Weblog
Monday, 05 May 2008
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ARGH!
Just so you people know... I dont hate profs because they give me shitty grades. I hate them because they dont deserve to be profs in the first place.
Cazdyne... despite doing well in his classes.... I hate him because cant speak in a non-discursive manner. His concepts and courses are a complete utter joke. Everything he teaches is BS, and nearly the entire EAS department staff is pissed with him because of it.
Vincent Shen... I friggen hate him because he cant speak English or write it... Is this racist? No... Try writing a final exam written by him where you dont understand what the question is asking because its written in chinglish. Dont get me wrong. I have alot of respect for the guy's wealth of knowledge on Chinese Philosophy... But when he lectures in english and mandarin to a class thats mostly english speaking and non-chinese... there's a problem. The least he could do is get someone from the english department to proof read his shit. If his thesises are proof read... why arent the exams... This guy's courses should not be offered in english.
Thomlinson (Eco333 Urban Econ)... I hate him because he is seriously the biggest imbecile on the face of this planet. He's always late for class, can never finish topics on time, wastes time on basic first year concepts, wastes time figuring out what he wants to say only to write it out word for word afters 3 dictations, wastes time proof reading what he has written on the board and never has enough time to teach what is required for the exams...Aside from lacking any ability to teach effectively, he cannot even write a final exam that is free from mathematical errors in the questions which lead to inconsistency. The result of which is that students are left wondering wtf is going on and having panic attacks during the exam. His questions are poorly worded, failing to point out the expectations of receiving full marks. The list is endless with this idiot. He makes George Bush look like Stephen Hawking without a disability. Aside from having no research or publications... I have no idea how this guy is even a prof....
After I get out of his exam on Wednesday I'm gonna go drink myself into a bottomless pit because I know theres going to be a lengthy petitioning process to follow that will most likely get shot down by him.Dealing with imbeciles like Thomspon is what makes me want to break shit on a daily basis...
UofT needs an overhaul of its teaching staff on the basis of quality control... At the very least... there should be minimum expectations for lecturers to take some seminar courses in a teachers college.
Saturday, 09 February 2008
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Black-Focus Schools: Bandaides on Bullet wounds
As many Torontonians may have already heard, the Toronto District School Board has recently approved the planning of a new school to be built for black-focused subjects. This is in response to statistical studies stating that the majority of people in black communities drop out of high school. Its aim is to renew interest in education for future drop outs who apparently believe that the current education system is too euro-centric.
Frankly... I think thats a naive load of bull.
1896 Plessy v. Fergusson followed by
1954... Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka ring any bells for anyone?
I don't see anything wrong with having more diverse subjects available to all students, but I don't see how having a segregated school will benefit anyone at all. In principal, such a school is counterintuitive in terms of achieving a system that provides equal opportunities for all students. Although the school may not be racially segregated based on enrollment, it will be considered segregated based on the ability to provide its students with adequate opportunities. Too much of a divergence from a standard curriculum might negatively effect the way in which a university admissions boards view applicants from such a school. The issue of funding will also be a major ongoing issue for the school. Lack of funding and poor facilities could spell disaster by making the students worse off than if they were to remain in the current system. This would hardly be a solution of giving students equal opportunities for successful futures, let alone curbing drop outs.
It can be assumed that this school will suffer from funding issues due to several reasons. First and foremost is the fact that the Province of Ontario refuses to provide such funding to the TDSB. One reason might be because the prospect of opening a single school is very costly compared to its expected future benefits, if any. The benefits will only be observable in a small population of students, within the locality in which the school is situated, and not the majority of students throughout Toronto. There are more effective ways of achieving a diversified curriculum for the interest all students. One means would be to reform of the curriculum being offered in certain TDSB schools. In lieu cost associated with building a new school from scratch (building cost, land rent, capital and maintenance costs etc.), the cost of reallocating qualified teachers, training new ones, and properly planning out a curriculum within our current system cannot possibly be more than a new school. Although this would require long term planning and a slow phase in period, the long term benefits would logically outweigh those currently proposed by the TDSB. Since there are more effective options available, it is hardly likely that the Province of Ontario will support the use of taxpayer’s dollars on a poorly thought out idea. The alternative, private funding raises many difficulties of its own if we assume that the majority of families that are sending their children to the school cannot afford to do so.
