From Matt: Coping with stasis: how the supposed ‘sick man of Asia’ might be a model for us all (Roland Kelts, The Long and Short): Since the early ’90s, the Japanese economy has been treated as a cautionary tale because of its sluggish growth. Kelts argues that perhaps we have been looking at it all wrong. He…
From Matt: Best Laid Plans: When career ambitions break up a marriage (Jessica Grose, Slate): Slate is running a very interesting interview series on how people make career decisions, and how life sometimes gets in the way. This particular article follows a young married couple, Caitlin and Stephen, who have recently separated. To very briefly summarize: Stephen is a teaching…
A controversial research study led by University of Toronto’s Dean of Pharmacy, looking at the effects of homeopathic remedies on Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in children, has reignited the debate on academic freedom vs. academic responsibility. Naturopathic medicine includes a very diverse list of remedies and practices. Some, like fish oils, have scientifically-validated health…
From Matt: Starting this week with something light: How big is the average penis? (David Shultz, Science): A new study published in the British Journal of Urology synthesized the results of 17 previous studies involving over 15,000 men from around the world to ask the age old question: How big is the average penis, and what does…
-Matt Burgess- As a Canadian, I have been forced to think a lot over the last few years about the importance of character in politics. Stephen Harper, the current Canadian Prime Minster, has been widely criticized for vindictive, ruthless, secretive and hyper-partisan behaviors, by both left- and right-wing pundits. Those who support Harper as PM largely do…
From Matt: Eight million tons of plastic dumped in ocean every year (Laura Parker, National Geographic): A new landmark study has estimated how much plastic we are dumping in the ocean each year, and it’s a lot. Most of it is coming from east and southeast Asia, but what’s interesting is that it’s not all coming…
The Tête-à-Tête 