Why barbers should buy stocks

Moshe Milevsky, finance professor at York’s Schulich School of Business, thinks his barber Enzo should invest more in stocks than his finance students should. “The jobs of people who work on Wall Street are very sensitive to the economy and stock market,” said Milevsky in Businessweek Feb. 20. “I tell them, ‘I don’t care how risk-tolerant or young you are. You are a stock, so don’t buy any more.’” How your career, or “human capital”, should guide your investment portfolio is the focus of Milevksy’s academic research at Toronto’s York University. Read full story.

Pressure to perform
Plenty can – and does – go wrong with [scientific] presentations. But a researcher can deliver a memorable talk by following a few basic principles, rehearsing often in front of different listeners and making a back­up plan….Before putting a talk together, presenters need to determine their audience’s level of expertise….“If there’s any doubt, if you have any questions about the level you should be pitching to, you should consult the scientific organizing committee of the conference,” said York University astronomer Michael De Robertis in Nature’s Feb. 2013 issue. “That is critical. There are no excuses for getting it wrong.” Read full story.

Del Dako’s saxophone improvisations matched his bold approach to life
Toronto horn player Del Dako picked up the alto saxophone in emulation of his new hero Charlie Parker and learned it well enough in school bands to be accepted at York University’s then-new jazz program, reported The Globe and Mail Feb. 20. Among his fellow students were current luminaries Al Henderson and Barry Elmes of Time Warp (both now York University professors). Read full story.