You know you’ve been at the books too long when @jstor becomes a part of your sex life.
Evolution of JSTOR and chill
This is all I need from the Internet today. Well done, internet.

Origami Around
Aqua Utopia|海の底で記憶を紡ぐ
KIROKAZE

ellievsbear

JBB: An Artblog!
d e v o n

@theartofmadeline

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shark vs the universe
styofa doing anything

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wallacepolsom

roma★

JVL
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Misplaced Lens Cap
I'd rather be in outer space 🛸

Product Placement

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ojovivo

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@bradevoy-blog
You know you’ve been at the books too long when @jstor becomes a part of your sex life.
Evolution of JSTOR and chill
This is all I need from the Internet today. Well done, internet.
TORONTO REPORTBACK: PEGIDA had a very, very rough reception at their second attempt to hold a rally in Canada. It turns out that when you advertise an Islamophobic pep rally in the city with the largest Muslim population in the country, people are going to take notice. And your banner is going to get snatched! More details to follow. GREAT WORK TORONTO ANTIFA!
An excellent demo sending fascists right on out of Queen’s Park!
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My Life These Days
Let’s Talk OISE.
Me and Academia
And this (long) April Fools is Over... Hey folks,
So, as you might have noticed I have changed the name of my blog from The Academicist to Towers Other Than Ivory.
Reminiscence
Hi folks!
You know, it’s been around four years since I finished up by Bachelor’s Degree in Historical Studies and, in turn, my time at the Grenfell Campus Student Union. Good times, those. However, something did cross my mind of late that I wanted to share...
Terry, Robert, Brittany, Jodie et al:
I have not forgotten. I will have my revenge. There may be... balloons. :D
All the best, - Brad.
Timeline on Post-Program Funding and Fees at UofT
1991: The “NDP government faced with extreme fiscal pressures from the 1991 recession identified funding for postsecondary education and the shifting of costs from the provincial treasury to students as a path of less resistance in its struggle to bring the deficit under control. Students’ share of the costs of postsecondary education had begun to increase even prior to the 1995 election”.[1]
Early 1990s: The Ontario Council of Graduate Studies releases its white paper document, Toward a Graduate Tuition Fee Policy for Ontario Universities. “This paper recommends the dismantling of the present residency/post-residency tuition fee schedule, where after a certain period of time in university, usually three semesters in a master's degree and six semesters in a doctorate degree, you pay tuition fees 40% of what you would normally pay. What they're recommending is that all universities move to a maximum tuition for every semester of graduate school by 1995-96”.[2]
April 29th 1992: GSU Council passes the following motion…[4]
BIRT the GSU Council categorically reject the proposed removal of the Post Program fee differential, and do everything in our power to prevent it .
May 11th 1992: By this time, administration had already eliminated the post-programme fee which was 40% of full tuition, for students in their post-residency period, and raised it to full, 100% tuition. The University of Toronto was the first university to do so in the province. [4]
1993: Following the recommendations of OCGS and the lead of UofT, other universities in Ontario begin to end post-residency/program fees, including York University.
December 13, 1994: GSU Council passes the following motion… [4]
BIRT the Council of the GSU applaud the Administration of the U of T for committing 82.5% of new revenue from both the 1994/95 tuition increase and the elimination of the post-program fee differential to graduate assistance and scholarships. BIFRT the Council of the GSU recognize that the Governing Council of the U of T has enshrined this practice in policy. BIFRT the Council of the GSU call upon the Administration of the U of T and the Governing Council of the U of T to commit the U of T to dedicating at least 82.5% of the revenue from all future increases to graduate tuition to graduate assistance and scholarships. BIFRT the Council of the GSU call upon the Admin. of the U of T and the Governing Council of the U of T to commit the U of T to dedicating at least 82.5% of the revenue generated from the elimination of post-program fees to a post-program scholarship fund to create fellowships for students in all of their post-program years of research. BIFRT this post-program fellowship not be restricted to the first two years of a student’s post-program research.
