This week I am going to bring a voice from the underground to the surface. I'm speaking of the industrial/electronic/metal/punk band KMFDM. They have been around for more than 25 years and have a fanatical following. Wherever there is injustice and political intrigue, this band will be there to voice their opinions and lead the dissent. Without further adieu, the mighty KMFDM:
Megalomaniac
Krank
Juke Joint Jezebel
Money
Stars and Stripes
Son of a Gun
D.I.Y. (Live)
Missing Time (As MDFMK - almost the same band: most of the same members and same musical style)
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Friday, March 23, 2012
you Don't Say... March 23, 2012
I'm not saying that Mayor Ford needs a pacifier, but he sure is acting like a crybaby about this whole LRT vs. Subway thing. First, he threw together some 11th-hour parking fee proposal to try to generate revenue to build and sustain more subway stops. Then he postponed the vote on the Transit City LRT plan in council by a day and stormed out without talking to the media. Then after the vote to build above-ground trains and streets cars on Eglinton, Finch and Sheppard, killing Ford's subway wet dream, the mayor was angrily brooding and suggesting he was going to ask Premier Daulton McGuinty not to fund the public transit project that the majority of GTA residents and City Council support. Time to grow up and suck it up, Mr. Mayor. You didn't get what you wanted and one of your key election promises was just broken, but the decision was made after a thorough investigation of all options, consultations with experts and democratic votes and debates in the council chambers. The reality is that the Sheppard subway extension would cost over $3 billion to finish and a huge chunk of cash to sustain, while LRT trains and tracks will serve 3 neighbourhoods and cost less to maintain in the long run. The right choice was made. Now Rob Ford must live with it or risk alienating his allies even more and making himself completely irrelevant.
Here's a couple clips to see the mild mannered mayor in action:
Before the LRT vote
A CBC Report on the Council Vote and Aftermath
I'm not saying it's going to revive their playoff chances, but it will be fun to see Ryan Hamilton and Nazim Kadri in the lineup for the Toronto Maple Leafs against the New Jersey Devils tonight. Hamilton has battled through injuries for hundreds of minor league games and deserves a chance to make a name for himself in the NHL. Kadri, on the other hand, has a chance to show that he has a better all-around game and that his defence is good enough to keep him in the NHL now. These callups only have upside, as the Leafs are going nowhere this year and they may discover 2 NHL-ready forwards who can make a difference for the team in 2012-2013.
Ryan Hamilton scores a goal from his back
Here's a couple clips to see the mild mannered mayor in action:
Before the LRT vote
A CBC Report on the Council Vote and Aftermath
I'm not saying it's going to revive their playoff chances, but it will be fun to see Ryan Hamilton and Nazim Kadri in the lineup for the Toronto Maple Leafs against the New Jersey Devils tonight. Hamilton has battled through injuries for hundreds of minor league games and deserves a chance to make a name for himself in the NHL. Kadri, on the other hand, has a chance to show that he has a better all-around game and that his defence is good enough to keep him in the NHL now. These callups only have upside, as the Leafs are going nowhere this year and they may discover 2 NHL-ready forwards who can make a difference for the team in 2012-2013.
Ryan Hamilton scores a goal from his back
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
The Good, the Bad and the Meh on Monday Night Raw: March 19, 2012
WWE Raw: March 19, 2012
Apologies for not reviewing the last couple of Raws. Personal matters kept me tied up. Anyway, I'm trying to get this one done in a timely manner. By the way, a link to the entire show is at the top of this post so that you can check it out for yourself if you are interested in seeing it after reading my analysis. Right, let's get to it.
The Good...
I didn't mind the exchange between CM Punk and Chris Jericho to start the show, Punk's acting aside. Punk was hella fired up and Jericho's fake apology almost had me sold. I was expecting him to twist it around eventually, and boy did he ever by verbally assaulting Punk's sister. The rivalry is getting intense and personal. Now they just need an explosive showdown in the ring before Mania to finish hyping the match. I just wish that this rivalry had been building for more months to bring it to epic proportions. Maybe it will continue after April 1st.
