 |
|
|
| |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
Concordia faculty, staff and alumni/æ pop up in the media more often than you might think! David Frost (Geography) asserted his support for the Quebec government’s proposal to impose a tax on sport utility vehicles, minivans and light trucks on CBC Radio’s Commentary in August. Gas guzzlers release an abundance of carbon monoxide and oxides of nitrogen, which cause ground-level ozone, breathing difficulties and aggravate the greenhouse effect. “For far too long we have treated our atmosphere as a giant garbage dump,” he said. In addition, Frost suggested a rebate for drivers of fuel- efficient vehicles. Steven Appelbaum (Management) was quoted in The Globe and Mail on Sept. 25 about the importance of human emotions in the workplace. Appelbaum said that successful managers were “user-friendly, approachable mentor types” who were in touch with their employees’ temperaments. Kudos to Nelson Hendricks (Studio Arts) who was cited in The Calgary Herald of Sept. 20 for winning the Bell Canada Award for outstanding achievement in video art. The native Calgarian received a $10,000 prize from the Canadian Council for the Arts at the Montreal International Festival of New Cinema and New Media. Peter Stoett (Political Science) wrote in Le Devoir on Aug. 3 that the North and the South differ greatly in their concern for the environment. On the eve of the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, South Africa, he wrote that environmental issues take a back seat to terrorism and the economic effects of globalization in the North. André Gagnon (CAPS) was on Global television this week, talking about what’s hot in terms of jobs for young grads: retail managers, selling financial products for banks and sales in pharmaceuticals. Government jobs are big, too, as many bureaucrats prepare for retirement, and by the way, the Quebec government is looking for bilingual anglophones. Gagnon noted that teachers are in demand, but not computer specialists, who are biding their time for now. Greg Neilsen (Sociology and Anthropology) had his say in a National Post essay under the headline, “In Montreal, drivers are truly a distinct society.” He said, “If it’s aggressive, it’s a healthy aggression, a seductive game of sorts where everyone, including pedestrians, says, ‘I won’t allow any driver to intimidate me.’” His comments were based on research for a project on the individual cultures of five cities. Sylvia Ruby (Biology) was featured in Canadian Wildlife magazine for her experiments with atrazine, a common weed killer. Her research indicates that it interferes with the development of the sexual organs of tadpoles. Chantal Maillé (Simone de Beauvoir Institute) warned against the dangers of stereotyping women in powerful positions in September’s Elle-Québec. The idea that all women are Mother Teresas who will resolve problems innately in the workplace is simplistic, she said. In an article on the effects of Sept. 11, 2001, on Canadians in L’actualité of Sept. 15, Stéphane Paquin (Political Science) said that globalization has a negative effect on Canada’s political sovereignty. However, globalization gives Quebec a voice: “Les demi-nations [like Quebec] jouissent d’une visibilité et d’une légitimité croissants sur les marchés et dans les forums internationaux.” The Journal de Montréal published information about a study by Subhash Rakheja (Mechanical Engineering) on tank trucks transporting fuel oils and sometimes dangerous chemicals on the highway. Rakheja is heading a team working with the Ministère de Transport to identify risky configurations of these trucks and to improve their safety dynamics, especially immunity from rollover. L. Ian MacDonald’s second edition of From Bourassa to Bourassa: Wilderness to Restoration was the subject of a book review by Avery Plaw (Political Science) in The Gazette of Sept. 14. Plaw wrote that five new chapters and some text touch-ups enhance MacDonald’s analysis of Quebec and Canadian politics as well as the Quebec premier’s fascinating career. |