Author Archives:
A Discussion of George Grant
As I’ve mentioned before, I think TVO is one of the best broadcasters in Canada [I started watching it when I lived in Toronto during grad school] and I wish we had more of this sort of broadcasting on our local Knowledge Network station. A case in point is a recent panel discussion [see below] […]
Ben Levin’s thoughts on education
The presentation below, by Ontario professor Ben Levin, makes some interesting points about modern education. The first point is that many of the elements that differentiate the education systems of Canada and the USA – and lead to better PISA results in Canada – are macro-factors outside the control of individual teachers. Levin points to […]
Media bias: yet more evidence
Right-wing corporate media bias is pretty strong in Canada. From the type of stories chosen and emphasized, to the spin and language used to differentiate NDP policies from Conservative, it’s hard to consistently hear and read progressive perspectives in this country. And though ownership and management are by far the most important elements of media […]
Schools as Factories? Contrary to Sir Ken
Sir Ken Robinson’s RSA presentation on “Changing Education Paradigms” (see below) is a well-meaning critique of the “factory model” of education. Nevertheless, I think his alternative is much more flawed than the system he attacks. At the core of Robinson’s argument is a familiar counter-Enlightenment, romantic critique of modern education. In a bid to standardize […]
Gabor Maté: In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts
One of my favourite books of 2010 is Dr. Gabor Maté’s In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts. The following is a series of interviews with Maté, a Vancouver doctor who treats drug addicts in the Downtown Eastside neighbourhood of Vancouver. The interviews are conducted by Amy Goodman of Democracy Now: Posted by Colin Welch at […]
The NDP vote in BC
The following chart from Will McMartin’s most recent Tyee article offers some interesting insights into BC politics: The first thing one notices is that the NDP’s support has remained relatively constant over the last 40 years, aside from the 2001 debacle. In 9 of 10 elections, the NDP share of the popular vote has […]
Another Fraser Institute Joke
I’m pleased to see that Craig McInnes of the Vancouver Sun doesn’t take the Fraser Institute’s latest salvo against Canada’s surgical wait lists too seriously. A 16% return rate on a voluntary survey makes a mockery of any official conclusions. Little wonder that the report’s authors fail to mention the response rate in their section […]
A Carole James Requiem
It was another eventful day in B.C. politics. Carole James mercifully stepped down as the leader of the BC NDP party, and soon the spin was thick and saucy, with a hint of bovine dung. James, of course, cast the 13 dissident MLA’s as “bullies” and unity-wreckers, and herself as the innocent, hard-working victim who […]
Buffett Tells ABC Rich Americans Should Be Paying “A Lot More in Taxes”
Billionaire Warren Buffett has come out and said the equivalent of 2+2=4. Or =666, if you’re a neo-liberal hell bent on even more tax cuts. In a recent interview, Buffett said, “I think that people at the high end — people like myself — should be paying a lot more in taxes. We have it […]
Goin’ out in style!
If the boss is forcing you out, then you might as well go out in a blaze of glory! Here is Bill Bennett’s quite remarkable exit interview after being removed from the cabinet of the BC Liberal government: Bill Bennett faces the media (mp3) Posted by Colin Welch at 8:35 PM Edited […]