Cody Rhodes delivered another good video package of Big Show's embarrassing Wrestlemania moments. He is embarrassing the world's largest wrestler to no end with his footage and is giving Show and the audience a lot of reason to boo the son of the American Dream.
The Rock's promo from the Rocky Balboa statue was much better than last week's "Rock Concert". He wasn't reading words off his sleeve or a screen and he was more charismatic and interesting. I liked his impressions of classic wrestlers like Hulk Hogan and Ultimate Warrior. Only thing that irked me is that damn smile that pops up every 30 seconds. Can't take him seriously as a hard-ass, dangerous wrestler when he keeps flashing those pearly whites.
It was very brief, but I didn't mind the tag match between Kofi Kingston/R-Truth and Jack Swagger/Dolph Ziggler. Everyone got some ring time and I liked the brawl between Aksana and Vickie Guererro after Vickie helped Dolph and Jack win. It was a proper, entertaining wrestling segment.
The final segment featuring the HBK-HHH-Undertaker showdown worked enough for me. Seeds of doubt were planted when Undertaker said that Shawn Michaels is better than Triple H. Will Michaels screw over the Game to make that statement true and prevent HHH from beating the Undertaker at Wrestlemania, which is something Michaels could never do himself? Will HBK help his longtime friend end the Undertaker's streak? I am curious to know how this match will play out now, even though I am pretty certain Taker will end up winning at Mania.
The Bad...
I wasn't a fan of any of the matches on the show. They were all short and took a major back seat to the promos and in-ring verbal jousts.
The Kane-Big Show match lasted only 50 seconds and was interrupted by Cody Rhodes, who is facing Big Show at Wrestlemania. I liked that Cody got in Big Show's face and I thought having Rhodes handcuff Show to the ropes and punch him with boxing gloves on added heat to their war, but why not give Kane and the Giant more time in the ring to engage the audience in the contest?
The Santino Marella -David Otunga match, while it featured some fun showboating, phone-stomping and Santino-mocking spots, was exactly 1 minute long. Again, not long enough to make the crowd deeply care or tell any sort of story in the ring.
Furthermore, Daniel Bryan beat Zack Ryder in under 2 minutes. Really? 3 straight matches under 2 minutes? REALLY? Come on, man. And Ryder looked weak tapping out almost before Daneil Bryan put the 'Labelle Lock' on him. Oh, how Zack Ryder has fallen.
Miz got squashed by Sheamus in a quick match later in the show. ANOTHER short, one-sided match. Sheamus looks ready for Mania and Miz looks like he couldn't beat a cardboard box these days. At least the Miz got in a couple offensive moves this time. Either way, he ain't gonna be part of the main event at Wrestlemania again this year. He may not even be on the card.
The Meh...
The only match of any length on the show was Mark Henry vs. John Cena. It was the best match on the show, which isn't saying much. I liked that Mark Henry dominated and looked strong, but I didn't like how Cena pulled a Hulk Hogan - get beat up for 4 minutes, then suddenly hit your 3 or 4 moves of doom out of nowhere to pull off the victory. There is no way that a guy could realistically take the beating of his life, then act like nothing happened and take out his opponent after 30 seconds of offence. I know wrestling isn't real, but humour us a little, would ya?
As much as the Cena match had its failings, I did like how the Rock delivered a 'Rock Bottom' to Mark Henry and told Johnny boy that he was going to get one at Wrestlemania. I was calling for some sort of in-ring confrontation, and they delivered. Mediocre match plus quality Rock run-in gives the segment a 'Meh' overall.
The divas stuff was ok. They didn't actually wrestle or come to the ring. They just set up the rivalry between Maria Menounos/Kelly Kelly and Beth Phoenix/Eve so that they can have some "celebrity" involvement at Wrestlemania. Now, I don't have a problem with Maria, but she sure ain't Mike Tyson or Pete Rose. WWE isn't doing enough to make the audience care about this match.
