News Update

As the week began, Wendy, Erin and Kristian were in Saskatchewan, and, Eric, Erica and the boys were in Disney World. It was quiet around the house. We had a batch of cold weather, but it warmed up toward the end of the week. Now that it is the end of February, we are expecting that winter is about over. I am looking forward to spring and the golf season, even more than usual this year. Work has been pretty dismal these past two weeks, but there was a highlight on Thursday, as the strike was settled. Now work can return to normal, and I can get back to my travel schedule. Eric, Erica, Haaken and Liam returned on Wednesday morning after a great time in Florida. Then the house returns to its usual bustle. I continue my exercise program at the university fieldhouse. The Canadian men's hockey team fails miserably at the Olympics, but we're comforted by the women's team winning gold. Then the curling teams both come through with medals so that's good. Overall, we set a new record for the most medals ever by Canada, as we sit near the top of the standings with countries like USA, with only Germany out in front. We feel good about that!

So that's the kind of week it's been. Next week I'm looking forward to Wendy and crew's return from Regina.

It's the money!

The oil war in Iraq continues, and the country is drifting toward tri-partite civil war. This will not provide the guaranteed oil supply the US was looking for, but it continues their other major objective—the sale of oil in US dollars. Saddam's big sin, as far as US interests was concerned, was his successful move to sell his oil in Euros. A move of the international petroleum market away from the US dollar would be dangerous due to the large amount of deficits being run by the current administration. And when you combine that with their balance of trade deficit, it could be a severe blow to the US economy.

Iran is pushing a new oil bourse—in Euros, so they are taking their place in the crosshairs as the most significant economic risk (and greatest enemy) for USA. On the other end of the Asian continent, China is beginning to transfer a growing section of their debt holdings from US dollars into Euros. Thus concern grows about China's economic power over the US economy.

It's not a good time to be Dubya!

Canucks Lose!

In what is generally considered a dark day in Canada's sporting history, our national hockey team ended their Olympic experience today out of the medals. As defending gold-medal champions, the Canucks were widely touted as a favourite to repeat, alas, they failed to even score in three of their six games. And, the experts tell us, you can play up to seventeen overtime periods, but so long as you fail to score, you will not win!

We have now begun a period of country-wide hand-wringing and recrimination over this debacle. This will last no less than four years—until the next Olympics. At that time, with fresh players (and probably fresh management), we will endeavour once again to defend our nationhood in the Canadian religion of hockey.

For myself, I feel no such compulsion. Naturally, I was cheering for our team to win, but I have long been a hockey fan, rather than a team fan. As a result, I have become a fan of the way the Finns are playing. They absolutely dominated Canada in every aspect of the game when they played last week. In fact, the four teams left (Finland, Russia, Czech Republic, Sweden) have all displayed a more pleasing brand of hockey than our guys were playing. So, I shall enjoy the remaining hockey games, and I won't be upset no matter the results. But, for the record, I'll be cheering for Finland in the semi-final, and in the gold medal game on Sunday!!

IRAQI LEAF CENTRE

Thanks Glen

Toronto coach Pat Quinn sends scouts out around the world looking for a new centre to hopefully help win the Stanley Cup for Toronto. One of his scouts informs him of a young Iraqi centre who he thinks will turn out to be a true superstar. So, Pat flies to Iraq to watch him play and is suitably impressed and arranges for him to come over to the NHL. Two weeks later, in his first game, Toronto is down 4-0 at home against Montreal with only eight minutes left. Pat gives the young Iraqi centre the nod to go on, and he puts him on in place of Sundin.

The lad is a sensation, scores five goals in eight minutes and wins the game for Toronto. The fans are delighted, the players and coaches are delighted and the media love the new star.

When he comes off the ice, he phones his Mum to tell her about his first day in the NHL. "Hi Mum, guess what?" he says. "I played for eight minutes today, we were down 4-0 but I scored five goals and we won. Everybody loves me; the fans, the players and the media, they all love me."

"Great," says his Mum, "let me tell you about my day. Your father got shot in the street, your sister and I were raped and beaten and your brother has joined a gang of looters, while you were having a great time."

The young lad is very upset. "What can I say, Mum, I'm so sorry."

