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☆ America Has a Bad Case of China Anxiety - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( Rory Truex | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

A prolonged stress response may contribute to anxiety, which can cause people to perceive danger where there is none and obsess about worst-case scenarios. America’s collective national body is suffering from a chronic case of China anxiety. These measures all have a national security rationale, and it is not my intention here to weigh the merits of every one. But collectively they are yielding a United States that is fundamentally more closed — and more like China in meaningful ways. Even if it was, it’s common practice to use human waste, known as “biosolids,” as fertilizer in many countries, including the United States.

Persons: Rick Scott Organizations: U.S, Congress, McGill University Locations: China, TikTok, United States, Florida, U.S

☆ From Australia to the UK: Where pro-Palestinian university protests are happening around the world
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( Helen Regan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Here’s a look at some of the pro-Palestinian campus protests around the world. AustraliaOver the past few weeks, pro-Palestinian protest camps have appeared in at least seven universities across Australia. FranceIn Paris, pro-Palestinian protests erupted at the Sciences Po university and the Sorbonne university in late April. At McGill University in downtown Montreal, pro-Palestinian student protesters have set up an encampment on the front lawn. On May 2, a Quebec Superior Court judge rejected an injunction request that would have forced the pro-Palestinian protesters to leave their encampment.

Persons: Hilary Whiteman, ”, Owen Humphreys, Miguel Medina, Emmanuel Macron, ” Louise, ” Samuel Lejoyeaux, “ I’ll, “, India Eric Garcetti, Christinne, Oliver Marsden, ” Ali Organizations: CNN, New York’s Columbia University, Portland State, UCLA, United Nations, The University of Queensland, Students for Palestine, Palestine, University of Sydney, Sydney, United, United Kingdom Pro, Newcastle University, Newcastle University’s, ”, Sciences Po, Sorbonne, . Riot, Sorbonne University, Getty Images Sciences, Columbia University, Columbia, Harvard, Yale, UNC, Vanderbilt, “, Union of Jewish Students of France, Le Monde, CRS, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Jamia Milia Islamia University, BJP, Bharatiya Janata Party, Communist Party, ’ Federation of India, At McGill University, Palestinian, Israel . Mounted, McGill University's, University of Toronto’s, University of British, CBC News, Reuters, American University of Beirut, American University of, Getty Locations: Gaza, United States, Europe, Asia, Israel, Gaza’s Rafah, Australia, Brisbane, United Kingdom, Newcastle, England, Leeds, Bristol, Warwick, Britain, France, Paris, Palestine, AFP, de, India, New Delhi, Columbia, Jamia, Canada, Montreal, Quebec, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Lebanon, American University of Beirut, Beirut

☆ Chinese scientists want to use lasers to power ultrafast, stealthy submarines. A laser expert says there's a major flaw in their plan.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-28 | by ( Polly Thompson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Chinese researchers say they have made a breakthrough in laser propulsion technology that could one day be used on submarines and missiles. A laser propulsion expert at McGill University told Business Insider they see flaws in the claims. Rather than relying on nuclear or battery power, the scientists say they have found a way to use lasers to propel submarines — known as underwater laser propulsion. This technology has already been used in Russian Shkval torpedoes since the 1970s, using rocket exhaust rather than laser power. "The average overall thrust is low and the jet power cannot exceed the power supply of the laser."

Persons: —, Yang Ge, Xulong Yang, Ge Yang, Andrew Higgins, Higgins Organizations: McGill University, Business, Service, Submarines, China's Harbin University, China Morning Post, NASA, Harbin University, China Defense Locations: China, Sinica, torpedos

☆ Which foods have the most plastics? You may be surprised
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-22 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Breaded shrimp contained the most tiny plastics by far, at well over an average of 300 microplastic pieces per serving. Plastics are everywhereThere are a staggering number of plastics in the world, today, according to a recent analysis — 16,000 plastic chemicals, with at least 4,200 of those considered to be “highly hazardous” to human health and the environment. (The authors declined to mention which brands of bottled water they studied.) Prior research using older technology had identified only about 300 nanoplastics in bottled water, along with bigger microplastics. · If you can, eat as much fresh food as possible, and limit purchase of processed and ultraprocessed foods wrapped in plastic.