Randy Orton gave a short, pointed interview to hype his Mania match with Kane. It was ok, but they still haven't adequately sold me on the reason behind this rivalry. It's very forced and I would have preferred an in-ring confrontation by these 2 competitors on the show.
Overall... 66/100
The matches were just not good or long enough. The promos were good, but the meat of the show must be the battles in the ring. Not a great show just 2 weeks before Wrestlemania. This should be when Raw is at its absolute best and most exciting. This show didn't measure up.
Apologies for not reviewing the last couple of Raws. Personal matters kept me tied up. Anyway, I'm trying to get this one done in a timely manner. By the way, a link to the entire show is at the top of this post so that you can check it out for yourself if you are interested in seeing it after reading my analysis. Right, let's get to it.
The Good...
I didn't mind the exchange between CM Punk and Chris Jericho to start the show, Punk's acting aside. Punk was hella fired up and Jericho's fake apology almost had me sold. I was expecting him to twist it around eventually, and boy did he ever by verbally assaulting Punk's sister. The rivalry is getting intense and personal. Now they just need an explosive showdown in the ring before Mania to finish hyping the match. I just wish that this rivalry had been building for more months to bring it to epic proportions. Maybe it will continue after April 1st.
Cody Rhodes delivered another good video package of Big Show's embarrassing Wrestlemania moments. He is embarrassing the world's largest wrestler to no end with his footage and is giving Show and the audience a lot of reason to boo the son of the American Dream.
The Rock's promo from the Rocky Balboa statue was much better than last week's "Rock Concert". He wasn't reading words off his sleeve or a screen and he was more charismatic and interesting. I liked his impressions of classic wrestlers like Hulk Hogan and Ultimate Warrior. Only thing that irked me is that damn smile that pops up every 30 seconds. Can't take him seriously as a hard-ass, dangerous wrestler when he keeps flashing those pearly whites.
It was very brief, but I didn't mind the tag match between Kofi Kingston/R-Truth and Jack Swagger/Dolph Ziggler. Everyone got some ring time and I liked the brawl between Aksana and Vickie Guererro after Vickie helped Dolph and Jack win. It was a proper, entertaining wrestling segment.
The final segment featuring the HBK-HHH-Undertaker showdown worked enough for me. Seeds of doubt were planted when Undertaker said that Shawn Michaels is better than Triple H. Will Michaels screw over the Game to make that statement true and prevent HHH from beating the Undertaker at Wrestlemania, which is something Michaels could never do himself? Will HBK help his longtime friend end the Undertaker's streak? I am curious to know how this match will play out now, even though I am pretty certain Taker will end up winning at Mania.
The Bad...
I wasn't a fan of any of the matches on the show. They were all short and took a major back seat to the promos and in-ring verbal jousts.
The Kane-Big Show match lasted only 50 seconds and was interrupted by Cody Rhodes, who is facing Big Show at Wrestlemania. I liked that Cody got in Big Show's face and I thought having Rhodes handcuff Show to the ropes and punch him with boxing gloves on added heat to their war, but why not give Kane and the Giant more time in the ring to engage the audience in the contest?
The Santino Marella -David Otunga match, while it featured some fun showboating, phone-stomping and Santino-mocking spots, was exactly 1 minute long. Again, not long enough to make the crowd deeply care or tell any sort of story in the ring.
Furthermore, Daniel Bryan beat Zack Ryder in under 2 minutes. Really? 3 straight matches under 2 minutes? REALLY? Come on, man. And Ryder looked weak tapping out almost before Daneil Bryan put the 'Labelle Lock' on him. Oh, how Zack Ryder has fallen.
Miz got squashed by Sheamus in a quick match later in the show. ANOTHER short, one-sided match. Sheamus looks ready for Mania and Miz looks like he couldn't beat a cardboard box these days. At least the Miz got in a couple offensive moves this time. Either way, he ain't gonna be part of the main event at Wrestlemania again this year. He may not even be on the card.
The Meh...
