Helsinki in a handbasket...

In the history of political summits, Monday’s meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin was…well…the words fail most of us. Today in The Conversation Canada, John Colarusso of McMaster University, who once advised the Clinton White House on Russia issues, points out that Trump could have raised six serious issues with Putin during their Helsinki summit. Instead, his behaviour has been called treasonous.

With legal marijuana only a couple of months away, what do we really know about how much young people are using pot? Jacqueline Smith reports on a survey of hundreds of students at the University of Calgary that provided some surprising results.

Computers and other hi-tech advances have become invaluable tools for designers, but Ted Hunter of the Ontario College and Design University has noticed a surprising development among his students: more and more of them are going old school and returning to the traditional way of making things that actually involve “rulers, saws and chisels.” It’s something design schools should note as they push for a more “hands off” approach to manufacturing.

And finally, Elon Musk is never far from the headlines. Fiona McNeill of McMaster looks at Musk’s recent offer to help people in Flint, Mich., who are still unable to access safe drinking water.

Regards,

Scott White

Editor

Today's Featured Articles

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks with Russian President Vladimir Putin during a news conference after their meeting at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki, Finland on July 16, 2018. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

The Trump-Putin summit: A stooge at work?

John Colarusso, McMaster University

In the hands of a legitimate president, the recent indictments against Russian nationals for interfering in the 2016 presidential election would have been a powerful tool at a summit. Not Donald Trump.

Recent research shows that many students who are using cannabis for medicinal reasons are also replacing their prescription medications with it. (Shutterstock)

The truth about cannabis on Canadian campuses

Jacqueline Smith, University of Calgary

Cannabis may not be legal yet in Canada, but university students are already big consumers and increasingly willing to talk about it.

Peter Thomas of the Winnipeg Art Gallery (left), Marcel Dionne of Roarockit (centre) and Jaimie Isaac, curator for Indigenous/Contemporary at the Winnipeg Art Gallery (right), are seen building a skateboard using a do-it-yourself kit in this 2017 photo. Art and design schools should reward those who actually build and create more than they do design theorists. (Author provided)

Art and design schools must cultivate creators, not theorists

Ted Hunter, OCADU

Even as our world goes digital, there will always be an appetite for craftsmanship, for art and for the work only human hands can truly bring to life. Art and design schools should celebrate creators.

Elon Musk may be on the hot seat for political donations and slurs against a British cave rescuer in Thailand, but his offer to pay for water filters in Flint, Mich., is laudable. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

Can Elon Musk fix Flint's water?

Fiona E. McNeill, McMaster University

If Elon Musk can help achieve safe drinking water more quickly for every home in Flint, Mich., then he should be lauded. Water is life.

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