Science – mackaycartoons

Friday July 14, 2017

July 13, 2017 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday July 14, 2017

Julie Payette to become Canada’s Next Governor General

Former astronaut Julie Payette says she is embracing her new role as Canada’s next governor general with humility, love of country and a promise to work for all Canadians.

March 19, 2015

“I’m here to serve all Canadians of all backgrounds, of all walks of life, whether new or not so new,” she said.

Payette expressed gratitude for having a second chance to serve her country, and said it will be a pleasure to meet and interact with Canadians from coast to coast to coast.

December 3, 2008

“What a great day,” she said during a news conference with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Trudeau said Payette has dedicated her life to discovery, dreaming big and staying focused on the things that matter most.

“These truly Canadian traits, along with her years of public service, make her unquestionably qualified for this high office,” he said.

September 27, 2005

The 53-year-old Montrealer, who speaks six languages, will become Canada’s 29th governor general.

Payette, who is also an accomplished athlete, pianist and choral singer, will succeed outgoing Gov. Gen. David Johnston.

Trudeau said Payette will make an “extraordinary” governor general who will serve her country with dedication and inclusion and work for the cause of reconciliation with Indigenous people.

February 20, 2004

As a 12th-generation Canadian, Payette said she embraces the core values of Canada: tolerance, openness and working together. She vowed to serve all Canadians, and as part of that will promote science, technology and the pursuit of knowledge.

As to the required knowledge of constitutional matters, Payette said she will learn on the job with the help of experts. (Source: CBC News)

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Friday April 29, 2016

April 28, 2016 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday April 29, 2016

Naturopath who treated boy who died of meningitis should be held accountable, physicians say

The naturopath who treated Ezekiel Stephan, an Alberta boy who died of bacterial meningitis in 2012, “did not meet the standard of care” and should be held accountable for her actions, according to a critical letter sent to the College of Naturopathic Doctors of Alberta by nearly four dozen physicians across Canada.

The situation raises broader questions about the growing trend toward the regulation of naturopaths in Canada and whether the colleges are doing proper oversight, said Michelle Cohen, a family physician in Brighton, Ont., who wrote the letter.

The college has opened an investigation based on the letter and did not respond to an interview request.

David and Collet Stephan were found guilty in a Lethbridge court on Tuesday of failing to provide the necessaries of life for their son Ezekiel, who was 19 months old.

The Stephans went to a naturopath, Tracey Tannis, because they suspected that the boy had meningitis. The naturopath testified that she did not physically examine Ezekiel and that she had advised the Stephans to take him to a hospital. But she gave Ms. Stephan an echinacea treatment for the child. Others testified that Dr. Tannis discussed Ezekiel’s case with his mother.

Naturopaths are governed by a self-regulatory college in Alberta, in a manner similar to doctors and nurses. Dr. Tannis is still listed as a member in good standing of the College of Naturopathic Doctors of Alberta and there are no notes attached to her registration to suggest that there have been any concerns about her actions.

The physicians’ letter criticizes the naturopath for recommending a treatment for a sick child without having examined him and for failing to provide vital information about the grave risks of meningitis and the urgent need for a lumbar puncture and treatment to prevent death or permanent brain damage.

“Albertans should expect that any regulated health-care professional meeting the standard of care for treating children would have basic knowledge about meningitis,” the letter says. “Albertans should also expect that any regulated health professional using the designation ‘Dr.’ would not recommend a treatment for a child without first physically examining them to arrive at a diagnosis.”

Dr. Tannis did not respond to an interview request on Wednesday. (Source: Globe & Mail)

Wednesday October 21, 2015

October 20, 2015 by Graeme MacKay

By Graeme MacKay, Editorial Cartoonist, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday October 21, 2015

Justin Trudeau’s turn to face the weight of expectations

Stephen Harper is a goner, and humiliated, too, to the near-erotic ecstasy of Canada’s chattering classes, who loathed him with such intensity it’s hard to think of a comparison in modern politics.

Well, maybe Dick Cheney, George W. Bush’s Darth Vader.

Suddenly, in Justin Trudeau we have a prime minister-designate who’s banging on about hope and trust and inclusiveness and believing in yourself and being better and listening to everyone and diversity and all sorts of other happy thoughts. He even threw in tolerance for hijabs.

2011-2015

Last week, Harper tried to say this wasn’t about him, but it was. All those Conservative candidates he muzzled and controlled are probably wishing they’d grown some spine and stood up to those PMO staffers who’ve been ordering them around for years.

The smile that spread across the lips of the Canadian elites during the last week of this election, when Harper was reduced to posing with Rob Ford and his brother in an attempt to shore up what amounts to the Canadian Tea Party vote, was almost wolfish.

It won’t be hard for Trudeau to keep his most prominent promise — to run a deficit for a few years. Spending more than you earn is always easy. He may already be inheriting a deficit.

But he’s taking power at a time of tremendous transformation. A housing correction may be coming. Younger generations are struggling with debt.

