York University alumna Lisa Charleyboy (BA Hons. ’10, professional writing) is on a mission to empower aboriginal youth and she is using digital media to get her message across, reported the Financial Post Nov. 3. Identified as an aboriginal millennial to watch by Huffington Post, it’s clear Ms. Charleyboy understands how to use social media – a fashion writer and editor, she was named one of Canada’s top fashion bloggers, as well as one of Toronto’s top tweeters. Now, she plans to use the medium to inform her latest venture, Urban Native Magazine, an online publication with a clear mission: to be the go-to destination for current articles on indigenous fashion, art, culture, entertainment, lifestyle, news and business. . . . “During my time at York University, I was introduced to the native arts community and that’s when I discovered my love and passion for indigenous and native culture,” said Charleyboy. “I had to go to the biggest city in Canada to find my culture.” Read full story.
What do we really mean by ‘Beatlesque’?
Beatlesque. It’s a term every music fan has read, heard or used over and over again, and instinctively knows the kind of bands it’s meant to apply to: Oasis, Badfinger, Klaatu, ELO. . . . “When it’s a generic reference to Beatlesque, I think it’s just the harmonies,” said Rob Bowman, a Grammy Award-winning music professor at York University, in the Toronto Star Nov. 1. “The kind of harmonic spread you get with, say, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young is very different. The Beatles are much more close harmonies, less minor, using fourths, which comes out of bluegrass.” Read full story.
What’s lost in gaining an hour
Studies of airline pilots show “that even one hour of jet lag impairs hand-eye coordination, cognitive ability and memory,” said Schulich School of Business Professor Mark Kamstra in the Philadelphia Inquirer Nov. 3. “And daylight saving time effectively puts most of the continent on jet lag.” . . . In a 2000 study in the American Economic Review, Kamstra and his colleagues reported that the Monday after losing and gaining that precious hour, stocks drop about half a per cent. “Which is a pretty big number for a single day,” he said, reporting that the losses amount to about $30 billion. “Think of any weekend when you really disturb your sleep patterns,” he said. “People emotionally are less inclined to take risks.” Read full story.
How one video dragged Rob Ford into the dangerous world of gangsters
“He’s keeping company with criminal elements and that could put the whole city in danger, not only himself,” said Ian Greene, a professor emeritus in York University’s school of public policy and administration, in the National Post Nov. 1. “Criminal elements could think, ‘I’ve got a friend in public office, maybe I can take advantage of that for my personal gain.’” Greene said the information unearthed about Ford’s private life and his relationship with Lisi is clearly in the public interest. “In order to hold elected office, I think you have to be someone of good character, someone who is honest, somebody that you can trust, somebody who puts the public interest first rather than their personal interest. And you can often judge someone by the company that they keep.” Read full story.
Toronto Mayor Ford Apologizes and Demands Crack Video Release
Toronto Mayor Rob Ford apologized for his “mistakes” and pledged to curb his drinking, though he has no plans to step down after police found a video in which he appears to be smoking from a crack-cocaine pipe. . . . Ford’s determination to remain mayor demonstrates his unwillingness to accept accountability, as well as his sense of entitlement and detachment from reality, said Richard Leblanc, a York University professor of law, governance and ethics, in Businessweek Nov. 4. “The normal lens of accountability is not there,” Leblanc said, noting it will be difficult to force Ford to leave office, absent a criminal conviction or charges. “It’s a reputational hit for the country. This has gone viral.” Read full story.
‘Public intellectuals’: a losing game
“For some reason, in the last few months I’ve seen a number of articles and blog posts about the nature of ‘public intellectuals’ – how to define the term, to whom it applies, and of course, the long-running series of ‘critiques’ that discuss the failure of public intellectuals and what contributes to it,” wrote York University PhD student Melonie Fullick in University Affairs Nov. 1. “Maybe I’m just more attuned to the topic because I worked on the Public Intellectuals Project for a year. Or maybe it’s the fact that, uncomfortably, I started to hear the term being applied to me – and I had to ask myself why I wasn’t exactly happy about it.” Read full story.
Reform roadmap before key meeting
Ahead of the Communist Party’s much awaited plenum that begins on Nov. 9, expectations are high that the meeting will provide the future reform agenda for China and clear the decks for sustainable, balanced development. . . . “One of the key reform objectives for China is to move toward a new model of sustainable and equitable development, one in which there is more balance between ecological sustainability and growth and provides better sustenance opportunities for all,” said York University political science Professor Gregory Chin in China Daily Nov. 4. Read full story.
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