October 31 1996: The provincial government struck a committee called “The Advisory Panel on Future Directions for Postsecondary Education”.The GSU Council approved our submission to the panel which included the recommendation: [4]
6. That a reduced post-program fee for graduate students be re-introduced.
1997: The University Task Force on Tuition and Student Financial Aid recommended to the University to provide all doctoral stream students with full support for four years.[3]
December 1999: The recommendations of the task force were unmet, but Provost Sedra and others began to build The Task Force on Graduate Student Funding, which would also discuss post-program fees. The decision to move in this direction is influenced heavily by CUPE workers on campus and by the advocacy of the UTGSU.[3]
January 3, 2000: CUPE 3902 Strike begins, raising attention on the issue of graduate student funding.
May 2000: The Report of The Task Force on Graduate Student Funding is released. One of its recommendations is to implement the graduate funding package. Instead of re-adopting post-program fees, the Task Force recommends post-4 (year) bursaries (ie. Doctoral Completion Grants; DCG) to off-set costs for students who would require them. The report notes:
In 1999, the Graduate Students’ Union (GSU) proposed the creation of a reduced tuition fee regime or a post-4 fee to help offset the financial pressures on students in these years. As the data examined earlier in this report indicate, students in this group received considerably less funding, an average of $7,159/year as compared with $16,373/year for a student in years 1 – 4 (data exclusive of OISE/UT and Medicine). The proposal was for students in years 5, 6, and 7 of their PhD programs to receive an as-of-right bursary of $2,500. With approximately 1,000 PhD students in this category, the cost to the university of the bursary is $2.5 million. The Task Force invited feedback from the university community on the advisability of introducing a post-4 bursary, and received numerous responses.
2008: The graduate funding package is increased, following UTGSU lobbying and activism, alongside actions taken by CUPE.
2010: Following discussions with the UTGSU to review the DCG, the School of Graduate Studies—under Dean Brian Corman—and Provost Cheryl Misak unilaterally dissolve the DCG and create the Doctoral Completion Award (DCA), a merit-based bursary that does not comply with the original purpose set out by the Task Force Report as an alternative to post-residency fees.
2012: Following great acrimony and debate, the School of Graduate Studies determines to allow academic departments to use funds allotted for doctoral completion to, based on their own metrics and consultations, use either a system of DCAs or DCGs. As well, following CUPE 3902’s latest round of bargaining, a new Provostial Committee on Graduate Student Financial Support is created.
2014: The report of PCGSFS is approved by all parties, but UTGSU and CUPE leave the committee following due to the inability of the administration to discuss matters around post-program fees. PCGSFS Report: http://www.provost.utoronto.ca/public/reports/pcgsfs.htm UTGSU/3902 Response: https://www.utgsu.ca/2013/06/14/student-recommendations-on-the-provostial-committee-on-graduate-student-financial-support/
[1] Legislative Assembly of Ontario. Committee Transcripts: Standing Committee on Social Development - Student Assistance. Toronto, May 11, 1992 . http://www.ontla.on.ca/web/committee-proceedings/committee_transcripts_details.do?locale=en&Date=1992-05-11&ParlCommID=500&BillID=&Business=Student+Assistance&DocumentID=17816
[2] Hugh Mackenzie, FUNDING POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION IN ONTARIO: BEYOND THE PATH OF LEAST RESISTANCE. Toronto: The Ontario Coalition for Postsecondary Education, December 2004. http://ocufa.on.ca/wordpress/assets/funding_postsecondary.pdf
[3] Governing Council Minutes, December 1999.
[4] All references are found in the appropriate date in the UTGSU General Council Minutes.
Painting a Canvass
Or, all the things I wish people would stop doing to door canvassers.
Top 5 Reasons to Divest from & Sue Barrick Gold! $ABX #Barrick #Gold #suebarrick #cdnpoli #cdnmining http://thndr.it/1CsBVH8
Mario against fascism!
Ukraine, Kiev
2013
