New research shows that poor Canadians are twice as likely to die as affluent Canadians 10 years after suffering a heart attack despite having similar access to quality medical care. The striking difference in mortality hinges on the capacity of wealthier patients to exercise….”All the research indicates that once you know somebody’s poor, it doesn’t matter if they’re overweight or physically active in terms of the predictability of getting coronary heart disease,” said York University Professor Dennis Raphael in The Globe and Mail June 3. Raphnael has written extensively on the effect of income and poverty on health, particularly diabetes. Read full story.
Turkish protest: Think Tehran in 2009, not an Arab Spring
“In the aftermath of the Arab Spring, Turkey was often seen as the model for a democracy in the Muslim world. The economic policies of the current government of Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Islamic Fundamentalist party AKP have been praised widely in the West, just last week again by star-economist Jeffrey Sachs. So, where is the uprising coming from?” wrote Dirk Matten, the Hewlett-Packard chair in corporate social responsibility at York University’s Schulich School of Business, in The Globe and Mail June 3. Read full story.
Reading literature makes us smarter and nicer
Gregory Currie recently argued in the New York Times that we ought not to claim that literature improves us as people, because there is no “compelling evidence that suggests that people are morally or socially better for reading Tolstoy” or other great books, reported Time Magazine June 3. Actually, there is such evidence. Raymond Mar, a psychologist at York University, and Keith Oatley, a professor emeritus of cognitive psychology at the University of Toronto, reported in studies published in 2006 and 2009 that individuals who often read fiction appear to be better able to understand other people, empathize with them and view the world from their perspective….A 2010 study by Mar found a similar result in young children. Read full story.
Just how public are a public official’s files?
“A recent decision by Ontario’s privacy watchdog missed an opportunity to clarify the law on just how public a public official’s records ought to be,” wrote John Mascarin, adjunct professor at York University’s Osgoode Hall Law School, in the Lawyer’s Weekly June 7 issue. “A Toronto Star reporter had sought access under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA) to the communications of a councillor that related to his efforts to secure a National Football League team for Toronto. The city responded that no such records existed in its offices and that council members are not subject to MFIPPA.” Read full story.
Polish students design best Mars rover of 2013
In the rugged desert landscape of southern Utah, 7.5 miles from the nearest town, 10 student teams competed in the Mars Society’s annual University Rover Challenge, reported Space.com June 3…. The defending champions from York University in Toronto had brought their MakerBot 3-D printer. It hummed along in a corner of the bathroom for hours making replacement parts for the rover’s robotic arm. Many teams used 3-D printed parts, and judge Anne Andersen, a biologist from Utah State University, said that 3-D printing will become as important an invention to the world as the transistor. Read full story.
Canadian Stage presents Shakespeare in High Park, 6/26
For the first time in more than 20 years, Canadian Stage presents two Shakespearean productions at the High Park Amphitheatre, Macbeth and The Taming of the Shrew….Directed by York University MFA program graduates Ker Wells and Ted Witzel, respectively, the productions are presented by Canadian Stage in collaboration with York University’s Department of Theatre….”Performed by an incredible company of actors in a stunning outdoor setting and helmed by the inaugural graduates of York’s MFA program in stage direction in collaboration with Canadian Stage, there will be reason to come back for more,” said Canadian Stage Artistic & General Director Matthew Jocelyn. Read full story.