Change is in the air. I just put up a new theme that I really like but there are ads that I have no idea how to get rid of. I have sent out an SOS to Cynapse, my site manager, for help.

I like the fact that I could put a variety of odd shaped ads if I choose to go that route. But, overall, the theme looks very up-to-date and professional.

So, bear with me as I work things out. While there is no sign of any widgets specifically for the ads, if anyone has any advice about where I can find them to delete them, feel free to comment.

Surely, even in the month of July, there are important issues out there that journalists can present to readers and viewers — topics that do not fall into the categories of old news, one-sided news, strange and politically correct news and/or unsubstantiated innuendo and gossip.

Why, for example, is the Canadian media dragging out an old anti-conservative story that was supposedly news last summer  — such as why Mark Warner was not allowed to run for the Conservative Party in downtown Toronto where Bob Rae is now the Liberal MP — if only as an excuse to discuss unsubstantiated innuendo against CPC strategist Doug Finley.

Moreover, why is the Canadian media writing so critically about what Liberal MP Garth Turner said about separatists? I may disagree with Turner’s current politics but I thought we had free speech in this country. And, exactly what did he say that is not true? Or, is that the problem? What he said was simply not politically correct.

Let’s take a look at a few examples of what I am talking about.

Read the rest of this entry »

If the blogosphere is ever to become an important resource for news, for citizen journalists to write their opinions and/or for people to weigh in with their own views, political or otherwise, there needs to be a spirit of mutual respect and civility — at least within certain blog communities.

Otherwise, the Internet will become nothing more than a free for all where only the most rude and extreme will be heard and be able to tolerate it. When that happens, blogging will have jumped the shark and a wonderful opportunity will have been lost to the lowest common denominator.  

I am writing this post about the importance of civility now because I am noticing a lack of it more and more every single day. For instance, while there are many wonderful regular readers both here and at Jack’s Newswatch, where I also post, increasing numbers of commenters are becoming impatient, insistent, dismissive and sometimes downright abusive to each other and to the bloggers themselves. 

What is going on?  In the 18 months I have been blogging and at least a year before that when I used to leave comments, people have always expressed strongly held opinions and were willing to debate on those opinions. Yet, that it not what I am talking about. Moreover, there have always been trolls, or what I call “shock” bloggers, who love nothing better than to post nasty messages and comments.

No, something else seems to be at work now. Are people just tired of all the goings on in Ottawa, no matter which political party is involved? Has the “gotcha” game of the federal opposition tainted everyone, whether liberal, progressive or conservative, with the same brush?

I am writing this post because I am genuinely concerned. I make a point never to write anything about another blogger, particularly anything that is critical or demeaning — even when I strongly disagree. In fact, I like and respect bloggers from all political persuasions, many of whom are on my “favourites” list. And, I try very hard not to get into one upmanship on comment threads.

Perhaps it is the anonymity that brings out the worst in some people. I don’t know. But, think about it. As bloggers, why on earth would we continue to volunteer our time, day after day, if we are going to be faced with a complete lack of civility more often than not? When we have to put our comments on moderation because we have to make sure they are not insulting, degrading or inflammatory.

So, at the end of the day (literally), if the blogosphere is to be a player in the news and opinion business, civility should be a must.

[...]

So, the notion of regularly reading blogs has hit the mainstream. CBC, for example, is reporting that:

“Researchers from the University of California-Irvine presented their study, which they said was the first to look in depth at the readers of blogs, on Wednesday at the Association for Computing Machinery Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI) in Florence, Italy.”

“They found that regular blog reading can become ‘an Internet ritual,’ with the content secondary to the process of checking for new posts. The researchers said this is much like the routine of checking e-mail regardless of whether a new message is expected or not.”

“Sometimes, even the usefulness of the blog content itself can be less vital than the activity of reading or skimming the blog to fulfill a person’s particular routine….”

Read the rest of this entry »

Like so many people, I don’t particularly like change. So, when I was faced with having to upgrade to Word Press 2.5, the latest version, I was a little nervous. Particularly because it was reported to be quite different and I am not a techie by any stretch of the imagination. Well, I can report that I have made the transition and it was relatively painless. Here is what you can expect:

(1) When you sign in, the blue background is gone and the font and design is very different. You will realize immediately that this is a newly designed space. But, relax because the changes are intuitive.

