“The idea that Canada is morally compelled to involve itself in this particular operation at this particular time is bogus,” wrote York University political science Professor James Laxer in the Toronto Star Oct. 14. “The United States did not choose the current mission because the atrocities, real though they are, are more appalling than atrocities being committed elsewhere in the Middle East, Africa or Central America. American intervention grew out of the Obama’s Administration’s assessment that the region in question is strategically vital to the United States.” Read full story.
Birds heading south for the winter get conflicting directions
UBC grad student Kira Delmore and her colleagues outfitted 97 wild Swainson’s thrushes with tiny GPS trackers…. The team recovered useful data from 21 of the birds and found that some hybrids flew intermediate routes compared with their parents. Others took mixed routes, following one parent’s path in spring and then switching to the other’s in fall. Still others stuck with the route of one parent…. “This is the first paper to show that both [the] route and destination of hybrids can be intermediate,” said Bridget J. Stutchbury, a bird researcher at York University, in Scientific American Oct. 14. Read full story.
Expand college degrees to tackle youth unemployment
There must be more emphasis on helping students gain career-specific training as part of their post-secondary education, reported the Barrie Examiner Oct. 14.… College and university jointly offered degrees such as those at York/Seneca, Guelph/Humber and the likes of [the Georgian College] Bachelor of Science in Nursing offered collaboratively with York University, have seen record growth in enrolment over the past couple of years. Read full story.
Wrongful Conviction Day
The first Wrongful Conviction Day was held Oct. 2 by The Association in Defence of the Wrongly Convicted, reported Law Times Oct. 14. Speaker Tim Moore, a cognitive psychologist and professor at York University, spoke about the Reid technique, an interrogative style used by the police that can lead to false confessions. “Ironically, it’s the police that do most of the talking,” says Moore. “I say ironic, because in a genuinely investigative interrogation, you’re supposed to be getting your information from the suspect.” Read full story.
13 bizarre college courses being offered right now
At York University, the Porn Studies course is exactly what it says it is. The course looks at visual, print, online and other materials, taking an “interdisciplinary and cultural studies approach” to analyze porn, reported Business Insider Malaysia Oct. 15. Read full story.