“It’s surprising,” Martin Shadwick, a defence analyst with York’s Centre for International and Security Studies, told The Globe and Mail in a story March 20 about the timing of the first American attack on Iraq. “Americans were talking for some weeks about an initial burst of shock and awe. This seems limited right now, highly targeted. The expectations had been elevated; the impression was that we would have a massive first strike. The question is whether or not this was the master plan. Clearly, they have decided to start on a limited scale.”
York professor named to Asia Pacific Foundation
Of four prominent Canadians appointed to the board of directors of the Vancouver-based Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada, one is Charles McMillan, a professor of international business at the Schulich School of Business at York University, reports The Vancouver Sun March 20.
No easy road for York Yeoman in quest for gold
New Brunswick may be the site of this weekend’s Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) men’s hockey championship, but for title-hopeful York University, it appears the road to gold runs through Alberta, reports The Toronto Sun March 20. The Yeomen, one of six teams competing at the round-robin event beginning March 20, secured its spot by virtue of its silver medal from the Ontario University Athletics championship two weeks ago after losing the final 7-4 to the University of Quebec, Trois-Rivieres. As recently as three weeks ago, York wasn’t even ranked in the CIS top 10 but enters the championship seeded fourth and lumped into Group A along with No. 6-ranked St. Francis-Xavier, Nova Scotia, and No.1-ranked University of Alberta.
Forced retirement at 65 is wrong
Forcing Canadians to retire at 65 is not only poor human resources policy, it is also a violation of fundamental rights,” wrote Thomas R. Klassen, labour studies professor in the Social Science Division of York’s Faculty of Arts, in a letter March 24 to Maclean’s. Responding to the article “Retired reborn” in the March 3 issue, Klassen wrote: “Making employment decisions solely on age, rather than ability and performance, should be no more acceptable than racism, sexism or homophobia. Given the demographic weight of baby boomers (those born between 1946 and 1965), it seems likely that politicians cannot long ignore age discrimination. Australia, New Zealand and the United States have eliminated compulsory retirement, while Britain will shortly do so. We can only hope that Canada’s politicians, and courts, will follow this example.”
On air
- Celia Haig-Brown, education professor in York University’s Faculty of Graduate Studies, discusses Aboriginal education in the second of a five-part series examining the changing roles of Aboriginal people in Canadian society and the Canadian economy, on “PTN National News” (APTN-TV), Winnipeg, March 18.
- Martin Shadwick, defence analyst at the York Centre for International and Security Studies, is interviewed on CBC’s “The National” March 18 about a Canadian Air Force document released to CBC News that says Sea King helicopters lack new electronic night vision gear, forcing mission cancellations and making them unfit for search and rescue, and surveillance missions.
- Craig Scott, international law professor at York University’s Osgoode Hall Law School, debates the legality of a war in Iraq, on CBC’s “The Current” March 19.
- Saeed Rahnema, political science professor in York University’s Faculty of Arts, was guest on the phone-in show “City Online” (CITY-TV), March 19. The questions of the day were: What do you think of Canada staying out of war in Iraq? Do you think Saddam Hussein will flee Iraq when attacked?
- Stephen Hellman, political science professor in York University’s Faculty of Arts, discussed the reasons and justification for going into Iraq, on “Studio Aperto” (CFMT-TV) March 19.