Earlier this week, various blogs and media outlets reported that Beijing was experiencing frightful levels of air pollution. To document the crisis, China hand James Fallows cited what he called "the indispensable (and highly controversial)" Twitter feed @Beijingair, which produces hourly readings of  fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in Beijing. On Monday, @Beijingair showed readings in excess of 300 µg/m3, contributing to conditions the US EPA characterizes as "hazardous," and warranting "health warnings of emergency conditions." What caught my attention was Fallows's assertion that the @BeijingAir feed is "the only known source of PM 2.5 readings in China." That is astounding: one PM2.5...

04 November, 2011

[See update below] Paul W. Bennett, the director of Schoolhouse Consulting, and Nova Scotia's best known educational policy critic, shares Bert Lewis's skepticism about Sir Ken Robinson's TED talk. With the advent of TED Talks, Sir Ken Robinson, the current, undisputed rock star of public education, has been, or will be, coming to a School Board near you, so it's wise to be forewarned and perhaps even forearmed. Sir Ken puts on quite a show, especially with that snazzy RSA animation. Very few can match him when it comes to the British accent, rhetorical flourish, and sardonic humour. Having listened to him many...

01 November, 2011

To judge from my inbox today, something about the manner of Robert Chisholm's departure from the provincial leadership pissed off a few New Democratic Party loyalists. But one party stalwart rejected these comments as, "old wounds and sour grapes." Don't be too quick to put him in the Chisholm column though: More to the point - how can a uni-lingual politician aspire to the leadership of a national political party in Canada in 2011? A party with over 50% of its caucus from Quebec? A party with official opposition status and its eye on the big prize? Je ne comprends pas. Moi non plus....

01 November, 2011

Former Community College principal Bert Lewis writes: There is a lot of merit in Dr. Robinson's theory, applicable to P-12, colleges, and universities. However, there are examples of brilliance in the classrooms, labs, and shops, where students are excited by the experience, in spite of the system. Let's give credit to those innovative teachers who make the learning fun and entertaining. I thought Robinson's talk was quite brilliant, but I had the same thought as Bert in response to some of his generalizations....

01 November, 2011