Some Schools Build Gyms

Spring is here.  I hope it stays a while and not let winter creep back in any time soon.  For my walk today, I decided to take a detour and go to the site of uOttawa's second campus, also where the football field is.  It's called Lees Campus, since it's located a few miles away from the main campus and is located on Lees Avenue.  Part of it is now a big construction site.

Well, some schools build gyms.  Others build academic buildings.  Here is the future home of uOttawa's Faculty of Health Sciences.  It's going to be a LEED Platinum building, so should be quite neat and sustainable as well.  Will it get done before I am done with school here?  Probably, at the rate I am going, haha.

I will post more updates as to progress as I go by over time.

So, Social Science has a new building.  Business has one, which is also where History is.  Engineering has one.  STEMS has its own.  Law has its own building, which is not new but not too old.  Medical school has its own at the Ottawa Hospital.  Which makes me wonder when they will get around to constructing a new one for Arts!  As a graduate of the Faculty of Arts, I would like that very much.  Currently Faculty of Arts is housed is several buildings, all old, apart from History.  It's time we had a glorious new home!!!  I'll even contribute $50 to it!  Hey, I am a poor retiree!

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Waiting to find out what courses are offered in the summer/spring term.  I will have to decide before April 1 whether to continue in the MA or switch to the certificate in law.  Decisions, decisions.

Well, these are minor problems, eh?  I remember a while back, when I was still teaching, and students were complaining about stuff, I used to say, "be thankful you're not in Syria."

Now, be thankful I'm not in Ukraine.  I passed by the Russian Embassy yesterday evening, and even at that late hours there were protestors outside waving the Ukrainian flag and lambasting Putin.  What the fuck is the matter with that asshole.  Doesn't the world have enough misery already, what with Covid and shit like that.  

Back in the 40s and 50s, the US should have listened to MacArthur and Patton.  Alas...

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I'll leave you with this which I heard today.

I used to date an optician.

When I told her I couldn't see her anymore, she moved closer and said, "Is this better?"

Stay healthy.

Maybe a bit esoteric

As one does in school, one reads a lot of academic papers, and particularly in a graduate program.  It's actually very hard for me, because I can't resist engaging with the articles as if I were a reviewer.  So much of what I read I find frustrating, and I often wonder how journal reviewers and editors let some of these papers get published.

Personally I think making higher education more accessible is full of good intentions.  But the execution is not well-thought out.  When the global North decided to widen access to higher education, it created wider demand for faculty.  Where would they come from?  Consequently many more PhDs were minted, many by schools that have no business granting doctorates.  But as you may guess, some of these accreditation bodies are a joke.  All they care is that the Ts are crossed and the Is are dotted.  And long-winded essays are written in some obtuse fashion so as to prove the school's worth.

Anyway, as far as I'm concerned, many so-called PhDs give fellow doctorate holders a bad name.  I mean, seriously, if one can get a PhD in three years, and one is nowhere near a genius, well....  If dear reader, you are one of those, let's just assume you are a genius.

Take research.  I am simply amazed that even in the 21st century, so many published articles still report only alphas on their instruments.  We have known since the 70s that demonstrating reliability isn't enough.  If a measure is not valid, it's bullshit.  And a measure can be reliable but not valid.  A study that only reports reliability means absolutely zilch.  I would have thought that today editors and reviewers would have totally DEMANDED validity data.  But oh no.  WTF.

And I was reading this article, and they reported all this statistics etc.  Only then I notice that despite all that so-called statistical significance and elaborate math, the R-squared reported was, get this, 0.07.  No shit.  Their fucking elaborate model is able to explain 7% of the variance.  A monkey throwing darts can do better.  And it's published.  And morons reading these things will just take note of the idea that A and B contribute to C, and so on, and miss the fact the model does fuck all.

In another article, the researchers report on a pretty massive quantitative study involving more than 500 subjects.  These subjects were videotaped and different observers watched the tape and coded the behaviours.  The article reports inter-rater reliability (i.e. whether different observers report the same thing) at 15-20%!  Fuck!  Two monkey throwing darts would give you 50% agreement!  And it gets published.

What the fuck were the reviewers doing?

Now for something that I simply HATE.  Why do people not use the Oxford comma anymore?  In what fucking way is it better to say blue, green, red and white, than to say, blue, green, red, and white?  Why do we need to give the possible confusion that "red and white" is one item?

It's just me.

I guess aspiring academic writers are glad that I am no longer reviewing papers.

Specious Arguments

If I were still teaching, this passing conversation I had with a neighbour would be a great example to use in class.

