The big gap is finding employers who, like Vita, embrace part-time, older workers. Most companies are not geared up to ease employees out of full-time work into part-time positions, said Thomas Klassen, a political science professor at York University, in the Toronto Star June 8. “There is a large disconnect between what older Canadian workers would like and what employers are willing to offer,” he said. “Thus, the boomers are stuck.” Read full story.
Shah’s son seeks support for people’s revolution against Iran
Reza Pahlavi, 54, no longer presents himself as the legitimate ruler of Iran. . . . “It remains unclear whether he can actually deliver what he’s promised,” said Saeed Rahnema, a professor of political science at York University, in The Globe and Mail June 6. “The opposition is still highly diversified. None of these groups are collaborating with each other. Mr. Pahlavi may hope that his council will become an alternative to the regime, but nobody in the opposition – including him – is in that position yet.” Read full story.
Buying a guaranteed retirement income, for some peace of mind
Deferred annuities may be a good deal, particularly for those who delay collecting the income, because half of the people buying them will probably die earlier than their life expectancy. That means the premiums they paid remain in the overall pool of money, which benefits people who are still collecting payments, reported The New York Times June 6. . . . “No matter how good a cook or an engineer you may be, you can’t bake this in your own kitchen,” said Moshe A. Milevsky, a finance professor at York University’s Schulich School of Business, who said he would wait to begin collecting until 70, or even later. Read full story.
A car for all seasons
One of Canada’s foremost realist artists spent the winter in the spacious showroom of a Halifax car dealership transforming a classic silver 1980 Mercedes-Benz four-door sedan he once owned into a mobile work of art, reported The Chronicle Herald June 7. . . . The project started as a collaboration between artist Tom Forrestall and his companion, Mary O’Regan, a professor of child psychology at York University, who had seen the Rauschenberg car exhibit in Toronto. Read full story.
World Cup: Adidas and Nike battle for brand supremacy – again
The 2014 FIFA World Cup won’t kick off until June 12 but already several matchups have captivated observers. . . . And Adidas against Nike everywhere to determine which of the two sportswear giants is the world’s foremost soccer brand, reported the Toronto Star June 6. . . . “[Non-sponsor] brands have to be able to compete on a creative level,” said Vijay Setlur, a sport marketing instructor at York University’s Schulich School of Business. “They can’t spend on traditional marketing, so they have to be very bold and very creative to get their message across.” Read full story.
Review: (Toronto/Theatre) ‘Queer Bathroom Stories’
Libido Productions’ Queer Bathroom Stories explores 100 experiences of gender identity and perception. The 70-minute production camply portrays these experiences with lots of humour and even more heart, reported The Charlebois Post June 5. I confess I am unfamiliar with playwright Sheila Cavanagh’s academic work at York University, but I commend her writing for its cohesion and themes. This strength of the script is the diversity of the issues it explores. Read full story.
A production flush with queer bathroom stories
Queer Bathroom Stories consists of a serious of vignettes culled from the interviews that playwright Sheilagh Cavanagh, also a professor at York University, conducted for her book Queering Bathrooms: Gender, Sexuality, and the Hygienic Imagination, reported MyGayToronto.com June 5. It is an area that, as I had just discovered, most of us haven’t given much thought. Everyone who sees Queer Bathroom Stories will never take the act of urination or defecation for granted again. Read full story.