I got this today from the smart folks at the Educational Policy Institute. It was labelled urgent, so I figure it is worth blogging. According to their calculations, the proposed 10% cut to tuition will actually help low-need students, and harm high-need students. (I’m going to hold off on throwing in my own $0.02, which […] More »
To Club Soda last night to see Dizzee Rascal, the 20 year-old hip-hop hero from London. None of the sad chaviness of The Streets here; it’s more Tupac/Fiddy focused on the desolation of the East End. At least, that’s what the reviews say. I have to confess to feeling a bit out of it. The […] More »
It’s nice to see that there’s still room for making aviation history in this modern world. I am in awe, if not a little scared, of the newest Airbus which can carry as many as 840 passengers. Image the Globe and Mail: Bob Edme/AP While I’m scared to fly in such a big crowd, I […] More »
Witnesses at Mr. Harper’s speech today in Amherstburg, Ontario report smelling toast shortly before a loud flash of exquisite purple light. After that, Mr. Harper’s headless torso continued with the Conservative leader’s preset itinerary, and is expected to press forward with a headless non-confidence vote as soon as Parliament resumes. From the Globe story: “It […] More »
The Right Honourable Jack Layton, P.C., M.P., Prime Minister of Canada Prime Minister Layton has been an impassioned social advocate for more than 30 years. As the national voice for municipalities as president of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, a city councilor or a student leader, Mr. Layton has brought energy and leadership to achieve […] More »
I hear that Toronto is all-abuzz over Hot Docs, the annual film fest running until May 1. I was actually expecting to be down for it this week, to help Capture Entertainment with their pitch to make a film version of The Rebel Sell. Capture put together a proposal for The Democracy Project, “an exciting […] More »
News this morning that the CBC is laying people off. That’s sort of like saying, “once again, spring has followed winter,” isn’t it? In other culture notes, the federal government’s proposed changes to the Copyright Act suggest that Canada’s educators will soon have a free hand in taking copyright material off the Internet for classroom […] More »
Pettigrew quitting politics: report The prime minister has lobbied Pettigrew not to take the job, saying people might think the foreign affairs minister is leaving because he is unhappy with the federal Liberals, according to other reports. Why would anybody think that? More »
Brian Iler is a long-time friend of This Magazine and it is no exaggeration to say that if not for the considerable time he has spent as a volunteer legal advisor to me and my colleagues, This Magazine might have gone under years ago. And so, we would like to offer our best wishes to […] More »
The latest buzz book, in the Blink/Collapse/Wisdom of Crowds mold, is Everything Bad is Good for You, by Steven Johnson. It was excerpted in the NY Times Magazine this weekend, and has been widely blogged. I’m reviewing the book for the National Post, and I read it, cover to cover, in about three hours last […] More »