Spark plug conversions

Monday’s van rampage on Yonge St. has brought into sharp focus an ongoing conversation in Toronto about vehicles, pedestrians and the public areas where they cross paths. Within hours of the incident, in which 10 people were killed and another 14 injured, the city placed concrete barriers in front of Union Station. As much as that was a practical measure, it was also symbolic, acknowledging the vulnerability of anyone on foot in a city where cars and people so often share the same physical spaces. That presumably temporary measure has led to a debate about the future of Toronto's streets. Those who advocate for a more livable city say we should be thinking beyond physical barriers, and considering practical and creative ways to keep pedestrians safe with measures that don’t compromise Toronto’s identity as an open-hearted and welcoming city. Read more: Lessons from abroad for a grieving Toronto “We’ve lost loved ones and our sense of security, but I think it would be a … [Read more...] about Van rampage prompts debate about increasing safety without sacrificing livability

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Racist emails sent to the University of Texas amid a debate over the school song “The Eyes of Texas” were “abhorrent and hateful” but don’t truly represent the Longhorns’ alumni and fans, university President Jay Hartzell said Tuesday. Hartzell was responding to a report published Monday by the Texas Tribune that featured emails sent by school supporters angry that a group of football players had refused to sing the traditional song after games because of its historical links to racist minstrel shows. The Texas Tribune reported that the vast majority of more than 300 emails it received in a public records request demanded the school keep the song, and dozens warned that donors would withhold money if players didn’t get in line. Several said Black players should leave the school if they don’t want to sing. Since Monday, at least two former players have tweeted they received threats from Texas fans for protesting the song. “People who target our … [Read more...] about UT President Calls Emails Defending Eyes of Texas ‘Extremist’

I recently became a father. Friends have warned me and my wife of how quickly they grow but the reality only hit us after L nearly doubled her birth weight in just six weeks. She had outgrown her diapers and her newborn clothes, and is now in danger of spilling out of her co-sleeper. I can't help but think: Soon we’ll be camping out under the stars. Then she’ll be going to school. She'll have her first crush. And we'll have to have that sex talk dreaded by parents and children alike, which, as I found out at the recent SPARK (Sexual Pleasure And Relationship Konversations) Fest 2018, may actually take place earlier than expected. SAYING IT AS IT IS According to Dutch sexologist and youth sex education expert Dr Sanderijn Van Der Doef, positive sexuality education should start when the child is able to respond, or about three years old. Speaking on Having The Talk: Dos And Don’ts When Talking About Sex With Your Children at Asia’s first sexual wellness festival, Dr Van … [Read more...] about How and when to talk to your kids about sex

Back to school, back to the balancing act between risk and reward — and the tradeoffs between infection and isolation. Closing schools gave us time to take stock of viral transmission — and the new variants transiting into Ontario. Now students are slowly emerging from winter hibernation with infection rates declining — and long-term realities sinking in. One year after COVID-19 changed our world, the only certainty is that there are no certainties. There is only risk tolerance — and rhetoric tolerance. Despite the early promise of vaccines , the promise remains unfulfilled for most. How can students and parents survive the virus, and navigate the variants, with the vaccine so far off? There is no right answer. Only the reality of risk. Last summer, critics and pundits warned the sky was falling when it wasn’t. Last September they clamoured for school closings when, in retrospect, community susceptibility was low and student vulnerability was even lower. Some of the … [Read more...] about When it comes to school re-openings, there is no right answer

Editor's note: Shanxi-based expert Wu Xiuming has sparked a heated public debate by proposing that the large number of single men in rural areas be encouraged to "pair with" single women in urban areas. The gender imbalance in urban and rural areas has become a social and demographic problem. Two experts share their views with China Daily's Yao Yuxin on how to address this problem. Excerpts follow: Marriage is a matter of choice for many women That China has a serious gender imbalance is evident from the latest official data released in early 2020, which show that in 2019, there were more than 715 million men compared with 684 million women in the country. But to suggest that the gender imbalance problem can be addressed by "pairing" the single men in rural areas with single women in urban areas is unrealistic, because there is little similarity in the two groups' attitude toward life and thought process. Most of the single men in the countryside lack the quality and … [Read more...] about Solution to gender imbalance is gender equality