Second cup? This is my 13th.
IN LIGHT OF America’s upcoming National Coffee Day, the results of a survey of U.S. coffee-drinking habits have been released. Commissioned by 7-Eleven convenience stores, the survey of just over 1,000 participants found two-thirds of Americans are regular coffee-drinkers, and of those who consume the caffeinated beverage, 65 per cent drink up to 13 cups per week. In addition, three out of five participants agreed they needed a cup of joe to start their day, and 54 per cent felt that drinking coffee made them feel more like themselves. What do the results of this survey signify? Are Americans in the middle of a caffeine-addiction epidemic, or consuming coffee at a reasonable rate?
Teens in Canada not about equality
THE RESULTS OF a survey of 1,000 Canadian teenagers has just been released. The questionnaire, which asked the teens about their opinions on gender roles and equality, found a solid 90 per cent of participants felt gender equality was a good thing. At the same time, 45 per cent of those surveyed appeared to contradict themselves when it came to their opinions about the roles of men and women, believing men to be natural leaders and women less so. Though the majority of Canadian teens say they are in favour of gender equality, they still harbour strong opinions in favour of maintaining gender stereotypes. Does this mean bad things for the future of equality in Canada, or are these teens likely to change their minds as they age?
Move over, Einstein
PHYSICISTS AT THE European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) have stumbled upon a remarkable discovery as part of experimentation with their large hadron collider. As it turns out, old Einstein was wrong in his assertion that nothing can move faster than the speed of light. CERN’s latest experiment has clocked neutrinos travelling at a speed slightly faster than light particles, which basically blows a big hole in physics as we know it. Could this discovery mark the next wave of scientific discovery, or should we hold off awarding the Nobel Prize until the actual implications and verity of this breakthrough are known?
Too heavy? No babies for you!
EXPERTS FROM THE Canadian Fertility and Andrology Society (CFAS) are set to begin talks this week to decide whether body mass index (BMI) should be a consideration in restricting who has access to in vitro fertilization. Due to complications that can occur with pregnancy in obese women, such as higher risk of miscarriage and development of gestational diabetes, the society wants to prevent women with a BMI of 35 or more from being able to undergo in vitro treatments. Is the CFAS adopting a blatantly sizeist attitude toward women hoping to conceive, or would this new restriction be a reasonable and valid means of reducing strain on the medical system?
Care to comment? Tell us what your opinion is at Thefulcrum.ca/category/opinions/.
—Jaclyn Lytle