The argument that a black-focused curriculum is necessary to curbing drop out rates is a weak one. With respect to drop out rates, the root causes are not weighted on the lack of a culturally focused education system, but on societal issues such as poverty, and the structure of communities and families. As for the lack of motivation, interest and active participation in education amongst drop outs… That’s another sorry and lame ass excuse for this school. Dropping out of school due to a lack of interest in the subject matter is another perfect example of people taking their opportunities for granted. There are people in this world who cant go to school because there are none! If its motivation you seek to give the students then just do it. My motivation came from the fear of getting beat on the head with a feather duster, coat hanger,other miscellaneous house hold objects, or an iron backhand from the parents that would make Bruce Lee's infamous 1'' punch look like a cuddley hug from Barney (a little extreme, but motivation none the less that saves money). There are things which just can’t be taught in school. Education in proper values, ethics/morality and life skills are more likely to change the drop out statistics than a single school alone. This is irrespective of race or gender despite the stats.The focus of high schools should be the preparation of its students towards the real world. Although I support a diversified curriculum, there shouldn’t be such a huge fuss over cultural-history solving society’s problems. If its cultural history you want, there’s plenty in programs at the university level. Don’t want to go to university? Then get a job and go to the library on you’re spare time. Can’t afford university? There’s something called a loan, working a job while you study, and maybe even being a part time student. Cant afford university because you need to support a family? Tough... but I think you'll agree with me that cultural studies are the last of your worries ontop of the 3 jobs you're working ATM. To the dropouts who use the excuse that the system is eurocentric: get over it. others have, and they've done well.
Still want cultural history at a high school level?? Then tell the TDSB that there are better ways to go about doing it. It seems to me that the proposed plan for a black focus school is nothing more then a quick fix / band aid solution being placed on a much larger problem that demands more planning and thought.That’s just my two cents.
I’m too tired to ramble anymore and I'm not even going to bother editing this post because I know its probably incoherent as is… time to crash… maybe I’ll edit this on another day.
Thursday, 06 December 2007
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Sometimes its good to be crazy! It's the Christmas Spirit
Its snowing! Its windy! Its freezing! oh no... my ears feel like they're falling off!
Yup... the joys of winter time have finally arrived. So too has the exam season arrived, which is making everyone stressed out and somewhat depressed, right before they start partying it up with their friends, family, and eggnog.
Today I was on the streetcar riding down Spadina to meet up with my gf. I couldnt help but notice that there were many people who looked looked sad, tired... no exhausted... and moreso quiet:
Until...
"Dashing through the snow
in a one horse open sleigh
Through the hills we go
laughing all the way..."
Yes... singing. A lone single voice erupts into the silence of the TTC passengers with a tone of joy, and amusement. With everyone caught off guard, the attention is drawn to an elderly man in his 60s sitting alone at the rear of the street car. A one man singing choir, giving passengers startled looks of shock as they turn back around and attempt to ignore him. As he concludes Jingle bells, there is a brief pause of silence.
"Rudolph the red nose reindeer
had a very shiny nose,
And if you ever saw him,
You would even say it glows..."
The looks of shock found on many of the passenger's facial expressions soon transform into smiles.
Some may have thought this man was delusional, psycho, crazy, or even senile. None of that mattered because by the time I arrived at my stop, the cold depressing atmosphere of the streetcar which I had originally boarded was now happier, full of joy, and my day made a bit brighter.
I believed that the elderly man was aware of the depression on that streetcar, and simply decided to do something about it with his bold charismatic character. What would have made my day even more brighter would have been if the entire streetcar started singing along with him. Although I doubt thats what happened after I left, it would have been quite the site.
