George Orwell on Writing, How to Counter the Mindless Momentum of Language, and the Four Questions a Great Writer Must Ask Herself | Brain Pickings

2014/09/20 Leave a comment

Always worthwhile reading Orwell on writing now and then, and realize just how much of our discourse suffers from the flaws he so cuttingly points out. Good excerpts from Brain Pickings:

A scrupulous writer, in every sentence that he writes, will ask himself at least four questions, thus: What am I trying to say? What words will express it? What image or idiom will make it clearer? Is this image fresh enough to have an effect? And he will probably ask himself two more: Could I put it more shortly? Have I said anything that is avoidably ugly?

But you are not obliged to go to all this trouble. You can shirk it by simply throwing your mind open and letting the ready made phrases come crowding in. They will construct your sentences for you — even think your thoughts for you, to certain extent — and at need they will perform the important service of partially concealing your meaning even yourself.

Shirking is easy, asking these questions and applying them, is not.

“Constant vigilance!”

George Orwell on Writing, How to Counter the Mindless Momentum of Language, and the Four Questions a Great Writer Must Ask Herself | Brain Pickings.

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The Franco-American Flophouse: Tribes and Truth

2014/09/20 Leave a comment

Great addition by Victoria Ferauge to the four points of Rosling (see How Not to Be Ignorant of the World):

I would add one that I call for want of a better term Tribes Never Tell the Truth.

We are social creatures and every human group family, tribe, clan, class, country, nation, state we belong to has a story about itself and about the people and places beyond its boundaries and borders. Arjun Appadurai put it quite well when he pointed out that “No modern nation, however benign its political system and however eloquent its public voices may be about the virtues of tolerance, multiculturalism, and inclusion, is free of the idea that its national sovereignty is built on some sort of ethnic genius.”

These stories contain facts mixed with myths to form powerful narratives and we cannot help but evaluate the input we get from the world against the storyline of whatever group we identify with. Even the most independent of thinkers can find himself struggling mightily to incorporate information that challenges what he thinks he already knows about the world.   Those who are quick to recognize this about religion or nationalism should acknowledge that there are quasi-religious narratives lurking under the surface of their “rationality”.

As Mircea Eliade said:”Mythical behaviour can be recognized in the obsession with success that is so characteristic of modern society and that expresses an obscure wish to transcend the limits of the human condition;  in the exodus to Suburbia, in which we can detect the nostalgia for primordial perfection;  in the paraphenalia and emotional intensity that characterize what has been called the cult of the sacred automobile.”

These stories are another impediment to seeing the world clearly because challenging them and finding them wanting gets us kicked out of a club we desperately wish to belong to.  Most groups even ones comprised of “free thinkers” do not tolerate even small deviations from the common story.  Is it not true that perceived apostates are treated even more harshly then those who are clearly in the camp of the enemy?  Every group has its own Inquisition, ready to ferret out those who “belong without believing.”

So I would add this heuristic to the list – one that was beautifully expressed by the late Christopher Hitchens –  “How do I know that I know this, except that I’ve always been taught this and never heard anything else? How sure am I of my own views? Dont take refuge in the false security of consensus, and the feeling that whatever you think you’re bound to be OK, because you’re in the safely moral majority.”

The Franco-American Flophouse: Tribes and Truth.

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Barbara Kay: ‘Values’ return to Quebec in more sensible Liberal version

2014/09/20 Leave a comment

Barbara Kay on the more narrow approach to a “values charter.
Apart from her intellectually lazy comment “multiculturalism as it is practised in English Canada,” hard not to oppose the narrow requirement to show one’s face when receiving government services.:
In Quebec, “values” is a loaded term. Last year, the Parti Québécois bought into the assumption that a crackdown on hijabs and yarmulkes and other outward signs of religious belonging would stir up nativist emotions along sovereignty-friendly lines. The gambit failed rather spectacularly, arousing latent racism at the margins, producing across-the-board cultural tensions, and in the end the now-infamous Bill 60, the Charter of Quebec Values, contributed to the PQ’s dramatic tumble from power in last April’s election.

Which does not mean that Quebecers aren’t concerned about cultural self-preservation. Protectionism is not a dirty notion in Quebec, and for good historical reasons. Apart from Montreal, Quebec is the only ethnically homogeneous collective in North America of its size. Disapproval of the PQ version of values protectionism was not an endorsement of multiculturalism as it is practiced in the ROC.

Before there was a PQ Charter of Values, let us remember, there was Bill 94, a Liberal project that had as its centerpiece a prohibition on face cover in the getting and receiving of public services. Polls gave the bill near-unanimous support in Quebec – 95% – and 75% support in the rest of Canada. The lack of equivocation is due not only to Quebecers fears of cultural dilution, but to Quebec’s outsized commitment to feminism (in part a response to the outsized patriarchism of the Catholic Church in Quebec’s history). Female politicians exert a powerful influence over all social and cultural policies and disbursements here. The galling sight of veiled, depersonalized women in this women’s rights stronghold arouses far more animus than any multiculturalist ideal can counter.

