The implications of a right to “open-access to information”
The Globe and Mail recently published an article about Canada’s poor record on access to information requests, which reminded me of a question I’ve been mulling over in my head for a while now; what role do administrative or procedural barriers to freedom of information play in actually shaping the nature of that information? In … Read more
The Death of Infographics
Don’t get me wrong, I love infographics as much as the next person. No, actually that’s a lie. Probably way more than the next person. A good infographic can be amazing. It can reveal the most interesting correlations of data and add context and perspective that you might never have been able to see, had … Read more
Is society too complex for us to hold politicians accountable?
As an addendum to my last post, I want to provide an example of what I mean by our society becoming too complex for us to understand, comprehend and rationally act upon. If the entire premise of “progress” is that it represents the rational direction of society, then individuals acting within that society should always … Read more
Surviving Progress: Does social technology hold the key?
The Toronto International Film Festival finished last week, and I was lucky enough to win a pair of tickets to the Canadian made documentary “Surviving Progress” courtesy of the new Longo’s Markets in Maple Leaf Gardens, during the festival. The movie was adapted from the 2002 Massey lecture series and subsequent book ”A short history of … Read more
Hudak’s Misnomer(s): in politics language is everything
Right out of the gates the Ontario Liberals seem to be screwing up. The writ for the Ontario Election only dropped September 7th, and already McGuinty seems to have hit a stumbling block with his proposed $10, 000 tax credit for employers that hire immigrants. Despite polls suggesting that the Ontario Liberals have a 10 … Read more
TIFF 11′: The Social Media Build Up
I did some interesting research at work yesterday and today, as a thought leadership piece on GCI’s ability to breakdown conversations and buzz on social media. In advance of the Toronto International Film Festival, which started today, I looked at how conversations around the festival broke down, what some of the major trends looked like, … Read more
When you make a mistake… fix it!
So if you follow any progressive feminist blogs, chances are you’ve already heard about this story out of Edmonton. A hair salon, FluidHair recently launched a set of six ads featuring images of domestic violence and high-risk lifestyles, with the tag line “Look Good In All You Do”. Catchy, no?
When will they riot in America?
I haven’t been paying much attention to the news. I’ve been busy. Poor excuse I know, but apparently they are rioting in England? And from what I understand it’s all over a guy getting shot by a police officer? Obviously the continued angst of the riots isn’t purely the product of some random guy getting killed by … Read more
Islam and Conscription FTW
How compatible is Islam with democracy? If you’ve been paying even a comatose level of attention to the right-wing politico media in the US for the past decade with any level of approbation above incredulity, then you’re answer might likely be, ‘not at all!’ And you’d be wrong.
Rethinking Refugee Integration in Canada
In my last semester at McGill I took a directed reading course in Social Work focusing on Canada’s Refugee policy. The paper linked below (which is also in my Portfolio) argues that Canada’s approach to refugee integration needs to be re-examined. Given continuing changes the paper is potentially dated; well, then again, considering how slow … Read more
