Thursday, April 24, 2014

Worth Reading - April 24, 2014

The question of which party is leading as Ontario likely approaches a spring election is wide open. Polls offer conflicting information and numbers have been fluid for months. 

From The Atlantic Cities, Daniel Hertz writes about gentrification and how people act as a magnet for the process even if they do not support it. It creates a tragic cycle because the drivers are social and economic and the actual character of the individuals is irrelevant.

Justin Ling has great fun in this piece taking apart the opposition’s arguments about a stagnating middle class and how it may in fact be boosting the Conservatives’ fortunes. 

Samara Canada has a piece featured on their blog by a political insider talking about the ineffective tele-marketing strategies used by political parties and what that might suggest about their incentives.

David Brooks  in the New York Times talks about the consequence of political consultants and leadership. I particularly enjoy his anecdote about Joe Biden entirely undermining the consultants and proving more effective than their collective “wisdom”.

Alice Funke of Pundits’ Guide looks at the impact of retirements on the 2015 federal election

Alison Loat answers questions about Tragedy in the Commons with The Tyee. 

In the New Yorker, a discussion about the guilt thatvideo game designers feel after sudden, and somewhat extreme success when they become instant millionaires. 

A piece from the Toronto Star that discusses the origins and nature of self-identified class for Justin Trudeau and Rob Ford. I think the author makes some really interesting points here about how class identity is locked in early.


A really intriguing piece in The Grid arguing that gridlock is unfixable. In short, any improvements in transportation will simply invite more people to fill the roads. This is a good sign however because it is a symptom of a vibrant and active economy. 

No comments: