Hydraboss

My post is in support of: 1) Capital punishment 2) Not making the same mistake we did with Khadr

So to parallel, if this were referring to buying a car: 1) It's legal for me to be a car salesman 2) It's illegal for me to work at a car dealership 3) It's illegal for me or a dealership to advertise that we sell cars 4) It's illegal for you to buy a car - you're not allowed to give me money for it 5) It's legal for me to sell you a car - I'm allowed to take money from you for it So a prostitue can sell sex, it's just that no one is allowed to buy it. Really??? This one is going to go down in the books as one of the dumber ones Harper......

Actually, the minute he killed three Canadians he lost his "right" to be treated as a human in my opinion. Who the hell cares if he's got a mental illness? There is no excuse for what he did and therefore there is no excuse for him to live. He should now have the same "rights" as my Doberman - if my dog kills (or even draws blood) he has the "right" to be put down without pain. I sincerely hope this animal is put down. Don't much care if it's with or without pain.

Socialist is about as much a teacher as I am. It wasn't that long ago that he joined MLW and stated he was an Education student. So how about telling us what you teach and in what school district, Socialist? Surely you can identify your professional focus area in education without having to identify yourself on the web? That way we can at least discuss the portion of the cirriculum that you have expertise in.

Thank you. You reposted the exact same Angus poll that I did which clearly shows that only 41% of people polled support the teachers. 30% don't. The balance don't appear to care. What this means is that a "MINORITY" of people polled support the teachers. 41% out of a possible 100% is a minority. That means that 52% either don't or don't care (I know that only adds up to 93% - ???). But thank you for all your effort to support their methodology. (and not that it matters, but one of my professional responsiblities is overseeing the department that handles statistical analysis for a VERY large multinational corporation - almost 50 countries. So I DO know how to manage these kinds of stats...)

The other poll was the one I posted which had an attached methodology. The one from Tyee is "garbage" because of the reasons stated earlier - it's like polling the three wolves and the sheep about what's for supper. If anyone can post a link to any other "validated" poll (in favor of either side), I'd like to view it.

Sorry but it's a garbage "poll". It's about the equivalent of a Facebook poll. Unfortunately your assertion has not been proven with any facts of any nature.

Thank you. Please post the methodology used and the percentage error. Here is Angus Reid's that I just posted.

http://www.angusreidglobal.com/polls/48983/bc-teachers-strike-parents-support-teachers-over-government-as-job-action-begins/ Please note the date as it may be relevant to polling results as the strike action did not occur until May 26.

Please post links to these polls. I would like to review the data, and therefore your assertions regarding the BCTF support numbers. Thanks.

From the new teacher's own link... ...and... Guess the "majority" of people in BC support the strike. If you don't know what a "majority" means.

I have to agree with Cyber on this one. It's starting to feel like going to a class hosted by Google News and then having one of my old professors trying to act like a moderator. Big Guy, I've followed a few of your posts and you do sometimes take a position and then express it well. The unfortunate thing is that you do it rarely - this is a discussion board not a classroom. Now to the post - I think any candidate that starts to act like this in public is only doing their party/election chance a disservice. It doesn't take a rocket surgeon to know that one of the favorite targets of any opposing party is corruption/perceived corruption. By making accusations of each other in a nomination race both of them are simply doing the work of their opponents come election time. Rather a stupid move in my estimation.

