“The same sense of the relentlessly interwoven texture of human fate was touched by the schoolboy who said: ‘Dad, I hate war.’ ‘Why, son?’ ‘Because war makes history, and I hate history.’”
Marshall McLuhan Understanding Media
“Popular writing in this connexion is far below the zero of knowledge or common decency. On this plane, not only is any real knowledge of the Classical writers non-existent but, further, their place has been taken by a set of mythological figures, passing by the same names, but not infrequently invested with attitudes almost the exact reverse of those which the originals adopted. These dummies are very malignant creatures indeed. They are the tools or lacqueys of capitalist exploiters – I think that has the authentic stylistic flavour. They are indefatigable opponents of social reform. They can conceive no function for the state other than that of the night watchman.... Now, doubtless, the best remedy for this state of affairs would be that people should once more turn to the original texts. I hope that this... is what will happen in those universities which are once more insisting on some minimum knowledge of the history of economic thought. But, since life is short and the literature is extensive, there is perhaps something to be said for yet another attempt to get the wide field into something like a correct focus.”
Lionel Robbins The Theory of Economic Policy in English Classical Political Economy
In my latest Epoch Times column I say the apparently trivial cancellation of camping lessons in Montreal by Parks Canada is a worrying symptom of mental and moral rot.
“Nearly every line he penned was an invitation to slumber.”
Bill Bryson A Short History of Nearly Everything (about “Geological writer James Hutton”)
In my latest Loonie Politics column I say if heads don’t roll over the latest revelations from the Mass Casualty Commission then we have pretty much given up on truth and decency.
“paring knives that were duller than a throne speech…”
Bruce Ward in Ottawa Citizen December 27, 2002
“Economists... conducted an experiment at a poor, minority school district near Chicago where they randomly assigned some teachers to receive end-of-year bonuses based on student improvement, while other teachers received upfront bonuses that could be revoked at the end of the year if student improvement was below average.... the only difference was the timing of the bonus. There were ‘large and statistically significant gains’ on math test scores when bonuses were paid upfront, but not when bonuses were paid at the end of the year.... the prospect of having to give back money they had already received was more motivating for teachers than the prospect of getting money.”
The Boston Globe, reprinted in “Social Studies” in Globe & Mail August 7, 2012
In my latest Epoch Times column I denounce the Canadian Forces’ proposed plan for military chaplains as an Orwellian project in which uniformity is diversity, exclusion is inclusion and freedom is slavery.