Persons: CNN —, can’t, Rice, Let’s, it’s, ” Sherri “ Sam ” Mason, ” Mason, ”, pollock, Mason, don’t, “ Organizations: CNN, McGill University in, University of Queensland, Penn State, International, Water Association, Environmental Research, Environmental Locations: McGill University in Quebec, Canada, Erie , Pennsylvania, United States

☆ Dartmouth men's basketball is the first college team to vote to unionize. But the fight over the future of college sports could just be beginning.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-10 | by ( Jacob Zinkula | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

By a vote of 13 to 2, the team voted to join the service employees union SEIU Local 560 — making them the first college athletes in US history to vote to join a labor union. Then, last month, the NLRB ruled that the Dartmouth players were employees of the school, clearing the way for the unionization vote. The Dartmouth vote also comes as the share of union members in the US reached a record low of just 10% in 2023. AdvertisementIn the short term, however, the impact of the Dartmouth vote could be limited. AdvertisementIf the NLRB's decision to recognize the Dartmouth players stands, it could establish a precedent that enables other teams to follow suit.

Persons: —, Dartmouth, Kaiser, There's, Victor Chen, Chen, Jake Rosenfeld, Louis, Trump, Rosenfeld, VCU's Chen, Matthew Johnson, Johnson, Barry Eidlin Organizations: Service, Dartmouth men's, Harvard, SEIU Local, National Labor Relations Board, Dartmouth, NLRB, Business, US, UAW, Hollywood, Kaiser Permanente, Virginia Commonwealth University, Washington University, NCAA, Northwestern football, Northwestern, Big, Associated Press, University of Southern, —, USA, Duke University, McGill University Locations: Dartmouth, St, University of Southern California, Angeles, Montreal

☆ Single dose of LSD provides immediate, lasting anxiety relief, study says
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-07 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —A clinical trial’s encouraging results won US Food and Drug Administration breakthrough therapy status for an LSD formulation to treat generalized anxiety disorder, Mind Medicine Inc. announced Thursday. Generalized anxiety order is characterized by excessive, ongoing thoughts that are difficult to control and interfere with day-to-day activities. Anxiety is one of the most common mental disorders in the US, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America. The MM120 study, however, was accomplished without the use of psychotherapy during the session. So that’s a critical difference.”Most adverse effects in the study were rated as mild to moderate by participants, occurring mostly on the day of the study, Karlin said.

Persons: “, ”, Daniel Karlin, MindMed’s MM120, ” Karlin, buspirone —, Karlin, David Nutt, Nutt, Dr, Gabriella Gobbi, Timothy Leary, Richard Alpert, Eddie Adams, Leary, Richard Nixon Organizations: CNN, US Food and Drug Administration, Medicine Inc, Tufts University School of Medicine, FDA, Depression Association of America, Unit, Imperial College London’s, McGill University Health Centre, Canada, Therapeutics, Mental Health, Harvard University, Harvard, League for Spiritual, Woodstock Locations: Boston, United States, Montreal, New York, Vietnam

☆ He Rescued 1.5 Million Yiddish Books. Now He Will Have Time to Read Some.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-27 | by ( Joseph Berger | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Aaron Lansky was a young graduate student in Montreal in the late 1970s when he had an epiphany that changed the course of his life. He had been taking courses in Yiddish literature at McGill University, but was finding it hard to find the books he needed. At times, he relied on older neighbors in Montreal’s vibrant Jewish community who would welcome the opportunity to chat with a young visitor over a cup of tea or a plate of noodle kugel before surrendering their books. As a result, whole libraries filled with works of writers like Sholem Aleichem, I.L. Peretz and Sholem Asch — as well as science and history texts, translations of classics like Shakespeare and Guy de Maupassant, even cookbooks and sex manuals — were being consigned to dumpsters, attics and cellars.

Persons: Aaron Lansky, Sholem, I.L, Peretz, Sholem Asch, Shakespeare, Guy de Maupassant Organizations: McGill University Locations: Montreal, United States, Canada

☆ A leading scientist says you can skip the memory supplements. Protein is where it's at.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-22 | by ( Hilary Brueck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A leading food and drug chemist says most memory supplements are likely bogus. But getting enough protein, from plant sources like nuts, beans, and whole grains can help. There are hundreds of supplements out there promising to "boost" your brain health or perform a "miracle" for your mind. Science shows plant proteins and mixed berries are great for aging brainsSandy Schulze/APSchwartz looks to the long-term Nurses Health Study for better evidence. It's a landmark public health study that has been running in the US since 1976.