At the same time, entire cohorts of baby boomers are retiring. Try to trim their entitlements, which will almost certainly be necessary, and see what happens.

Or try to force some competition into the Canadian banking sector. Or the almost closed-shop telecommunications sector. Or try to cut red tape at the border, and encourage true free trade with the Americans.

Trudeau will need revenue to fulfill his agenda, but even Liberals won’t be keen on restoring the taxes Stephen Harper cut. They may not even really want a larger federal government.

Our new prime minister might say he’s going to sit down and negotiate with Canada’s premiers “with deep respect,” but wait until he gets a load of what’s involved with that. His father knew.

What Trudeau can do, of course, is change the tone. That costs nothing, and a lot of Canadians want it to happen.

He can make Canada’s positions abroad more nuanced, less absolutist and replace Canada’s swagger at the UN with some actual diplomacy.

He can walk back the talk about how terrorists threaten us daily in our very homes, and perhaps speak honestly about the effectiveness of our combat mission in Iraq and Syria.

He may end up joining the rest of the Western world in supporting the nuclear deal with Iran, and perhaps even recognize that there are two sides to the question of Israel and the Palestinians.

But sweeping reversals of Stephen Harper’s legacy? It’s been almost a decade, and Harper changed the status quo. Even Trudeau himself seems to understand that. (Continued: CBC News)

Saturday September 26, 2015

September 26, 2015 by Graeme MacKay

David Suzuki Says He Called Justin Trudeau A ‘Twerp’

By Graeme MacKay, Editorial Cartoonist – Saturday September 26, 2015

During a testy phone call, Justin Trudeau dismissed David Suzuki’s views on the Liberal climate change policy as “sanctimonious crap,” according to Suzuki. Suzuki revealed the contents of the conversation during an interview on SiriusXM’s Everything is Political with Evan Solomon. Suzuki says he fired back, calling Trudeau a “twerp.”

The renowned scientist, broadcaster and activist says Trudeau called him personally June 28, 2015 to talk about the Liberal platform on climate change that was to be revealed the next day. “I didn’t call Justin, he called me,” Suzuki said. “He wanted an endorsement and he wanted to tell me exactly what his program was.”

For the record: Justin Trudeau’s speech on the environment: June 29, 2015

The program includes support for the Keystone XL pipeline, a rejection of the Northern Gateway pipeline and a commitment to work with the provinces to establish a cap-and-trade system.

“I said, ‘Justin, stop it, you’re just being political, you just want to make headway in Alberta,’” Suzuki says he told Trudeau. “You’re for the development of the tar sands, you’re for the Keystone pipeline, but you’re against the Northern Gateway, you’re all over the damn map!”

Maclean’s explains: Where the leaders stand on the environment

Suzuki went on to advise Trudeau that taking the target of a 2 degree rise in temperature seriously means 80 per cent of the oil sands has to stay in the ground. Suzuki believes stopping oil sands development will mean “no debate about pipelines or expanding railways or shipping stuff offshore—none of that comes into it.”

Suzuki says this is when the exchange turned nasty. “He said, ‘I don’t have to listen to this sanctimonious crap. I proceeded to call him a twerp.” (Source: MacLean’s)

Thursday August 6, 2015

August 5, 2015 by Graeme MacKay

From L-R: Mars Rover, R2D2, Bender (from Futurama), Wall-E, Promo (from Rocketship Seven), and Intelligent dog

Editorial cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday August 6, 2015

HitchBOT’s parts are being returned to Canada

HitchBOT’s California dreams have been dashed for 2015, but there is a possibility the robot will be back on the side of the road next year.

The Canadian-made hitchhiking robot’s creators released a statement Wednesday saying that the hitchBOT’s 2015 “summer adventure is over,” and that they are considering rebuilding for a 2016 journey, or introducing it to schools and allowing children to determine its travels.

“As researchers, we wanted to know, ‘can robots trust humans?’ and knew there would always be the possibility that hitchBOT would be damaged or stolen,” said David Harris Smith, hitchBOT co-creator and assistant professor at McMaster University. “Even though it did end badly for hitchBOT, we’ve learned a lot about human empathy and trust – everything we’ve learned will be borne out in the resulting research and used in future planning for hitchBOT’s adventures.”

HitchBOT’s journey was cut short in Philadelphia over the weekend, two weeks into its adventure across the United States after successful trips across Canada and into Europe.

A pair of YouTube pranksters admitted to creating a fake video that appeared to show one of their characters beating the child-sized robot. Jesse Wellens of PrankvsPrank and his friend Ed Bassmaster released a video on how they faked the video, but have denied that they destroyed the robot.

The “social robot” went offline on Aug. 1 while waiting for a ride in Philadelphia.

In a press released issued Wednesday, hitchBOT’s creators said the the body of the robot has been found by some its fans, and that the parts are currently “being sent back to its family in Canada.” (Source: CBC News)