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On a random side note... Bombardier makes the trains for the TTC, which has nothing to really do with my post above. I JUST LOVE THIS AD hahaha
Friday, 30 November 2007
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Priceless
Food after work on Monday nights : $15 CAD
Food after work on Thursday nights: $15 CAD
Food and goodies purchased Friday night on my way up to frozen hell: $35 CAD
Eating shitty army food out of an Aluminum bag all weekend long: Priceless
When I fist joined the army several years ago, I thought it offered some pretty decent food. Believe it or not... I was happy eating meals that were ready to eat out of an aluminum bag. It was actually a step up from the nasty cheeseburger soups or the recycled hamburger patties renamed as Salisbury steak, that the residence cafe would feed us on a weekly basis. When I was faced with a clump of solidified mac and cheese this weekend, I was suddenly given reminiscent memories of my days living at St. Mikes under a mandatory meal plan.
Being on campus all the time doesnt really give you a variety of foods to choose from. Chinatown is too far and time consuming in between a busy class schedule. Theres the nasty Chinese oil trucks along St. George if you like asian cuisine catered to guai lo's; hot dog vendors if you need something quick and on the go; the hamburger trucks that refuse to make my glorious poutined onion rings when you feel like having a heart attack; 50 billion sushi joints up north and a few rez cafes scattered around campus.
This week I had the opportunity to revisit residence food. I decided to explore the UC cafe experience inside Morrison Hall. To say the least, it was definitely a step up from my residence days back at St. Mikes. Similar in style to the cafes set up at Robarts, Medsci and Hart House, this cafe offered several venues to choose from. There’s a salad and sandwich bar which allows you to make your own wraps, sandwiches etc, along with an area with pre-made sandwiches for those on the go. Next to that there’s a pasta bar where you can make your own style of pasta or pick up an entrees of the day such as lasagna. To the right of that is a grill area, which sometimes serves hamburgers, fries steaks and variety of other American style foods. The great thing about this café is that it has a healthier selection of food compared to some of the other cafes. You can even choose to pick up healthy pomegranate juices, or freshly squeezed juices to complement your meal.The quality of the food was about par. I decided to pick up a chicken quesadilla a Caesar salad wrap and Ocean Spray Cranberry juice. The chicken quesadilla was a little too runny with water and moisture from the chicken. It could have benefited by using white meat instead of dark meat. Although the chicken quesadilla was a bit mediocre, I’d still have to say that it’s a step up from Canada room because the chicken was neither overcooked nor undercooked. The Caesar salad wrap was packed and definitely filling. It’s hard to screw up something so simple to make; a task that Canada Room at St. Mikes botched on so many occasions by using way too much salad dressing. From the looks of the pastas that were rolling out and the hamburgers in UC, the café seemed to be up to par with quantity and quality. Again… something you’d find pretty hard to botch.
The decor of the dining hall area is reminiscent of the great hall located in Hart House and the Canada Room through its employment of wood walls, flooring, tables, chairs and high ceilings. It’s a great places to sit, socialize, or even study and do homework. One reason why the atmosphere is so calm and relaxed is that it isn’t as packed as Sid Smith, where you have to hunt and fight over tables.
Although the food was not the greatest… It was definitely not the worst, and is passable for residence food. I would find it hard to get sick of this food if I were living in UC.
The only major fault with the place are its prices, which are a little excessive for those who aren’t on a residence meal plan. My entire meal ran me a total of $15.34, which is way more than I’m willing to pay for a wrap, quesadilla and a drink. If I ever return to this café, it will be more so for the student space and a desire to escape the junk food that litters the campus.
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W1LDC4rD
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- Name: Jerry
- Country: Canada
- State: Ontario
- Metro: Toronto
- Birthday: 12/28/1984
- Gender: Male
- Member Since: 11/1/2003