This thread is quite the read...34 pages of complaints, suggestions, semi-flames, almost-trolling, thread drifting and most of all - conversation. Probably better than a lot of what is going up on the main part of the board. I've been around here for a little while but I tend to read a lot more than I post. Likely because I tend to post in the threads that interest me AND where I actually have something to say. No one is required to like what I post or to respond to it in any way, shape or form. That being said, a couple of comments: 1) From what I read the moderation is getting (or is) a little heavy handed compared to what it used to be. I've been given a couple of warnings and those were with good reason, but maybe I quit posting before it got to the point it is now. I don't own the board so if someone who is associated with it decides I need a vacation I have two choices: come back when I'm able to or bugger off and find another board. That being said, when I did get warnings I at least got the message from Greg or Charles with a one-liner explaining what I did. 2) I remember when Charles was still posting as a mere human...always thought he was doing a great job of not giving away his ideas while baiting others to put up or shut up. Still see that in this thread. I don't have to agree with his politics to appreciate the writing. 3) Michael and I could not be further away in political views, but again, I don't have to agree with him. He still adds to the conversation (even as wrong as he is). He's also volunteering to do it which is more than I am doing. Don't complain about a free meal people. 4) Maybe people on here just need to grow a little thicker skin. He was mentioned way back in the thread by Argus, but for those of you who don't remember Lictor, look him up. The guy was as straight up a racist as there ever was, but he was usually mindful of how he worded things and stayed quite a while before getting his ass banned. If you think posters NOW are "too harsh" go find posts by Posit or (who was that militant native protester that was posting around the time of the Caledonia incident?...the "Invisible Mohawk Warrior" guy.) and see what used to be normal. And fun. If it keeps going the politically-correct way it is, I feel it will soon be no different than the one where all the rabble in Canada hang out. 5) Thread drifting - it's a DISCUSSION. Has no one every gone for a pint with people and talked? That's what happens when people talk. They start by talking about the weather, take a right turn at federal politics and then end up discussing whether or not we want Bieber back (and I don't). Conversations of any substance tend to right themselves eventually. Ease up. 6) I like the idea of the thread starter facilitating his or her own thread - deleting what is inappropriate and being responsible to control thread drift. What's the worst that can happen? I seem to remember this happening quite a bit in practice a number of years ago and people either got back on topic or left the thread and it died off. Now if someone goes way off the deep end, of course MH or CA will have to get involved but how often will that need to occur? Why don't we find out? 7) To those who don't like: Argus - To them I say "grow up and play with the big kids." I sometimes agree with him and sometimes don't. He can be a pompous ass and he can be very reasonable. Either way he is generally articulate and stays away from personal attacks. He also would not hesitate to respond to an insult with a carefully worded one of his own. It's okay - I'm a big boy and can take it. Maybe everyone else should too. Betsy - To them I say "...and your point would be?" She likes to post about religion and I don't. It's also been stated that she posts "easily refutable" quotes and links. Here's a suggestion: Refute them, ignore them or stay off that particular thread. Kimmy - To them I say "better make sure your powder is dry" before pulling that trigger. She is easily one of the best posters on the board and has been since I joined a little while ago. If you post something stupid, be prepared to be called out and shut down. It's the way the lady responds to stupidity - with reason and just a hint of sarcasm. I happen to appreciate that type of banter. The Guy Who Calls Me A Climate Denier - To them I say "whatever". I've never met anyone who likes to quote themselves so much (including having so many nested quotes that it's hard to figure out who he's responding to). Apparently he believes in climate change-global warming-global cooling more than I do. So what? I like reading the threads and then trying to decide "who won" that round. I simply don't post because I really have nothing other than opinions to add. There are members who are far better equipped to respond to his posts, so I stand back and let them. Shady, JBG, BC, etc, etc, etc - No one likes everyone. Some posters are just trolling, some are trying to add to the conversation and just happen to inflame people, some are likely being "taken the wrong way". Every board is like that unless it's been beaten into submission and homogenized. MLW has always had various posters that others didn't like - jdobbin was a liberal pain in my ass but he believed in what he wrote and tried his best to back it up. Even Lictor had his moments although most of what he wrote turned my stomach. I survived. So will everyone else. Maybe we need to do away with the "report" button and members can resume having to actually type a message to the moderation team. That might slow down the rate at which CA has to respond, which I think may be why the suspensions are coming so hard and fast - sheer volume of complaints. I have never felt the need to report anyone for anything - it's a political discussion board not the New York Times. Just my thoughts on it. There. I'm done my little sermon. Back to work.

Mandel was a complete train wreck of a mayor - the perfect example of "tax and spend". He won exactly how Stelmach did, the third choice of everyone won the second ballot. He is also as NDP as conceivably possible (even considered "left" for Edmonton which should tell you something). Nenshi was elected because he did something no one else had done - he engaged the "young" through social media and got them out to vote. I don't know that he's done anyhing notable since being in office, but I won't fault him for his election approach. It worked so good for him. Edmonton is the most liberal place in the province and that is how "high tax" mayors get elected. This is also how the federal NDP keep getting a spot here, and how Liberals like McLellan managed to keep seats in a sea of conservatives and Conservatives alike. But Edmonton is not Alberta, it's just one city. Putting a guy like Mandel at the helm of the party into an election would be a fiscal conservative's wet dream and the godsend of the Wildrose (the visceral hatred of the man outside the Edmonton city limits is fairly intense - see: annexation of Leduc County, etc). I believe Nenshi would lose simply because he is Muslim and is from Toronto. Can't see that playing well outside of the two major urban centers. I'd be thrilled with either one being appointed as the next PC leader in Alberta. Say "hello Wildrose party".