The only match of any length on the show was Mark Henry vs. John Cena. It was the best match on the show, which isn't saying much. I liked that Mark Henry dominated and looked strong, but I didn't like how Cena pulled a Hulk Hogan - get beat up for 4 minutes, then suddenly hit your 3 or 4 moves of doom out of nowhere to pull off the victory. There is no way that a guy could realistically take the beating of his life, then act like nothing happened and take out his opponent after 30 seconds of offence. I know wrestling isn't real, but humour us a little, would ya?
As much as the Cena match had its failings, I did like how the Rock delivered a 'Rock Bottom' to Mark Henry and told Johnny boy that he was going to get one at Wrestlemania. I was calling for some sort of in-ring confrontation, and they delivered. Mediocre match plus quality Rock run-in gives the segment a 'Meh' overall.
The divas stuff was ok. They didn't actually wrestle or come to the ring. They just set up the rivalry between Maria Menounos/Kelly Kelly and Beth Phoenix/Eve so that they can have some "celebrity" involvement at Wrestlemania. Now, I don't have a problem with Maria, but she sure ain't Mike Tyson or Pete Rose. WWE isn't doing enough to make the audience care about this match.
Randy Orton gave a short, pointed interview to hype his Mania match with Kane. It was ok, but they still haven't adequately sold me on the reason behind this rivalry. It's very forced and I would have preferred an in-ring confrontation by these 2 competitors on the show.
Overall... 66/100
The matches were just not good or long enough. The promos were good, but the meat of the show must be the battles in the ring. Not a great show just 2 weeks before Wrestlemania. This should be when Raw is at its absolute best and most exciting. This show didn't measure up.
Monday, March 19, 2012
You Don't Say... March 19, 2012
I'm not saying my generation is all talk and a badge, but according to a study in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology Generation Y (people born between 1982 and 2000) talk about politics ad nauseum without actually getting involved. Let this be a lesson to all you bloggers out there who never get off...oh wait...
Here's a link to a Toronto Star article about the study:
http://www.thestar.com/business/article/1148370--gen-y-s-reputation-takes-a-thumping-in-a-new-study?bn=1
I'm not saying that the same study, co-authored by Jean Twenge and others, is essential reading for young people today, but it does make a few more interesting points. It suggests that people are less likely to get involved in environmental causes than Generation X and there is a greater possibility of us being selfishly relativistic: we won't bother others about their race or sexuality like previous generations, but we won't go out of our way to help fellow our fellow person either. We are also more willing to bully people about their weight. I say time to prove these results wrong by being compassionate, involved, selfless people and getting off the couch to get involved out their in the real world.
I'm not saying France is becoming a more racist nation, but recent shootings around a Jewish school in Toulouse are not helping the country's reputation. 3 students and 1 teacher were killed at Ozar Hatorah school today, just days after 3 paratroopers of African decent were also shot down in France with the same type of gun. Again, time to stand up tell these criminals that racism just doesn't fly any more, especially in a country that has a history of revolution and fighting for individual rights and freedoms. Vive a peaceful, multicultural France. The video below is a Euro News report on the fatal attack. R.I.P. the victims of these and other horrible atrocities that have taken place in recent days.
I'm not saying that the proverbial feces is about to hit the turbine-driven-air-cooling-device in Toronto, but the growing labour unrest is definitely a ticking time bomb whose fuse is about to run out. Toronto library workers have begun a strike today and the union representing the mega-city's 23,000 inside workers has set a strike vote for tomorrow. The city, it seems, is not willing to offer any protection to part-time employees, who receive no benefits already and have very little protection against job cuts or privatization. Good for the unions for sticking up for what is fair and just for their members. Workers have a right to know that their job will be safe from outsourcing and shouldn't live in the fear that Rob Ford's union/pay/benefits busting axe could fall at any time. There is power in a union!
