West Texas Explosion Reminds Us of Failing Institutions

On April 17th, West Fertilizer Co. in the small town of West, Texas provided for a horrible reminder of the failing bureaucratic structure in the first world. Now, don’t get me wrong, no one system will ever be perfect and no one system can ever account or substitute for the errors of  human nature. However, when democratic institutions, so plagued by an endless structure of bureaucracy, fail to fulfill their main purposes for existence and 14 people die, it just reminds us of all of the work we have yet to do and we fail to do as a society. And, yes, I said WE. I’m not saying we all need to be superheroes and save the world from it’s impending doom (although it would be nice), but there is a role we all play in society whether we’d like to or not; even as the bystanders.

At all levels of society, at all levels of democratic institutions there are human beings running the show and for this reason I mention “we”. What do I mean by this exactly? Well: who is the incompetent, mindless, IDIOT who works in that particular department of Homeland Security that could let West Fertilizer Co.’s owner run free and bathe in money while people’s lives were at stake? Whatever happened to the concept of “due diligence  that the American legal system keeps shoving in people’s and business owner’s faces?

Oh, right, I forgot; the laws seem to bend for those with financial power. It’s like we have a “no see, no hear, no speak” policy suddenly implemented every time we, as a society (and especially institutions) have to deal with Mr.Big Bucks who follows the “profit before people” motto.

Warning Clause:

For all of you free-market defenders and large business owners, don’t get offended just yet. No worries, I am not a “free-market hater” in any way and I support entrepreneurism  It just baffles my mind when the  extensive bureaucracy that is found in institutions in democratic states (such as USA and Canada) run you down and practically put surveillance on your every breath when you owe 50 bucks and yet they let big stuff like this slip. I mean really? Is this why you’ve been created as an institution? Sure as hell isn’t what your “mission statement” stands for.

This plant is a prime example of my critique, not only because you’d be surprised at how often similar, and unfortunate things like these happen but because many people are still trying to figure out how on earth they got away with everything. West Fertilizer Co. had approximately 270 tons of ammonium nitrate, 1,350 times the legally acceptable amount (data attained from article in CNN News online). Give me a second while I process this information…. W-T-F? Are you KIDDING me?

What blows my mind even more is the fact that the community (specifically pertinent authorities) at West, which now has innocent victims and family members paying the price, did not do their part. I say this because reports with concerns were filed to town authorities and yet none of such thought maybe giving Homeland Security a call might have been… an obvious step? You know, considering there are schools, institutions, people nearby the plant and employees working at the plant?

This facility was known to have chemicals well above the threshold amount to be regulated under the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards Act (CFATS), yet we understand that DHS did not even know the plant existed until it blew up.

Failure to report significant volumes of hazardous chemicals at a site can lead the Department of Homeland Security to fine or shut down fertilizer operations, a person familiar with the agency’s monitoring regime said. Though the department has the authority to carry out spot inspections at facilities, it has a small budget for that and only a “small number” of field auditors(Attained from The Globe and Mail, link to article here).

In my modest opinion, failures like these that are deadly and yet preventable occur precisely because  there is an erroneous focus altogether in what our societal values are. Safety should be NUMBER ONE not second to profit or free-market ideals. If more government intervention and/or regulation is needed then, heck, it’s necessary! Where is the money being invested?; (other than the obvious… in the top exec’s and officials’ pockets).

The most insulting fact to the Department of Homeland Security and in turn to the supposedly almost-flawless bureaucratic structure of first-world institutions is the fact that this fertilizer plant had been “sketchy” since 2006. That should have been sufficient for eyes to be kept on them, from a distance at least.

In 2012, the Transportation Department’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration fined West Fertilizer $5,250 for storing anhydrous ammonia in tanks that lacked the proper warning labels. The agency originally recommended a $10,000 penalty, but it was reduced after the company took corrective action.