I was walking down the stairs, and a neighbour was coming up.  Said hi to him, as one does.  "How's it going?" I asked, not really wanting a dialogue.  He stopped.  Now that's  a bad sign.  I know he likes to talk....  Oh well, I made my bed, so I guess I had to sleep in it.

I can't repeat the whole conversation.  For one thing, I didn't record the thing, so I don't have a transcript.  And another, it would take five days of blog entry to encompass all that.  But here's some highlights.

"You know this situation in the Ukraine," he started.  "I follow these geo-political things," he continued, as though it somehow affords him some kind of authority in the matter.  "Russia is Russia," he explained.  Whatever that means.  "Biggest country in the world, and 150 million people.  4,000 nukes."

I'd be real impressed if I were born yesterday, but okay.  Then he muttered something else (He's from Quebec, so most of the time I have no clue what he's talking about.  In Quebec they don't speak French French, and they don't speak actual English either.  Well, you know how I feel about Quebec.  Conquered people, so shut the fuck up).  Anyway, I "think" the idea is that the world should just accept that Russia will take Ukraine and leave it at that.

"Their Foreign Minister," he went on, "is very smart.  Knows his stuff.  When a reporter asked a question in French, he replied in fluent French!"  Okay, so the guy speaks French, is that supposed to give him some magical power?  Does the fact that he speaks French mean something?  Well, yeah, it means he speaks French.  So, pardon my French, who the fuck cares?

"And their Finance Minister," the neighbour found his groove now, "has a PhD from Oxford."

Excuse me, what the fuck does that have to do with Ukraine?  Or anything, for that matter?  I don't have any statistics, but I am sure there are many Oxford PhDs out there, and I'm sure a fair number of them are morons too.  Just like I'm sure there's a fair number of smart people from Quebec.

And then suddenly, he changed the subject to the truckers protesting in the city.  "If the trucks don't work, we will have no food," he said.  Does it matter that fewer than 10% of truckers are actually affected, and every single trucking group has come up and denounced the protest?  "This government is stupid," he said (or something to that effect).

"I know what his father was like, too," he continued.  Okay, now, any Canadian who knows anything about government knows Justin Trudeau's father, he being one of the longest serving Prime Ministers, and the one who brought the Constitution back to the country.  And the one who faced down the fucking Quebec terrorists called the FLQ (who kidnapped a British official and put bombs in public places).  See some Frenchies never forget THAT.  How dare a PM, who was from Quebec, impose martial law on the province.  So what if it's under domestic terrorist attack!  Anyway, so I guess you know where I stand.

But back to our conversation (actually more like a monologue).  "I know about his father," he reminded me.  Well, here's the thing, any Canadian over the age of say, 45, would have been around when he was Prime Minister.  So knowing about Pierre Trudeau is like saying I've watched hockey.  Duh!

"Yeah, so do I," I finally said.  "I even voted for him.  And for Justin as well!"

He looked surprised.  Was he surprised I actually know Canadian politics?  Or surprised that I voted Liberal in every single fucking election?

In for the kill.  I continued,  "And I think NATO should send troops to Ukraine.  And the US should freeze Russian assets.  Yeah they are a big country with lots of bombs.  They also have an economy smaller than Canada's.  But that's just my opinion."  I chuckled, and said, "and you know, opinions are like assholes, everybody has one."

I will let you think about why I said this conversation would have been a great example for class.  How best to avoid stupid logic, aka, specious arguments.  If any one of you teaches, feel free to adopt this example.  No copyright.  Haha.

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On an unrelated note, I have decided to drop the ethnic class.  As one of my readers (thanks, Mr. Tightend) said, "the prof is an idiot."  I agree.  Let's not waste time with him.

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Well. it's an absolutely balmy day with a forecast of -15 at noon.  Perfect day for a nice walk.  I hope the truck protestors froze to death last night when it hit -30.  Good riddance.

Don't Believe It

Typically, a person who lives in a cold place (e.g. Ottawa) says to someone from a warmer climate (e.g. Miami), "don't worry, you'll get used to it," and then adds condescendingly, "in time."

Don't believe them.

Sure, you can wear 45 layers of clothing and go outside looking like the Michelin Man.  Hell, if you wear enough layers of t-shirts you'll be warm enough too.  But that's not the point, is it?  Shit, if you can't function "normally" (whatever that means), then you're not fucking "used to it."

