We need to learn to live with the now endemic coronavirus
The Canadian Academics for Covid Ethics (CA4CE) is a group of researchers and scholars from fields spanning the natural and social sciences and humanities. It is concerned with the mismanagement of the ongoing SARS-CoV-2 pandemic response in Canada and around the world. The following commentary was written by Drs. Claus Rinner, Claudia Chaufan, Jennifer Tilk,…
It is time for tax reductions to help consumers weather food inflation
Did you know that there is a global food security index? The well-known magazine The Economist has just published its 11th edition. The Global Food Security Index comprises a set of indices from more than 120 different countries. Since 2012, the index has been based on four main pillars: food access, safety, sustainable development, and…
And learn first-hand where the necessities of life come from
The old saying goes, “No news is good news.” But in the 21st-century smartphone/internet era, it should read, “Good news is no news.” Driven by today’s ultra-competitive media, headlines have increasingly become what has been coined “click bait” – capture eyeballs with something awful happening to somebody somewhere. That’s why you’ll never see “7.9 Billion…
Putin's War has lifted the Gulf states out of an almost decade-long economic slump
I am in Abu Dhabi and the glitter is visible – all around. With the oil-based economies of the Gulf’s current high budgetary surpluses, the glitter will only shine brighter. New projects worth hundreds of billions of dollars are being showcased throughout the region, from Saudi Arabia to Qatar and from Abu Dhabi to Kuwait.…
Failings of the health system are not due to chronic underfunding
If Quebec voters have one concern during the current election campaign, and just about every election campaign for decades now, it’s the health-care system. Contrary to what many commentators have been claiming for years, the failings of the health system are not due to “chronic underfunding.” For this reason, the notion that lower taxes would…
Knowing which companies are hiring is meaningless if you're unsure about which career path to take
Knowing which companies are hiring is meaningless if you're unsure which career path to take. Everyone knows dabblers who have tried their hands at countless jobs yet never settled permanently into one they really love. There are many reasons for job wanderlust. It often stems from impatience. The result is never sticking around long enough…
Chipmunks are adorable, but ...
Although over 200 kinds of squirrels can be found across the globe, 25 of those are chipmunks and all but one of these species of chipmunk lives in North America. The outlier is the Siberian Chipmunk which can only be found in Asia. In Canada, we have several kinds of squirrels – Eastern Gray, Red,…
All students deserve a learning environment that is free of political indoctrination
If you’ve been around for a while, you probably remember the phrase “politically correct.” Being called politically correct was not a compliment. Instead, it meant that you had an unhealthy obsession with not offending anyone, even if you had to say some rather silly things in the process. For example, instead of saying husband or…
Are you suffering burnout?
Like many people, I was facing significant challenges and burnout last year. It was so bad that I told my team in September that I was going to take a three- to six-month sabbatical starting in December. However, by the time January rolled around, and after just a few weeks of holidays, I was ready…
Nissan has discovered technology that stifles viruses, including coronavirus
Sounding like something out of Blade Runner or Star Wars, Nissan recently announced that it has helped develop technology that “inactivates viruses using catalyst active species for aerobic oxidation.” In a nutshell, Nissan has discovered technology that stifles viruses of various types – including, apparently, coronavirus – by hitting them with catalysts the company discovered…