Persons: Joseph Schwartz, It's, Sandy Schulze, Schwartz, munch Organizations: Science, Society, McGill University, Health, Nurses Health

Speaking at a Cabinet retreat, Trudeau said that Trump “represents uncertainty. Trudeau said that his industry and trade ministers will lead the “Team Canada approach” with the business community. Trump as president called Trudeau “weak” and “dishonest” and attacked Canada’s vital trade. Nelson Wiseman, a political science professor at the University of Toronto, said the Trudeau government is anxious about the prospect of another Trump presidency. "The impact would be greater on Canada than on any other country with the possible exception of Mexico,” Wiseman said.

Persons: —, Donald Trump, Justin Trudeau, Trudeau, ”, “, Trump, ” Trudeau, Kirsten Hillman, Washington's, ” François, Philippe Champagne, ” Daniel Béland, ” Béland, Nelson Wiseman, Wiseman, ” Wiseman Organizations: TORONTO, Trump, New, Republican, Trudeau’s, “ Team Canada, American Free Trade, U.S, Trade, Canada’s, Innovation, Science, Industry, McGill University, University of Toronto, “ Locations: Canada, U.S, Iowa, Montreal, Mexico, United States

He said that the international students program has been exploited by institutions offering “sham” degrees, putting pressure on housing and health care. The total number of foreign students is more than three times what it was a decade ago. The immigration minister said that there are unscrupulous schools that accept high tuition fees from foreign students without offering a solid education in return. In some cases, the schools are a way into Canada for students who can parlay their visas into permanent residencies. Admitting fewer foreign students during the next two years can’t solve the crisis on its own,” said Daniel Béland, a political science professor at McGill University in Montreal.

Persons: Marc Miller, “, ” Miller, Justin Trudeau’s, Miller, doesn’t, Pierre Poilievre, Trudeau, ”, Daniel Béland, It’s Organizations: TORONTO, —, Monday, Immigration, Conservative Party of Canada, McGill University Locations: — Canada, Montreal, Canada, Quebec

☆ Labor Movements Sprinkled With ‘Salts’
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

“Salts” are people who take a job with the specific goal of unionizing a workplace. They typically begin by establishing themselves as loyal colleagues, then quietly raise the topic of unionizing with co-workers. The term in its labor sense traces to the turn of the 20th century. Most early salts were working-class people, said Barry Eidlin, a sociologist at McGill University in Montreal who studies labor. In recent decades, however, salts have increasingly been college-educated activists.

Persons: Barry Eidlin Organizations: McGill University Locations: Montreal

☆ Can We Save the Redwoods by Helping Them Move?
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-25 | by ( Moises Velasquez-Manoff | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

Their aggressive approach to conservation featured prominently in numerous scientific articles that followed, discussing the pros and cons of assisted migration. These cases underscore the reality that other plants and animals are already living where you might want to introduce something in order to save it. “I would treat assisted migration as a tool of last resort,” he told me in an email. Many of the animal’s native wetlands were fragmented and shrinking, and conservationists feared that global warming would finish the tortoise off. Similarly, she says, assisted migration is appropriate when contrasted with the other possibility: extinction if no one intervenes.

Persons: martens, Anthony Ricciardi, “, ”, it’s, “ It’s, ” Nicola Mitchell, Jessica Hellmann, you’re Organizations: McGill University, University of Western Australia, U.S . Forest Service, Forest Service, University of Minnesota’s Institute, Environment Locations: Central, South America, Australia, Hawaii, Canada, Newfoundland, Montreal, “, U.S

As climate change intensifies extreme heat, farms are becoming less hospitable to nesting birds, a new study found. Political Cartoons View All 1211 ImagesThe study concluded that species of higher conservation concern in the U.S. — those closer to being listed as federally threatened or endangered — were more vulnerable to extreme heat events in agricultural settings. But across the board, birds in forests were 14% more likely to achieve reproductive success in times of extreme heat. However, Rosenberg cautioned that more data might be needed to confirm that species of higher conservation concern were more vulnerable, since the overwhelming majority of the data involved species of low conservation concern. The researchers predicted how different bird species might fare in each landscape during extreme heat events.