In 2006, the EPA fined it $2,300 owners to correct problems that included a failure to file a risk management program plan on time. The TCEQ also investigated a complaint about the lingering smell of ammonia around the plant the same year. (Source: CNN article by Matt Smith)

So, excuse me while I sit here,  shake my head in frustration and continue to think  this system of disorganized, flawed and wrongfully-oriented bureaucracy  is crap;  but the results are obvious because no one can take back the pain being felt in West, Texas today, but someone will hopefully bring the negligent to justice.

Related articles

• Lawmaker: Texas fertilizer plant ‘was willfully off the grid’ (rawstory.com)
• ProPublica: What Went Wrong in West, Texas – and Where Were the Regulators? (euzicasa.wordpress.com)
• What Went Wrong in West, Texas – and Where Were the Regulators? (sgtreport.com)
• Fertilizer Plant Had 1,350 The Amount of Explosives it Should Have (gawker.com)
• Texas Plant Had 270 Tons of Explosive Material, Was Not Being Monitored for Safety (truthdig.com)
• Texas Fertilizer Plant Failed To Disclose Massive Amount Of Ammonium Nitrate (livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com)
• Fertilizer Company Kept Danger from Feds (drudge.com)
• What went wrong in West, Texas – and where were the regulators? (rawstory.com)
• Fertilizer Plant Didn’t Report 270 Tons of Ammonium Nitrate (newser.com)

What is Crazy?: The Stigma of Normal vs. Abnormal

Hello precious readers, How ya’ been?

This week, I’d like to come back to a previous topic (Mental Health), but from a more theoretical and personal perspective. I previously  critiqued the  health care system and how it does not provide a well-structured system for patients and stigmatizes those who suffer an illness. This time around, I’d like to look at the concept of “illness”.

So, normally when we speak of accessing “professional help”, there is an automatic connotation attached  to that of “crazy”. In fact, most people fail to seek professional help at a given time because  of this mentality that seeking help is directly co-related to being insane. However, the reality I’ve noticed is that defining what and who is crazy is a very complex task that is essentially connected to whatever social prejudices one has.

I have a very close friend who has been involved in the mental health care system for years now as a result of a family member. At a given point, such a trauma had brought this person to seek therapy. At first, the instantaneous reaction for this person was a sense of self-loathe, a sense of feeling inferior for needing that help and of devaluing his/herself’s self-strength. Here’s the thing that I concluded in being a part of this person’s process and support system: professional help is nothing more than objective, non-judgmental guidance.

Unless there is an established and obvious pathology, most people that enter the “world of therapy” are really just in need of attaining the necessary guidance and tools to find the answers on their own; and not of having pills thrown at them or being deemed weak and unstable. A psychologist is trained to detect issues in thinking processes and guide the patient toward identifying core problems; but also strategizing and applying coping mechanisms in order to evolve emotionally in life. Thus, isn’t this somewhat similar to the guidance human beings seek through different routes like speaking to a priest, reverend or spiritual leader? Granted, they aren’t certified but all human beings really need is the tools to cope and the logical voice of reason when perhaps, they are too absorbed by their problems and emotions.

If we look at it from this perspective, then it’s pretty easy to see that those who live with anxiety disorders for example, are not necessarily conducting the crazy train toward “nuts-ville”.

Why is there then a stigma? Why is there this need, in society, to compartmentalize people into categories?  Or to place those who don’t or may not need to seek guidance at one point in the category of “stable” and “normal” and those who take the opposite route as inherently and eternally “abnormal” ?

Who defines normality? Is there really a universal definition of what is and what isn’t normal? In my opinion, if there existed a truly universal definition of such things (again, with the exception of obvious pathology), most of the Western World (for example) would not be so “shocked” by customs and traditions of other non-western cultures (that  are apparently “primitive” or “not normal”). Has it occurred to anyone that “the other” probably thinks the same of the western concept of normal?

Furthermore, seeking professional help may be good for some feeling “out of balance” because such a forum that a “shrink” provides is one in which not only the ear receiving your deepest concerns is not emotionally invested or biased but because the space itself is one of meditation/reflection. Haven’t you ever wondered why their offices tend to be dimly lit? Why they speak in a calming manner?

