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It is a story that needs to be told – and told often, wrote The Record (Kitchener, Cambridge and Waterloo) Oct. 13. That's why, even after the release of a book and a documentary about Lt.-Gen. Romeo Dallaire's experiences amid the Rwandan genocide, the new feature film Shake Hands with the Devil demands to be seen. "I've never been more proud of a movie I've been in than this one," says actor and York graduate James Gallanders (right) (BFA ’93), who portrays Dallaire's right-hand man, Maj. Brent Beardsley, in the film. "This is such an important movie." The creation of the film was "quite frantic" at times, says Gallanders, who was told only a week before shooting that he had landed the part of Beardsley. "They told me, 'You're getting immunized tomorrow and headed to Africa next week,'" Gallanders recalls. The actor, now 37, was a drama student in York University’s Faculty of Fine Arts when the real-life Rwandan genocide was happening, and he knew only what the scant news reports were conveying (the O.J. Simpson trial got more media attention), wrote the Record. So when Gallanders got the part, he did as much research on the subject as he could, including reading Dallaire's memoir and watching the award-winning documentary. But nothing prepared the actor for the flood of conflicting emotions he felt when he and the crew landed in Africa. Shoukri ready to shape the University for the 21st century The Egyptian-born engineer, who took over as York's seventh president and vice-chancellor from Lorna R. Marsden in July, was officially installed Oct. 17. Shoukri was previously the vice-president of research and international affairs at McMaster University in Hamilton and is a member of the Ontario Research and Innovation Council. He also worked in various capacities with the research division of Ontario Hydro before becoming a faculty member at McMaster and, later, dean of engineering. "It has been great," Shoukri told the Mirror, of his short time so far at York, Canada's third largest university. "I feel I've been received with open arms by the students, staff and community. It is a big responsibility and I appreciate and understand the magnitude," he said. "However, I have been around leadership roles in universities and frankly I am not intimidated. I am here to work and to build York as a model for the 21st century." Shoukri plans to build on York's continuing strength in humanities, social sciences, business and law, and put increased emphasis on science and applied science, wrote the Mirror. Future plans also include the eventual establishment of a medical school. The spice is right for alumna entrepreneur Her plans to secretly rely on her mother, Rekha, fell through when mom announced she wouldn't be available that day. Several frantic phone calls later, Rekha Prasad had dispatched a few homemade spice blends to her daughter along with detailed instructions on how to assemble a meal, including the shopping list. And – boom – a business venture was born. Next week, supermarket patrons across Ontario will be able to buy the same specially blended flavours as the Prasads launch the first ever India meal kits under the brand name Gourmantra. Kirk to share latest works Kirk, in her extensive research for biography, uncovered new information that disproves previous books on the writer's life. It's a subject that's occupied her life for the past five years. She thought the biography would be easy because it's not the first time she's written about de la Roche. That was some 20 years ago for an essay when she went back to school to work on her PhD in English at York University. She chose de la Roche as her subject because she was the "the underdog." Kirk maintains that de la Roche is equal in importance to Lucy Maud Montgomery, who wrote Anne of Green Gables, and Orillia's Stephen Leacock (Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town). York grad student wins medal from Brock The 29-year-old spent seven years in St. Catharines, working at a women's shelter while earning a master of arts in social justice and equity studies. And though she has worked hard, she considers herself no smarter than the women she served at the King Street YWCA, and no one else should either, she said. "I don't think I'm an academic," she said. "I thought I was bright when I was a dropout. Women who come through the shelter are bright, even if people don't see them that way. I don't think letters after a name make a difference." Future 'masters of disaster' learn to cope with calamities "Disasters aren't going away," said Professor David Etkin, director of the Master's Program in Disaster & Emergency Management. "I think we're going to get more of them. We hope the graduates of our program will be able to contribute to a safer society," he said after a recent lecture about assessing risks, which included an examination of the causes of death among Americans. Etkin, 57, a retired Environment Canada forecaster, said the emergency management community has typically been dominated by so-called first responders such as firefighters, police and the military. The York program takes a much broader look to embrace social and health issues, business impacts, and engineering and environmental fallout. "If you leave one out, what happens is a system that's not going to work very well," he said. Ann Baka, 41, who has a political science degree and spent 20 years working in social services, was attracted to the program because it recognizes "while we all come from different backgrounds, everyone can contribute" skills to help deal with disasters. Nurse Timmi Olanubi, 23, said she's looking "to develop more versatility" in her credentials. For classmate Manpreet Jaiswal, 23, a recent graduate in international development from the University of Ottawa, it's a chance "for more hands on, practical experience" to help both on the reconstruction after a disaster and on planning "so it doesn't happen in the first place." Martinez adds Latin spice to local jazz night Martinez has not yet established herself on the same level as many of the other performers on this esteemed series. But, as usual, we were left in no doubt that she is on that path. That path has not been an easy choice for Martinez. She has an MBA in international business from the famous Schulich School of Business at York University and worked for six months as the Latin American relationship manager with one of Canada's leading banks before quitting to follow her dream. Varsity Blues are singing them The record previously belonged to fellow Toronto school York University. In 2004, York beat Toronto 45-41. The following season, York edged the Blues 40-33 in overtime. And this year, York handed Toronto its 46th straight loss, a 21-20 defeat. The Lions must really have wanted that record off their hands, wrote the Post. Team Schulich makes its investment picks Team members from York’s Schulich School of Business include Stuart Browne, Andrée St-Germain, Ankit Malik, Ashish Ghangrekar, Bradley Walman, I Hsiao, Kirill Kopytin, Rav Patel, Sanjay Patel, Sudatta Karve and Aniket Choudhary. Their strategy: A little here, a little there. Team Schulich spread it all around the blue chip universe buying up shares in industrials, biotech, high-tech, energy, mining and income trusts.