Here's a link to a Toronto Star article about the study:
http://www.thestar.com/business/article/1148370--gen-y-s-reputation-takes-a-thumping-in-a-new-study?bn=1
I'm not saying that the same study, co-authored by Jean Twenge and others, is essential reading for young people today, but it does make a few more interesting points. It suggests that people are less likely to get involved in environmental causes than Generation X and there is a greater possibility of us being selfishly relativistic: we won't bother others about their race or sexuality like previous generations, but we won't go out of our way to help fellow our fellow person either. We are also more willing to bully people about their weight. I say time to prove these results wrong by being compassionate, involved, selfless people and getting off the couch to get involved out their in the real world.
I'm not saying France is becoming a more racist nation, but recent shootings around a Jewish school in Toulouse are not helping the country's reputation. 3 students and 1 teacher were killed at Ozar Hatorah school today, just days after 3 paratroopers of African decent were also shot down in France with the same type of gun. Again, time to stand up tell these criminals that racism just doesn't fly any more, especially in a country that has a history of revolution and fighting for individual rights and freedoms. Vive a peaceful, multicultural France. The video below is a Euro News report on the fatal attack. R.I.P. the victims of these and other horrible atrocities that have taken place in recent days.
I'm not saying that the proverbial feces is about to hit the turbine-driven-air-cooling-device in Toronto, but the growing labour unrest is definitely a ticking time bomb whose fuse is about to run out. Toronto library workers have begun a strike today and the union representing the mega-city's 23,000 inside workers has set a strike vote for tomorrow. The city, it seems, is not willing to offer any protection to part-time employees, who receive no benefits already and have very little protection against job cuts or privatization. Good for the unions for sticking up for what is fair and just for their members. Workers have a right to know that their job will be safe from outsourcing and shouldn't live in the fear that Rob Ford's union/pay/benefits busting axe could fall at any time. There is power in a union!
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Music Break
This week's music break features my favourite heavy metal band, Machine Head. They have been controversial for their whole career, but to me the important thing is that they make aggressive, inspiring, kick-ass music. Here are some videos to prove my point:
Old
Locust
Imperium
Halo
Aesthetics of Hate
From This Day (had to include 1 video from their nu metal/rap metal phase)
Davidian
Old
Locust
Imperium
Halo
Aesthetics of Hate
From This Day (had to include 1 video from their nu metal/rap metal phase)
You Don't Say... March 14, 2011
I'm not saying that St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto is the best healthcare facility in the world, but it is damn good! Special kudos to the cardiac surgery team and all the nurses on the 5th and 7th floors.
I'm not saying that Toronto mayor Rob Ford is going to be removed from office any time soon, but a lad can dream, can't he? And thanks to an application from Paul Magder that claims Ford broke the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act, that dream is a step closer to reality. Our distinguished leader allegedly took part in a debate and vote to rescind an order to repay over $3,000 dollars he collected for his private football charity while a city councillor, which violates the Code of Conduct for Members of Council. It is quite clearly a conflict of interest to vote that you, yourself, doesn't have to pay back money owed and the maximum penalty is removal from council without the possibility of running for office for 7 years. All the powers-that-be have to do is accept the application for Ford's removal and...we...shall...have...peaaaaacceee. Check out the link below for more on this ongoing saga.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/story/2012/03/12/toronto-rob-ford-application.html?cmp=rss
I'm not saying that I'm a gambling addict, but I think, if done properly, a casino in Toronto could be good for the city. If it's done properly. The casino has to be put in an isolated location away from houses and other businesses, because there are always crimes associated with gambling and they don't do anything to help land values in the neighbourhood. Ontario Place is not a bad option for the project. The legalizing of online gambling that is happening in conjunction with the casino project is more troubling to me, as people can sit at home all day with credit cards and watch their savings evaporate into thin air. Granted that can happen at casinos, too, but it's easier to lose control when you don't have to leave your couch and when you don't have to physically take out money to gamble.
I'm not saying that I want March Break travelers stranded, but I am alarmed at how fast governments are willing to pass legislation to send striking workers back to work. I understand this move in the case of the Air Canada employees who have just been ordered back on the job, as many people need a way home from holidays this week. On the other hand, it is a disturbing trend that almost any worker can be sent back to their jobs before receiving a new contract. Workers and unions are losing bargaining power and the ability to show their discontent with wages and working conditions. This is another reason why we need strong unions in this world.
