Take five minutes out of your day to join Western News editor Jason Winders here each week for a collection of quick reads and interesting listens from Western and beyond.
WHY, HELLO THERE, AMERICA. CBC Ontario Today asks, What would you like to say to Americans? with right-wing Buffalo radio host Michael Caputo and American Studies professor Bryce Traister. And if the phrase #TrumpFriendly doesn’t trend for the next four years, then I will be quite disappointed.
JOURNEY TO POMPEII: The erotic lives of prostitutes and their customers in the ancient city of Pompeii were recently illustrated by Classical Studies professor Kelly Olson, as she travelled to the historic site to give David Suzuki a tour of an ancient brothel, the Lupanar, on CBC’s The Nature of Things. Watch the episode in full.
DOMO ARIGATO, MR. ROBOTO: I, for one, welcome our new metal masters. A new study shows computers outshine real-life academics when performing some scholarly research tasks
MATTERS OF SENATE. Not a heavy agenda for university Senate this week. They need a break after last month’s marathon. Even though not all the kids agree. Check out the agenda here.
SMOKE ’EM IF YOU GOT ’EM. The smoking policy is not working. Not for University Hospital. Not for Western. Those were the sentiments of two emails conversations I had this week. I gotta agree. Time to rip the BandAid off and go totally smoke-free? If you have questions or comments about smoking on campus? Email cleartheair@uwo.ca.
BATTLE LINES: Margaret Atwood jumps out on the Galloway Affair in The Walrus:
“… To take the position that the members of a group called ‘women’ are always right and never lie – demonstrably not true – and that members of a group called ‘accused men’ are always guilty – Steven Truscott, anyone? – would do a great disservice to accusing women and abuse survivors, since it discredits any accusations immediately. Those accusing Joseph Boyden, Madeleine Thien, and all the other signatories of the letter in question, of rape culture and intimidation of young people because they have objected to a university’s flawed and high-handed process should give some thought to the consequences. And they should note that the university’s flawed process, if not amended, could well – in future – be applied to them. …”
PHONE HOME. Yup. Probably aliens.
I’M (STILL) YOUR MAN. Western News reporter @adelatalbot writing on the passing of Leonard Cohen had me revisiting this wonderful profile from the New Yorker editor David Remnick’s profile of Cohen called How the Light Gets In.
WAS SO MUCH OLDER THEN. The most fun I had as a university newspaper columnist was taking shots at ‘The Man.’ Damnit, I hate getting old sometimes.
MANDATE FROM THE PEOPLE. Who doesn’t love Alan Alda? Just cool as can be having him on campus for the Robarts Research Institute’s Leaders in Innovation Dinner. Pretty sure Arnold Vinick would have won the recent U.S. Presidential Election by 20 points.
Have a submission for the FIVE-MINUTE READ? Stand and be counter. Email Western News Editor Jason Winders at jason.winders@uwo.ca.