Could a ministerial post be on the horizon? "All those decisions are to be made over the next few weeks by the premier," she said. Though she won't speculate, she's a prime candidate for a portfolio, considering her education and professional pedigree. Formerly a family doctor, she has an MBA from York University’s Schulich School of Business. For 18 years, she served as the medical officer of health and commissioner of health services for York Region. Tapping into contracts can be just a keystroke away "I didn't think we'd get it because we were so small," says Payne, 46, whose Adirondack Technologies Furniture Inc., based in Peterborough, Ont., partnered with Canadian furniture maker Teknion Corp. to make the bid. His company did land the job – and went on to hit $3 million in sales that year – all through MERX. Today, sales are north of $11 million at Adirondack Inc., and the Web site remains Payne's primary business tool to find customers. When working with MERX, the ace in his hand is his status as a member of the Hiawatha First Nation; his company employs 12 aboriginal workers, drawn from various bands. Because federal procurement rules have "set asides" – a preferential allotment of contracts – for certified aboriginal businesses, Adirondack's bids get attention, if he gets his numbers right. A healthier life isn't hard or expensive It's estimated there are 11 million Canadians considered overweight, and about 500,000 of them are morbidly obese and in need of treatment. Those stats, combined with St. Catharines' lovely recognition in 2001 as the fattest city in Canada, does, indeed, worry me. But what disconcerts me the most about these statistics is that it isn't restricted to adults. Children, especially, should not be exposed to such a horrible, life threatening disease. Sadowski, a member of The Standard's community editorial board, is a St. Catharines volunteer, and author of Mission in the Kitchen. She is working towards her master's degree in musicology at York University, the paper noted. Bought deal gets high marks
It's an issue that's bound to be explored at ARM's 11th annual conference, which focuses on maternal health and well-being and runs today through Saturday in Toronto. To O'Reilly, the phenomenon of "intensive mothering," in which a woman's needs and identity always take a back seat to the kids, isn't much of a step forward from the Betty Friedan years, when women quietly went crazy waxing their suburban kitchen floors…. O'Reilly says that, athough there's a lot of merit in recognizing the bad days, isolation, exhaustion and other hard parts of motherhood, it won't change things until mothers move beyond sharing for therapeutic reasons and proceed into activism. "Mothering is not validated and supported, so what are we going to do about it?," she said. Greens' future is a shade of grey "There are still questions out there," says York Professor Mark Winfield, of the Faculty of Environmental Studies. "Are the Greens really prepared to play in the big leagues? One of the things they need to reflect on is, 'can the leader take them to the next level?'" Jewish groups back Harper over mailing list Sara Horowitz, director of the Centre for Jewish Studies at York University, agreed there's nothing sinister in the Conservative mailing but understands why the cards might rub some Jews the wrong way. Canada's Jewish community has a very high percentage of Holocaust survivors and their direct descendants, she said, something in the range of 30 to 40 per cent. Only Israel has a higher per capita population of Holocaust survivors. "People have deep historical memories and things resonate for them," said Horowitz.
But Mary Condon (left), a professor at York’s Osgoode Hall Law School, said with investors "pouncing" on minute-to-minute information in the Internet age, legislators should look at broadening the definition of what companies are legally obliged to reveal during an IPO. "It's time for us to take another look at this whole question," she said. "The reality of the way securities markets work is that investors tend to rely heavily on information about a company's financial results." Leading authority on the art of living and eating well to speak in Fredericton Reisman is spokesperson for The Balance of Living Well, a partnership with McCain Foods. She is the bestselling author of 15 books, a registered nutritional consultant, a partner in Rose Reisman Catering, a newspaper columnist and a motivational speaker. She is also a regular guest on national television and radio. Recently, Reisman received the Schulich School of Business at York University alumni recognition award for outstanding public contribution. $17B for transit; that's good, right? Maybe some are concerned that even if the feds acquiesce, the money will be too long in coming. Consider that in March, the Stephen Harper government announced nearly $1 billion in funding for transit, including huge sums to finance the subway expansion to York University. None of that money has flowed yet, locked in red tape. Imagine the delays with a plan they didn't conceive.
