Thursday, October 18, 2012

Worth Reading – October 18, 2012


This week I had roughly twenty articles that I thought were worth reading. Unfortunately for my list I’ve decided to stick to my rigorous “No More Than 7!” rule. Therefore go to the major newspapers in Canada and check out some of the great reads they offer this week.

Carly Weeks’ article in the Globe and Mail on bullying received quite a bit of attention this week. Ms. Weeks describes growing up and being relentlessly bullied and how no one seemed to intervene. Her article, while not expressly doing it, calls out the Bystander Effect. Put another way, the only way for evil to succeed in this world is for good men and women to stand by and do nothing. Bullying is a pernicious and vile social disease, and while we may never get rid of it, we should shame it into a corner.

I have trimmed back how much I talk about global issues a lot on this blog, but this article really caught my attention. Recent elections in Russia were marred by fraud and abuse. Putin’s party won huge majorities, it appears, illegitimately. The details of the story are shocking.

It is hard not to draw a line from Premier McGuinty’s resignation and the overall health of the Liberal brand. There are currently leadership races in Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, British Columbia (probably), and the federal party. I have been looking for work, and the Liberals are hiring all over the country, but I would prefer a job with a future.

The Toronto Standard is doing an interesting series looking at the future of Toronto. The first in the five-part series looks at the city as a whole, particularly its skyline and the way people will live. There are really amazing images of what Toronto will look like in just a few years time. The Manhattanization of Toronto is well underway.

Mark Jarvis dismantles the Ontario prorogation story quite nicely here. Jarvis quotes Peter Russell, noted Canadian constitutional expert, on the prorogation. Russell’s full remarks can be found here

When pundits and journalists discuss Mr. McGuinty’s record and legacy they often point to education as one of the beacons of success. This article in the Globe and Mail examines how long-lasting that legacy might be.  McGuinty’s educational successes have come at great costs, and the need to curb the deficit might mean they will all disappear.

As a big nerd, lover of space, and person who deep down hopes to colonize another planet one day, this was the greatest news ever. Scientists have discovered an Earth-like planet orbiting the nearest star to our sun. Earth-like is generous because it is a surface of burning rock, but it’s the right size!

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