MiddleClassCentrist

Update: Smells like cider, tastes like cider. It's cider alright. With the First batch ended up making something that was a bit stronger than anticipated, following online recipes. Alcohol content ended up being in the 8% range. Gave it to my brother in law, "I don't like the commercial cider but, I could really drink this". So, I feel it was a success. 10 days fermentation, primed it with just enough brown sugar to lightly carbonate it. I started drinking it as soon as the pop bottles were hardened from carbonation. Drinkable at that time, best after a few weeks. Tried a second batch using some snobs directions, and apple juice from concentrate with low acid (Costco, 60 cents a pint cost). Snobs directions left cider with very minimal yet, distinct sulphur smell. Only noticed after bottling but, solution was to aerate while transferring to eliminate smell. Initial taste didn't seem affected but, we'll see how it is in two weeks. Used apple juice concentrate to prime for carbonation (to add more apple-ly flavour). It's so easy, I wonder why more people don't do it.

Nope. I've personally seen many young minds, get into pot and completely drop off the map when I was in high school. Not only that, I hear all of the stories from my teacher friends. Was an A student ... got into pot... doesn't show up for class, doesn't complete work. I trust their experience. I trust the personal experience from my recovered drug addict friend, seeing the pot smokers waste away(living in their mother's basement) while others eventually smartened up and got out, pot heads refuse to believe there was any harm in smoking up every day. Sure, some might not be affected. A smart person who smokes a joint now and then socially... vs. the reality of widespread, common place use. To legalize it, is to enable widespread, common place use. I don't even argue against fully legalizing it, go ahead. Tax it and pay for my services. Once it's allowed in the general public, then we can actually do proper controlled studies. Less of this politically motivated study (For or against) crap. I'll let the habitual users be the guinea pigs. But this BS dream that there is absolutely no risk in doing so, is annoying.

Corporations live of this correlation vs causation stuff. It's not good for you. Potheads are useless people. They are lazy, lack ambition... Except to legalize pot.

http://news.national...-too-expensive/ Seriously? Toss a few million here, a billion there. Write off a few billion in late corporate taxes instead of collecting them... But. Too expensive to figure out if, and how badly they threw tax payer money around on a whim to win 2 seats?

Too bad parents' won't advocate on mass to give themselves more work... maybe they should?

I am 100% for allowing parents or community volunteers to take an active role. But, they already can and and seldom do wiith community programs... Libraries can host clubs, for instance.They seldom volunteer time for anything other than teams their own children are in. Only about 10-20% of students participate in EC's. Of those, the majority who can make teams have already been on paid teams to develop skill. They aren't being hugely disadvantaged. Of those that make the band, the majority have previous training. Those kids whose parents have enough money aren't truly suffering. Those are largely the kids in EXTRA curriculars. But yes, let them get their police checks and open it up.

Why don't they just pay teachers some piddly amount to coach. 1k per sport (100hours @ $10/hour). Then it becomes paid, and mandatory to continue. Oh wait, everyone wants it for free... and is pissing on teachers for participating in solidarity. Personally, I think it should be part of all Phys. Ed teachers job description. Let's be honest, they don't have marking, they don't have prep, they rarely ever call home. Show up B, A for strong effort, C for being a jerk. F is you are a complete jerk.

It's not cool when you do something out of goodwill, only for it to be deemed mandatory. It's like firing the person who normally gets coffee in the morning for performing illegal strike action... because they stopped getting coffee.

Liberals siding with NDP to pass budget is my bet now. PC's have the most to gain from an election and want it badly. They have been releasing policy statements in that direction.

I do not feel that is their problem. Right now, they are scaring off moderate, swing voters that would normally bring them to win the election. They need to keep their base but, at least put some low cost social initiatives out to appease the moderates. $200 bonus to welfare recipients who find and hold down a new job past probation? That likely won't cost much but, is right up their alley of getting people back to work and helping the poor at the same time.

Teacher's union had the ability to send many delegates to liberal convention, they sent only a handful to observe and withdrew most. Why do people assume that teachers control this province? The only thing they have, is money to fight for their cause... something that corporations have much more than teachers. Corporations control the news, and they control this province. Make no mistake about it. Teachers are only a threat to the corporate power because they do not represent the interests of the corporate overlords and have money to publicize when they are abused.

How effective is an air horn at scaring the beasts away? I'm just curious, since it seems to be a concern of yours. And scare seems to just be firing off the shot for loudness, not aiming to kill. Like, if I was camping up north where the more risky critters are. Southern Ontario is quite tame. I'm not arguing against guns, just alternatives for someone, like myself, who doesn't intend on getting one any time too soon... though if I feel an impending apocalypse is coming... I'll stock up.

Albertans and their silly ideas about equalization. They even seem to think that Ontario takes more out of the national coffers than it puts in.

Too many corporate kick backs... tax breaks... Alberta will eventually be a toxic pockmark in Canada from allowing oil corps to rape and pillage. They'll be left with nothing. That's thinking into the future of future generations though, not something capitalism gives a crap about. Or... maybe it's because their politicians claim to be more fiscally conservative than they really are...

