“In the opening scene of Love, Sex & Eating the Bones, there’s neither love, sex nor bones – just a Barenaked Lady playing foosball,” begins the National Post review March 5. Director Sudz Sutherland, who has some gritty Scarborough air in his lungs and York University’s film program (1989-1991) on his brain, clearly aims for realism in this fringey romance. On the whole, it’s believable, said the Post. “But the Ben Stiller comedy routines, beam-me-up art and French in weird places make the realism skip the occasional beat. So does the cameo by T-dot rapper Kardinal Offishall, but his performance is so damn cool it hardly matters. Despite the predictably A-OK ending, Sutherland’s message – that we have to chew through the gristly bones of romance to get to a sweeter marrow – is at least a refreshing one in an exhausted genre.”
$1 billion not sufficient to consider subway expansions
It’s not that the Toronto Transit Commission is going to pass up $1 billion or that transit officials aren’t thankful, but they warn the TTC won’t start building new subways with that kind of money. It’s not nearly enough, reported the Toronto Star March 5. “For the next 10 years, we need $3.8 billion, that’s just (for) state of good repair,” said the TTC vice-chair, councillor Joe Mihevc. “That does not include building the York University subway, which is another $1 billion-plus, nor the Sheppard line, add another $1 billion-plus. That’s $6 billion if you want to build subways.” Nevertheless, Mihevc told CBC Radio’s “Here and Now” March 4 he wants a subway to York University and the Scarborough Town Centre.
Making home care easier
An experimental telehomecare project allowing nurses to visit patients without ever leaving the office should help ease pressure on the home care system, says Diane Duff, professor of nursing at York University, reported the Toronto Star March 5. What will it mean for the nursing profession? “Nurses are very hands-on people, so there’s sometimes a bit of resistance until they see what it can do,” said Duff. Telehomecare won’t work in all situations. But when it comes to caring for people with chronic conditions, like diabetes and some types of heart or lung disease, the high-tech system works well, she says. Such cases typically make up about 20 per cent of the work, said Duff. Televisiting is safer and more efficient than driving, which means nurses can spend more time with clients, she said.
Orientation sessions – for parents
York University will offer a parent orientation session this month for the first time, reported the Globe and Mail in a March 5 story. The article noted how parental involvement in students’ lives increased dramatically in Ontario, in particular after a younger crop of teenagers flooded onto campuses last year. Elsewhere across the country, universities are organizing parent orientation sessions to alleviate fears and to establish what’s off limits when their child walks on campus.
Ralston Saul makes “imperial” entrance
Last week, John Ralston Saul, spouse of Governor General Adrienne Clarkson, gave the John Holmes Lecture at York University’s Glendon College, titled “Projecting a Middle Power into an Imperial World,” noted National Post society columnist Gillian Cosgrove March 5, as part of her self-assigned Governor General Watch. What surprised the 400 guests, said Cogrove, a critic of “the excesses of Their Excellencies”, was Saul’s “imperial entrance. He was accompanied by an aide-de-camp in full ceremonial uniform complete with gold braid.”