Harper ran for the job? Don't recall that Topaz. The Wildrose is actually very, very similar to the original Reform party. I would guess that (the liberal) Gary Mar will be next up for the chair, but I would prefer if one of their most liberal members took the job. So much the easier for the WR to finally take this province back to where it should be. Fiscally responsible.

http://news.nationalpost.com/2014/03/19/alison-redford-resigns-as-premier-of-alberta/ Oh thank christ. The liberal that ran the almost-conservative party has finally conceded and quit. So does this just give the PCs in Alberta another chance to put someone that will piss off Albertans less into the lead chair? I know that the biggest loss today is for Danielle Smith of the Wildrose. She would have LOVED to take on Alison in the next election (especially with some polling numbers putting her in the 17-20% range). Who would have guessed that expense accounts would have been what took down an Alberta Premier???

I sincerely hope the terrorist is inflicted with a .223 square in the lower forehead. (and before you ask, the answer is 'yes' - I'd be more than willing to do it)

This is my favorite part In the end, the Queenston quarry supplied a bid. About twice the price. Then he suddenly drops it to only 150% of the US bid. Typical Canadian bullshit. "It's the government??? What a perfect opportunity to screw the taxpayers!!!"

No. He used this thread because he's a seasonal fisherman. Enough said.

Wow! Thanks! I'm not too comfortable using those damn interwebs you know. The summative report is a joke with absolutely no specifics. The detailed report that shows specifically what they're appraised on........................hmmmmm.......................file not found. Isn't THAT a coincidence.

Because Kwebek's debt/deficit does not work into the formula, they can spend their money on $7 daycare and not raise taxes without affecting their equalization "take". Therefore, they provide more to their citizens without increased taxation. Kwebek win. Then they take more from equalization. Kwebek win. Then they provide even more to their citizens ABOVE basic+ needs. Kwebek win. ROC loss. Because the formula does not take these things into account, and because where the money goes is not specified by the Feds, Alberta loses significantly more than any other part of Canada.

Well, I understand the equalization formula quite well. And I agree with the intent of his post. We all know that the current equalization program is being used as permitted by the constitution, but that doesn't mean it's right or moral. It was designed to ensure that all provinces and territories could provide services at appropriate levels regardless of their ability to generate tax revenue. Where there was a huge mistake made was there was no specification stating what services. The intent was obviously for health, education, etc (food/clothing/shelter) which are basic needs of the citizens. Places like Kwebek bastardized the program to their own benefit but at the cost of everyone else. The fact that provincial debt/deficit does not work it's way into the equation is completely disgusting - they spend their money on other things and then suck at the tit of the ROC to pay for "niceties". It's like a drug addict that trades his food stamps for dope, and then comes whining for free food because he can't afford it. Kwebek. Disgusting. (I actually don't support the equalization scam at all, but Kwebek flaunts it's misuse of my money far worse than anyone else.)

Very interesting link Big Guy. I just read the whole thing on performance appraisals and it was both very detailed and complete. Except for one minor detail... The Act does not actually say what the performance appraisal is to be based on. It says there must be appraisals, that the principle must conduct them, that the teacher must take part in them, that the Minister may have input into the content of them, and that too many negative ones can result in a teacher being fired. It says there have to be appropriate forms used to record the appraisal, and that certain people and groups have to be sent said forms when said appraisal is completed. But nothing says what's included in the appraisal. Maybe the appraisal just says: 1) Does the teacher show up for work every working day? - Yes 2) Does the teacher only take off days that are allotted for in the CBA? - Yes 3) Does the teacher wear appropriate clothing? - Yes 4) Does the teacher kiss the principal's ass as deemed appropriate by the principal? - Yes Guess that teacher just got a glowing review, eh?

As for marking essays............can you spell "prep periods"?

1) Teachers are vastly overpaid. My personal problem with them is that they refuse to account for those hours so they can "get credit" for them in a CBA. If they work so damn many hours - prove it and get paid for them. Instead of just getting paid for "phantom" hours like they do now. 2) I could care less if they instigate "work to rule". Perfectly within their CBA. Let them do it. I don't consider them an essential service so I also couldn't care less if they go on strike. My core issue with the part-time "profession" is that they always stand up and scream "it's about the children!!!!!" but ALWAYS settle the dispute by taking more money and less work hours. How is THAT about the children? Hypocrites.