I'm not saying that Toronto mayor Rob Ford is going to be removed from office any time soon, but a lad can dream, can't he? And thanks to an application from Paul Magder that claims Ford broke the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act, that dream is a step closer to reality. Our distinguished leader allegedly took part in a debate and vote to rescind an order to repay over $3,000 dollars he collected for his private football charity while a city councillor, which violates the Code of Conduct for Members of Council. It is quite clearly a conflict of interest to vote that you, yourself, doesn't have to pay back money owed and the maximum penalty is removal from council without the possibility of running for office for 7 years. All the powers-that-be have to do is accept the application for Ford's removal and...we...shall...have...peaaaaacceee. Check out the link below for more on this ongoing saga.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/story/2012/03/12/toronto-rob-ford-application.html?cmp=rss
I'm not saying that I'm a gambling addict, but I think, if done properly, a casino in Toronto could be good for the city. If it's done properly. The casino has to be put in an isolated location away from houses and other businesses, because there are always crimes associated with gambling and they don't do anything to help land values in the neighbourhood. Ontario Place is not a bad option for the project. The legalizing of online gambling that is happening in conjunction with the casino project is more troubling to me, as people can sit at home all day with credit cards and watch their savings evaporate into thin air. Granted that can happen at casinos, too, but it's easier to lose control when you don't have to leave your couch and when you don't have to physically take out money to gamble.
I'm not saying that I want March Break travelers stranded, but I am alarmed at how fast governments are willing to pass legislation to send striking workers back to work. I understand this move in the case of the Air Canada employees who have just been ordered back on the job, as many people need a way home from holidays this week. On the other hand, it is a disturbing trend that almost any worker can be sent back to their jobs before receiving a new contract. Workers and unions are losing bargaining power and the ability to show their discontent with wages and working conditions. This is another reason why we need strong unions in this world.
Saturday, March 10, 2012
On Teacher Austerity
I was watching The Agenda with Steve Paikin last night on TVO and was intrigued by the debate on the ongoing bargaining between the provincial government and Ontario's teacher's unions. As a teacher, I am well informed on the issues am going to weigh in with my 2 cents. Here goes:
*Students need to come first in all of this. Both sides of the bargaining table need to remember that in their negotiations. Teachers need to be given the tools they need to provide the best education to our children. That means that classrooms can't grow too large. I can live with a small growth to 23 students in a primary class, up from 20 or 21. But if they get bigger than that, students will suffer because teachers can only focus on so many students at any given time. At the same time, I have seen many junior (grade 4-6) classes that have between 29 and 33 classes, which is much too big as it is, so they need to be capped or lowered.
*I agree with an email that was shared on the show that teachers do indeed work in a "germ factory". There are hundreds of kids carrying a plethora of viruses, bacteria and parasites running around in every school, affecting pupils and educators alike. Some years teachers get lucky and they need to use hardly any of their 20 allotted sick days. Other years, like this one at one school I have worked at, a bad stomach flu causes a teacher to be sick for a whole week. This would be a massive problem for a lot of educators if the Liberals get their way and reduce sick days from 20 down to 6. Teachers legitimately need to have a number of sick days because they do get sick more employees at most jobs because of the environment they work in and their youthful clientele.
*On the other hand, I am willing to bite the bullet and accept the loss of accumulated sick days. This would save the government millions of dollars and it's better than raising class sizes or freezing wages. That being said, I don't think that accumulated sick days can be taken away without some kind of compensation, whether it be financial or whether it be paid in added benefits etc. You can't just take something away that has been fairly negotiated and in place for years without some sort of compensation.
