Usually car manufacturers are falling over themselves at this time of year, introducing new models, debuting industry updates, unveiling new technology, providing new vehicle test drives and so on. It’s also traditionally when auto scribes start attending various new car launches and industry events, and filing update stories. But with COVID-19, social distancing and all…
Hashtags require a lot of research so you’re using a variety of strategies, such as your location, industry trends, popular sayings
The last of the big four platforms I want to talk about is Instagram. Instagram started in 2010 (it was purchased by Facebook in 2012) and was primarily a photo sharing app. At that time, it wasn’t easy to share photos; phones didn’t have an easy way to share, and other social platforms weren’t designed…
D-Day the Sixth of June was based on an award-winning novel by Canadian journalist Lionel Shapiro
Turner Classic Movies marked the American Memorial Day weekend by showing a string of war films, one of which was D-Day the Sixth of June. Released in 1956 and based on a novel published the previous year, I’d seen it at the local cinema in Dublin, Ireland, more than 60 years ago. Back then, I’d…
U of A medical researchers recommend rheumatic drugs, exercise to boost immune-regulating ‘natural killer’ cells
Rheumatologists at the University of Alberta are flagging similarities between the deaths of some COVID-19 patients and those with rheumatic illnesses. They are testing proven rheumatic treatments to see whether they help against the pandemic virus. A substantial proportion of COVID-19 patients admitted to intensive care die of pneumonia due to a cytokine storm, where…
In Newfoundland and several other provinces, major power projects have created huge public debt
The province of Newfoundland and Labrador is staring bankruptcy in the eye, according to recent news reports. There are a variety of reasons, which are typical for provincial politics. Politicians hate to cut services, love to cut taxes and hate to increase taxes because voters react to all of those things. Politicians aren’t leaders, they’re…
Textiles expert at U of A creates website with instructions to help people fashion homemade cloth masks based on best available evidence
Ideas for do-it-yourself masks are everywhere, but how do you know which are the best? There are no clear answers, but with that in mind, University of Alberta clothing and textiles professor Anne Bissonnette hopes a website she’s created can at least help people make some science-based choices as they sit down to their sewing. She wanted to…
At a time when the U.S. and Canada need it most, Keystone XL will generate more than 50,000 jobs
In the midst of the COVID-19-caused economic decline and huge job losses, it’s unfortunate that some, including Joe Biden, continue to smear Canada’s oil and gas industry. Biden, the presumptive U.S. Democratic presidential candidate, says if elected, he’ll shut down the Keystone XL pipeline project. The project is under construction, providing jobs to thousands of…
Besides creating an economic crisis, COVID-19 is bringing conflict into some homes. Rate (and improve) your relationship
Not all of us are living happily ever after. Are you surprised? I didn’t think so! If absence makes the heart grow fonder, the opposite might also be true about too much time spent together in close quarters. A former colleague recently told me that call volumes for domestic disputes are on the rise. This…
The COVID-19 pandemic has shown us how connected and interdependent we truly are as a global community
I’ve been blessed with many great sports experiences in my life. Since I was seven years old, I’ve loved playing and watching sports. I enjoy many aspects of sports but what I love the most is the camaraderie. More specifically, it’s the sense of fulfilment that comes from being part of something bigger than myself,…
Social isolation can be deadly for people struggling with addictions, says University of Alberta expert
When Alberta’s chief medical officer, Deena Hinshaw, announced special exemptions to COVID-19 regulations for group therapy in residential addiction treatment centres, it was exactly what University of Alberta addictions expert Cameron Wild was hoping to hear. “The whole concept of recovery is in part founded on developing strong social supportive relationships,” said Wild. Wild is principal investigator with the…