http://www.withgoodreason.com An Eclectic Mix of Commentary on News, Politics and Technology Mon, 06 Oct 2008 01:36:58 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en In the shadow of the US Government’s massive subprime lending bailout, the House of Representatives passed legislation HR 5244, better known as the Credit Cardholders' Bill of Rights Act of 2008. Designed to curb the growing torrent of credit card consolidation and bankruptcy filings, the bill bans or limits ... http://www.withgoodreason.com/2008/10/05/us-credit-card-law-ignores-consumer-responsibility/ If parents and educators want to stress more of "the basics" in public schools, something is going to have to give because the school day and the school curriculum are just too crowded. It's odd, really, how people will complain that the education system does not respond to public input and ... http://www.withgoodreason.com/2008/09/05/the-basics-societys-changing-expectations/ Thanks to the Internet, waiting for the latest news is a thing of the past. Most credible web news sites provide RSS feeds and are updated 24 hours per day, allowing important stories to propagate across the entire web in mere minutes. The resulting consumer desire for immediacy ... http://www.withgoodreason.com/2008/07/27/podcasting-toronto-news-on-itunes/ There can be power in labels, both positive or negative because labels can predetermine beliefs and expectations about people, a phenomenon that is often referred to as the "pygmalion principle." While this article is primarily about learning disabilities in a school context (no matter what th learning level), it can also relate to an employment ... http://www.withgoodreason.com/2008/07/25/the-power-of-labels-in-education/ I received an e-mail from a regular reader yesterday who explained that her daughter had just graduated from high school and was about to start university in September -- without the English grammar and spelling abilities one might expect -- and wondered how she would survive university without those skills. It was also explained to me that ... http://www.withgoodreason.com/2008/07/03/ontario-high-schools-should-be-teaching-grammar/ Given that far too many of Ontario's school boards' elected trustees cannot be trusted to manage the public interest regarding board budgets and what goes on in Ontario's schools, that model should be completely abolished in favour of the New Brunswick model of "School Districts." Yesterday, for example, Ontario's Education Minister Kathleen Wynn, had to ... http://www.withgoodreason.com/2008/06/05/mcguinty-should-fire-board-trustees-use-nb-model/ While there are definitely some Toronto parents and public school supporters who agree with the notion of an Africentric program from Junior Kindergarten to Grade 12, the speed at which Toronto District School Board (TDSB) trustees and members of its "advisory panel" are putting forward and approving proposals is clearly political.  For example, today's Toronto Star editorial ... http://www.withgoodreason.com/2008/05/13/africentric-high-should-be-more-than-politics/ According to this urban legend/recipe, if you can boil water, you can make an omelet. All you need is a couple eggs, the chopped-up ingredients you want in your omelet, and a quart size Ziploc baggie (same size they want to see your toiletries in when you fly). The recipe has ... http://www.withgoodreason.com/2008/05/08/my-toxic-omelet-%e2%80%94-best-ever/ Congratulations to the staff and students at Britannia Elementary School on Vancouver's east side!  From a previous school ranking by the Fraser Institute of 2.8 a number of years ago, this year they made in on the honour roll with a 7.5 out of ten. Well done! What an inspiring example of what ... http://www.withgoodreason.com/2008/05/07/britannia-bc-school-leaps-ahead-in-school-rankings/ So, the latest census figures released by Statistics Canada tell what many of us have been saying for years, that whether you complete a trades certificate (to become an electrician, a carpenter, a plumber or a brick layer), a college diploma (for a career as a police officer or fire fighter), or a ... http://www.withgoodreason.com/2008/05/02/census-staying-in-school-pays-off-how-to-plan/