We are animals, the only thing separating us from the rest of the animal kingdom is our self-consciousness. Hence, when we are forced to experience traumatic, uncommon/ unnatural experiences, when we are so out of sync with nature, spirituality and being overall healthy, our bodies and minds react. In order to test this hypotheses, all you really need to do is look at the substantial difference between those living a hectic city lifestyle and many living a more sedentary lifestyle outside of a busy, cut-throat city. The only difference between “crazy” and “stressed” or “lost” is perspective, societal conceptualization and our coping mechanisms.

Perhaps, if society ceases to categorize people automatically and realize that we are all unique in how we may react to certain circumstances, and instinctively adaptable, more people may feel more comfortable discussing emotion.  Perhaps, if the paradigm changes, more people may be able to cope with LIFE and  adapt and progress toward finding the balance that is essential for human mental stability.

Let’s Talk Education Part II: Our Unprepared Future Scholars

I believe it is safe to say that as a consequence of our premature and dysfunctional educational system (discussed in my previous post), many teens are not entering post-secondary education prepared. I recently discussed the many pet-peeves I have with the Canadian K-12 system, noting most importantly  the lack of preparation kids graduate with in significant subjects like Math.

This time around, I’d like to speak briefly about English, grammar, essay-writing, general knowledge acquisition and my favourite, critical thinking. Now, again, I am not saying there are only horrible teachers and schools out there because that isn’t the case, but I can certainly attest to the many students there are in university who cannot differentiate between were and we’re properly and do not accurately grasp the concept of a 5-paragraph essay structure. That is a problem that will ultimately make or break you in university. Although College is characterized by a more practical, hands-on method, there still are written assignments and essays here and there, so this concern applies.

Why is a stronger emphasis on advanced critical thinking missing in secondary education? Why do we not emphasize a greater concern on actually preparing students for the transition they will be making if they choose to continue further education? Why is it that in all of my secondary years I only had one single teacher who taught us what seminars were and how to apply our homework (readings) to an actual discussion with significant questions?

In addition to this, research encompasses a large percentage of your post-secondary career and yet the majority of students have no idea what formatting and citing is, let alone where to start looking for credible sources.  If you’re not a nerdy-nerd like myself who always loved writing and researching, it makes it an even more frustrating process to have to learn to write properly and communicate effectively on paper without any solid background and practice. And, even if you are a writing nerdy-nerd as I am, it is extremely hard to research and apply overwhelming amounts of information to a page or word limit as the years progress in university. You are pretty much alone and subjected to someone’s expertise and subjective opinion when in university.

Why on earth must our system make it even worse for students by sending them to the “lion’s den” disadvantaged and soaked in meat sauce?

Moreover, one of my biggest concerns with post-secondary education is the lack of information many students actually undergo in choosing a career path. There is little room for self-discovery that does not involve “taking a year off” in between Grade 12 and Year 1 of university. Most students, depending on the school are either coerced into one direction or another; this is what I like to call the “college/university split”.

In my own experience, because I cannot speak for others, guidance counsellor’s emphasized the need for people to enter skilled trades and occupations in order to meet the growing  demand in our local economy. While, I very much support skilled trades and careers within this industry, feeling like one is “aspiring too high” in wanting to pursue university studies (even if this field does not meet a demand) is not a feeling youth should feel.

Also, do not get me started on the gender bias that is evident within the education system.  When I first mentioned I wanted to pursue post-secondary and hopefully, post-graduate education, despite my parents always being on-board, some teachers and counsellor’s expressed concerns like: “why choose such a demanding career if you might one day want to start a family?”. My apologies, I did not realize that those of the female species could only do one thing successfully and while those aren’t necessarily invalid concerns, they should not deter me from pursuing my own personal development.

What happened to Grade 13 (Ontario Academic Credit also loosely known as post-secondary preparation grade)? Oh right, it was ineffective and thus removed from the system structure in place. But, why was it ineffective? Why is it that many of those who studied when Grade 13 was present still manage to tell you that it was a total waste of a year? Many attest to the argumentation behind its removal which was because the compulsory credit-system in place for students to pursue further education actually became a deterrent for post-secondary education.