And so, now that Quebec has a Liberal majority government once more, it should come as no surprise that Bill 94, which foundered with Liberal party fortunes several years ago, is being revived. On Wednesday Justice Minister Stéphanie Vallée announced that her government will proceed this fall with “inclusive” values legislation. It will be tamer than Bill 60 – I take that to mean no hijabs, crosses or yarmulkes will be challenged – but it would require that public services be dispensed and received with the face uncovered.

Hurrah! One can argue until one turns blue that face cover is of a piece, rights-wise, with head coverings and crosses, but as the Sesame Street Song has it, “One of these things is not like the other.” Three of “these things” are socially harmless. Face cover is anti-social, anti-equality and anti-community in the larger sense of the word. It is associated with oppressive, misogynistic regimes. It is not clothing and is not worn; it is a mask and is, so to speak, “borne.” We do not have the freedom to give or receive pubic services while naked. Too much cover is as indecent as too little when it comes to psychological comfort in our culture.

Barbara Kay: ‘Values’ return to Quebec in more sensible Liberal version

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Canadian Museum for Human Rights – More Dissent

2014/09/20 1 Comment

More on the CMHR and one of the most vocal critics, Lubomyr Luciuk (see Canadian Museum of Human Rights: Letter Regarding Portrayal of World War 1 Internment):

The editorial Museum opening may silence critics Sept. 17 advises us to wait and see what the Canadian Museum for Human Rights is all about before complaining.

What that counsel ignores is that the CMHRs spokespeople have always admitted that this publicly funded institution will feature a permanent and privileged central gallery space elevating the suffering of one community above all others.

More than four million Ukrainians perished of hunger in six months during the Holodomor, making this arguably the greatest genocide to befoul modern European history. Why wouldnt this Soviet crime against humanity already have a permanent and central place at the CMHR?

The newspaper’s uncritical boosterism in support of the CMHR does not mask the fact that this project will remain controversial and divisive because those responsible for its content never wanted that content to be thematic, comparative, or inclusive. What a shame.

Lubomyr Luciuk

Ukrainian Canadian Civil Liberties Association

Most subsequent letters have taken issue with this view, including the assertion of the Holodomor, not the Holocaust, as the “greatest genocide to befoul modern European history.”

By what measure? What criteria? Starvation worse than gas ovens? Numbers of victims?

Comparing collective and individual suffering under genocides or equivalent atrocities undermines Luciuk’s arguments by diminishing what was, arguably again, unprecedented in terms of its explicit ideology and industrialization.

Just as Luciuk did with the Orwell Animal Farm-inspired postcards saying “some galleries are more equal than others,” and invoking pig imagery (see The war against the Holocaust).

Unfortunate, as he and others in the Ukrainian Canadian community have done much to raise awareness of the Holodomor and World War 1 internment.

Have your say – Winnipeg Free Press.

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Venezuela: Move to Revoke Actress’s Citizenship – NYTimes.com

2014/09/20 Leave a comment

The dark side of revocation against freedom of speech:

The government said Wednesday that it would seek to revoke the citizenship of the actress Maria Conchita Alonso, left, a fervent critic of its socialist-inspired policies. Ms. Alonso was born in Cuba and moved to Venezuela as a child, becoming a naturalized citizen. She has lived for years in the United States. The Interior Ministry will take judicial action to revoke her citizenship, according to the Information Ministry website.

In May, Ms. Alonso said in an interview with the Voice of America, “I wish that the United States would invade with bullets to remove all those wretched communists from Venezuela.” Venezuela is mired in an economic crisis, with inflation of 63 percent a year and shortages of basic goods, problems for which the government frequently blames its opponents. Ms. Alonso competed in the Miss Venezuela pageant in 1975 and has appeared in many films, including “Predator 2.”

Venezuela: Move to Revoke Actress’s Citizenship – NYTimes.com.

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Chinese immigrants happy with life in Metro Vancouver: survey

2014/09/19 Leave a comment

Chinese_immigrants_happy_with_life_in_Metro_Vancouver__surveyNot necessarily surprising results but interesting nevertheless, as well as the differences between mainland and Hong Kong Chinese:

The survey found Chinese immigrants are very happy with their level of political freedom in Canada, with 77 per cent saying it’s better here and only two per cent saying it’s worse. They also like the weather, with 81 per cent saying the climate here is better than where they came from. And government services get a thumbs up, with 68 per cent saying Canada’s health care system is better and 67 per cent preferring our education system.

Immigrants are less impressed, however, with the job opportunities available to them in this country. Just 39 per cent say their job opportunities in Canada are better than in their country of origin, compared to 42 per cent who say they’re worse.

The cost of living in Metro Vancouver is also a concern, with 45 per cent saying life is more costly here.

Chinese immigrants happy with life in Metro Vancouver: survey.

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Hiva Alizadeh — arrested in Project Samosa — pleads guilty to terror plot

2014/09/19 1 Comment

Conviction of one of the Ottawa-based cell members, Hiva Alizadeh, demonstrates that the court system can be effective in addressing serious radicalization and terror plots.