"Sorry!" says his Mum, "Sorry doesn't cut it. It's your fault that we moved to Toronto in the first place!"

News Update

This was the week when I was scheduled to hit the road. I have arranged school visitations lasting until the end of March. However, a funny thing happened on the way...

The government of Ontario has decided to insinuate itself into the contract arrangements of most of the civil servants in the province. And, as it does, it has decided that it will add some unwelcome favouritism into the mix. The government decided that police and firefighters should have preferential pension schemes, while nurses, teachers' aides and other categories of workers should do without. As a result there is threatened labour action to put pressure on the government, and the schools are one of the innocent bystanders being affected by the unrest. So, while Eric, Erica and the boys headed off for Disney World, I was cancelled. There is not much use in going to visit schools if they're not in operation. Now, as it turned out, the government did respond to the threatened job action, so they've started to negotiate the issues. And the strike has been delayed... we could have gone out to the schools! But wait, the strike may happen next week. So next week's trip is cancelled as well. Yikes! I'm thinking we should have just travelled and got in as much work as possible around the disruption.

Wendy, Erin and Kristian headed west on Thursday. They are attending a ladies' conference over the weekend and doing some visiting on the prairies for the next week. The upshot of it all is that I am stuck here at home on my own. And, once again, the best laid plans of mice and men turn out to be about equal.

NEOLOGISMS

The following is from an article in the Lawrence Journal World, thanks to Marti.
"The editors of Merriam-Webster dictionaries got more than 3,000 entries when, in a light-hearted moment, they asked visitors to their Web site to submit their favourite words that aren't in the dictionary."

Top Ten Words (Not Found in Dictionary)
1. ginormous (adj): bigger than gigantic and bigger than enormous
2. confuzzled (adj): confused and puzzled at the same time
3. woot (interj): an exclamation of joy or excitement
4. chillax (v) chill out/relax, hang out with friends
5. cognitive displaysia (n): the feeling you have before you even leave the house that you are going to forget something and not remember it until you are on the highway.
6. gription (n): the purchase gained by friction: "My car needs new tires because the old ones have lost their gription."
7. phonecrastination (v): to put off answering the phone until caller ID displays the incoming name and number.
8. slickery (adj): having a surface that is wet and icy
9. snirt (n) snow that is dirty, often seen by the side of roads and parking lots that have been plowed
10. lingweenie (n): a person incapable of producing neologisms.

Of Cartooning Danes

There continues to be an uproar in many parts of the world over some cartoons published in a Danish newspaper last September. The fact that it took so long to develop the reaction should be a clue as to what this is all about! Meanwhile there continues to be disagreement in the Muslim world about whether it actually is permissable to produce any kind of portraits of their prophet.

Well, I have seen the cartoons, and innocuous definitely describes them. Only one is what I would consider offensive and that is one of a 'mullah-looking' man with a bomb in his turban. Unless someone told me, I sure would not have even considered these cartoons to be illustrative of the prophet, and since (if), as some Islamic sources assert, portraits are not allowed, how did they recognize him?!

Meanwhile, we hear the Danish prime minister trying to understand the turmoil and express his country's benevolence. However, it is in vain that he describes his country's good will, freedom of religion, free speech, non-partisanship... Radical Islamists have no interest in these things. They want no one to express any point-of-view except theirs. They want the west to make no commentary about their religion or society. As the old joke goes, "When I want your opinion, I'll give it to you!"

Gretzky

Recent days have been difficult ones for Wayne Gretzky, and it has torn my heart as the media feeding frenzy occurred. Some have lost faith, and have even teased me that I will need to change from wulrich99 to 98 or something! But no, I shall not change.

Throughout his playing career Gretzky displayed great humility about his accomplishments, great loyalty to his family and country and unfailing grace in the face of overwhelming wealth, fame and accolades.

It seems to me that he was set up to become the target of negative attention. He was advised that his assistant coach was being charged in a gambling ring, and that his own wife had been involved in placing bets. He subsequently phoned his coach to find out about the issue, and to attempt to protect his wife from the fallout. Of course, the coach's phone conversations were being tapped (I hope they had a warrant for this one!), and the next day the police let it leak out that Gretzky was recorded on a wiretap discussing the gambling ring! Well, wonder of wonders! All heat was suddenly drawn from the corrupt police officials who were running the gambling ring, and onto Gretzky who is mainly guilty of being naive! And the media howled for his scalp!