I continue my walks.  But in the winter I just can't go as far or for as long as I would in the summer.  It's either too damn cold, when the wind cutting right through your hoodie and then your toque, and on through your skin into your brain, it's a bit much.  Or you're wearing insulated boots and heavy wool socks, and after a couple of hours you feel your toes freezing, it's a bit much.  Or if you feel the arctic freeze through your winter coat, your sweat shirt, your scarf, and your merino wool base layer, it's a bit much.  And I am only talking about days when it's only -20.  When it gets to -30 and beyond, and that's not counting windchill, fuck, you wanna be back indoors.

Used to it my ass.

Of course it's all relative.  For someone from White Horse or Churchill, Ottawa weather is downright tropical.  But for someone whose coldest home had been Toronto and Green Bay, this Ottawa winter shit is, well, as cold as Putin's blood.  And this is now my fourth winter here.  Hell no, I ain't NEVER gonna get used to this.

And when will summer come?  Hell, May?  It'd be so nice to go out in shorts and t-shirt again...

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As you know I am down to two courses now.  One (Lifecourse) I am okay with.  I'd give it a 7 out of 10.  The other, on inter-ethnic relations, is not as palatable.  I'd say a 5 out of 10 at best.  Every time I do the readings or the assignments for this second course, I keep telling myself to drop the fucker.  It doesn't help that the prof is hopeless (useless?) as a teacher.  Shit, we are down to three students in the class now.  Everyone dropped out.  Last Tuesday I was scheduled to do a presentation.  He fucking forgot.  I had to remind him, by which time he had talked about half of what I was going to say.  What nonsense.  I had thought that, well, ethnic identity stuff is my cup of tea, so at least I should get a kick out of the subject matter.  No such luck.  The way the course is structured, it reifies ethnicity to the point where everything is ethnic.  I guess if all you have is an ethnic hammer, there's ethnic nails everywhere.

I'll give you an example.  One of the readings for the coming week has to do with ethnic representation in the Canadian parliament.  You know, the % of this group and that group.  And how that changes from year to year, etc etc, and how that doesn't mesh with the % of ethnic minorities in the population.

Consider that for a moment.

Why, oh why, should it matter?  I have voted in every fucking single general election that I was eligible for.  That's going on 35 years.  I have never had cause to vote for anyone based on their ethnicity, self-ascribed or not.  Yet I have never felt that the MP is not reflecting my interests BECAUSE of ethnicity.  Is it just me?  Why the fuck would my interests be isomorphic with my ethnicity?  Or that of my MP?

And since when is ethnicity fixed?  It's situational, dynamic, negotiated, and subjective.  And this is a sociology course.  This being the case, why does the course presume an unchanging and fixed ethnicity, or that it matters all the time?

And if you know me, you know it fucking never matters to me.  The only thing Chinese about me is that my parents were born in China.  Am I the only one who feels this way?

The more I write about this, the more I wanna drop the fucking course.  Maybe I should stop complaining.  I mean, things could be worse.  This could well be a fucking gender studies class....

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So a bunch of fucking moron trucker are protesting in Ottawa against a vaccine mandate.  Basically, the US and Canada both instituted vaccine mandates for cross-border truckers.  In other words, you cannot truck across the border unless you are vaccinated.

These truckers (apparently about 10% of truckers) don't want to get vaccinated, and couch it as an infringement of their rights via regulations.  Yep, damn right it is.  Just as it is an infringement of my right to force me stop at a red light.  Or "pretend" to drive at the speed limit on the highway.  Or to even have a fucking license!  But less frivolously, the trucking industry is always heavily regulated.  How many hours you can drive.  What sort of health checks you must have.  And so on and so forth.  So it's not like this is anything new.  Hell, I respect anyone's right not to get vaccinated.  Just like I respect anyone's  right not to pay taxes.  But every action we take has consequences.  Live with it.

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Someone said, you should look after your health.  Why?  Being healthy just means it takes you longer to die.

Welcome 2022!

It's a bit late, I know.  But hey, better late than never, eh?  So here's a Happy New Year wish to all you faithful readers who miraculously have stayed with the blog for so long!  Thank you, and I hope 2022 will be a much better year than the one prior.

I am writing this in the morning, when it's so frigid cold outside that I am in hurry to dash out for my walk.   Not that it's unusually cold for Ottawa.  Just the typical -20 Winter day in the capital.  Haha.  There IS a reason why people invented thermal underwear.  Sunny skies today, which usually means fucking cold.  And at least today this holds up.  Think I will just go for a short little walk today, like an hour and a half maybe, lest I turn into an icicle.