Relatively little in mainstream press on his background but it appears to be Iranian Kurdish and he came to Canada as a young adult, not as a child:

And if on Wednesday the slim, bearded man renounced that desire, telling an Ottawa court in a soft voice that “I realize how much mistakes I have done,” his guilty plea and expressed regret did little to ease the court’s abhorrence at his actions.

“You have effectively been convicted of treason,” said Justice Colin McKinnon, telling Alizadeh he had “no hesitation” in sentencing him to the 24-year prison term recommended by Crown and defence lawyers.

With his surprise plea, Alizadeh avoided a trial and possible life sentence under Canada’s toughened terrorism laws. With credit for the time served since his arrest, his term for possessing explosives with an intent to injure works out to a maximum of 18 years. He will not be eligible for parole for nine years.

Public Safety Minister Steven Blaney issued a statement Wednesday, lauding the authorities’ efforts in the case as well as Canada’s counter-terrorism strategy.

“Today’s outcome is a clear sign that the work and the dedication of professionals prevented Canadians from potential harm,” he said.

Will the Government seek to revoke his citizenship? Or will it decide safer to keep him in prison rather than revocation and deportation?

Hiva Alizadeh — arrested in Project Samosa — pleads guilty to terror plot | Ottawa Citizen.

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Could Alberta pass Quebec to become the second-largest province? – Macleans.ca

2014/09/19 Leave a comment

From the latest Statistics Canada population projections for the next 25 years:

The Atlantic provinces aren’t likely to fare well. The population in Newfoundland is likely to drop over the next 25 years. P.E.I. should continue to grow, but most of the growth scenarios StatsCan ran on New Brunswick and Nova Scotia showed the provinces shrinking by 2038.

Under every growth scenario, Ontario will remain the country’s largest province, driven largely by immigration.

Quebec’s population would grow over the next 25 years under all the scenarios, with most of the gains coming from immigration, but because its rate of growth is almost certain to come in lower than the Canadian average, its demographic weight, or share of the total Canadian population, will slide.

Under most scenarios, Alberta’s population will surpass that of British Columbia by 2038. It’ll be the youngest population, too, with the lowest proportion of seniors in the country.

Jason Kirby’s unscientific projections show Alberta’s population possibly becoming larger than Quebec’s some time in the early 2050s.

Economically, this shift will happen sooner:

But population growth is one thing. When people talk about provincial rankings, there’s a good chance they’re referring to the size of their economies, as opposed to how many folks live where. It’s certainly the metric any politician boasts about first, come election time. So, to take our Quebec-Alberta match to the next level, here’s another look into the future, this time using 10-year GDP growth rates. Will Alberta’s economy overtake that of Quebec? Barring some pretty massive changes in provincial fates, that could happen as early as 2016, some three decades before Alberta’s population ever catches up to Quebec’s—which pretty much says everything you need to know about how grim the economy is in la belle province.

Could Alberta pass Quebec to become the second-largest province? – Macleans.ca.

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Ignorance is cheap – but parliamentary knowledge costs – Globe Editorial

2014/09/19 Leave a comment

Globe editorial on ignorance and the Government’s (or at least of some of its MPs) wish to be less open and transparent:

Mr. Wallace posed his own written question asking for the estimated cost to the government of answering Order Paper questions. The answer he got, based on a formula that is dubious at best, was $1.2-million for 253 questions. “Are we sure we’re getting value for the dollar?” Mr. Wallace asked.

Well, let’s think about that. What value do Canadians place on knowing: the percentage of Employment Canada benefits applications that are rejected and how many people have to wait longer than 28 days for a response; which government department is responsible for monitoring the transporation of fissile radioactive material inside our borders; how much money Ottawa has spent developing software since 2011 and what the software actually does; and the amount the government spent on travel expenses while negotiating the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement with the European Union.

These are just some of the opposition questions currently on the Order Paper, and all of them deserve an answer. Mr. Wallace’s suggestion that MPs should ask fewer questions, because ignorance is cheap, is pretty much one of the dumbest things a parliamentarian has come up with in recent memory.

And as most of us know from personal and professional experience, ignorance is expensive given the implications of bad and faulty decisions.

Ignorance is cheap – but parliamentary knowledge costs – The Globe and Mail.

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New course in entrepreneurship and multiculturalism at Ryerson 

2014/09/19 Leave a comment

Interesting program and a practical way to leverage Toronto’s (and Canada’s diversity:

Q:  Is this about marketing to specific ethnic segments?

A:  No, we are talking about educating people to be able to adapt to any of the markets they choose. We are not specifically profiling different demographics. We are giving people the tools to understand to test their ideas with that demographic.

Q:  Any other specifics about the course that you would like to share?

A:  One of the greatest things about it is that it takes the best of Ryerson’s different pieces. You learn about business plans, evaluating opportunities and apply it to a setting that you already want to work in. It’s widely impactful and I look forward to talking to the first group of students to hear if they are getting the impact that we had hoped.

There are six courses– the four required courses build skills in ideation, opportunity evaluation, business intelligence, and venture planning within a multicultural context. Additional electives allow students to enhance their skills in areas that suit their specific needs e.g., accounting or communication.

New course in entrepreneurship and multiculturalism at Ryerson | CanIndia NEWS.

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