in the spirit of openness: million dollar baby?

the author of this blog post is allegedly being sued for one million dollars:

http://uofowatch.blogspot.com/2011/02/did-professor-joanne-st-lewis-act-as.html

i'm reproducing it here because a million dollars is worth some debate, right?

so debate it.

integrity?? what?? what's that?

more on the fulcrum/frank appleyard/allan rock debacle!! this shit is so messed up.

apparently the newest issue of the fulcrum came out today and the paper didn't even cover its own scandal!! talk about missing a sweet, sweet opportunity to have the inside scoop!!

but, they also tried to cover their asses on this whole "we work for allan rock" thing by including this:

it's kind of hard to read, but basically it says that they found a typo in their consitution and so their disgraced and so their business manager, frank appleyard, is in technical breach of the constitution.

but here's the best part:

"In an effort to clarify its [conflict of interest] policy, the Society is in the process of making amendments to the Constitution..."

what the motherfucking fuck yo!? they're CHANGING the constitution so that this dickface doesn't get into trouble?! after he obviously broke the rules, reported biased news, and took orders from university administrators instead of acting with any journalistic integrity?!

they got it right at u of o watch then they wrote:

"Why not just state that Appleyard had a peanut butter stain on his copy of the Constitution when he accepted the job under Rock while he was Business Manager of the Fulcrum and that Rock forgot that he was no longer a Liberal MP."

it's true. they should have gone a more honest route to subverting the rules. this is ridiculous and hilarious, what a joke the fulcrum has become.

you can read more on uofowatch

allan rock... you in trouuuuble.

we've written about allan rock a few times and about the denis rancourt saga at the university of ottawa.

well this week on uofowatch blog they've disclosed even MORE crazy information.

according to uofowatch:

"The Ombudsman of the Fulcrum Publishing Society (FPS), Mr. Mahdi Darius Nazemroaya, has released a damning interim report about journalistic and editorial mistreatment of former physics professor Denis Rancourt by the student newspaper The Fulcrum. reported breaches of professional journalistic ethics by staff and journalists at The Fulcrum (U of O student newspaper) regarding Fulcrum staff and journalist treatment of former U of O physics professor Denis Rancourt."

very well documented, the two posts (which you can read here and here) have apparently upset the staffer in question who is now threatening to sue professor rancourt (you can read that one here).

what is actually ridiculous is not that the indiscretion happened in the first place, because student newspapers and politics are seedy dealings always, but that this frank appleyard character is even considering suing professor rancourt. a fulcrum journalist was hired to SPY on professor rancourt and now this dude is acting like somehow being a student journalist automatically makes his character impeccable? someone we're all supposed to be like "what?! a student newspaper has bias practises and shitty ethics? well i never!!"

you can read the actual report on bias here and decide for yourself, but it just sounds to me like this is another instance of the university of ottawa getting caught doing something really stupid that they can't hide anymore.

and you know what, they can say whatever they want about professor rancourt, but really they're just pissed off that he makes them work for it.

the university of ottawa: it's kind of like the borg.. only less sexy.

Sometimes when you're a student and you stand up for what you believe in while simultaneously insisting on transparency and accountability within your institution, you get suspended/expelled/arrested/charged/deregistered from school/told to change universities.

Such is the case of Marc Kelly vs. the University of Ottawa(and Allan Rock, presiding douchebag extrordinaire).

Originally, Marc was expelled from a physics project course by the u of o faculty of science after a "behind closed door" decision, who argued that his project was not physics. this led to a broader discrimination case. since November 2008 Marc Kelly has been arrested and re-arrested, then arrested again.

Marc was recently asked to leave the University of Ottawa and finish his degree elsewhere. even though the Crown decided to drop all charges against Marc he was denied registration at the University of Ottawa and banned from campus. he was arrested this week on campus, buying tea.

Below is a video of his recent arrest and you can read, in detail, about Marc/academic freedom/the University of Ottawa here--> u of o watch.

Getting arrested in January and being forced down into the snow, not so much fun.