Note to self:

Do not visit the Foundling Museum when missing the Jinker Boy.

[Image: Red heart token left by a woman with her baby when she turned it over to the Foundling Hospital]

Now

here is a man.

So our Keystone Cops provincial government

is now trying to scrap a successful, decades old early French immersion programme.

Le garçon de Jinker est très fâché.

Happy International Women’s Day, y’all!

[source]

Reading

Recently read John Banville’s Kepler. A beautiful novel, densely packed though short. It came out in 1999 and I can’t imagine it was too widely read, despite the laudatory reviews by various heavy hitters, because of its somewhat arcane subject. But passing it up because of a lack of familiarity with or interest in Kepler or early-modern astronomy would be a mistake; it is first and foremost about the impulse to knowledge. And if you had told me ahead of time that I would have felt so indulgent towards a person so oblivious to others, so self-absorbed, I would have snorted. But such was the case. And not because genius forgives all, because it doesn’t. Because this particular genius is amusing. I mean, what can you say about a surly scientist, aggravated beyond measure to have been deflected from his life’s work in order to deal with his mother’s having been accused (with some justification) of witchcraft? Another element I liked: Banville has no romantic illusions about how rough or difficult life was in 16thc Europe, but he demonstrates beauty, for all of that.

The word “beauty” has appeared twice in one short paragraph. Do you need to know more?

At the moment reading Isobel Grundy’s Lady Mary Wortley Montagu. Yes, it’s been on my shelf for some time but right now it’s Reading Week at UNBSJ and for the first time in I don’t know how long, we aren’t dashing down to New York. It’s a wonderful biography. Rich and well-researched as one would expect, of course, but I am most taken with Grundy’s authorial choices. She is fond of Montagu, certainly, but one senses because of her foibles rather than in spite of them, with the result that the reader (this reader) feels considerable trust. Also, she wears her learning lightly: it is there, and it is formidable, but her tone is so deft and at times even amused, that one is charmed as well as engaged. She even uses the first person — rare in biography, one would think — and without intruding herself, but rather, as a means to draw in the reader. I am enjoying it immensely (though I am at the part where the forty-something Montagu is chasing after a twenty-something young man and I just want to shake her. Lady Mary! He’s just a punk! You deserve better!)

I blame Alexander Pope.

Wonder

if Migrainelupe will help me? She looks like she understands migraines, what with that aura there, and the downcast eyes obviously indicating light sensitivity. I usually worship ice packs and Tylenol 3, but perhaps I should branch out.
(Migraine Chick made her with ImageChef).

Move along, nothing to see here,

just some links for a presentation on blogging and teaching I’m doing tomorrow.

Blogs in teaching

•  my pile o’ blogs

Blogging about teaching 

informal

• example of post about teaching situation and variety of responses: supportive, practical
• example of post about teaching philosophy and responses, and other posts/conversations (memes) it inspired: 1, 2, 3, 4, &c

more organized

• teaching carnival
• The Education Wonks with the Carnival of Education

Resources

• academic blog wiki
• Crooked Timber
• Weblogs in Higher Education
• my blog on blogging
• blogging at UNB
• blogging 101

File this under “don’t they have anything better to do?”

The Globe and Mail is conducting a poll which asks whether or not Dr. Henry Morgentaler should recieve the Order of Canada. The anti-choice are out clicking in force and the results are, so far, 87% against.

I know

there have been various controversies over Facebook, but after having a wonderful evening last weekend with an old high-school friend I hadn’t seen for decades, I could care less about all that. Security, piffle! I Facebook because it enabled me to get back in touch with a very dear friend. We talked, we laughed, we discovered, disconcertingly, that we remembered parallel universes but the old comfort with each other is still there for all that.

[And I know he's probably found this blog. Hi! Are your ears burning?]

Addendum (Feb 15/08): more persuasive anti-Facebook arguments.

Another reason to finish that doctorate, ladies:

In a recent study, Statistics Canada found that according to data in the 2001 Census, a female doctorate holder earned 77 cents for every dollar a male doctorate holder earned. Women earn 71 cents for every dollar earned by men in the general workforce. (Via Dale Kirby)