How so; because they had compulsory classes that were meant to prepare them for the rigour and expectations of university?  News flash: you have those in university too! And the current alternative is somehow better? Either way, students are unprepared for the transition; some completely confused as to what academic, and career path to take and others entering the world of student debt just to fulfill this expectation of pursuing more schooling without any direction. Are these the right reasons? What are we missing and what did we leave behind from OAC that can perhaps, be better applied in our current system? What courses and overall culture will help students be truly prepared mentally, emotionally and academically for university?

Furthermore, post-secondary education is at an all-time high. In Ontario alone, the average tuition cost is $7000 and this is not including living costs and other expenses like books. Granted, it is still cheaper than the States but regardless, not an amount of cash that anyone has in their pockets regularly (if ever). The actual process of learning that supposedly justifies these tuition costs does not accurately account whatsoever for the amount being spent. Universities have also become a total business!  Lastly, the scheme and structure of the institution is much like a corporation in which each program is being sold to the student, even if it means lying to the student or “spinning” the truth about their potential career prospects post-graduation.

Let’s Talk Education Part I: Why Our Kids Can’t Do Math

Hello fellow readers and bloggers! For this week, I’d like to focus on an extremely important fact: Our education system is crap.  I’d really wish to be able to sugar coat it but… there is no way in hell that’s possible at this rate.

For all of those 90’s kids, you all get me. Remember back in the day when we were learning long-division and all that jazz? … You don’t really remember it do you? That’s what I thought.

There is a simple and important fact to make clear and that is that in the last 20 years (or so) the North American education system has been deteriorating at a fast pace. Not only are many of our teachers (and I say this with grand respect) not as competent in the “pedagogy” department of teaching but the standards for becoming a teacher have been  up and down like a roller coaster ride at Six Flags.

We are seriously behind! Many kids in other states are doing advanced essay-writing, Science and Math in grade 7 when we’re doing it in grade 10!

Working with kids and education for three years now, I know first-hand the things I see that are contributing to this lack of general education or even basic education among kids these days. And, who can blame them? My generation was among the worst of all time!

Working within an educational setting has also helped me learn about the struggles of strong, dedicated teachers as well who are amazing with the very few resources our government is allocating to them (Do not get me started on the topic of government spending when it comes to  education—it’s disgusting and sad).

I remember growing up and having to share textbooks (old, rugged, missing pages kind of books) and hey, I’m a lover, not a fighter; sharing is good! But, we’re in the First World! Surely, children in our schools should not have to share textbooks and not get homework done because they don’t have a decent book to bring home. The fact that some schools deal with this and others don’t just reminds me of how uneven distribution is. The only one’s who pay are the students!

A major pet-peeve I had growing up was Math. It gave me nightmares and I think—to this day—if I saw another algebra equation or symbol I would become prematurely insane. The pre-disposition others in my generation also have to such an important subject like Math is ridiculous really; I admit it. The problem is back in the day, many teachers were engraved with this idea that the “Curriculum” is a god and whatever the instructions say in the textbook, whatever one-and-only formula there is, that is the only way. When, in Ontario at least, the Curriculum gives the teacher a freedom to achieve expectations with whatever methodology he/she chooses. Hence, this was an excuse, wasn’t it?

Teachers were and some still are not properly educated in dealing with different learning types and the overall pedagogy was focused on negative versus positive re-enforcement. What is going on in the Faculty, I ask? Why are some teacher candidates graduating well-prepared from some programs and other’s completely lost? It cannot just be an “individual” issue.

Imagine being told first the long list of things you are doing wrong (according to some specific standard) before you are ever told you’re doing something right? Why do you think so many kids did not want to pursue further education after the necessary primary and secondary years? Can you recall the times in which you did not learn or properly retain absolutely anything before just passing nonchalantly into the next school year?