BY MR. CARSTEN : Q. What about the: "...IT HAS BEGUN..." A. That is, I think, to be honest, a fairly accurate statement, but also, if you look at the emoticon... if we're going to, like, get into this, like, level of granularity, I want you to look at the emoticon, and I want to be very clear about it. It is not a smiley face. It is a colon with an S. A colon with an S generally is a face of uncertainty, a face of... I wouldn't say necessarily... Q. We'll have experts on this at the application. A. I'm sure, I'm sure, but it is by no means an expression of joy. Rather, the: "...IT HAS BEGUN..." Is representative of the undertaking that this begins. It begins this process, and it creates, I think, for me personally, a sense of the realization of the level of work that I would have to be involved in as per the documents that are before you. The processes that this opens are heavy undertakings, and to note that, "IT HAS BEGUN," would be the case. Q. Okay. A. It is...that is how I read my writing there, and it is how to read...
From Cross-Examination with Tudor Carstern (CFS-O counsel) and I. May 2014. Highlight: Top Quips of my Year.
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In the end, the struggle of the past year has been great. This has been, without question, the best worst year of my life. In it, I have lost much--many friends, many acquaintances, and my sense of peace with whole parts of my past. This is the cost of my life here in Toronto, as I've lived it. I regret not of it. But... but, I recognize what it is for what it is. That is loss and that is the consequence of standing firm in belief. But, I regret nothing.
Still, this year has been one of great joy. While I depleted so much of myself to get there, I am freed from despair--finding both love and vindication waiting for me here. These are things I'd thought, both, might be out of reach. But, apparently not.
The chapter I closed months ago, finally sealed, perhaps? I do hope so, I feel so. Life from here feels like its taking a new direction (hopefully one with podcasts) and one that I know could well set the pace of whole new sections of life. That's a scary, deep kind of exciting. Particularly that parts that involve the love of my life (and, in case you're reading that, I mean that entirely). So many roads ahead, all of them brighter than before.
If everything this year has been has led me to many more years of that... well then, perhaps it was worth it after all. :) I think so.
All the best, - Brad.
So, normally around this time of year, I'm writing a lot about things for the year--feelings and that kind of stuff. And, while that's nice and all, I've only had one project on my mind lately (outside of work, school, and general survival--as essential as those projects are): I really, really want to do a podcast again. It might be vanity or general silliness, but I love podcasting. I've experimented with it a few times (some of which I will never in my life ever stake my actual name to--high school--thank god), but ever since forging a radio-doc. piece on free education for a class at OISE, it's been kicking around in my brain more loudly than usual.
I can't tell you how many community-campus radio stations and podcasting platforms I've been culling over to see if I could do something like that. But, I'm a humble human and know I can't set out to forge such a project alone. That'd be: 1.) too much work for me to sustain, 2.) kind of boring (working with others is fun, y'all).
And yeah, while I like to talk about the esoteric sometimes (ie. student politics, canadian history, the Internet, and other stuff) I really want to get back into a thing like that, forge a structure, and get something going... with a consistent structure and uploading.
So, yeah, this is a thing I want to do. Make it happen, 2015. You're on notice, year.
Some Laidback Recommendations
Hey folks,
So on a whim, I've decided to write a blog post of three solid recommendations of... well, stuff. Just go with it, ok? I don't ask much of you, really. And if you're already reading this for the cynicism and political soapboxing, then you won't mind a bit of fun.
1. ) Aivi Tran & Steven "surasshu" Velema
So, if you hadn't guessed, I'm a fan of the cartoon Steven Universe. Because I can get away with that unironically. Anyways, in addition to some solid art direction, the show is capped off with a great score provided by the folks noted above. The pair's work on Steven Universe (which can be found here) and on their own album is just a splendid treat for the ears, friends.
2. ) Bad Machinery and the Bobbinsverse
John Allison's Bad Machinery is a fantastic webcomic. He describes it as such:
Bad Machinery tells the stories of three schoolgirl sleuths and three schoolboy investigators, attending Griswalds Grammar School in Keane End, Tackleford. While not exactly enemies, a mixture of pride, mistrust and pig-headedness keep them at cross purposes.
The whole ongoing story is really, well, just a boatload of fun with an injection of mystery and comedy. Also, the whole thing is part of the wider Bobbinsverse (but this series can indeed be read solo).
3. ) Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
