The spring of 2012 was the earliest on record, shattering heat records across Eastern North America. But many common songbirds didn’t migrate early to take advantage. Locked into a schedule that doesn’t change, they missed the best breeding time, raising questions about whether they will adapt to a warming world. “What’s new is that Mother Nature did a fabulous experiment, giving us a window into how birds might or might not respond to dramatic shifts in weather patterns,” said York University biology Professor Bridget Stutchbury in the Ottawa Citizen June 4. “It’s the sort of experiment that you can’t conduct by yourself, or plan ahead of time.” Read full story.
Sir John A. Prize announced
An examination of the impacts of colonization on the Mi’kmaq of Atlantic Canada has won the Governor General’s History Award for Scholarly Research: The Sir John A. Macdonald Prize for best history book, reported Canada’s History June 4. Written by William C. Wicken, a history professor at York University, The Colonization of Mi’kmaw Memory and History, 1794-1928: The King v. Gabriel Sylliboy is a “finely crafted and tightly argued study of memory and meaning,” judges said, “written in a style that is spare and clean, makes imaginative use of a wide range of existing sources to answer innovative epistemological questions fundamental to the historical project.” Read full story.
Barbara Kay: Calling all male bashers
In alarmed response to emerging “men’s rights awareness” groups (MRA) on a number of Canadian campuses, the Canadian Federation of Students seeks to amend its Sexual Assault and Violence Against Women on Campus policy, reported the National Post June 5….The actual benign nature of MRA groups can be seen in a publicity campaign video of a relatively new organization, which has become a lightning rod for anti-male activism, the Canadian Association for Equality (C.A.F.E.)…. Beginning in January 2012, C.A.F.E. has organized several events at the University of Toronto, featuring diverse speakers, such as York University sociology Professor Rob Kenedy, famous sociologue Lionel Tiger and prostate cancer survivor Aaron Bacher. Read full story.