Now that the police have admitted the chain of events, we are waiting to hear the media retractions and apologies... but we're not holding our breath!

News Update

We've had a busy week here in Thunder Bay and vicinity. Bill travelled out to Hornepayne (about 500 km east of here) for a school visit on Monday and Tuesday. He got back Tuesday evening. We celebrated Haaken's birthday that evening; he turned nine years old—the end of the single digits. I don't think I remember my ninth birthday. Or even my forty-ninth, for that matter! My fiftieth—I remember. We were in Zambia, and Steve Mann killed a spitting cobra just outside of our house! I'm not looking forward to having such memorable birthdays anymore, although this year we plan to be in Zambia again!

The Bailey crew left Saturday morning for Orlando, Florida and two weeks in the sun. They called in the afternoon to say they had arrived and that it was raining!! The weather has been colder here, but we're still hitting around minus five each day. The locals say it is a remarkably mild winter and that we shouldn't get used to it!

Kristian had another vaccination this week—he doesn't appear to enjoy them at all. Otherwise he continues to grow and develop. We're enjoying him a great deal.

Wendy, Erin & Kristian plan to leave this coming week to spend some time on the prairies—I guess they're really missing winter!

And that's the kind of week it's been here on Lake Superior. Happy Birthday, Verner!

THINGS ACTUALLY SAID IN COURT

Q:What is your date of birth?
A:July fifteenth.
Q: What year?
A: Every year.

Q: What gear were you in at the moment of the impact?
A: Gucci sweats and Reeboks.

Q: This myasthenia gravis-does it affect your memory at all?
A: Yes.
Q: And in what ways does it affect your memory?
A: I forget.
Q: You forget. Can you give us an example of something that you've forgotten?

Q: How old is your son - the one living with you.
A: Thirty-eight or thirty-five, I can't remember which.
Q: How long has he lived with you?
A: Forty-five years.

Q: And where was the location of the accident?
A: Approximately milepost 499.
Q: And where is milepost 499?
A: Probably between milepost 498 and 500.

Q: Do you know if your daughter has ever been involved in the voodoo or occult?
A: We both do.
Q: Voodoo?
A: We do.
Q: You do?
A: Yes, voodoo.

Q: Trooper, when you stopped the defendant, were your red and blue lights flashing?
A: Yes.
Q: Did the defendant say anything when she got out of her car?
A: Yes, sir.
Q: What did she say?
A: What disco am I at?

Q: Were you present when your picture was taken?

Q: Did he kill you?

Q: How far apart were the vehicles at the time of the collision?

Q: You were there until the time you left, is that true?

Q: How many times have you committed suicide?

Q: So the date of conception (of the baby) was August 8th?
A: Yes.
Q: And what were you doing at that time?

Q: You say the stairs went down to the basement?
A: Yes.
Q: And these stairs, did they go up also?

Q: Can you describe the individual?
A: He was about medium height and had a beard.
Q: Was this a male, or a female?

Q: Is your appearance here this morning pursuant to a deposition notice which I sent to your attorney?
A: No, this is how I dress when I go to work.

Q: Doctor, how many autopsies have you performed on dead people?
A: All my autopsies are performed on dead people.

Q: All your responses must be oral, OK? What school did you go to?
A: Oral.

Q: Do you recall the time that you examined the body?
A: The autopsy started around 8:30 p.m.
Q: And Mr. Dennington was dead at the time?
A: No, he was sitting on the table wondering why I was doing an autopsy.

Q: Doctor, before you performed the autopsy, did you check for a pulse?
A: No.
Q: Did you check for blood pressure?
A: No.
Q: Did you check for breathing?
A: No.
Q: So, then it is possible that the patient was alive when you began the autopsy?
A: No.
Q: How can you be so sure, Doctor?
A: Because his brain was sitting on my desk in a jar.
Q: But could the patient have still been alive nevertheless?
A: It is possible that he could have been alive and practising law somewhere.

