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So, we’re into the homestretch of summer – the August long weekend marks the unofficial half way point of our favourite season. Most of the country is in the middle of a heat spell, which is always easier to manage on a beach or a lake. I am fortunate to be on a lake this weekend and, I’m not going to lie, it’s quite wonderful.
An added bonus this summer is a chance to watch the Paris Olympics. I’m an Olympic-aholic – there’s nothing else like the Olympic Games in the sports world. I’ve been glued to the CBC Gem app, which allows you to watch the raw feeds of all sports that is provided by the Olympic Broadcasting Services. One night at midnight this week I found myself watching live coverage of surfing from Tahiti. It was just a week ago that Paris kicked off the 2024 Games with an opening ceremony like no other. I didn’t understand all of it, and I’m glad I wasn’t stuck in the pouring rain, but it was a breathtaking example of how a city can become part of the story of the
Olympics. Bravo!
But summer isn’t all sun and fun. It’s been another horrendous wildfire season and who knows what’s in store over the next few weeks. So for your long weekend reading, I’ve assembled a summer mix of stories – an interesting piece on Canadian lakes, a few great reads about the Olympics and important stories on wildfires.
Our newsroom is taking an extra day to enjoy the long weekend, so we’ll be back in your Inbox on Tuesday. I hope you too can enjoy the extra day of this long weekend.
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Long Weekend Reads
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Simon Chadwick, SKEMA Business School; Paul Widdop, Manchester Metropolitan University
From railway sabotage to depictions of the last supper during the opening ceremony, the first week of the Olympics has shown just how fractious our world has become.
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Jeffrey Scholes, University of Colorado Colorado Springs; Terry Shoemaker, Arizona State University
Pierre de Coubertin hoped to channel the best of the ancient ceremonies into a new tradition that could foster both national pride and international harmony.
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Alexandre Frambéry-Iacobone, Université de Bordeaux
Even though France organised the opening ceremony, the country is not immune to the culture war.
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Brigid McCarthy, La Trobe University
There may be a silver lining to recent harrowing controversies in the world of gymnastics – older athletes are now making their presence felt.
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Joe Pavelka, Mount Royal University
All tourists want a good holiday, and no matter how uncomfortable overcrowding might be, thousands of people going to the same place at the same time feels less risky than being on your own.
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James Harris, Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM); Marie Larocque, Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM)
In Canada, groundwater is generally abundant and lakes are ubiquitous. But the exchanges between groundwater and lakes are complex and often invisible.
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Stephanie Cleland, Simon Fraser University; Ryan W. Allen, Simon Fraser University
As communities are exposed to wildfire smoke more regularly and over longer durations year after year, it is critical to consider what these changing exposure patterns mean for our long-term health.
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Ali Asgary, York University, Canada
The Jasper fire reinforces the risks that climate change and related extreme weather events pose to Canada’s world heritage sites.
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Gemma Ware, The Conversation
Kyla Tienhaara, an expert on investor state dispute settlement, talks to The Conversation Weekly about growing momentum against this secretive arbitration system.
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