few months away from the cameras, microphones and social media platforms, Michael Ignatieff has been taking babysteps back into the public spotlight. For about one month now, Ignatieff has been active on his Facebook and Twitter sites. This, after going radio silent on Facebook and Twitter on May 6 and May 3, respectively. The [...]
Ethical Oil and Freedom of Speech
September 22, 2011 | 3 Comments
I’m with the editors of the Ottawa Sun on this: The oil the Arabian sheiks produce for pocketed billions — “conflict oil” as it is rightfully described by critics of the dictatorship — is as dirty as it comes when the kingdom’s many human rights violations are tossed on the scales of judgment. All the [...]
Irshad Manji: From anger to aspiration
September 22, 2011 | 1 Comment
Humbled by her body’s protests against a punishing schedule and sounding inspired by President Obama’s now-tarnished message of hope, pluralism and empathy, Canadian activist Irshad Manji’s mood has mellowed, although her message has not. Manji discussed her book at the Ottawa International Writer’s Festival on Wednesday night, and while she characterized her transformation from “anger [...]
Twitter Chat today at noon
September 22, 2011 | No Comments
Speak Your Mind, the Toronto Star’s Ontario election project, will be hosting a twitter chat today at 12:00 pm. If you’re interested in participating, use the hashtag #chatSYM. This chat will be focused on education. I might pop in to see what people are saying. And, as always, you can follow me, @jonathanmcleod.