Woah. This show could well have been an HBO-funded retread of the Daily Show with one of their more popular correspondents, but dang is this show sharp. Oliver brings his A-game to a show that consistently casts its eye more broadly than its friends and competitors -- with a focus on the world beyond a centering in American political dynamics. It's genuinely one of the best shows in the genre, already!
Anyways, that's enough for now. Hope that was fun. Also, if you're looking for image sources, click the image.
All the best, - Brad.
One Reason I'm not a Marxist
So, this might come as a surprise, but I'm not particularly Marxist. I mean, as an academic I am certainly Marxian and cannot deny the influence of broadly Marxist thinking in my own -- that is all the case. But, I'm not a Marxist politically. While I've dabbled in such theory, my socialism isn't really Marxist (for reasons I'll get to).
See, I was reminded about this line of thought recently. My friend David -- as is his want to do when things intersect with the PSE sector -- sent me an article on the recent critiques of 'destructive innovation' by Jill Lepore and of those responding to her (like Christopher Newfield). Now, Lepore's critiques of said economic theory and its key proponent Clayton M. Christensen can be best put one of the closing paragraphs. Herein, Lepore states:
Disruptive innovation is a theory about why businesses fail. It’s not more than that. It doesn't explain change. It’s not a law of nature. It’s an artifact of history, an idea, forged in time; it’s the manufacture of a moment of upsetting and edgy uncertainty. Transfixed by change, it’s blind to continuity. It makes a very poor prophet.
I think, though, the one expansion I'd make on this point is that the failures of the capitalistic theory of Christensen is yet another example of 'progress narrative' failing. Said example stands to serve as a warning against attempting to use the past (and the study of history) as the basis of predictive theory.
Now, mind you, Lepore demolishes Christensen for cherry-picking and shortsightedness in his determination of examples to back his theory, but this doesn't detract from the generality of such a warning. This is not the milieu solely of shoddy craftsmen, but indeed many historians and political theorists.
Upon reading Margaret MacMillan's The Uses and Abuses of History (see a video from 2009 with MacMillan about it), my long suspicions as a historian (and lover of historiography) of such narratives were crystallized, As one reviewer put it, MacMillan highlights that "[i]f there is one thing that unites people of all backgrounds, it is an ability to get history seriously wrong". It's an excellent book and I'd recommend it to anyone looking for an introduction to these subjects.
And this brings us back to Marx. Marx, like Christensen (albeit, much, much more successfully) brings forth an intensive theory that is based in a historical narrative. The notion of the 'End of History'.as it were and the ultimate triumph to a final state of the human condition, while laudable in its idealism, is indeed foolish.
Francis Fukuyama (another who engages in such theorizing), explains the Hegelian and Marxist notion of the end of history well:
This did not mean that the natural cycle of birth, life, and death would end, that important events would no longer happen, or that newspapers reporting them would cease to be published. It meant, rather, that there would be no further progress in the development of underlying principles and institutions, because all of the really big questions had been settled.
Now, if one is to condemn Christensen and embrace (at least some) of the perspective of folks like MacMillan, how can one truly be a Marxist either? What is described above is a fundamental principle of said whole school of theory and, as I reject such a principle, I can never be a Marxist.
Instead, I look to understand the past and theorize about the immediate present, so that I and others can step into a future that can be built not according to some iron laws that guide the spirit of human development, but by collective choice. I think that's a brighter view of the world, in the end.
All the best, - Brad.
The Toronto G20 Summit of June 26-27, 2010, hosted by Stephen Harper, was an incredibly expensive undertaking that resulted in massive human rights violations against members of the public at the hands of the police. Despite this, politicians refuse to call a full public inquiry and hold police—as...
HA managed to squeeze one in. Here you go, Adam!
I hope to do more detailed ones later, they are so fun. BUTTERDUCK HOW ADORABLE IS THAT NAME.
The only proper response to this is... Weepindos.
You're welcome. http://pokemon.alexonsager.net/70/145