A new year also brings a new semester, my second in the MA program.  This semester looks worse than the previous one due to a paucity of appealing courses to take.  I am officially enrolled in five, but due to various reasons (e.g.  I don't like the prof, I don't like the contents, I don't like the timing, etc. etc.) there is only ONE that I actually am semi-interested to take.  Bummer, eh?  To make things worse, this semester there are only 6 English MA level sociology courses available (I am registered in five of them), two of which still list "staff" as the instructor.  So likely adjuncts who get dragged into it last minute.  AKA gonna suck.

The way it looks, I might end up dropping all but one.  Yeah, this puts me way behind schedule, but I don't think I will finish this degree.  As it turns out, uOttawa sociology is (1) very theoretical, (2) very radical and revisionist, and (3) very French.  This latter point means there are lots of courses in French, and not as many in English.  I think I will be hard pressed to only take courses I am interested in and still have enough credits to graduate.  Just won't happen.

And that brings to mind why I am doing this.  To have fun.  Well, I won't have fun taking courses I don't enjoy, right?  Not like I need the degree.  Already have four, thank you very much.  So, once my full-ride is over after the three semesters, I will just withdraw from the program and begin something else in the fall.  We shall see.

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Ontario is under a semi-lockdown again.  Indoor dining is closed.  Gyms are closed.  But it's not a full lockdown like we had before.  So it's still not too bad.  This omicron shit is pretty wild.  You know, though, that as long as the First World countries keep all the vaccines to themselves, leaving Third World countries to their own devices (or to use stupid Russian and Chinese vaccines) there will continue to be variants and shit like that.  And we will all end up getting "boosters" every other month till we all become addicts.

And when I say First World and Third World, I am using the terms as they were originally coined, not the bastardized version to mean rich and poor etc.  So don't start cursing me for not being politically correct.  And no, don't get me started on that either.

And on the subject of Covid, what do you make of that tennis player who is being kicked out of Australia?  I know celebrities have egos the size of Texas, but this to me is a case of just being tone deaf.   You may be able to get around the law, but at least have the common sense not to flaunt it.  Prima Donnas will be prima donnas though.

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School starts Monday.  I will let you know how things go, and how many of the five courses I end up keeping (maybe none, haha).  Meanwhile, stay safe.  Live long and prosper!  And Happy New Year!

Semester Ends

 Like so many fingerprints on old handrails, another semester has come and gone.  How was my first semester in the MA program?  I'd say the reviews are mixed.

I started with three classes, then dropped one because I couldn't stand the prof.  Since I am in no hurry to finish the degree (if I even do), that's fine.  But that experience left a bad aftertaste, sort of like having had some Folgers coffee.  Or worse.  Yes, you all know I am a coffee snob.

Anyhow, so I only had two classes this semester.  Amazing, because it just made the experience so much more enjoyable!  Like the feeling one might get from watching The Father over and over and over again.  Not that both classes are equally good.  The one on political sociology was fine, but I find the subject matter a bit too left wing and radical even for me.  Maybe I shouldn't say "even for me," since I am not exactly a leftie to begin with.  If you know me well, you'd know that I am maybe middle of the road with a 5% tilt to the left.  After all, I did teach business.  In political sociology, at least at uOttawa, the agenda is quite radical -- talks of decolonization (oh how I hate that whole thing), especially --- even though I don't dispute all of the stuff.  What I find most annoying is that the material is long on criticisms and grievances, but very very short on actionability.  And well, the latter is my big thing, no?  If something isn't actionable, then you are just pissing into the wind.

But the other class I simply loved!  It's medical sociology, and it really opened my eyes to so many new angles and a vast pool of knowledge.  I absolutely loved it, and not only because the prof was really cool and responsive.  We usually got our assignments graded by the next class.  Haha, does this remind you of something you perhaps know?  And she's just super nice.  If she offers another class, I'll take it with no hesitation.  Particularly during this whole covid shitshow, the class was poignant and impactful.

We didn't have exams, thank goodness.  If we did, I am sure I'd flunk political sociology, since I resisted so much of the material that I couldn't even take it in.  But in grad school, we write papers.  And I love writing papers.  I am actually quite pleased with the paper I wrote for political sociology -- and by the end of it I could almost convince myself that I felt that way!  Creative writing, indeed.

So the semester is done.  And another one starts in a few weeks.  I have yet to settle on exactly what I will take in the winter.  Nothing really catches my fancy, let me tell you.  That's not a good sign.  But I will use the Christmas holidays to figure things out.

