Historic Emmy nomination

Sandra Oh made Hollywood history recently, when she became the first woman of Asian descent to be nominated for an Emmy Award for best lead actress in a drama series. Today in The Conversation Canada, Angie Wong of York University shares a bittersweet personal response. Oh’s nomination for her portrayal of MI5 analyst Eve Polastri in the BBC drama Killing Eve is, “…a breath of fresh air,” says Wong, “because she gets to be an actor who plays a character rather than an Asian woman who plays an Asian role.”

Will students be able to smoke weed, or even buy it in marijuana “lounges,” on university and college campuses across Canada later this fall? This is a question that has long been troubling university administrators. Not at Thompson Rivers University in British Columbia, says Chris Montoya. This university has made the call to ban all smoking of marijuana products on campus — for health and safety reasons.

Think again before handing out plastic-wrapped snacks for your children today. Single-use plastics have been getting a lot of press recently, for good reason. Investigating the stomachs of 41 garbage-eating gulls, Sahar Seif of Carleton University and Jennifer Provencher of Acadia University found a shocking 284 pieces of debris inside – including pieces of glass and whole cheese wrappers.

Finally, the long weekend is on its way. And if you’re under the age of 35, you likely won’t be heaping steaks and burgers onto your grill. Our regular food contributor Sylvain Charlebois is back, with a fascinating look at the rise of the plant-based narrative, new trends in veganism and vegetarianism and a suggestion that the meat industry pays just a little more attention.

Heather Walmsley

Health & Medicine, Education

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Sandra Oh, a U.S./Canadian actress of Korean descent, is an outspoken advocate for greater representation in film and television. She is the first woman of Asian decent to be nominated for an Emmy. Here, just before being inducted into Canada’s Walk of Fame in Toronto, 2011. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Aaron Vincent Elkaim

Thank you, Sandra Oh – a first for the Emmys

Angie Wong, York University, Canada

Sandra Oh's recent Emmy nomination for 'Killing Eve' is a sign of appreciation of her work but also a symbol of hope for the author as a former actor and as an academic.
The Joint Occupational Health and Safety Committee (JOHSC) of Thompson Rivers University in British Columbia unanimously voted on March 5, 2018 to ban all smoking of marijuana products on campus — for health and safety reasons. (Flickr/Chuck Grimmett)

Marijuana-friendly campuses? I don’t think so …

Chris Montoya, Thompson Rivers University

In advance of marijuana legalization in Canada, one university in British Columbia has taken a firm stance, banning all smoking of cannabis products on campus.
A research study found that most of the debris in gulls’ stomachs is plastic – exposing the birds to high levels of chemical contaminants and potentially limiting their reproductive success. (Shutterstock)

All-you-can-eat landfill buffet spells trouble for birds

Sahar Seif, Carleton University; Jennifer Provencher, Acadia University

Seagulls have no qualms about sifting through dumps for scraps. But this buffet comes at a cost, filling their stomachs with plastic, glass, metal and even building materials.
It’s barbecue season, a time of year that usually makes the meat industry happy. But an increasing number of Canadians, especially those under 35, are cutting out meat from their diets – a trend that should be causing serious alarm for meat producers. (Shutterstock)

The rise of the conscious carnivore

Sylvain Charlebois, Dalhousie University

There have been an increasing number of reported anti-meat incidents around the world as more consumers second-guess their relationship with animal proteins. How can the meat industry adjust?

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