The whole point of the legislation was to treat teachers like an essential service, without labelling them essential service. Because essential service means that they would be guaranteed access to arbitration (read, a fair chance).

I'm just trying to stand back and look at the odds based on current information. NDP could win, and campaign trail performance would be a key decision maker. Lots of people would jump ship from Liberals to NDP, Some actually flip flop between PC and NDP. But their support is widespread. PC support is focused, Liberal support is focused. Focused support wins seats.

Because of the over reaching power that they gave the Minister of Education in the bill itself? They don't have to face/answer to ANYONE when it comes to Education with that bill in place. I'd bet good money in it violating the charter/constitution if they have to repeal it after it was used. I think it's pretty horrendous, they use the bill and then repeal it. It's like shooting someone after preaching that guns are evil and need to be destroyed, then destroying the weapon. Teachers could have waited until now to do their political protest. Because now that the Bill will be repealed, the OLRB would be able to evaluate the constitutionality/whether the conditions set upon teachers are valid. With the repeal of the bill, boards of education(employer) and local unions can mutually agree to rip up the contracts (not likely, but possible). What I don't understand, is that any negotiations would have to meet the fiscal restraints set out by the government anyways... why did they need to pass that poorly written, draconian legislation?

Based on recent polls, an immediate election is more likely to play out well for opposition parties at the expense of the liberals. Likely winner would be PC, NDP would still possibly come in third but potentially gain some seats. NDP victory not likely. If I were Hudak's advisor, I'd tell him to release some feel good, social initiatives as a back drop for his hard on unions/far right initiatives. I think the Liberal strategy was to push right, to force Hudak further right to scare off moderate voters into holding their nose to vote Liberal again. I think the NDP could gain but they'd need quite the orange wave, with screw ups from PC/Libs disillusioning their support, to pull off a victory. One thing is for sure, the Liberal Government has been so magnificently incompetent, they can't be allowed back in... but the opposition needs to show that they are the ones to put in place.

Math Skills Drop - Conservatives got rid of OAC (Grade 13 For University Students Disappeared). Universities didn't adjust their skills requirements to accommodate the change very well. Also, Boards of Education like to put Phys Ed teachers with CRAZY STUPID methods of teaching math in charge of numeracy programs. Because so many psych/philosophy/gen arts majors have little understanding of math and manage to be the majority of administration... this happens. I'd like to see the info on school days in other countries, maybe we should make them longer? Since students parents don't expect them to do any home work anymore.

At least quote proper number when talking internationally. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/economy/economy-lab/teacher-pay-canada-near-the-top-of-the-oecd-class/article4541629/ Canadian teachers are near the top when considering "purchasing power parity". or elementary teachers, the starting salary in Canada (all data are as of 2010) was $34,443, although a teacher with fifteen years of experience earns $54,978. In contrast, the OECD average is a top salary of $37,603. U.S. elementary teachers start at $36,858, but have a top salary after fifteen years of $45,226. Data for teachers at the secondary level tell the same story too: Canadian teachers do a bit better than the average. So yes, Canadian teachers are paid well. But some of those countries use teachers ONLY as teachers. They are NOT all expected to volunteer after school for anything other than school related events (graduation, awards night, information night, etc.) Much of this change can be attributed to growth in value of the Canadian dollar. In 2009, for instance, the Canadian dollar was .80cents to USD, and historically for the last few decades has been lower than the USD. This would peg teachers at the same rate as the United States/just below. Now, using current figures, Teachers in Canada appear better off because of the relative value of the american dollar.

How about a program where the government tries to find people a job as a requirement for single(no kids), able bodied, people? It would cost more and... people can always find a doctor willing to just write a note for an illness to make themselves "not able bodied" on paper. I want to help people more effectively, maybe paying more to have more counsellors/job consultants as a requirement? What about the unemployable? people who have been brought up in such a way that they have very few employability/interpersonal skills to get a job? I've never been on EI or Welfare, my wife has used maternity and can have weeks where there is no work to be done in her current position so used EI to help meet student debt payments. Maybe, what we need, is education on the process? My sister-in-law used welfare when she was a student and couldn't find a part time job... she had to check in and give a list of the jobs that she had applied to and talk to someone.

Hudak needs to put some "softer" policies out there if he wants to get elected. NDP can't get elected in Ontario right now. Our system requires focused support to win. If the NDP have 35% across the province and PC's 32, Libs 30. PC's are focused in Rural/Suburb, and win there. 40 vs 35. LIBS are focused in urban centers, and win there 40 vs 35 Even if the NDP have the highest popular support, they can still come in third. They'd need a really big orange wave to take power.

The only union that signed the original MoU faces Labour board challenges from their own members for violating procedure and refusing to get their members to vote on it.

Maybe BEFORE they went to the bargaining table. The Drummond report wanted to gut education too but, it never made it to the bargaining table.

You have to look at the whole of the system. Not nit pick Mr. 38th place