The worst part is that many teachers really have vocation, really have their pedagogical methodologies down to the tea and yet they have to deal with split grade levels in one class or 32 students. That seriously takes away from a lot of brilliant ideas a teacher may have to even provide an inclusive environment in their classrooms. Many teachers also have to look for resources on their own, from their own poorly-paid pockets.

I, at one point did get stuck with some teachers who didn’t understand the Math problem themselves before having to transfer the explanation to little-confused me. I also got placed in confusing situations growing up because I arrived at an answer using a different method-approach (equally valid elsewhere) that made logical sense to me and I was shot down because “the book says do it this way”. If children cannot connect the dots on their own, and have no reasonable understanding of why they need to do certain things a certain way or why this ‘formula’ is important, how on earth do you expect them to think critically as the academic years progress? In addition, just memorizing does not help for long-term learning; then comes into play the Individual Education Plan.

I get it, some students need this. I understand its function and in fact (when it’s properly assessed and a framework is laid out) it has helped me as a mentor and tutor to help some of my students. However, I detest the fact that some of my very own students have been needlessly categorized into this “you have a deficiency” category and stigmatized, separated from the rest of the kids because “they’re not smart enough”.

Is that really preparing them to succeed in life? It only propagates this mentality that some people are smart and others were born dumb when we all know we have equal capacity to learn, just different methods and paces. There is a serious difference between a diagnosed learning disability and other issues that commonly get included into this category, when they’re not things that ‘could not be dealt with’ if the system were different.

I have met many children who have IEP’s because one educational authority at a given time decided they had it. I’ve sat down with these kids to find out that some of them know more than me! They just have had no attention, no understanding and a constant negative re-enforcement their whole academic lives. This has just led them to having behavioural problems. We need to ask ourselves why some kids need more attention than others and what underlying factors are causing this.

There need to be better alternatives. Especially ones like changing our focus, spending a greater amount of time having faculties teaching future educators more about the student evaluation process and pedagogical methodologies and giving schools (and teachers) access to equal resources.

This won’t solve every single issue, but it’s certainly a start to having our future generations at least know their time tables better than mine did!

Sh**’s So Messed Up, Meteor’s Are Striking And Even The Pope Calls It Quits!

OK, OK, so maybe my title is a l-i-t-t-l-e exaggerated, but after Pope Benedict XVI (gawd, those roman numerals!)  sent in his two-weeks notice to the Vatican HR department this week (Monday), I have come to the conclusion, yet again, that we are definitely seeing grand changes this year. We were also later (Friday) ‘awarded’ with a gift [meteor] from space and it’s safe to say these things don’t happen well…ever.

 The last papal resignation took   place  in 1415 by Gregory XII and it’s largely an uncommon occurrence that changes the game play for the Vatican. Many Catholics around the world have received the resignation well (according to most articles and news reports). I, for one, find it admirable and humble on Benedict’s part to resign due to a deteriorating age and lack of strength  to carry on fulfilling his job to the best of his abilities (and I’m not that devoted to the institutional aspect of being a Catholic).

Others worry if the next pope will carry on the same conservative agenda  of his holiness. I wonder if such a rare occurrence as is a papal resignation will pave the way for the Catholic Church to take the time to asses it’s position on a series of issues that continue to characterize the institution as  behind with the current era.  This is probably something the Church should be assessing after a long rut and bad “PR” after a series of abuse accusations and a large discontent with the Church’s views on abortion and other controversial issues.

What I do know  Church officials are definitely worried about is what they’ll call Benedict after resignation. I don’t know but the name “Benedict” has clung to me quite affectionately; or it could just be that I am terrible with these  long biblical names. I’m also pretty sure that a large majority of Catholics isn’t too concerned with what we’ll call him or remember him by and more so with what on earth will happen next.

But anyway, on to another interesting note for the week: the large, nicely-wrapped (with a ribbon of fire and all!) meteor that came to visit us via Chelyabinsk, Russia on Friday. I personally am a believer that it was just the Universe‘s way of saying Happy Valentines, really ; and we all know the universe likes to do things in a big way (think Big Bang).  Thankfully of course, no one was killed.   