Mayor dismisses columnist’s savings plan that would raid subway funds York prof critiques racial profiling That series sparked a lot of denial and debate, said Tator, who, along with York Professor Emerita Frances Henry (right), wrote a book about racial profiling in Canada. Racial profiling doesn't keep citizens safe from violence, Tator said. "It is violence…. It can be argued that racial profiling by the police is the proverbial canary in the coalmine. Racial profiling exists in many of our democratic institutions." Job rotation is a win-win solution, says Schulich HR instructor "Companies are finding it increasingly difficult to recruit the leaders they need from outside the company. So they are setting up programs to identify promising new recruits and train them within the organization for future leadership roles," he says. The detailed effort and potential for fast-tracking into leadership is what attracted Melony Gare (MBA '07) to Bell's program. And she thinks the visibility is giving her bigger responsibilities faster than she would get without the program. Gare joined the Bell program in July after graduating with an MBA from York University's Schulich School of Business. Many employers still resist the idea, says Friedman, because "they cannot wrap their heads around front-end investment for results later on. It is too much learning and not enough doing for them…. But organizations that invest the time will find it is really beneficial," he says. Ottawa could spark trade war, says Monahan That measure, Monahan said, could be legislation implementing a single securities regulator, replacing the checkerboard scheme in which all provinces have their own stock watchdog. Should the Conservative government move in this direction, the provinces would likely issue a legal challenge to Ottawa's authority and that would likely reach the Supreme Court of Canada, Monahan said. And it is a battle Ottawa could win. "I do believe the trade and commerce power would support the enactment of legislation providing for a national securities regulator – without the provinces' agreement at all," Monahan said. UN special envoy’s visit can have an impact says Osgoode professor While what Kothari tells his UN colleagues in Geneva has no real teeth in international law, his findings can still have a political impact, said Aaron Dhir (left), a professor in York’s Osgoode Hall Law School. If past visits to other countries are any indication, the international spotlight that Kothari brings with him will stir up debate on what Canadian housing activists believe is a growing crisis, wrote the Star. Easing gun rules for US police "We don't need people who are not accountable to Canadian authorities carrying deadly weapons," said Alan Young, a professor at Osgoode Hall Law School. "Allowing foreign jurisdiction officials to come in with guns is not very much different from inviting an army in – it's just a matter of numbers." 'Declaration of innocence' debate lingers “This is just a very strange, asymmetrical component of the justice system,” Young said. “We don't seem to have any reluctance to declare people guilty beyond a reasonable doubt and we do it every day,” Young said, “but never ask a jury or a court to declare someone innocent beyond a reasonable doubt.'' High-school soccer star wants to come to York Marsden appointed to mayor’s panel
Harper government gears its law-making to tragic headlines, says Young Fed learned from Black Monday, says Schulich professor "There are a lot of people who believe it was really a function of mistakes made by the Fed in the summer of '87," said Mark Kamstra, a finance professor at the Schulich School of Business at York University. He is referring to the fact that the US Federal Reserve raised rates to head off inflation prior to the crash and did not lower rates until after the damage had been done. "And I think they have learned from that."
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MONDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2007 |
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Theatre grad calls
It has only been three months since Mamdouh Shoukri (right) assumed the top job at York University, but he's ready to shape the University as a model for the 21st century, wrote the North York Mirror Oct. 18.
With two books in one year, York alumna Heather Kirk (right) (MA ’89) is well on her way to becoming prolific, wrote the Barrie Examiner Oct. 13. Kirk's first book, Mazo de la Roche Rich and Famous Writer, was a biography of the creator of the Jalna series, released last year for the young adult market. Her second book, Who Were the Whiteoaks and Where Was Jalna?, is more scholarly because it centres on Kirk's investigation into the sources of the de la Roche's Jalna novels.
Cheryl Athersych (right) is earning a PhD in sociology at York University and received the Board of Trustees Spirit of Brock [University] medal this week. But don't call her smart – at least not as smart as anyone else, wrote the St. Catharines Standard Oct. 13. 
New MPP expects big learning curve
Exploring the many angles of motherhood
Companies should declare more in Internet age, says Osgoode prof 
Cancer Awareness Day Luncheon on Wednesday, Oct. 17 at the Delta Fredericton, wrote The Daily Gleaner (Fredericton, NB) Oct. 13. 
Five years ago, the Toronto Star published a special investigation into racial profiling by Toronto police, said Carol Tator (far right), an anti-racism and equity professor in York's Department of Anthropology, Faculty of Arts, at a symposium at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education yesterday, wrote the Toronto Star Oct. 17.
The federal government is setting itself up for a constitutional fight with the provinces over the power to tear down internal trade barriers that is expected to reach a boil over securities regulation, according to legal experts, wrote the National Post Oct. 18. "This is potentially quite significant," said Patrick Monahan (right), dean of York’s Osgoode Hall Law School and one of Canada's top constitutional experts. "They would not put it in [the Throne Speech] unless they have some specific measures in mind." 
Miloon Kothari, the UN's special rapporteur on adequate housing, arrives in Toronto tonight as part of a two-week investigation in Canada that focuses on housing for women and aboriginals, homelessness and the impact the 2010 Olympic Winter Games will have on housing in Vancouver, wrote the Toronto Star Oct. 18. 
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