Worth Reading - September 5, 2013

I am writing this week's Worth Reading during my lunch hour. This puts some difficult constraints on me, but I think I should be able to finish in the time I have allotted to myself.

From the "That's crazy..." file, pictures of ghost towns in China. These are a bizarre combination of abandoned communities and settlements that simply failed to live up to their intention. It definitely gives off an apocalyptic vibe.

From the Globe and Mail, a political scientist has advanced the idea that the United States would have ended up in a war against Saddam Hussein even if Al Gore was elected president in 2000. Obviously a bold theory, but the way the author lays out the theory makes a compelling case. As a historian I like the idea that there are forces greater than any individual, even if he/she is the President.

The attitude people have towards renting and renters could use a serious adjustment. The Atlantic Cities has a great post this week about renters in suburban neighbourhoods. Emily Badger posits that landlords are definitely allowed off the hook for many of negative feelings surrounding rented properties.

New Geography is featuring an article from Forbes about the seven nations and three city-states of the United States and what we can expect in the future for each of them. As with many American trends, it parallels Canada quite interestingly. The boom in Western Canada and the relative stagnation in Central and Eastern Canada have analogues in the U.S.

This New York Times piece is deep-in-the-weeds-nerdy on the political nerd scale. It ponders the question 'how stable is the current Democratic coalition?'

The Ontario government has announce its plan for a Scarborough subway. It was mishandled, to put it politely. Transit commentator Steve Munro offers his thoughts on this policy at the Torontoist.

Finally, my employer, the South Slave Divisional Education Council held an annual conference and recognized the outstanding work and achievement of its teachers and partners. Part of my job was connecting the media to it, and here is the Northern Journal's article on the event.