Q: You were not shot in the fracas?
A: No, I was shot midway between the fracas and the navel.

Plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose.

Or as we say in English, "Same trough, different pigs!" Our new prime minister, Stephen Harper, took no time to break his trust with Canadians and demonstrate that once elected, he's just as capable of pork-barrel politics as his predecessors. His party took as a major policy issue the concept of accountability and ethics. Now, two weeks into his mandate, we see a strange change of colours!

Last spring, Harper bitterly denounced his former colleague, Belinda Stronach, for crossing the floor to the Liberals for a promised cabinet post. He castigated the Liberals for enticing her with a cabinet post. He publicized and denounced pseudo attempts by the Liberals to convince still other Tories to cross the floor. Today, he announces his new cabinet... and wonder of wonders, he has enticed a Liberal to cross the floor and join his cabinet! Quelle surprise!

Mr. Harper, along with his coterie of parties, Reform, Alliance, Conservative, have consistently denounced the practice of appointed senators as undemocratic. He has encouraged the development of elected senators and promised to honour the election of senators that currently takes place in his home province. Today, as he announces his new cabinet... he also announces the appointment of a new senator. One of the elected ones surely?! No, it is a Conservative party high-ranking official from Montreal. And not only that, he appoints him to cabinet! And not only that, he appoints him to one of the most free-spending roles in cabinet. The Senate, by law, cannot even get involved in spending issues, but now a senator is in charge of much spending! And he will not have to appear before the House to have his spending questioned.

Yes, I think we do have a problem of a democratic deficit!

News Update

Another week has passed here in Thunder Bay, and, we expect, elsewhere as well! I have been busy getting ready for my next round of school visits. I plan to start these trips on Monday, and continue through the end of March. I should be tired of hotel rooms and driving by then! Things have been quiet for most of the week. I had a doctor's appointment on Friday; it was set up as an introduction for our new family doctor. Her name is Lisa Turner, and she looks like she's about sixteen years old!

Wendy and I have continued our gym work. Wendy is doing a little better than I am as far as regular workouts is concerned.

Friday night we had a startling event, as four of us (Wendy, Erin, Kristian & I) were involved in a car accident. I was driving Erin's car, and managed to get us hit while trying to negotiate a corner. Everyone seems to be okay, but the car will require substantial body work from the rear door to the back end on the passenger side.

Liam celebrated his sixth birthday on Saturday with a number of little friends over for the occasion.

And that's the kind of week it's been here on Lake Superior.

Evidence versus Advocacy

The MISA initiative that is currently employing me owes its life to the recently-adopted penchant at the Ministry of Education in Ontario for Evidence Informed Decision Making (EIDM). The Ministry has taken the view that it is advisable to follow practices supported by evidence of a benefit. Now this might seem pretty basic, but that is, unfortunately, far from the case. It runs along the same track as the old saw about common sense—that it is far from common! Several 'for instances' rear their heads. And if the examples are going to be worthwhile, they must strike an unhealthy reaction in at least some segment of the audience, so forgive me for that!

Let me first examine the case of child care in Canada. There was plenty of hay made in the recent election campaign over the value of each party's child care policy, or lack thereof. Yesterday, we had a research finding that in Quebec, where government supported child care is at the highest level in the country, and has the longest running track record, there is a significant increase in aggressiveness and anti-social behaviour among children. They note that there are higher levels of depression among mothers whose children are in child care. The researchers further cite data that show there is a higher percentage of families where both spouses are working outside the home in Quebec, due, we expect, to the extensive child care program. Thus, they conclude, as we consider the adoption of a national child care program, we should tread carefully. It seems there is a societal price to pay! Well, the reporter could not finish the story before there were retorts and consternation from the supporters of child care programming. The research program was flawed, the findings unsupported, and the need for national child care is clear. This is a battle of advocacy versus evidence. The supporters of child care are advocating for it as a need (possibly a right) for families in Canada. The researchers are saying that the data raises concerns. How we shall proceed is of considerable interest and importance.

