Thomas Klassen is a successful York University professor of political science who lectures hundreds of students. But when it comes to using the telephone, his lifelong stutter comes to the fore, reported the Toronto Sun Feb. 20. . . . When his twins entered kindergarten in 2010, he asked their principal if he could communicate with their teachers via e-mail rather than by telephone. It didn’t seem like an outlandish request – it’s a ubiquitous means of communication and Klassen exchanges e-mails with his university students all the time. But he found that Ontario’s public schools remain stuck in the pen-and-paper age. Read full story.
Georgina candidate challenges others to eliminate corporate, union donations
Rev. Jim Keenan, who is running for the Ward 5 seat in Georgina, is encouraging other candidates to fund their campaigns with donations from individuals while refusing corporate and union money, reported the Georgina Advocate Feb. 20. . . . While some argue these groups are part of the community and therefore should be allowed to participate in the political process, Rev. Keenan quotes studies on campaign financing by Robert MacDermid, a professor of political science at York University, to underpin his argument that they should not. Read full story.
I love you mucho: How bilingual humor makes you smarter
Can bilingual humor really make you smarter? Consider the evidence. Numerous studies have shown that being bilingual can increase brain capacity, plus ward off dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. According to Ellen Bialystok, a psychologist at York University in Toronto, “Being bilingual has certain cognitive benefits and boosts the performance of the brain, especially one of the most important areas known as the executive control system,” reported Mamiverse Feb. 20. Read full story.