Persons: ”, Katherine Lauck, Davis, Ken Rosenberg, Rosenberg, David Bird, Bird, “, Lauck, ___ Read, Melina Walling Organizations: University of California, Bird, Cornell, of Ornithology, McGill University, AP Locations: U.S, NestWatch, ___

☆ Canadian pilots eye higher-paid U.S. cockpits amid staffing shortages
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( Allison Lampert | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Some 147 Canadian pilots applied for licenses to fly commercial jets in the United States in 2022, up from 39 in 2021, according to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) data. High travel demand in the United States, where pilots are securing historic wage increases, isattracting foreign aviators, despite delays and high costs of immigrating, according to lawyers, unions and pilots. While small, the increase in U.S. applications is worrisome for regional Canadian carriers, which like their U.S. counterparts, are wrestling with staffing shortages as they lose pilots to larger airlines, industry experts say. It could also put pressure on Air Canada (AC.TO) during negotiations with its pilots, whose contract expires on September 29. Air Canada pilots earned more before 2013.

Persons: F, Andrew Kelly, John Gradek, Mark Taylor, Taylor, Sunwing, Attorney Jean, Francois Harvey, he's, Gradek, John McKenna, Allison Lampert, Andy Sullivan Organizations: Kennedy International Airport, REUTERS, Rights, Federal Aviation Administration, FAA, Air Canada, McGill University, Sunwing Airlines, WestJet Airlines, Air, Air Line Pilots Association, United Airlines, Air Transport Association of Canada, Thomson Locations: Queens , New York City, U.S, United States, Canada, Calgary, Montreal, Canada's, Attorney, Air Canada

☆ Some climate-tech startups want you to believe AI tools can save the planet — but it's not that simple
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-24 | by ( Aaron Mok | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

AMP Robotics is just one of more than 44,500 climate tech startups that have emerged since 2010. Last year investors poured $70.1 billion into climate tech, an 89% rise compared with 2021, according to HolonIQ Global Impact Intelligence. While AI tools like Horowitz's waste-sorting robots have been around for years, the advent of generative-AI tools like OpenAI's ChatGPT has reignited conversations around deploying AI to address societal issues. PersefoniBut researchers warn AI may do more harm than goodResearchers, activists, and climate tech execs agree that AI can't single-handedly cool the planet. AMP RoboticsEven AI climate tech executives see limits to their impactEven climate tech executives believe there are limitations to AI.

Persons: Matanya Horowitz, Horowitz, ChatGPT, Carling Spelhaug, Sasha Luccioni, Luccioni, David Rolnick, Banks, James Newsome, Newsome, Rolnick, Bill McKibben, McKibben, Helena Norberg, Hodge, Norberg, OpenAI's ChatGPT Organizations: AMP Robotics, Caltech, Global, Intelligence, Carling, UN, McGill University, Research, Tech, Greenpeace, AMP Locations: Colorado, Africa, South America

☆ WestJet pay debate sets scene for Air Canada's pilots
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Allison Lampert | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

MONTREAL, May 18 (Reuters) - A faceoff this week between WestJet Airlines and its pilots over pay could set the stage for aviators' demands in future bargaining with Air Canada (AC.TO). It would be the first major pilots' strike in Canada since 1998, according to a spokesperson for Canada's Labor Minister Seamus O'Regan, who is at the talks. ALPA president Jason Ambrosi recently told Reuters that a key priority is to narrow the pay gap between Air Canada pilots and their U.S. counterparts, echoing the union's demand for a "North American" contract at WestJet. Gradek added there is a group of Air Canada pilots "who have been chomping at the bit" to get a significant bump in wages. Air Canada pilots, who have received a 2% wage increase per year since 2014, have complained Delta’s latest hourly pay rates are up to 45% higher.

☆ Six innovations that can help feed the world
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Mark Tutton | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN asked three experts to outline the innovations that can help increase food production without harming the planet. Insect proteinSingapore-based Insectta uses black soldier fly larvae to convert organic food waste into fertilizer and animal feed. The maggots are fed food waste, such as the byproducts of soybean factories and breweries. Don Emmert/AFP/Getty ImagesMadramootoo says that a wholescapes approach can also be applied to food production in urban and peri-urban areas – the spaces immediately surrounding a city. “In congested peri-urban areas, we can use vertical farms in warehouses or abandoned buildings, for example, to produce food.

☆ My Prenup Saved Me When My Husband Left. It Can Save You, Too.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Caitlin Kelly | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The only local job available was tapping maple trees, and I couldn’t even get an interview. An American, he had committed to a four-year residency in New Hampshire, and I decided to leave Canada and follow him there. My job search took six months, and he got an instant $14,000 raise with his new residency. I knew nothing of New York marriage laws, and by that point was wholly reliant on my fiancé’s income and felt extremely vulnerable. So I consulted a lawyer — at $350 per hour in 1992 — and asked what I might win in case of a divorce.

