Click here to read my current blogs posts from Yahoo! Canada.
See below for past blog posts I’ve written for National Post.
The downside of concentration: It can make you deaf
Bad news. While it’s true that focusing heavily on a task can make you more productive, it can also make you oblivious to the things around you. The term has recently been coined “inattentional deafness” by a group of British researchers from University College London. They have discovered that people can become deaf to perfectly audible sounds when focusing heavily on a task.
Fast food twice as bad for you with coffee: study
A study published in the Journal of Nutrition discovered that not only does a healthy person’s blood sugar level spike after eating a high-fat meal, but that the spike doubles after having both a fatty meal and caffeinated coffee – jumping to levels similar to those of people at risk for diabetes.
Want to know if your mate will cheat? Listen to the pitch of their voice
A new Canadian study has found men think a woman with a higher voice is more likely to be unfaithful. Conversely, women believe the lower the man’s voice, the more likely he’s going to cheat. According to the authors there is a biological basis for these assumptions.
Processed foods linked to lower IQ in children: study
A recent study published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, an affiliate publication of the British Medical Journal, suggests that a diet high in fats, sugars, and processed foods in early childhood may lower IQ, while a diet full of vitamins and nutrients may do the opposite.
Bodychecking in youth hockey: When is it safe to allow?
New research has emerged from the Canadian Medical Association Journal regarding bodychecking and the risk of injury in youth ice hockey. The findings shed some light on an already controversial subject of what age to introduce bodychecking into youth ice hockey leagues, so as to reduce the risk of concussion and other injuries.
Does eating a big breakfast help you lose weight?
In 2008, a study was published suggesting that eating a big, high-calorie breakfast was a more effective way of losing weight in the long-term than eating a modest, lower calorie breakfast. This caused a stir in the diet and nutrition industries. However, as often happens in the medical research world, a few years later another study is published claiming something different.
Daily dose of aspirin reduces deaths from common cancers: study
A new study published in the Lancet medical journal is the first to prove that a daily low-dose of aspirin (75 mg) reduces death rates from a range of common cancers. While previous research has shown it reduces death rates for colorectal cancer by more than a third, this study focused on a range of common cancers, including gastrointestinal, oesophageal, pancreatic, brain, lung and stomach.
Painkillers during pregnancy may increase risk of male reproductive disorders
New research has emerged from Europe that suggests a link between taking mild painkillers during pregnancy and cryptorchidism in baby boys – a condition where one or both testicles fail to descend into the scrotum and a known risk factor for poor semen quality and testicular germ cell cancer in later life.
Eating peanuts during pregnancy may increase risk of child peanut allergy
A new study suggests that infants aged 3-15 months who are already allergic to milk or eggs may be at an increased risk of a peanut allergy if their mothers ingested peanuts during pregnancy.
Love or cocaine: Choose your painkiller
Passionate feelings of love can provide amazingly effective pain relief, similar to painkillers or street drugs such as cocaine, according to a new study from Stanford University School of Medicine.
Careful what you say around your four year old, she may understand irony
Contrary to previous research that claimed irony wasn’t understood before the age of eight or ten, a study from the Université de Montréal reveals that children as young as four are able to understand and use irony.
Insomnia and anxiety medications increase mortality risk by 36%: study
A comprehensive new Canadian study that looks at 12 years’ worth of Statistics Canada data has concluded that taking medications to treat insomnia and anxiety increases mortality risk by 36%.
Why Americans believe Barack Obama is a Muslim
New research sheds light on a recent Pew Research Center poll, which found that 18% of Americans believe U.S. President Barack Obama is a Muslim. American and Canadian researchers found that Americans are more likely to believe political smear campaigns if they are reminded of ways in which the political candidate is different from them — whether because of race, social class or other ideological differences.
Yes, you should pour champagne down the side of a glass
We now have a scientific study to confirm the widely accepted ritual of pouring bubbly down the side of a flute before drinking it actually makes sense. Scientists in France found that pouring bubbly in an angled way and chilling the beverage in advance is best for preserving its taste, fizz and aroma.
Contrary to conventional wisdom, new study says cow’s milk good for newborns
New research from Tel Aviv University suggests that introducing cow’s milk into a baby’s diet in the first 15 days can help protect against a cow’s milk allergy later in life. Previous research on this subject has recommended that mothers only introduce cow’s milk into a baby’s diet once the infant starts eating solid foods, which could be as early as four to six months.
Love is addictive, whether for good or bad: study
Pining over your lost love? Bad news. New research suggests getting over a break-up might be akin to kicking an addiction.
The HST is here. What you can expect in Ontario and B.C.
The HST will arrive in Ontario and British Columbia on July 1. Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Newfoundland have already implemented the tax. And after July 1, the only provinces without an HST will be Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Prince Edward Island.
‘Male menopause’ symptoms revealed, but not without skeptics
For the first time scientist have identified three major symptoms associated with late-onset hypogonadism, otherwise known as ‘male menopause’, caused by reduced testosterone levels.
World’s oldest leather shoe found in Armenia
A team of international archeologists have discovered the world’s oldest leather shoe in an Armenian cave. The perfectly preserved 5,000 year old shoe has blown away researchers due to its excellent condition relative to its age.
What to do with too many seals on Sable Island?
Kill them or give them contraceptives. Both would cost the same — between $20-million and $35-million for the federal government. These two suggestions were given in a report intended to advise the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans on the matter of seal overpopulation on Sable Island — about 300 kilometres off the coast of Nova Scotia.