For a second case, and just to include our southern neighbours more effectively in the debate, let me mention the Iraq War. George W. Bush and his friends, some years ago now, produced the case for war. They convinced the American legislators, and those in at least one other country, that there was a need for war. Subsequent events have shown that this was largely a matter of advocacy, not evidence. The proof of that pudding comes from the lips of President Bush himself (and I paraphrase), "Even though the data we were using has proved to be wrong, I would not change a single thing in what I have done." That's advocacy! When we make our decisions based on evidence, the action must necessarily change when we change the evidence. Yesterday, we found his defense secretary Rumsfield acknowledging that the terror threat is increasing and may, in fact, be at the highest level ever. That's evidence, and it is evidence that advocacy has led them down a very bad garden path indeed. How they shall proceed is also of considerable interest and importance.

May you live in interesting times...

The Managing Information for Student Achievement (MISA) project continues to develop momentum. The investigation of all aspects of the project has uncovered some interesting developments. The Ontario Student Information System (OnSIS) not only encompasses all the usual requirements of a student information system, it is growing! This creates some additional tension as we, in the schools, try to conclude our own data management decisions. This month I am starting my second round of school visits. Detailed discussions of the OnSIS requirements and of each school's situation and interests will allow us to build a comprehensive picture of what is required for the student management systems in our schools. I plan to prepare a proposal on this system by the end of the school year with a view to implementing the system during the next school year. This system will form the basic technological tool for MISA.

At the same time, and of greater importance, we are trying to heighten our sensitivity to the use of evidence to inform our educational decisions. Discussions where we look at student achievement data and endeavour to decide what it means for our practice are key to changing our modus operandi in education. Those of us who have been in education for many years have seen a cycle of changes waft by us, sometimes more than once! Change has all too often been initiated through special-interest advocacy rather than as a result of research into improved practice. This has jaded educators and proved a disservice to students and the public at large. In conjunction with aroused awareness, we have begun developments within the ministry of education and the research community to enhance the impact of research projects and research-based educational initiatives. We hope for closer relationships with the research community, especially our universities. We look to the development of a climate of inquiry and action-research by our teachers. We are developing regional learning communities to assist the process.

These are interesting (potentially exciting) times for education.

DID YOU KNOW...

(thanks Tom)
- It is impossible to lick your elbow.
- A crocodile can't stick it's tongue out.
- A shrimp's heart is in its head.
- People say "Bless you" when you sneeze because when you sneeze, your heart stops for a millisecond.
- In a study of 200,000 ostriches over a period of 80 years, no one reported a single case where an ostrich buried its head in the sand.
- It is physically impossible for pigs to look up into the sky.
- A pregnant goldfish is called a twit.
- Between 1937 and 1945 Heinz produced a version of Alphabet Spaghetti especially for the German market that consisted solely of little pasta swastikas.
- On average, a human being will have sex more than 3,000 times and spend two weeks kissing in their lifetime.
- More than 50% of the people in the world have never made or received a telephone call.
- Rats and horses can't vomit.
- The "sixth sick sheik's sixth sheep's sick" is said to be the toughest tongue twister in the English language.
- If you sneeze too hard, you can fracture a rib. If you try to suppress a sneeze, you can rupture a blood vessel in your head or neck and die. If you keep your eyes open by force, they can pop out.
- Rats multiply so quickly that in 18 months, two rats could have over a million descendants.
- Wearing headphones for just an hour will increase the bacteria in your ear by 700 times.
- If the government has no knowledge of aliens, then why does Title 14, Section 1211 of the Code of Federal Regulations, implemented on July 16, 1969, make it illegal for U.S. citizens to have any contact with extraterrestrials or their vehicles?
- In every episode of Seinfeld there is a Superman somewhere.
- The cigarette lighter was invented before the match.
- Thirty-five percent of the people who use personal ads for dating are already married.
- A duck's quack doesn't echo, and no one knows why.
- 23% of all photocopier faults worldwide are caused by people sitting on them and photocopying their butt.
- In the course of an average lifetime you will, while sleeping, eat 70 assorted insects and 10 spiders.
- Most lipstick contains fish scales.
- Cat's urine glows under a black-light.
- Like fingerprints, everyone's tongue print is different.
- Over 75% of people who read this will try to lick their elbow.