Had my booster shot yesterday.  Now I have some muscle aches, and my left shoulder is sore.  If this is the worst then I think I'm fine.  People told me I should feel more the side effects in the afternoon.  Oh boy.  I guess for sure I won't be going to the gym today.  And since we have a freezing rain warning tomorrow, guess I'll be staying put then as well.  More cake, anyone?

Speaking of vaccination, I just found out that someone I know lost his job because he refuses to get vaccinated.  I didn't ask him why -- not my business.  I like him personally, and I feel bad for him.  But it's his choice.  And I guess we make choices and we go in with eyes wide open.  Of course I have read about these things happening, but that was the first time I actually know someone who lost his job because of not getting vaccinated.  That piece of information kind of unsettles me.  Mixed emotions, you know, like seeing your mother-in-law driving down a cliff, in your brand new car.  But seriously, if I am ever that, I don't know what is going to happen to him and his family.  And I feel sad about that.

But it's the holiday season, no?  Hell, for all we know, 2022 will never come.  Omicron will kill us all.  Did any of you SERIOUSLY think we were out of the woods?  Dream on.  I think Covid will be with us forever.  And I'd be happy if we can keep it sort of under control, like the flu etc.  That, too, may be wishful thinking.  But I doubt that we will see the day when Covid vanishes.  If we can give everyone in the world, and I mean including the poorest countries, triple doses (of the real vaccine, not that Chinese and Russian crap), maybe.  But capitalism and self-interest will see to it that only those who can afford it will get vaccinated (that's assuming they even want to).  So, there you go.  We are fucked.  Like the Omega Man.

And with that happy thought, here's to wishing you all a happy holiday season.  Hope it's not our last.  Happy Holidays!

REMEMBRANCE DAY -- Lest We Forget

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the immortal words of Wilfrid Owen,

  

 

No mockeries now for them; no prayers nor bells; 

      Nor any voice of mourning save the choirs,—

The shrill, demented choirs of wailing shells;

      And bugles calling for them from sad shires.

 

Sadly we never learn.  Not long after the war to end all wars, we had WW2.  And then Korea.  Vietnam.  Afghanistan.  Iraq.  Not to mention all the other conflicts that have maimed and killed untold millions.  And as we step part ways now into the 21st Century, are we soon witnessing "In the nightmare of the dark, all the dogs of XXX bark"?

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Well, folks, looks like winter is on its way.  It's just below freezing now, though today's high is going to a balmy 6 degrees Celcius.  Not bad for mid November.  People say this will be a horrible winter.  I hope not.  After the mild winter we had last year, I'm just not prepared for a typical brutal Ottawa winter season.  I must say though that I have enough winter coats to withstand the cold.  But I don't want to have to.

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Decolonization is a favourite word these days.  Hear it all the time.  It's like one of those really popular things, you know, like Taco, Pizza, and Sex.  Well, maybe not the last one.  But unlike them, these populist terms have a shelf life that's significantly shorter.  Wait and see.  Not that I have any issue with the idea of decolonization.  I agree with it, actually.  Like toxic masculinity, another one of those things.  I agree that it's bad.  But I guess I've lived long enough to not jump on bandwagons.  I mean, seriously?  We talk about decolonization in Canada all the time, to the point where some actually say we should not celebrate Canada Day, before the country is built on colonization etc etc.

Fuck you!

People should put their money where their mouth is.  If one thinks Canada is so bad, that it's a shame that the country was formed the way it was, then one should give up one's citizenship and move to a place where it's all la-la land.  Like China, maybe?  Or Russia?  Or Iran?  You can't have the cake and eat it, too.  Travel the world using the passport of a country you despise?  What a fucking hypocrite!

And then there are those who lament capitalism.  You know, I think unbridled capitalism is bad as well.  Look at the wealth gap in some of these places!  But I don't see a better alternative, do you?  Really?  You want communism?  Remember how many people Stalin killed?  Remember how many Mao starved to death?  And if communism is so good, maybe you should move to fucking China.  But more on my point about hypocrisy.  These same people have no trouble drinking their SBUX while commenting on capitalism, or texting on their iphones, or dressed in the latest torn jeans, etc etc.  Again, go fuck yourself.

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Oh wow, Chunski, you sound so pissed off.  Why?  I'm not, not really.  I just didn't sleep very well last night and have been up since 3.  Haha, though some of you might remember that once upon a time, a long long time ago, in a galaxy far far away, I used to get up at three EVERY SINGLE FUCKING DAY to go to that college in PA.  What wonderful days!

So I will leave you with this thought:  MORE COFFEE PLEASE!