Men get postpartum blues too: research review
A recent review of studies published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, has found that one in 10 new fathers suffer from “baby blues”, not just mothers.
Canada’s first baby drop-off program to launch at Vancouver hospital
St. Paul’s hospital in Vancouver is set to launch a newborn drop-off program on Monday called Angel’s Cradle, the first of its kind in Canada. The initiative was conceived of two years ago with the intention of providing a place for mothers to abandon their babies in a safe manner, as opposed to in a stairwell or on the streets.
Daily food journal key to losing weight: study
Researchers from two American universities — the University of Kentucky and the University of North Carolina — have found that recording what you eat and how much you exercise on a daily basis is a key component in losing weight.
Nestle drops palm oil supplier citing environmental concerns
After being pressured by a Greenpeace campaign that claims popular Nestle chocolate bars such as KitKat and Coffee Crisp are a threat to rainforests and endangered orangutans because of the use of palm oil, Nestle has cancelled contracts with Sinar Mas — a palm oil supplier and one of the largest forestry companies in Indonesia.
See below for past stories I’ve written for Financial Post Magazine.
Here are a couple of places you can invest your money without being tied to the volatile swings of the stock market.
Office Survival Guide: Tactics, etiquette, psychology and more
Advice on how to deal with day-to-day problems in the business world.
Just what does a rock ‘n’ roll roadie do?
Innovator: Seek and they’ll be found
Nstein Technologies of Montreal is making big inroads. The 200-employee shop is the first to bring “text mining” — linguistics-based programming used in fields such as law and health care to extract information from text — to content management software for publishers.
See below for past stories I’ve written for CTV.
Canadian couple shoots for stars with space elevator
A Canadian technology company, Thoth Technology Inc., is looking to create a space elevator from hundreds of inflatable Kevlar tubes – a lightweight polyethylene material with a thickness of only a few centimeters. The elevator would carry passengers to the very edge of space.
T.O. not alone in dealing with civic workers strike
For the past 11 weeks now, the city of Windsor, one of Ontario’s largest cities and most hard hit by the recession, has been in the midst of a tense civic workers strike that has forced residents to drop off their garbage at transfer sites.
Can swearing make your pain go away?
Does swearing make you feel better when you hurt yourself? This would not be surprising, according to new research, which shows swearing can increase your pain tolerance.
Second wave of H1N1 expected this fall
The North American population may become infected with a second, much larger, wave of the H1N1 virus this fall, according to a Canadian microbiologist. The disease has already infected thousands across Canada and is linked to at least 41 deaths.
Chris Brown take note: Stars should own up to mistakes
Own it, mean it, go big and go public. That is the advice given by Mike Paul, a New York public relations expert to celebrities who say “sorry” for their massive screw ups.
See below for past stories I’ve written for the Ryerson Review of Journalism.
Mighty Mouth: A profile on journalist Heather Mallick
Inside a classroom in the Bancroft Building at the University of Toronto, fluorescent lights buzz above Heather Mallick’s head as she sits behind a long desk, poised in a long-sleeved dark blue dress, wide-eyed and nodding at a student in her continuing education course, Town Hall: The Bush Legacy.
Well okay, maybe you haven’t. Independent World Television hasn’t hit your screen yet, but it will. Founder Paul Jay promises.
See below for past stories I’ve written for Sympatico.ca.
Canada’s battle against white-collar crime
White-collar crime and the plethora of offences it brings with it — including accounting fraud, asset misappropriation, embezzlement and insider trading — have been making the news a lot this year.
In case you haven’t noticed yet, the year 2012 and the apocalyptic theories associated with it are alive and well. These fringe theories are thriving in circles among new ageists and even a small number of academics and scientists.
Cell phone ban now in effect for Ontario drivers
Keep your hands on the wheel and your mind on the road. That’s the message coming from the Ontario government regarding their new cell phone law to be enforced starting Monday.
Parents, kids, and the H1N1 vaccine
Since the H1N1 vaccine program started a few weeks ago, Toronto parents have had all sorts of experiences trying to get their kids immunized — some pleasant, some not so much.
TIFF’s home under stormy skies
This year’s uproar concerning the festival’s selection of movies about Tel Aviv — considered by protesters to be insensitive to the plight of Palestinians — is just one of many times TIFF’s choices have kicked up dust over the years.
Americans strive to make 9/11 anniversary a day about giving back
Today marks the 8th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, now known as one of America’s most solemn days in its history.
See how much you know about the world’s worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. How did it start and what did we learn?
Canadian philanthropist billionaires and where their money goes
The number of Canadian billionaires are growing, and with a history of generous philanthropy in this country, we may have something to be proud of. Check out how some Canadian philanthropist billionaires have chosen to donate their money.
Thirteen fun facts about Friday the 13th
Experts don’t know the exact origins of this superstition. However, they suggest it comes from two separate superstitions about Friday being unlucky and the number 13 being unlucky, giving Friday the 13th a particular doomsday feel.
Canadian cash-strapped companies
Sure all Canadian companies have been hard hit by the recession, but while many small business have closed their doors, bigger companies have struggled to remain relevant in a changing landscape with increased debt.
Just what is the right side of the road?
Throughout driving history, the world has been split on what side of the road to drive on. Both politics and practicality have been deciding factors. Take a look at this gallery peppered with fun tidbits of information about the history of driving on the right…errrr…wrong side of the road.
