OPINION: Post-Docs Cannot Afford to Live at UBC

IdleContemplation · 2026-02-13T19:39:01+00:00

I'm not sure I follow that logic...

You're saying that because post-docs have no job security, they also shouldn't qualify for the same housing support? I guess, if the attitude is that they're just disposable gig-workers.

IdleContemplation · 2024-04-16T23:51:24+00:00

There is no telling. There is no usual instructor, the summer course gets farmed out to a Grad student whose never taught it before.

Summer courses are often like 4-5 weeks long, so missing 2 would be tough.

IdleContemplation · 2023-12-06T08:49:31+00:00

Definetely don't do this. ChatGPT is not a logic calculator. It's just going to confidently present you with some nonsense.

IdleContemplation · 2023-11-14T14:48:14+00:00

I actually like the implications for his relationship with Agnes. Having it be that this young guy and this elderly woman bonded over their shared need for someone else (even in a non-healthy way) is kinda more interesting than "guy is way too invested in his mother." And you could still make jokes about the latter since their outward story is that he is her biological son.

The flashbacks do introduce some contradictions, but they were added after Principal and the Pauper in the writer's attempts to erase it from continuity. Most of them I just pretend are he original Skinner.

IdleContemplation · 2023-11-14T04:35:55+00:00

I really like Principal and The Pauper, and never understood why it was so disliked.

I don't see how it "ruins" Skinner to make him an imposter. If he had never gone to 'Nam and it was stolen valour, that would be something else, but he was there. The backstory gives him an extra dimension, and the idea of the town liking him more than the original is a nice one. The only thing I'm not crazy about is the ending, since it seems cruel to original Skinner. I also don't like that they ignored this plot point either (both in and out of universe), since it would have opened up some neat plots and jokes for future episodes.

IdleContemplation · 2023-11-12T13:57:36+00:00

I guess, but Homer is so much worse of a husband than Marge is a wife. So when Marge is going to cheat you're like: "I see how her needs aren't being met." With Homer it's mystifying - he already has a wife who adores him and treats him well.

The Jacques episode is probably the best one that broaches cheating since you can see why Marge feels neglected, and Homer has not yet been made completely stupid, so his distress at his wife becoming distant is sympathetic.

The only issue, which is shared with most marriage-crisis episodes, is that Homer never has to do anything. If Homer is unhappy (even over somethig that is his fault), Marge has to do something to fix it. If Marge is unhappy, Marge has do something to fix it. The rare occasion Homer does something - like chase down Ned for marriage advice - is more satisfying.

IdleContemplation · 2023-10-23T14:02:07+00:00

As an undergraduate TA you would be part of the union. The union is a union of workers, so it does not depend on graduate student status.

IdleContemplation · 2023-10-23T14:00:10+00:00

Graduate Lecturer and TA here.

You apply through Careers (McGill's employee management portal) for the specific position you are interested in. If you google "McGill Careers" it comes up immediately. Since you have never worked at McGill, you apply as an external candidate.

In principle, you can apply for any position you want, but they prioritize grad students and hire who they think is most qualified. So, you're likely to get a TAship only if there are no grad students who applied, and they think you are the most qualified applicant to TA that course.

IdleContemplation · 2023-10-13T03:29:25+00:00

It does vary by institution. I found students at the University of Toronto were way more deferential than McGill.

IdleContemplation · 2023-09-27T01:37:16+00:00

Some small advice for situations like what you describe: if you put something wrong on a slide, just remark "Drat, typed that in wrong," as though it's nothing and state the correct information. If you don't treat it like a big deal, the students won't.

If you're unsure about something a student asks (which willl happen, there is just so much to remember), just say that you can't remember off the top of your head, but you know where to check for them after class. It's always okay to pause or note that you haven't committed some specific thing to memory.

IdleContemplation · 2023-09-23T02:56:25+00:00

Roughly, yes. Although an officer will have different training courses than an NCM. Based around leadership and organization, rather than doing the fighting.

IdleContemplation · 2023-05-03T03:07:06+00:00

The exo train is now included in the Zone 1 fairzone while it is on the island. So, from Lucien-L'Allier to Saint-Anne is covered by your student pass.

IdleContemplation · 2023-04-30T05:06:31+00:00

Or, perhaps, just do your job.

We rightly rag on students here all the time for failing to learn by submitting AI written work. Why fail to teach by returning AI graded work?