It’s still unbelievable though that something so out of this world like a meteoroid would come knocking on our doors so unexpectedly; the odds are as rare as the papal resignation. And, although this will be an interesting discovery for scientists to “get to know our fellow universe” a bit more, I find it quite odd that NASA (which has everything and everyone upstairs in the sky pretty much tracked down) did not expect this somehow or at least didn’t say so if they did.

Now when I knew 2013 would bring many things for us to discuss, my imagination was very far from imagining these kinds of things! Hmm, I guess we’ll know in the upcoming weeks how things will unfold. I know I’m secretly hoping to see cute  little green men step out of the mess that was left behind by the meteor and who knows! After the thing’s I’ve seen lately, it may just be possible.

Related articles

• Cartoon: Papal Resignation (englishblog.com)
• Pope Benedict XVI’s service, previous papal resignations and what happens now (telegraph.co.uk)
• Precedents for Papal Resignations (world.time.com)

Society Is Failing It’s Youth

It has been a little while since my last posts and hopefully I’ll manage to write as often as I’d like to from now on! However, seeing as this is my “comeback”, I thought I’d touch upon a topic young professionals and fellow youth can definitely relate to. I started this blog as a form of expressing my ideas and also as a result of being an ‘unemployed-bored-out-of-my-mind-frustrated-graduate’. Thus, it is fitting to provide ya’ll with an update on the topic.

Long months after a tiresome, brutal and quite confusing job hunting experience, I have learned from sources and my experience that society is actually failing its talent.  I recently came across a great (and concise, hooray!) article in the Los Angeles Times that touches upon this whole “30 is the new 20″ mentality kids apparently have these days. It did get me thinking: gee, are we pressured by society to “take it easy” and be “distracted” in our 20′s or post-college years, rather than focusing on the important stuff like…. getting our life together?

Meg Jay (the author) has a valid point  (founded in psychology, not just opinion) with respect to this and the fact that YES, we are getting  lazy (or picky) and perhaps,we do have it easy. Granted, in my defence,  I am the Type-A, super anxious personality that has been drafting a master “life-plan” since I could remember and I’m sure there are many like me out there! (Side note: my drafted  plan never works out the way I planned it, by the way)

However, I do agree with Jay and others that there is this overall “trend” moving toward taking it easy, still acting like a kid or thinking: heck, I can work student jobs and live the “at-home-with-my-parents-forever” life with ease until things get serious in my 30′s!  When I even compare to my parents generation and young people in other countries, they have had it much harder than a majority of young people today. Some of them have been struck by other factors like poverty, forcing them to skip the professional development stage and work any job to survive. I also agree with Jay’s approach, as opposed to other similar approaches, that the argument for kids to ‘stop slacking’ refers to using this time for overall growth.

The problems I do find with arguments like these are that many of those who advocate for this “tell your kids to get a job and start moving” idea fail to realize why the majority of 20-something-kids are still at home, are distracted and are appealing to this societal mentality of “30 is the new 20″. Not all young people are slacking because of this inherent concept that we are negligent and precious little princes and princesses;  to blame just us isn’t much of a strong  approach that reflects our societal reality accurately.

The reason for this? The fact that there are astronomical numbers of unemployed young professionals who can, if they’re lucky, aspire to work babysitting, “waitressing”, retail or “whatever is available” student jobs after college. Don’t get me wrong, no job is less or more than another, however, student part-time jobs forever isn’t my life-long career dream fulfilled.

Research shows that those who start their adult lives in hard times are inclined to believe that luck, not their own efforts, determines success. – Meg Jay, The L.A. Times

There are many reasons: the desperate state of the economy and the dim prospect of any significant recovery; the huge number of graduates still being churned out by our higher education institutions, scrabbling for student numbers in order to boost their funding. -Dominique Jackson, The Daily Mail UK

What this means is  that we cannot become financially independent or get too serious about establishing our lives because not only do our jobs (if we can even find them) not account for enough financial stability to get things moving, but we are bombarded with the pressures of an overly anxious and competitive society every day of our personal formation.  First we are told to get an education because this will somehow guarantee a better life and a better job prospect and after we are told to be careful what kinds of relationships we have at this age, because as you all know, the divorce rate after 5 years is quite high!