*I would rather not see salaries get frozen, but I would prefer a salary freeze to taking away the ability of teachers to move up on the pay grid. Right now, teachers start at about $42,000 a year. That salary goes up every so often based on experience and the additional qualifications educators get by taking courses at night, on weekends and in the summer. If you freeze salaries, it wouldn't hurt students as much as taking away their motivation to receive more training and get better at their job. Why would anyone waste a thousand clams on getting an AQ if it won't help them move up the grid? In any other job, ANY other job, added experience, training and qualifications entitle an employee to a higher salary. And why shouldn't it? You are spending your time and hard-earned money to get better at your profession or job. Teachers, in my opinion, could survive with a salary of between 42 and 92 grand a year, which is reasonable pay for the stress and hard work they put in, but to say their experience and additional qualifications make no difference is total nonsense.
*I have some better ways to save money in education. First, as mentioned in an earlier blog, full-day kindergarten doesn't work and could be scrapped. The other biggie is killing the standardized testing. It costs a lot and isn't a realistic or fair indicator of student ability or teacher competence. These are the two places I would start.
This is an explosive issue and I would love people to weigh in on the issue.
*Students need to come first in all of this. Both sides of the bargaining table need to remember that in their negotiations. Teachers need to be given the tools they need to provide the best education to our children. That means that classrooms can't grow too large. I can live with a small growth to 23 students in a primary class, up from 20 or 21. But if they get bigger than that, students will suffer because teachers can only focus on so many students at any given time. At the same time, I have seen many junior (grade 4-6) classes that have between 29 and 33 classes, which is much too big as it is, so they need to be capped or lowered.
*I agree with an email that was shared on the show that teachers do indeed work in a "germ factory". There are hundreds of kids carrying a plethora of viruses, bacteria and parasites running around in every school, affecting pupils and educators alike. Some years teachers get lucky and they need to use hardly any of their 20 allotted sick days. Other years, like this one at one school I have worked at, a bad stomach flu causes a teacher to be sick for a whole week. This would be a massive problem for a lot of educators if the Liberals get their way and reduce sick days from 20 down to 6. Teachers legitimately need to have a number of sick days because they do get sick more employees at most jobs because of the environment they work in and their youthful clientele.
*On the other hand, I am willing to bite the bullet and accept the loss of accumulated sick days. This would save the government millions of dollars and it's better than raising class sizes or freezing wages. That being said, I don't think that accumulated sick days can be taken away without some kind of compensation, whether it be financial or whether it be paid in added benefits etc. You can't just take something away that has been fairly negotiated and in place for years without some sort of compensation.
*I would rather not see salaries get frozen, but I would prefer a salary freeze to taking away the ability of teachers to move up on the pay grid. Right now, teachers start at about $42,000 a year. That salary goes up every so often based on experience and the additional qualifications educators get by taking courses at night, on weekends and in the summer. If you freeze salaries, it wouldn't hurt students as much as taking away their motivation to receive more training and get better at their job. Why would anyone waste a thousand clams on getting an AQ if it won't help them move up the grid? In any other job, ANY other job, added experience, training and qualifications entitle an employee to a higher salary. And why shouldn't it? You are spending your time and hard-earned money to get better at your profession or job. Teachers, in my opinion, could survive with a salary of between 42 and 92 grand a year, which is reasonable pay for the stress and hard work they put in, but to say their experience and additional qualifications make no difference is total nonsense.
*I have some better ways to save money in education. First, as mentioned in an earlier blog, full-day kindergarten doesn't work and could be scrapped. The other biggie is killing the standardized testing. It costs a lot and isn't a realistic or fair indicator of student ability or teacher competence. These are the two places I would start.
This is an explosive issue and I would love people to weigh in on the issue.
Friday, March 09, 2012
Tuesday, March 06, 2012
Music Break
This time I am only going to provide 1 video. This is a video for Billy Bragg`s There is Power in a Union. Billy Bragg is a very important voice in today`s music, as he stands up for the rights of workers, unions and the middle/working class and stands up for freedom. His message is even more poignant in a time where unions are often villainized and wages and benefits are cut because companies/governments claim they can't afford them any more.
Enjoy and look up more of his stuff if you like this tune.
Enjoy and look up more of his stuff if you like this tune.
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