Most recent publication....Jinha, A. E. (2010) Article 50 million: An estimate of the number of scholarly articles in existence. Published July 2010 in Learned Publishing ... Full-text to pre-publication version.

Ever feel like negativity isn't really realism, as negative people claim, but just cynicism? Cynicism is the other side of the coin from the naivete that the disappointed cynic recoils from as they try to overcome the fact that they themselves fell prey to unrealistic expectations about how the world should work. It's the other side, because it is just as full of fantasy about the world as naivete is.

The leaders we have now, and the media, both realize the currency involved with promoting this new language of failure that now dominates global discourse. It has been uncritically imbibed by the academic world, who mistake this language of failure for critical thinking. For the media, it is to feed on our sense of voyeurism into the darker side of humanity, the same that causes us to be intrigued by an accident on the road - a 'rubber-necking' that extends the shock value and leaves us paralyzed for constructive action.

A wise decision would be to ask Michaëlle Jean to continue for another term as Governor-General. She has the skills to communicate the symbolic and public relations role of the GG. At a time in history where this can make an actual difference in Canada's human connection to the ordinary people in some of the hardest hit countries in the world, and particularly to our sister country Haiti, I find it hard to understand why we wouldn't want to retain her if she wants to continue in this role. It is not unusual for a term to be renewed and I am disappointed to hear unconfirmed reports that the PM will not. My only theory is that when a boss undermines the integrity of an office with self-serving politics, as Prime Minister Harper has done with his 2 requests for prorogation, they will feel the need to change the individual in that position at every opportunity.

In the 21st century, where money becomes almost universally required to obtain the necessities of life, the endowment of basic capital as a birthright for all human beings through a system of constitutionally guaranteed citizen banking, gauranteed living income and access to microcredit is necessary both to end poverty and the corruption of aid, and to stabilize the global monetary system. This is possible as globalization creates one closed economy, as opposed to a collection of (relatively) 'open' economies.

I wish to draft a paper on this subject. Ideas? contact me

Recession and Stimulus Spending: A Preliminary Examination of Stimulus Spending on Affordable Housing in Ontario

by Arif Jinha

Full text published by CPRN - Canadian Policy Research Networks.

It's from my wordpress blog ICTa2K4D Communications for Development, but you can find it - http://stratongina.net/aggregator or at arifjinha.wordpress.com

It was a post to Budapest Open Access Initiative Forum, looking forward to a future of an open global information system for knowledge, and starting now with the best business model for journal publishing.

arif

I wrote this a few years ago and was just laughing at it, posting it again for your enjoyment.

arif

The Great Invisible Big Toe

Working in a large University, as an agent of change at the lower end of the pole, I made the following observation: the Law of the Giant Invisible Toe.

Those at the upper end of the pole can have enormous toes, the larger they are the more invisible they are so you don't know if you will step on one.

Those at the bottom working for change cannot see the toes, and since they are large they step on them.

Stepping on these toes causes a reaction. The reaction is usually overstated given that these are small toes that are stepping on big ones.

Those with small toes at the bottom end of pole rarely get stepped on, when they do they are not allowed to do anything about it.

Thus the Law is that the small toes are not permitted to step on the big ones, which are invisible. But it is hardly noticed when the big ones step on the small ones.

This is the proof of concept for a podcast by the very talented Kasey, at Skills Link Smiths Falls. here it is!

Enjoy!

There is supposedly good news about the economy (if you're a rat in a maze like most economists seem to be), that it's going to grow next year.

Lest we forget what condition we were in before Wall Street's 'the parents are away, let's have an open house party' deregulated greed fiasco thrust us into this recession. This idea of bank deregulation, coupled with powerful private money too cozy with government officials meant that the 'crony capitalism' and bad lending that was behind the unproductive bursting bubble of the Asian crisis were lessons not learned at all. Well maybe now there's something, Alan Greenspan, the guy in charge and veritable god of finance until recently actually admitted he was wrong. It's insane to keep doing the same thing, when you get disaster over and over again.

But anyway, before the recession.

Real wages have stood still against inflation since the 1970s.
EI benefits were tightened along with eligibility.