After we are told we MUST find the cure for cancer, win a Nobel prize and fly to space simultaneously before we reach our mid 30′s -40′s because by then all we’ll be good for is to prep our retirement savings plans and college funds for our future Einstein children who will pay twice as much tuition as we did. That’s  A LOT of pressure and A LOT of mixed societal messages that are as unrealistic as youth being  picky in today’s job market!

What’s worse? Even for the Type-A youth who wants to achieve as much as possible, there are so many barriers not accounted for in this theory and so much lack of truth in terms of the actual, current situation for  graduates that we can’t even dream of achieving our own immediate goals like having enough money to pay our cell phone bills at the end of each month before we’re thinking of other goals like fulfilling our biological clock on time or becoming the President before age 40.

I very much agree with most of the statements in the articles I’ve come across, however, for the rest who have this inaccurate view of the young persons’ reality, I ask: Why are young people blamed for being “distracted”? Why isn’t society blamed for not being honest and really focusing on the major issues like the high unemployment or extravagant tuition rates? Or, like the constant stigmas youth face by virtue of being “young and careless”?

Has it occurred to anybody (and this isn’t me justifying any slacking) that young people have to force themselves to believe 30 is the new 20 so they don’t live depressing, frustrated and mentally in-stable lives?; so that they can get through the “immense economic & lack of opportunity rut” they face in the Western world today? The way I see it, if I’m somewhat healthily “distracted” now and lucky enough to have family support, perhaps (at the rate this is going) by 40 , I’ll have gained something like a decent  permanent job and I’ll have kept my sanity in the process!

The Primary Source & Related Articles:

http://articles.latimes.com/2012/may/27/opinion/la-oe-adv-jay-grads-employment-20120527

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-2168685/Why-new-legions-unemployed-graduates-need-adjust-expectations.html#axzz2Kd0DJ0hP

http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/nation/story/2012-04-22/college-grads-jobless/54473426/1#.URW60yRAn0Y.email

http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/archives/53-percent-of-all-young-college-graduates-in-america-are-either-unemployed-or-underemployed

http://www.jamesaltucher.com/2011/01/10-more-reasons-why-parents-should-not-send-their-kids-to-college/

http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2012-01-14/business/35439759_1_college-students-student-loans-college-majors

Stephen Harper lists his government's priorities, doesn't say a word about aboriginals despite Idle No More movement

Reblogged from National Post | News:

• 

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Stephen Harper signalled Wednesday that the economy and criminal justice reform are at the heart of his government’s priorities, but improving the lives of aboriginals didn’t merit a single word in a speech to his MPs and senators.

The prime minister’s office allowed journalists in to the normally closed session of the Conservative caucus to hear Harper deliver an address about the upcoming session of Parliament.

Read more… 438 more words

I came across this article and was interested in blogging it and seeing what my readers thought. Personally, I thought it would be interesting to follow-up my previous "oppressed" theme with something related to the "Idle No More" movement. So far the opinions are mixed and both sides of the argument have interesting points to bring to the "debate". I wonder if the First Nations/Canada antagonism will be an everlasting problem for Canadians or if the government will finally begin to properly acknowledge their Federal duties provided for in our Constitution. To be fair (to the other side of the argument in question, of course), I wonder if those who argue that First Nations, whom don't pay taxes and largely depend on government assistance, while are also plagued with social issues should be given continuous concessions while technically, Canada has a large population of marginalized and disadvantaged groups. It was an interesting point that was brought up (in the comments provided beneath the digital article in the National Post) and while the tone was greatly discriminatory, it is a question that many ask themselves; leading thus, to my final question: when you have a group in a nation-state that has been historically exploited and abused, are you ever really done compensating as a democratic state?