You maybe saw it on the news…or even heard about it in the monologues of the late night talk shows. The city of Berkeley, Calif., is reviewing its municipal code to remove gendered language. The one item that got all the attention: the proposal that “manholes” be known as “maintenance holes.” Today in The Conversation Canada, Shannon Dea of the University of Waterloo looks at the controversy and why the proposed changes “can make the world a little more inclusive for people of all genders.”

We also look at new research which suggests that Russian trolls may be ready to sow seeds of dissent during the upcoming federal election and ask why racialized people have become over-represented in public health advertising.

Our final story examines the difficulty that new immigrant students have fitting in with their Canadian-born classmates. Xu Zhao of the Werklund School of Education at the University of Calgary writes about her research that highlights the benefits of potential friendship relationships between newcomer and domestic teens.

We’ve also highlighted some excellent articles from our colleagues at The Conversation UK about Boris Johnson, who today becomes the new prime minister of Britain.

Regards,