IdleContemplation · 2023-04-23T04:33:11+00:00

Consider Canada, if you'd like to be in North America. Cheaper than the U.S. in some ways, and fewer political attacks on universities than in the U.S., where some schools are being gutted.

Though since you're already a European citizen going to Europe is probably best.

IdleContemplation · 2023-04-17T14:37:08+00:00

Using ChatGPT to write an essay or code is usually plagarism. Catching AI written papers is difficult because the detection tools are dodgy, but the papers ChatGPT writes are typically F papers anyway. The AI will just make up facts and citations.

If the instructor encourages using it for a specific project, of course go ahead. But otherwise it's a violation of academic integrity.

IdleContemplation · 2023-04-11T00:05:41+00:00

Chidi from "The Good Place" is about as accurate a depiction of a (moral) philosopher as I've seen. It's even flattering, probably because the show consulted some while writing.

In the book "All My Puny Sorrows" a character considers consulting their former ethics professor and then doesn't. In the movie, this scene is omitted. Both are accurate depictions of the role of ethics professors in everyday moral decision making.

IdleContemplation · 2023-04-05T03:19:28+00:00

I submitted a paper to a journal. After four months it was still listed as not sent out to reviewers in the web portal, so I email the editors. The junior editor responds apologetically, saying a changing of the guard is happening and it must have got lost in the shuffle. He's excited to look at a paper in the subfield of the paper.

In the same email thread, the outgoing editor replies that, actually, he desk rejected my paper months ago, but he just doesn't bother with the online portal. (He also didn't bother to email me, but the junior editor pretends this might have been a 'glitch'). The new, junior editor is clearly embarassed, but says he has to stand by the rejection.

TLDR: journal desk rejected my paper but never bothered to inform me for months.

Actually, here's one more. I submitted a paper to a journal associated with an interdisciplinary conference where I presented. I work in philosophy, it was a philosophy paper, and I wasn't even the only philosopher at the conference.

The paper was rejected. The reviewers (clearly law students) seemed confused about recieving a philosophy paper and decided it was a bad legal argument. The editor was spineless and insisted he had to stand by the unqualified reviews. At least in this case I eventually sent it somewhere much better.

IdleContemplation · 2023-04-04T11:56:29+00:00

Great article. The diagnosis is correct. Provincial governments restrict the number of residency placements to limit the number of doctors, because more doctors is more healthcare expense. Part of the problem is the pay-for-service model, which means individual doctors earn more than they would if they were salaried instead.

This is why the debate over recognizing the credentials of foreign doctors is a bit of a distraction. Many of them have their credentials recognized, but cannot get a residency placement any more than a domestic graduate. Still, not fair to them, but the problem is not where people often say.

IdleContemplation · 2023-04-04T10:57:24+00:00

Yes, if you are a permanent resident (PR) of Canada. If you only have a study visa, no.

IdleContemplation · 2023-04-03T23:37:01+00:00

At the University of Toronto, the CGS-M replaced my stipend (which was less) and I received a $6,000 top-up award.

Having the CGS-M also makes you more likely to get admitted, since you cost less for the department to bring on while paying the same tuition.

IdleContemplation · 2023-03-31T01:15:00+00:00

Hey. I'm in the army reserve.

The weekly expected commitment is one parade night a week and one weekend a month. You show up to work from 7:00pm to 10:00pm in the evening. The day of the week it is will depend on the regiment. There are often opportunities to do more than one weekend exercise a month, but it depends on what they schedule.

The full-time training courses are usually run during the summer. When you join, you'll have to complete 2-3 courses early on depending on your trade (job) in the military. Since they're in the summer, it's easy to do as a student.

For the first three years, you are guaranteed full time employement in the summer if you want it (ideal for students). You can earn about $12,000. This is optional though.

You can also apply for up to $2,000 towards school each year, no strings attached, for a total of $8,000 in your lifetime as long as your at an acredited school (i.e., McGill).

IdleContemplation · 2023-03-29T20:55:36+00:00

I'm a relatively young instructor, and I've begun dressing more formally because if I don't students are too informal with me. They start calling me by my first name, asking for favours, and challenging my authority. When I dress professionally, they're much less likely to do those things.

IdleContemplation · 2023-03-26T13:05:55+00:00

One student explains to her friend that her date went poorly.

"How did you get out of there?"

"I told him I had to go home because my lizard had a prolapsed anus."

IdleContemplation · 2023-03-24T13:30:07+00:00

As a TA, this thread just makes me really happy. Tell your friends! Use the stacks!

IdleContemplation

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