(2) If you are not careful you will miss the word Dashboard because rather than being right beside Write, you will find it in the far upper left corner, almost hidden inside a black bar.

Read the rest of this entry »

Two events occurred today that made me realize that being retired has changed me. Like so many people, when I was younger I couldn’t seem to say no to doing anything. Even at work, I was always volunteering to be on this committee or that. It’s like you are on dual treadmills – one for family and one for work – and don’t even notice.  Remember that old expression that to get anything done, ask a busy person. Well, that was me. Whether it was my kids who were involved in things, my husband or myself, we were all on-the-go all the time.

Well, it seems that most, if not all of us in the western world, are on treadmills like that. Rachel Sa wrote an excellent column on the topic in today’s Sunday Sun. She calls it “Learning to relax in our hectic world“  and talks about the importance of “down time.” Ask yourself, what exactly is down time? 

Is down time the time you spend doing other than what you usually do during the week? Is down time when you have fun — which means different things to different people? Going out for dinner? Stopping at the pub? Popping in on friends? Or, for anyone reading this, do you consider surfing the web down time? Or, for those of us who also have blogs, is writing a blog down time?

Or, considering how much research, reading and writing is required to keep our blogs current, is blogging more a “labour” of love? Or, is it both?  For example, if we enjoy doing something and consider it a “relaxing” activity, even if it time consuming and hard work, is that down time as well?
Read the rest of this entry »

**Updates at the end of this post. 

Earlier this week I wrote a post about the possibility that parents were being disregarded by the medical and scientific community with regard to the alleged role of vaccines in the onset of autism. Now, we have a related story that New Hampshire blogger Kathleen Seidel has been served with a subpoena regarding her scrutiny of a particular law suit against the vaccine maker Bayer. 

For those who do not know of Seidel, she has a weblog called “neurodiversity.com,” a view of autism that is very different from the norm.  My understanding is that neurodiversity advocates would prefer that people stop discussing autism in negative terms. Instead, as the term neuro-diversity suggests, people with autism should be seen simply as thinking, perceiving and processing differently than average people — who are referred to as neuro-typicals. While I can agree with that description for individuals who are high functioning, it has not been my personal or professional experience. 
Read the rest of this entry »

So, when is cheating not really cheating? Has the goal post moved or is it the changing technology that is making defining cheating that much harder? And, what exactly are study groups and peer tutoring and when are they considered cheating?

For example, is it okay to work with a group of fellow students if you are working in a university library or at the kitchen table? Would that be considered a study group? Or, if only one or two people are working together, would that be considered peer tutoring? Or, is it cheating?

Or, is it only cheating when you are working online — a relevant question given the fact that a group of Ryerson students found out the hard way that the powers that be at Ryerson think so? In fact, a student administrator of a Ryerson Facebook site is now fighting allegations of cheating that Ryerson has made against him.

As many of my regulars know, I used to teach university. It used to be relatively easy to spot plagiarism or copying. I had a good memory and would remember previous papers that I had marked. I also had a good eye for recognizing when writing style changed, typically improved, all in the same paper. In all my years I only actually found three people who eventually admitted to cheating. They had a note put on their university record, a note that would stay for life. That threat hangs over the head of the Ryerson student mentioned above.
Read the rest of this entry »

This Sunday is going to be particularly special. It is not only Easter and time with extended family, but it is my birthday as well.  That is very surprising because the closest I have ever gotten to Easter weekend was to have my birthday fall on Good Friday — with Easter Sunday on March 25th.

So, I did an Internet search on the topic and discovered that the last time Easter was on March 23rd was in 1913 — three years before my own mother was born. And — listen to this – it won’t happen this way again until 2160 (or depending on the source, not until 2228)!

So, I plan to enjoy it with family. So, whether or not you celebrate Easter, have a nice long weekend everyone!

[...]

Although I am taking a break from blogging, I just wanted to say thanks to everyone who voted for Crux-of-the-Matter as the best education blog in the 2007 Canadian Blog Awards. It is an honour to tie for ”2nd place.” Also my appreciation to Joanne at Joanne’s Journey who nominated my blog in this category in the first place. As all bloggers know, keeping our blogs relevant is hard work, so I very much appreciate the recognition and the vote of confidence.”

Comments are open for this post.

[...]