☆ 34-year-old's startup, worth $1.5 billion and backed by Google, wants to make tutoring free for kids everywhere
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Tom Huddleston Jr. | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

As college prep season starts, some high schoolers — or their parents — are probably thinking about hiring private tutors to help boost their SAT scores. It makes a difference: Research shows that private tutoring can help improve SAT scores by roughly 37 points, which can make a difference on college applications. The 34-year-old is the CEO and founder of Paper, a Montreal-based virtual learning platform he launched in 2014 to try making private tutoring more financially accessible. He quickly learned that wealthier students often performed better in school, even before they hired private tutors. Over the last five years, the startup has made some of its biggest strides in "large, urban districts," Cutler says.

☆ Burt Bacharach, legendary composer of pop songs, dies at 94
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +10 min

Bacharach was both an innovator and throwback, and his career seemed to run parallel to the rock era. He was an eight-time Grammy winner, a prize-winning Broadway composer for "Promises, Promises" and a three-time Oscar winner. Fellow songwriter Sammy Cahn liked to joke that the smiling, wavy-haired Bacharach was the first composer he ever knew who didn't look like a dentist. Bacharach was essentially a pop composer, but his songs became hits for country artists (Marty Robbins), rhythm and blues performers (Chuck Jackson), soul (Franklin, Luther Vandross) and synth-pop (Naked Eyes). He's everybody's composer ... Burt Bacharach!"

Researchers saw similar declines in cognitive performance when people replaced vigorous exercise with six minutes of light physical activity or seven minutes of sleeping. But the opposite was also seen to be true: Exercising instead of sitting boosted cognitive performance. Replacing sitting or lying down with nine minutes of vigorous exercise was linked to a more than 1% boost in cognition scores, the study found. "Physical activity is linked to a whole host of benefits, and so you really want to promote as much regular physical activity as possible," said Biswas, who wasn't involved with the research. Mitchell, the study author, noted that light activity is still preferable to sitting.

☆ Amid an uncertain economy, American workers are guardedly optimistic about the job market
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( Madison Hoff | Rebecca Knight | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Despite economic uncertainty, US workers are confident about the job market, LinkedIn data suggests. The findings point to American workers' resilience, nearly three years since the pandemic began. A recent LinkedIn survey of more than 2,000 US employees conducted in December offers fresh insight into how workers feel about the job market in 2023. Roughly two-thirds of American workers are considering changing jobs this year, mainly to boost their salary and improve their work-life balance, according to the results. At a time when many organizations remain desperate to hire and keep employees, American workers have seen their leverage in the job market grow.

☆ Alphabet CEO's memo announcing layoffs does exactly what it should: address the remaining workers
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Shana Lebowitz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

HR experts say it's critical for leaders to address remaining staffers' anxieties after layoffs. Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai's memo Friday announcing layoffs at Google is a good example of that. Pichai's reassurances might mitigate some of the unrest that can follow layoffsPichai's address to remaining employees could help ameliorate survivor syndrome. Employees remaining at a company that just conducted layoffs are likely worried about the organization's stability. Employers should also be clear with remaining employees about the reasons for the layoffs.

☆ Layoffs might cause workers who are left behind to quit
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Rebecca Knight | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

As layoffs creep upward, the findings have implications for firms that have let go of employees. Visier published a study about turnover contagion following resignations, and later detailed its finding related to layoffs in a recent LinkedIn post. After all, managers might not be fully aware of their team member's social ties, particularly if employees work remotely or have a hybrid setup. Bosses might be on team Zoom calls, but they don't see, for instance, that their team members regularly text each other on and off the clock. But they need to think about their team member's salary, growth, and market value.

☆ An 120 million-year-old dinosaur fossil with the bones of its final snack still inside of it reveals its enjoyed eating our ancestors
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( Kelsey Neubauer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Paleontologist Hans Larsson found a small mammal foot in the rib of a dinosaur fossil. The reptile was carnivorous and bird-like, according to McGill University. It's one of only 21 dinosaur fossils ever found with its food inside of it. Only 20 other fossils have been found with the fossilized bones of their meals inside, according to McGill, and this is the first time a fossil has shown that any dinosaur ate mammals, the Economic Times reported. Scientists have speculated that the species likely died out because it had four wings, and the two additional wings created drag when it moved.

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